"Layla won't do such a thing!" Avery interrupted him. "We raised our daughter. Don't you know what kind of a person she is? Don't you trust her?""Of course, I trust her. I am just worried that Eric might put her under his spell.""Eric isn't that kind of a man.""Avery, do you know Eric that well? We didn't raise him, and we aren't even that familiar with what kind of a man he is.""How can you say that? He is our friend, and we ought to trust our friends. We only came to know Jun, Tammy, and Ben later in our lives, so why can we trust them but not Eric?""Don't get so worked up. I will be more careful next time I see him." Elliot did not wish to fight with Avery over this.It had been a while since they had a fight, and he was not used to having an argument."I'm not worked up. You are the one who is out of line here. If Eric really is the kind of man you think he is, do you really think that Layla would still be here? She would have taken off with Eric a long time ago," Avery

"Alright. There's no point in feeling embarrassed. Go find Nadia Raven if that’s what you want! It's not that big of a deal," Mike said. "Eric doesn’t know you are here, does he?""I don't have the obligation to share my schedule with him." Layla cut into her steak. "Do you know where Nadia works?""I can find out from the internet. Should I come with you?" Mike started looking Nadia up on his phone."It's fine. I will get there myself.""Fine. Rest well and go find her tomorrow!" Mike studied her face and teased, "You look like a mess after the long flight.""I want to get this out of the way soon so I can go home. My parents are going to be disappointed if they find out why I'm here.""They won't exactly be disappointed; more like, worried!" Mike cut a small piece of steak and placed it into his mouth. "Your dad doesn't like Eric, just like how he disliked me in the past. He would probably be treating me the same way he is treating Eric had I not started dating Chad. He holds a

But Layla's heart had already flown back to Aryadelle."I will come and stay for a few more days next time. I came here behind everyone's backs this time, and, since I've gotten what I wanted, I should hurry back," Layla said gleefully, not feeling tired at all because she had received a satisfying answer from Nadia.Nadia informed Eric about her conversation with Layla as soon as Layla left, and Eric felt incredibly troubled by Layla's recklessness. He also wondered what she might do now that she knew the truth.He stared at his phone and breathed heavily while thinking to himself, 'Layla hasn't reached out to me yet. Is she planning to look for me once she gets back? She's in Bridgedale now, so there's no point in me getting all worked up over it. I guess I'll have to wait until she gets back.'...By the time Layla arrived home, it was night. She felt exhausted from the total of twenty hours she had spent flying, so she looked horrible.Avery immediately stopped Layla in her p

A few seconds later, Robert said, "We will let things run their course!""If you won't back Layla up, I will," Ivy said. "We can't all turn our backs on her. What if she runs away from home?"An idea appeared in Robert’s mind, and he said, "How about this? If they really do get into a fight, you will back Layla up, and I will be on Dad's side to get him to calm down.""Sure!" Ivy said. "What would Hayden think of this?""Probably the same as Dad," Robert said flatly. "They resemble each other more and more as the years go by, both in their ways of presenting themselves and their values... I respect the two of them more than anyone, though.""Maybe you will be like them in the future.""No, I won't. I'm more like Mom in terms of personality." Robert knew himself well and said, "I might look more like Dad, but, deep inside, I'm like Mom. I'm not all that ambitious and only want our family to stay together happily ever after.""That's good! I love Mom." A gentle smile appeared on I

Elliot had left no space for Layla to argue.Seeing how flushed Layla was, Robert immediately poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.Layla took a sip of the water and turned to Avery. "Mom, what do you think?"Elliot winked at his wife, hoping that she would side with him.Avery was at a crossroads. If she chose to side with Layla, Elliot would be upset; but supporting Elliot would only hurt Layla. In the end, she decided to remain neutral."I'm not going to participate in this discussion."The other three were instantly rendered speechless. "I only want us all to be healthy and happy," Avery continued. "I hope that you will consider what your dad said just now. If you agree with what he said, you can take his advice. But if what he said wasn't enough to convince you, you can continue to negotiate with him."Layla lowered her head. Though she had rested, she had not completely recovered from her exhaustion and still felt light-headed. She did not know what to say.