Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
This thought stirred an even deeper resentment within Lacey. It was the first time Landon had brought her to a business dinner as his fianc?e. Yet, because of Leila, Lacey found herself the most humiliated of them all.
Shortly after Lacey departed, the other business partners excused themselves, leaving only Landon and Leila in the room.
Leila broke the silence, her tone icy.
“Mr. Kensington, if you have something to say, just get to the point. These tactics are unnecessary.”
Landon arched an eyebrow, his expression unreadable.
“I do have something to say. I’ve been thinking about many things lately and decided to fight for custody of our children.”
Landon’s blunt words nearly left Leila speechless. Her eyes widened slightly as she remained resolute, firmly replying, “Let me make this clear. It’s not happening.”
Landon’s lips curled into a thin smile, devoid of warmth.
“Miss Nixon, I’m not here to negotiate. I’m informing you. This dinner wasn’t about making peace. It was about letting you know how vulnerable you are in my eyes.”
His words cut deep, leaving Leila momentarily speechless. She felt utterly drained, with a slight headache beginning to creep in.
The moment Leila had opened the door to the room, the realization hit her. Landon had already taken a significant amount of resources from her. Some business partners remained outwardly neutral, making their true intentions difficult to discern.
Through this dinner, Leila clearly saw several business partners, who had maintained stable collaborations with the Nixon Group for years, choose the Kensington Group without a second thought. They had openly declared their stance, making it clear that in a clash between the Kensington and Nixon families, their allegiance lay with the Kensington Group. Landon had barely been back, yet he’d come dangerously close to unraveling the empire Leila had spent years painstakingly building.
Leila came to a chilling realization that Landon had become truly formidable. Roderick had been right all along. He had warned that there was no greater misfortune in the business world than facing an adversary like Landon. Landon wouldn’t stoop to underhanded tactics, but anyone who truly crossed him would experience the full extent of his formidable nature.
Leila straightened, meeting Landon’s cold gaze with unwavering determination.
“Even if I have to give up the Nixon Group, I will never compromise when it comes to my children. I don’t believe you truly care about them. And besides, your fianc?e is far from a good woman. I’ve raised our three children with love and care. I won’t stand by and let them be hurt.”
Landon’s jaw tightened, but he remained silent, his expression as cold as ever. Landon had never regarded Leila that way before.
Leila’s heart pounded in her chest, her palms sweaty, yet she stood her ground and didn’t avoid his gaze. A deep grievance simmered in her mind, and she longed to confront Landon directly, demanding to know why he had been so ruthless toward the children. Had his past affection for them all been nothing but a facade?
Leila’s expression was defiant, as if she was prepared to battle Landon to the very end.
Landon’s anger flared once more.
“Since that’s your decision, I hope you don’t regret it.”
With that, Landon turned and walked away.
Leila stood up, watching his retreating figure, before calling out his name, “Landon.”
Landon froze in his tracks, clenching his fists to fight the urge to turn around. He forced his emotions into submission, his face hardening into an expression of cold indifference.
“What?”
Leila gazed at his back, her voice unwavering as she said, “Don’t go near the children again. They don’t want to see you. I’ll arrange for as many bodyguards as needed. Don’t underestimate a mother’s resolve.”
Landon’s fists clenched tightly, his nails biting into his palms. Without saying another word, he stormed off, his anger palpable.
Leila watched him until his figure faded from her view, vanishing into the distance. At last, she allowed herself to lower her guard. A deep sadness washed over her, so profound and all-consuming that it felt impossible to dissolve.
Leila sank into a chair, her body drained of strength. Her figure seemed fragile, almost lost in the space around her. But she only allowed herself a few seconds of vulnerability. She knew she had to make plans quickly. If Landon had set his mind on this, he wouldn’t relent.
With this thought, Leila gathered her resolve. She straightened her back, ready to leave.
Meanwhile, Landon climbed into the car, his face dark and his brows furrowed. It was clear he was in an incredibly foul mood. Without hesitation, he turned to the driver and snapped, “Start the car.”
Leo glanced at Landon through the rearview mirror, hesitating before asking, “Mr. Kensington, are you really going to fight Miss Nixon for custody?”
At Leo’s question, Landon looked up, shooting him a cold glance.
“Why? Having reservations about what I’m about to do?”
Leo could sense Landon was on the edge of fury, yet he couldn’t hold back from speaking.
“Mr. Kensington, even if you fire me today, I have to be honest with you. I think this is a poor decision. Even if you win and deal a heavy blow to Miss Nixon, the children will surely come to resent you. To them, their mother is everything.”
Landon didn’t respond. His gaze fixated out the window, his jaw tight.
Leo pressed on, trying to reason with Landon.
“Maybe it would be wiser to take things slowly, get close to the children first, and then address these issues.”
Leo had his own motives for speaking up. Landon’s three children were calm and mature beyond their years. Leo didn’t want to see the children caught in the crossfire of Leila and Landon’s conflicts. Leila would never abandon her children.
So, Leo could only do his best to prevent Landon from going down that path.
Leo’s concerns were well-grounded. Lacey wasn’t exactly known for her kindness. If Landon’s children ended up in the Kensington household, Lacey wouldn’t mistreat them outright, at least not when Landon was around. What she might do during Landon’s absence could be left to the imagination.
Landon sat quietly, his expression unreadable.
Leo mistook his silence for reluctance and decided not to push further. To his surprise, Landon broke the silence.
“I lied to Leila. I never planned to get custody of the kids.”
There was a flicker of sadness in Landon’s eyes as he continued, “But I can tell she’s keeping her guard around me. She seems to see me as a threat. And maybe she’s right about the kids hating me.”
Leo cut in swiftly.
“So, take your time. There’s no need to rush.”
Landon’s response caught Leo off guard, a cold, cruel smile spreading across his face.
“I don’t care what they think. I’ll get whatever I want.”
Landon had brought up the custody of the children to gauge Leila’s stance. He finally breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming she’d never let go of the kids. At the very least, he could use the kids to keep her close. He had no choice but to stubbornly rely on these underhanded methods, despite his disdain for them. He couldn’t bear the thought of Leila drifting further away.
Leo had no idea what Landon was scheming, but noted Landon wavered, torn between giving up and pushing further, which only made Leo more concerned.
Leo couldn’t help but wonder if something bad was bound to happen as Landon continued down this path.
Leo suddenly recalled something, but instead of hitting the brakes, he reminded Landon, “Mr. Kensington, it seems Lacey isn’t coming back with us.” Earlier, after leaving the room, Lacey had gone to the lounge. Fueled by anger, Landon had stormed off, completely forgetting about Lacey.
Landon thought about asking Leo to turn back, but the idea quickly irritated him. He couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Lacey’s distress. He couldn’t quite understand why, but he hated women crying. However, Leila was an exception as her tears would cause a painful tug at his heart.
Landon said, “She’s an adult. She can find her way home. We don’t need to find her.”
Leo nodded and stepped on the gas.
Meanwhile, Lacey sensed something was wrong and hurried to the underground garage in high heels, only to find Landon’s car gone. Her face went pale in an instant.
Lacey was still Landon’s fianc?e. Thus, out of respect for Landon, the staff offered to arrange a ride to have someone drive her back, but she could feel their mocking glances, and her face burned with embarrassment. After all, such an absurd situation had never occurred in any family.
The fianc? took his fianc?e out for dinner, only to abandon her at the restaurant. If this story got out, she’d be a laughingstock again.
The thought alone made Lacey’s stomach churn. Lifting her chin, she shot a venomous glare at the staff.
“If I hear so much as a whisper about this, you’ll all lose your jobs.”
The staff nodded dutifully, but immediately after Lacey left, they burst into mocking laughter.
“She’s such a fool. No wonder people look down on her.”