Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
While stumbling upon the trending news about Landon’s illness on her phone, Leila’s heart sank.
This revelation was undoubtedly detrimental to the Kensington Group.
As expected, when the stock market commenced at nine that morning, the Kensington Group’s shares took a sharp dive.
The media coverage was brutal, groundlessly accusing Landon of suffering from a severe brain disease that had claimed the lives of previous Kensington elders, typically within three years of diagnosis. It added that Landon was childless, and his illness meant the likely end of the Kensington family lineage.
Gregory probably knew about the news before it broke, subtly hinting at it in his previous messages.
But by now, Leila’s focus had shifted away from the implications of Gregory’s knowledge.
Holding her trembling phone, Leila pondered who else might know about Landon’s condition. She had kept it a secret, confident that Steven had as well. Could Sarah or Shirley have disclosed such sensitive information? Despite their differences with her, their affection for Landon was profound. They wouldn’t intentionally hurt him.
Leila’s mind raced. Perhaps she had inadvertently given something away? She had mentioned her family was sick before. Could others have connected it to Landon and come up with this exaggerated description of his grave diagnosis?
The Kensington Group had consistently excelled in handling their public relations. Shortly after Leila became aware of the news, the company issued an official statement. They announced a press conference to be held in two hours, where Landon would personally address and refute the rumors, and take legal action against the accounts spreading misinformation.
Following this statement, the online chatter surrounding Landon’s rumored illness dwindled, and some accounts even discreetly deleted their previously published articles.
Nonetheless, the incident still cast a shadow over the Kensington Group. True to form, Shirley made a dramatic entrance at the villa, shouting the moment she walked through the door, “Leila, get your ass down here! Did you let it slip that Landon was sick? It had to be you! You fucking bitch! Come out here!”
Leila rose and opened the bedroom door to step outside.
While Landon might have harbored doubts about Leila, he remained reasonable and would sometimes consider the other side of the story.
Shirley, on the other hand, was completely unwilling to know Leila’s explanation. She darted toward Leila, intent on slapping her, but the butler intervened. “Madam, please calm down…”
“Calm down my ass! Do you have any idea how much the Kensington family has suffered because of her? Even killing her a thousand times wouldn’t settle the score!” Shirley yelled.
“Madam, please consider that it might not be her doing. After all, she has been taking care of Mr. Kensington by bringing him meals. It’s a tough job,” the butler said gently. As Landon and Leila’s butler, not Shirley’s, he naturally defended Leila.
Shirley was momentarily placated by his persuasion and collapsed onto the sofa, breathing heavily.
Suddenly, the doorbell chimed.
The butler answered it, and Leila, puzzled about who could be visiting at this late hour, suddenly recalled Gregory’s delivery. She wished to meet him at the door, but it was already too late.
Gregory entered following the butler, and upon spotting Leila, he remarked, “Looks like you missed my message. Anyway, I’ve brought your toolbox.”
“Who is this guy?” Shirley sprang from the sofa, her anger reigniting. “First, it was the young master from the Hayes family, and now another man walks into your home! Leila, are you that shameless?”
“Who in the world is this lunatic?” Gregory exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock as he stared at Shirley.
Before Leila could respond, Gregory’s expression softened to one of regret, as if realizing something. “Oh, my apologies. You’re the patient, aren’t you? I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Shut up!” Shirley’s fury was palpable, her stance tense as if she was on the verge of throwing a punch.
Quickly, Leila stepped in, positioning herself between them and silently signaling to Gregory that Shirley was her mother-in-law.
“Oh, that must be tough taking care of her,” Gregory murmured with a solemn nod, his words inadvertently stoking Shirley’s anger further.
“Get out of my house!” Shirley’s command boomed across the room.
“At your age, you should watch your temper. It’s not good for your health. You might have a stroke,” Gregory said, his tone patient. “I’m just here as Leila’s colleague, bringing her some work-related stuff. What’s got you so worked up? Are you feeling paranoid?”
But Shirley was beyond listening. Seizing Leila’s wrist, she huffed, “I’ve caught you in the act this time, haven’t I? You slipped past me last time, but now I’m calling Landon back! Let’s see how you wiggle out of this one!”
Leila tried to wriggle free, her heart sinking.
Shirley could maintain a poised appearance before others, yet she reserved her most spiteful and hideous behavior for Leila alone.
Leila had become Shirley’s emotional punching bag, a target for all her frustrations and anger.
“No wonder you refuse a divorce, splurging Landon’s money and keeping a toy boy on the side!” Shirley lashed out in front of Gregory, who she mistakenly thought was just a young lover funded by a wealthy woman. Little did she know, Gregory hailed from a rich family himself.
Given Gregory’s penchant for being well-informed, he would likely spread the word that Landon’s mother was this unreasonable, almost unhinged, soon enough.
Thinking of this, Leila felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She had already decided to divorce Landon. Now she felt even more justified.
Resolute, Leila yanked her arm free from Shirley’s grasp with a forceful tug.
Caught off guard, Shirley stumbled backward and landed heavily on the sofa.
“You! You hit me!” Shirley stared at Leila in disbelief.
Leila shot Shirley an icy stare. Whether she had struck Shirley or not, Shirley knew the truth. Not only Shirley, but Gregory and the butler had seen the entire scene unfold.
Ignoring Shirley’s accusations, Leila turned to Gregory to express her gratitude first. She admitted she had failed to check her phone, inadvertently missing his messages. Pausing a bit, she gestured to ask whether he had any knowledge of Landon’s situation before coming here, prompting his visit.
Gregory, his motives now being exposed, showed no embarrassment. Instead, he openly confessed, “Yes.”
Blinking, Leila pondered for a bit and gestured that if he had known it all along, he could have told Landon before the incident escalated to this point, which would certainly earn him Landon’s gratitude while telling her wouldn’t be necessary.
The unspoken implication was clear. Insider knowledge was as valuable as striking gold to anyone in their circle.
Yet, Gregory didn’t feel he had missed out on anything. He gave a nonchalant shrug. “Perhaps you misunderstood me. I’m not that influential. Before this all unfolded, I couldn’t even confirm if the rumors were true.”
Leila let out a gentle sigh. The event had transpired, and Gregory was not that close to her and Landon. Further discussion seemed pointless.
Unnoticed in their exchange, Shirley reached her breaking point. She shoved Leila from behind forcefully. “Today, you’re going to learn your lesson!”
Since the news of Landon’s illness had spread, Shirley’s temper had flared uncontrollably. Coupling this incident with her ongoing frustrations, she felt an overwhelming urge to vent her frustration on Leila.
Caught off guard, Leila failed to brace herself and tumbled forward, crashing into a cabinet with a resounding bang.
“Leila!” Gregory shouted, alarmed, while the butler sprinted to assist. But it was too late.
Leila collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
“Open the door!” Gregory commanded the butler as he scooped Leila up. “I’m taking her to the hospital!”
“Hospital? She’s just pretending! A slap should wake her up!” Shirley spat, her anger unabated. Her comments fell on deaf ears.
The butler swiftly opened the door and frantically dialed Landon’s number. With chaos erupting at home, he knew he couldn’t manage alone. Having served the Kensington family for years, he understood that when Shirley lost her temper, no one could calm her. His best hope was to get Landon to intervene.
The butler tried calling repeatedly, but the line remained dead.
When Leila opened her eyes, the stark white of the hospital ceiling met her gaze. As she focused, Linsey’s face came into view. “Leila, how are you feeling?” she asked gently.
Leila blinked in confusion. How had she ended up here?
Glancing at her hand, Leila noticed the IV needles. Beside her bed stood not only Linsey but also Gregory and Ethan.
“Gregory saw the message I sent you, so he called me using your phone and told me you had fainted,” Linsey explained.
Gregory remarked from the side, “You were unconscious, so I used your fingerprint to unlock your phone. I didn’t mess with anything else. I just made the call.”
At this point, Leila naturally didn’t linger on these trivial details and nodded her thanks to Gregory.
Linsey, still concerned, asked, “How do you feel now?”
Taking a moment, Leila scanned her body. Other than a few dull aches, likely from the impact, she felt fine. She sat up, gesturing she was fine and expressing her gratitude to everyone present.
“What’s there to thank? It’s a relief that you’re alright. Who knows what could have happened if your mother-in-law had you!” Linsey spoke with a hint of bitterness.