Sorry I'm Mated To The Commander novel Chapter 180

Chapter 180

Chapter 180

Jayvon was taken aback.

He’d heard Randall talk about that place before.

It was the Wastelands-9 Orphan Core, where Layla had grown up. The place was simple. There was just Celia, the director, and about twenty kids.

Lynn, Randall’s mom, would go there to help out.

Layla would drop by every now and then.

But the Wastelands-9 Orphan Core never applied for orphan support from Alpha Prime. Layla was covering all the costs herself.

That included the kids’ daily expenses, education costs, and other necessities.

Layla seemed to instinctively keep the orphanage low-profile, not wanting outsiders to pay too much attention to it.

In short, only those whom Layla truly trusted were allowed to help out at the orphanage.

Randall was Annie’s partner, and Annie was Layla’s friend, so Lynn was allowed to help out there.

‘As for me,’ Jayvon thought to himself.

Honestly, we’re basically part of Layla’s inner circle now, especially since her dad is the boss.

Jayvon’s voice was low. “My mom used to love kids, but now she barely says a word. She just sits there all day, with the housekeeping bots taking care of her meals and everything.”

“Is she not allowed to leave the Turner residence?” Layla asked.

Jayvon shook his head. “It’s not that she can’t leave. She just doesn’t know where to go. Back when she was still clear-headed. she tried going to my grandma’s place.

“But her family gave us the cold shoulder, and my aunt and the others were always throwing shade. After that, neither of us wanted to go back. But I’m still in school, still a minor, so I can’t take her with me.”

Back when his mom was still lucid, she’d hold Jayvon and cry, saying, “Jayvon, it’s all my fault. I’m the reason you don’t have a real home anymore.”

Layla went quiet for a moment, then sent Jayvon the address for the Wastelands-9 Orphan Core.

She said, “Why don’t you bring her by the orphanage one day? I’ll give Celia a heads-up. If she doesn’t like it, you can take her somewhere else. But if she likes it, she’s welcome to stay.

“There are plenty of rooms, and everything she needs is already there. If she gets better and wants to help out with the kids, I’ll even pay her.”

Jayvon was so grateful. “Thank you, Layla.”

Layla just waved it off. “It’s no big deal.”

After all, Jayvon was her apprentice now.

She couldn’t just come out and tell him who she really was, but she could at least be a bit kinder to him than before.

14:57 Wed, Jan 14 GJM.

Chapter 180

But the noble families on Alpha Prime were getting more and more insufferable with their old habits.

Alpha Prime might look like the most prosperous planet in the universe, but underneath all that glitter, it was a mess.

Layla thought about Leilani, stuck in her role as queen, and Atlas, still caught up in royal drama. Then she glanced at her friends. Every single one of them was mixed up with the noble families, and all of them had their own complicated messes.

Layla was in class, glancing around. In her Mech Engineering Division Class S, everyone was either from a noble family or had already been recruited into their circle.

Regular folks didn’t exist here.

If she didn’t choose a faction, she’d be left out in the cold, and sooner or later, she’d get sidelined.

Take Jayvon, for example. The Turner family used to look down on him and bully him and his mom for years, but now that he’s made it into Class S, they suddenly start valuing him like he’s their golden ticket.

Family bonds that could shift so easily were hollow and fragile.

Layla didn’t need that kind of family at all.

Fake family ties were even cheaper than weeds.

But as soon as class was over, Layla saw Xanthe waiting by the door, just her luck.

Layla lowered her eyes and let out a dry chuckle. ‘Here we go again with the fake family stuff, she thought.

Xanthe took a deep breath and tried to sound as humble as she could. “Layla, do you have a minute? I just want to talk, just a few minutes, I promise.”

“I don’t have time,” Layla said, not bothering to hide her impatience.

“Layla, what I want to talk about is Prince Atlas. Are you sure you don’t want to hear it?” Xanthe pressed.

Layla stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Xanthe.

Three minutes later, they were in Layla’s dorm. Layla didn’t bother with any of the usual pleasantries, just said flatly, “Spit it

out.”

Xanthe blurted out, “Layla, you can’t marry Prince Atlas. Your status is way too special.”

Layla’s eyes flickered for a second, but her face stayed calm. “Special? Is it because I’m an orphan? Or just the one your family tossed aside?”

Xanthe blinked in surprise. “Layla, you still haven’t found your real parents?”

Layla pressed her lips together. “No, I haven’t. Have you? If you have, then tell me, what kind of people are they? Why did they leave me at the orphanage, and where are they now?”

Layla’s barrage of questions completely threw Xanthe off.

“This doesn’t make sense. At this point, Layla should already know who her real parents are, Xanthe thought, a wave of panic rising inside her.

Xanthe caught Layla’s eye and suddenly felt a bit intimidated for no reason.

Her shift tier looked about the same as Layla’s, maybe even a bit higher, but that wasn’t her own natural ability.

Her system was just faking the whole thing for her.

14:57 Wed, Jan 14 G SM

Chapter 180

Standing in front of an upper-tier shifter with a shift tier nearly at 3S, Xanthe instinctively took a half-step back.

Layla caught every little move Xanthe made, not missing a thing.

She finally realized Xanthe knew way too much, even stuff like Layla’s dad being the leader of the Resistance.

But Xanthe was clearly being held back, unable to say anything outright.

Just now, Xanthe hadn’t said anything directly. She was trying to manipulate Layla with her words, planting seeds of doubt.

She wanted Layla to feel conflicted and reconsider marrying Atlas.

Layla wasn’t scared of Xanthe, but it felt like there was a venomous snake coiled up right next to her, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Layla was seriously fed up with it.

Layla took a step forward, and Xanthe instinctively took a step back.

Layla said coldly, “Xanthe, is it that you just can’t stand to see me doing well? You really don’t want me marrying Prince Atlas?

“Or did you forget it was you who hacked my optical computer and sent that marriage request to the Prime AI behind my back? That’s the only reason I got tangled up with Prince Atlas at all.”

Xanthe looked honestly remorseful. “I really regret it. Seriously, if I could go back, I’d never do it again.”

“Then what would you have done?” Layla asked.

She replied, “First off, I wouldn’t have thrown you out of the Sullivan family. I’d have actually treated you like a real sister, and I wouldn’t have tried to snatch Caleb away from you. You two would’ve gotten married and lived happily ever after.”

Xanthe thought to herself, ‘Then I could’ve tried to win Atlas over instead.

‘Would’ve saved me all this hassle.’

Layla suddenly let out a mocking laugh.

Xanthe froze.

Her heart gave a jolt. ‘Wait, did I say something wrong?’ she thought, a flicker of panic in her chest.

Then Layla said, “Xanthe, you know Caleb isn’t someone worth trusting for life, so you were hoping I’d end up with him. right?”

“I. Layla, I swear I’m just trying to help you. Once you learn the truth about your family, you’ll totally regret marrying Prince Atlas, Xanthe blurted out,

“Oh? Then why don’t you tell me? Who am I really? What’s my story?” Layla shot back.

Back to square one, but Xanthe’s face had gone ghostly pale. She couldn’t say a thing.