Jayden...
Without Julianne stating who he was, Leila knew.
He was the boy she felt guilty about after that incident, but she had always lied to herself, convincing herself she was right.
But wait, why would he...
She remembered how she had cruelly cut ties with him in high school after storming into a scene where Julianne was on the floor with a big handprint on her cheek. The situation seemed clear as day without a need for any explanation.
Leila never asked a question and directly told the boy she didn't want to see him again.
She remembered how he had opened his mouth to say something, but she chased him out, feeling disappointed and hurriedly called the doctor to treat Julianne.
"Seems like you remember, Sister." Julianne's disgustingly coy voice, filled with a chuckle, brought Leila out of her recollection.
"He is really loyal, isn't he? He is so loyal that I couldn't help but questioned myself if that was possible? Tell me, why did you have all the good things in the world... Or did you give him some kind of portions ? I even tried to get him on my side, but he was as stupid as you. Now, he can't even escape public opinion. His stepbrother, Rick—who is my fiancé—along with his executives, have already sent him abroad to rest after he tried to stand up for you. Back then in high school, he even dared to slap me just because I called you a wh*re, an ungrateful wench. Who would have thought he would still be fiercely protective of you? So stupid."
"Ju-Julianne..." Everything finally made sense to Leila!
She had once heard from a gossipy nurse that Bright Enterprise, Jayden's father's company, and Faisal Corps had merged. Leila didn't think much of it, believing Julianne and Jayden had moved past their awful history for the greater benefit of the companies. But now, it turns out Jayden was conspired against and brought down by his stepbrother—with the help of Julianne. And most importantly, because of HER!
Leila was filled with rage, directed at herself, and immense hatred. She gritted her teeth and demanded, "Why did you do all this to me?! I cared for you like a sibling and was willing to do anything for you. I treated you wholeheartedly, but all you repaid me with was plotting my father's and my deaths! You wouldn't even let us rest in peace! Why?! Why did you repay me with this?!"
"Why?" Julianne laughed contemptuously. "You're asking me why?" She slammed Leila's bed with eyes filled with indignation. "To show you that you don't deserve it, of course!" She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to calm herself. "To let God know that wealth should go to those who can spend it, not to those who take it for granted."
The words resonated within Leila, highlighting her stupidity to the extreme.
She was part of the latter. She was probably the universe's most ungrateful individual.
Remembering her dead parents, she suddenly felt short of breath, but it wasn't from pain. It was because of something else.
Her true death was about to arrive, and Leila instantly turned panicky, her already pale expression turning even paler.
If it were in the past, Leila would have welcomed death with open arms. After all, she had no family left in the world and had never dated anyone. The only person she could still call family was the one before her, who she believed could do well without her.
But now that the truth was before her, she couldn't even die in peace.
"Ju-Julianne, if there is a next life, I will definitely take yours and your mother's..." Her words were filled with eerie firmness that caused hair to stand.
It suddenly became incredibly hard to breathe, but Leila still managed to get the last word out of deep-seated resentment.
"Life." That was the last word she could say as her body finally had enough. She lost all strength, and her hand slumped to the side lifelessly.
Leila died with her eyes open, and her once emerald eyes were filled with resentment and hatred frozen in time, such that anyone who came upon this scene would feel a chill.
Julianne sat still, staring at the corpse in front of her. High heels clanked against the ground as a petite woman in an office suit walked in. The woman looked extremely similar to Julianne—after all, they were mother and daughter.
She patted Julianne's shoulder and glanced at Leila's dead body, her nose wrinkling in disgust before she turned back to her daughter.
"I see your reunion went as planned. You even got a slap. That must have felt good, didn't it?"
Julianne let out a long breath, closing her eyes before hugging her mother. "I have never felt so much peace like this, Momma. Finally, she is gone."
Her mother smiled and ruffled her hair. "Yeah, the wealth is ours without any opposition. Thinking about the billions of dollars makes me want to die of laughter. Let's leave this place. I have already booked a private room and invited my friends. We gotta get high tonight!"
"Then what about this hospital, Momma?"
Eve Moore, her mother, smirked. "Don't worry about that. I've already got someone to tear it down soon. The director has been dealt with, and the only nurse has already been silenced. No one will find out. After all, it was a little hospital that I quickly operated to let this b*tch experience another round of suffering."
"Momma is always the smartest." Julianne gave her mother a thumbs-up, her lips curling up slightly. Then she suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. "Wh-what if she is reborn?"
Eve stared at her daughter blankly, as if she had grown two horns. Seeing that Julianne was about to get annoyed, she erupted into loud laughter. "Hahahaha... Oh my... My baby is so cute, hahahahaha."
She held onto her stomach and leaned against the wall, laughing hard, which made Julianne stomp her feet in embarrassment. After a while, she finally managed to stop her laughter and looked at her daughter with a smile.
"You must have watched too many dramas, Anne. So what if she is reborn? I am sure that coward will definitely run away like she always did, wouldn't she?"
"Yes, she would."
Or maybe she wouldn't.