Chapter 132

"Bang!" The car door shut.

Layla was panting heavily.

Samuel looked straight ahead, his cold voice tinged with annoyance, "Eight o'clock sharp, had to wait until the last second, can't stand leaving him?"

"Why are you here?" Layla gasped for breath, surprised to see Samuel instead of Mr. Vandella alone. "I didn't even check the time. I was with Miss Eilish; she came to visit someone too."

Layla groaned, her heart still racing with anxiety, "When Miss Eilish saw your car, she wanted to come over to say hi. I had to come up with an excuse to lead her away and then double back myself."

Are you afraid she'll find out about us?" Samuel glanced at her."It's not that I'm scared," Layla confessed with a troubled look, "but every time I see her, my heart races. I don't know how to explain things to her." She dreaded that the other woman would see her as a homewrecker, having stolen her fiancé. "To make matters worse, I've taken on Mrs. Windham's project"

Samuel frowned.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I wanted to refuse the assignment. But I'm just a lowly assistant; I can't turn down tasks from the higher-ups."

"Nora isn't as simple as you think. Stay away from her. I'll call her now and set things straight." Samuel reached for his phone.

"Don't call..." Layla quickly pressed down on his hand.

"How long do you plan to keep this charade?"

"It's a woman-to-woman thing; I'd rather handle it myself."

"You mean wait until you're showing, or wait until the baby is here?" Samuel scoffed. He resented her ostrich approach and hated that she treated their relationship like something shameful. Her guilt was absurd.

"I'll handle it soon, just don't rush me. This is already giving me a headache," Layla pouted, her face scrunching into a bitter expression.

No one was more anxious than her. Once Nora found out about their relationship, her project would be doomed. Layla didn't want to invest too much into something bound to fail.

Lies tend to snowball, and eventually, Nora would despise her even more. It's better to come clean sooner rather than later.

...

Back at the villa.

As soon as Layla entered the room, Samuel pinned her against the wall.

"Mmh..." She barely looked up before her lips were claimed in a sudden kiss. Her eyes widened, taking in the man's handsome features.

Caught off guard, Layla couldn't react in time.

"Wait..." she mumbled, struggling to breathe. She tried to break free, but her murmured protests were muffled as he trapped her between his chest and the wall.

Samuel had been drinking, his breath carrying a faint scent of alcohol and a hint of tobacco. He chuckled lazily, 'Didn't I mention I wanted a satisfying kiss tonight?'

Layla, head spinning from his intoxicating scent, gasped for air. But Samuel's hand cradled her head as his kiss descended again, fiercer than before.

The usually stoic man seemed to pour all his passion into this one kiss, breathing ragged.

Layla could only cling to him helplessly, tip-toeing to meet him.

The kiss seemed never-ending until her lips went numb. 'Have you... have you had enough?' she gasped, a hint of complaint in her breathless voice.

"Never enough; a lifetime wouldn't be enough."

"Mmh..."

Lifted in his arms, Layla's back met the bed. The man's weight pressed down on her with a balance of restraint and urgency, kissing her, his hand fumbling with his tie, buttons popping off in the process.

His kiss was too urgent, and Layla thought to push him away, but as her hand met the solid bulk of his shoulders, Samuel had already seized her hand, pinning it beneath the quilts.

By the time Layla caught her breath, her lips felt more than numb; they were completely without sensation.

"Enough?" she asked, her face flushed with color.

"Beg for it," Samuel teased with a devilish grin.

"You know that's not what I meant" Layla protested, her wide eyes shimmering with innocence, making her look all the more endearing.

"Look, I've been on my feet all day at work, I'm drained. I can't handle anymore tonight. Just let me get some sleep, and we can, you know, another time..."

"And when exactly is 'another time'?"

"Just... next time..."

"Tomorrow night."

"That's too soon."

"Then it has to be tonight." Samuel feigned a move to unbutton his shirt; his slender fingers undid the top button, causing Layla to let out a shrill scream, hurriedly agreeing, "Okay, okay, tomorrow, tomorrow!"

"Good girl." He lifted her chin and landed a kiss.

"Stop kissing me; my lips are already swollen," Layla grumbled, "Go take a shower first."

"Alright, wait for me," replied Samuel, also wanting to wash off the scent of alcohol.

He stood up, extending his hand, "Are you coming or not?"

"Go shower in your own room, I'm not sharing a bed with you."

"I don't do separate bedrooms with my girlfriend. You sleep in my room or I sleep in yours; take your pick." Samuel's assertiveness showed when it mattered.

Considering the hand in front of her, Layla hesitated for a moment before finally placing her hand in his.

After his shower, the man had nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, his well-defined physique radiating strength.

Even though she had seen him like this countless times, Layla still felt her nerves singe at the sight, her gaze darting away as her eyelashes fluttered intensely.

"I, I'm going to shower," she said, shyly avoiding his figure. Samuel, however, wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. Seeing that he was about to kiss her again, Layla pushed against his chest with one hand, covering her mouth with the other.

"No more kisses, it hurts."

With a low chuckle, Samuel kissed her forehead gently, "Go ahead."

...

In a dimly lit room, a candlestick toppled over, igniting a raging fire that illuminated everything...

"Help!"

"Fire!"

"Mommy... I'm scared... waaa..."

The children's panicked cries intertwined...

"Fire! Hurry, put it out!" Layla woke from the nightmare in a cold sweat.

"What's wrong?"

"I... I had that nightmare about the fire from my childhood again," Layla rushed into Samuel's arms, clinging to him with a trembling voice betraying her panic. Her eyes were dilated, filled with terror.

"It's just a nightmare, it's over now, you're safe," he soothed.

Under Samuel's comforting embrace, Layla gradually relaxed. "I'm sorry for waking you," she said with an apologetic tone.

"The fire?"

"Yeah." She took a small sip from the glass of water he handed her. "It's been a long time since I've had that dream."

"I... I spent a month in an orphanage when I was little." Her lips pressed together tightly.