Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Bria was about to unleash a witty quip, but Landon cut her off. “Giving you my contact information isn’t exactly convenient. Look, if you need something, reach out to my girlfriend.”
Bria was a bit displeased by his reply, but it didn’t bother her much. Anyway, Landon and Ewing likely had worked together, which meant more opportunities for her to get close to Landon. There was plenty of time to play her game.
Bria plastered a fake smile on her face. “Sure, sounds good.”
Landon caught the flicker of annoyance in Bria’s eyes. No way he missed that. Hopefully, Bria could keep Sarah busy for a bit and give him some peace.
Sarah was practically faced with a series of unanswered calls. Her gut twisted with a sick feeling. Was Landon out searching for Leila? But that didn’t make sense. The Hayes family had confronted him, and he didn’t seem interested in searching for her.
Suddenly, a new friend request popped up on Sarah’s phone. The profile picture showed a woman.
Sarah’s brow furrowed, unease prickling at her skin.
Once Landon ditched Bria, he sprinted back to the car. As soon as he slammed the car door, all his disguises slipped. He slumped against the seat, eyes squeezed shut, exhaustion etched on his face.
Edgar eyed Landon with worry. “Mr. Kensington, you haven’t gotten a decent night’s sleep since you sent someone to locate Mr. Stan Kensington’ mansion. If you keep pushing yourself like this, you’re gonna crash and burn.”
Landon ignored Edgar, eyes glued to the passing scenery. “Where the hell do you think Leila is? Do you think she’s being roughed up? She can’t even talk or scream for help. I swore to keep her safe, yet here she is, lost and in danger again. It’s all my fault. Nothing but my damn arrogance to blame for this.”
Edgar sighed. “Mr. Kensington, I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but your wife has practically lived with the Kensington family for years as an adopted daughter. And your grandfather left her something in his will. Even without you, she would have inevitably been tangled up in this mess.”
Moreover, without Landon’s protection over the years, Leila would have long been tortured badly by the Kensington family members.
Apart from Roderick and Landon, there were hardly any normal people in the Kensington family. For unknown reasons, they were always hostile to Leila.
Landon understood Edgar’s attempt to comfort him, but guilt gnawed at him for Leila’s situation. He felt like punching himself for his mistakes.
But Landon knew this wasn’t the time to lose his cool. He forced himself to stay calm.
The tiredness and worry in his eyes vanished as Landon looked up. “Did you spread the news like I requested?”
Edgar nodded rapidly. “Yes, everyone knows you’re leaving for treatment overseas.”
Landon simply replied, “Good.”
Edgar had doubts in his mind. Before, Landon kept his illness a secret. Why the sudden announcement about going abroad for treatment?
Even though this move confused Edgar, he had full faith in Landon’s judgment. After all, Landon would never make a wrong call.
Elsewhere, Leila had a few quiet days. While she was constantly being watched, Bria seemed to have no plans to hurt her for now.
Escape was on Leila’s mind, but there weren’t any openings yet. Maybe escaping wouldn’t work. Perhaps there was another way out.
Leila formulated a plan after careful consideration. She decided to befriend Bria. At least, she had to gain Bria’s trust.
By chance, Bria was preoccupied with something lately.
Though usually quiet in the corner, Leila listened closely to conversations and gossip around her.
The servants would chat amongst themselves whenever they had a spare moment.
In just two days, Leila almost understood the situation within the Nixon family.
Tyrone, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, had returned searching for someone in vain.
Ewing, the young Nixon heir, and the ever-scheming Bria tagged along on Tyrone’s return trip. It was obvious that a family reunion wasn’t exactly Bria’s main motivation.
Bria was on the hunt, but not for deer in headlights. She needed a healthy specimen. Unfortunately for Leila, she landed herself in Bria’s clutches.
Lately, Bria had a problem gnawing at her like a pesky rat. Tyrone’s birthday loomed large, and Bria hadn’t decided on a gift yet. Usually, anything Bria picked for a gift would do. Tyrone wouldn’t refuse a present from a youngster. The problem was Tyrone’s memory was about as reliable as a rusty swing set. Half the time, he wouldn’t even recognize Bria.
Bria craved to make a splash, to burn an unforgettable image of herself into Tyrone’s foggy memory.
Leila had a sliver of freedom as long as she didn’t try to escape from this place. She wasn’t allowed to contact anyone outside these walls. Bria had her communication channels on lockdown. Bria wasn’t worried about Leila memorizing the escape route. Leila wouldn’t have a chance to run for her life even if she wanted to.
Leila, with nothing but time on her hands, started piecing together the puzzle. Armed with intel, Leila marched right up to Bria.
At this point, Bria was locked in a silent battle with Sarah. From the moment they added each other on their socials, there had been a war between them. Bria strutted around like a peacock, convinced she outshone Sarah in looks and lineage.
Sarah, however, played a different game. She used her “connection” with Landon to poke holes in Bria’s ego. One minute, Sarah would be parading expensive gifts from Landon all over social media. The next, she’d be dropping hints about a fake romantic dinner with him. But Sarah hadn’t expected Bria to actually rush to the address she had posted.
Bria stormed over, only to realize Sarah’s little charade had been just to get under her skin. Fuming and strangely satisfied, Bria confronted Sarah head-on.
Dripping with sarcasm, Bria demanded to know how she didn’t run into Sarah and Landon at the restaurant. She hinted that Sarah’s whole story was a big fat lie. After all, the last time Landon came to Ewing’s manor, he said he had been busy with work lately. He didn’t have time for dates.
Sarah was fuming. If Bria wasn’t some socialite princess, she would have unleashed a string of curses that would make a sailor blush. Biting her tongue, Sarah retorted, “Look, Landon’s been working his tail off lately, and as his girlfriend, it’s only natural I take care of him.”
Sarah claimed she had set the table with a feast fit for Landon, waiting for him to come back. To drive the point home, she even showed Bria pictures of her and Landon sharing meals, a happy past staring Bria in the face.
But Bria, ever so bold, wouldn’t budge. With a smirk that could curdle milk, she said, “Oh, Landon and my cousin have a business collaboration. They’ll definitely have plenty of future dinners together, and I will surely join them.”
Bria even had the audacity to ask Sarah if Landon had any allergies or dietary restrictions she should know about for their next dinner. This was a whole new level of low for Sarah. She’d always been the one who took things from others, never the other way around.
Bria might have looked like she was winning, but beneath that smug exterior, annoyance gnawed at her. Just as Bria’s mood went from simmering to boiling, she saw Leila standing by the door.
Bria narrowed her eyes, a dangerous glint flickering within them. “What do you want?”
Leila sauntered in, tapping away on her phone screen. “Listen up, Miss Nixon. I want to make a deal.”
Bria snorted, a laugh laced with pure sarcasm. “Are you even aware of the situation you’re in, Leila? You think you’re in a position to bargain with me?”
Unfazed by Bria’s snide remarks, Leila kept typing. “I’m pregnant, and this baby needs all the good stuff. That’s where you come in. I heard you’re having some trouble with your grandpa’s birthday present. He likes those fancy crafts, right? I can help you make one.”
Bria’s lips curled into a sneer. “Do you think I’m some kind of idiot?” she spat. “I can just whip out my credit card and buy one. Hell, I could probably find someone to knock me up a copy. Why the hell would I crawl to you for help?”
Leila remained unfazed and continued. “Because deep down, you care about your reputation. If there was another option, you would have taken it already.”
Despite Bria’s frail appearance, Leila saw a flicker of fierce determination in her eyes. Bria wouldn’t be pushed around easily; her pride was clearly on the line.
The Nixon family was Avalon royalty. Money flowed freely through their veins, and their name carried weight even though they weren’t actively involved in any local businesses.
In a family like the Nixons, where people practically breathed appreciation for high-end craftsmanship, a shoddy imitation wouldn’t fly for a second. Cutting corners with a cheap knock-off was out of the question. Everyone in the Nixon family knew their stuff, and Bria wouldn’t be caught dead being seen presenting something less than perfect.
Leila wasn’t playing games. Her request was fair enough, really.
Leila’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “Look him up yourself.”
Bria followed Leila’s instructions and found Hayden’s studio profile.
The first thing that caught Bria’s eye was a video pinned to the top of the page. It was about the very same gift Leila had made for Hayden during her apprenticeship. Back then, Leila’s skills weren’t exactly top-notch, but Hayden had loved the gift anyway.
Months had passed since Leila appeared in the studio, yet the video remained. Not only that, it was prominently displayed at the top of Hayden’s page.
Tears welled up in Leila’s eyes. She tapped the phone screen to explain. “I used to learn from Hayden. Some of my work is probably still there. You can check it out if you want. My skills speak for themselves, and you’re welcome to judge for yourself.”
Bria stared at Leila, a flicker of surprise crossing her face. “Hayden?” She scoffed, a sly smile playing on her lips. “Well, this is unexpected.”
Bria’s gaze lingered on Leila, a meaningful smirk playing on her lips. She remembered Tyrone mentioning Hayden, how he’d always meant to pay Hayden a proper visit. Tyrone rarely spoke highly of anyone, so Bria remembered Hayden’s name clearly.
Leila looked down with a sad smile. “I only learned from him for a while. Hayden probably forgot me. I don’t have any family or friends, anyway.”
Bria’s eyes softened a little after hearing that. “Is that so?”
It wasn’t hard for Bria to improve Leila’s meals a bit. Besides, Bria’s focus was now on Landon. She wasn’t actually in love with him yet. It was just her competitive streak kicking in. The less Landon liked her, the more she wanted to win him over. It was like a hunter finding a new toy to play with.