Chapter 360

Kayla stared at Tuff, her eyes growing wetter with sadness, almost spilling out.

“Does Landon know?” she asked softly.

“Yes,” Tuff replied, his voice growing quieter. He braced himself for the storm he knew was coming, ready to take whatever came his way as long as Kayla could forgive him.

“Then… It’s fine,” Kayla said, her voice steady but still carrying a hint of sorrow.

“What?” Maggie blurted out, totally stunned.

Did I hear that right? Tuff wondered, disbelief flashing through his mind.

Did she just say it’s fine? he thought, still in shock.

“You guys did your best to find me. That’s enough,” Kayla said, her voice steady but still tinged with sorrow.

Kayla’s forgiving nature made Tuff feel both grateful and pained inside.

He pulled her into a tight embrace, whispering her name over and over again. “Kayla, Kayla…”

“If I hadn’t lost my memory back then, I would’ve recognized you, too. But I guess that’s fate. The important thing is, you found me in the end,” Kayla said softly.

Kayla closed her eyes, forcing back her tears.

She knew everyone had done their best. There was no one left to blame.

It was just the cruel hand of fate.

“Kayla, Kayla…” Tuff whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

“Alright, I’m not mad. Why are you the one looking so miserable?” Kayla said, a bit exasperated.

She couldn’t help but feel speechless at Tuff’s pitiful sobs.

Seriously, I’m the one who went through all the suffering here, Kayla thought.

“Honey, ever since we lost you, Landon’s been bossing me around for years. Whatever he says, I don’t even dare talk back!” Tuff whined, his voice full of self–pity.

Kayla couldn’t help but roll her eyes, completely speechless.

“Honey, you have to help me put him in his place from now on,” Tuff pleaded, looking at her with puppy dog eyes.

“Fine,” Kayla sighed, giving in reluctantly.

“Honey, you drank too much. Sit down for a bit. I’ll get you some fruit,” Kayla said.

“Alright,” Maisie let out a sigh of relief.

Tuff sat there obediently, waiting for Kayla.

His head was spinning from the booze, and his vision doubled. He shook his head and reached for some water…

When Kayla returned with the fruit, she found Maggie sitting in Tuff’s spot.

The Prescott family had been invited to the party, too.

Seeing Maggie there didn’t surprise Kayla at all. “Maggie, where’s Tuff?” she asked.

“He’s drunk. I had the chauffeur take him home,” Maggie replied, giving Kayla a once–over. “Honestly, how could you leave your husband alone when he’s drunk?”

“I went to get some fruit,” Kayla explained calmly.

“How much longer is the party going to last?” Maggie asked.

Kayla looked over at Amelia nearby and said, “It should still be a while.”

“Alright. I’m not waiting around for you,” Maggie said, getting up to leave.

Kayla was used to Maggie’s cold demeanor and didn’t care whether she waited or not.

She wasn’t going home tonight anyway. She was going to the hospital with Giovanna to get admitted.

As for Tuff, he was in good hands with his family. She didn’t need to worry about him.

So, Kayla handed Landen over to Amelia when the party ended. “I’m going for surgery. You take care of Landen,” she said.

“Sure,” Amelia agreed happily. “The nanny’s here, too. Let them stay for a bit.”

“Kayla, we’ll come to the hospital to keep you company tomorrow,” Landon said. “Don’t be scared.”

“Scared? I’ve been through worse than this,” Kayla chuckled lightly.

Something as minor as a little cosmetic surgery? A piece of cake for her.

“Come on, let’s go. Look at Amelia. She’s so tipsy that her face is all red. Who knows what kind of fun she’ll be having tonight? Let’s not get in their way,” Giovanna teased with a mischievous grin.

Amelia’s cheeks flushed even deeper. “Giovanna, what are you saying!”

“Did I say anything wrong? It’s your birthday, after all. The party outside is over. It’s time to head home and keep the celebration going, right, Landon?” Giovanna said, giving Landon a playful wink.

“That’s right,” Landon nodded.

Amelia, blushing, gave him a playful punch. “Giovanna can’t keep her mouth shut, and now you’re egging her on, too?”

“The truth speaks for itself! Let’s go home,” Landon said, pulling her along.

Daniel shook his head. “Man, you guys have no shame!”

“Once Edith has the baby, you’ll just have no shame,” Giovanna shot back at Daniel as she walked off.

Edith blushed furiously, ducking her head and staying silent.

When it came to verbal sparring, nobody could win against Giovanna.

Giovanna crushed them, all by herself.

The night air was cool and gentle. Half–conscious, Tuff suddenly felt someone’s hands on him. He snapped his eyes open and was startled out of his wits.

A woman!

A strange woman!

“Who are you?” Tuff blurted out, panic rising in his voice.

The moment he spoke, he started freaking out even more.

His voice came out hoarse, barely a croak. What the hell happened to my voice? And why do I feel like my whole body is humming? Tuff thought, panic rising.

“Fuck off! Don’t touch me!” Tuff mumbled, his voice so weak it was almost lost in the air.

He couldn’t make out her face in the dim light.

However, the woman ignored his anger, busy trying to yank his pants off like she didn’t care at all.

Her touch sent a wave of pleasure through his body, making him want to give in and lose himself.

However, his rational mind screamed at him. Something was seriously wrong! He couldn’t let it happen.

“Get lost!” Tuff yelled, his voice hoarse and desperate.

With every bit of strength he had left, Tuff shoved the woman off and struggled to get out of bed, trying to escape.

That was when he realized he was in a hotel room.

He’d been waiting for Kayla at the party, so how the hell did he get dragged off to a hotel room?

The woman pressed up against him from behind, and Tuff’s whole body jolted with a violent shudder.

He pinched his thigh hard, snapping himself back to reality.

At that moment, he truly felt the agony Kayla had gone through when Jonny drugged her.

Staying pure for him in a situation like that, Kayla was honestly amazing.

“Get the hell away from me!” Tuff shouted, his voice filled with rage.

Thinking of Kayla gave him a sudden burst of strength. He pried the woman off him and, barely keeping his balance, stumbled out of the room, yelling, “Somebody, help me!”

The woman didn’t dare chase after him. She bolted down the stairs in the other direction.

In the elevator lobby, other guests saw Tuff, whose eyes were bloodshot, and his clothes all messed up. They were freaked out.

Some people called the front desk, while others dialed the police.

By the time Tuff finally snapped out of it, he was already back at the Prescott family’s house.

Maggie was by his side, helping him drink some water.

“Mom, how did I get back here?” Tuff asked weakly.

“The hotel called us, so the chauffeur brought you home,” Maggie said, her eyes red from crying. “How did you end up like that?”

“I don’t know. Where’s Kayla?” Tuff asked, pushing himself up.

Right now, all Tuff wanted was a comforting hug from Kayla.

“She didn’t come home. She said she was going to the hospital with Giovanna,” Maggie replied.

“Oh, right. She did mention that.”

Tuff let himself fall back onto the bed, feeling a wave of disappointment.

After thinking it over, he added, “Mom, don’t tell her since she doesn’t know.”

“Alright, whatever you say,” Maggie replied, lowering her gaze with a sigh, trying to mask her uneasiness.

Joyce had told her everything went off without a hitch tonight, and they’d hear some good news in a month.

Everything had gone smoothly, other than making her son suffer a bit.

Tuff closed his eyes, feeling relieved. He let himself rest.

Damn it! That woman almost took advantage of me. Once I’m back on my feet, I’ll track her down and make her pay! Lucky for me, Kayla wasn’t home last night, or I’d be toast, Tuff muttered curses in his head.

However, his weakness won out, and he was out cold in no time.

Maggie breathed a sigh of relief, slipped out of the room, and made a call. “Joyce, he didn’t suspect a thing. But he’ll start digging around, so make sure that girl keeps her head down…”

“Don’t worry, Maggie. He won’t find a thing,” Joyce said with confidence.

“Good! You did great this time. I’ll make it up to you soon,” Maggie promised.

“Thanks, Maggie!” Joyce replied cheerfully.

Tuff finally came to his senses in the afternoon, and the very first thing he did was rush to the hotel to figure out what had happened.

Sure enough, the security footage showed him and Joyce walking up to the front desk together, acting completely normal as they checked in, then heading to the room like nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Mr. Prescott, you checked in yourself. There was no sign of coercion. If there had been, we would have called the police immediately,” the hotel manager explained, personally assisting with the investigation.

However, Tuff couldn’t remember a thing about last night.

How could I possibly have checked into a hotel room with Joyce? Even if I wanted to, I’d never have the nerve. Besides, Joyce’s like a kid sister to me! Tuff thought, his mind spinning in disbelief.

Something was fishy here.

“Mr. Prescott?” the manager asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“I need a copy of that footage,” Tuff said firmly.

“Yes.”

“And keep this under wraps.”

“Yes.”

Tuff took the backup and headed straight for the Lambert family’s residence.