She Was Never Just the Wife novel Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Chapter 41

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The Stein Mansion sat tucked away in a high-end community on the west side of town, a peaceful retreat from the city’s chaos. The afternoon sunlight poured down, warm and gentle. But it couldn’t chase away the gloom quietly creeping into some people’s hearts.

A black car pulled into the courtyard, and Laylah stepped out. Her usual gentle smile was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a faint weariness and a lingering sense of unease.

After the Lucero family’s birthday party, everything had gone completely off the rails. Celia had vanished without a trace. Louis was nowhere to be found, and the Lucero family had gone eerily quiet.

Tanner seemed colder toward her than before. All of it made her feel like something was seriously off.

What really bothered her was Aiyana’s impulsive plan. She hadn’t fully agreed with it, but she’d still gone along with it and handed over the water.

She thought it would embarrass Celia at the party, knock her down a peg, and maybe make Beckham lose interest in her for good. But now, it looked like things were way more complicated than she’d thought.

Louis was a reckless playboy, and Aiyana had somehow gotten her hands on some powerful drugs. ‘If things spiraled out of control, would I end up getting dragged into it too?’ she wondered.

Even though she was annoyed at Aiyana for acting so recklessly without thinking things through, they were sisters. If one of them went down, the other would go down with her.

She had to come back and get to the bottom of things, see if there was any mess left to clean up. At the very least, she needed to know what had happened to Louis and where he’d disappeared to.

“Laylah, you’re back?” The butler, Brayden, greeted her from the side hall, his face showing the usual respect. “Mr. Stein is at the office, and Mrs. Stein is out shopping with some friends. She hasn’t returned yet.”

Laylah nodded absentmindedly, glancing at the stairs. “Is Aiyana home?”

“Yes, Aiyana is in her room,” Brayden replied eagerly. “The kitchen has prepared some chocolate chip cookies. Would you like some?”

“No, thanks,” Laylah said, waving her hand. She really wasn’t in the mood for that right now. She turned and headed up the thickly carpeted stairs, moving a bit faster than usual, making a beeline for Aiyana’s room on the second floor.

Aiyana’s room was at the end of the hallway, and the door was closed tight. Laylah walked up, about to knock, when she heard laughter and voices coming from inside. Clearly, Aiyana had company.

She paused, her brows furrowed. ‘After all that mess, she’s still in the mood to laugh and hang out with her friends?’ Laylah thought, a surge of annoyance washing over her.

She dropped her hand and instinctively leaned in, pressing her ear to the heavy wooden door. The room was fairly soundproof, but the conversation inside was lively enough that snippets of voices slipped through.

“Come on, spill it. How did last night go? Did it work? I heard the real Mrs. Lucero vanished. Was that your

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Chapter 41

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handiwork?” The gossipy, excited female voice belonged to Sarah Bowers, Aiyana’s troublemaking bestie.

Aiyana’s voice came next, sounding both smug and a little guilty. “I made sure the drug was in place, and everything was set up. Once Louis saw Celia like that, he definitely wouldn’t be able to hold back.”

“And then? And then? Why is there no juicy aftermath? I was waiting for the drama,” Sarah pressed.

Aiyana’s voice dropped, tinged with uncertainty and irritation. “I don’t know. Things got chaotic at the party, and Celia disappeared. Louis has gone radio silent. Laylah spent the whole night searching, but still couldn’t find them.”

“Gone radio silent?” Sarah’s voice shot up. “Wait, did something happen? Aiyana, you’d better not get yourself into trouble.”

“What could possibly happen?” Aiyana snapped, her voice suddenly sharp. “Louis is that kind of guy. Maybe he got what he wanted and disappeared to have his fun, or maybe he bailed because he thought we’d come after him.

Her tone turned dismissive. “As for Celia, what can she do? Nobody cares about her. Her mom’s gone, and she’s about to get kicked out. Even if she got taken advantage of, would she dare say anything?

“Who’s gonna stand up for her? Beckham’s totally focused on my sister now. Who’s going to care about her?”

Outside the door, Laylah’s heart sank. ‘Louis is missing? Did he really run off, or did something else happen?

‘And where could Celia have gone? If something really happened and the police get involved.’ She couldn’t let herself think any further. ‘Such a fool. Always so reckless.’

Inside the room, Sarah either bought Aiyana’s story or didn’t care, and she switched topics with a teasing grin. “Hey, Aiyana, why are you working so hard to mess with Celia for your sister? Don’t you kinda have a thing for Beckham yourself?”

Aiyana snorted, her voice dripping with contempt and scheming. “Like him? Sure, Beckham’s awesome. But honestly, first off, I can’t stand Celia acting all high and mighty. She seriously gets on my nerves.”

She paused, lowering her voice, but Laylah could still hear every word from outside. “And second, whether Laylah actually becomes Mrs. Lucero is still up in the air. You really think she spent all those years abroad dancing and raising a kid?

“Mom and Dad are betting everything on her landing the Lucero family. But what if she blows it? What if the Luceros don’t want her?”

“So you’re saying…” Sarah’s voice perked up, catching the hint.

Aiyana’s tone got lighter, but there was a chill underneath. “What I’m saying is, helping her get rid of Celia is a huge favor. If she really makes it, I’m the sister who did all the dirty work. I’ll get something out of it.

“But if she screws up, maybe the chance goes to someone else. Beckham’s not gonna stay single forever, right? And Mom and Dad will finally see who’s actually got brains and who’s really useful.”

Outside the door, Laylah froze, her blood running cold. Her eyes went wide in disbelief, and her fingers

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Chapter 41

clenched so tightly she couldn’t feel the pain.

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‘So that’s it, Laylah thought. ‘The sister I thought was loyal and dependable has been scheming behind back this whole time.

my

‘While using me to remove obstacles, she was secretly plotting to take my place, and had already prepared to replace me. The affectionate sister and seemingly innocent support were all part of her cold-blooded calculations.’

Anger, icy dread, and the sting of betrayal by her own flesh and blood crashed over her. She’d always believed Aiyana was a little vain and selfish, but sisters were supposed to stick together.

Now she saw it clearly. When ambition and self-interest came into play, family meant nothing.

Inside the room, the two girls had already switched topics, gossiping about designer stuff and weekend parties, like that cold, ruthless talk had never happened.

Laylah slowly straightened up and stepped away from the door. Her face was white as a sheet, lips pressed tight. The gentle warmth that used to fill her eyes was gone, replaced by a cold, dead calm.

She didn’t knock, didn’t storm in to call them out. She quietly turned around, her footsteps barely making a sound on the soft carpet as she slipped downstairs. Her back was straight as a board, but an icy aura clung to her.

Brayden was still downstairs. When he saw her come down so quickly, looking worse than when she went up, he asked cautiously, “Won’t you go see Aiyana? Would you like some chocolate chip cookies?”

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