Chapter 26 Confrontation
When Jaylen’s gaze met Zayden’s, any pretense of courage vanished from his face, replaced instantly by a guilty flick- er that gave him away.
Zayden’s expression tightened. He didn’t need further explanation; the pieces clicked into place.
His deep eyes narrowed slightly. “So, what exactly transpired here?”
Lailah ignored him completely, her eyes fixed somewhere beyond him.
Maxwell chuckled softly, turning to Lailah, “Lili, what really happened just now?”
Lailah might dismiss Zayden, but she couldn’t afford to ignore Maxwell.
She was utterly weary of this cycle of suspicion and demands for explanation.
Instead of uttering a word, she reached for a nearby phone and tapped the screen.
Suddenly, a video began playing, its sound filling the tense silence.
Simultaneously, Jaylen’s loud, accusatory voice boomed from the phone’s speaker.
“Lailah, you murderer!”
The shaky footage showed Jaylen reaching for the cup and hurling its contents directly at Lailah.
As the liquid struck the lens, the screen instantly blurred.
A memory flashed in Zayden’s mind. When he’d first walked into the ward, he’d noticed Lailah’s hair looked slightly damp, and there had been faint water stains on the blanket near her.
Lailah carefully wiped the water from the phone screen. The video continued, showing Jaylen pointing aggressively at Lailah, his face contorted.
He advanced menacingly, his posture predatory.
As he reached out, Lailah’s foot lashed out, sending him staggering.
Caught off balance, Jaylen crashed into a nearby table, sending cups clattering to the floor and knocking into Tamara, who had been standing behind him.
The footage ended there.
A heavy, deathly silence fell upon the room.
Zayden’s dark, unreadable eyes were fixed on Tamara.
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Chapter 26 Confrontation
“Tamara, is that how it happened?”
Tamara looked utterly stunned, her eyes wide. After a long, awkward pause, she finally nodded.
“Yes… Ms. Griffith did not push me.”
“Then why didn’t you say so earlier?” Zayden pressed.
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Tamara’s eyes suddenly welled with tears, and she spoke with injured indignation, “I came to the ward to confront Ms. Griffith about the car accident… I didn’t think a little stumble like that was worth mentioning.”
Indeed, throughout the entire incident, Tamara had never once claimed Lailah had pushed her.
It had been Jaylen who laid the blame squarely on Lailah.
Zayden’s handsome features were rigid, his expression stern, as his gaze locked onto Jaylen.
His lips parted, uttering a quiet word. “Apologize.”
Jaylen blinked, startled. “What?”
Zayden’s eyes were like chips of ice. “Apologize to Lailah.”
A surge of resentment surged within Jaylen.
He opened his mouth, ready to protest, but the undeniable truth was that assaulting a woman, especially Zayden’s wife, was inexcusable.
Jaylen grudgingly mumbled, “Lailah, I’m sorry…”
Lailah arched an eyebrow. “Pardon me? I didn’t quite catch that.”
Jaylen gritted his teeth, humiliation flashing across his face.
He spoke a little louder this time, “Lailah, I’m sorry.”
Lailah replied with cool calmness, “I don’t think Mr. Nielsen needs to offer an apology.”
A flicker of hope lit Jaylen’s eyes. “Zayden, see? Lailah said-”
Lailah cut him off smoothly, “Anyway, no matter how he apologizes, I won’t forgive him. It would mean more for him to experience being splashed himself. Far more meaningful than a grudging apology.”
Jaylen glared, his finger jabbing towards her. “Lailah, don’t think you can just get away with it! You kicked me too!”
Lailah leaned back against the headboard. “Oh? When you splashed water in my face, it didn’t seem like too much. But now that I kicked you, it is? Jaylen, aren’t you being a bit hypocritical?
“I kicked you in self-defense. If I hadn’t, who knows what you might have done? I’m injured and practically confined to this bed; I’m no match for a man like you.”
Jaylen’s face flushed a deep red with fury. He lunged forward, clearly intending to confront Lailah, but Maxwell
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Chapter 26 Confrontation
stepped deftly between them.
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Maxwell spoke softly, yet his words carried clear hints. “With so many people present, Mr. Nielsen still dared to lay a hand on Lili… That alone tells how arrogant he must be on a regular basis. And the reason he’s gotten so full of him- self…”
Maxwell’s gaze shifted to Zayden, a faint, enigmatic smile touching his thin lips.
“Is it perhaps due to someone’s indulgence and favoritism? Mr. Walter, harboring feelings for your first love might be one thing, but does that protection extend to her friends as well?
“Does this mean that from now on, anyone associated with Ms. Mosley, regardless of who they are, can act with im- punity towards Lili, trampling over her at will?”
Zayden’s dark eyes were deep and unreadable. After a long, heavy silence, he finally turned his gaze towards Lailah.
“How can this be resolved to your satisfaction?” he asked.
Jaylen’s expression flickered. “Zayden…”
Lailah said calmly, “Since he was the one who splashed the water on me first, it seems only fair he gets doused a hun- dred times in return.”
Jaylen’s fists clenched instinctively, his face a mask of resentment.
Tamara’s eyes widened in disbelief, clearly not expecting Lailah to hold such firm ground, even in Zayden’s presence.
Tamara began to interject, “Zayden…”
But Zayden cut her off coolly before she could finish.
“Do you want to carry out this ‘punishment’ yourself, or should someone else handle it?”
The question hung in the air, clearly aimed at Lailah.
Lailah’s expression remained indifferent. “I’m currently somewhat restricted in movement, recovering from injuries. Let someone else manage it. It’s hardly worth aggravating my injuries over him.”
Zayden’s eyes remained cold. “Alright.”
Jaylen shot Lailah one last, venomous glare before spinning on his heel and storming out of the ward.
Realizing that pressing the matter of the car accident now would be futile, Tamara quickly followed Jaylen’s depar-
ture.
The tension was finally broken, a hint of fatigue settled between Lailah’s brows.
Lailah had expected Zayden’s intervention, but it elicited no particular emotion within her.
After all, if Zayden ignored Jaylen assaulting her, it clearly showed Zayden’s extreme unfairness.
Besides, this matter had nothing to do with Tamara.
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If Tamara herself had been the aggressor, perhaps the situation would have been entirely different.
Deciding the matter was settled for now, Lailah closed her eyes. “I’m tired. I need to rest. We can discuss anything else tomorrow.”
Neither Maxwell nor Zayden moved.
Maxwell stepped forward. “Lili, are you hungry before you rest?”
Considering how Maxwell had been assisting her over the past few days, Lailah opened her eyes, offering him a grateful smile.
“Thank you, Mr. Davidson.”
Maxwell explained, “I had the,kitchen prepare some of your favorite dishes. However, since your wounds haven’t ful- ly healed, you should probably avoid anything too spicy.”
Lailah glanced at the dishes Maxwell had brought in, her eyes instantly brightening.
They were all her favorites.
Standing nearby, Zayden felt an inexplicable unease watching the interaction between them.
It felt almost as though Maxwell were Lailah’s husband, while he was merely an outsider observing the scene.
Zayden’s lips pressed into a line, and a strange, tight sense of displeasure rose in his chest.
“Mr. Davidson,” he cut through the unexpectedly warm atmosphere, “if there’s nothing else, you can leave now. I’ll handle things here.”
Maxwell paused, his surprise evident.
“Mr. Walter, your staying here doesn’t seem particularly helpful. Perhaps you should be checking on Ms. Mosley in- stead.”
Zayden’s handsome face remained impassive. “Lailah is my wife. My presence here is naturally more helpful than yours, Mr. Davidson.”
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