Chapter 394
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“You shouldn’t have outed yourself today,” Tuff said, sounding uneasy.
On the way home, Tuff couldn’t help but worry.
Kayla let out a little laugh. “Talk about being slow on the uptake.”
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Tuff scratched his head, looking embarrassed. “I got too worked up at the hospital and totally forgot to be careful.”
“No big deal,” Kayla replied. “I’m not worried. I never did anything shady against my country or the people.”
The organization was already gone, so there was nothing they could possibly find out now.
But Tuff still couldn’t shake off a lingering worry, but he kept it to himself. He wasn’t about to spoil his honey’s mood. If trouble came knocking, he’d be the one to stand tall and take it.
Snow kept coming down, thicker and thicker.
The cold wind howled past the car windows, whipping up ghostly noises now and then.
Kayla was so tired she nodded off before she knew it.
Tuff glanced over at her, his heart melting with sweetness.
He slowed down the car, driving as smoothly as he could, not wanting to wake her.
But what Tuff didn’t realize was that Kayla had already drifted off into a nightmare.
In her dream, flames painted half the night sky a blazing red, and the air was heavy with the stench of blood and scorched flesh.
A river of blood pooled around her feet.
When they got back to the neighborhood and Tuff woke her up, Kayla was still haunted by that nightmare, unable to snap out of it.
Her soft features were ghostly pale, fear clouding her eyes.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Tuff asked, worried.
“I… I didn’t get enough sleep,” Kayla hesitated for a second, dropping her gaze as she fibbed.
Tuff smiled, pinched her cheek affectionately, then scooped her up out of the car. “Let’s go
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home and get some more rest.”
“Yeah!” Kayla nodded.
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She nestled into Tuff’s chest, soaking in his warmth and the steady beat of his heart, and gradually felt herself relax.
‘Seriously? All this over a dream?‘ she thought, a little embarrassed at how rattled she was.
‘I was just showing off to Joyce at lunch about how tough I am, and now here I am, spooked by a nightmare. How lame is that?‘ she couldn’t help but mock herself.
*****
Joyce’s plot had finally been exposed, and things were finally put to rest.
Maggie kept inviting Kayla out shopping, pulling out all the stops to win her over.
Everyone was gossiping about how Maggie and Kayla finally made peace, and they were dying to know how Joyce got pushed out of the picture. And as for the baby she was pregnant with, they didn’t know what went wrong with it.
Kayla told her family not to say a word about any of it and just let Joyce handle things herself.
At first, Maggie was confused. “She did all that to you, and we’re just supposed to keep quiet?”
“Let’s just do it out of respect for Dominick,” Kayla said with a small smile.
She knew how those fake innocent types operated. If the Prescott family spoke up and set the record straight, Joyce would act like she couldn’t take it, then turn around and stir up even more drama, pretending she was totally in the right.
It was too low–level and too much hassle. Kayla had zero interest in playing along.
“You’re really gracious,” Maggie said, genuinely impressed. She was finding herself more and more satisfied with Kayla.
In her own elite social circles, people never let things slide when it came to rivals. If one slap could end it, nobody bothered with a second.
But Kayla was a total exception.
If she could be this forgiving to a rival, then she’d be even more easygoing with family.
‘She definitely won’t hold my past foolishness against me,‘ Maggie thought, feeling relieved.
Trying to make up for how she’d treated Kayla before, Maggie kept spoiling her with
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expensive gifts.
Designer bags, jewelry, luxury cars–Kayla just waved her hand and they’d show
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- up.
Kayla didn’t make a fuss. Whatever Maggie gave her, she took it, no questions asked.
Porter and Lennon watched everything quietly from the shadows.
‘Guess it was just a scare. Young love really can be trusted,‘ Lennon thought to himself.
“Porter, the New Year’s coming up. Should we go back?” Lennon asked.
Porter paused for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, let’s head back.”
“Honestly, we don’t have to go back if you don’t awesome. I really like it here.”
ant to,” Lennon added. “Lunova’s pretty
Porter let out a long sigh, a cloud of worry in his eyes. “No, we still have to leave.”
He thought, ‘If we stick around too long, someone might notice us.‘
Joanna had finally managed to get her conscience back, and Porter didn’t want to mess with her peace anymore.
He just hoped she and his clone could really make it work and grow old together.
*****
Before they knew it, the New Year had arrived.
Two days before New Year’s Eve, the Prescott family started getting everything ready.
Decorations filled Prescott Manor, turning the whole place into a festive wonderland.
Kayla was admiring the blossoms in the courtyard when a few of her relatives came over.
“Kayla, it’s been forever! You really had it rough,” one of them said, her voice full of sympathy.
“Joyce is seriously the worst. She got pregnant by some other guy and tried to blame it on Tuff. Good thing you saw right through her…” another added, shaking her head.
Kayla blinked in surprise. “Who told you all that?”
She definitely hadn’t spread any of it herself.
“You really don’t know? The rumors are everywhere. People are saying all kinds of nasty stuff,” one of her sisters–in–law snorted.
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Another one shot her a sly wink. “There’s even a video floating around! It’s pretty wild- almost like those adult films.”
Kayla was totally thrown off.
‘Wait, all the videos are with me. I never leaked anything,‘ she wondered, confused.
“And get this, she even had an abortion. Now that guy just won’t leave her alone,” one of the sisters gossiped.
“What was his name again? Quentin! Yeah, her old high school buddy…” another piped up.
As her relatives chattered away, Kayla felt a creeping sense of dread settle in her chest.
“Kayla, it’s New Year. Let’s go buy some new clothes!” one of her relatives called out, practically bouncing with excitement.
“And I totally want to get a perm! C’mon, getting your hair done is like paying respect to the New Year!” another laughed.
Kayla honestly wasn’t feeling it, but with her relatives hyped up like that, she just got swept along and headed out with them.
Sure enough, they ended up running into Joyce at the mall. She was right in the middle of a heated argument with some guy.
“Joyce, how could you be so heartless? How could you just abort our baby?” the guy yelled, his voice shaking with anger.
“It’s my child, my choice,” Joyce shot back, looking totally fed up.
“That’s not what you said when we were making the baby! You promised you’d have it and do right by me…” the guy protested, his voice getting louder.
Joyce let out a cold laugh. “Didn’t I already give you money?”
“That’s not the same! I don’t want your money. I want you…” the after Joyce wherever she went.
guy
wouldn’t let up, trailing
With the holiday rush in full swing, their shouting match in the packed mall quickly drew a crowd of onlookers.
Joyce was seething, ducking her head and trying to hide her face as she argued with Quentin Walton, making her way toward the exit.
Kayla and her sister–in–law watched from afar, and Kayla asked quietly, “Is that Quentin?”
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“That’s right. His family used to be rich, but they fell on hard times. Now he’s just a supervisor at some electronics factory. Joyce thinks he’s beneath her. She used him and now wants to toss him aside. But he won’t take no for an answer, just keeps pestering her!” one of the sisters–in- law explained.
“Karma’s a bitch,” Kayla said, a small smirk tugging at her lips.
After all, Joyce had been the one clinging to Tuff and refusing to let go. Now she was getting a taste of her own medicine.
“Kayla, should we go over there?” Samantha Prescott asked, clearly itching to jump into the drama.
Kayla shook her head. “Getting caught up in other people’s mess is just asking for trouble. Let’s go.”
“Kayla, you’re so regal, like a queen!” Samantha gushed.
With the girls buttering her up so well, Kayla
the New Year.
to treat them all to brand new outfits for
They were just about to head out when Joyce suddenly yelled after her, her voice sharp as a knife. “Kayla, stop right there!”
AD
