Chapter 67
Layla was being carried out of the operating room in Samuel's arms while the women in the hallway watched, mouths wide open at the sight.
Such a handsome man - and he looked wealthy, too.
He was like a dominant lion: icy, fierce, towering.
And the delicate woman he held was kicking and flailing violently, her screams piercing the air, "Put me down, Samuel, you jerk!"
"I'm not having your baby!"
"I want an abortion!"
"Are you deaf?"
"Let me go, you bastard!" Layla cursed, her face flushed with anger.
Good Lord! The shock on the faces of the onlookers said it all. How could anyone not want to have this man's child?
There must be women lined up around the planet twice, waiting for the chance to bear his child, right?
"Put me down! Can somebody help me, please!" Layla's pleas for the security were desperate, but no one dared intervene. Instead, they backed away, as if afraid of offending Samuel.
"Go ahead, make a scene," Samuel sneered. She was making it look like a kidnapping.
"Controlling a woman against her will is what's really shameful."
"I'll take care of my woman, what's shameful about that?"
"I'm NOT your woman!"
"Samuel!" Layla, now shoved into the backseat of the Bentley, looked wild with her hair all disheveled from the struggle, like a madwoman.
She hurled herself at him, trying futilely to force open his hold and escape. It was obviously pointless.
"Settle down!" Samuel snapped at her as he tossed her back and closed the car door. His usual impeccable attire was now rumpled, and his shirt was so pulled that two buttons had popped off.
Fierce little wildcat! Small, but untamed with endless fight since the struggle began.
"Why won't you have my child?" Samuel's face darkened.
"Why should I have a child with someone I despise?" Layla scoffed back, her cold laughter filled with ridicule.
In thirty years, Samuel had only been called detestable face-to-face twice. Both times by her.
Anybody else would have been met with a swift end at his hands.
"I hate your selfishness, your arrogance, your delusions of grandeur, I hate everything about you" Layla ranted, her eyes red with fury, "I'd rather die than have your child!"
At that moment, she couldn't care less about his CEO status or any other title he held; her loathing for him had reached its zenith.
What kind of lowlife schemes to impregnate another woman while having a fiancée?
She always suspected him of plotting, but it turned out she had unwittingly fallen deeper into his trap. For a while, she even mistook him for a friend and felt grateful.
What a naive fool she had been!
"You don't get a say in this, Layla. Whether you like it or not, this baby is happening," Samuel declared with finality, leaving no room for argument.
"My body, my choice, right? You planning to lock me up until the kid's born?" Her voice trembled with incredulity.
Samuel's eyes narrowed into slits, a cold smirk on his lips. "Perhaps."
A shiver shot through Layla. He was capable of such a thing; even the law might not intervene. No, she wouldn't resign herself to such a fate.
Swallowing her fear, Layla squared her shoulders. "Don't take me for a fool, Samuel. I'm well aware of your fiancée, and I've met her. What do you think she'd do if she found out?"
He looked at her, amused by her audacity, thinking she had some leverage over him. Raising a sardonic brow, he retorted, "Are you threatening me?"
He had intended to tell her that marrying Nora Eilish was never in his plans, but that was before Layla went behind his back and had the audacity to consider terminating the pregnancy.
Without another word, Samuel pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts.
"Nora Eilish" flashed on the screen, draining the color from Layla's face.
He wouldn't dare... It was all a bluff just to scare her, it had to be.
But Layla was gambling, with little confidence in her hand...
Samuel hit the call button and handed the phone to her.
The dial tone held time captive.
"Holland," Nora's tender voice came through. Without thinking, Layla snatched the phone and ended the call, hurling it onto Samuel's lap.
"Don't for a second think I wouldn't go through with it," she warned.
"Then why did you hang up?" came Samuel's cold chuckle. All bark and no bite.
Rendered speechless by his counter, Layla struggled for a response.
She wasn't part of the elite, but she knew enough to understand that marriages like theirs weren't based on love as much as strategic alignments of wealth and power.
Even if she told Nora, they might stay together, potentially ruining Layla's life or worse. Vincent had warned her that the Hollands were not to be trifled with.
"If you want a child that badly, why not have your fiancée carry it? You must realize the trouble an illegitimate child would bring. Or can Miss Eilish not... conceive?" The thought startled Layla.
Just days ago, Alice mentioned wealthy relatives who sought surrogacy abroad because the wife couldn't conceive. It suddenly made sense.
Her eyes widened nearly to the point of panic: "Samuel, are you expecting me to be your surrogate?"
Silence.
What was this whirlwind of chaos swirling in Layla's head? Samuel was at a loss for words.
Her opposition hardened. "I'd rather terminate than be your surrogacy solution. Just give up on the idea!"
"You don't have a say in this!"
"Samuel-"
Bentley returned to the villa, and Layla was carried out of the car and dropped onto the bed. But when Samuel threw her down and pressed himself against her, he controlled his strength; he wasn't rough.
"Let go of me! Get off!" Layla was frantic, pushing against his chest and biceps, but he was unyielding.
His brows were furrowed, his expression dangerous, his gaze predatory.
"Listen here, sweetheart. First, like it or not, you're going to have this baby. If you dare go behind my back and abort it again, I'll make sure your entire family pays!"
Layla's voice trailed off in fear, a chill piercing her heart.
"Second, you'd better behave. If you don't play nice, I won't hesitate to visit your bed a few more times, even with you pregnant," Samuel said with a sinister smirk.
"You're despicable-" Layla's hand whipped towards his face in a slap.
"I'd think twice before you act," Samuel said, his dominance unshaken, not even flinching.
Her hand paused beside his cheek, ultimately not following through, although she desperately wanted to hit him hard!
Her fingers curled into a fist, the small hand visibly trembling with rage, her veins bulging on the back of her trembling hand.
With a warning look, Samuel pulled away and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Layla felt tears stinging her eyes, anxiety and helplessness entwining, causing her heart to ache.
What should she do?
She didn't want to bear his child!
She ran to the door, only to find it locked.