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…
Xena’s smile didn’t waver as she placed a protective hand over her belly. “It’s our baby, of course!” she said sweetly. “Sean, I’m keeping this child no matter what—” “Absolutely not.” Sean cut her off without hesitation. There was no way this baby could be born. That night had been a mistake, and he refused to make another one. If this child came into the world, his chances with Layla would be over for good. Xena’s expression froze. Sean let out a slow breath, forcing his tone to soften as he tried to reason with her. “That night was a moment of madness. If word gets out, it’ll ruin both our families’ reputations.” He stepped forward and rested a hand on her shoulder. “We agreed, didn’t we? That we’d pretend it never happened? Now you’re telling me there’s a baby? What am I supposed to do with that?” Xena stared at him, disbelief and panic flashing in her eyes. “No… That’s not how this is supposed to go…” “Xena.” Sean reclaimed control of the con
“My friends keep saying that Xena Xander is some innocent sweetheart. What a joke! What kind of innocent girl gets pregnant out of nowhere?”“Did you guys see the news? Xena was photographed at the hospital yesterday for a check-up. Even our hospital made it to the trending list!” *Hearing this, Layla stopped listening. She pulled out her phone, glanced at the trending topics, and headed outside to buy breakfast. Just like the nurses said, the top trending topic was “Xena Xander Pregnant.” The second was “St. North Hospital.”The internet was in an uproar. The headlines were everywhere, and the discussion was unstoppable. This was the biggest wave of attention Xena had received since entering the entertainment industry. Layla frowned slightly. She was certain someone was pushing this story behind the scenes. And she had no doubt that Xena was enjoying every bit of it. She had underestimated her sister. Xena would clearly stop at nothing to achieve her goa
For three days, there wasn’t a single trace of Xena.Just as everyone was busy speculating about her whereabouts, a message popped up on everyone’s phone: the address of St. North Hospital.Given the circumstances, no one wanted to ignore a potential lead. They immediately rushed to the hospital.A large crowd arrived together, only to see Mr. Perry Sr. standing in the middle of the lobby, a few bodyguards behind him.Sean spoke without thinking. “Grandpa? What are you doing here?”Mr. Perry Sr. shot him a glare. “I’m here to clean up your mess.”“I…”Sean’s heart sank. This was bad. If his grandfather knew, then it was all over.Meanwhile, the Xander family was still completely in the dark. What was this whole scene supposed to mean?Just then, Layla walked in, slightly late. She took one look around the room, quickly piecing things together, and let out a quiet sigh of relief.When Mr. Perry Sr. had called her and asked her to come to the hospital, she had worried somethi
Moral guilt-tripping? Seriously? Layla rolled her eyes and didn’t bother holding back. “Funny how you didn’t remember I was your sister when you were having the time of your life in what was supposed to be mine and Sean's bed.“But now that there’s a mess to clean up, you suddenly care about sisterhood?”Xena froze, completely blindsided. She hadn’t expected Layla to come at her so directly—let alone bring up the humiliating fact about the bed. “What?” Mr. Perry Sr.’s expression darkened. “Layla, you knew that they were…?” He didn’t even finish the sentence. It was too shameful to say out loud.Mr. Perry Sr. had seen plenty in his life, but even he felt his face burn with embarrassment. His fury immediately shifted toward Sean. “You disgraceful idiot!“That baby’s almost two months along! And when I asked you to earn Layla’s forgiveness, you swore you would! Turns out you were…you were…” His chest tightened, leaving him momentarily speechless. Layla quickly reached o
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