Semua Bab The CEO’s Obsession: Layla, You’re Not Allowed to Die: Bab 741 - Bab 750

“I just finished reviewing the footage from the studio,” Layla said. “Figured I’d take a short break and check my phone.”She paused. “The Xander estate caught fire.”There was a brief silence on the other end before William responded, his tone unreadable.“What a coincidence.”“Yeah,” Layla said. “I thought so too. Xena’s only just taken over the company, and suddenly the house goes up in flames? Maybe someone in the family didn’t like her being in charge, and this was her way of sending a message.”She spoke openly, voicing her suspicion without thinking much of it but William’s reaction caught her off guard.“You’re overthinking it. Arson is a serious crime.”“She already dared to go after Grandpa Perry…”“It’s all just speculation,” William cut in, his voice even and cool. “You’re jumping to conclusions without knowing the facts. Making wild guesses like this is a waste of time.”His abrupt dismissal made Layla snap back. “You know what happened to Mr. Perry Sr. That wasn’

“Have someone from the magazine contact my team,” Olivia said, resting her chin in one hand, a bright smile playing on her lips. “We’ll find a time to shoot. I’ve seen ‘Fan’ before. It’s actually pretty interesting. It would be my honor to be on the September cover.”Layla was stunned. “Wait… seriously?”Olivia gave her a lazy squint, half-amused. “Why would I lie? I quite like you too. I’ve heard plenty about you. Begonia’s name has been floating around for a while now.”Layla had received plenty of compliments like that before, but for some reason, hearing it from Olivia made her ears warm.“I’m just lucky,” she said humbly. “Grateful so many people have supported me.”But deep down, she thought, “Who could possibly resist a stunning woman like Olivia?”“There’s no such thing as support without a reason,” Olivia replied, lips curving into a knowing smile. “If Gwen lost to you, she really can’t say it was unfair.“Alright, enough of that.”Olivia stretched both arms overhead w

Layla closed the office door behind her and slowly walked toward William.“If you hadn’t shown up so quickly,” she said quietly, “I wouldn’t have realized just how long I’ve been living right under your nose.”William said nothing.“I was only guessing before,” she continued. “But now, I’m sure.”She stopped in front of him and looked up, meeting his gaze directly.“What exactly are you so afraid of? Why are you so worried about me coming back unannounced?”“You’re overthinking it.”William’s eyes were calm, his tone perfectly composed.“I had someone keeping an eye on you in the desert in case something happened. That’s all.”“Oh really?”Layla clearly didn’t believe him. She kept her eyes on him, unrelenting.After a moment, William looked away, casually changing the subject.“You came back early. What’s the plan?”“A lot.”Just two words, but the sharpness in her tone made her irritation obvious.William pretended not to notice.“Well, since you’re back, let’s get ev

Sensing the tension between them, Ivan raised an eyebrow and asked cautiously, “What’s going on? Miss Xander just got back and you two are already fighting?”William didn’t answer. He stood up without a word and followed Layla out the door.Just as Layla reached for the handle, William grabbed her wrist and pinned her against the door, stepping in close.“You’re really going to start a fight over this?”His low voice hovered over her, and Layla met his gaze head-on.“I just wanted to see what the fuss was about,” she said coolly. “Is that so unreasonable, Mr. Lucas?“Besides, who gave you the right to control me? There’s nothing between us. No relationship, no obligation.”The dim lighting in the private suite cast shadows across her face, but her defiant eyes still held a flicker of pain—anger at his distrust, at his secrecy, at his constant need to protect her while denying he cared.He was the one who said she wasn’t his weakness. So why keep shielding her like she was?He

“It all started with the fire…”Ivan glanced at William. When he saw that William was still watching Layla, showing no reaction, he gathered the nerve to continue.“Word is, Chris gave up all his shares in the Xander family business and cut ties completely. It nearly made Mr. Xander disown him.“He also mortgaged all of the family’s properties to take out a huge loan. Sounds like he’s trying to start over from scratch, but let’s be honest—it’s not that easy.“The Xanders made their fortune through retail chains. In recent years, they’ve been expanding into commercial investments with outside capital, but none of it is really solid. Especially the real estate projects…”Ivan shook his head with a sigh. “Chris has ambition and guts, but he’s just not that capable. Sure, Xena stole the family business out from under him, but honestly? He could’ve just stayed on as vice president and saved himself the headache. Maybe he just couldn’t let go of the whole ‘eldest son of the Xanders’ pri