LOGINThere was a strange sense of assurance she felt, making her doubt whether this was the right thing to do. It was something she needed to get done; otherwise, he would keep coming after her. Running away to die had once seemed like the better option, but now that she was alive, she needed to completely end things with him.“You're still contemplating. Don't tell me it has something to do with your husband.”She fidgeted, her hands trembling as she made eye contact with him. You would think Adrian knew nothing, but he knew more than she imagined. The little information he had, along with the dinner he attended, was enough to give him the details he was looking for.He stood up, folding both hands, his expression turning serious.“I know you have a good relationship with everyone at home, and if you're having trouble with your artwork, your father should be the first person to know. But something tells me this is different.”Layla gulped, her legs shaking at the thought of what she was a
She stepped back as he moved closer, clapping his hands together with a smile on his face. He didn’t stop until her back hit the table, leaving only inches between them. She could feel his breath against her neck.“Now listen to me carefully, if you still value yourself. I’m not here to exchange words with you. Just make sure you do as I say.”“You have no right—”He raised his hand as if to strike her, cutting her off mid-sentence.She glared at him, her words caught in her throat.“I’m not done talking. Don’t make me lay a hand on you…” he warned, then inhaled sharply and stepped back.“I plan to see your father. You must have heard when I said there’s an issue. All I want is for you to keep quiet—just like you’ve been doing. If not…”He leaned closer to her ear.“The world will know how you abandoned your child. I’m sure you would rather not see this gallery fall apart. And we both know there’s no official divorce between us.”Layla scoffed, her confidence returning as she stood he
Natasha had stopped by the hospital and was waiting in her son’s office, sipping some juice a nurse had offered her. It took him about five minutes to get there after hearing his mother was around. He assumed she had brought something for him—it wouldn’t have been the first time, although it had been a while.Unbeknownst to him, she had come with something entirely different—nothing like what he had in mind.He entered his office and pushed the door open. The moment she saw him, she pulled him into a hug.“I didn’t expect you to come here. You didn’t call,” he said, taking his seat as he pulled away from the hug, his gaze not leaving hers.“I was coming from somewhere, and this seemed like the best time to have this conversation with you.”A conversation? He had thought she simply stopped by to drop something off for him. As usual, I got you this and thought of bringing it to your office.He didn’t question it and just took a seat, ready to listen.If there was anything she wanted to
He returned to the office after having dinner with his daughter. He had dropped her off first before heading back to the company. The elevator doors opened, and he stepped inside, pressing the button for Joshua’s floor. When it dinged, he walked out and headed straight toward his office. He had a business deal to close in the next few minutes, and they needed to be at their best—it was a major project. Stopping at the door, he knocked and pushed it open, revealing Joshua, who was busy on his laptop. Joshua lifted his head as his father stepped in, but his face was masked with something indescribable. “You’re back.” That was all he said before rising from his chair. His father felt the difference, but he thought it was stress from work. “Yes. It’s time for your meeting. You should be there waiting for them—not the other way around.” He nodded in understanding; that had been his plan anyway. But this thing is about to show him; it can't wait. “Alright, I’ll be on my way.” He paused
The incident at the gallery had been on Layla’s mind ever since she arrived at the office. They had done well hiding everything from her—even Ethan, whom she trusted, refused to tell her what had happened to the culprit behind the gallery fire.When she asked her father, he simply said they had lost the culprit and that no damage had been done. Layla suspected otherwise. She felt he must have done something to the culprit and didn’t want her to know.She went ahead to ask Ethan, but he gave her the same answer, as if they had all agreed to keep it from her.Natasha was the last person she wanted to ask. She hadn’t even gone near the building because of her allergy, so Layla didn’t bother approaching her.Sighing, Layla walked to the restroom to wash her hands. Ethan had brought her lunch, and she was already starving.When she returned to the living room, she found one of her employees standing there.“Have you been waiting long?”“No, ma’am. I came to inform you that some hefty men a
That night, Natasha couldn’t close her eyes. She had found herself entangled in something she had once instructed them to let go of, and the discoveries—the information she had uncovered—were overwhelming. It was more than she could fully comprehend. Ethan had given her details of everything they had gone through, even revealing the location of their disguised base beneath a convenience store. What troubled her the most was that her daughter was involved and her son, who had been driving the car that day. If they hadn’t found anything related to the truck, she would have believed it was just an accident that God had prevented. But after everything she had seen today, she was beginning to think otherwise. Ethan wasn’t the type to stay in the country for long; he usually left soon after arriving. So she wasn’t sure if he was the target—or if it was her daughter, whom they had only found a few years ago. Layla had faced criticism and doubt. Many people hadn’t approved of her bei







