Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Landon seemed to miss the point Leila was making.
“It’s okay. Even if someone snaps a photo of us, they wouldn’t have the nerve to share it online.”
Leila’s patience wore thin, and she tried to slam the car door.
Landon immediately extended his hand to stop the door from closing.
Eventually, Leila couldn’t go through with it.
As Landon settled into the car, Leila clenched her teeth, frustrated with herself for not slamming the door on his hand.
Landon, fully aware of Leila’s thoughts, was pleased. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
They both sat in the car, a tense silence hanging between them.
Thus, Landon and Leila reached her home.
Leila assumed that since she was home, Landon wouldn’t continue to linger. However, she quickly realized she had underestimated just how shameless he could be.
After getting out of the car, Landon made no move to head back to his own vehicle.
Landon’s car was parked by the side of the road, with his driver waiting expectantly, yet Landon paid him no mind.
He stood there, watching Leila’s growing frustration, completely unfazed by her cold and somewhat menacing glare.
Landon entered Leila’s house without hesitation.
Clenching her teeth, Leila followed him inside, clearly displeased.
“Mr. Kensington, you can’t enter my house without permission or an invitation. You’re crossing a line here.”
Landon looked puzzled.
“How am I crossing the line? I’m the father of our three children. Can’t I see them?”
Leila’s heart skipped a beat when he mentioned the children, her wariness immediately rising.
Landon exhaled, a resigned look on his face.
“Leila, this is your home. Do you really think I would harm them here?”
Leila was indeed worried. Provoking Landon might lead to unforeseen consequences. Ultimately, she allowed him to proceed, her expression darkening.
The three children were at home, enjoying themselves. However, their mood shifted when Leila led Landon inside.
Calvin’s expression soured immediately. He would have likely kicked Landon out right away if not for considering his siblings and Leila.
Sophie’s smile faded quickly, indicating her discomfort.
Elma blinked and frowned, questioning, “What are you doing here?” Landon made himself too comfortable, sitting next to Elma and tousling her hair.
“Good girl, call me Dad.”
Elma hummed noncommittally, showing less animosity toward Landon than Sophie and Calvin.
Landon then turned his attention to Sophie, his expression softening with concern.
“Sophie, were you frightened that day? Don’t worry, I’ll catch whoever was responsible soon.”
A complex emotion passed through Sophie’s eyes before she responded flatly, “You shouldn’t ask me. It was my mom who was scared. She was nearly hurt. If you truly cared, you would have uncovered the culprit by now. I’m tired of empty promises. If you can’t fulfill them, don’t offer them.”
With those words, Sophie left, her demeanor icy.
On normal occasions, Leila might have cautioned Sophie about her manners.
However, at that moment, Leila only watched silently, her expression reflecting deep confusion. If Sophie discovered that Landon might have orchestrated the explosion, it would undoubtedly upset her.
Sophie acted coldly toward Landon and departed abruptly, leaving him looking helpless and dejected. He had reached a conclusion already, yet Leila refused to believe him, leaving him powerless to act further. However, he remained resolute, planning to collect evidence to demonstrate his innocence to Leila the next day.
Landon harbored hopes of reconciling with Leila, willing to forgive past grievances if she could genuinely commit to their future together. He blamed neither her nor himself, even though he was amazed at his capacity for such hopeful thoughts. It was the first time he had ever cast aside all reservations for someone else.
Landon’s visit to Leila’s home was brief, knowing a longer stay might anger her.
Once Landon departed, Leila let out a sigh of relief, puzzled by his unusual behavior that day and suspecting deception. Resolute in her decision, she vowed never to trust him again, choosing instead to depend solely on herself.
“Mom.” Calvin approached with a grave look, signaling that he needed to discuss something significant.
“I need to talk to you about something important.”
Leila, worried that Calvin might be in trouble, immediately showed concern.
“What’s wrong, Calvin? Are you facing any difficulties?”
Calvin shook his head to indicate he was fine and clarified, “It’s not about me. It concerns Landon, although not directly. It’s something related to him.”
Confused, Leila followed Calvin to what looked more like a laboratory than an office inside their house.
Since returning home from the Nixon Group, Calvin hadn’t worried about surveillance and had moved all his equipment back.
He showed Leila his computer screen, which displayed numerous audio files that seemed nonsensical and only produced static noise when played.
Leila was unable to discern any content. Her confusion deepened as she turned to Calvin for answers.
Calvin said, “I hacked into Lacey’s phone and obtained her call records.”
Leila, frowning, responded, “Calvin, that’s illegal, you know.”
Leila understood that Calvin had monitored Lacey to protect her, but she was aware of the risks involved. She didn’t want him to take such risks for her.
Calvin tried to reassure her.
“Mom, don’t worry. I haven’t decrypted the files yet, so technically, I haven’t done anything illegal. Besides, it’s already done. Regretting it now is pointless.”
Leila looked at him with a mix of annoyance and helplessness. She patted his head, warning, “Don’t do that again, or I’ll be upset. And don’t bother decrypting the files. I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
Calvin, slightly embarrassed, smiled.
“Although I’m drawn to this kind of work, the security system is robust-developed by a major company and challenging to crack for someone as amateur as me-I won’t attempt it. I’ve spent time figuring out who Lacey has been in long-term contact with. I’ve confirmed it now.”
Leila’s expression darkened slightly.
“It’s Landon, isn’t it?”
The Kensington Group’s security system was top-notch. After the Kensington Group experienced the crisis with cybersecurity, Landon became very attentive to it.
Therefore, Leila jumped to the conclusion. This could explain why Landon and Lacey, despite minimal interaction, seemed to cooperate effectively-they likely communicated secretly through the secure system. The lengths they went to undermine her were astounding, and she couldn’t help but smile bitterly at her deduction.
However, Calvin corrected her.
“It’s not the Kensington Group’s system. I thought so initially, but it’s definitely not.”
Under Leila’s puzzled look, Calvin continued, a bit embarrassed, “I tried to breach the Kensington Group’s system out of anger before, so I’m quite familiar with it. It’s not related to the Kensington Group.”
“Then whose is it?” Leila asked, her brow furrowed.