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Chapter 429
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The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 430
Since Layla hadn’t brought her camera, she could only wait for her assistant to bring it over.But during that wait, Mrs. Harris Sr. didn’t offer her a seat or even acknowledge her presence. She was left standing there like an afterthought, no different from the household staff hovering nearby.Feeling increasingly awkward, Gwen finally spoke up. “Miss Xander, why don’t you have a seat?”“There’s no seat left,” Scarlett cut in sharply, making it clear she was more than happy to play along with Mrs. Harris Sr.’s little power move.Layla didn’t mind. Honestly, standing suited her better than squeezing herself into that shark tank of a seating arrangement.Just then, Maggie stood up with a gentle smile. “I was about to head to the kitchen to make some snacks. I could use an extra pair of hands. Miss Xander, would you mind helping me?”Maggie was Carter’s mom, which already made Layla feel a little more at ease. At least she didn’t seem hostile.“Sure,” Layla agreed, following her t
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 431
“A misunderstanding?” Maggie blinked in surprise, her hand pausing mid-air as she poured flour into the mixing bowl. She lifted her gaze toward Layla. “You mean... they misunderstood your relationship with William?”Layla nodded, calm and straightforward. “Yeah.”Maggie stared at her, momentarily at a loss for words.Everyone in the Lucas family knew William had gone toe-to-toe with Mr. Lucas Sr., risking his position as heir, all for Layla. He had made it so obvious and yet Layla still thought this was all just a misunderstanding?Did that mean Layla didn’t feel the same way? Had this whole thing been one-sided from the start? Just William chasing after her on his own?That was completely beyond what Maggie had expected.Realizing Maggie had gone quiet, Layla asked, curious, “Is something wrong?”“No, no...” Maggie quickly shook her head and returned to her task, adding more flour into the bowl.Maggie had survived this long in the Lucas family because she never asked too m
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 432
Just then, Maggie’s voice called from outside the storage room. “Layla, did you get the flour? Gwen’s here too. She’s going to help.”Layla reacted quickly. She raised her voice and called out, “Got it! I’ll be right there.”Without missing a beat, she turned on her phone flashlight, grabbed a bag of flour from the shelf, and stepped around William to leave. As she passed him, his low voice rumbled behind her.“This isn’t your problem. Stay out of it.”Layla didn’t answer. She simply pushed open the door and walked out, leaving William standing alone in the dark.She carried the flour back to the kitchen island, casually positioning herself just enough to block Gwen’s view of the storage room.“Miss Harris, what are you doing here?” Layla asked, her voice light. “Shouldn’t you be waiting in the pavilion?”Gwen smiled like nothing was out of the ordinary. “It was getting boring just sitting there. Thought I’d look around and find something to do.”As she spoke, her eyes lande
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 433
“How thoughtful of you.” Mrs. Harris Sr. gave a polite nod, then turned to Layla. “Your camera’s here. You can get to work now.” Her tone was casual, almost dismissive, like she was giving orders to a servant rather than speaking to a guest. There wasn’t the slightest trace of respect in it.Layla’s assistant instantly bristled. But knowing full well these were not people she could afford to offend, she forced herself to swallow her irritation.Instead, she pulled out her iPad and switched to full professional mode. “Since this was a last-minute request, we had to cancel two pre-booked shoots to accommodate today,” the assistant said evenly. “Miss Xander’s schedule is fully packed, so rescheduling wasn’t an option. We’ll have to pay a cancellation fee which I’m sure you don’t expect us to cover out of pocket.“On top of that, Miss Xander’s rate for on-location shoots is not cheap. If you really want her to handle this personally, we’ll need to sign a contract and collect a
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 434
Layla let out a faint, almost amused laugh. “Mr. Zion Lucas, you sound awfully sure of yourself. What is it? Did you plant a camera on me, or did you put one on Mr. William Lucas?”She turned slightly, her gaze cool. “I’ve been in the kitchen this whole time with Mrs. Maggie Lucas, helping her with the pastries. Even Miss Harris stopped by for a while. Why don’t you ask her if she happened to see Mr. William anywhere?”All eyes immediately shifted to Gwen. She hesitated for half a second, then shook her head. “I didn’t see him.”Layla smiled, calm and unbothered. “If one person’s word isn’t enough, Mrs. Maggie should be here soon too. I’m sure she can confirm it for you.”She looked right at Zion, meeting his gaze head-on, completely at ease.Zion stiffened, caught off guard. He hadn’t expected Layla to push back like this, especially not here on the Lucas family’s turf.Lucien stepped in, his voice calm but edged. “Miss Xander, my brother was only asking if you’d seen William. T
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 435
Layla pulled out her camera and began attaching the lens with practiced ease. “Wouldn’t that mean we wasted the whole morning for nothing?”She glanced at her assistant, her tone calm. “You can head back first if you want. I’ll be fine handling the rest on my own.”“But...” The assistant hesitated, clearly worried.Before she could say anything else, Layla gave her a reassuring look. The assistant paused, then finally nodded. “Alright. I understand.”Layla gave a small smile and patted her shoulder lightly before stepping past her. With her camera in hand, she made her way down the stone steps, starting to search for the best angle to capture the peaceful, harmonious scene around the pavilion.After what her assistant had just pulled, Layla decided to treat this like any other job. As long as she told herself everyone in front of her was just another client, it became easy to shut off her personal feelings and slip into full professional mode.Or at least, that was the plan.B
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 436
Led by the servant, Layla stepped into the room and immediately spotted Mr. Lucas Sr. standing out on the balcony.Even though she had mentally prepared herself for this, standing here alone with him still made her feel a little tense.As the door quietly clicked shut behind her, Layla steadied herself, walked toward the balcony, and spoke calmly. “Mr. Lucas Sr., you wanted to see me?”“You really don’t know why I called you here?” His voice was low, edged with impatience.Layla suppressed a sigh. “Seriously? He wanted to play guessing games now?” she muttered to herself.“If you have something to say, Mr. Lucas Sr., I’d appreciate it if you’d just say it directly. I honestly don’t know why you asked to see me.”Mr. Lucas Sr. finally turned to face her, his sharp eyes narrowing. “At this point, are you really still going to play dumb with me? Mrs. Harris Sr. brought you all the way here. You expect me to believe you can’t guess what that means?”His voice turned colder.
The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die Chapter 437
But William ignored Mr. Lucas Sr. completely, never once looking back as he pulled Layla out of the room.“William Lucas!” Mr. Lucas Sr.’s furious shout echoed through the house, followed by the sharp crack of his hand slamming down on the balcony railing.“Grandpa, don’t get so worked up! I’ll go talk to him.” Carter blurted out.He then quickly slipped out after them, not forgetting to shut the door behind him on his way out.Mr. Lucas Sr. clenched his fists tightly, his expression stormy. Fine. He would give Layla the benefit of the doubt this once. But if he found out she had lied tonight, she wouldn’t get off easy.*“Mr. Lucas, let me go!” Layla called out, struggling against William’s grip.She called him a few more times, but the man in front of her didn’t even flinch.Frustrated, Layla finally raised her voice. “William Lucas, what exactly are you trying to do?”Suddenly, William stopped in his tracks. Layla, caught off guard, bumped straight into his back.“Where
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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
