Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
After the commotion Sarah had caused, it seemed inevitable that she would have demanded Landon’s attention for the entire night. Yet, here he was, back home.
“Did you get Ethan to drive you back?” Landon inquired, his tone insistent.
Leila shook her head vigorously, quickly clarifying her situation: there were no taxis around, and just as she was about to give up, Ethan drove past and offered her a ride.
Leila paused, realizing that her explanation seemed to indirectly fault Landon for leaving her stranded earlier, necessitating Ethan’s unexpected assistance. She wanted to clear the air, especially about the earlier incident at the party. Hastily, she added that she didn’t cause the mishap with the red wine.
Leila had intended to argue that it was Sarah who had actually splashed the red wine, but mid-gesture, Leila hesitated and dropped her hands in resignation, convinced that Landon wouldn’t believe her. After all, he had made his choice clear when he left with Sarah earlier. Any explanation she offered now would be pointless.
Landon remained silent for a long beat before turning to the butler, his decision abrupt. “Have Gilbert come here. From now on, he’ll drive my wife,” he declared.
Stunned by his sudden arrangement for a personal driver, Leila could only offer a stiff, awkward nod of gratitude. Back upstairs, Leila heard the rumble of a car outside the villa. Landon had left.
Leila tossed and turned, unable to find rest that night. The next morning brought a text from Linsey. “Sweetheart, fancy a day out for some fun?”
It was clear that Ethan was aware of the previous evening’s events, and evidently, so was Linsey, though Leila hadn’t mentioned it directly.
A small smile played on Leila’s lips as she responded, “Sure, where should we go?”
Leila assumed that after the previous day’s drama, Sarah would likely stick closer to Landon. This meant Landon would be too preoccupied to pay her much attention.
Linsey’s next message popped up. “I heard Hayden’s studio is looking for apprentices. You’ve got a knack for it. Interested in giving it a shot?”
Leila’s eyes widened in surprise. It had been years since she’d thought about Hayden Wyatt.
A master of cultural relics restoration and an old friend of Roderick, Hayden had recognized Leila’s potential during a visit to Roderick’s place. Hayden had handed Leila some minor tools to tinker with.
To everyone’s surprise, Leila had shown a natural aptitude. Her hands were remarkably steady, ideal for meticulous work.
Hayden had eagerly taken Leila under his wing in his studio, where she had shown considerable promise.
However, after Roderick passed away and Leila married, she drifted away from that world and lost touch with Hayden.
Leila hadn’t anticipated Linsey offering such a chance.
The prospect filled her with both excitement and unease. She typed down her response: “Landon won’t be on board with this. He’s against me working.”
Linsey responded swiftly, “How is this considered working? It’s just about stepping out occasionally to learn. Besides, if you do pick up some restoration tasks, it would barely count as a part-time gig, right?”
Leila pondered Linsey’s words and found them reasonable. The studio’s schedule was indeed flexible, allowing her to return when Landon needed her culinary skills. Plus, his visits were sporadic at best. The longest he had been away previously was a month.
“Alright, I’ll come to you!” Leila replied with newfound resolve. This job offered more than just a way to pass time and grow personally. It had financial perks.
Unlike her bookstore job, restoring cultural artifacts and ancient books could lead to projects worth hundreds of thousands, even millions. This opened a path for her to diligently save the twenty million Landon had demanded.
Though the thought of divorce still seemed distant, for the first time in a long while, Leila felt a glimmer of hope.
Leila requested Gilbert to drive her to the meeting spot she had arranged with Linsey.
“Sweetheart, I’ve gotten in touch with Hayden, and he’s looking forward to your visit!” Linsey greeted Leila with a radiant smile as soon as they met.
Leila returned the smile, her thoughts drifting to the joyful days she spent in Hayden’s studio. Leila always felt inadequate after her vocal cords were damaged. Although she was the adopted daughter of the prestigious Kensington family and was well-regarded both within the family and by outsiders due to her status, she secretly felt worthless.
However, Leila’s sense of self-worth was restored during her time at Hayden’s studio, where she discovered her capabilities and realized she was far from useless. Now, the prospect of returning to Hayden’s studio filled her with genuine excitement.
Linsey soon guided Leila to the studio’s location.
Nestled by a lake in the city center, the studio sat in a prime environment, the building itself exuding elegance. Leila was taken aback by the transformation, marveling at how quickly Hayden had enhanced the studio’s setting.
“You have no idea, but restoring relics has become very lucrative. Which collector’s family isn’t affluent? Hayden is currently the top in this field. You’re definitely going to prosper if you work for him!” Linsey informed Leila, who had always refrained from using Landon’s money.
Leila nodded and expressed her gratitude to Linsey with a gesture.
“Why are you thanking me? I just want to see you happy!” Linsey responded, her tone warm and sincere.
After dropping Leila off at the entrance of the studio, Linsey drove away.
Leila pushed the door open and spotted Hayden, engrossed in his work at his desk. She hesitated at the doorway, lingering until Hayden looked up and noticed her.
Hayden, not particularly tall, had graying, slightly thinning hair, wore glasses, and his expression could shift from stern to warm in an instant. When he smiled at Leila, his face lit up with warmth and affection, reminiscent of the way Roderick once looked at her.
At the sight of Leila, Hayden beamed, gesturing his excitement at her arrival.
Unlike Leila, whose vocal cords had been damaged later in life, Hayden was born deaf and mute. He often mentioned that his silence allowed him to dive deeper into his own world.
Returning the smile, Leila walked over and gestured her greeting while extending her hand for a handshake.
Gazing at Leila with a hint of appreciation, Hayden then signed his recent knowledge of Leila’s situation from Linsey and expressed his willingness to provide guidance on restoring items if she needed it.
Leila nodded, her smile broadening with gratitude. Just the chance to learn from Hayden made her elated.
Hayden grinned, satisfied at Leila’s response, as Leila was the most talented restorer he had ever encountered all these years.
Hayden then guided Leila to the second floor, where several other apprentices were already present. Their expressions varied upon seeing Leila.
Hayden produced a compact device and converted the words he had recently typed down into speech. “Let me introduce you. This is Leila, my apprentice starting from the old days.”
The other apprentices, upon learning that Leila was mute, regarded her with a newfound empathy.
Hayden then expressed his desire to have Leila learn in the studio. He spoke highly of Leila’s talents and hoped she would adjust to the environment well.
Just then, among the other apprentices, a tall, slender young man abruptly stood up. “Remarkable talent? What sort of talent does she have?”
The young man eyed Leila skeptically, mouthing his offensive words. “My grandfather was the finest restorer in the south, even surpassing Hayden in a contest. And you, talented? Bah!”
As the young man spoke, he turned slightly, ensuring Hayden could not see his mouth.
Unaware of the young man’s challenge at Leila, Hayden introduced him to Leila nonetheless. The young man in question was Gregory Lyndon, the most skilled restorer among the apprentices in the studio.
Leila offered Gregory a polite smile and signed her greeting. Although she wished to maintain a friendly demeanor, Gregory seemed uninterested in reciprocating.
Ignoring Leila’s gestures, Gregory turned to Hayden and expressed his puzzlement as to why Leila could skip the test to become Hayden’s apprentice. After all, other apprentices had passed the test before being granted the chance to learn from Hayden. Leila being the exception was a bitter pill to swallow.
Hayden, wearing a stern expression, signed directly to Gregory without bothering to type down his thoughts. He stressed that even before Gregory had entered the industry, Leila had already demonstrated her skills to him-impressive enough for him to take her as his apprentice right then and there.
Far from convinced, Gregory lifted his chin arrogantly, gesturing that no one else present, except for Hayden, had witnessed Leila’s competence. He claimed this was hardly convincing for the other apprentices. Besides, even if Leila had shown talent in the past, it didn’t mean she still possessed it now.
Casting a dismissive look at Leila, Gregory added that her current responsibilities as a married woman might cause her to juggle between restoration work and family duties, leading to a decline in her performance due to her divided focus.
Leila was caught off guard. She hadn’t expected Gregory to acknowledge her marriage or be so informed about her personal life. Upon observing Gregory’s attire-a seemingly modest black coat, yet likely a piece of high-end custom tailoring, akin to Landon’s style-she deduced that Gregory was part of the upper echelons of society. It dawned on Leila that the events of the previous day might have circulated within their social circle, though she wondered how much Gregory truly knew.
Quickly composing herself, Leila gestured to Hayden, encouraging him to keep his cool. Then, turning to Gregory, she signed her willingness to take a test and that she would leave if she failed to pass.
“Deal!” Gregory seemed to be waiting for just such a response.
Without hesitation, Gregory walked over to a nearby table, grabbed something, and returned.
A large tray was filled with what looked like powdery substances. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the shattered remnants of a vase, broken into countless tiny fragments.
“Go ahead and restore this. You have twenty minutes. Completing any section of the frame will count as a pass.” Gregory then handed Leila several photographs. “This is the vase’s original appearance, and this is the progress we’ve made so far.”
Despite being of contemporary make, the vase had been artificially aged. The handful of people in the studio had managed to piece together about a third of it within the twenty-minute timeframe, though each person had worked on different sections-some the body, others the base.
Without hesitation, Leila nodded. She had encountered far greater challenges during her first meeting with Hayden as a child, so she felt undaunted.
