Chapter 30: chapter 30

Inaya looked at Neil, then turned her eyes calmly towards Layla."It’s just a misunderstanding between Layla and me. I’ve already given a statement to the press to clear everything. Let’s not stretch this matter unnecessarily, okay?"But Inaya didn’t say more. She already knew very well what Neil meant by “looking for her all night.” If he had really been searching for her, he would’ve realised she no longer lived at her old address. Clearly, he had been too “busy” searching under the sheets with Layla."Too bad," Inaya said quietly, her tone calm but sharp. "What happened between Miss Layla and me isn’t just a misunderstanding. I’ve helped her so many times in the past—and yet, she turns around and backstabs me. Tell me, in your eyes, am I that easy to push around?""Come on, Inaya! Layla only acted that way because she was scared the media would catch something. What else could she have done?" Neil tried to justify."Really?" Inaya raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying his excuse."Anyway, that’s done and over with. Let’s move forward. About the hf spokesperson deal... why don’t you give it back to Layla? That contract means a lot to her. You’ve already stepped back from the runway; you're not taking up shows anymore. So, there's no point in you holding onto it," Neil said, his tone slowly shifting from polite to commanding, almost like he was giving her orders."Exactly!" Layla added quickly. "Inaya, you haven’t been active on the stage for years. You're out of touch now... and honestly, the deal was mine from the start. hf must’ve assumed I wouldn’t recover in time because of my injury. That’s probably why they offered it to you. But I know you wouldn’t want to be someone’s second option, right?"Inaya gave a cold laugh, "The way Miss Layla puts it... it's kind of ironic, don’t you think?"Neil couldn’t take it anymore. His voice rose as he snapped,"Inaya, you weren’t like this before. If you still love me, you wouldn’t insist on taking this deal. Think about Nova Entertainment. If Layla wins this award, it’ll raise the company’s image in the whole industry."There it was—the manipulation. He was using love as a weapon now.Layla, meanwhile, was silently rejoicing. She knew Inaya had always been soft when it came to Neil. She was convinced that Inaya would give up the contract without a second thought."Neil, call hf right now. Tell them Inaya’s busy with wedding planning, and she can’t commit to anything new," Layla said sweetly, but the smirk in her voice was hard to miss.Neil nodded and reached for his phone. But before he could even dial, Inaya stopped him firmly."I’m sorry to disappoint you both," she said with quiet confidence. "But I’ve already accepted the deal."Neil froze. "Inaya!" he blurted out, completely shocked. She had never defied him like this before."You seem to be forgetting something," Inaya continued, her voice cool. "I’m also a signed model with Nova Entertainment. I’ve already spoken directly with Mr. Gupta from hf, and he’s excited to work with me. So... the deal is mine."