It's All too Late

"If there is a woman claiming to be your birth mother, she's just pretending," he added. Jayden continued to stroke Layla's head. "Meaning she's a crazy person." Harsh. That's what Jayden said. But indeed, it's better that way. It's better for Layla not to know that her real mother abandoned her. That her own mother didn't want her presence. And if she returns now, Jayden certainly won't allow her to take Layla who had been discarded without feelings. "I love Aunt Agatha, I don't want her to leave us. Papa has to protect Aunt Agatha and keep her by our side," Layla said again. Jayden nodded, even before Layla asked, he was already determined to do that. "Papa definitely won't let Aunt Agatha leave. She's like family to us, Layla. Papa will definitely protect her."  *** In his room, Jayden felt his phone vibrating several times. Initially, he ignored it, focusing on finishing his work on the laptop. However, the vibration continued to disturb him, eventually prompting him to open the incoming message. Initially confused because there was only a number without a sender identity, but when he read the content of the message, Jayden was surprised. It was filled with words of regret and apologies. The sender confessed to be Vania, his ex-girlfriend. Jayden was irritated, he threw his phone onto the bed with a small growl and a few curses. With an increasingly restless face, he chose to continue his work. Even when his phone rang, Jayden grumbled in annoyance, covering his ears with earphones. He was determined to forget the past; he let the phone ring disappear amidst the music flowing into his ears. "Crazy woman! Why did she suddenly reappear?!" Jayden muttered in frustration, his eyes reflecting disbelief at the sudden presence of Vania in his life. Despite trying to focus on his work, surprise and frustration were evident in his facial expressions. Jayden typed something on his laptop angrily. His fingers moved quickly, but his mind became distracted after reading a message from his ex-girlfriend. Jayden's eyes occasionally stuck to the screen, but his thoughts drifted far away, disturbed by the memories just brought back to life. The difficulty in focusing was clearly visible from his tense facial expression. "How did she know my number? Don't tell me she's causing trouble for me after coming back from abroad? Ugh, what a nuisance," Jayden hissed, his annoyed voice heard clearly. He felt emotional and irritated at the same time, trying to figure out how Vania could have his contact number. The disturbance grew stronger, and Jayden became increasingly frustrated with the sudden reappearance of the unsettling past. "I won't let her disrupt my life. I won't allow her to meet her child. Layla must not know that she is her mother," Jayden said, clenching his fists with strong determination. The sense of protection for Layla was clearly reflected in his eyes, full of resolve to shield his daughter from unwanted disturbances from the past. A few hours ago, Layla mentioned that Vania had met her. Instantly, Jayden was irritated, and coincidentally, Vania had contacted him now. Might as well ask for a meeting to settle everything. Jayden felt that he had to do something about the woman he despised so much. With firm steps, he decided to face Vania and resolve this issue once and for all. Jayden, with difficulty hiding his annoyance, sent a firm message to Vania, "We need to talk. Decide on the place and time soon. We'll settle everything." The seriousness emitted from the message he sent, indicating that Jayden would no longer allow Vania to interfere in his life without a direct confrontation. "Feel it, this is the consequence you have to face for the cruel actions you did to me in the past," Jayden uttered coldly before placing his phone back on the nightstand. His facial expression reflected firmness in setting boundaries with Vania, and he decided not to let that past further poison his life.  *** The next day, in the closed-off VIP cafe, Jayden, Vania, Agatha, and Layla sat together. A cold atmosphere enveloped them. Vania started with full regret. "Jayden, I truly regret all the mistakes of the past. I hope you can forgive me." Jayden, without showing any expression, only nodded briefly without saying anything. The atmosphere grew even tenser, and Agatha could only stay silent, observing the situation between them. She dared not to speak or even open her mouth. The drinks on the table seemed untouched. "I'm trapped, I feel like I'll turn into ice here," Agatha thought. Her body also stiffened, feeling the cold atmosphere among them. On the other side, Vania glanced at Agatha beside her cynically, creating even stronger tension. Jayden and Layla sat side by side, Layla feeling confused about the situation, just looking around the cafe. Several times she also felt Jayden gently holding her hand. "Everything will be fine, Layla. You have to trust Papa," Jayden whispered softly. He knew Layla was tense right now. Layla felt a bit calmer after hearing that. She then nodded slowly. "Jayden, are you listening to me? I sincerely apologize for the past incidents. Now I have changed—" Jayden scoffed. "Even a thousand times you apologize, I will still hate you. And of course, we will not go back to how we were before. It's useless for you to say that now. It's too late, Vania." "Don't be so cruel, Jayden. This is not like you. You are a man who wouldn't do this to me. You must be testing me, right? You want to see if I have really changed, right, Jayden? You still love me, don't you?" Vania smiled, gazing at Jayden brightly. Jayden suppressed a laugh, but a moment later his face turned flat and cold. "You really are insane. You make me want to burst out laughing." Agatha was astonished, not expecting Jayden's response like that. She thought inwardly, bowing her head and not wanting to make eye contact with the man. "His aura is very different. Is he really the Jayden I've known all this time?" "Well, at least he doesn't like her anymore, right," Agatha continued. Honestly, she was quite relieved because Jayden seemed unlikely to be with Vania again. This opened an opportunity for her to maintain her feelings. Vania clenched her fists. Then, she looked sharply at Agatha. Her hands were clenched under the table. "It's because of this woman that you changed, Jayden! Who is she really? Your personal assistant?" Jayden raised an eyebrow when Agatha was brought into the conversation. "You don't need to know." Agatha swallowed hard. Maybe yesterday she dared to confront Vania, but now with Jayden there, she could only remain silent, resigned. Hoping Jayden would do something for her. Well, for now, she could only hope. "She shouldn't be between us! This is my problem with you, Jayden! You don't need to bring another woman who's nobody into our family matters!" Vania insisted, not caring about her raised voice.