Chapter 165

The answer was glaringly apparent. Who else could it be, if not Sarah? Layla was filled with revulsion. The thought of an eighteen-year-old girl indulging in such unseemly actions was disgraceful.

'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree,' the old adage rang true. With Anthony secured as a wealthy suitor, the mother-daughter duo was willing to resort to any underhanded tactics.

Layla found herself torn. Should she heed Alice's advice and caution Anthony about Sarah, urging him to maintain his distance? She hesitated, but ultimately chose silence. She was not one to meddle in others' affairs, especially when her own life was in disarray. Who was she to concern herself with the problems of others?

As they finished their meal, Anthony's driver arrived bearing his clothes. Anthony, now attired in a crisp white suit, radiated the elegance and sophistication of a man born into wealth.

"Your tie's crooked," Layla commented nonchalantly, stepping forward to adjust it. It was only after her hands had corrected the minor flaw that she realized her mistake. He wasn't Samuel. She had subconsciously mistaken him for another man.

The realization caused a slight pang in her heart. She missed him, more than she cared to admit.

Stepping back, she murmured an apology.

"Thank you," Anthony managed to reply, maintaining his composure despite the sudden acceleration of his heartbeat, as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart, making it difficult to breathe.

Layla found herself momentarily lost in thought.

Samuel always wore black, his sleek suits lending him an air of nobility and aloofness, a living embodiment of a 'keep out' sign. Yet, beneath the cold exterior was a warm heart. He had adored her, treating her with such tenderness that she had felt like the happiest girl in the world, until she had ruined it all.

Perhaps she was simply born under an unlucky star. A wave of bitterness washed over her.

...

Seated in the back of the Lincoln Navigator, Anthony stared out the window, his mind replaying the morning's events. The quaint little house, the sweet, warm girl.

The noodles she had prepared were so delicious that he could still taste them. The mere thought of her sent his heart into a frenzy.

Confused, he placed a hand over his heart. What was happening to him? Why did his heart race whenever he was around her, as if it was being squeezed, making it difficult to breathe, yet strangely comforting?

The driver, glancing at Anthony through the rearview mirror, couldn't help but smile at his boss's bewildered yet content expression.

"Big guy, congratulations," he chuckled.

Snapping back to reality, Anthony looked puzzled. "Congratulations for what?"

"For your first overnight stay at a girl's place," the driver replied, his voice filled with pride, as if his boss had finally come of age.

A man isn't truly a man until he's been with a woman.

Both bore the last name Adkins, but this Miss Adkins was nothing like the other, a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"What's the big deal about staying over?" Anthony asked, genuinely perplexed.

"I mean, it's just..." The driver, helplessly amused, was at a loss for words. How could his boss be so innocent?

A twenty-five-year-old man, utterly oblivious to the ways of the world, was a rarity. The driver felt a twinge of guilt for enlightening him, as if he was corrupting an innocent youth.

"Anyway, as long as you're happy, that's what matters," the driver finally added.

Happy? The word stirred something within Anthony. After meeting her, he had discovered genuine happiness. Talking with her brought him joy, as did eating the pasta she had prepared. Even doing nothing at all, simply being in her presence, was enough to warm his heart.

Fortunately, he hadn't made a grave mistake the previous night. She was pure, and he wanted to cherish her. To take her in any other way would've been sacrilege.

With these thoughts, Anthony's gentle gaze hardened; his voice dropped a few degrees. "I won't be going back to the office just yet."

Upon receiving the call, Sarah descended from the hotel with a nervous flutter in her stomach. The driver was absent from the vehicle, instead standing by the door, a detail that only heightened her unease.

With a deep breath, she steeled herself and slid into the plush seat of Anthony's RV, attempting to project an air of casual indifference. "Anthony, what's the matter so early? Should we discuss this back in my room?" she asked.

Anthony's countenance was harder than usual, a stark contrast to his typically gentle demeanor. Had he discovered her secret? Sarah's heart pounded against her ribcage, her anxiety reaching a fever pitch.

"Was it you who drugged me last night?" Anthony's voice cut through the tension, his normally warm eyes, hidden behind wire-rimmed glasses, hardened into a piercing stare. A gentle man, indeed, becomes a formidable force when his patience is tried.

A shiver ran down Sarah's spine, her palms slick with sweat. "D-drugged you? I have no idea what you're talking about. Were you drugged?" she stammered.

"Last night, you handed me a glass of champagne," Anthony recalled, the memory of her insistence on him drinking it now casting a shadow of suspicion. He had trusted her implicitly, and it seemed that trust had been misplaced.

He had let his guard down around her, his angel. A blonde woman had drugged him two years prior, making him wary of any woman who approached him with a drink in hand. Yet, it seemed he had been fooled once more.

The betrayal from someone he trusted was a bitter pill to swallow, a mix of fury and heartbreak.

"It was just a toast, I didn't put anything in it! How could I do such a thing? Anthony, you've misunderstood, it must have been some other woman," Sarah protested.

"That's right, you-you were with that woman named Layla last night... you said she was your friend. You two were interacting; it must have been her," Anthony concluded.

In her desperation, Sarah shifted the blame onto Layla. "I warned you about her, didn't I? She's the type to target wealthy heirs-it was her..."

"You're lying!" Anthony's tone hardened further, "I'm giving you a chance to tell the truth, not to continue making excuses and shirking responsibility."

Frightened by his stern gaze and tone, Sarah, who had initially planned to deny everything, broke down in tears. "Anthony, how could you be so harsh? I'm sorry, I... I know I was wrong, but it was only because I liked you too much that I..." She clung to Anthony's hand, her cheeks wet with tears.

"I've adored you my whole life, from childhood until now. All those years we were apart, I wore the bracelet you gave me every single day, and never once took it off. But you, you're incredible, and so many women are after you. Fear consumed me, the fear of losing you to someone else, which drove me to such a desperate measure..."

Anthony gently extricated his hand from hers. "You once saved my life, and I want to repay you by helping make your dreams come true. You want fame? Better opportunities? I'm fine with that. But we're just friends, Sarah, nothing more." His words were clear, leaving no room for interpretation.

His rejection sent a wave of despair through Sarah, her body shaking uncontrollably as jealousy and disappointment coiled within her like a venomous snake. Trembling, she asked, "If you don't like me, then who do you like? That woman from yesterday?"