Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
If Clayton intended to visit, he could have shown some respect by informing her in advance.
Clayton extended a handkerchief to Leila along with an offered hand.
‘Get up first.’
Leila ignored his outstretched hand and instead tried to stand up on her own, losing her balance slightly.
Instinctively, Clayton reached out his arm to steady her.
Invisible to them, Landon watched the scene from the shadows of the nearby forest.
Despite the distance of less than fifty yards separating them, neither Leila nor Clayton was aware of Landon’s watchful eyes.
The sight of Clayton’s hand resting on Leila’s waist aroused an intense jealousy in Landon, igniting in him a desire to confront Clayton.
Once stabilized, Leila quickly pushed Clayton’s support away.
However, with her back turned to Landon, her defiant gesture went unnoticed by him.
Landon couldn’t make out the conversation between Leila and Clayton from where he was hiding.
Leila’s mood had changed at the sight of Clayton’s sudden presence, and her features settled into a cold expression.
‘Mr. Morgan, this is not appropriate.’
Clayton’s face showed anxiety, and he hastened to explain:
‘Leila, you’ve made a mistake.
I just heard you were here alone and I got worried.’
‘You heard?’ Leila’s brows furrowed in a puzzled expression.
How had her presence become a topic of gossip so quickly? Perhaps it was time to eliminate those Clayton had embedded within the Kensington Group.
Realising he was on dangerous ground, Clayton quickly changed the subject.
‘Actually, I came to see you about something else.
Mr. Hopkins’ birthday is coming up.
How would you feel about picking out a gift together?’
Initially, Leila resisted the idea.
However, remembering her agreement to pose as her date at the banquet, she realized that avoiding a joint gift might arouse suspicion.
A feeling of regret washed over her, but she couldn’t find it in herself to act discourteously.
With a soft sigh, she nodded in agreement.
Clayton, stepping forward cautiously, asked:
‘What gift should we consider? I’ll follow your lead.’
Leila massaged her temples, exhaustion marring her face.
‘You decide,’ she replied resignedly.
Clayton sensed Leila’s growing impatience, and his eyelashes fluttered slightly as he replied:
‘Okay, I’ll leave you alone now.’
As soon as Clayton walked away, Leila made her exit.
She was on her way to the Kensington Group, determined to see Clayton’s men off immediately.
Before she reached the office building, however, an unexpected roadblock forced her vehicle to stop.
This road leading to the Kensington Group was known for its sparse traffic.
At first, Leila remained calm.
However, her calm was short-lived.
Several men with knives emerged from a nearby car.
One of them approached and smashed her car window with a loud bang.
Leila let out a scream and instinctively covered her head.
The men pulled her out of the car by the wrist, and one of them pressed a cold blade against her neck.
Leila’s heart was pounding with fear, but she quickly recovered and spoke to them in a calm voice:
‘What do you want? How much did you pay them? I’ll double it.’
There was no response from the men.
Through gritted teeth, Leila increased her offer.
‘I’ll pay you ten times what they gave you. Just name your price. Money is no object.’
A derisive laugh erupted from the group before a menacing voice responded:
‘Let’s get something straight, Miss Nixon.
You’re not getting out of here alive today.
It would be wise to subdue you and not resist.’
With that, they began to remove her clothes.
Leila found herself pushed against the bonnet of the car, her body shaking uncontrollably.
She tried desperately to understand who could possibly want her dead.
As these men stripped her naked, Leila struggled as best she could.
The knife pressed against her throat remained firm.
In the midst of the struggle, her neck began to bleed, a torrent of fresh blood pouring down.
A shiver of pain ran down Leila’s spine.
Any more violent movement would put her arteries at risk.
It was then that she realised these men were trying to kill her.
Humiliating her was just collateral damage.
Never before had Leila found herself in such a desperate situation.
Her eyes were glazed over with pain, her hands clenched into fists.