Chapter 601

After Layla quit her job, the next morning, Samuel was grinning in his sleep and instinctively reached out to hug Layla's soft waist next to him.

With a smile plastered on his face, Samuel slowly opened his eyes to see her seriously glued to her phone, fingers tapping away, muttering to herself.

"This one, yep."

"This one, nope."

"Too pricey..." She shook her head.

"What are you up to so early?" Samuel asked lazily.

"Got my paycheck yesterday, so obviously, I'm doing what we gals love most," Layla replied playfully.

"Something you love to 'do'?" Caleb smirked suggestively.

Layla gave him a light slap, "Online shopping, duh."

"What are you buying?"

"Just some baking stuff. This mixer looks good, add to cart. Milk, add to cart. Hmm, this low-gluten flour is highly recommended, add to cart," Layla's fingers flew over the screen, adding items one by one.

"Aren't you already a chef? Why the sudden cake obsession?"

"Yeah, I'm a chef, but I mostly do simple dishes. Now that I'm pregnant and have loads of free time, but can't be on the computer too long, it's the perfect chance to expand my skills," Layla said ambitiously, "I wanna be a top pastry chef!"

"Big dreams, huh? But pregnant women shouldn't eat too much cake."

"I know, but that's what you're here for."

"I only love eating your kind of sweets, nothing else," Samuel teased, lightly biting her ear.

"I don't care. Learning to bake means lots of trial and error. To make a great cake, I gotta fail a bunch and keep trying."

"Oh? So I'm your guinea pig?" Samuel couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for himself.

"Come on, don't be so dramatic. Think of it this way, you're the first to taste my cakes. Isn't that awesome?"

"Not just awesome, it's an honor."

"Yep, 'cause I can't eat them, you get all the goodies. You're really lucky."

"Totally, I often think the luckiest thing in my life is meeting you, having you, and the even happier thing is..."

"What?"

"Marrying you," Samuel said firmly and gently, looking deeply into her eyes.

Every time he talked about marriage, Layla couldn't help but feel a bit tender and fluttery inside.

She didn't really know what she was waiting for, maybe the right moment? It just didn't feel like the right time yet.

But she didn't want to make it too serious, so she joked, "Who said I agreed to marry you? I never said that."

"I've already got you pregnant. Who else would you marry if not me?"

"I have plenty of options, like leaving with the baby and becoming a hot, independent single mom, or finding someone more handsome and considerate than you."

Samuel lazily smiled, "Neither is happening. If you leave with the baby, do you think you can get away? Even if you run to the ends of the earth, I'll bring you back. As for the second option, it's even less likely 'cause there's no one more handsome and considerate than me in the world."

Samuel spoke with absolute certainty, then tempted Layla, "Don't you wanna wear a beautiful wedding dress when you're at your slimmest?"

Layla wasn't worried at all, "I'll be just as beautiful and slim after giving birth."

"I think you're just torturing me on purpose."

Layla nodded smugly and admitted, "Yep, I'm doing it on purpose."

"You little rascal, you're just milking my undying love for you, making me wait forever."

"Yep, that's right. Marrying me ain't a walk in the park. Wait it out, and when I'm in the mood, I'll think about it."

"Are you in the mood now?"

"Busy," Layla's focus snapped back to her phone, shopping like a pro, "We need more eggs, and an oven too. Whoa, over a grand? That's nuts. A regular one will do."

She kept adding stuff to the cart.

"Didn't think baking a cake would be such a hassle; gotta buy so much stuff," Layla muttered, selecting all items for purchase, "3547 bucks? Seriously?"

"That's way too much! With that cash, you could buy cakes for a decade," She winced, always being the frugal type.

"Alright, for the sake of my career, I'll bite the bullet," Layla closed her eyes and hit the payment button.

Samuel watched from the side, trying not to laugh. Having a billionaire boyfriend, yet she still felt the pinch over 3k. His girl was just so special, specially adorable.

Samuel grinned and picked up his phone.

Just as Layla finished paying, feeling the sting in her bank account, a message popped up. She clicked on it, "Transfer of ten thousand dollars!"

She looked at Samuel in shock, "You actually sent me ten grand," Even though he had given her a no-limit card, a sudden ten grand transfer was still a surprise.

"Is that a lot? I was thinking of sending a hundred grand."

"I have my own money, I don't need yours."

Samuel put his arm around her shoulder, "Think about it this way, your cakes are for me to eat, right?"

Layla nodded.

"Since they're for me, isn't it fair for me to pay? One of us pays, the other does the work. It's perfectly fair, don't you think?" Samuel added.

Layla's eyes rolled, "Sounds reasonable."

"So hurry up and accept it, my lovely little chef."

"Alright then." Feeling justified by his logic, Layla happily accepted the transfer and sent a "thank you" emoji.

She playfully said, "Thanks."

"Happy?"

"Happy."

"If you're happy, will you marry me?"

"Get lost..." She wasn't someone who could be bought for ten grand.

Three days later, when the online purchases arrived, Layla, who had been bored at home, started to get busy.

"First, beat the eggs, add the flour..." She followed the recipe on her phone step by step.

Just as she was focused on beating the eggs, her phone rang.

"Hello, Dad." Layla said.

"Layla, are you busy? Am I interrupting your work?" Frank asked.

"No, I quit my job."

"Quit? So are you planning to move to City B with me?" Frank asked eagerly.

"No, I've decided to stay in City A."

"But you always said you wanted to move. I've been waiting for you for half a month."

"You go ahead and move. I've decided not to move and to start a new life in City A."

She stayed for Samuel, who saved her and pulled her out of the darkness.

"If you're starting a new life, you should change cities. Listen to me, move with me so I can take care of you."

"Dad, someone will take care of me."

"Who?"

"My boyfriend."

"When did you get a boyfriend? Don't be fooled, men can't be trusted these days."

"He's very good. When we set a wedding date, I'll bring him to meet you."

"Layla..."

"Dad, every decision I've made since I was a kid has been well thought out. I hope you can support me."