Chapter 5

As soon as Layla stepped out, Carter dashed over, excitement written all over his face. He stopped in front of her and blurted, “Wow, you’re way too bold! With all those people in there, you didn’t spare a shred of dignity for the Perry or Xander families!”

He added, grinning, “Honestly, you should’ve slapped those two cheaters right across their faces!”

“And who are you?” Layla asked, a little speechless at how overly familiar this gossip-loving young man was.

“I’m… uh…” Carter scratched his head awkwardly. “I was the one driving the car that rear-ended your taxi a week ago.”

“Oh…” Layla responded lazily, clearly not interested in pursuing the matter.

“You—”

“Carter,” William called out.

Hearing the warning tone in William’s voice, Carter immediately shut up, though his eyes still sparkled with admiration as he looked at Layla.

Having grown up surrounded by the fake politeness and scheming of the upper class, Carter found Layla’s fearless attitude fascinating. And to top it off, his usually aloof uncle had stepped in to help her. It was practically a miracle!

Layla turned to William. “Thanks for earlier.”

“Don’t mention it.” William’s expression remained calm, though for a brief moment, a hint of unease flickered across his face. “Where are you headed? I’ll take you there.”

“That’s okay. I’ll grab a taxi.”

“Taxi? Seriously?” Carter jumped in, pushing Layla gently toward the parking lot. “Since my uncle’s already helped you, why not let us see it through? Besides, what taxi could possibly be more comfortable than my uncle’s Maybach?”

“Last time, we dropped you off at the hospital, but you ran off before I even got the chance to make it up to you. Let me consider this my redemption—just one ride!”

Before Layla could protest, Carter ushered her into the back seat of the Maybach with a cheeky grin. “Come on, give me a chance here.”

Resigned, Layla sighed. She didn’t have the energy to argue. She had spent all her strength walking away from everything.

Now, as she settled into the car, a dull ache began to pulse in her head.

She gave the driver her address, murmured a quick thank you, and leaned against the window, closing her eyes. She didn’t want anyone noticing her exhaustion.

…

Meanwhile, in the Perry and Xander families’ lounge, the atmosphere was stifling.

Mr. Perry Sr. sat at the head of the room, his expression so dark it seemed ink could drip from it. He hadn’t stepped in earlier to avoid public embarrassment, but now, staring at Sean, his anger only grew.

Snatching a teacup from the table, he hurled it at Sean’s feet. “You useless fool! What the hell did you do to push Layla to this point?”

“I didn’t…” Sean mumbled, his head hanging low, guilt evident in his voice. “It’s all just a misunderstanding. I didn’t explain things clearly to Layla.”

“Misunderstanding?”

Mr. Perry Sr. let out a cold laugh, his sharp gaze sweeping toward Xena. The sheer force of his presence made her shrink back, half hiding behind Mrs. Xander in fear.

Sean sensed the tension and quickly interjected, “This has nothing to do with Xena. It’s all because Layla overthought things and made baseless accusations, which led to—”

“You know full well whether the two of you are innocent or not,” Mr. Perry Sr. cut him off sharply, his expression growing darker with each passing moment. “If you had even shown a shred of support for Layla earlier, she wouldn’t have walked out like that!”

“Sean, I always thought you were the most level-headed among my grandchildren. But your actions today have truly disappointed me.”

“Mr. Perry Sr., you can’t put all the blame on Sean for what happened today,” Mr. Xander said cautiously, trying to smooth things over. “It’s our fault for not raising Layla properly. That’s why she acted so disgracefully. We’ll make sure to talk to her about it later.”

“You’re focusing on the wrong person,” Mr. Perry Sr. replied coldly, his gaze cutting through the room.

Mr. Perry Sr. had long been aware that the Xander family didn’t truly care for Layla, but he hadn’t realized the extent of their favoritism until now.

Recalling the slap Layla endured earlier, a trace of sadness flickered across his expression before his voice turned colder. “If you, as her father, had any sense of decency, you wouldn’t have laid a hand on her in front of everyone.

“I think it’s you who needs to reflect on your actions and figure out who the real Xander heiress is.”

Every word was both a defense of Layla and a pointed reminder to the Xander family that Layla was the rightful daughter of the house, the true heiress.

The Xander family understood the message loud and clear, their faces turning pale with embarrassment.

Leaning on his cane, Mr. Perry Sr. stood and moved toward Sean. His tone left no room for argument as he issued an ultimatum.

“If you can’t convince Layla to come back, don’t bother coming back to the Perry family yourself.

“I recognize only Layla as my granddaughter-in-law.”

After a brief pause, he added sternly, “And don’t forget, your mess has already drawn the attention of William Lucas. Be careful how you handle this. Offending him is something we cannot afford.”

“Yes, Grandpa. I understand,” Sean replied, bowing his head.

Once Mr. Perry Sr. left the room, the tension eased slightly, though the air remained heavy.

Before long, Xena’s soft sobbing filled the silence.

Mrs. Xander turned to embrace her daughter, her heart aching. “Oh, my sweet girl, why are you crying? This isn’t your fault. Your sister is the one being unreasonable.”

“That useless Layla doesn’t even know her place!” Shane spat, his voice filled with disdain. “She’s made such a spectacle today. How is she ever going to show her face in society again?

“And to top it off, she had the audacity to throw mud at Xena. She’s lost her mind! Having someone like her in our family is a complete embarrassment.”

“Don’t talk about her like that, Shane,” Xena said between soft sobs. “It’s all my fault.”

“Shane’s not wrong.” Sean’s cold voice cut through the room.

After today’s debacle, even if Layla returned to him, she would be nothing but a laughingstock in their social circle. But this was her own doing.

If she had just gone along with the engagement, she could have become his legitimate fiancée without issue. Now that things had turned so ugly, he was curious to see how she intended to clean up the mess.

“You all head back first,” Sean said as he picked up his car keys. “I’m going to find Layla.”

“Sean,” Xena called after him, hurrying to grab his arm. “I’ll go with you to talk to my sister. I can’t let you take all the blame on your own.”

Looking into Xena’s tear-filled eyes, Sean found himself unable to refuse.

After a brief hesitation, he sighed softly. “If only Layla were half as thoughtful and considerate as you.”

…

When Layla woke up, she was still in the Maybach. Half-asleep, she became aware of a gaze on her.

Rubbing her eyes, she glanced around and saw William sitting across from her, his gaze fixed on the city lights outside the window. The play of light and shadow highlighted the sharp, elegant angles of his profile, like the most striking brushstroke in an ink painting.

“This man is ridiculously handsome! He looks even better than the polished, airbrushed photos of him in financial magazines,” she thought to herself.

Over the years, Layla had quietly supported Sean from behind the scenes, which naturally meant she had come across plenty of information about William. She admired his brilliance and cunning and had even fantasized about meeting him someday, hoping to pick up a thing or two from his expertise.

But she had never expected their paths to cross like this.

Lost in thought, Layla didn’t realize she had been staring until William turned to face her. Rather than looking away, she met his gaze calmly and directly.

“Mr. Lucas, why did you help me?” she asked softly.