Chapter 140: Focus on Saving Him

Shattered glass and scalding water splashed onto Raylee. She winced at the pain, but she didn’t flinch. Since knowing Layla, this was the first time she had ever seen her this enraged. To be honest, it was terrifying. Yet, Raylee forced herself to stay calm.

“Ms. Layla, I understand you’re upset, but we need to focus on what’s important—finding a way to save Jeremiah.”

Layla’s glare was so intense, it felt like she wanted to tear Raylee apart. “Save my brother? Ha! You’d rather see him dead! Drop the act! I’m telling you, if anything happens to him, I’ll make sure you join him in the grave!”

Raylee clenched her fists. “I know you’re angry and anxious, but I did nothing wrong. I don’t deserve to be your punching bag.”

Layla exploded. “If it’s not your fault, then whose is it? If you hadn’t leaked the evidence, my brother wouldn’t be in this mess!”

Raylee spoke patiently. “The leak didn’t necessarily come from me. You know Jeremiah’s background better than I do. Let’s be honest—he’s done plenty of things that can’t see the light of day, and he’s made a lot of enemies. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened.”

“Shut up!” Layla roared. She raised her hand and delivered a hard slap.

Raylee’s head snapped to the side from the force of the slap. Layla’s gaze grew even colder, the fury burning inside her like it was about to consume her whole. “Dare to curse my brother? Are you looking to die?”

Raylee pressed a hand to her stinging cheek, taking a couple of deep breaths. Swallowing her resentment, she said, “I know you’re in a bad place right now. If hitting me helps you vent, I’ll take it. But venting aside, I still hope you can focus on saving Jeremiah. He’s trapped in that godforsaken place, Musmeynia. His life is hanging by a thread, and every second counts.”

Layla listened to Raylee’s words and collapsed onto the sofa, her tears falling like pearls from a broken string. Her eyes were void of hope, as if she had been swallowed by endless darkness.

Then, choking on her words, she said, “There’s a general in the Musmeynia Allied Forces called Levi Mosby. His brother died at my brother’s hands. The evidence you leaked was about that incident. He holds immense power and is mercilessly cruel. I’ve exhausted every option I could think of, reached out to everyone I could, trying to save my brother. But even after ten hours, there’s still no word from him. I begged my father for help, but he has a mutually beneficial relationship with Musmeynia. He wasn’t willing to risk everything for something he called trivial.”

By the time she finished speaking, Layla was in uncontrollable sobs. She couldn’t even imagine the kind of suffering Jeremiah was enduring in the hands of such ruthless men. Every passing minute felt like endless torment.

Raylee watched silently, unable to sympathize—let alone feel pity—for Jeremiah. Sure, the ones who lured him there were despicable, but if he hadn’t committed such heinous crimes, would he have ended up in this situation? He killed a general’s brother. It was only natural for revenge to come knocking. If there was anyone to blame, it was himself—for being ruthless, for his countless misdeeds. The saying was true, “what comes around, goes around.” It was only a matter of time.

Deep down, Raylee even felt relieved. But she didn’t dare say it aloud. She walked over, handed Layla a couple of tissues, and tried to console her, “At the end of the day, you’re still his child. Your father won’t just stand by and do nothing. Try talking to him again.”

Layla let out a bitter laugh. “When has he ever treated us like his own? All he cares about are his interests!” she spat, anger and resentment thick in her tone. “I begged him, but he refused. Ever since we were kids, he never gave a damn about us illegitimate children!”

Kaylee had no response. She understood all too well what it felt like to be disregarded. Ever since the truth about her origins was revealed four years ago, she had become an outcast in the Goodridge family. Every family had its own struggles.

Layla continued crying, venting her emotions, “My parents died when I was young. My father, the great romantic that he was, had so many women. But because my brother and I were illegitimate, we grew up walking on thin ice in the Lorimer family. He and I only had each other. Even though he suffered, he always did his best to protect me.”

She continued, “Din voou know? That all ten on my father’s bed met to user was aster. He alused me so badly I was…”