Chapter 46 Pink Bunny
Mr. Vandella glanced at Samuel through the rearview mirror, and Samuel nodded.
Mr. Vandella parked the car by the roadside.
"I… I want that bunny." Layla spoke anxiously as she pointed at the tall pink bunny in the toy store display window. It was half the height of a person. Her face was flushed.
Samuel frowned. A bunny? What sudden whim was she acting on? That pink bunny had nothing special about it.
"I want it, please buy it for me." Layla urged anxiously, like a child afraid that the rabbit would be taken away by someone else.
Samuel spoke up, "Mr. Vandella..."
"I don't want him to get it; I want you to go and buy it for me," Layla insisted, showing a rare bit of stubbornness.
"Miss Adkins, the boss..." Mr. Vandella tried to explain.
"I'll go." Samuel interrupted as he opened the car door. "Keep an eye on her."
Layla leaned against the car window with wide eyes, watching Samuel come out of the toy store holding the rabbit. A delighted gleam appeared in her eyes, and she smiled brightly.
Mr. Vandella, sitting in the front seat, was utterly stunned.
Who could have imagined that in this lifetime, they would have the chance to see Mr. Holland, dressed in a black suit, holding a giant pink toy rabbit? If it weren't for the fear of losing his job, he would have definitely taken a picture.
Samuel got back into the car with a sour expression, tossing the rabbit over to her. "Here!"
He had never felt so embarrassed in his life, as if he were a fool.
But when he met Layla's radiant smile, the frustration in his heart suddenly disappeared. His heart trembled at that smile, it was a precious moment.
Before her, the only thing he considered precious was his mother, his only remaining family in the world. He didn't care about anyone else.
Layla held the rabbit tightly, as if embracing a loved one, finding solace in it.
"Is it important to you?" Samuel couldn't help but ask.
After holding the rabbit for a while, Layla finally opened her eyes and lovingly touched the rabbit's pink cheek. She murmured to herself, "Can you believe it? My mother left me when I was two, and I don't remember her face. But I do remember standing by a shop window, and she promised to give me this rabbit on my birthday."
She laughed bitterly, "But the day before my birthday, she left... When I was a child, I always fantasized that one day she would come back for me. Every time my stepmother hurt me, I would shout at her, saying that my mother would come back for me."
Samuel spoke up, "I can help you find her."
Layla shook her head, "She hasn't come back to see me in all these years. Maybe she started a new family and has forgotten about me. Ever since she left me, she has made no effort to have a relationship with me. She just gave birth to me."
But Samuel could tell that she still cared, otherwise, she wouldn't have been so eager for him to buy this rabbit, or have such a dejected expression while telling him this story.
He had experienced the pain of being abandoned by a loved one, and it wasn't easy. The difference was that he had completely let go, while she hadn't yet.
Like a punch in soft cotton, his heart softened, leaving him feeling even a bit of tenderness.
From the very first time she made him feel the rush of his blood pumping, longing to be a part of her every essence, to the present moment of feeling heartache for her… this woman was slowly softening him and changing him.
Raising his hand, he patted her head and said, "If one day you change your mind, let me know. I will help you find her."
Rain started falling in the night.
A thunderclap tore through the sky.
A beautiful woman sat up in bed, covered in sweat.
"Madam, did you have another nightmare?" The maid handed her a cup of tea.
Brenda, still shaken, looked a bit haggard despite her beauty.
She had that nightmare again, where a little girl grabbed onto her clothes and cried, begging her to stay. "Mommy... Mommy, please don't go..." The innocent child's voice still pained her heart.
Brenda gripped the bedsheets tightly.
She should be twenty-one by now, already graduated from university, right?
Perhaps she didn't even go to college and was forced to work.
But she couldn't go back to her. She couldn't risk everything she had now. She never wanted to return to the miserable life she had before.
She now had a husband and a lovely pair of children. She was living well.
"Madam, the master has returned."
"I'll go down immediately." Brenda took a sip of tea, calming herself, and went downstairs.
"Honey, you're back."
"I told the servants not to wake you up." The fifty-something-year-old, Ruben Eilish, was elegant and refined as he embraced his beloved wife, planting a kiss on her lips, his eyes filled with love.
"It's okay. I wanted to see you as soon as possible too." Brenda spoke gently. After more than twenty years of marriage, their love was still as strong as ever. "Was the business trip difficult for half a month?"
"Yes. Once Anthony returns from Germany next month and officially takes over the Eilish Group, I won't have to work so hard anymore."
"Yes, Anthony is so capable. We can entrust the Eilish Group to him with complete peace of mind."
"Has Nora not come home yet?"
"No, she's still at the hospital. She called a little after six, saying there's an operation tonight."
"She's very dedicated to her work, which is admirable at any age. There's been no progress with the marriage arrangement with the Holland family, and it worries me."
Brenda served him some tea, comforting him tenderly. "Nora is a smart girl, you don't have to worry too much. I can tell she really cares about Samuel. Grandpa Holland is also very satisfied with her and has already accepted her as his daughter-in-law."
"Let's hope so. I'll feel relieved once she gets married. As for Samuel..." Ruben frowned, contemplating for a moment. "That man is too scheming, too ambitious, and with a complicated background. He's not my ideal choice, but since Nora has made up her mind, I can't do anything about it."
"Yes, what matters most is that Nora is happy. As parents, we can only respect her decision. Whoever marries Nora is lucky, this marriage will be set in stone."
Layla woke up to find herself tightly embracing a pink rabbit.
This rabbit was familiar...
Flashes of fragmented images from the previous night swept through her mind.
A myriad of emotions overwhelmed her for a moment.
She thought she didn't care anymore, but it turned out that the emotions she had been suppressing for years would still surface after drinking.
But why did it have to be in front of that man? She felt so embarrassed and didn't want him to know too much about her past.
She changed her clothes and went downstairs for breakfast.
The man, as usual, was reading the financial news, occasionally taking sips of black coffee.
Black shirt, black pants, sunlight casting a faint golden glow on his sculpted body, his profile handsome beyond comparison.
Layla kept her head down and quietly nibbled on her bread.
"Cough..."
Mr. Morris handed her a glass of milk. "Be careful not to choke."
"Thank you, Mr. Morris."
Layla took a sip of milk and secretly glanced at him.
"What do you want to say?" Samuel flipped the newspaper.
"That rabbit you bought for me?"
"Somebody was crying and making a fuss, wouldn't buying it be appropriate?" Samuel replied in a cool tone.
"Was I really that dramatic?" Layla felt even more embarrassed.
"Even more dramatic than that, otherwise would I buy it for you? After all, I'm heartless."
She remembered insulting him as a heartless bastard last night. Layla didn't know what else to say, feeling the awkwardness lingering in the air.
She was usually well-behaved, rarely throwing tantrums or demanding things, but her worst side seemed to appear in front of this man.
She wasn't sure if it was his misfortune or hers.
And then there was the matter of Louis... Did he really promise her last night? Should she confirm it again to be sure?
As Layla was dealing with her internal conflict, her phone rang.
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