Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Leila’s complexion blanched further. Agony overwhelmed her. Her escape, hampered by her wounded leg, made her progress agonizingly slow, like a turtle.
Leila was quickly encircled by a crowd.
The bodyguards parted, allowing Noemi to step forward. Noemi’s gaze fixed darkly on Leila’s leg. “Jumped from a window, did you? You’re quite tough. Well, the directive from above is clear. If you insist on fleeing, harming your legs will be the punishment. Looks like you’ve taken care of one yourself, sparing us the effort.”
Leila clenched her teeth, her tone sharp and cold. “You guys are trying to frame me, to tarnish my name, and I can tolerate that. But Sophie? She’s innocent. Ewing and Hamlin will return eventually. How will you explain my injuries then? The Nixon estate is no playground for Abram and his crew to strut around!”
Noemi reacted as if she had heard a very funny joke.
“Even if Mr. Ewing Nixon and his father come back, they’ll only endorse what we’ve done. While Miss Nixon was recovering from surgery, your daughter barged into her ward and tampered with the medical equipment.
Now, Miss Nixon is bedridden, practically a vegetable. This disaster is your and your daughter’s doing. It’s only fair that you make amends. I’ll be blunt. Mrs. Jennifer Nixon has your daughter. If you don’t play along, your daughter will suffer.”
Leila’s eyes blazed with fury as she shouted, “Come at me if you have anything! Sophie knows nothing. I’ll take the fall. Just please, spare her! She’s only a child.”
Noemi scoffed at her plea. “Take the fall? You were at fault from the start! Your daughter will be held accountable, and so will you. It’s just not your turn yet.”
Leila’s mind raced with images of Sophie suffering at their hands. She was bewildered by their cruelty. She had never sought to challenge them.
Even if they truly wanted her out of the Nixon family, her presence harmed no one. Sophie was merely a child. How could they be so heartless?
“Hand over Sophie!” Leila’s gaze burned with fury, her body tensed to leap into action.
Noemi didn’t flinch. Instead, she gestured subtly to a man nearby.
The man caught the cue and swung his foot back, delivering a fierce kick to Leila’s back.
Leila collapsed into a heap, grimacing as the pain in her leg flared up. Yet, the agony in her heart dwarfed her physical injuries.
Regret seized Leila. Had she been more alert and responded to the earliest signs of danger by rallying her people and dropping hints for them to come to her rescue, she wouldn’t have found herself in this predicament. Her underestimation of the enemy had been a grave mistake. She never imagined these people could be so malicious.
Noemi watched Leila crumple with a smug expression. “Leila, do you realize how much I despise you? Ever since you showed up, Miss Nixon has been more irritable. She takes out all her frustrations on me. I won’t stand for it. You were nothing but a bargain buy for Miss Nixon. How did you end up as the young heiress of the Nixon family? You should return to where you belong! This is the fate you deserve.”
Noemi’s derisive laughter echoed, pushing Leila to close her eyes in utter despair.
At that moment, a flurry of footsteps resounded.
Assuming it was Jennifer or Astrid fetching someone else, Leila’s will to resist ebbed away entirely.
Yet, to Leila’s surprise, a familiar young voice broke the silence.
“What’s going on here? Applying private punishment?”
Startled, Leila lifted her gaze, her eyes struggling to focus ahead.
Accompanied solely by his young companion, the masked man walked over.
Sensing trouble, Noemi hurriedly stepped forward to block their path. “I caught a burglar,” she explained, attempting to mask her alarm. “I’m merely teaching a thief a lesson. My apologies for the disturbance, Mr. Lando. This isn’t a sight fit for your eyes. Let me escort you to the hall. The master will return shortly.”
Lenny, though young, carried himself with a distinct air of pride. His youthful face bore traces of coldness and hostility, clearly mimicking the masked man. He challenged sharply, “And who might you be to obstruct our way?”
Despite the biting words, Noemi maintained her forced smile.
Klein had made it clear earlier that Noemi was to ensure the guests were treated well today. It was vital that they made a good first impression. They couldn’t afford to let Ewing gain the upper hand again.
Noemi, fearing she might upset the guests, hesitantly stepped aside.
Lenny leaned in, whispering to the masked man, “Sir, since when did you take an interest in meddling with others, especially over a thief?”
The masked man replied with a frosty tone, “Enough.”
Lenny fell silent. As he drew closer, he caught a clear glimpse of the so-called thief sprawled on the ground, and his eyes widened in disbelief. “This… isn’t this Leila? I heard she was part of the Nixon family. How can she be a thief?”
Noemi’s complexion went ashen. How had Leila crossed paths with these two? Leila had managed to keep it a well-guarded secret.
Leila was just as taken aback. She hadn’t anticipated that the guests in question would be these two.
Pointing at Leila, Noemi moved forward quickly and said with a smile, “She’s not a thief. We just called her that because of some family drama. She clashed with Miss Bria Nixon before, and things got so heated that she asked her daughter to sabotage Miss Bria Nixon’s equipment. That’s why Miss Bria Nixon hasn’t recovered yet.”
“Is that so?” The masked man scoffed. “Then why do I recall a party years ago where someone pushed Bria into a pool and pinned it on Leila? It later turned out Leila was innocent. Does this seem familiar?”
Noemi turned agitated instantly. “You… You were there back then?” Her tone was tinged with disbelief.
The masked man gave a sly grin. “There’s nothing I don’t know about. If you don’t want your secrets exposed, don’t act them out in the first place. We aren’t fools. We all know who really tried to hurt Bria back then, and it’s no different now.”
Noemi’s panic and guilt intensified, and her voice quivered as she still wanted to shift the blame onto Leila, bidding one last shot at covering the truth. “Sir, you must be mistaken. How could it be possible? It was this devious woman who wanted to harm Miss Bria Nixon, and the rest of the Nixon family had nothing to do with it!”
Lenny sneered. “Why so worked up? He didn’t mention the rest of the Nixon family being the mastermind. Why such a hurry to argue back?”
Noemi stuttered, her voice tinged with panic she could barely mask.
Crouching down, the masked man gently lifted Leila into his arms. As he gazed at Leila’s pitiful state, a flicker of pain crossed his eyes, hidden behind his mask. Leila, barely conscious, lay cradled in the man’s arms, the sense of familiarity enveloping her. Such familiarity prompted a daring thought in her mind, yet granted her a sense of security.
As darkness edged her vision, she caught his slow, deliberate words. “I once thought Ewing was the right choice for your care, but it seems I gave him too much credit.”
The overwhelming pain and mental turmoil had tampered with Leila’s usual sharpness. She was baffled. What did the man mean by entrusting her to Ewing? Who was this man, really?
When Leila’s eyes fluttered open again, she found Ewing sitting beside her bed.
Time had slipped away while she was unconscious. Her legs were now encased in plaster, and a wave of pain surged through her with every movement.
The first person Leila mentioned was Sophie. “Where’s Sophie?”
Initially, Ewing was relieved to see Leila awake. However, his expression darkened when she posed the question. A flicker of pain crossed his eyes as well. “Sophie’s in the next room. She’s okay. Her life isn’t at risk.”
Leila threw back the covers, ready to get up. “I need to see Sophie. What’s happened to her? What did they do?” Leila’s concern for Sophie made it impossible for her to stay put.
Upon hearing this, Ewing quickly stopped her. “The doctor mentioned you shouldn’t move around for the time being, or you might end up permanently injured. You surely don’t want that to happen, do you?”
Leila shoved him aside, overwhelmed by sadness, desperation, and fear.
“I finally realized why my mother took me away from the Nixon family back then. Since the Nixons didn’t welcome us back, why force me to stay? I don’t covet the Nixon family’s wealth.
True, my business doesn’t match that of the Nixon family, but it’s more than sufficient to sustain Sophie and me.
Once I’m better, Sophie and I will leave and never return. Whatever plans you, Tyrone, and Hamlin have, don’t include me. They’re right. I’m an outsider with no claim to the Nixon family’s fortunes.”
“Leila!” Suddenly, Ewing’s voice thundered with rage. It was rare for him to speak to her with such severity.
Throughout their years together, Ewing had never uttered a harsh word to Leila. Yet now, disappointment clouded his gaze as he looked at her.
“I know you’re worried about Sophie, but please understand there are things Tyrone and I couldn’t foresee. Everyone’s tense after such an incident.
Though Tyrone wasn’t himself, he still spent the entire night by Sophie’s side. This mess started with my mother. My father hadn’t anticipated her actions. Step outside and see for yourself if you doubt my words. My father has been kneeling in the hallway all night long.”
“What?” Taken aback, Leila slowly regained her composure.
Each member of the Nixon family held onto their sense of pride. Leila was astonished to learn that Hamlin had spent the entire night kneeling. Clearly, he was trying to make amends for his wife’s actions. Leila’s face betrayed a mix of emotions, and sensing this, Ewing’s voice grew gentler.
“I shouldn’t have spoken like that. I’m aware of the hardships you’ve endured, but we’ve looked into the matter thoroughly. Those responsible will face the music. No one ever explained why your mother left back then, but I’m ready to share the truth with you now.”
As Ewing recounted the events of that fateful year, Leila’s understanding deepened.
The Nixon family had once been close-knit and affectionate. Although Abram’s family had been restless, they refrained from causing trouble while Tyrone was around. They had never intended to harm Siena.