หน้าหลัก / Romance / Engaged to One Whitmore, Fell for the Other. / บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 7

บททั้งหมดของ Engaged to One Whitmore, Fell for the Other.: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 7

7

Chapter 1

Layla“Trust me, Layla. They’ll love you.”I tore my eyes away from the massive estate beyond the windshield and looked at Taylor.He had called it his family home.Home.The place looked more like something that should have required an admission fee.“You should have told me your family was this rich.”Taylor smiled. “Would it have made a difference?”“Yes. I would’ve had time to prepare myself for being thrown back through the gates for looking too poor.”He laughed.I didn’t.Not entirely, anyway.I looked back at the estate.I had known the Whitmores had money. Of course I had. Taylor had never pretended otherwise, and the Whitmore name wasn’t exactly an obscure one in New York.But there was knowing your boyfriend came from money, and then there was sitting at the end of a sweeping private drive staring at a mansion large enough to make my entire apartment building look modest.“You’re worrying about nothing.” Taylor reached over and squeezed my hand. “They’re going to love you.”

ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2026-08-16

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Chapter 2

Layla Taylor’s hand stiffened against my back.“Harvey.”Only then did Harvey lift his eyes.They settled on me for the first time.No smile.No welcome.His gaze moved over me slowly, from my face to my dress, lower still, before returning to my eyes.I fought the sudden urge to straighten my clothes.Harvey gave a quiet scoff and lifted his glass to his lips.Heat climbed my neck.“Don’t start,” Taylor warned.Harvey said nothing.He took a slow sip of whiskey and looked away.Like I wasn’t worth the effort.My nervousness sharpened into irritation.“Come on.” Taylor’s hand slipped into mine. “I’ll introduce you to my parents.”I let him lead me farther into the room, but Harvey’s words followed me.You brought another one?Another what?Another girlfriend?Another woman he disapproved of?I looked at Taylor, but he was already smiling at the elegant woman approaching us.“Mom.”She was beautiful. Not young, but impeccably put together, with blonde hair swept elegantly away from he

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Chapter 3

Chapter threeLaylaI put my fork down.“He didn’t get my father the job.”Every eye near us seemed to shift toward me.I hated how defensive I sounded.But I hated the implication more.“My father was qualified for the position. Taylor forwarded his résumé to someone he knew. He still had to interview for it like everyone else.”“Of course,” Richard said.His tone was reassuring.Vivienne gave a small nod.“Nobody suggested otherwise.”No.They hadn’t.That was the problem.Nobody had to.Taylor reached beneath the table and took my hand.“I offered,” he said. “Layla didn’t ask me.”Celeste lifted her glass.“I didn’t say she did.”“Then stop making it sound like she did.”“Taylor,” Evelyn said quietly.He looked at his mother.“What?”“We’re having a conversation.”“Then talk to her. Don’t talk around her like she isn’t sitting here.”Silence settled over the table.My chest tightened.Taylor’s hand remained around mine beneath the table.Warm.Steady.I loved him for that.Evelyn l

ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2026-08-16

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Chapter 4

LaylaTaylor’s chair scraped sharply against the floor.“We’re leaving.”I turned to him.“Taylor—”“No.”He pushed his chair back and stood.Every trace of warmth had disappeared from his face.“Get your things.”My stomach tightened.I didn’t want to stay. God knew I didn’t.But having Taylor drag me out of his family’s home because of me somehow felt worse.“It’s fine,” I said quietly.His eyes dropped to mine.“No, Layla. It isn’t.”“Taylor,” Evelyn said. “Sit down.”He ignored her.I could feel everyone watching us again.Wonderful.Because apparently being quietly humiliated hadn’t been enough. Now I got to leave in the middle of lunch with the entire Whitmore family watching.Richard set his fork down.“That was unnecessary, Harvey.”My eyes moved toward him.Harvey hadn’t moved.He remained in his chair, expression calm, as though asking who would pay for my mother’s surgery had been no more offensive than asking about the weather.He didn’t apologize.Of course he didn’t.Tay

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Chapter 5

LaylaBy the time our drinks arrived, I had already decided I wasn’t going to mention Taylor’s family again. Not tonight. Belle Jardin was too beautiful for Harvey Whitmore to ruin from a distance.The restaurant glowed beneath low chandeliers, the lights of Manhattan stretching beyond the tall windows beside us. Fresh white flowers sat between the place settings, and somewhere nearby, a pianist played softly beneath the low hum of conversation.Taylor had picked me up after work without telling me where we were going. He’d only told me to dress up.I had.And judging by the way his eyes had lingered when I opened the door, he’d approved.“You’re staring.”His gaze lifted from my dress. “I’m appreciating.”“Very subtly.”“I wasn’t trying to be subtle.”I reached for my glass. “You already told me I look beautiful.”“I know.”“Twice.”“Three times.”I looked at him.Taylor smiled. “I’ll probably tell you again.”My lips curved despite myself.This was what I’d needed. No Whitmore estat

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Chapter 6

LaylaI read the number again.$112,000,000.Still there.I leaned closer to my screen and checked the formula for what had to be the twentieth time. Nothing changed. One hundred and twelve million dollars in projected additional revenue over five years if Lightning Solutions Technologies expanded beyond new construction and entered the commercial retrofit market.It worked. More importantly, I could defend it. Every assumption. Every cost. Every risk.A small smile pulled at my mouth.I was good at this.And after Sunday, I needed the reminder.Who’s paying for the surgery?My smile disappeared.Of all the things Harvey Whitmore had said at lunch, that question had followed me home.Taylor was helping with Mom’s medical expenses. He’d never complained about it, never made me feel as though I owed him anything. But Harvey had forced me to confront something I didn’t like.Mom couldn’t work. Her care was getting more expensive, not less, and surgery would only add to it. My father had

ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2026-08-27

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Chapter 7

LaylaEthan Cole.I stared at the name beneath the access record. It made no more sense the second time I read it.Ethan worked two rows behind me as a research associate. We weren’t friends, but we’d worked around each other long enough for me to know which accounts he was assigned to.LS Technologies wasn’t one of them.He had no reason to open my file. Especially at eight forty-seven on a Monday night.I took a screenshot.“What did you find?”I glanced toward Maya. She had turned slightly in her chair, watching me.“Do you know if Ethan was here late Monday?”“Ethan?”“Yes.”She thought about it. “I don’t think so.”“You’re sure?”“No. Why?”I looked toward his desk.Empty.Of course it was.“Nothing yet.”Maya studied me. I knew she wanted to ask more, but thankfully she didn’t.I looked back at the screenshot.Someone had accessed my analysis. That much I could prove.What I couldn’t prove was that Natalie had anything to do with it.And that was the only part that mattered.I g

ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2026-08-27

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