Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
With her usual makeup team abroad, Bria had no choice but to hire the best local team she could find on short notice. She also arranged for her favorite haute couture dress to be delivered promptly. Dressed to perfection, Bria made a stunning entrance.
With her chin held high and the hem of her dress lifted gracefully, Bria reveled in the admiring gazes of the crowd. She descended the stairs slowly, each step a showcase of her elegance.
Though Bria might not have been conventionally beautiful, her poise and elegance reflected the refined upbringing and privileged education she had experienced since childhood. Even though many people didn’t know about Bria, her distinguished appearance made it clear she hailed from the prestigious Nixon family.
Immediately Bria appeared, a crowd gathered around her, offering warm greetings and attention. Bria received their flattery with a gracious smile, soaking in the compliments.
At that moment, a servant approached Bria. “Miss, Mr. Kensington has arrived.”
Bria’s excitement grew, and she quickened her pace toward Landon. Bria was about to call out to Landon affectionately when she noticed he was accompanied by a woman.
To Bria’s surprise, the woman beside Landon was none other than Sarah, the one she had deliberately opted against inviting.
The smile on Bria’s face abruptly froze. She shot a cold glance at the servant beside her. The servant felt uneasy and quickly explained, “We only gave Mr. Kensington one invitation. I have no idea how that woman got in.”
Bria gritted her teeth in frustration. Sarah stood next to Landon, her smile radiating confidence. Holding a tray, she appeared to be feeding Landon something. Landon ignored Sarah’s movements, his eyes staring straight ahead with indifference.
Yet, Sarah was the only one who could get close to Landon, and her sweet smile and bright eyes made that evident.
Fuming with rage, Bria gritted her teeth and strode toward them, lifting the hem of her dress with determination. Hearing the approaching footsteps, Sarah looked up just in time and met the fiery intensity of Bria’s stare.
Observing Bria’s reaction, Sarah asked with deliberate nonchalance, “Miss Nixon, are you upset to find me here?”
Sarah added, her tone laced with a hint of mockery, “You may not know, but it seems your family sent me an invitation. While you had no plan to invite me, your cousin had.”
Bria sneered, her voice cutting through the air sharply, “Well, I guess my cousin just pities you. After all, Landon didn’t go out of his way to secure another invitation for you, did he?”
Lost for words to come up with a reply, Sarah’s face darkened. She cast a reproachful glance at Landon standing beside her. Landon, seemingly unaware of her glance, cleared his throat and said impatiently, “I have other matters to attend to. Chat with Miss Nixon as you please.”
Landon was equally indifferent to Sarah and Bria, his composure remaining unruffled.
As Landon walked away, Sarah watched his retreating figure and lowered her head slightly, trying to conceal the disappointment in her eyes. Sarah noted Landon had become noticeably colder lately. Although he continued to indulge her as he always had, the warmth was missing from his gaze, and she could sense the coldness in his eyes.
Sarah even felt, somewhat pathetically, that Landon’s smile had been much more genuine when Leila was around. Though this realization seemed almost absurd and irrational to her, she had experienced and lived through it firsthand. Meanwhile, Sarah clung to the reassurance that, according to the latest news, Leila would never come back.
Bria regarded Sarah with a look of disdain. “Miss Miller, if I were you, I wouldn’t have shown up here. You’re simply asking for trouble.”
Sarah’s anger flared. It was the first time she had encountered someone so blatantly shameless.
Sarah leveled a menacing gaze at Bria. “Miss Nixon, are you intent on stealing someone’s boyfriend? Aren’t you concerned about the mockery you’d face if word got out?”
A smirk crossed Bria’s face as if she’d just heard a hilarious joke. “And who, exactly, would dare to mock me?”
Sarah found herself without a reply. She was painfully aware of the stark contrast between her own background and Bria’s prestigious lineage. Bria was not only exceptional but irresistibly charming, a jewel among the elite. In a different life, without Landon in the picture, Sarah would have eagerly sought her companionship. Yet, here they were, rivals in love.
Despite her insecurities, Sarah stood her ground. “This is wrong. Can’t you see that Landon isn’t interested in you? He avoids you at every turn. I wouldn’t chase after trouble like that if I were you.”
Bria took a few steps closer to Sarah. “He’s not into me for now, but who knows what will happen in the future? Consider this. Why would Landon consistently seek out collaborations with my cousin if he was merely trying to avoid suspicion for your sake? I’ve scrutinized their joint ventures and found that Landon invariably ends up with a financial loss.
Landon isn’t the type to curry favor so transparently. So, ask yourself, what’s truly driving his engagement with the Nixon family? Even if it isn’t for my sake alone, he’s angling to ingratiate himself with my entire family. And I’m the only one who can truly help him.”
Sarah felt stifled. These were the very things she couldn’t grasp and feared the most. Previously, Sarah had questioned Landon, but his responses were always brusque. “I have my reasons. You won’t understand if you keep thinking this way.”.
Sarah’s suspicions remained just suspicions. Yet, when Bria voiced them outright, Sarah’s irritation flared. She clenched her teeth and retorted, “Regardless, I’m the one with him now. That alone means I’ve won.”
Bria responded with unsettling calm, “I recall Landon has a wife. Yet, you meddled in their union and took him from her. If you could do that, why can’t I? When you shattered their marriage, did you ever consider that Landon was a married man?”
“You!” Fury overwhelmed Sarah, compelling her to strike Bria. However, before Sarah’s hand could connect, a bodyguard seized her wrist.
At Sarah’s rage, Bria commanded her bodyguards, “Miss Miller seems unwell. Perhaps she should rest.”
The bodyguards then began to escort Sarah away. Struggling in humiliation, Sarah’s once impeccable hair tousled, and her elegant dress crumpled. Feeling the onlookers’ stares, Sarah felt both ashamed and enraged. This was the first time she had been so publicly disgraced.
Linsey, standing not far off, watched with a sarcastic smile. She hadn’t expected Sarah to face such humiliation. No one would ridicule Bria for interfering in the relationship between Sarah and Landon. After all, Landon was both handsome and capable, attracting the attention of many women. Moreover, Bria’s family background was more prestigious than Sarah’s.
The injustices Leila once endured were now revisiting Sarah in a different form, a sort of karmic justice. Yet, thoughts of the missing Leila brought tears to Linsey’s eyes. She was clueless about where Leila had been taken. Half a month had elapsed with no word of Leila’s whereabouts. Leila was still pregnant. This thought ignited a fierce anxiety in Linsey, yet she felt powerless to act.
Overwhelmed by the situation, Sarah broke down in tears. However, the chaos was short-lived. Someone intervened swiftly.
“What are you doing? Huh?” Ewing arrived with his entourage and immediately sensed the tension. His expression darkened with anger. The bodyguards didn’t release Sarah until they sensed Ewing’s fury.
Rubbing her reddened wrist, Sarah fixed a fierce glare on Bria. Bria, catching the disapproving gaze from Ewing, felt a twinge of guilt but stood her ground. “Ewing, haven’t you put me in charge here? Just now, everyone saw her try to strike me. I could have demanded that such rude people be removed, yet I chose to be patient.”
Sarah was stunned by Bria’s twisted version of events. She hurriedly tried to set the record straight with Ewing. “Mr. Nixon, that’s not how it happened. Miss Nixon provoked me first, and that’s why I reacted. She’s been making moves on my boyfriend…”
“Miss Miller.” Ewing cut Sarah off promptly. He wasn’t trying to shield Bria, but he was conscious of the many eyes on them and the potential gossip that could spread.
Attempting a gentle smile, Ewing changed the subject. “Thank you for coming to my grandfather’s birthday celebration. You haven’t met him yet, right? He mentioned he’s met you before and remembers you well. Would you join me to see him? It would mean a lot. My grandfather’s memory isn’t what it used to be. Spending time with familiar faces could really help with his recovery.”
Sarah’s mood lifted immediately upon hearing this. “Has he ever really seen me? And he has a good impression of me?”
“Yes.” Ewing nodded. “Would you mind coming with me?”
“Of course,” Sarah replied, her confidence bolstered.
Sarah recognized the importance of this moment. It was her chance to forge a connection with the Nixon family, much like Leila had with the Hayes family. Though Sarah had previously disapproved of Leila’s tactics, she now acknowledged their effectiveness. If she could become an esteemed guest of the Nixon family, she was curious to see how Bria would behave toward her then.
At these words, Bria’s anxiety surged. She grasped Ewing’s hand and pulled him aside. “Ewing, what are you doing? You know that…”
“That’s exactly why I did it.” Ewing felt overwhelmed and spoke with gravity. “I’ve been too preoccupied recently to give you much attention. I never expected you to take such bold steps. Have you considered how your actions have affected other members of the Nixon family? Besides, what you’re doing is clearly immoral.”
At his words, Bria sneered, “And what exactly is morality? Sarah employed the same tactics to lure Landon away from his wife. Why couldn’t I do the same?”
Ewing’s frustration was palpable, and his headache intensified. Disappointment flickered in his eyes as he regarded Bria. She used to be such a sweet and well-mannered girl when she was little. How had she changed so drastically as she grew older? He regretted not taking firmer action back then.
Ewing felt that if Bria had been raised by Tyrone, who placed a strong emphasis on a proper upbringing, she wouldn’t have turned out this way. However, back then, when Bria’s parents returned, they immediately sought to reclaim her. Over the years, it became clear that Bria’s moral compass had been twisted.
Ewing, his voice laced with a veiled threat, clutched Bria’s wrist. “Just because others choose to act without morals, must you follow suit? I’ve indulged you too much in the past. Now, you’re crossing the line. Continue this way, and I’ll have no choice but to send you away.”
Bria merely sneered in response, her gaze icy. “If my parents and my brother were here, they wouldn’t speak to me like this. Ewing, you’ve changed. Now, all you care about is our cousin who’s still missing. What’s the point in worrying about someone who might already be dead?”
Ewing’s anger flared, and he issued a stern warning, his hand raised as if ready to strike. “Say that again, and it won’t just be a warning.”
Realizing the gravity of the situation and the number of eyes on them, Bria lowered her head, feigning submission. “I understand.”
Ewing could see right through Bria’s act, but he chose to let it go. Turning on his heel, he prepared to leave. Bria suddenly halted him, urgency in her voice. “What did you just say? Our grandpa met Sarah and thinks highly of her? Is that really what happened?”
Ewing nodded affirmatively. “Yes, it’s true. Someone had taken our grandpa back. By the time I located him, he repeatedly mentioned having found our missing cousin. According to my investigation, it was Sarah who brought him back. Our grandpa is the only one among us who’s met our aunt and cousin. If he believes it’s her, then it’s likely Sarah is the one we’ve been searching for. But I can’t be certain until our grandpa sees her again.”
Bria’s eyes widened, struggling to grasp the news. “But Sarah has parents. How can that be? Our aunt and uncle died years ago. There must be some mistake.”
The thought that Sarah might be their relative made Bria’s earlier hostility toward Sarah seem like a farce. Moreover, if that was the case, Bria would have to respectfully refer to Sarah as “cousin,” a thought Bria found intolerable.
Ewing, perceptive of Bria’s turmoil, spoke with a subtle warning in his tone. “I advise you not to antagonize Sarah further. If we are indeed related and she seeks retribution, I won’t intervene.”
Bria clenched her teeth, her frustration palpable, yet she could only watch as Ewing went to find Sarah.
Ewing likely shared all the details with Sarah. Sarah’s satisfaction was clear, radiating confidence with every glance. She even shot Bria a smug look, which did nothing but fuel Bria’s disdain.
Bria felt Sarah seemed willing to forget every connection to the Miller family, eagerly ditching them to ingratiate herself with the Nixon family. Ewing and Tyrone would be foolish if they chose to embrace Sarah and ignore her scheming side.
Bria grasped that complaining got her nowhere. As Ewing escorted Sarah away, a pang of distress seized Bria. She clutched her chest, her eyes flashing with a chilly resolve.
Despite everything, Bria took solace in knowing the gift she had asked Leila to painstakingly prepare would make its mark. Bria consoled herself that once her health was restored, she wouldn’t have to fear people like Ewing and Sarah any longer. This thought smoothed the creases from her expression considerably.