“That’s right! My sister is the ultimate lifesaver!” Carter strode up beside Layla, only then noticing her tightly shut eyes. He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sis, relax. We’re all decent people here.” He had only been joking earlier, but apparently, Layla had taken his words at face value. “Uncle William had some friends over for a card game, and he’s been wiping the floor with them. At this rate, they’ll be lucky to leave with their boxers still on.”Layla’s expression went blank for a moment. She opened her eyes and shot Carter a glare. Carter only laughed harder. “Let me introduce you.” He pointed casually around the room. “This is Ivan Dixon, that’s Wilson Harris, and I assume you already know Dr. Levi Young.” Their last names alone were enough to trace them back to their influential families.They were from the Four Great Families of North City. The Lucas family stood at the top, followed by the Dixon, Harris, and Young families.In their world, high society
An hour passed. Layla had warmed up to Ivan and the others, chatting and playing effortlessly. Watching her, William’s gaze darkened slightly. She had just won another round and was eager to continue when a firm grip locked around her wrist. Before she could react, she was pulled to her feet. “It's late. Time to go home.” With that, William casually slung his suit jacket over his shoulder and led Layla out of the lounge. As the two of them disappeared through the doorway, Ivan raised an eyebrow. “Is William actually starting to fall for someone?” “Have you ever seen him in a bad mood over a woman?” Wilson countered. They had all grown up together and knew William’s temperament inside and out. He was always calm, cautious, and impossible to read.He had always seemed above worldly desires—untouchable, composed, as if love and lust had no place in his world.Yet tonight, the moment William walked in, they could tell something was off. And as soon as Layla appear
Xena hurriedly gathered her things, forcing a casual smile before stepping out of the bathroom. Her mother stood outside, holding a cup of warm milk, her brows furrowed in suspicion. “What took you so long to open the door?” “Nothing, just using the bathroom.” Xena took the milk with a sweet expression. “Mom, it’s already late. You should get some rest.” Just as her mother was about to turn away, her gaze dropped to Xena’s feet. Her frown deepened. “Why are you still wearing your heels?” “I…” Xena’s mind raced. Without missing a beat, she clutched her stomach with her free hand. “I had an upset stomach. Had to rush.” Her mother’s concern grew instantly. “Did you eat something bad? Do you need me to get you some medicine?” “No, no need.” Xena quickly shook her head. “It’s not that bad anymore. I’ll be fine after some sleep.” Her mother hesitated for a moment before sighing. “Alright, just take care of yourself.” The moment she left, Xena shut the door behin
Kiera clutched the fabric of her dress, hesitating for a long moment before finally speaking in a small voice. “Miss Xander, aren’t you going to ask me anything?” Layla didn’t even spare her a glance. Instead, she responded lazily, “Shouldn’t you be the one asking me something?” Kiera stiffened. Carter glanced between them, sensing that the atmosphere was a little off. Trying to smooth things over, he offered a friendly nudge. “Miss Jenkins, if you have something to say, just get to the point. My sister isn’t a fan of beating around the bush.” “I…” After a deep breath, Kiera finally found the courage. “You saw it the other day. I went on a blind date with Sean.” “Yeah, we’re not blind.” Carter leaned forward, looking intrigued. “You’re here because of that scumbag?” “He’s not—” Kiera instinctively wanted to defend him, but as her gaze flickered to Layla, the words caught in her throat. “Miss Xander, I just wanted to ask… why did you call off the engagement?”
Nearly a month had passed since Layla’s first round of chemotherapy, and now it was time for her second. The pain from the last session was still fresh in her memory, making her reluctant to return to the hospital. She kept putting it off, dragging her feet whenever it was time for a checkup. That afternoon, she was curled up in bed, wrapped in a blanket, enjoying a lazy nap when the sound of the door opening startled her. She bolted upright, only to see William, dressed in a sharp suit, striding toward her with purpose. Before she could react, he grabbed her wrist. Layla’s heart skipped a beat. “What are you doing?” “Taking you to the hospital.” “I’m not going—” William didn’t even give her the chance to refuse. Without hesitation, he bent down and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her straight out of the room. “Put me down!” Layla struggled, but it was useless. To her surprise, William was ridiculously strong. And he still had the audacity to ask,
Mr. Xander spoke firmly. “This isn’t the time or place. Everyone, keep quiet until we get the results.”At that, the room fell silent. The dramatic scene finally came to an end. At first, Layla had been watching with amusement, enjoying the spectacle. But now, as the commotion died down, her gaze landed on the identical looks of concern on the Xander family’s faces. A dull, delayed ache slowly curled around her heart.Xena had only taken a fall, yet her whole family was in a panic over it. And her? Here she was, going through her second round of chemotherapy alone—no one even asked. A mischievous, almost vengeful thought popped into her head. What if she walked over right now, greeted them casually, and said she was here for chemo? How would they react? Would they cry and fuss over her too? The idea took root, and before she knew it, she was already standing up, resentment swelling in her chest. Just as she was about to take a step forward, something sof
Xena trembled, but her gaze remained resolute. “Dad, stop asking. This is my responsibility. I’ll handle it myself.” Mr. Xander was livid. His grip on her wrist tightened as if he wanted to crush her bones. “Handle it? We spent years raising you, putting everything into your future, and this is what you do? How are we supposed to hold our heads up after this?” “I’m sorry.” Xena lowered her head, tears slipping down her cheeks as she bit her lip, sobbing quietly. Mrs. Xander stepped forward, her voice already choked with emotion. “Xena, whose child is it? If you won’t tell us, then you can’t possibly keep it.” Xena’s head snapped up as she shook it frantically. “No, you can’t hurt my baby!” Her mother grabbed her arm, pleading. “You’re still young. One day, you’ll get married. Do you really want to carry a child into that? It will ruin your future, and once the baby is born, there’s no turning back. You’ll regret it.” Mr. Xander’s voice left no room for negotiation. “Y
Susan was still processing Kiera’s words when she had already walked away. *Meanwhile, Layla had just finished her checkup, and William was leading her to Levi’s office. The moment they stepped inside, Levi spoke at a leisurely pace. “So, you caught the show at the imaging department?” Layla raised an eyebrow. “You heard already?” “Gossip spreads fast in hospitals. Even more so when a minor celebrity is involved.” Levi studied her curiously, as if debating whether to ask something before ultimately deciding against it. Layla saw right through him and chuckled. “You want to ask if the baby’s Sean’s, don’t you?” Levi leaned forward slightly. “Well? Is it?” Layla nodded. “It is.” Not only was she certain, but she also knew exactly where it happened—in the bedroom she had carefully decorated for what was supposed to be her married life. By her calculations, the baby was barely two months along. And yet, Xena was already in such a rush to make it public. “So…
“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