MasukThe rest of the family quietly left the room, leaving only Layla and Adrian behind. The news had shaken everyone.Layla couldn't stop crying.Sophia had done all of this to her.She had been the perfect wife, the perfect daughter-in-law, yet this was how she had been repaid.Adrian walked over and gently placed a hand on her shoulder."Crying won't change what has already happened," he said softly. "For now, let's pray Sophia is found. The police are still searching for her."He paused before continuing."As for King... now that I know he's my son, I'll continue taking responsibility for him. He can stay here at the mansion with you."Fresh tears rolled down Layla's cheeks."How am I supposed to tell him I'm his mother?" she whispered. "Do you think he'll accept me?"Adrian offered her a reassuring smile."He's still a child. We'll find the right way to tell him."King had grown up believing Adrian was his father. He had spent very little time with Layla and had always called her Aunt
The following morning, two men stepped out of a car as it screeched to a halt in front of Nolan's company. They straightened their tuxedos before walking into the building.The deal had been finalized.Nolan had failed to deliver Layla as promised.Stopping at the reception desk, they introduced themselves to the receptionist and informed her that they were there to see Mr. Nolan.She made a quick call while they waited.A few moments later, she looked up with a polite smile."He's in his office. Please take the elevator to the top floor. It's the second office on your left."The two men nodded and headed for the elevator.When they arrived, Nolan's secretary directed them into his office.The moment Nolan saw them, his expression changed. One of the men placed a document on his desk.Nolan recognized it immediately. It was the agreement he had personally signed."We're sorry to interrupt your work," one of them said professionally. "We're only here to carry out our duties. If you hav
Jade paced profusely; her mind was made up already. She's leaving the country.She had caused her mother nothing but pain, and there was nothing left for her to do.Layla had been reunited with her family after Jade brought her to the hospital. Now, it was time to return home, face her mother, and find a way to leave the country for good.Adrian was the first man she had ever truly loved.For the first time, she had looked forward to building a future with someone.But after everything that had happened to her sister, and with Layla now back in Adrian's life, Jade believed she would only become an obstacle between them.Perhaps she had been wrong all along. Layla had never truly loved Adrian.She had only been jealous. Her world revolved around the people she cared about, while Jade was simply someone Adrian had only just begun to know.Standing in a corner of the hospital, Jade soon spotted Layla's family rushing down the hallway.Before leaving, she had called the hospital and asked
Night came faster than Ethan had imagined. He didn't move an inch, even as he watched shop owners close for the day and workers head home. By then, he was standing outside the car, his eyes darting back and forth as he kept watch.Adrian had asked him to stay on standby because he would be coming, but as the area grew quieter, Ethan made his way toward the route where they had seen them enter earlier.When he got there, he noticed there was only one gated house. Apart from it, there were no other buildings or even another route.He didn't know how to approach the situation, but that didn't stop him from moving forward.Ethan walked up to the gate and knocked. As he waited, his eyes caught a narrow passage beside it, and his thoughts began to race.“What the hell? Did they come in through the gate or that passage?”Before he could think any further, the gate slowly creaked open.He stiffened, waiting for whoever was behind it to come into view.The moment the security guard appeared, t
The whole family gathered in the living room. Harthwore's health was deteriorating, yet he refused to be admitted to the hospital. Instead, he insisted on receiving treatment at home.Even Natasha had tried to persuade him to stay in the hospital, but he kept insisting that he wanted to be home when Layla returned.Unable to change his mind, the family reluctantly respected his decision.As the day went on, Joshua took Harthwore's place in meeting the brothers. Although Salvatore had insisted on accompanying him, Joshua assured him that he had everything under control.After Joshua left the house, Ethan stepped out of the living room and dialed Adrian's number. He was doing everything he could to make sure they found his sister.“I was just thinking of calling you,” Adrian said as he answered. “Good thing you called.”“Is everything okay?” Ethan asked.“I found a new address on Jade's phone. She left it behind at the old woman's apartment with her late daughter's friend. And, interest
It was late at night, but Adrian insisted on returning to the old woman's apartment to check on her condition. Besides, he had been calling Jade, but she wasn't answering. He also wanted to speak with Norah about the surrogacy.When they arrived at the apartment, Adrian reached for the door before his spy could open it for him. As he stepped inside, he noticed the guard he had assigned standing outside the entrance.Without saying a word, Adrian walked past him and entered the house.Inside, he found Norah sitting on the couch.The moment she noticed him, she quickly stood and bowed her head respectfully.“How is she?” Adrian asked.“Much better,” Norah replied. “The doctor came earlier with one of your guards. The doctor left after examining her, but the guard stayed outside.”“What about the lady who came with me?” Adrian asked.“She left a few minutes after you did. She received a phone call, and after that, she looked a little strange before leaving.”Adrian frowned, deep in thoug
Both women said their goodbyes, and Jade and her mother proceeded back to the office after seeing Sophia off to the car.Once inside, Jade plopped onto the couch, stretching her arms out.“When are we leaving? You know I have girls to hang out with.”Ruth looked up from her desk, smiling at her.“Y
After the struggle and cries, the boy was finally put to sleep, his injury properly treated.Adrian’s heart felt heavy.He didn’t know how to confront her without it turning into a full-blown argument. If she had truly been there with him, then what went wrong? Why didn’t she step in the moment the
The machine beeped profusely, alerting the nurses in the room. One of them jerked up and scurried to the doctor’s office. It didn’t take long before she returned with a doctor. The doctor approached the bed to examine what went wrong.The surgery had gone well, and they had expected her to be awake
The day finally came to an end after the heavy workload on Adrian’s desk. He felt relieved to be heading home after exhausting himself with work. Since returning from the meeting, he had buried himself in tasks and had even skipped lunch.He packed his laptop and phone, intending to finish up at ho







