Chapter 178
Confronted by Nora Eilish's hostility, Layla, who had been momentarily disoriented, suddenly found her footing. She met Nora's gaze with an unruffled demeanor, her words measured and distinct, "I am not a homewrecker, for Mr. Holland was never yours to begin with. He harbors no affection for you."
The impact of her words was akin to a slap across Nora Eilish's face. The humiliation of hearing such a declaration from her adversary was a bitter pill to swallow. Her self-assumed superiority, her position as the aggrieved party, began to crumble as her complexion fluctuated between shades of red and pale.
"I am betrothed to Mr. Holland!" Nora Eilish retorted, her voice escalating.
"That was a decision made by the Holland family, not Mr. Holland himself. He has publicly disavowed your relationship in the media. You have been living in a self-created illusion. You are not his fiancée. The object of Mr. Holland's affection is not you-it has always been me."
"Silence! You are nothing more than a homewrecker!" Enraged, Nora Eilish attempted to slap Layla, but her hand was effortlessly intercepted and held in place. Her eyes widened with fury as she glared venomously.
"I once harbored guilt over this situation, but I have since absolved myself. I am with Mr. Holland. I advise you to step back and avoid becoming the 'other woman' you so detest," Layla retorted assertively, her gaze unwavering and ablaze with determination.
Admiration flickered in Samuel's eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting in a subtle smile. That was his girl!
Nora's grip loosened as Layla shook her hand free, but Nora swiftly attempted to slap her again.
The sound of the slap reverberated-a stinging slap.
The burning sensation.
Five distinct, crimson fingerprints.
Nora's face was jerked to the side, a buzzing noise filled her ears.
She stood there, completely taken aback, her body trembling.
After a few moments, she slowly turned her head back. "Did you strike me?"
"You struck first," Layla's youthful face was resolute, "Considering what you've done, a slap is a lenient punishment!"
"You..." Nora's eyes reddened, her fingers clenched. The image of the refined debutante was forgotten in her desire to retaliate against Layla, but she knew it would only worsen her situation.
Frustrated, she turned her glare towards Samuel, "You allowed her to hit me?"
"If I had intervened, it wouldn't have been just a slap," Samuel responded with a cold scoff.
"Mr. Holland!"
"No one has ever dared to strike me, not even my parents. How dare she steal my man and lay hands on me?" Nora was on the verge of hysteria, "I am the fiancée endorsed by your uncle, what would you tell your grandfather?"
For the first time, Samuel found Nora's decision to invoke his father incredibly foolish. Was she so desperate that she had no one else to turn to?
"If my father were here, he would have witnessed the same treatment."
A chill permeated Nora's heart as if she had been drenched in icy, acidic water.
The situation seemed reversed; they were the couple, and she was the outsider.
Why was life so unjust?
Regret gnawed at her. If she had been less merciful back then, opting for a more sinister potion than mere sleeping drops, Layla would've been permanently removed from the picture.
Anger, humiliation, fear, it all swirled together, her eyes reddening, teetering on the brink of tears-but she held them back, refusing to weep in their presence.
"I will not let this go," Nora hissed through clenched teeth, spinning on her heel and storming out.
The door slammed shut with a resounding echo.
Layla sighed, "I never imagined Miss Eilish to be such a person."
She struggled to reconcile the fact that Nora Eilish had always been a facade of hypocrisy. Perhaps love truly had the power to transform a woman into a terrifying demon.
Samuel's casual remark sliced through the silence, "There are no virtuous souls in high society. In that world, the kind-hearted are consumed without a trace."
Layla exhaled a weary sigh, "Perhaps you're right."
That was the advantage ordinary people had over the elite: they didn't ensnare themselves in such deceptive battles.
"Did I cross a line when I slapped her just now?"
"Not at all, you did the right thing," Samuel reassured her, patting her head.
A sinister glint passed through his eyes unnoticed, "This... is not enough."
...
Nora Eilish stormed out of the hotel, her high heels clicking furiously against the pavement, her rage intensifying with each step.
Unbeknownst to her, she found herself at the deserted back entrance of the hotel.
"Layla!" In a fit of rage, Nora kicked the wall with the tip of her heel.
"Hey, gorgeous, you all alone?" A sleazy blond punk emerged from the shadows.
Nora Eilish attempted to walk away, but her path was blocked by a punk with green hair.
"I have two thousand in cash right here. Take it, and I won't call the police," she proposed, struggling to maintain her composure.
The punks snatched the money and cornered her, brandishing a switchblade near her face, "You sure are pretty, obviously from a wealthy family. Bet you're lots of fun."
"Don't mess around. I've got more money in my card," she warned them.
"We'll take the money, and we'll take you, too," signaled the punk with a nod.
They seized her arms, dragging her into an isolated corner.
"Let go of me, help..."
Her muffled cries for help were stifled as they pressed against her lips, her eyes reddening.
Pinned to the ground, they slashed open her blouse, exposing her pale skin.
"Help... mmm..." Inside, Nora Eilish screamed in despair.
Just then, a figure appeared around the corner, and the thugs backed away.
Clutching her torn blouse, her hair disheveled, Nora looked up in terrified confusion, "It's you?"
Standing before her was Mr. Vandella.
With cold indifference, Mr. Vandella stared down at her and said, "The boss sent me to tell you, don't dish out what you can't take. This is just a warning. Lay a hand on Miss Adkins again, and it won't be just this."
Without another word, Mr. Vandella turned and walked away.
Left crumpled in a corner, Nora Eilish was a mix of humiliation and fury.
Tears stung her eyes until she could no longer hold them back, and they rolled down her cheeks.
From the time she could remember, she had never shed a tear, let alone suffer such unbearable humiliation.
Samuel, the man she had loved deeply for years, had shamed her for another woman.
How could he be so cruel!
Why hadn't she chosen a love potion instead?
Nora Eilish was filled with rage.
After a single tear fell, she bit her lip hard, holding back the rest, forcing them back.
She wasn't fragile. She was Nora Eilish, the heiress of the Eilish family. She wouldn't give up that easily, especially not to Layla.
Wiping away her tears, Nora struggled to stand, but her legs gave out from fear. She stumbled, quickly steadying herself against the wall.
Her fingers clawed at the wall so fiercely that her crimson nails snapped.
Nora Eilish's gaze turned icy, as if she had become someone else.
"I swear, Layla," she vowed, "the humiliation I endured today will be repaid a thousandfold!"