My Stepdaughter Calls Me Mommy Now

Thinking back on Sebastian's words last night, Layla knew she had to carry herself with the poise of a wife and keep her dignity, even if love wasn't in the cards. The last thing she wanted was to make things awkward for anyone.

"Layla, are you avoiding me because of Margo Powell?" Mathias's voice was laced with disappointment as he watched her slim figure retreat.

He couldn't shake that letdown. From the second he'd laid eyes on Layla with Ryan, he'd been hooked. If not for the bro code, he would've gone after her himself. Now, it was clear Layla wasn't about to give him a shot.

Layla paused, turning to face him, fully aware of his feelings. She said, tone firm, "Thanks for the kindness, but Margo or not, I'm keeping my distance from men. I'm done falling for anyone."

"Just focus on getting better. Don't waste your sympathy on me—I'm not worth it," she added before walking away. She hoped he'd leave after he recovered, not stick around to see her struggles. But the harder she pushed him away, the more hell-bent he seemed on being there for her.

Back at the nurses' station, Layla was prepping meds for her next patient when Margo came at her with purpose. She snatched up an expensive bottle of medication from beside Layla and deliberately let it fall.

Glass shattered across the floor, medicine scattering everywhere. The head nurse rushed over at the noise.

"Oh no, Layla! How could you be so careless? That medicine costs a fortune!" Margo exclaimed, trying to pin it on Layla.

Staying cool, Layla met the head nurse's eyes. "It wasn't me. Check the security footage."

Stepping around the broken glass, she kept walking. Margo's face fell when she spotted the security camera in the med room. Under the head nurse's suspicious stare, she didn't bother denying it. "Fine, I was clumsy. It's not like I can't afford it."

The head nurse sighed. "Miss Powell, maybe you should just worry about your own work. Layla has connections. We're not sure if they're as powerful as your uncle's, but they're nothing to mess with either."

Realizing her scheme flopped, Margo brushed off the head nurse's words. She kept gunning for Layla, attitude arrogant and cocky.

"By tomorrow, you'll be out of this hospital. Just wait," Margo threatened.

Layla, totally unfazed, almost smiled at Margo's arrogance. If this was the crap Ryan would have to put up with later, she wasn't jealous.

"You run your mouth like you're all that, but you're just a nurse, same as me. If you had real power, wouldn't you be running this hospital by now?" Layla shot back, still cool.

Margo's face twisted with rage. "Just you wait. Tomorrow, you'll see!"

"I'll be waiting. If I'm not fired by tomorrow, keep your distance from me. Even a cornered animal will fight back," Layla replied, holding her head high as she walked off, refusing to be cowed by Margo's family connections.

Layla knew Margo could easily get her canned using her family's pull. If it came to that, she'd have to suck it up and ask her distant husband for help.

Later that afternoon, after picking up Avianna from school, Layla hoped Sebastian would be home soon so they could talk about the hospital mess. She couldn't let Margo win.

After waiting with no sign of him, she decided to shoot him a message. Knowing she needed his help, she added a sweet touch:

"Honey, Monica has dinner ready. When will you be home? Avianna and I are waiting for you."

Meanwhile, Sebastian was at the family estate. Set in a stately, old-English manor, the Knight clan had gathered for their monthly reunion. Everyone who could make it was there.

Sebastian's mother presided at the head of the table, her grown kids and their spouses around her, grandchildren at another table. Widowed for years, she had three sons and two daughters. Sebastian, the youngest and most successful, was the sole unmarried one.

Every get-together, his mother would bring up his bachelorhood, pleading, "Sebastian, you're in your thirties. Can't you think about settling down? If you're too busy to find someone, I can help."

Sebastian's phone screen lit up with Layla's message, pulling his focus. Oddly, he didn't mind the way she called him 'honey.' A soft warmth spread through his chest.

His brother elbowed him, dragging him back to reality. "Sebastian, Mom's talking to you."

He looked at his mother. "Avianna is more than enough for me. I don't see the point in getting married."

She sighed, still not satisfied. "But she isn't actually—"

"Mom," Sebastian cut in, voice firm. "Avianna is my daughter, and I'll only ever have her. Can we please bury the marriage talk? I have zero plans for a wedding."

His mother shook her head, exasperated. She wished he'd change his mind, but she respected it—especially since he'd grown the family business so much, multiplying its value.

After dinner, the family moved to the lounge, and Sebastian caught Margo talking to his brother and sister-in-law. "Auntie, Uncle, there's this girl, Layla Jensen. She's a real piece of work, always trying to cozy up to Mathias so she can weasel her way into the Knight family. You need to put a stop to it."

Sebastian halted, his eyes going cold. "Margo, if your legal knowledge is lacking, I'm happy to pay for some extra schooling. Spreading false information is a crime."

Margo startled, quickly stepping back, cowed by Sebastian's natural authority. Still, she pushed on. "It's true! Layla was my classmate, from a poor family. She was always stealing stuff."

"She knows Mathias is my cousin and tried getting close to him for his money. Look at his bank records—he's transferred a ton to her."

She faced Sebastian, pleading. "Uncle, you need to fire Layla before she pulls some stunt on Mathias."

Sebastian's face stayed unreadable as he processed this. Layla hadn't seemed like the kind of person Margo painted, but maybe he'd underestimated her. Still, he wasn't about to jump to conclusions without solid proof.