Nearly a month had passed. Today, Shane heard that Carly was finally attending a class reunion, and he wasted no time getting himself cleaned up and ready to see her.Following the tip from a friend, he quickly found the private room where Carly was.With his usual bright, confident grin, Shane pushed open the door. “Hey, everyone!”For years now, everyone knew Shane had been chasing after Carly. His arrival instantly set off a round of playful teasing.“Well, well, here comes Shane looking for Carly again! Who spilled the beans to you this time?”“Guess that means we’re drinking on Shane’s tab tonight!”Laughter broke out around the room.Shane was completely unfazed. He laughed heartily. “No problem! Tonight, it’s all on me!”“Thanks, Shane!”Amid all the laughter and cheers, Shane made his way straight toward Carly.The moment he sat down beside her, Carly abruptly stood up. Shane quickly grabbed her wrist.Shane tightened his grip, his tone turning a little pleading. “Co
It had been over a month since William left the Lucas estate.During that time, Mr. Lucas Sr. never once mentioned his name. It was as if, by refusing to speak of him, he could pretend that son of his didn’t exist at all.But everyone in the house could tell Mr. Lucas Sr. wasn’t doing well. He seemed irritable every day, constantly nitpicking and losing his temper over the smallest things.The staff couldn’t help but miss the days when William was still living at home. Back then, Mr. Lucas Sr. had always been in good spirits, smiling often and treating them kindly.Of course, Lucien noticed Mr. Lucas Sr.’s bad mood too. No matter how busy he was, he always made time to keep Mr. Lucas Sr. company, playing chess and casually bringing up company matters while he was at it.With William gone, Lucien had been working overtime to win his father over. He figured that as long as he put in enough effort, one day, he might just take William’s place in his father’s heart.Until one afternoo
“It's because of all of you that this town’s getting attention,” Layla said with a smile. “From now on, no one’s going to dare bully little heroes like you.”“Really?” The little girl blinked up at her, wide-eyed.“Really.” Layla nodded seriously. “Fabian already promised me he’ll take good care of you. He’ll make sure you go to school, have enough to eat, and stay warm. And one day, when you’re ready, you’ll be able to go wherever you want.”She paused for a second, then smiled even brighter. “Your payment from this project is going straight to your school fees. The more you study, the more you’ll earn. I want to see which one of you can make it to college, alright?”The kids' eyes lit up. Suddenly, their sadness about saying goodbye was replaced with determination.“I’m going to college!” one shouted.“Me too!” another chimed in.One after another, they all joined in, unwilling to lose to each other.Everyone, except Ryan, who sat quietly, staring at Layla with that stubborn
Before Ryan could respond, William had already sat down on another stone nearby.“You think we’re just here to lie to you, don’t you?” William asked casually.“No.” Ryan blurted it out without even thinking, his voice edged with defiance.“You guys aren’t from around here. Sooner or later, you’re all gonna leave. I get that.”He looked out at the other kids running around the courtyard, his expression unreadable.“They get it too. Their parents used to come back sometimes. And every time they left again, they’d tell them the same thing. Study hard. Be good. Wait for Mom and Dad to come home.“But while they were waiting, life didn’t wait. Their grandparents got sick. They couldn’t reach their parents. And they had to drop out of school just to take care of the old folks at home. Feeding animals, splitting wood, running errands—whatever it took to survive.“Then their grandparents passed away. And after all that, school just didn’t matter anymore. What was the point?”Ryan bi
Ryan didn’t answer him. Instead, he pulled out his lollipop and took a big bite of the sausage. To his surprise, it actually tasted pretty good.Paul swallowed hard, eyeing him nervously. “So... does that mean you’ve forgiven me?”Ryan glanced sideways at him, still chewing. “You gonna keep bringing me stuff?”The meaning was clear. If forgiveness came with snacks, maybe he was willing to consider it.Paul caught on right away and nodded like crazy. “Of course! I’ll bring you whatever you want! My mom said I have to make friends with you. If I don’t, she’s gonna make me stand in the corner for half an hour when I get home...”He looked at Ryan like he was his lifesaver. “Finally... I don’t have to stand in the corner tonight.”Ryan gave a small, satisfied hum as he bit into his sausage again. For the first time, this chubby little kid didn’t seem quite so annoying.“I’m gonna go tell my mom right now!” Paul shouted as he ran off happily.Ryan watched him go, then turned back to
”Do more good, and maybe you’ll get into heaven,” William said lazily, his voice drifting on the night breeze.The man on the other end of the line snorted. “If you’re going, I’m definitely not. Dealing with you in this life is bad enough. Why would I wanna be stuck with you in the afterlife too? Sounds like pure torture.”But his joking tone faded as he got serious again. “I’ve already arranged for the donation to the town. Roads, bridges, infrastructure — it’s all in motion.“When Miss Xander’s promo video goes live, we’ll coordinate on the marketing side too. It should get pretty good results.”He paused, then added, “And hey, the first quarter’s almost over. Our contract with the Lucas Corporation is about to expire. If you’re planning to walk away, they’re definitely going to send someone. When are you planning to show your face?”“No rush.”William heard cheers and laughter behind him. When he turned around, he saw Layla in the center of the crowd, tilting her head back as
There was really no getting out of this now. Even if she swore on a stack of Bibles, no one would believe her.Layla shot William a sharp glare, furious he had blurted out the truth for absolutely no reason.William caught the look she gave him and just smiled. His eyes were slightly hazy from the drinks, his lazy smirk pure mischief. He looked exactly like a troublemaker who had just gotten away with it.And just like that, his smile lit up in her mind like fireworks — bright, reckless, and impossible to look away from.She could hear the wind.And she could hear her own heartbeat, quickening without warning.That blurry, half-buried memory slowly sharpened — the dimly lit bathroom, the way he leaned in close and that teasing smile tugging at his lips.And for the first time, it hit her.Her boldness that night hadn’t just come from the effects of the drug.More than anything, it had come from sheer desire.Because she liked William.*The celebration lasted late into the
After a long wait, William seemed to realize he might have come off a little strong. He lowered his gaze and added casually, “That compliment you wanted.”Watching him lower his head again to sip the ginger tea, Layla couldn’t help but smile. “Alright,” she said gently. “Whatever you feel like having from now on, I’ll make it for you.”He paused just before taking another sip. A faint smile touched the corner of his mouth.The night was quiet and soft, the warm evening breeze drifting lazily into the kitchen, stirring up something subtle and tender between them.Neither of them said anything else, but there was a silent understanding in the air.After their time in the small town, something between them had changed—unspoken, but undeniable. It felt like there was just a thin veil left between them, one that could be lifted with the lightest touch.*Eventually, the day came when they had to leave the town.Surprisingly, none of the kids cried. Instead, they all beamed with smil
“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
Everyone was both shocked and thrilled. They kept asking Layla over and over, needing to be sure it was really true.“Wow! Things are finally turning around! Who cares about those commercial gigs? A commission from a legendary artist is the real prize!”“Who would’ve thought? Just last month, we didn’t have a single job, and now we’ve been personally invited by Mr. Zeppelin Mason. Not even in our wildest dreams!”“It’s all thanks to Layla’s connections! Back when we first opened, so many big names showed up to support her. How did we not think to reach out to them last month?”The chatter kept going until Layla cleared her throat and spoke up firmly.“We didn’t get here because of connections. We got here through hard work. Step by step. There were no shortcuts. Every opportunity we have now, we earned.”She paused, her voice steady. “And for every project going forward, I want us to put in the same heart and effort we did with the small-town promotional video. Let’s aim to deliv
Thanks to the rising popularity of the small-town promotional video, the studio had been flooded with appointment requests over the past week. Although they still had not secured any major commercial contracts yet, the overall atmosphere in the studio had lifted significantly. Some team members even started dreaming big, vowing to create the best city promotional videos in the world and put every hidden gem on the global map.However, shooting city promotional videos meant a lot of traveling and a lot more manpower. After the previous wave of departures, the studio was seriously understaffed, and the HR department had to scramble to start emergency hiring.Seeing the studio slowly getting back on its feet, Layla found herself busier than ever, to the point where she wished she could clone herself just to keep up.In the middle of the chaos, she received a phone call.“Layla, have you had time to think about the offer I mentioned last time?” The voice on the other end wa
Before long, Mrs. Jenkins reached Kiera's side. Only then did she notice Layla standing at the end of the hall. Her expression immediately darkened.“What are you two doing here?” she demanded.“Nothing,” Kiera said quickly, grabbing her mother’s arm. “We just ran into each other and chatted for a bit.”“What could you possibly have to talk about?” Mrs. Jenkins shot Layla a look of pure disdain, but her warning was directed sharply at Kiera. “You stay away from her. That woman is nothing but shameless—”“Mom!” Kiera cut her off in a panic, rushing to say goodbye to Layla. “Miss Xander, sorry to bother you. We'll be going now.”Before Layla could even respond, Kiera tugged her mother away.As she watched the mother and daughter disappear down the hallway, Layla couldn't help but feel puzzled. “What was going on with Kiera?” Layla wondered.Outside the private dining room, Mrs. Jenkins yanked her hand free and turned on Kiera, her face thunderous.“Why didn’t you let
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