“Enough.” Chris’s expression darkened. “No matter what, Layla is still our sister. Can you stop bringing up death like it’s nothing? What, are you actually hoping something happens to her?” Shane huffed, rubbing his nose irritably. “Bro, I felt bad for her at first too. I genuinely wanted her to come home. And what happened? You saw it yourself—Layla’s heart is made of stone. No matter what we do, she’ll never soften toward us.“She treats us like enemies. If we’re not willing to die with her, it’s like we’re in the wrong. Tell me, have you ever seen a family member like that?” Another loud sneeze interrupted his rant. He sniffled and mumbled under his breath. “She doesn’t care about us, so why should we care about her? We don’t owe her anything.” Chris remained silent. He didn’t want to admit it, but he couldn’t argue with Shane’s words. Layla was beyond saving. This trip had been a complete waste of time. Just then, his phone rang. Chris picked up immediat
The number one trending topic was none other than “Xena Xander’s Suicide Attempt”! Carter stared in shock. “Holy crap. Is this real? Did she make it or not?” “She survived,” Ivan replied, clicking his tongue a few times. “They got her to the hospital in time, so she’s out of danger. The place is swarming with reporters now.” News of her attempt spread fast. In less than an hour, public opinion had already started shifting in her favor. Many netizens began attacking the photographers and influencers who had previously spoken up against Xena, accusing them of spreading baseless rumors and pushing her into depression. Some even suggested the entire scandal had been orchestrated—that Layla was behind it all, hell-bent on destroying her sister. “I’ve never seen a dying person so full of energy. Layla just can’t stand seeing her own sister happy, huh?” “Where are all of Layla’s supporters now? Shouldn’t you be rushing to defend your precious Layla? Take a good look—this
Right at that moment, Kiera stepped out of her house. “Sean, as long as you promise to cut ties with the Xanders, I’ll give you one last chance.” To stop her from leaving, he swore an oath on the spot—one so vicious that breaking it would curse his own bloodline.Kiera believed him. She smiled and threw herself into his arms, holding on tightly. Even now, Sean could still feel the strength of that embrace. “Sean, you’re here!” A voice snapped him back to reality. Mrs. Xander’s excited tone rang out as she grabbed his arm, practically dragging him toward the hospital room. “It’s so good that you came! Xena has been running a high fever all day. She’s been so out of it, but she keeps calling your name!“I just brought her some soup from home. Now that you’re here, she’ll be so happy—maybe she’ll actually eat something!” She kept talking as she led him forward, not noticing the discomfort on Sean’s face. Inside the hospital room, she beamed as if presenting a
“Sean, anything Kiera can give you, I can give you too.”Xena forced herself to sit up, her voice trembling with desperation. “I’m the one who loves you most. Why can’t you see that?” Sean frowned, his gaze flicking to the bandage on her wrist, where fresh blood had already seeped through. Instinctively, he reached out to steady her by the shoulder. “Don’t move.” But Xena took the opportunity to grab his hand. “Sean, don’t force yourself to be with someone you don’t love. You’ll regret it.” “You have no right to interfere in my life.” Irritation flashed across Sean’s face. “Xena, don’t make me regret coming here tonight.” Xena froze. She could only watch as he pulled his hand away, unable to stop him. Mrs. Xander couldn’t hold back any longer. She scowled at Sean. “Sean, how can you be so heartless? You’ve ruined both of my daughters—you’ll get what’s coming to you!” Sean ignored her, his eyes lingering on Xena’s injured wrist for a moment longer. It hurt to
“Keep your voice down,” Chris warned in a low voice. “Don’t let Xena hear you.” He then turned to Mrs. Xander, his expression serious. “Mom, does Dad have a plan to handle the situation online?” “At first, he wanted to leave some room for negotiation, but after what happened to Xena, there’s no way we can let this mess spiral any further.” Mrs. Xander wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. “You both know this—we still have everything from back then.” When Layla left the Xander family, she took nothing with her. That included all the original files from the photography exhibit. Initially, they had chosen not to release them—not because of any moral hesitation, but because they knew they were in the wrong. If the truth came out, they would have no real defense. But now that Xena had nearly taken her own life, they had no choice but to fight back. “That means Dad and I are thinking along the same lines.” Chris nodded slightly. “If Layla refuses to back down,
Meanwhile, Carter read through Xena’s statement in a mocking, exaggerated tone—only to make himself feel sick in the process. “Oh my god. How does someone like Xena have the audacity to say every single one of those photos was taken by her?” He let out a frustrated sigh. “And those brainless bandwagon fans—believing whatever she says without question. ‘Xena, we believe in you forever’? Give me a break.” Shuddering, Carter dramatically tossed his phone onto the couch. “I swear, stupidity must be contagious through the internet.” Ivan shot Carter a knowing look and chuckled. “Come on, Carter. Don’t be so harsh. For all you know, some of those people might be your fans—or future ones.”“Besides,” he added, “netizens only see what public figures let them see. In the world of online discourse, jumping on bandwagons is just part of the game.”Layla nodded, backing him up. “Ivan’s got a point. You should take notes.”Carter huffed in frustration. “Seriously, sis? They’re tearin
Chris stepped forward, blocking the reporters’ microphones. “I know you all have a lot of questions, but now isn’t the right time for us to respond.“Please be patient. Once Xena has recovered, she will hold a press conference to address everything, including the details of her past photography exhibition.” The reporters immediately perked up, excitement flashing across their faces. “Really?” “Does this mean Layla actually slandered her own sister?” “With everything Layla has done, do you have nothing to say to her?” The constant repetition of Layla’s name irritated Mr. Xander. Just as he was about to leave, he paused mid-step, turning back to face the cameras. His expression was cold. “Layla cut ties with this family a long time ago. From now on, whatever she does has nothing to do with the Xander family.” A wave of excitement rippled through the reporters. “Are you saying it was Layla who wanted to sever ties?” “Was it because of her illness that she becam
The news of Layla severing ties with her family spread like wildfire online. “She had a perfectly good life as a wealthy heiress, but she threw it away. What the hell is she after?” “Families don’t air their dirty laundry unless things are really bad. Just how awful does she have to be for her own father to publicly disown her?” “If even her own family refuses to stand by her, then she’s clearly the problem. No wonder she’s sick and alone.” In just a few days, public opinion had flipped entirely. At first, people had pitied Layla. Now, they couldn’t wait for Xena’s press conference, eager to see Layla exposed and crushed once and for all. Layla was looking forward to the press conference too. She stood by the open-air balcony, leaning against the railing as she gazed at the endless stretch of ocean beneath the night sky. As Thanksgiving approached, Haven City’s temperatures had finally started to drop. The late-night sea breeze was sharp and biting, yet she stoo
When William got home and pushed open the door, he immediately saw Scarlett sitting on the sofa, stewing in anger. The living room lights weren’t even on.Even from a distance, he could feel the heavy cloud of resentment surrounding her.He casually flipped on the lights and walked over. “You really didn’t eat tonight?”Scarlett huffed, puffing up like an angry cat. “I was going to, but your father pissed me off so much I’m full of rage instead.”“Oh?” William raised an eyebrow with interest. “He came by?”“He was skulking around like a thief. I ran into him outside.”Scarlett turned to him, her eyes sharp. “Be honest with me—over the years, you’ve seen how I treated your father, haven’t you? I was good to him, right? I did everything he said!”William thought for a moment, taking the question quite seriously. “I guess you could say that.”“What do you mean, ‘guess’?” Scarlett shot him a glare. “It’s a fact! Back when I was at the Dixon family home, I got anything I wante
“Don’t get involved in her business anymore.” William picked up his utensils and bowl, clearly signaling he wanted to end the conversation.Layla hesitated, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she just lowered her gaze, hiding the flicker of thought in her eyes.*Meanwhile, Scarlett was tossing and turning in bed, completely unable to sleep. Her stomach growled loudly, and eventually, she gave up and got out of bed, heading to the kitchen to raid the fridge.Inside, there was only half a bag of sad-looking whole wheat bread and a few eggs.Scarlett shut the door with a hopeless look, instantly regretting her earlier stubbornness. Why had she refused dinner?Clenching her teeth, she downed a glass of warm water, threw on a jacket, and headed out the door.She figured, after years of being spoiled with gourmet food, just a few meals of Layla’s home cooking had completely won her over. There had to be some home-style restaurant nearby that could satisfy
That evening, William knocked on the door next door.When Layla opened it, she didn’t see Scarlett anywhere and couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s Mrs. Lucas?”“She’s not coming. Probably ate enough at the gathering today.”After a brief explanation, William stepped inside, speaking casually, “I saw today’s trending topics.”“I actually invited you over to talk about that!” Layla followed behind him, her face lit up with excitement. “I really didn’t expect the promotional video to attract such a major corporation! Fabian told me the kids will soon have a brand-new space to play and learn. They’re all thrilled!“I didn’t know much about YT Corporation before this, but after hearing about everything they’ve done, I was really impressed. They’ve been committed to children’s charities for years—building schools, sponsoring education for kids in the mountains.“For a company to care so much about children’s welfare, the CEO must have a really kind heart.“He even asked Fabian for
Unexpectedly, Scarlett didn’t react the way Mrs. Jenkins had hoped. Instead, she seemed distracted.“She...” Scarlett frowned, forcing out a stiff response. “She’s definitely not a good person.”But... she didn’t seem that bad either.The second half of her thought, Scarlett kept to herself.After all, in this setting, if she dared to speak up for Layla, she would only make herself stand out and not in a good way.Besides, it was her own son that Layla had "harmed."And yet, after watching quietly these past few days, Scarlett had seen a side of Layla she had never seen before.Since the promotional video’s success, Layla had been leaving early and coming back late, throwing herself completely into her work. She didn’t even bother cooking anymore, much less looking for opportunities to see William.This didn’t look like a woman desperate to cling to someone rich. It looked more like a woman determined to become someone successful on her own.Back at the round table
“Yeah.”Just a soft, low response.Ivan was caught off guard for a moment before bursting into loud laughter. “Nice! All that hard work wasn’t for nothing. You two are finally making progress!”William had always been steady and cautious. If something didn’t fully meet his expectations, he wouldn’t give a definite answer. So even without any detailed explanation, just that one word was enough.“By the way...” Ivan suddenly thought of something, his eyes lighting up with a teasing glint. “Was it because of that kiss the other night?”A cold glare shot his way.But Ivan just laughed even harder. “What’s the big deal? We’re all adults here. It was just a kiss. You don’t have to be so uptight about it!”He leaned in with a mischievous grin. “But seriously... under those circumstances, you still managed to stop at just a kiss? Are you sure you’re... fully functional?”As he spoke, Ivan deliberately gave William a once-over, grinning wickedly.“Are you looking to die toda
Hearing this, Layla agreed. “All right. Please go ahead and give him my contact information.”“Got it!”*At that moment, Xavier was on the phone, proudly reporting his success.“How about it? I came through for you, didn’t I? I got your girl trending at the top of the hot search list!“Spending thirty million for a good cause and earning a huge favor from you—this is hands down the best money I’ve ever spent!”Listening to the smug laughter on the other end of the line, William remained quiet for a few seconds before giving a flat reply. “Good job.”Xavier immediately felt frustrated. “That’s it? Nothing else?”“Yeah.”Standing by the tall window, sunlight in his eyes, William asked casually, “Has Zion come after you again?”“It’s been two days since he last contacted me. But now that the news is out today, you can bet he’s not going to leave me alone.”Xavier sighed heavily. “I sacrificed a lot for your woman, you know. If I end up traumatized from all this, yo
“The first time I watched the promotional video, I was blown away by the scenery. The second time, I realized there was a deeper meaning. Layla Xander filmed those children who had been left behind, showing their everyday lives. She clearly wanted to draw attention to their reality!” “I grew up as a left-behind kid myself. I know exactly how hard it is. Thank you, Miss Xander, for letting people see them! From now on, if anyone dares to bash her, I'll be the first to stand up and fight back!” “If it weren't for how beautifully she shot the promotional video, YT Corporation would never have noticed the town or the children. Layla truly did something incredible.” “Beauty, kindness, and talent—Layla Xander is the full package!” At the top of the trending page, an account called “LittleDianaHere” (who claimed to be a local) shared another piece of information:“Miss Xander is personally sponsoring every child who appeared in the promotional video, covering their education all
“Mr. Zion, Mr. Lucien is getting impatient...” the secretary reminded him quietly.Zion snapped back to attention, scowling. “Fine. Let’s go.”When they arrived outside the CEO’s office, Zion knocked lightly on the door. A sharp, furious voice came from inside.“Get in here!”Zion hurriedly pushed the door open. “Lucien, what happened? Who got you so worked up?”“You mean you still don't know?”Lucien’s temper flared even hotter. He slammed his palm against the desk several times, making the whole table shake.“I told you to get in touch with Xavier Taylor. Did you handle it?”Zion panicked. “I... I'm still working on it. His side keeps giving excuses, saying he's too busy lately. I didn’t want to bother him...”“Busy?”Lucien waved him closer with an icy smile. “Come here. Take a good look at what he’s so busy with.”Zion did as he was told and stepped closer.The next second, Lucien grabbed him by the back of the neck and forced him to bend over, his hands instinctively b
“I’m talking to you about something serious, and you’re still glued to your phone?” Zion’s voice was full of irritation.Only then did Carly finally put her phone away, looking at him with a hint of impatience.“You've repeated yourself three times already. I’m not stupid.”“I just don’t want you brushing it off,” Zion said, frowning. He then narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the pocket where Carly had stashed her phone. “Don't tell me you're still thinking about Layla Xander’s studio.” Carly's heart sank. “How did you know?” “Your mom told me.” Zion stepped closer, his expression serious. “Look, Carly, I'm willing to chalk up what you did before to immaturity. But if you even think about pulling something like that again—” “You’re spying on me?” Carly’s face turned cold. “I’m an adult. Can’t I even have a little privacy?” “You’re our daughter. As your parents, we have every right to know what you’re up to! It's a good thing you realized you were heading down