Chapter 101

Samuel responded after a slight hesitation, his gaze unsettling.

Nathan must be in trouble.

Layla suppressed her concern, attempting to appear relieved. "Good to hear. I'm a bit hungry. I could go for some soup."

"I'll go get you some. Rest up; I'll be right back," Samuel said, not thinking much of it. He helped her lie down then strode out of the room.

The moment he was gone, Layla swung out of bed.

Her abdomen still aching a bit, she paused to catch her breath before stepping out of the room. She then asking a passing nurse, "Excuse me, which room is Nathan in?"

"The one brought in this morning? He's in the ER," the nurse replied.

The ER?

Layla's face turned ashen.

...

Outside the ER, Nora and Isabel were comforting Mrs. Marley.

"Don't worry, Nathan has his guardian angels; he will pull through," Isabel said, her voice tinged with urgency and a whimper.

"Layla, how dare you show your face here? If it weren't for you, Nathan wouldn't be in the ER!" Isabel snapped at her sight as though she was the enemy who had slaughtered her entire family.

"My son got hurt because he was saving you?" Mrs. Marley, who had been wailing, suddenly spat venom with her eyes, lunging forward to grab Layla. "You curse. If anything happens to my son, I will never forgive you."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Marley..." Layla's voice trembled, edged with genuine concern.

"What's the use of sorry? He's my only son, who in the world would harm him?" Mrs. Marley was a torrent of fury, yanking at Layla with a strength born of rage. "Give me back my son!"

"Please, don't do this." Nora reached out to restrain Mrs. Marley, but the bereaved mother's anger had granted her an almost terrifying force, and Nora couldn't hold her back.

With her head spinning from the violent shaking, Layla used one hand to protectively cover her stomach.

"Stop... please."

"Enough!" A thunderous shout cut through the air.

A gust of wind heralded Samuel's arrival as he stepped forward and firmly grasped Mrs. Marley's wrists, pushing her away.

Stumbling backward, Mrs. Marley was caught by Isabel, who steadied her from behind. "Aunt Marley..."

"Holland?" Nora's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Samuel. Why was he here?

"Are you hurt?" Samuel, concerned only for Layla, took her hand in his.

"I'm fine." Layla quickly withdrew her hand, unnerved by the astonishment in Nora's gaze burning into her back.

"How can you help her, brother-in-law? This woman is behind Nathan's injury!" Isabel demanded angrily.

"She's my..." Samuel began.

"Thank you, Mr. Holland, but as your employee, you really don't have to do this for me," Layla hurriedly cut him off.

Samuel frowned, his brow creasing. She knew he hadn't meant to refer to her as just an "employee."

"Yeah, she's just a minor assistant, but Nathan is a world-renowned designer. Any harm to him would be a real loss to The Holland Group." Isabel's voice was shrill with indignation.

"Shut up!" Samuel's reprimand was sharp, leaving no room for argument.

Isabel recoiled, startled into silence.

"Who is a family member of Mr. Marley?"

"I am, his mother. How's Nathan doing?" Mrs. Marley asked, her voice threaded with worry.

"He's out of danger now and should recover fully with a month of rest in the hospital."

"Thank God..." Mrs. Marley broke down in sobs, her legs giving way beneath her in relief.

"Mrs. Marley..." Nora and Isabel caught her, supporting her on either side.

"Let's go," Samuel said, glancing at Layla.

"But..."

"Staying here will only cause more trouble."

Layla nodded, understanding at last.

Nora turned around to find they had already left. Confusion weighed heavily on her: could what Holland really meant was merely that she was one of his employees?

With his characteristic aloofness, Holland wasn't the sort to fuss over a subordinate, unless

After soothing Mrs. Marley, Isabel pulled Nora out of the hospital room. "Cuz, what's the deal between Layla and your brother-in-law?"

The question echoed Nora's own concerns. On instinct, she replied, "Didn't you hear? Miss Adkins is just an employee of Holland."

"You really buy that excuse? You know him better than anyone - Holland's always been detached. To put it bluntly, if you were in trouble today, he might not have even lifted a finger to help."

Nora felt as if Isabel's words pierced her - a sting that hit too close to home, unsettling her. Her face turned pale, and though she tried to respond, her mouth opened and closed without a sound.

"Layla isn't simple. I find it likely there's more to their relationship. Don't underestimate her; if she could make Nathan go to the ends of the earth for her, she could easily charm Holland."

"Stop it," Nora interrupted, growing increasingly irritated. "Mind your own business, I can handle my own matters."

"I'm sorry, Cuz. I just want what's best for you," Isabel said, holding her hand. "If there's anything you need, just tell me. I'm here to help you."

Meanwhile, in another room.

"You should be resting, not running around," Samuel chided as he tucked Layla in.

"And whose fault is that for lying to me first?"

"So you concocted an excuse to ditch me? That's real 'smart'." It was the first time Samuel felt outsmarted by a woman.

Layla, still anxious, asked, "You shouldn't have shown up. Do you think Miss Eilish suspects something?" Her worry bubbled over, "She's so sharp. If she sees through us, what then?"

"So what if she does? She's not my fiancée," Samuel dismissed casually. "You're my woman. No need to skulk around or be timid."

Despite his words, Layla felt restless, the guilt of feeling like a mistress eating away at her.

"But"

"No buts. The most important thing for you right now is to rest and take care of the baby. Don't stress yourself with unnecessary worries. You're overthinking."

Was she overthinking? Layla wondered.

Any woman in her position, faced with these circumstances, would surely share her concerns.

He felt indifferent because he was Samuel, the cream of the crop, the top man worldwide, and she was just a plain Jane.

At this point, worrying was pointless. She could only take one step at a time. Layla stowed her worries away for the moment.

"I wonder how badly Mr. Marley is hurt. It was so daring of him to rush out and save me. Why do you think he did that?"

"Why? Layla, are you playing dumb or are you really clueless? When a man throws caution to the wind for a woman, what else could be the reason?" Samuel looked at her coldly.

His words were tinged with unmistakable jealousy.