Replaced by His First Love, I Found a Better Match

Chapter 4

After leaving the Bennett's place, Layla returned to Briar Cove. By the time she walked in, Milo had made a mess in the living room. She wondered whether Gavin—with his obsession with cleanliness—would still be so tolerant once he saw the mess.

"Mrs. Weston..." Nancy started, then hesitated. Layla merely acknowledged her and went upstairs without a word. Nancy had chosen the wrong person. Layla was Mrs. Weston in name only.

After the exhausting day, Layla collapsed onto the small bed in her study.

To secure the divorce, she needed enough cash to reimburse the Westons. There was no chance the parasitic Bennett family would return any of the money. Layla had only a few hundred thousand dollars in her personal account, Olivia didn't have much liquid cash, and after 3 years as a homemaker, Layla's borrowing capacity was practically nonexistent.

She rubbed her temples in frustration as the name she had deliberately buried for 3 years surfaced in her mind.

She unlocked her phone, and her finger came to rest over an all-too-familiar profile picture. Blake Morgan, her former college classmate and business partner.

Their chat history still ended on the day she had walked away from her equity 3 years earlier.

In college, Layla and Blake had launched a startup together. She provided the cutting-edge algorithms, and Blake provided the capital. Their timing couldn't have been better. They caught the AI boom at exactly the right moment, and the company exploded in value.

Then, shortly before graduation, Layla abruptly announced she was leaving and stubbornly surrendered all the founder equity she had earned.

Blake had been stunned. Pointing a finger in her face, he roared, "You're giving up your life's work and every dream you've ever had for a man? To become some damn homemaker?"

Facing her friend and partner's fury, Layla had been consumed by guilt. "I'm sorry. Gavin wants a warm, comfortable home. He wants me to spend more time taking care of it."

"I've known you for years, and only now do I realize you're a complete fool in love!"

The mockery and accusations echoed in her mind. Humiliating as the confrontation had been, Layla still insisted on leaving the company.

She truly had done everything she could to play the perfect wife in her marriage.

"Fine! Layla Bennett, I'll be waiting for the day you come back crying and tell me you regret it!"

With that, Blake approved her resignation on the spot. Yet beneath his sharp tongue and prickly pride, he secretly kept every share of her founder equity intact.

Nexora Technologies had since become one of the industry's fastest-rising stars, and Layla's accumulated dividends were now astronomical.

The previous year, Layla had run into the company's chief financial officer at a mall. The woman had pulled her aside and whispered, "Ms. Bennett, Mr. Morgan has ordered us to hold every dollar of your annual dividends in the company's account for the past 3 years. We're talking millions each year, and no one's allowed to touch it. He may act tough, but he hopes you'll come back every single day."

The memory flooded Layla with guilt. 'If I ask for the money now...'

Before she could finish the thought, the phone in her palm suddenly vibrated.

Blake: ?

Layla nearly dropped her phone! She had been so lost in thought that her finger had accidentally tapped a punctuation mark into the message box and sent it!

Mortified, she typed a reply.

Layla: Um... how have you been?

Blake's caustic response arrived almost instantly.

Blake: Great! I don't have a cheating spouse who treats me like a backup plan, so why wouldn't I be?

Clearly, the news that Gavin had abandoned her at the wedding and made her the laughingstock of Bayhaven had already reached Blake.

Since he knew, Layla saw no point in hiding anything. She drew a deep breath and typed quickly.

Layla: Are you free tomorrow? I'd like to come by the office and see you.

Blake: You want to see me? Sorry, Ms. Bennett. I'm a busy man these days. You'll need an appointment.

Without hesitation, Layla called Blake's chief of staff. The man sounded startled, then respectfully informed her that Mr. Morgan's schedule was completely open the next day.

Once the appointment was confirmed, Layla sent Blake a screenshot.

Layla: It's booked. See you tomorrow.

He didn't respond again, but Layla knew silence meant yes.

The weight on her chest finally lifted, leaving her much more at ease. She went into the study. The first draft of her research paper on optimizing large language models was complete. One final review tonight, and it would be ready for submission.

The moment she sat at the desk, however, she frowned. Someone had tampered with her computer. There were marks from someone prying at it and pounding randomly on the keys!

Layla's eyes turned icy. That computer held all the core source code and research notes she had produced over the past 3 years, along with the paper she was about to submit!

Nancy stood trembling in the doorway. "Mrs. Weston, Milo came into your room this afternoon and played in here for quite a while..."

Layla pulled the door open, strode down the hall, and pounded on the guest room door!

Sabrina emerged with swollen, red-rimmed eyes. "Ms. Bennett, what's wrong? Milo is only a child..."

"Your son touched my computer." Every word from Layla was edged like a blade.

Just then, Gavin came upstairs after work. He frowned at the scene and instinctively stepped in front of Sabrina and Milo as if shielding them with his body. "Layla, why are you making such a big deal out of this? What could possibly be so important on your computer? A few wellness recipes you copied from somewhere?"

Layla began to shake violently. To him, her life's work amounted to nothing more than a collection of wellness recipes.

She didn't want to waste another word on him. Her glacial stare cut into Sabrina. "Keep your son in line! If this happens again, I won't be nearly as polite!"

Sabrina's shoulders trembled dramatically. Like a frightened deer, she tried to burrow into Gavin's arms. "Gavin, Ms. Bennett is so mean. She scares me."

"Sabrina." Gavin sighed, his tone softening. "Layla has always been gentle and considerate. The only reason she's acting like this today is..."

'Because she loves me too much, and she's insanely jealous of you.'

Gavin was too embarrassed to say the words aloud, but Sabrina understood exactly what he meant!

She raised tear-filled eyes to him and sobbed. "I'm sorry, Gavin. Milo and I must be hurting your marriage. Maybe we should move into a hotel."

As she spoke, her soft body leaned toward his chest!

But Gavin stepped back and avoided her hug. His voice deepened. "Stop overthinking this. You're staying here."

Without another glance at Sabrina, he turned and entered the master bedroom. Left in the hallway, Sabrina bit her lower lip until it nearly bled, then slammed the guest room door.

Inside the master bedroom, Gavin watched Layla working at her desk and laughed. "What do you know about computers? If it's broken, it's broken—I'll have someone deliver the newest top-of-the-line model right away."

Frustration sank deep into Layla. Her expertise was in algorithms and foundational AI models—hardware repair truly was beyond her. Without wasting a word, she picked up the computer and headed downstairs.

"Layla!" Gavin grabbed her wrist, visibly irritated. "Why are you picking a fight with a kid who doesn't know any better? Come here. Choose any brand you want!"

In his eyes, her dignity and her career combined still mattered less than another woman's child.

Layla's gaze hardened. She tore her wrist free and walked downstairs without sparing him another glance.

Gavin remained frozen in place, panic and rage churning through his chest! 'She's spoiled. She actually dares to ignore me. Being Mrs. Weston for 3 years has clearly made her far too confident, confident enough to believe she can do whatever she wants!'

The thought stopped him cold just as he was about to follow her.

When dinner was ready, Gavin composed himself and went downstairs. Nancy respectfully asked whether she should serve the meal, then added with concern that Layla had gone out alone and still hadn't returned.

Gavin's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Serve dinner. We're not waiting for her!"

Sabrina sat beside him with Milo in her arms, smiling gently. "Don't be angry, Gavin. Maybe Ms. Bennett just went out for a walk..."

Gavin said nothing.

He stared at the foot of the stairs. 'The study where Layla loves to spend her time is dark. She isn't there.'

She was no longer anywhere he would think to look.