Chapter 388

Samuel's palm was dry and warm. His body temperature slowly warmed Layla.

"Is this a dream?"

Layla looked around drowsily and found herself in the presidential suite of the resort.

"How did you get here?"

"Have you forgotten what happened?"

"I..." Layla frowned in thought. "I went to the bar with them last night, but I didn't drink or eat anything. Then a few men showed up, wanting to drink with us. I felt a bit dizzy, so..."

Layla's eyes widened, and she asked anxiously, "Was I...?"

"Don't worry, your man is here, nothing happened."

Layla sighed in relief. It had been terrifying and dangerous. Even now, she recalled what happened with fear and trepidation. Thankfully, she had Samuel.

"You said you could take care of yourself. You almost got into trouble when I wasn't around."

"I was very careful. I didn't drink a drop of alcohol. Who knows... they must have drugged the water Mr. Allen gave me, but that bottle was sealed, how could it be possible..."

"They had ill intentions toward you and were willing to use any means to get you in trouble." Samuel's gaze darkened.

"I didn't expect them to be so malicious." Layla clenched the sheets in anger.

"I won't let anyone hurt you."

Layla shivered at the killing intent in his eyes. "So, what do you plan to do...?"

"I dealt with them using their own plan."

"You mean those five men didn't really do that to them... right...?" Although they had brought it upon themselves, as a woman, Layla didn't want to resort to that kind of retaliation. It would make her no different from them. Just because they lacked humanity didn't mean she did too.

"I thought about it, but I know you wouldn't like it. I just scared them a bit." Samuel nodded. "Alright, that's settled."

They needed to be punished, but it didn't have to be so extreme.

"You understand me well now." Layla squeezed Samuel's hand gratefully.

Everything he did was always in consideration of her.

"You're just too soft-hearted." Samuel pinched Layla's nose.

"I'm not that soft-hearted. I just don't like dirty tricks. I've never let them bully me. I fought back. And I've retaliated against them a lot these past few days. You didn't see how they looked, it was quite spectacular."

Samuel shook his head helplessly. "You really scared me, and you're still laughing."

Actually, Layla had also been scared. If he had arrived a moment later, she would have been...

Layla didn't dare to think about it further.

She couldn't just rely on luck.

"Alright, alright, I'm fine now, right? I'll definitely be more careful in the future."

There was immediately a serious expression on Samuel's face. "What do you mean, 'in the future'? You know you're in a dangerous place but you're not going to resign immediately? Are you waiting to be torn apart by them?"

"I haven't gotten back three times the salary yet." Layla joked playfully to lighten the mood. "Mr. Holland, demanding wages from an employer is not easy..."

"You're putting yourself in danger for just a little money. It's not worth it."

"In your eyes, it may be a small amount, but it's the result of my hard work. Why shouldn't I claim it? I can't let them off so easily," Layla said.

"But you can't ignore the danger. I can't protect you twenty-four hours a day even though I want to. When I'm not by your side, I worry about you every minute, afraid that something might happen to you. Are you trying to torture me?"

Samuel's handsome features furrowed with worry.

He had become the man he was today because he had no weaknesses. But now, Layla was his weakness. She was more important than his own life.

Since he now had a weakness, Samuel couldn't be as carefree as before. Instead, he was constantly concerned about her. He feared for her safety whenever she was out of his sight. It was like a curse.

"Layla, you know I value you more than my own life. I can't bear to see you hurt even a little bit. I can't let you stay in that dangerous environment. Just the thought of those people possibly harming you makes me want to eliminate them all."

"I know you worry about me, and I'm touched." Layla nestled in his arms. "But I don't want to become something you protect. I must grow my own armor, or anyone will be able to hurt me easily. This world is full of dangers that I need to face alone in order to grow.

"Samuel, I've always held one belief. I don't want to be the person you protect, but the woman who stands by your side. I know I'm still weak now, and there's a huge gap between us, but I will work hard. Trust me, okay?"

After a long silence, Layla looked up at Samuel's handsome and sharp jawline.

Samuel let out a heavy sigh. "Sometimes I wish I could refuse you."

Layla smiled slightly. "Thank you for trusting me."

She regained her vitality.

"Alright, let's not talk about that. It's ten o'clock now, we have two hours to check out, so let's make the most of it. We shouldn't waste a suite that costs fifty thousand dollars a night," Layla said.

"Make the most of it?" Samuel raised an eyebrow, savoring the phrase.

Layla understood instantly and blushed. "Ugh, do you have to think about that all the time?"

Were men always so prone to thinking about that? It seemed like everything could lead to that topic, which made her both annoyed and amused.

"About what?"

"You're asking a question you already know the answer to. Anyway, time is running out, let's enjoy ourselves and forget about unhappy things."

"I've renewed the room."

"Renewed?" Layla almost jumped up. "You can't, it's fifty thousand dollars!"

Samuel was amused by her exaggerated reaction. "I know it's fifty thousand dollars, you don't have to keep reminding me."

"If you know it's so expensive, why did you renew it? It's wasteful. A room that costs a few hundred dollars a night would be comfortable enough. It would be better to donate fifty thousand dollars to those in need, that would be more meaningful. Even if you're rich, you shouldn't be extravagant, it's not good."

"I know, just one more night, and then I'll heed your advice. Every minute with you is precious, I don't want to waste it on arguments."

"Alright. Just don't waste it in the future." Layla stopped at the right moment, not wanting to appear to be a nagging old lady in Samuel's eyes. "But I have to go to work tomorrow."

"Take a day off," Samuel persuaded her. "This incident just happened, if you go back now, it will only escalate the conflict. It would be better to rest for a day."

Layla thought for a moment. "That makes sense."

"Everything I say makes sense."

Layla smiled. "That's true. How else could you be the Mr. Perfect in the hearts of a billion girls?"

"Am I your Mr. Perfect?" Samuel cupped Layla's face in his hands, his gaze intense.