Chapter 612

Ward.

"Alright, keep searching. This is life or death, we gotta find Nora ASAP," Anthony said, all jittery.

Seeing his worried face as he walked in, Brenda knew things were bad. "Still no sign of her?" she asked, all anxious.

"Nope, Samuel's on the move, and he hasn't hit up the Holland Group. We can't get a hold of him. I've got folks looking in City A and nearby towns, but still no Nora."

Brenda looked crushed, her face pale. "Could it be... is Nora already..."

"No way, Samuel might be a loose cannon, but he wouldn't go that far. Plus, Layla wouldn't let him."

"But who knows what he might do to Nora..." Brenda cried, freaking out. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let her sue Layla. If I hadn't, we wouldn't be in this mess. I should be the one taken, not her. Let me take her place."

Nora was his sister, so Anthony couldn't say "she had it coming." But yeah, Nora did push it too far, and now Samuel was retaliating. He'd never gone after the Eilish family before; this time, he was provoked.

Anthony knew this was coming, but he couldn't stop it.

"I'll go beg Layla. She's got a soft spot; she'll give in," Brenda cried.

"But Samuel won't let us near her."

"What do we do then..." Brenda looked like her world was falling apart.

Layla was her real daughter, and Nora was the one she raised, but they both loved the same guy and ended up in this mess because of him.

Brenda thought, 'It's not their fault; it's mine. God, if you want to punish someone, punish me.'

"It's all my fault, my sin..." Brenda sobbed, "Why not take it out on me? I'm the one to blame."

Anthony was already stressed but still had to comfort Brenda. "Don't worry, I'll keep looking."

Villa.

After another day of rest, Layla was feeling way better. She started thinking about Nora's fate.

"Dinner's here," Samuel said, bringing in a tray.

Layla immediately smiled, "What's for dinner? No more porridge, please."

"You can have a bit of what you like now, but nothing too heavy. The cook made chicken pot pie and corn pudding."

"Smells awesome," Layla said, taking a deep breath with a smile. "Way better than porridge."

"There's also soup. Have some before you eat."

"Okay," Layla obediently drank half a bowl of Minestrone soup. She loved Minestrone.

"Feeling better today?"

Layla nodded, feeling full of energy. Even though she'd been through a lot, she was only twenty-one, still young and bouncing back fast.

"Much better. I need to get back on my feet so I can bake you cakes again."

Samuel chuckled, "Getting better is good, but let's skip the cakes."

"Are they that bad? Didn't you say you wanted cake when you got back from your trip?"

"You can make it, but we don't need it every day. Besides, me gaining weight isn't good for you either; it messes with your admiration."

Layla chuckled, "Alright, alright, I know you're scared. How about once a week?"

"Deal."

After finishing her meal, Layla asked, "You took my phone, right?"

Samuel responded in a low voice, "Rest up, no phone."

"Lying in bed all day is boring."

"If you're bored, read a book or chat with me. Staring at screens isn't good; pregnant women should avoid radiation."

"I just wanna play for a bit... okay?" Layla pleaded, "Just half an hour."

Samuel saw right through her, "I don't want you contacting them and getting influenced. Best way is no contact. You know you're soft-hearted. If they start acting pitiful, you'll ask me to let them go, and I can't say no to you."

"I..." Layla wanted to say she wouldn't, but she wasn't sure.

She did want to contact Anthony and Brenda; they must be freaking out by now.

"I just wanna check Facebook and the news. I feel out of touch without my phone for a few days," Layla said with a smile.

Samuel handed her his phone, "Use mine."

"But your phone has so many important files. What if I mess it up or lose it?"

"It's fine."

"But your phone is different from mine; I'm not used to it."

Samuel raised an eyebrow, watching her come up with more excuses.

"Okay, I admit, I think they might call me, so... It's been three days, that's the limit of what a person can endure. Let her go," Layla said.

"I don't want the woman I spend my life with to be too kind. People can be kind, but only to those who deserve it. Be kind when possible, assertive when necessary."

"I'm not too kind. Didn't I let you lock them up without stopping you?"

"That's still not enough."

"If you keep her locked up, she'll die. You don't have to release her, but stop interrogating her."

"So what if she dies?" Samuel sneered, "She brought it on herself; I don't mind sending her off."

"There's no need to be so harsh."

"Wasn't she harsh to you?"

Layla quickly stopped him, "Alright, let's not argue, okay? No need to fight over bad people." She smiled to appease him.

"Okay. I have to go to the company this morning."

"Yeah, you haven't been there for days. Don't let me delay your work. The baby and I are counting on you to support us." Layla touched her slightly rounded belly.

"Are you worried I can't support you?" Samuel's sternness softened, his smile gentle as water, stroking her face gently, "I can support a hundred of you."

"Got it, go to the company."

"Okay, rest well. I'll be back soon."

"Alright."

Layla got out of bed, watching secretly from behind the curtains as the car left. Then she started searching the room for her phone. She had a hunch it was in this room.

She searched and scoured about the room, and finally found her phone in a drawer. The screen was black; it was out of battery.

She quickly plugged it in to charge.

Two minutes later, the screen lit up, and hundreds of missed calls flooded in, almost crashing the phone.

Layla saw they were all from Anthony, along with some messages, and a few from Brenda.

Layla's eyebrows furrowed.

At that moment, the phone rang again; it was Brenda.

She hesitated for a moment but finally answered.