Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Judging by how quickly Calvert had disappeared, Landon figured this wasn’t his first visit.
The thought of what Leila had been through made Landon regret not being harsher with Calvert. He realized he needed to speed things up.
Leila had no idea what had happened the night before, but when she woke up, she knew something was off. The room looked like a tornado had hit it. She immediately thought of Landon. Had something happened to him?
She was about to check the balcony when the servants came in.
It was now Leila’s wake-up time.
Leila looked at one of the servants, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Did you hear anything last night?” she asked.
It was the same servant Calvert had paid to leave early.
The servant’s eyes widened in fear, and she avoided Leila’s gaze.
“No, no,” she stammered.
“I didn’t hear anything.”
Leila’s frown deepened.
“Then what happened here?” she demanded, gesturing at the messy room.
“Did I trash the place in my sleep?”
The servant trembled, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Miss Nixon, please, I honestly don’t know,” she whimpered.
The other servants exchanged nervous glances but remained silent.
Leila didn’t push it, but she still felt like something strange had happened. She remembered Landon had been there when she fell asleep, and his room was right next door.
Leila was a light sleeper and often had trouble sleeping. It had gotten even worse since she was grounded within the White family estate. Last night, she had been in a good mood and had taken a sleeping pill, so she had slept soundly. She would have to ask Landon about what went down last night. But right now, she was more worried about his wellbeing.
As soon as Leila stepped out of the room, her worry turned to relief as she saw Landon standing in perfect form right before her eyes.
He pretended not to know her.
“Good morning, Miss Nixon,” he said in a rakish way.
Leila had never seen him act like this before. She had to hide a smile, but she kept a straight face and snorted coldly.
The servants were under the impression that Leila and Landon didn’t get along and that their relationship was strained. Therefore, they were hardly surprised by Leila’s apparent dislike for Landon.
As Leila was wheeled away, she deliberately raised her voice.
“While Mr. Collins is undoubtedly handsome, he is far from decent. I’ve seen him at certain events before. He’s a total playboy, always chasing wealthy women and racking up debts wherever he goes. His best act is pretending to be rich while actually having admirers foot his bills.”
This was all part of the plan Leila and Landon had devised the night before. Their objective was to make everyone lower their guard around Landon.
The servants exchanged surprised glances. None of them had expected Landon to be that kind of man. Some of the younger girls, who had been drawn by Landon’s good looks, now reconsidered.
“Miss Nixon, are you sure? He doesn’t seem like that type of person,” one of the servants asked hesitantly, feeling doubtful.
Leila shot her a cold smile.
“I’ve met plenty of men. What, do you think I’m lying to you?”
The servant quickly shook her head, retreating into silence.
After Leila was settled outside to soak up the sun, the gossip spread like wildfire among the servants.
“Mr. Collins seems decent. Who would’ve thought he’s actually a rake?”
“We’d better steer clear of him.”
“It seems Miss Nixon dislikes him. His attempt to get close to her is likely doomed.”
Passing by, Florrie overheard the chatter. She hesitated but couldn’t help but approach them.
“Wait, Leila doesn’t like who?”
“Mr. Collins, the new guy,” one of the servants answered.
“Miss Nixon knows his true colors. That’s why she told us to stay away from him.”
Florrie clenched her teeth. She had worked hard to arrange for Landon to be near Leila, hoping they would grow closer and that something would spark between them. But she hadn’t expected Leila to see through his true character, ruining her plan.
Forcing a smile, Florrie waved a hand dismissively.
“Oh, come on. Maybe it’s just rumors. Mr. Collins seems like a decent guy. Enough with the gossip.”
As Florrie walked away, the servants exchanged knowing looks and continued gossiping.
“Florrie seems to have a real interest in Mr. Collins.”
“I feel the same way! Budding affection, perhaps?”
“But isn’t Florrie hung up on Calvert?”
“So what? If you were Florrie, who would you pick, Calvert or Mr. Collins?”
Laughter rippled through the group. Though Landon had a bad reputation, Calvert wasn’t any better.
Meanwhile, across the garden, Calvert stood watching Leila bask in the sun, his expression complicated.
After a brief hesitation, Calvert finally stepped forward to greet her.
“Leila.” Though his tone was as affectionate as usual, he didn’t make any advance like he used to. This time, he kept his distance, stopping a few feet away instead of closing in like he previously did.
Leila narrowed her striking eyes slightly, a hint of something unreadable flashing within them, though her expression remained composed. With a deliberate smile, she said, “Why don’t you come closer? Do I look that dangerous to you?”
Calvert quickly shook his head.
“No, no, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that with so many people watching, it wouldn’t look good if we got too close.”
“Oh?” Leila raised an eyebrow.
“It wasn’t appropriate now, but barging into my room in front of everyone was?”
She smiled without answering, lost in thought. Could those signs of struggle in her room last night have been Calvert’s doing? But it didn’t add up. Considering Calvert’s personality, shouldn’t he have caused a scene by now?
Though curiosity tugged at her, Leila could tell from Calvert’s demeanor that he was keeping something from her. She chose to wait for him to speak.
She turned her gaze away, saying nothing, and hummed an aimless tune as if in a good mood.
Calvert hesitated before finally asking, “How was your sleep last night?”
“I took a sleeping pill before bed and slept like a log,” Leila replied truthfully.
Then, she blinked at Calvert.