Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Layla
I stared in the direction Kayden had left, watching his tall figure disappear around the corner.
He walked slowly, each step seeming to wait for me to call him back.
But I didn't.
I just stood there, feeling something slowly seeping from my chest, like a wound bleeding silently, steadily losing warmth bit by bit.
But this was right. We shouldn't have any connection. Let everything return to before we met.
Diana curled in endless sorrow, unable to stop me from driving Kayden away.
Those words you said...
You're heartbroken too, aren't you?
Only when his figure vanished completely did I allow my eyes to show a trace of longing.
The Kayden Blackwood I remembered shouldn't be like this.
He was steady and composed, detached and calm.
Whether the prince who descended from above to save me at fifteen, or the ruthlessly fair Alpha heir at my disastrous engagement—he was every girl's dream.
Even when accused of murdering Finn, I couldn't hate him.
He was only doing his duty, believing the evidence, refusing to favor me, treating me as just another pack member.
The Moon Goddess must have erred, making me his mate, letting the lowliest hybrid become the sole blemish on his perfect life.
I'd always believed that.
Until the reunion dinner, when Kayden pressed me against the wall, and I saw desire burning nearly out of control in those silver eyes.
Each time he called me "Layla," I resisted and denied it, yet he remained stubbornly determined to see the truth, even purchasing Lucas's company—a jewelry business utterly unrelated to Blackwood affairs. He actually did something so foolish.
He kept my diary, that cheap, tattered notebook, treasuring it like something precious. He begged for a chance, wept for me, stripped away his rational facade repeatedly before me—obsessive, desperate, broken.
I didn't dare consider whether that was love—the word carried too much weight for me to touch. But perhaps, just perhaps, this time it was real. Kayden Blackwood cared about Layla Gray.
This was everything I once dreamed of. I had it.
So why did my heart still ache so terribly?
"Ella?" Lucas's voice pulled me back. I steadied myself slightly and turned to face him.
Evening's amber light fell across his face. That face, usually wearing a cynical smile, was uncharacteristically grave.
"Thank you," I said hoarsely. "For helping drive those people away."
"Nothing major." Lucas shrugged, producing a lighter from his pocket. "Though you've really had a hell of a day."
He lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply.
"What brings you here anyway?" I asked. "Didn't you say you were celebrating on your yacht?"
"That was the plan." Lucas exhaled smoke. "But seeing that news... I worried about you. Thought I'd check if I could help."
He glanced at me, something unexpectedly tender in his eyes.
"We've worked together long enough. We're friends, aren't we?"
Friends. I was surprised he considered our relationship a friendship.
But being cared for felt... good.
"Yes, friends." I nodded, managing a faint smile. "Thank you, Lucas. Truly."
"Don't be so formal." Lucas smiled, reverting to his casual demeanor. He dropped the cigarette and crushed it beneath his toe—his habit of only taking the first drag.
"Though I do have a proposal..."
He leaned closer, voice lowering conspiratorially.
"How about I help you even more?"
"What kind of help?"
"Such as..." Lucas's eyes glinted. "Pretending to be a couple?"
"Announce publicly that Ella Ross is taken, completely uninvolved with any Blackwood." His tone was as light as discussing weather. "That would silence everyone, wouldn't it?"
I froze completely. My mind went blank, a single thought spinning wildly.
What was Lucas saying?
"You..." I stammered. "Lucas, are you..."
Heat flooded my face.
Was this... a confession?
Or merely joking between friends?
"Kidding." He burst out laughing, patting my shoulder. "Your expression is priceless."
I exhaled in relief, though uncertainty remained. "So... you were joking?"
"Half joking," Lucas said ambiguously. "The fake relationship offer is genuine. As for everything else..."
He shrugged.
"Who knows?"
I didn't know how to respond.
Too much had happened—the news, abuse, Kayden, Victoria, the diary... My brain felt like an overloaded machine ready to crash.
"Never mind, won't tease anymore." Lucas saw my struggle and waved dismissively. "You look exhausted. Let me buy you dinner. Consider it celebrating my windfall. Sound good?"
Dinner. Right, I hadn't eaten.
Neither had Kai.
"Kai..." I suddenly remembered. "I need to pick up Kai..."
"Let the nanny watch him longer, can't you?" Lucas said. "Going home looking like this will frighten him."
He was right.
I must look awful—swollen eyes, pallid complexion, ruined makeup. If Kai saw me...
"Alright." I nodded, messaging the nanny. "I appreciate this."
"No need for formality." Lucas smiled, approaching a black sedan parked roadside. "Come on, get in."
Not his ostentatious red McLaren.
An ordinary black Honda.
"Different car?" I followed casually.
"That one's too conspicuous." Lucas opened the passenger door with a gentlemanly flourish. "Taking this today. Staying low-key."
I slid in. The interior was immaculate, carrying subtle aromatherapy—lavender, quite soothing.
Lucas circled to the driver's seat and started the engine.
"What sounds good? Japanese? French?" he asked while reversing.
"Anything." I leaned back, eyelids growing heavy. "I'm not particular."
"The seaside place then," Lucas said. "Quiet, uncrowded, excellent seafood."
The car merged into darkness, silent except for the engine's purr and tires on asphalt. I watched scenery blur past. Beneath garish lights, the world seemed surreal.
Everything since reuniting with Kayden felt like absurd theater.
"I've dreamed of you every night for seven years."
"Please give me one chance."
"As you wish."
My heart began aching again. That dull, persistent throb like slow poison.
"Ella, you alright?" Lucas's voice drifted over.
I closed my eyes. "Just tired."
"Rest a while." He said. "I'll wake you when we arrive."
The aromatherapy seemed stronger now. Sweet, almost cloying, making me drowsy.
"Right, Ella," Lucas spoke suddenly.
"Yeah?" I didn't open my eyes.
"I've always wondered." His tone remained casual, conversational. "How do you know Blackwood?"
"Just... ancient history. It's finished." I smiled bitterly, unwilling to elaborate, changing subjects. "What about you? Why sell the company? Business was thriving, wasn't it?"
"Someone made an irresistible offer." Lucas laughed, the sound somehow off. "You know, Ella—with enough money..."
He paused.
"I'd sell anything."
That made me open my eyes.
"Anything?"
"Anything," Lucas repeated, glancing over. "Conscience, morals, friendships... with enough money, nothing matters."
His casualness was excessive, excessive enough to raise an alarm.
"You're joking, surely?" I attempted a laugh that stuck awkwardly.
"Perhaps," Lucas said, something dark lurking in his gaze.
The car turned onto an increasingly narrow road.
I looked outside.
The surroundings had transformed. No longer the prosperous commercial district, but derelict warehouses. Peeling paint exposed mottled brick. Streetlights grew sparse, illumination dimming.
"Is this the route to the restaurant?" I asked, wariness creeping into my voice. "I recall the seaside restaurant being—"
"Shortcut," Lucas said lightly. "Faster this way."
I straightened, hand slowly reaching for my bag.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
I'd never seen this road.
Completely deserted.
Several streetlights were broken, plunging everything into eerie darkness.
My fingers found the phone, quietly extracting it, concealing it in my palm beneath my sleeve. I moved my hand behind me, hiding the device, finding the side button by touch.
Long press. Emergency dial would automatically connect to the most recent contact.
Please, please connect...
I maintained a blank expression, eyes forward, feigning normalcy.
Lucas continued driving, humming an unfamiliar tune.
Just hold until someone answers—
"Ella," Lucas spoke suddenly. His voice was calm, chillingly calm.
My breathing stopped.
"Yes?" I fought to sound natural. "I..."
The car stopped abruptly. Lucas turned toward me. The warmth vanished from his eyes, replaced by cruel amusement.
"Did your call connect?"
Ice flooded my veins.
"Hand over the phone." He extended his palm like a child requesting a toy.
"I don't know what you mean..."
"I said, give me the phone." His voice remained calm, but that calm was more terrifying than rage.
I clenched my jaw, gripping tighter.
Lucas watched me, then smiled. He produced a small black device, waving it mockingly.
"Signal jammer." His smile widened. "Activated when you entered."
I looked at my phone.
The screen displayed: No signal. Call duration: 0 seconds.
It never connected. Never from the beginning.
"You..." My voice trembled. "You knew?"
"Obviously." Lucas reclined casually, lighting another cigarette. "Think your little maneuver was subtle? Ella, please—I'm not blind."
He inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly.
"Though I found it quite entertaining."
"What?"
"Watching people approach hope," Lucas tilted his head, sick excitement flickering in his eyes, "then watching hope shatter... That expression is always exquisite."
"Lucas, what do you want?"
Silence pressed around us. I heard my heartbeat, pounding, numbing my chest.
"Don't be tense." He smiled, cigarette between his lips, tapping the wheel. "Just a job."
"What job?" My hand felt for the door handle.
"Someone paid handsomely," Lucas said lightly. "An absolutely irrefusable sum. To befriend you, earn your trust..."
He paused, expression chilling me.
"Then photograph you."
"What... photographs?"
"The reputation-destroying kind." Lucas exhaled smoke. "Disheveled, compromising positions, preferably suggesting... you know."
His fingers made an obscene gesture.
Nausea surged.
"You're insane!"
"Not insane. Perfectly lucid." Lucas discarded his cigarette. "Like I said, Ella—with enough money..."
He unbuckled, turning fully toward me.
"I'll do anything."
I lunged for the door. Locked.
"Child safety lock," Lucas informed helpfully. "Engaged upon entry."
"This is criminal!" I pressed against the door. "You realize this is..."
"Criminal?" Lucas smiled, tone gentle as a lover's. "Ella, we're merely on a date. Two adults, alone after dark, something happens..."
He shrugged.
"Who can prove it wasn't consensual?"
Intense vertigo washed over me. My head felt leaden. Eyelids impossibly heavy. Limbs weakening.
"What... what did you do?" I struggled to remain upright, strength draining.
"Nothing significant." Lucas watched, smile deepening. "Just enhanced the aromatherapy. The faster you breathe, the stronger the effect."
He indicated the vent.
"Don't worry—not fatal. Simply makes you... cooperative. Compliant."
Drugged. The car was drugged. I'd been inhaling since entering.
No wonder the lavender intensified, no wonder the drowsiness...
"You... bastard..." My tongue felt thick.
I called for Diana internally, desperate for strength, but the summons vanished into the void.
"Now, no profanity." Lucas unbuckled my seatbelt. "Come on, let's begin."
His hand reached for my coat.
"Get away!" I shoved with everything remaining, but the drug rendered my effort pathetically feeble, harmless as a kitten.
Lucas easily caught my wrists, pinning them to the headrest.
"Don't resist." His face approached. I smelled tobacco and alcohol. "Just photographs, quickly done. Cooperate, and we both finish easier..."
Terror flooded me like ice water.
I opened my mouth, biting his other hand viciously. Full force, breaking skin, tasting blood's metallic tang.
"Ah—fuck!" Lucas screamed, yanking back, then slapping me hard.
Sharp. Resounding.
My head snapped sideways, striking the window. Stars exploded across my vision, ears ringing. My cheek burned, skin splitting at my mouth, warmth trickling down my chin.
I tasted my own blood.
"Bitch!" Lucas shook his bleeding hand, deep teeth marks visible. "Ungrateful!"
He lunged again, no longer gentle, no pretense of civility, roughly seizing my shoulders, forcing me down.
"Since you won't cooperate, don't blame me!"
His hand grabbed my collar. The first button tore away, bouncing across the cramped space, dropping to the floor.
"No... please..." I struggled, kicking, clawing at his face, but my limbs grew weaker.
The drug accelerated. Heat flooded my body like a fever. Vision doubled.
Second button.
Third.
"Excellent." Lucas panted, retrieving his phone. "Perfect angle. Look here, Ella..."
"Stop! Please..." My voice barely a whisper.
Tears blurred everything.
Kai's face flashed through my mind.
I'm sorry, Kai.
I might...
Might not return.
Click—
The shutter sounded.
Once. Twice.
Lucas examined his screen with satisfaction. "Perfect. A few more..." His hand reached for my skirt.
I closed my eyes, tears falling.
Kayden.
The name surfaced unbidden.
If only...
CRASH—
Massive impact erupted, the entire car shuddering violently.
My eyes flew open.
Lucas whirled in terror.