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Chapter 319
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The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 320
“Miss Young,” Layla said with a cool, professional smile, “I have my own working principles. If you'd like to book a shoot, you'll need to schedule it at least six months in advance.”Quinn's face twisted with anger. “You're just a damn photographer. Who do you think you are? The Young family can hire any photographer we want! Six months in advance? Please—”“Quinn.”Ivan appeared beside her, casually slinging an arm around her shoulder with a teasing grin. “I leave you alone for five minutes and you’re already causing trouble?”He turned to Layla, still smiling. “Miss Xander, this is Quinn Young—Levi’s younger sister. Spoiled since birth, bit of a temper—don’t mind her.”“Who has a temper?” Quinn shot Ivan an irritated glare, but her ears turned red almost instantly—clear as day.Layla saw it and instantly understood. So that was it. The tension she had been holding onto quietly slipped away, her guard coming down.“Miss Young,” she said lightly, “I wasn’t trying to be diffi
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 321
Ivan didn’t suspect a thing. “Alright, I’ll come find you later then.”“Mm-hmm.” Layla gave him a polite nod and turned to leave, her heels clicking as she made her way toward the courtyard.It was still chilly in the early spring night. Most guests had gathered indoors, and only a few men lingered outside, smoking and chatting.Thanks to the lush landscaping and dense greenery, it was easy to move along the wallside paths without drawing attention.Layla entered the courtyard, scanning the area. There was no sign of Xena. After a moment’s thought, she put on a flustered expression and approached the men smoking nearby.“Excuse me, I’m looking for my friend,” she said, voice slightly anxious. “She’s wearing a pale yellow dress. Someone said they saw her head out here. Have you seen her?”They all shook their heads in unison. “Nope, haven’t seen anyone like that.”“Alright. Thanks anyway.” Layla offered a smile, though her gaze darkened slightly.If Xena really slipped
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 322
“Can you stop talking nonsense?” Sean said sharply. “This has nothing to do with Grandpa. It’s just… things aren’t like they were before. You and I—we're in a complicated situation now. Handling this pregnancy isn’t going to be easy.“Xena, trust me. I’m not going to abandon you like I did back then. Just give me some time. Let me figure it out, okay?”Sean’s voice softened with effort, trying his best to calm her down. The last thing he wanted was for her to lose control and run straight to Mr. Perry Sr.If that happened, it wouldn’t just be his grandfather who couldn’t take the shock. Kiera would probably faint on the spot. And the Perry family? It would fall into chaos.But Xena, satisfied with his promise, slipped right back into her sweet, clingy persona. “Okay,” she said softly. “I trust you.”The warm night breeze drifted through the sunroom, and the voices inside took on an increasingly intimate tone.As Layla turned to leave, her expression was unreadable—calm and col
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 323
Ivan could feel it—ever since Layla came back to the country, William had clearly gotten impatient.And who could blame him?For Layla, their reunion was still fresh. She had time. Everything could unfold slowly.But William had waited three whole years. Three years of silence, of holding back, of wearing down every last ounce of patience he had.If he didn’t start making bold moves now, when would he?The thought nearly made Ivan laugh out loud. He had to cover it with a quick cough to keep from giving himself away.Just then, the lights brightened as Mrs. Young began handing out slices of cake.Sean strolled in late and quietly slipped over to Kiera’s side, lowering his voice. “My stomach was acting up. I missed the best part.”Kiera immediately reached out to check his abdomen, her voice full of concern. “Do you want to go home and rest?”“No need,” he replied gently. “I just need a minute. You should go have fun with Quinn for a bit.”Kiera gave a soft laugh. “You a
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 324
The servant quickly retrieved the brooch and placed it gently into Mrs. Young’s hands.Her expression turned so solemn that the entire room fell silent.“Miss Xander…” she said, her voice trembling slightly as she carefully cradled the brooch. “Is this from the royal family in Yorona Empire?”Layla nodded. “Yes. Last year, I was invited to shoot a family portrait for the princess and her family. She was very pleased with the photos, and along with my payment, she gifted me this brooch.“I’ve always believed that only someone truly distinguished should wear it,” she continued with a calm smile. “So I kept it in my collection until today. I thought this would be a meaningful way to show my respect and hopefully bring you joy.”She then glanced meaningfully at Quinn. “Though it seems… Miss Young wasn’t too impressed with the gift.”A royal heirloom—and Quinn had trashed it like junk?Gasps rippled through the room. The murmuring began immediately.“Seriously? Quinn didn’t re
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 325
“Mm.” Layla responded with a quiet, flat tone—completely devoid of warmth.Kiera immediately picked up on her coldness, and though it rubbed her the wrong way, she had no choice but to keep up her polite facade. “If there's a chance, maybe we could grab a coffee sometime,” she said with a strained smile. “I’ll try to talk Quinn into apologizing to you in person.”“No need,” Layla replied bluntly. “She’s young, impressionable, and impulsive. It’s the age where mistakes happen. I’m not going to dwell on tonight, and you don’t need to go out of your way for an apology.”Then her gaze sharpened. “Miss Jenkins, I’d suggest you stop wasting your energy on me. Worry about your own life. That’s what really matters.”After all, her own husband had a child with another woman, and here she was, still scheming through a ‘best friend’ to pick a fight with Layla.Layla had nothing more to say to someone that deep in denial. Some lessons, people just had to learn the hard way.Witho
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 326
Inside the Maybach, Gwen sat in the passenger seat, still able to hear Ivan’s booming voice through the phone.She leaned toward William’s phone and teased, “I was starting to think you’d completely forgotten about me, Ivan. You’ve been on the phone forever and haven’t even said hi.”They had all grown up together. Gwen had always been more tomboyish—running around after the boys, never one to shy away. Eventually, the Harris elders, worried about her lack of restraint, shipped her off overseas. Years later, she had grown into an elegant young woman.After college, instead of returning home, Gwen had wandered the globe. But now, with marriage age approaching, her family feared she would never settle down. They pressured her to come home, find a job, and start spending more time with her parents.Ivan shot back through the phone, voice even louder than before. “Says the girl who’s been MIA for years! You never call, never text—what if some foreign guy had run off with you? We w
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 327
“Alright,” Layla replied as she took the stack of résumés and made her way to the center seat at the long table. She flipped through them briefly, her fingers pausing on one particular name.Carly Lucas?There weren’t many people in North City with the surname Lucas. Add to that an impeccable résumé that screamed elite upbringing, and it didn’t take much to figure out that this had to be someone from the Lucas family.What was this? Was she just stopping by out of curiosity, like a secret royal visit? Or was there another motive?Why her studio, of all places?“Miss Xander, should we start?” her assistant asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.Layla blinked, nodded lightly, and shuffled the papers back into place. “Yes. Bring in the first candidate.”The interviews began.One résumé after another passed through her hands, and one candidate after another came and went. Unfortunately, none of them stood out.Her expectations were high. With the studio just getting off the grou
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The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 508
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
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 507
“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
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 506
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
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 505
Inside the car, Layla caught a glimpse of Mr. Xander through the rearview mirror, hurling his cane several feet in a fit of rage. A cold smirk tugged at her lips.The Xander family really hadn’t changed one bit. They only showed kindness to people they could use. They acted like their condescension was generosity, then expected gratitude in return.But to her, this so-called “Xander bloodline” was nothing but bad luck.Shaking off the thought, she turned up the volume on the stereo, letting the music drown out the lingering irritation. If anything, she felt even more satisfied than before.Humming along to the tune, she swung by the market and picked up groceries before heading home.When she got off the elevator, she walked over and rang the doorbell to William’s apartment.Just as the door opened, a woman’s voice called from inside, “William, I ordered food from Stonebridge Bistro. Let’s have dinner together tonight!”William gave a quick explanation, “That’s my mom.”He glan
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 504
The internal review meeting wrapped up smoothly, and everyone left the conference room full of confidence.That afternoon, the finalized promo video was handed over to Fabian, who would submit it to the local publicity office for the final round of approval.With nothing left to do until feedback came in, Layla gave the whole team a well-deserved break.By the time the workday ended, the office had completely emptied out.Layla stayed behind to chat with Fabian after receiving a message from him, and as a result, she ended up being the last one to leave the studio.After locking the front door, she headed toward her car out of habit, thinking about stopping by the market on the way home. She was planning to cook dinner and invite William over.She didn’t notice the stern figure getting out of a nearby car—her father.“Layla Xander.”She turned at the sound of his voice and met his displeased gaze, her brow twitching slightly.With a cane in hand, Mr. Xander approached her, his
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 503
After thinking it over, William figured the whole thing felt more like a guilt-trip performance. It seemed like Scarlett was putting on an emotional act to pressure him into going back to the Lucas family. The only question was how long she planned to keep it up.Still, Scarlett had been pampered all her life. Living in his place, with no one to wait on her hand and foot, she probably wouldn’t last long. Sooner or later, she would give up and leave.With that in mind, William didn’t bother chasing her out. He simply gave her a cold warning. “You can stay. But don’t cause trouble for Layla.”“No problem at all!”Scarlett agreed far too quickly. “I already made up my mind before I came. I won’t interfere in your love life ever again. You can count on that.”William was rendered speechless and frowned. Now he was even more certain. Something about her behavior just wasn’t right.*Meanwhile, Layla had left early that morning. The roads were clear, and after a smooth half-hour drive
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 502
“No, thanks.”Layla gave a tired smile and gently turned down William’s offer. “I have an early meeting tomorrow, and eating late messes with my sleep.“Mr. Lucas, you should get some rest too. Good night.”With that, she walked past him and returned to her apartment, closing the door behind her without hesitation.The sound of the door clicking shut made William frown slightly. Something felt off.Meanwhile, Layla stood in the entryway, slipping off her shoes as her mind wandered.“Layla Xander, you ruined him. You ruined the Lucas family,” she thought to herself.Gwen’s harsh words echoed suddenly in her mind, stirring the emotions she had tried to bury.All this time, she had avoided thinking too deeply about William’s choices. She was afraid that if she read too much into them, she would just end up fooling herself.But after seeing Gwen today, it finally hit her.William had stepped down from his pedestal for her. And she was still pretending not to see it.If the dista
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 501
“You’re a perfectly decent young woman. Why do you have to go and steal someone else’s man?”“Hannah,” Layla gently tugged on Hannah’s sleeve, giving her a look to stop.As Gwen walked toward the lounge door, Layla spoke up calmly, “The matching engagement ring—the woman’s one. You don’t have it, do you?”Gwen paused for a second at the doorway but didn’t reply. Without looking back, she walked out.That was all the answer Layla needed.She had suspected for a while that Gwen didn’t have the ring.William had always worn the man’s band. And knowing how much Gwen loved him, there was no way she would have hidden the woman’s ring if it had truly been hers.Now it seemed clear that he had never given that ring to anyone. Not yet.“What was that question about?” Hannah asked, suspicious.Layla snapped out of her thoughts. “Oh… nothing. I was just curious.”Hannah rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. “Seriously? That’s all you had to say after everything Gwen just threw at you? Y
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 500
“I know William went south with you this past month. He stayed by your side the entire time. He’s shown, through his actions, that his heart and eyes are only on you.”Gwen stared straight at Layla, her voice dry and strained. “You told me yourself that you had feelings for him. And now that he’s gone this far for you, you must be proud of yourself, aren’t you?”But she didn’t give Layla a chance to respond. Instead, she pressed on.“Because of you, William was kicked out of the Lucas family. He was forced out of Lucas Corporation. His mom and Mr. Lucas Sr., a couple who’d been loving and devoted for decades, had their worst fight ever. She even moved back in with her family.“If Mr. Lucas Sr. hadn’t landed in the hospital from the stress, she still wouldn’t have forgiven him. The entire Lucas family is in chaos—all because of you.“The William I knew was always calm, reliable, never made his parents worry.“He’s the most capable man I’ve ever met. He was meant to lead Lucas Corp
