"What do you mean?" Miriam gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at her daughter. "Lucius De Salvo is Roderick's uncle? But... but Lucius always claimed he had no family," she stammered, still grappling with the revelation.
"Mom, Lucius lied to everyone. Do you even know what Layla did to Roderick? She falsely accused him of touching her, and because of that, Lucius broke my boyfriend's wrist!" Orabela's voice cracked, tears welling up in her eyes. "I warned you, Mom. I told you not to let Layla live here. Look at what she's done! She's already plotting to ruin my life."
Seeing her daughter's distress, Miriam's protective instincts kicked in. "Don't worry, Orabela. I'll confront Layla myself. How dare she accuse Roderick like that?" she assured her, her tone growing cold with determination.
Miriam reached for the phone, dialing Layla's number, but Orabela stopped her with a frustrated sigh. "It's no use, Mom. She's ignoring us. She hasn't picked up a single one of my calls. Can you believe it?"
Before Miriam could respond, Seraphina's voice cut through the tension. "Orabela, why are you crying? What's going on?" She walked in, her eyes narrowing as they fell on Miriam and her daughter.
"Because of Layla," Orabela spat, her frustration bubbling over.
Seraphina's fists clenched as she struggled to remain calm. "What did she do?"
Miriam didn't miss the tension between them and seized the moment. "I told you to keep your daughter away from mine! If you don't make Layla apologize, be ready to leave this house. I won't tolerate either of you anymore. Your daughter is ruining Orabela's life, just like you have ruined mine!"
Seraphina swallowed the sting of Miriam's harsh words. Layla had crossed the line, and Seraphina knew she couldn't ignore it anymore, even if it meant facing her own daughter.
Just then, Orabela stood up, surprising them both. She gently took Seraphina's hands. "It's not your fault. What Layla did was wrong, and I know you never taught her to lie. Layla's always been jealous of me, but I've never done anything to provoke her. Mom, don't blame Seraphina. If anyone is to blame, it's Layla."
Seraphina blinked back tears at Orabela's unexpected kindness. "Orabela, you're such a sweet soul. I'll make sure Layla apologizes to you and Roderick. Don't cry or think any less of yourself," she whispered, wiping the tears from Orabela's cheeks. A silent vow formed in her heart to confront Layla and fix the mess her daughter had caused, no matter what.
Orabela smirked slightly, masking her true emotions, and said, "Thank you. I'll go to my room. My head is aching." She glanced briefly at her mother before heading upstairs, leaving Miriam and Seraphina in tense silence.
As soon as Orabela left, Miriam's expression darkened. "Call Layla," she demanded coldly, her voice laced with fury. "Why is she so hell-bent on ruining my daughter's happiness?" She gritted her teeth.
"I'm truly sorry, Madam Miriam. I never wanted Orabela to cry or get hurt like this," she said, her voice trembling slightly as she pulled out her phone. Quickly, she dialed Layla's number, her hands shaking slightly.
But the call went unanswered.
Frowning, Seraphina tried again, her heart sinking as she listened to the monotonous ring with no reply. "She's not picking up," she said softly, fear creeping into her voice as she lowered the phone. "I'll keep trying, but I assure you that Layla will apologize to the Young Miss."
Miriam's eyes narrowed. "Keep trying. She won't get away with this. If Layla thinks she can run from this, she's mistaken. I'll make sure she pays for what she's done."
~~~~
Layla gazed at her phone and saw her mother's missed calls. She didn't care about answering them. She had no intention to even talk to her. What's the use of having a mother, who would always protect someone else's daughter?
Wiping the tears from the edges of her eyes, she decided to dress up as it was already evening. Just then, Ruby's video call came. Layla's eyes lit up and she quickly answered it.
"Layla! OMG! You are not married to an oldie but a hottie! Why didn't you tell me this before?" Ruby immediately let out her excitement. "Tell me that Lucius loves you. Did you see the spark in his eyes when he carried you away in his arms like you were the only woman for him?"
"Well, he is older than me," Layla murmured.
"When your man looks this hot, then his age doesn't matter. I still can't believe my eyes!" Ruby said while laughing.
"Don't be like that," Layla said.
"What?" Ruby arched her brows. "Girl, you have got such a nice man. Be happy. You know that I can read tarot cards. Didn't I tell you last week that soon a guy would appear in your life who would keep you as his queen? Seems like Lucius De Salvo is the one!" She spoke with a smile.
"And you didn't believe me saying Roderick was already there!" Ruby reminded her.
The smile from Layla's face disappeared to hear that name.
"Oops! I'm sorry," Ruby immediately apologized. She observed Layla's face. "Don't tell me you still have feelings for that jerk. You have a husband now, better than Roderick or any other man. So, just forget Roderick," Ruby advised her.
"It hurts, Ruby. I don't have any feelings for Rodrick. He disgusts me. It's just I-I was so loyal to him… and only I didn't know," Layla said, recalling how Lucius told her only she found out two days ago.
"Girl, some men are jerks. And not to mention, Orabela isn't less either. She must have seduced your bastard ex. You know her well. I'm not saying Roderick was good either. But it's good that you found out about them, or else that jerk would have kept lying to you," Ruby stated.
"Yeah, you are right," Layla said. "I need to go somewhere. I'll call you later. Thanks for today." With that, she hung up the call.
As she was about to put her phone away, a message popped on Layla's phone screen.
"Meet me outside the mansion."