Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
However, the evident depth of Clayton’s feelings for Leila had sowed seeds of bitterness in Beth.
Beth knew better than to do anything to Leila, despite her growing resentment. Today, by sheer chance, Beth had stumbled upon Caitlin, who bore a striking resemblance to Leila.
Beth, with her festering frustration, finally found an outlet. If she couldn’t go after Leila, surely she could unleash her fury on a woman who looked like Leila, right? A substitute punching bag.
Caitlin, totally blindsided, felt a surge of pure, unadulterated anger, more than confusion. She was boiling mad at how these rich people tossed fairness out the window, and even more pissed that she was being pulled into this mess just because she looked like Leila.
Digging deep for some courage she didn’t know she had, Caitlin yelled at Clayton, who was about to drag Beth away, “Sir, she’s lying! Even if you two are an item, you can’t just ignore the facts and mistreat me!”
Beth rolled her eyes and then turned with a smirk.
“Oh, you wanna whine? Do you even know who you’re talking to? He’s my boyfriend. You think he’d side with some random girl over me?”
As Beth finished, a light bulb seemed to go off in her head. She covered her mouth, letting out a nasty laugh.
“Oh, I get it now. You’re trying to steal my man, aren’t you? I’ve seen your type before. You think playing the damsel in distress will get you into the high life, don’t you?”
Caitlin’s face drained of color, a mix of shame and frustration washing over her. Her eyes filled with tears, but she clenched her jaw, refusing to let them spill. The shouting had drawn the attention of everyone around. A few people recognized Beth and Clayton, and their looks at Caitlin turned into icy glares of contempt. They murmured among themselves, condemning Caitlin.
“That woman probably has no clue who she’s messing with. The Fletcher family aren’t as powerful as the Morgans, but they still own a ton of businesses.”
“If she pissed them both off, she’s royally screwed.”
Listening to the whispers swirling around her, Caitlin started to feel real fear creeping in.
As Beth closed in, Caitlin instinctively took a step back.
But before Beth’s hand could connect, Clayton snagged her wrist mid-swing.
“Clayton?” Beth stared up at him, her face a mask of disbelief. Clayton, however, was staring intently at Caitlin.
Noting his gaze on Caitlin, Beth’s heart plummeted.
“Clayton?” Beth called out again, her voice laced with worry.
But Clayton ignored Beth, snapping out of his trance and giving Caitlin a soft, warm smile.
“I’m sorry, miss. I didn’t get the whole story before. Did I get it wrong? If so, tell me what really went down.”
Caitlin hadn’t expected him to be so reasonable. With Clayton’s kind, gentle attitude, her cheeks flushed slightly.
Caitlin shook her head.
“I just wanted to set the record straight. She bumped into me but demanded an apology from me. As for my slapping her, I didn’t mean it. Her words were just out of line. And besides, I only slapped her because she slapped me first.”
As she spoke, Caitlin revealed the left side of her face, where a slight swelling was visible. She’d been hiding it with her hair, so no one had noticed until then.
A closer look showed that her injury was worse than Beth’s, no doubt about it.
A flash of pain flickered in Clayton’s eyes.
Caitlin noticed Clayton’s reaction and was taken aback. Why the heck was this guy looking at her like that? Did he have some kind of hidden agenda? Even though Clayton was undeniably attractive, exactly her type, Caitlin was completely turned off by rich people after dealing with Beth.
So, when Clayton leaned in, as if trying to get a closer look at her face, Caitlin instinctively jerked back, not wanting him to touch her. She said coldly, “Sir, I just wanted to tell you what happened so you wouldn’t act unfairly and throw me out. I don’t need your pity. I hope you understand what I mean.”
Clayton froze momentarily, totally thrown off by Caitlin’s icy demeanor. Caitlin looked so much like Leila, right down to the way she was glaring.
The resemblance raised Clayton’s suspicions. His initial excitement started to fizzle out, like a wet firecracker. Was this some kind of setup? Was someone trying to use his feelings for Leila to screw with him?
With that thought, Clayton pulled his hand back and gave a polite smile.
“I understand. My apologies for my rashness. I’ll make sure today’s matter is handled properly.”
Clayton turned to Beth, and his eyes went stone-cold instantly, devoid of the warmth he had shown Caitlin.
Seeing this, Beth sensed something was off and grabbed Clayton’s hand, practically begging, “Clayton, she’s lying! Everyone saw it. She hit me first! Just ask anyone!”
Caitlin gritted her teeth, her patience wearing thin.
Her teeth clenched. Everyone would side with Beth, no question. After all, Beth had money and power, while she had nothing.
Caitlin, all jittery, shot another glance at Clayton. Despite her wariness, she knew he was the only one who might actually have her back. His call mattered. The crowd started to get restless, with some folks looking ready to jump in and take Beth’s side.
Caitlin’s anxiety spiked, her hands squeezing into tight fists.
Just then, a voice, sharp as a tack, sliced through the tension.
“What the hell’s going on here? Got a problem?”
Leila had been hanging with Elma when someone told her about the ruckus nearby. She wandered over to see what the fuss was about.
From a distance, the second Leila spotted Caitlin in the middle of the crowd, her heart dropped. It wasn’t that she thought Caitlin was the one causing problems. She was more worried that someone was giving Caitlin a hard time. Still, something felt off to Leila. After all, Caitlin was her cousin, and nobody in their right mind would mess with her family on her own turf.
Needing to get to the bottom of this mess, Leila rushed over and yanked Caitlin behind her, checking her over.
“Any injuries? You alright?”
Seeing the real worry in Leila’s eyes, Caitlin felt a mess of emotions. She nodded, trying to say she was okay.
But Leila spotted the swelling on Caitlin’s face right away, and her face turned ice-cold. She spun around, and there he was-Clayton. Her expression dropped, colder than an ice sculpture.
“Clayton?” Leila’s voice was like frozen steel.
“If you’ve got a problem with me, you deal with me directly. No need to go picking on my cousin.”
“Cousin?” Clayton wasn’t even pissed. He just chuckled, a grin spreading across his face.
“Ah, so she’s your cousin. That explains why she looked so familiar. I thought I’d seen that face somewhere.”
Leila’s brow furrowed, ready to rip into him, but Caitlin grabbed her hand, pulling her back.
“Leila, no, it’s not like that. He didn’t bully me. Actually, he kinda stuck up for me.” Caitlin’s voice was tight, and her cheeks flushed bright red, betraying her nervousness.
Leila finally eased up a bit, but her voice snapped right back, sharp as a razor.
“Then who the heck hit you? Your face-who did that?”
Caitlin lifted her hand, pointing a trembling finger at Beth, who had suddenly turned as white as a ghost.
Beth widened her eyes. Fear and anger filled her mind. That woman was Leila’s cousin. But she had never known Leila had any cousins. And why hadn’t that woman mentioned this earlier? Was it intentional? Had she tried to gain Clayton’s sympathy? That made sense. She and Leila were relatives after all, both good at garnering sympathy.
Beth wasn’t scared of Leila, but she knew one thing for sure: Clayton would undoubtedly side with Leila if it came down to choosing between her and Leila. Plus, given the current tension between her and Leila, Clayton’s opinion of her was bound to plummet. That was why Beth had never dared to openly offend Leila.
Sure enough, Clayton’s gaze toward Beth turned icy, filled with disappointment, his disinterest in hearing her side of the story evident.
The gathered onlookers breathed a sigh of relief. They had no idea that woman was Leila’s cousin. Fortunately, they hadn’t supported Beth. The Fletchers couldn’t compare to the Nixons. It would have been unwise to support Beth against Leila.
Before Clayton or Leila could say anything, Beth stepped up, facing Caitlin.
“I apologize, I was arrogant and acted rudely.”
Beth’s voice shook with shame as she reluctantly continued, “I misused the Fletcher name to bully around. Could you forgive me?”
Although Beth’s words were filled with remorse, her eyes glinted with malice as she looked at Caitlin.