“Layla!” Averie grabbed onto her phone tightly and stepped out of her room.
Her heart sank; though she was in Bridgedale at the moment, if something was about to happen to her daughter, Averie would not hesitate to travel back to Aryadelle right away.
Elyette scowled when he saw the way Layla ran off in fear. He had met with Layla plenty of times and though she had never been polite with him before, she had never acted so frightened either.
He raised his hand to touch his own face and confirmed that there was nothing on his face; what was Layla so scared of?
He stepped into the living room and spotted the phone on the ground, so he immediately picked it up
Startled by Layla‘s scream, Averie was still calling out to Layla.
Elyette looked at the screen and explained, “I startled her. She is with Mike right now.”
When Averie heard his voice and saw his familiar face, the anxiety and tension in her heart faded, and was soon replaced by confusion.
“Why is she that scared of you?” Averie questioned sharply with a frown.
Elyette felt helpless, because he was wondering the same thing as well:
“Why are you in my house this late at night?” Averie continued to ask when he did not respond.
“It‘s not that late.” Elyette studied the aggressive look on her face and felt a‘lump in his throat when he was reminded of the reason why she had taken Robert with her and left. “I happened to drive past this place and decided to drop by.”
“Neither your company nor your house is in the same direction as my house.” Averie exposed him of his lie and asked, “what exactly have you done to Layla?”
Not far away, Mike walked into the living room with Layla in his arms.
Mike had asked Layla the same question as well, but Layla had only shook her head and refused to say anything else.
“Maybe it‘s because I didn‘t knock when I came in,” he explained, “I parked the car outside the yard so she didn‘t expect someone to walk in out of the blue.”
“You are no stranger to her. Even if you come in unannounced, she wouldn‘t be this frightened,” Averie denied his explanation and continued, “pass the phone to Layla. I am asking her.”
Layla lowered her eyes and avoided looking directly at Elyette‘s face.
Mike took the phone from Elyette and faced the camera at Layla‘s face. “Layla, talk to your mom. What did Elyette do to you? Don‘t be scared. Your mom might not be here, but Uncle Mike will protect you.”
Layla didn‘t have the courage to say a word. If her mother found out that she had stolen something from Elyette, Averie would surely be furious.
“Layla, did I startle you because I didn‘t knock just now?” Elyette couldn‘t help but ask when he noticed that Layla was pouting wordlessly.
“Don‘t speak, or I will suspect that you are pressuring her!” Mike glared at him. “I’ve never seen her this scared before.” Elyette pursed his lips and waited for Layla‘s response.
Layla took the phone and looked at her mother from the screen, before muttering, “Mom, he didn’t knock when he came in…so I thought bad people had come inside…”
She did not have the courage to confess to Averie.
If only her brother was around.
Layla decided that he would tell her brother about what happened when he got home so that he could help come up with a solution.
Averie relaxed at Layla‘s explanation and said gently, “Layla, I feel like you are in a bad mood today. Did something happen at your classmate‘s place? Don‘t be scared, you can tell me anything.”
Elyette stood by the side and felt odd when he heard what Averie said.
“Layla went to her classmate‘s house today?‘ He thought, ‘it must have something to do with why she is acting odd.‘
“I‘m fine, Mom,” Layla said while sneaking a glance at Elyette‘s direction.
“If something happened, you have to tell me. You can call me anytime you want,” Averie reminded.
“I know, Mom,” Layla said and blew a kiss at the screen.
After the video call ended, Layla handed Mike his phone back.
Mike put the phone away and stared at Elyette warily. “Who are you looking for? What do you want?”
“I want to speak with Layla alone,” Elyette said, “I want to apologize to her for scaring her just now.”
“Apologize right here! There is no need to talk to her alone.” Mike wasn‘t sure what Elyette was thinking, so there was no way that he would allow Elyette to be alone with Layla.
“Layla, please believe me when I say that I would never hurt you.” Elyette turned his attention to Layla and said, “if I ever hurt you, let the gods punish me by never letting me see your mother again.”
Layla had buried herself into Mike‘s arms but instantly felt less frightened at Elyette‘s words.
She struggled to get down and lifted her chin. “I happen to have something to tell you as well.”
Elyette nodded and followed her to the guest room on the first floor. Once they were inside,
Elyette gently closed the door behind them.
“Why are you so scared of me, Layla?” Elyette couldn‘t wait to ask, “what happened when you were at your classmate‘s house today? Your mom isn‘t around right now, so you can tell me.”
Layla frowned at his words.
He was the one who sent someone to her classmate‘s house, asking for the box. Did he forget about it?
“Layla, I am your father. Even if you won‘t admit it, it doesn’t change the nature of our relationship. I will bear the responsibility of a father and protect you with everything I have.” Elyette opened up to her when he noticed her hesitation.
“Weren‘t you the one who sent a woman there to look for me and threaten to kill my bodyguard…?” Layla clenched her fists angrily and asked.
Elyette‘s eyes glammed coldly at the realization that someone had threatened Layla using his name!
‘How abhorrent! It‘s no wonder that Layla seems so scared when she sees me,‘ he thought.
“It wasn‘t me, Layla! Why would I kill you bodyguard? I pay all bodyguards that work here extra every month. I couldn‘t possibly send someone to threaten you as well.” He hastily squatted down and looked her directly in the eyes. “What did that lady tell you to do?”
Layla‘s eyes reddened in fear at Elyette‘s explanation. If Elyette was not the one who sent that woman, it meant that she had been fooled and handed Elyette‘s belongings to a bad person.
Thinking that Elyette would be furious if he learnt the truth, Layla started crying. “Boohoo… I am such an idiot…”
Elyette‘s heart ached at her tears and lifted her up, before gently wiping her tears away. “Don’t cry, Layla. As long as you are safe, nothing else matters.”
“But I gave your stuff to someone else…” Layla looked at him through the tears and pouted as she confessed, “it‘s the… the crimson–colored box…”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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