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
Layla fumbled in the dark, unsure how many pills she had swallowed. She figured it was enough—probably. With a shaky breath, she collapsed onto the floor, waiting for the meds to kick in. Thirty minutes passed. The bitterness in her mouth still lingered. Staring up at the ceiling, she could feel the pain slowly draining away. Her mind drifted back to that phone call with Levi. She had asked him if she could increase her dosage. His voice had turned serious in an instant. “Miss Xander, be honest with me—have your headaches been getting worse?”There was no use lying to a doctor. “Yeah. Lately, they wake me up in the middle of the night. And it’s worse than before.” She had hesitated before saying the next part. “Dr. Young, I don’t want to continue treatment. There’s no need for another checkup. I already know my condition is getting worse. “I don’t have much time left. Just let me do what I want with the time I have. Stop putting me through this.” Levi had
During the celebration dinner, Layla received a call from Jenny.Since it was too noisy inside, Layla grabbed her phone and stepped out into the hallway, finding a quieter corner before answering. “Miss Jasper.”“Did you forget you even have a mentor?” Jenny half-scolded. “Something this big happens, and you didn’t even think to tell me? I had to find out online!“If I don't mean anything to you anymore, then stop thinking of me as your mentor,” she huffed.“Don’t say that,” Layla said quickly, her voice warm and coaxing. “I just didn’t want you to worry. And honestly, it’s a complicated situation. I didn’t want you getting dragged into it.“Besides, it’s not that serious. I’ve been handling it fine. If I ever hit a wall, you’d be the first person I’d call.“You’re not just my mentor. You’re my safety net. You’re my strength.”“Alright, enough,” Jenny said, laughing despite herself. “That silver tongue of yours—how am I supposed to stay mad at you?”She had stormed into the con
Fabian muttered under his breath, “Weren't you crushing on Mr. Lucas before?”“Nope! I’m all about Miss Xander now!” Diana declared, purposely raising her voice so Layla could hear her loud and clear. “Smart, capable women are the real deal! Who wouldn’t be smitten?”Layla chuckled. “I’ll gladly accept your admiration.”“Aaah! She accepted it! Did you hear that? I knew it! Women really are the best!” Diana squealed in excitement, practically bouncing in place. Fabian could only shake his head and gently push her away, then hurried to wrap up the call with Layla.*As the promotional video’s popularity exploded, the calls started pouring in that very afternoon.Most of them came from the mentors, artists, and family friends that Jenny had once introduced to her. They had only just found out about the troubles Layla’s studio had been facing, after seeing the video hit the trending charts.Normally, those artists lived in their own world, blissfully detached from outside news.
Scarlett was curled up on the sofa, scrolling through her phone. She had just finished watching the entire promotional video when she muttered, “Looks like a great place to walk around.”“Not bad,” William replied without even looking up.Scarlett shot him a look and said, a little sharply, “Your dad ended up in the hospital because you ran off with Layla to the south.“I’m not saying you can’t go travel and clear your head, but you can’t be following a woman around like that. It doesn't sound good if people start talking, you know?”William furrowed his brows and was about to respond when Scarlett added, “How about this? Next time you want to follow her somewhere, bring me along. If people see a mother and son traveling together, it’ll look a whole lot better than making it seem like you're chasing after her.”Feeling quite pleased with her own cleverness, Scarlett nodded in satisfaction. “I usually only travel abroad, but clearly, there are plenty of beautiful places right here
“Who exactly was hiding something?” Kiera only muttered the words in her heart. On the surface, she kept her tone casual and said, “I was watching a promotional video Miss Xander produced. I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea if you saw it.“If you don’t believe me, take a look for yourself.”As she spoke, Kiera handed her phone to Sean, her expression calm and composed.Sean frowned slightly. “Layla Xander? Isn’t her studio the one Mr. Lucas Sr. basically shut down?”“You seem pretty up to date on her situation,” Kiera said with a half-smile. “Here I thought you didn’t know anything.”“I just... heard about it. Everyone in the circle has,” Sean said, clearly uncomfortable, avoiding her gaze. “She crossed the Lucas family. Of course she was going to end up like this. When she first came back, everyone was talking about her, but in the end, all it took was one word from Mr. Lucas Sr. and her studio couldn’t land a single project.”“Is that so?” Kiera tightened her grip on
Kiera had always played the part of the gentle, obedient wife.But right now, the cold sarcasm in her eyes made Sean feel like he was looking at a stranger.Sean sobered up a little in an instant. “What the hell are you talking about?” he snapped. “All I did was ask you to play the harp. Do you really have to twist it into something so ugly?”He huffed and continued, “Mr. Zimmer has sent us quite a few projects over the years. I know he’s into classical music, so I thought bringing you tonight might give you two something to talk about.“How was I supposed to know that asking you to play one song would feel like pulling teeth? You refused to drink, which was fine, but then you just sat there with that sour face. Who would even dare start a conversation with you like that? Anyone watching would have thought I treat you like garbage at home.”Grumbling, Sean let go of her arm and leaned back against the car door, putting distance between them.To his surprise, Kiera didn’t move clo
“I’ve heard Mrs. Perry plays the harp,” someone across the round table suddenly said. It was Mr. Zimmer, one of the business partners. “There happens to be one here tonight. Mrs. Perry, would you mind playing a piece for us?”“This…” Kiera hesitated, but before she could reply, Sean jumped in with a smile, “Of course not. My wife plays beautifully. Tonight’s the perfect chance for everyone to enjoy it.”Hearing that, Kiera’s heart sank.It was rare for Sean to ask her to attend a business dinner. In all their time married, this was the first time he had willingly brought her into one of his work events.If she didn’t already know better, she might have been flattered, maybe even excited to join him.But she knew too much. She could see right through him. When something felt this out of the ordinary, there was always a hidden reason. Still, she smiled and nodded. “Sure, I’d be happy to.”A few minutes later, the restaurant staff wheeled in a harp and set it up in the private di
From the moment Mr. Xander stepped through the door, his face was clouded with anger. He didn’t even bother putting on a friendly face for Felix like he normally would.It wasn’t until Felix left after dinner that Xena finally approached her father. “Dad, did you go see my sister today?”“She’s no sister of yours! There’s no place in this family for someone as heartless as her!”Furious, Mr. Xander slammed his hand against the table, the loud thud making Xena flinch.Mrs. Xander rushed over to shield her daughter. “Easy, don’t scare her. She’s pregnant, remember?”“I’m fine, Mom.” Xena lowered her gaze, looking guilty. “Dad only lost his temper because of me. Maybe we should just drop it. I’ll talk to Felix myself. I’ll keep the baby, and we’ll figure the rest out later.”“What are you saying? You can’t have that baby now!”Mrs. Xander immediately objected. “Even if you two get married afterward, people will still talk! If the baby comes before the wedding, everyone will trea
“If you don’t like it here,” William said coolly, “the elevator’s just to the right.”Scarlett was fuming. Just a few words in and she was already being shown the door? Was she not even allowed to speak?And she hadn’t even said anything bad about Layla. She was just feeling protective of her precious son. Was that so wrong?For the rest of the time, Scarlett sat stiffly on the couch, clutching her glass of water and sipping from it every now and then. William sat across from her on another sofa, silently scrolling through his phone.Neither of them spoke. The only sound in the apartment came from the kitchen, where the soft clatter of cooking echoed faintly.Soon, the scent of food filled the air.Scarlett couldn’t help glancing toward the kitchen. Through the frosted glass, she could only make out the blur of Layla’s figure. Doubts crept into her mind. “Could Layla’s cooking actually be edible?” she wondered.After all, she was still a woman who had grown up with a silver sp
Layla braced herself as she welcomed William and Scarlett into her apartment. After a quick round of small talk, she headed into the kitchen with the groceries.She had just started unpacking when she heard William call from behind, “Need a hand with anything?”“No, I—”She was about to turn him down, but then thought of Mr. Xander and hesitated. Instead, she handed him a bag of snap peas. “Help me trim these.”“Sure.”William stepped up beside her without hesitation. As he got to work, she lowered her voice. “How’s Grandpa Perry doing?”“He’s fine,” William replied, eyeing her curiously. “Why are you suddenly asking about him?”“Gerald Xander came to see me today. He wants to meet with Grandpa Perry.”Layla said her father’s name without a trace of emotion, as if she were talking about a stranger.William glanced over at her. “Did he give you any trouble?”“Not really. He can barely walk straight, can’t argue, and definitely can’t catch up to me. What else is he going to do