Chapter 176: The Tension Builds
This time, Lyla took a deep breath before quickly answering the call. Immediately, a grim voice sounded from the other end of the line. “Lyla, it’s been so long since you went back. Did you find yourself a new boy toy? You forgot about me so fast, and you didn’t even pick up my call!”
As soon as Lyla heard that cold and menacing voice, her hand trembled. She quickly steadied herself and, feigning indifference, replied, “Director Walton, I broke up with you before I left. Please don’t call me again. You’re disturbing me.”
There was a muffled sound on the other side, followed by a woman’s moans and the rhythmic sounds of a bed creaking. Lyla felt her stomach churn in disgust but didn’t hang up. Instead, she bit her lip as Gideon’s voice returned, colder than ever.
“Disturbing? Looks like you’ve really found someone new. But what should we do? When you came to me, you entered this game. You can’t just quit when you want. Now that you’ve found someone better, you think you can leave? You never asked if I agreed!”
Lyla could hear the woman on the other end whimpering. Her heart sank as she clenched her phone tighter. “Director Walton, you promised me that if I followed you, you’d make sure to tell your family about us and marry me. But after being with you for over a year, you never followed through. Instead, you’ve been with other women. I love you, but I can’t stand sharing you with others. I’d rather die than live like this.”
His cold laugh echoed on the phone. “You love me?” he scoffed. “It just so happens I’ll be back in Bradfort City next month. Let’s see how much you love me by then.” Then, he hung up abruptly, leaving nothing but a chilling silence.
Lyla stood frozen, the weight of his words pressing down on her. That man was as cruel as they come. When she first sought him out, it had been partly out of desperation and partly out of misguided hope. But now, she realized he would never belong to just one woman. His twisted nature, especially in their intimate moments, had made her sick to the core. The thought that he was returning to Bradfort City sent a cold shiver down her spine.
Just then, a voice broke through her thoughts. “Who did you just talk to on the phone?”
Lyla’s heart skipped a beat. She turned around quickly to see Eve walking toward her, her face unreadable.
Forced to smile, Lyla asked, “Mom, weren’t you taking a nap? Why did you come out?”
Eve didn’t answer her question right away. She narrowed her eyes, staring intently at Lyla. “Are you feeling guilty? Who were you talking to?”
Guilt? Lyla forced herself to smile and shrugged. “I didn’t want to disturb you, so I stepped outside to take the call. It was a friend from abroad who’s coming to Bradfort City next month and wants to meet with me.”
“A friend?” Eve raised an eyebrow. “Male or female?”
Lyla stiffened at her mother-in-law’s question. The smile she had been managing evaporated, replaced with a touch of irritation. She stared back at Eve, suddenly feeling exhausted by the constant scrutiny. “Mom, don’t you believe me? I’m married to Sean. I’ll never hurt him. You don’t want to see this family fall apart, do you? It’s tough enough for Sean, caught in the middle of all this.”
Eve usually ignored such comments, but this time, she couldn’t help but agree. If Lyla and Sean really fought, her son would be the one to suffer the most. After all, the tension between Lyla and Eve had only grown since Sean’s divorce from Myra.
What’s more, Eve had begun to care more about her social image ever since the crisis with the Chase Group. A recent conversation at a salon had shifted her focus. Her friends were always comparing their sons’ wives, and when they brought up Lyla, Eve proudly spoke of how Lyla had secured a deal for the Chase Group. But when one of Eve’s friends questioned Lyla’s relationship with the Hart Group, Eve had felt a rush of discomfort.
Lyla had told her she was an acquaintance of the Hart Group, but now Eve was learning that the company had terminated Lyla’s endorsement contract. She hadn’t known this until recently, and Eve’s friends had even started gossiping behind her back.
One woman had sneered, “Mrs. Chase is so naive! She let her son divorce the girl from the Stark family and marry a pianist who only knows how to enjoy life. And Lyla—didn’t she get into the Chase Group with a rich man, sleeping her way through the doors?”
Eve had been seething. How could she explain that to her friends without losing face? And to make things worse, they criticized her for pretending that Lyla had a good connection with the Walton Group.
Suddenly, Eve’s attitude toward Lyla became even colder, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that her son had made a questionable choice. Even worse, she realized that her friends’ whispers about Lyla’s past had planted seeds of doubt in her mind.
Back in the house, Eve turned toward Lyla. “You’ve been acting strange lately. Are you sure everything’s fine?”
Lyla’s expression tightened. She felt cornered, and for the first time, she realized just how tangled her relationships were. It wasn’t just about Myra anymore. It was about control, power, and the lies everyone told themselves to survive.