Semua Bab Reclaiming His Runaway Baby Mama: Bab 221 - Bab 230

Barnes stared at Lily, who looked totally off—there was something more going on. He waved for someone to take Marah away, then turned back to Lily and asked calmly, “I don’t believe in coincidences. If someone’s threatening you, just say it. You won’t have to deal with the consequences.”Lily hesitated. For a split second, it looked like she might break. But then she clenched her jaw and took full responsibility.Barnes could see she was dead set on protecting Marah, which only made him more wary of that woman. Marah clearly played this game too well.They handed Lily over to the police for spreading false rumors—and she didn’t say a word the whole time.On the other end of the line, Barnes reported everything to Layson. Layson listened quietly, cigarette between his fingers, brows furrowed slightly when he heard Lily was willing to go to jail for Marah.After a long silence, he finally said, “Have someone follow Marah. Don’t alert her.”Out on the balcony, the tip of his cigarette gl

The gown Adela had hung up last night was still in the same position. Only now, it was covered in long, jagged slashes—visible to the naked eye.She heard Evelyn calling her name from behind, but she felt like she was submerged in ice-cold water, barely able to breathe. Her hand was frozen in place before the wardrobe, body rooted to the ground like she’d been nailed there.Evelyn waited a while and, not getting a response, rushed over. When she looked up and saw the destroyed dresses, she gasped in shock.Their commotion drew others over, including the event organizer, who came to check in. The second he saw the ruined gown, his expression turned pitch-black.“Who did this?! Get them out here—now!” the man exploded. In a matter of seconds, he was cursing nonstop, not even repeating a single word.Adela was supposed to be the final showstopper of the night. Her gown getting trashed? That was a massive slap in the face to the organizers.Evelyn was the first to recover. She immediately

Gina drove like she had something to prove. A few sharp brakes later, Adela was already feeling a bit nauseous. She’d gotten used to Layson’s steady, smooth driving—anyone else behind the wheel just didn’t feel right anymore.“That girl back there—your friend?” Gina glanced over at Adela in the passenger seat, a little too casually.Adela really wished she’d focus on the road instead of looking around like that. It was dangerous.“She’s not a friend. Just someone I know,” Adela replied coolly after a beat.Gina didn’t seem to mind her tone and just kept talking.It was mostly Gina chatting the whole way, and Adela occasionally tossing in a single-word reply. But Gina’s enthusiasm didn’t waver a bit.In less than twenty minutes, they pulled up to a lavish-looking villa. Adela followed Gina in, watching her ring the bell. A housekeeper answered and led them upstairs.They stepped into a massive rooftop lounge—easily over 5,000 square feet—with everything from arcade machines to karaoke.

Juliet walked over with a glass of red wine and smiled sweetly at Layson. “Mr. Norman, since you’re already here, why not stay a bit longer?”Adela glanced at Juliet, speechless. What was this woman, some kind of wine-serving hostess?Carl was staring straight at her, making her feel uncomfortable all over. Adela had no clue what was going through his mind, but she didn’t want to stir up any drama and was ready to decline whatever he had in mind.Then Mia suddenly spoke up. “Your grandma gets a bunch of jewelry every year for her birthday. You sure you wanna give her another piece?”She was asking Carl, but her eyes were locked on Adela.Adela tightened her grip on Layson’s hand. His warm, dry touch grounded her instantly.She looked up at Carl. He took a sip from his glass, lazy and casual, then tilted his head toward Mia and said, “My grandma dotes on me. Doesn’t matter what I give her, she’ll love it. Don’t you think?”Mia bit her lip, clearly caught off guard. She looked flustered

Lily’s mind was all over the place. She stared at the man in front of her, someone who seemed almost god-like, then finally dropped her gaze and whispered, “It wasn’t her who told me to do it.”Even Barnes was shocked.“Lily, seriously? You’re telling me you came up with all that on your own? That’s wild.”He looked at her with exasperation. Honestly, he couldn’t understand what kind of dark magic Marah had over people. First Richard, now Lily—they both let themselves be used like pawns.But Lily spoke again, this time even firmer. “I did everything. It was me alone.”Layson, holding Adela in his arms, didn’t move. He just stared coldly at the woman kneeling on the floor. “Why?”Lily bit back her pain, slowly raised her head, and looked at him with a bitter, broken smile. “Because I was jealous. Why does she get to be by your side? Why won’t you even look at me? I miss you so much, it’s driven me insane. The only way I could see you... was through Adela.”The room fell into heavy sile