Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
The light in Sophie’s eyes dimmed, extinguished by his words. Her jaw tightened, and she abruptly stood, her emotions battling for control. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then stopped, swallowing her anger.
Her fists clenched at her sides as she turned to leave, her voice sharp and cutting as she threw a single parting sentence over her shoulder.
“If you don’t want us to hate you, find our mother. Quickly.”
Leaving those words behind, Sophie turned and walked away.
As his daughter walked away without even sparing a glance back, Landon felt heartbroken. He couldn’t help but wonder when happiness would finally find its way into their lives. All he and Leila had ever dreamed of was a simple, peaceful life. Was that really too much to ask for? Landon refused to let himself fall into despair. Instead, he focused, thinking carefully about where Leila might be. She was probably still alive. With the extent of the search, if she had died, her body would have been found by now.
Another possibility crossed his mind. There was a chance that someone had kept her captive.
Landon still harbored suspicions about Clayton, but another possibility lingered in his mind. However, it was just a hunch, and he had to sift through each guess.
Landon was determined. He would find Leila.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Leo stepped in, his expression unreadable. He said to Landon, “Mr. Kensington, someone’s here to see you.”
“Who?” Landon asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
Leo hesitated and then answered, “It’s Clayton. I can send him away if you’d rather not see him.”
In Leo’s opinion, Landon had finally found some peace, only for Clayton to show up again. What good could this bring?
Landon paused momentarily, his thoughts racing, before finally saying, “Let him in. I’ve got some questions for him.” A cold spark flashed in Landon’s eyes as he spoke.
Leo nodded and left to fetch Clayton.
Clayton didn’t look much better. The past few days had been rough on him. Leila had left Clayton with many problems during her search for Landon.
The Morgan Group and Nixon Group had been allies for years. Back then, Clayton was as open as a book, without anything to hide, earning Leila’s trust.
Therefore, Leila knew everything about the Morgan Group’s murky dealings. She even suspected Clayton had instigated Lacey to harm others, though it was hard to prove. Lacey, however, foolishly thought her testimony alone would suffice. Little did Lacey know that Clayton was always steps ahead.
To distract Clayton from herself and Landon, Leila had leaked rumors about Clayton’s murky dealings and handed some evidence to the police. Clayton was drained, both physically and mentally. But he was more worried about Leila than anything. Despite her betrayal, he didn’t feel angry. He understood that Leila never let a grudge go unanswered. She was like a beautiful, dangerous rose, her sharp thorns ready to pierce anyone who dared to cross her.
That was why Clayton loved Leila. If she weren’t so thorny, she’d be compliant and easy to control, like other women. Taming someone was, in its own way, a fascinating journey. But now, before he even had the chance to tame her, she had vanished.
While dealing with everything else, Clayton had been pushing his people to locate Leila. He had heard nothing until word came that Landon had returned.
Clayton couldn’t remain idle any longer. A daring idea formed in his mind.
Clayton stepped into the ward, his gaze falling on Landon, who looked pale and frail on the bed. Dropping all pretense, he smirked and spoke with biting sarcasm.
“Well, Mr. Kensington, I must say, you’re lucky. Falling from such a height and coming out unscathed is impressive. But something happened to Leila when she went looking for you. It’s hard not to overthink that.”
Landon’s patience snapped. He yanked the IV from his arm. Though he looked weak, his injuries had mostly healed during his time with the White family. He pushed himself off the bed and walked over to Clayton, grabbing him by the throat.
Squeezing tight, Landon’s eyes burned with hostility and a dangerous edge of murderous intent.
“Tell me, where is Leila? If you don’t tell me the truth, I won’t hesitate to fight you to the death. I’ll make sure you suffer in ways you can’t even imagine.”
Clayton’s eyes widened in disbelief, but then he laughed, despite the suffocating grip on his neck. His scalp tingled as he retorted, “You’re quite the actor, Mr. Kensington. Shouldn’t I be the one asking that? I admit I instigated Lacey to push you down and made her wear Leila’s clothes. Leila’s innocent. If you’ve got a problem, deal with me. Why are you hiding Leila?”
Seeing Clayton attempt to shift the blame onto him, Landon felt confused. Could it really not be Clayton? No. Even if Clayton wasn’t directly involved, he was still suspicious.
Landon continued, “Do you think I won’t follow through? I know all about the Morgan Group’s secrets. You’ve been a major player for years, but I could bring you down in a heartbeat. I might take a hit, but it’d be worth it.”
To Landon’s surprise, Clayton grinned, his eyes filled with madness.
“Go ahead, I’d love for you to try.”
Clayton figured that if Landon was too focused on him to keep tabs on Leila, it would leave him a window to act and rescue Leila from Landon’s watch. The two men were like predators, circling each other, each desperate to destroy the other. Their eyes burned with murderous intent.
Clayton asked, “You really think you can keep Leila forever? Dream on. She may love you, but she loves her children and freedom more. One day, she’ll use every means to escape from you and look at you with nothing but disgust. Then, maybe you’ll understand how I feel.”
Landon finally released his grip, staring at the gasping Clayton with a strange look. Could it really not be Clayton? Clayton’s expression just now seemed genuine, like he wasn’t responsible for hiding Leila.
Upon pondering it, it seemed to Landon that Clayton wasn’t behind it. If Clayton had been the one holding Leila captive, he would have tried to move her quickly before Landon could react. Clayton wouldn’t have come provoking Landon. Landon had ways to make Clayton’s efforts turn futile, after all. At that point, it would be far too easy for Landon to track down Leila, whom Clayton had hidden away.
Landon rubbed his temples and called Leo back inside.
“Throw him out of here. Don’t let him come back to this hospital. And keep an eye on the kids. I don’t want Clayton anywhere near them.”
As Clayton was dragged out, his curses, directed at Landon, echoed through the hall, losing all his usual elegance.
“Landon, you’re insane! You can’t keep Leila locked up forever. She’ll eventually leave you! She might not be mine, but she’s not yours either. She won’t stay by your side forever!”
Clayton’s curses echoed quieter, gradually fading into the distance.
Leo shot Landon a complicated look.
Landon noticed and frowned.
“What? Do you suspect me too?”
Leo paused briefly before giving a nod. After all, back when Landon had been under the misinterpretation that Leila aimed for his life, he had, at one point, entertained the idea of keeping Leila by his side. At that time, Landon had been a shadow of himself, teetering on the edge of madness. Thus, the possibility that Leila’s disappearance was Landon’s doing wasn’t far-fetched.
Leo’s tone softened as he advised, “Mr. Kensington, you’re my boss, of course, I want to support you. More than that, I truly hope to see you and Mrs. Kensington reconcile and find your way back to each other. But… you can’t force love.”
Landon’s glare deepened, and the intensity made Leo shiver. Still, Leo braced himself and continued, “What I mean is maybe we should try talking to Mrs. Kensington.”
Already weighed down by Leila’s disappearance, Landon felt his frustration building up at Leo’s words. He took a deep breath, clenching his teeth as he explained, “I didn’t hide Leila. Yes, I once entertained the idea of keeping her by my side forcefully, but not long after, I dropped the idea after thinking it through.”
Leo exhaled in relief when he heard this. He trusted Landon since Landon had no reason to lie to him. But the situation was much more complicated in that case.
Leo said, his brow furrowing in thought, “Since neither you nor Clayton is responsible, then who else could be the mastermind?”
Landon’s gaze locked on Leo, sharp as a blade.
“Why are you so sure it’s not Clayton?”
Leo responded, “I was outside the door when Clayton left. I observed his expression and body language. He looked distraught, muttering Mrs. Kensington’ name. It didn’t seem like an act.”
Landon gave a slow nod, crossing Clayton off his mental list of suspects. One suspect stood out in his mind, but he kept it to himself and didn’t tell Leo. Instead, he focused on the priority and instructed, “Make sure the kids are safe. I don’t want any slip-ups. Meanwhile, I’ll take my team and search for Leila. I’ll bring her back no matter what.” Landon’s eyes burned with determination, a resolve that left no room for doubt. He was willing to risk everything just to see Leila safe and whole again, no matter the cost.
Meanwhile, outside the hospital, Clayton was unceremoniously dumped at the gate by Landon’s bodyguards, drawing a flurry of curious stares from passersby. Some onlookers even whispered amongst themselves.
“What does that man do and why was he thrown out?”
“He must’ve done something shady.”
“Maybe he was hanging out with someone’s girlfriend and got beaten up.”
“Perhaps he’s a rotten kid who got disowned by his family.”
Clayton’s face darkened as he heard their murmurs. When a few started recording him, his composure snapped.
“Get lost!” The onlookers, startled by Clayton’s outburst, slowly dispersed.
Clayton limped toward the underground parking lot. As he reached his car and reached for the handle, a strange prickling sensation crawled up his spine. He froze and called out sharply, “Whoever’s following me, come out now. Or I’m calling the police.”
Shortly after, a man emerged from behind a concrete pillar.