Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
The room turned eerily silent, and one could hear a pin drop. Everyone awaited Landon’s response, Leila included.
Leila clung to a sliver of hope. After all, their childhood had been free of conflict. Back then, they had shared a solid friendship. Landon was often reserved, yet he always appeared when she needed him most. Situations like this had happened before.
In middle school, Leila had blossomed into beauty. She was timid, though, often struggling to speak up for herself. The influential Kensington family protected her, ensuring that no one dared to harass her.
However, as time passed, it became common knowledge that Leila was merely a foster child in the Kensington family. This realization led some to harbor unsavory intentions toward her.
A notorious school bully developed a crush on Leila. He didn’t dare do anything too outrageous, so instead, he chose to pursue her aggressively, making his intentions public.
Subsequently, a clique of girls who were charmed by the bully confronted Leila, accusing her of seducing their boyfriend. They forcefully took Leila to a remote area of the school to confront her aggressively.
At that crucial moment, Landon made his appearance.
Landon and Leila had barely talked at school. Everyone assumed Landon had an aversion to this foster sibling. Thus, it came as a surprise when he intervened on Leila’s behalf.
Landon uncovered the origin of the rumors and confronted the bully with force. “Do you really think Leila would ever fall for someone like you?” he asked.
The bully scrambled for an excuse.
Unable to speak for herself, Leila was blamed by the bully for seducing him, while he claimed innocence.
But Landon had retorted, “Why would I take the word of an outsider over my own family?”
Upon reflecting on those memories, Leila felt certain Landon would defend her like this again, even if not for her, at least for Jerome and Roderick, longtime companions who held a special place in Landon’s circle, with Jerome serving as a mentor.
Landon’s eyes fell on Leila, seemingly indifferent and detached. His voice was flat, devoid of feeling. “I never got along with her. I don’t know much about her, and frankly, it doesn’t concern me.”
His lack of denial was as good as an admission.
Leila felt a buzzing in her ears. She questioned if she might have misheard.
Sarah’s smile widened, her tone playful yet cutting. “Landon, please consider a girl’s feelings. Being so blunt can be quite hurtful. You should be more considerate.”
Irene, witnessing Leila’s distress, felt a surge of heartache. She shot Landon a fierce look and warned, “Just wait until the truth comes out. Leila won’t be forgiving someone like you.”
Leila acted swiftly, breaking from Irene’s hold to confront Landon directly, seizing his wrist.
Sarah moved to stop her, but Leila held her ground, her glare icy and furious as she faced Sarah.
Leila pointed at Landon and declared with a resolute voice, straining her damaged vocal cords, “Husband!”
It was a stark reminder to Sarah that her marriage to Landon was still in force. While others could have intervened, Sarah had no place to.
With a scornful laugh, Sarah retorted, “Oh, so the little mute decides to speak up now.”
Irene grasped Sarah’s wrist lightly, intercepting the latter’s attempt at violence. “This is a matter between a husband and wife. Miss Miller, what right do you have to intervene? Leila may be forgiving, but remember your place.”
“You!” Sarah, burning with anger yet unable to muster a comeback, yanked her wrist away from Irene’s grip and stepped back.
Sarah wasn’t overly concerned, though. Considering Landon’s seeming distaste for Leila, it seemed likely he was eager to distance himself from her. She analyzed that the only thing keeping him from doing so was a sense of decorum.
Out of Sarah’s sight, Landon gazed at Leila with a complex expression of pain, love, and self-control, emotions Sarah missed entirely.
Engulfed in her sorrow, Leila failed to perceive Landon’s turmoil. She was desperate for answers. Why was Landon acting so coldly toward her? And why was he being unfair to Jerome?
With effort, Leila gestured, indicating her awareness of Landon’s hatred for her, though she couldn’t fathom any ill will toward Jerome. She pleaded with him to vindicate Jerome.
Landon’s reply was harsh, his voice devoid of warmth. “I’ve already told you, this mess is yours alone. I’m not involved. You must face the repercussions of your actions. If you wanted to keep it secret, you shouldn’t have done it at all.”
His words, simple yet sharp, shattered Leila’s heart anew, sending her into tears once more.
Leila’s grip on Landon loosened as if all her strength had been sapped away, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
The pain was so overwhelming that it left Leila feeling numb, unable to even sense her own sadness.
Seeing Leila’s distress, Irene hurried over, her voice soft and soothing as she leaned in to comfort her. “Leila, remember the baby you’re carrying. Try not to get too upset. Mr. Hayes has just sent me a message that he’s on his way here now, and he’ll sort everything out.”
Though Irene’s words were whispered gently, Landon, who was standing not too far away, caught every word.
The mention of “the child in your belly” and “Mr. Hayes” visibly irritated Landon even further. His frown deepened, and he spoke with growing impatience, “What are the security guards doing? Hurry up and remove these people. The birthday party must continue. We can’t let these unworthy guests ruin our evening.”
Leila flinched slightly when she heard him utter the word “unworthy.” Her eyelashes trembled as she fought to restrain her tears.
At that moment, any lingering hope Leila had held for Landon dissolved completely. She chastised herself silently for not recognizing his true nature sooner. He had once shielded her and shown her kindness, perhaps only because she was his foster sister.
Leila pondered if their marriage had not occurred, perhaps their relationship would not have soured to this extent. Maybe they should never have crossed paths at all. Perhaps this painful situation was their inevitable destiny.
A throbbing pain surged through Leila’s temples. Her motions were slow, and she realized that she needed to leave.
“Okay,” Irene responded understandingly. She offered her arm to support Leila, guiding her toward the exit.
Sarah, watching their departure, felt a spike of displeasure. The evening’s drama wasn’t supposed to end so soon. She had envisioned Leila crumbling, desperately pleading for mercy. Leaving this soon? She still had a surprise for Leila.
“Leila, why are you rushing to leave?” Sarah called out, her voice carrying across the room.
Sarah’s gaze was full of mockery as she locked eyes with Leila. “Even though I personally find it hard to believe you’d do such a thing, Mr. Guzman’s evidence seems quite convincing. Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?”
Sarah continued, her voice dripping with disdain, “Roderick did everything for you, leveraging his friendship with Jerome to secure your future. And how did you repay him? With these disgraceful acts.”
Murmurs of agreement began to bubble up from the surrounding crowd.
“Exactly, it’s shameful. If Roderick were still alive, he’d probably want nothing more than to see Leila punished,” one voice chimed in.
“Using the Kensington family and now the Hayes family. How does someone like her manage to live so comfortably?” another added scornfully.
Leila met Sarah’s mocking look with a chilly stare.
Irene couldn’t hold back her indignation. “Why do you attack Leila based solely on one person’s accusations? If you’re going to pursue her, you shouldn’t have to fabricate reasons.”
Sarah turned her gaze to Irene, her expression turning to a sneer. “Oh, Miss Castillo, isn’t it interesting that an employee of the Hayes Group is so fiercely defending Leila? I wouldn’t be surprised if you were collaborating with her. Maybe you even wanted to partake in those actions yourself. Birds of a feather flock together, after all.”
Leila’s patience reached its breaking point. The personal attacks were bad enough, and targeting her friends crossed a line.
In a surge of anger, Leila stepped forward and slapped Sarah hard across the face.
Sarah clutched her cheek in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Not satisfied and propelled by her rage, Leila raised her hand to strike again.
This time, however, Landon intervened, catching Leila’s wrist in a firm grip.
Seizing the moment, Sarah wailed, her tears dripping with melodrama. “Landon, did you see that? I was just speaking the truth, and she hit me. It hurts so much. You can’t just let this go!”
Landon inhaled sharply, preparing to mediate the situation, but before he could speak, Boris eagerly interjected, “As you saw, Miss Miller and I are the victims. Leila should kneel and apologize. Not only that, Leila should return to me the twenty million my grandfather gave her. It would be best if you write an IOU today in front of my lawyer.”
Leila stood frozen, her mind reeling. The realization dawned on her starkly. They had come prepared. Did they really need the twenty million that badly? Was Boris and his mother’s situation so dire?
Irene, inflamed with anger, challenged the claim. “The twenty million Jerome gave to Leila was an advance on her salary. She has been a dedicated consultant for the Hayes Group. Why should she return the money to you? Did you orchestrate all this chaos just for that money? You’ve even gone so far as to tarnish Jerome’s reputation for it!”
“You…” Boris stuttered, guilt washing over his features as he struggled to formulate a response.
Internally fuming at Boris’s incompetence, Sarah quickly jumped in with a loud rebuttal. “What are you talking about? This is Jerome’s legitimate grandson you’re talking to, and he stands to inherit the family fortune. Do you really think he cares about a mere twenty million?”
Boris regained his composure, echoing Sarah’s sentiments with a defensive stance. “Exactly, this is about honoring my grandfather’s legacy. I’m his blood relative. I just want to do right by my grandfather!”