First And Last Chance?

Chapter 29

Daniel's pov

Layla was crying really hard. It felt like the tears were not going to stop. 'Layla, what happened?' I asked her. I went near her and asked her if she was okay. She nodded still sobbing.

I took her inside her apartment and gave her a glass of water to drink. She was still calming down. I sat beside her. 'Layla can you please tell me that guy's name at least. I will tell the security guards to not let him in.' I said.

'Steven. Steven Vanderbilt.' Layla said in a low voice. 'Vanderbilt?' I asked her. Her surname.

'When I said I have no one in this world is a lie. Technically I am an orphan but I still have one relative.' she said. 'My uncle. Steven Vanderbilt.' she said.

'Uncle?' I asked her. 'My..... My grandma, disowned him.... Long ago.' she said. 'He got involved with the wrong people. Drugs, illegal stuff, whatnot. It was also long before my parents had passed away.' she said.

'My..... My entire childhood, I never knew him. Only heard about him because my dad had kept in touch with him. At my parents funeral he showed up. He started crying and I genuinely thought that he felt bad. But then after that he went to my grandma and asked her that as my father passed away, will he be the sole beneciary of her will. My father had a flourishing business and a lot of money. He thought he was gonna get some of that. My grandma kicked him out. He was involved with dangerous people as well.' she said.

'After that grandma brought me over here along with her to New York. She sold my father's business and left all the money along with her assets as well to me in the will. When she passed away he showed up again with his false grief but..... But when he found out that I was the one to receive everything he lost it, threatened to kill me and stuff. I was scared. I had no one.' she said and started crying.

'Later I met uncle Robert who once saved me from him at the organisation. He told my uncle to stay away from me and he backed out. I literally owe my entire life to uncle Robert and your mom Daniel.' tears were rolling down her face.

'I usually use the money given to me as a salary by the organisation and have not even touched the money from the will yet. After my parents passed away I preferred to be extremely low profile. This all.... This money...... It is so much and with him constantly after me, all this feels like s burden.' she said and started crying out loud hysterically.

'Layla please stop crying.' I said rubbing her shoulder. Seeing her like this was hurting me a lot.

'Today what happened, I was the fool in that.' she said wiping her tears. 'Recently my uncle had been reaching   out to me for a few months. I think right around the time when we reconnected again. He... He kept telling me that he was sorry for his behaviour. That I was like his daughter and he wanted to see his neice again. At first I ignored it but then he began emotionally blackmailing me. Saying how we were family and after my parents passed away and grandma passed away how he wanted to be there for me. How he loved me like his own daughter and wanted to see me just once. I caved in, just once, and talked with him. I don't know how he got to know that.... That I lived here. He was stopped by the security but he told them that he was my family member and showed them the proof. He showed up at my doorstep out of nowhere. I..... I went ahead and opened the door but I did not let him in. I just talked with him. First he was very sweet but later.........' she said.

'BUT later he went back to his old self and started asking for  'His share' of money again. When I denied him that he went ahead and started getting aggressive with me. Started saying degrading stuff about me like I am a whore and I am your mistress. He even questioned..... ' she said and made a disgusting face. 'What happened layla?' I asked her. 'He questioned the relationship between me and uncle Robert.' she said.

I fisted my hands. How dare he do that? 'He started getting more and more aggressive and so I screamed and went inside my apartment and tried to close the door but he tried to forcefully let himself  in. That's when you came.'

'I will see to it that he will not come back here anymore.' I said in a very serious tone. 'No, you don't need to do that. I will move out.' she said.

'Layla, don't. You said right now that he deals with dangerous people.' Layla sighed.

'My life is just one mess after another. I can't let your family be in danger.' she said.

'Layla, we are the Harrington's.No one can touch us.' I told her.

'Still, with everything happening with uncle Robert and my uncle being involved with mafia,i don't think I should stay.' she said.

'BUT where will you go.' I asked her. 'Stay here layla. I.... We can give you protection.' I told her

'It's alright Daniel. I have dealt with it before. I can deal with it again. Thank you for helping me today.' she said and put her head between her hands and sighed.