Chapter 38
+35 BONUS
Layla turned around and saw Xena gesture for her team to leave before slowly walking toward her.
Xena glanced at Carter, instantly putting two and two together, then smiled. “Busy, aren’t you, sis?”
Just a few days ago, she was with William, and now she was back with Carter.
She had never heard of someone supposedly on their deathbed having this much energy to juggle two men at once.
“Sean told me you’re seriously ill. Everyone at home is really worried about you.”
She sounded concerned, but her eyes told a different story like she was waiting for a show to unfold.
“When are you planning to come home? Mom and Dad want to see you.”
Xena stepped closer, putting on a show of warmth and sincerity. “No matter what, we’re family. We can even go with you to the doctor.”
Layla scoffed inwardly. See a doctor? More like drag her in for a test to prove whether she was faking it. “No need. I’ve already cut ties with the Xander family. My life is none of your business.
Hearing Layla’s firm stance, Carter stepped up too. “Who’s ‘family‘ with you? If I remember right, your real family is still rotting in prison.”
His voice deliberately rose at the end, echoing through the studio. Curious glances shot their way from all directions.
Xena’s face twisted as if he had hit a nerve. She stomped her foot. “What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Oh, now it’s nonsense? Everyone knows how your dear parents used Layla to extort the Xanders back then.” Seeing her face turn red, Carter doubled down, raising his voice even more, “If it weren’t for Layla being too kind- hearted, you wouldn’t have lasted a day in that family. If it were up to me, I’d have thrown out the kid of a couple of kidnappers a long time ago.”
“Shut up!”
Xena snapped, but all it did was draw even more attention.
She had spent years cultivating her sweet, gentle persona–soft–spoken, graceful, never raising her voice. Now, in front of so many people, she had completely lost her composure.
On top of that, no one here had ever heard this part of her past before. Now, their gossip radar was fully activated, eager to hear more.
But Xena wasn’t about to give them the chance.
She shot Carter a vicious glare before turning on her heel and storming off, her exit far from graceful.
Carter, feeling triumphant, smirked and raised a brow at Layla. “See? With fake people like her, the only way to deal with them is to rip off their mask.”
Layla chuckled. This kid usually looked harmless and carefree, but when it came down to it, he really knew how to hit where it hurt.
The manager, still buzzing from the drama, leaned in with a look of pure gossip. “Carter, was all that true? This young lady was actually the Xander family’s daughter? Then…”
Chapter 38
+25 BONUS
“Enough.” Carter threw an arm around the manager’s shoulders. “If you love gossip this much, maybe you should switch careers and become a tabloid reporter.”
“Oh, come on-”
The manager tried to press further, but Carter was already dragging him off toward the dressing room. “I need to change. Let’s get this over with so we can wrap up early.‘
Layla stayed where she was, tuming her gaze back to the studio,
The flash of the cameras flickered repeatedly, illuminating memories she had buried away, now spilling out all at
once.
She had fallen in love with photography in high school.
After graduation, she spent all her savings on a camera and took herself on a graduation trip.
Things didn’t go as planned, but she still managed to capture the perfect shot and secretly submitted it to a photography competition.
When the award notification arrived, she barely had time to feel happy before her parents told her to give the honor to Xena.
