บททั้งหมดของ Seven Minutes with my Ex's Uncle : บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

Layla’s stomach dropped when she heard her sister. “What?!” “Yes,you heard me right.” “You can’t!” “I absolutely can.” Layla stepped closer quickly. “Nadia, please.” “No.” “Please listen to me.” “You stayed in a billionaire’s house without telling anyone! That man is dangerous. What if something happened to you?” “I was safe!” “That’s not the point!” “Please don’t tell them.” Nadia crossed her arms again. “Why shouldn’t I?” Layla’s voice softened. “Because it’s not time yet.” Nadia stared at her. “What does that even mean?” “I’ll tell them.” “When?” “When the time is right.” “That sounds suspicious.” “It’s not.” “Layla—” “I’m serious,” Layla said quickly. “I just need time.” Nadia studied her carefully,looking for panic or desperation but mostly she saw determination. “Why are you protecting him so much?” Nadia asked quietly. Layla hesitated. Then said softly, “…Because he protected me.” Nadia sighed. “You're deeper than y

Morning sunlight spilled into Layla’s room as her alarm rang loudly beside her bed.She groaned and rolled over, blindly reaching for her phone until the noise finally stopped.For a few seconds she just lay there, staring at the ceiling but then she remembered.School.Layla slowly sat up, stretching.“Let’s see if the oldie actually did it,” she muttered.Last night Elias had said he would handle the principal. Layla didn’t know exactly what that meant… but knowing him, it probably wasn’t something small.After a quick shower, she pulled on her Oakridge High uniform. She looked at herself in the mirror.Then smirked.“Well,” she said to her reflection, “either I’m going back to school today… or I’m about to get kicked out again.”When Layla arrived at Oakridge High, the reactions were immediate. Students standing near the gate turned their heads.Whispers spread instantly.“Isn’t that Layla?”“I thought she got suspended.”“What is she doing here?”Layla ignored them and walked thro

For a moment, the hallway noise faded into the background. Students were still talking loudly about the assembly, but Layla heard none of it. All she saw was Liam.He stood a few feet away from her, hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, looking exactly the same as he always did—messy dark hair, intense brown eyes and that stubborn expression that used to make her heart race but now, it only made her tired.Chloe’s eyes moved quickly between the two of them.“Oh hell.”She muttered under her breath.Liam pushed himself off the locker and stepped toward them.His eyes were locked on Layla.“Layla.”Her expression instantly hardened.“What do you want?”Students walking past slowed down. Everyone already knew about Layla and Liam. They used to be the couple of Oakridge High,until everything fell apart,until the rumors,until the scandal and now, after what had just happened in the school hall, everyone was even more curiousThe tension between them was obvious.Liam rubbed the back

Across the city, Elias sat in the back of his car while the skyline drifted past the tinted windows.Traffic crawled slowly along the highway, red brake lights stretching endlessly ahead like a glowing river. Elias’s attention wasn’t on the road. It was on his phone. Layla’s message still glowed on the screen. Don't worry, I'll wait. He checked the time again. It was 7:19 PM. His jaw tightened faintly. She shouldn’t have gone there so early. He typed quickly. Elias: I’m still fifteen minutes away. The message sent. He waited but the screen remained silent. Outside, Marcus shifted slightly in his seat. “Sir,” he said quietly, “there’s been an accident ahead. Traffic is blocked.” Elias didn’t respond. His gaze remained fixed on the phone. One minute passed and then another but there was still no reply. A faint crease appeared between his brows. Layla wasn’t the type to ignore his messages. Just then, Marcus's phone rang and after a short while he ended it.

The cold night air outside the warehouse felt almost unreal after everything that had just happened.Layla stepped out beside Elias, the wind brushing against her face as if the world was reminding her she was still alive. Her legs felt slightly weak as they crossed the empty industrial yard toward the black car waiting near the gate.Marcus remained behind inside the warehouse. The sounds of muffled shouting from the kidnappers echoed faintly in the distance before the heavy door shut again.Layla wrapped her arms loosely around herself as she walked beside Elias.Only now, with the danger gone, did the weight of what had happened begin settling over her.The dark van.The cloth over her mouth.The suffocating smell.The ropes.Her breathing slowed as she pushed those thoughts away.Elias opened the passenger door for her without saying anything.Layla paused for a moment before getting in.She looked up at him.“You’re not saying anything.”Elias closed the door gently after she sat