Chapter 266

Anthony spoke sincerely. His gaze was clear, but Layla felt nothing.

Yes, she had given up. After this, she no longer had any emotions. She had become a numb person.

"I'm sorry." Her answer could only be an apology.

"I didn't ask you to answer me immediately. I just hope you understand my intentions and give me a chance."

"I don't want to date anymore."

"That's only temporary. Layla, you need treatment. Let me heal the wounds in your heart," Anthony pleaded.

"I don't need treatment. I need to be alone," Layla said calmly. There was no longer any vitality on her face that belonged to a 21-year-old girl. Now, her mindset was as aged as a 30-year-old.

Her heart was already riddled with holes.

Her child was the only motivation for her to keep going.

"Layla..."

"If you continue like this, we can't even be friends." Layla put an end to the conversation.

Anthony looked wounded. "Do I have no chance at all? Can't I just accompany and wait for you?" He seemed humble.

"Mr. Eilish, thank you for your past help. I would also like to be friends with you. If there's nothing else, I'll go have lunch now. Goodbye." Layla pushed open the door and left.

Anthony stood silently in his place, a beam of light streaming onto his face from outside the window. His half-face hid in the shadows. He looked helpless.

Back in the Eilish villa, Brenda's voice rang in the air.

"Nora, I'm coming in." Brenda entered with a plate of soup, only to see Nora holding a dagger.

"Stop it!" Brenda screamed as she threw the plate in her hand, rushing over to snatch the soup away.

"You must not commit suicide, Nora," Brenda yelled nervously. She was terrified.

But Nora remained indifferent.

"Suicide? I'm not that foolish," she scoffed.

With a cold smile, she withdrew her hand and stabbed a knife into Layla's photo.

A big hole was punctured on "Layla's" face in the photo.

Brenda breathed a sigh of relief but was still puzzled. "Why are you venting your anger on Miss Adkins' photo?"

Brenda was shocked. How much did Nora hate Layla to puncture her photo?

"Because she deserves it!" Nora spat with hatred. "She is Samuel's mistress."

Brenda didn't know what to say.

Brenda was completely stunned, not expecting such a complicated relationship behind her back.

"Miss Adkins doesn't seem like that kind of girl..."

"That's because she pretends! Would a slut tell you she's a slut?" Nora retorted.

The word "slut" was rude. Brenda thought her daughter was always noble and elegant. She couldn't accept Nora using such words.

"Did Samuel call off the engagement because of her? Nora, if you know about his relationship with Miss Adkins, why did you still insist on marrying him?"

"Because I can't lose to Layla. I won't accept it." Nora gritted her teeth. "I am better than her in every way a thousand times. How can I lose to her?"

"But love doesn't follow the rationale..." Brenda had a lot to say, but it was too late now. "Does your brother know about their relationship?"

"Of course, he knows. But that slut Layla knows how to act and has enchanted my brother, who even plans to marry her."

"If that's the case, she is too scheming," Brenda naturally believed her own daughter and developed hostility toward Layla. "I will not allow this to happen."

Nora's eyes became even more malicious. "She will pay the price."

Brenda didn't sleep the entire night. Thinking about the grievances her daughter suffered because of Layla and her son's deep affection for Layla, she couldn't help but feel extremely uncomfortable.

The next morning, she found out that Layla had switched jobs to Brightness Design Company, so she went there alone.

"Madam, this is Brightness Design Company," the driver said.

Brenda was dressed elegantly, like a noblewoman. She covered half of her face with a veil.

The driver got out of the car and opened the door for her. Brenda was about to get out when she suddenly saw a familiar person. She was shocked.

It was him!

Frank!

It had been over a decade, and he had aged a lot, but even if he turned into ashes, Brenda would recognize him.

Afraid of being recognized, she quickly hid back inside the car. She kept her head low, afraid of being discovered.

What bad luck! Brenda had no idea how she ended up encountering him here. She was very anxious.

Originally, Brenda planned to wait until Frank left before getting out of the car. However, at that moment Layla came out of the Brightness Design Company office building, and Frank immediately went up to hold her arm.

Brenda was shocked.

She looked at the scene in front of her with surprise, her mind blank for a moment.

"Dad, why are you here?"

"I took a lunch break. I came to have a meal with you. Why did you change jobs?"

"Let's talk while we eat. I still have work to do later."

The two of them entered a restaurant.

Dad?

Layla was Frank's daughter? That meant she was her daughter?

Brenda froze. Her whole face turned pale, unable to believe all of this.

From the moment she first saw Layla, she had a familiar and uncomfortable feeling, but she never expected Layla to actually be her daughter.

It took a long time for Brenda to finally accept this fact.

She thought she would never see her daughter again in her lifetime, but now her daughter has reappeared in this way, disrupting her life.

The relationship between Layla and Samuel, Anthony's love for Layla, and various emotions intertwined. Brenda felt like she was going crazy.

Was God punishing her for abandoning her husband and daughter in the past, which was why her daughter was now disrupting her life in this way?

It was terrifying.

After being separated for so many years, Brenda felt guilty about abandoning her daughter, but time had diluted her emotions. Now, Nora and Anthony were her children, not Layla.

Although it sounded cruel, Layla was like a time bomb to her now. Brenda was afraid that Layla would expose the past and ruin her current life.

Brenda nervously clenched her purse strap.

She would never allow such a thing to happen.

These were Brenda's selfish thoughts.

She needed to calm down and think about what to do.

"Go home."

"But we just arrived..."

"I said go home."

Brenda's impatient tone startled the driver.

He had never seen Brenda lose her temper before.

"Yes, ma'am."

The restaurant was bustling inside.

Frank felt sorry for Layla's haggard face. "Have you not been getting enough rest lately? Your complexion looks terrible."

Although he said that, he himself didn't look much better. In just a short period of time, his hair turned completely gray. He looked like a sixty-year-old man.

"I'm okay. Is your wife feeling better?" Layla felt guilty. The most painful thing in the world was seeing your children pass away before you.

"Ah, she fell ill. She spent the whole day crying in bed. You know, she's usually very bossy, but Owen is important to her. This incident has hit her hard. She was very sick."

"I'm sorry."

"Well, it's not your fault. Don't think that it was your fault that Owen got hurt while trying to save you. Owen doesn't want to see you like this." Frank held her hand. "You're still young, and life is long. We must live well."

"Dad, you must take care as well." Layla choked up.

"Oh, by the way, has Owen started dating someone? There was a girl present at the funeral, and she cried a lot. She looked about the same age as you. Later, when my wife got sick, that girl came to visit her. The girl brought flowers and fruits. I asked her. She said she was just a good friend of Owen's, but you could tell she really liked Owen. What a pity..." Frank's tone was heavy.

Layla couldn't help but recall Owen's happy and expectant smile when he talked about his girlfriend.

It made her even sadder.