Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Understanding that it wasn’t the moment for chatter, the three quickly slid into the car, their actions sharp and deliberate.
As the engine hummed to life, Edgar leaned forward with a query.
“Miss Nixon, if I may, could you share what happened between you and Mr. Kensington?”
Leila gripped her clothes tightly, her knuckles whitening. A vivid image of Landon, drunk and in tears, flashed through her mind, igniting a sharp pang of heartache. She berated herself for still feeling sympathy for him. Despite this, Leila maintained her poise, allowing only a slight coldness to touch her expression.
“It’s nothing, really-just some differences between me and Landon. I guess our personalities didn’t click, so we decided to go our separate ways. But with disagreements over our child’s custody, I’ve decided to take the initiative.”
Edgar nodded in response, though skepticism clouded his features. That kind of reasoning could seem acceptable for ordinary couples, but it fell far short for Landon and Leila. To them, their children were paramount. Previously, Leila had always been Landon’s utmost priority. Although conflicts had indeed driven a wedge between Landon and Leila, Edgar, having served Landon for many years, was convinced that Landon’s feelings for Leila hadn’t waned, especially given the whispers of their recent reconciliation.
Edgar knew Landon well enough to understand his principles. Landon would only engage closely with a woman he truly loved. Without love, expecting Landon to maintain such intimacy was akin to coercion.
Landon had always loathed being coerced. Thus, if there was any reconciliation between him and Leila, it stemmed purely from his own volition-because his feelings for Leila hadn’t faded away.
Even if Landon and Leila were separated, logically, they would handle their disagreements over their children’s futures without bitterness. They would typically sit together, calmly discussing the best paths for their children’s development. Both were committed to whatever would serve their children best, even if it meant living apart from them.
Therefore, Edgar was sure there were undoubtedly other tensions simmering beneath the surface, but Leila shied away from discussing them. He chose not to probe further.
Edgar ignited the engine and steered the car out of the dimly lit underground garage.
As the hotel dwindled in the rearview mirror, Leila breathed a sigh of relief, though a weight still pressed heavily against her heart.
Despite its seclusion, the town was linked to navigable waterways. If all proceeded without a hitch, they would arrive at the riverbank within an hour, where a boat awaited.
… awaited to ferry them back to Burmoos. Their plan was to depart Avalon before dawn the next day. By the time Landon discovered their absence, Leila and Elma would likely be crossing into another country.
Restlessness gnawed at her, so Leila retrieved her phone and dialed Calvin, needing to hear that he and Sophie had safely returned to the Nixon family residence. Only after confirming their safety did her tension begin to ease slightly.
Right when Leila was about to rest beside Elma, her phone erupted with a sudden vibration. Leo’s name flashed across the caller ID, sending a chill down her spine.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Leila rejected the call and flung the phone aside.
Leo, undeterred, dialed again.
Leila cast a wary eye at the clock. Time was of the essence. She was on the brink of leaving town and had no desire to be dragged into whatever Leo wanted. It seemed likely Leo had figured out that they had left. But she sensed something was off. With Landon’s extensive network, they should soon find themselves being chased, and Leo calling her didn’t make sense.
A wave of apprehension washed over Leila. As she deliberated on whether to disconnect once more, her phone rang again.
This time, Leila answered, her voice sharp and direct.
“Leo, yes, I’ve taken Elma with me. Tell Landon that if he values my regard at all, he’ll keep his men at bay.”
Unexpectedly, Leo’s response came through, choked with emotion.
“Miss Nixon, where have you taken Elma? You must come back. There’s been a terrible incident!”
Leo’s voice, usually so steady, was now laced with urgency, a tone Leila had never heard from him before. She felt an uneasy knot in her stomach.
“What’s going on? Talk to me straight.”
His next words quivered through the line, fraught with tension.
“Mr. Kensington was poisoned tonight after getting drunk. He’s in the ICU. Doctors aren’t sure he’ll survive.”
Leila’s world spun. A deafening ring filled her ears, her body turning ice cold with shock.
“What? He… What did you say?” she stammered, disbelief coloring her tone.
“How could he… How could he…” How could he be poisoned?
Leo explained further, “Under normal circumstances, Mr. Kensington is never without his bodyguards, and it’s nearly impossible for ordinary people to approach him. However, this time was an exception-he was discovered alone in the luxury suite. It appears he might have dismissed his security, though no one was aware that he. was unaccompanied.
“
“Miss Nixon, we’re at a loss for what to do next. When Mr. Kensington was rushed to the ICU, he was repeatedly murmuring your name. Could you perhaps return to see him, if only for possibly the last time?”
A storm of regret and profound anguish overwhelmed Leila, muffling Leo’s subsequent words. Edgar, who was behind the wheel, remained oblivious to the unfolding crisis, while Elma, seated next to Leila, absorbed every word with growing horror.
Elma’s complexion blanched as she processed the gravity of Landon’s predicament. Overcome by the thought of Landon in peril, her voice broke through her tears.
“Mom, we have to go back and see my dad. Someone has harmed him, and he’s in serious danger. Leo said that if we don’t return soon, we might never see him again. Mom, I know you’re upset with my dad, but can you truly bear the thought of never seeing him again?”
Shocked by Elma’s distressing plea, Edgar slammed on the brakes and swiveled around in alarm.
“Miss Nixon, what’s happened to Mr. Kensington? What does Elma mean by ‘never see him again’?”
Leila struggled to anchor herself to the moment. Her breathing became heavy, her head spinning with the emotional tumult. She bit down on her tongue in a desperate attempt to maintain composure, but her words came out feeble and strained. She muttered in a daze, her voice trembling, “Leo just told me-Landon was poisoned. By the time they found him, it was already too late, and now…”
Her voice trailed off, choked by the weight of her unfinished thought. Edgar froze, utterly shocked, his mind racing with disbelief. How could this have happened? The news was staggering.
Despite his urge to rush back and check on Landon, Edgar maintained a composed demeanor as he turned to Leila.
“Miss Nixon, you and Mr. Kensington have parted ways. The choice of what to do next is entirely yours. Shall we continue on our path, or should we turn back?”
Leila’s thoughts were in disarray, snarled by confusion and shock. It wasn’t that she was indifferent to Landon’s fate-far from it. The news of his poisoning was just too surreal, too jarring to process fully. Landon was poisoned? How?
Leila’s mind spun with the details. She vividly recalled that when she had left earlier, she had bumped into Lacey. Lacey had been on her way up in the elevator, presumably to see Landon.
At that moment, Leila had felt a twinge of sorrow, thinking that with Landon in his drunken state, Lacey’s presence seemed appropriate, almost as if she were meant to bridge a gap between them.
As Leila reflected on it, a question popped into her mind. Could it be that Lacey had never actually reached Landon? But then, wouldn’t Landon’s absence have caused a stir among his men? Or was all this merely a twisted game?
Leila knew that if Landon had realized she and Elma were gone, he would have sent people after them to bring them back. He wouldn’t have done things this way. This wasn’t Landon’s style at all.
Leila’s mind was a mess. She couldn’t understand what was happening. Still, she took a deep breath and said, “Edgar, take us back.”
She had to go back and see what was going on. If something really happened to Landon, she felt responsible. If she hadn’t gotten him drunk, no one would have had the opportunity to poison him.
Edgar immediately turned the car around. He could see how worried Leila was and had a pretty good idea of what she was thinking. He tried to reassure her.
“Miss Nixon, Mr. Kensington is not the type to let his guard down unless he trusts those around him. This means there’s probably a traitor among his staff.”
Leila nodded absently, still feeling terrible.
“It’s my fault,” she said miserably.
Elma glanced at the heartbroken Leila but asked nothing. She squeezed Leila’s hand tightly, trying to comfort her. All Elma cared about was that her parents were safe. Nothing else mattered.
Back at the hospital, Landon opened his eyes. He had indeed fallen victim to poisoning.
Luckily, Leo had been nearby and noticed something was wrong, prompting him to find Landon. Landon was rushed to the hospital in time.
The poison had come from a venomous snake, which was common in this area. Therefore, the local hospital had the antidote.
The doctor had warned that if Landon had been brought in five minutes later, the poison would have caused permanent damage to his organs and brain, leaving no chance for treatment.
Leo was haunted by lingering fear. He immediately rounded up all the bodyguards who had been on duty and locked them in a room. He was going to find out who was responsible.
While Landon had been drunk, his previous strict instructions had made it clear that no one was to go near his room without his permission, and Leila was no exception. Without Landon’s permission, any visitor needed to secure Leo’s approval, a move that would inform Leo of the incident.
However, this time, someone had gained access to Landon’s room without Leo’s knowledge. Worse, the intruder had succeeded in poisoning Landon. Clearly, one of the bodyguards was compromised, deliberately allowing the intruder access.
Leo chose a measured approach, delaying interrogation until Landon’s complete recovery. For now, Leo confined the bodyguards, allowing fear to fester and amplify within them. He anticipated that someone would crumble under the mounting pressure and confess.
