The Heiress Chooses Madness novel Chapter 182

Chapter 182

If Caleb and Mom are sworn enemies, why would Max send me to him?‘ Kayla thought, confused. ‘Isn’t that like walking straight into the lion’s den?‘

Besides, in her past life, Caleb had looked completely devastated when her mom died.

Kayla had seen him visiting Bailee’s grave every year. Sometimes he’d stay there the entire day.

On the day Jackson married Ruby, Kayla went to pay her respects at Bailee’s grave and ran into Caleb unexpectedly. She’d overheard him saying, “He moved on before you were even cold. Already marrying someone else. But me? I’m still here. Still single. If you’d known, would you have picked differently?”

Caleb’s expression that day had been full of longing, loneliness, and pain, like he’d lost something precious and irreplaceable.

That was when Kayla first suspected there had been something between Caleb and Bailee. But Bailee was already gone, and Kayla herself had been too broken and defeated to dig deeper into it.

All Kayla knew was that after that day, Hayes Group started openly going after Sexton Group, practically burning money just to compete with them. Sexton Group kept hitting roadblocks because of it.

Everyone assumed Caleb just had it out for Jackson. But Kayla had heard Max mention some history between Caleb and Bailee, so she suspected Caleb’s vendetta had something to do with Bailee.

That was why Kayla had taken the gamble and sought him out.

Snapping back to the present, Kayla said calmly, “My mom doesn’t know. I came on my own.”

Caleb seemed to exhale in relief. His expression relaxed, shifting back to that carefree, almost reckless energy he was famous for, with just a hint of danger underneath. “Oh, you came yourself? Gutsy move, kid. You’re not scared of me?”

Kayla looked him straight in the eye. Before coming here, she’d had a private investigator dig up everything on Caleb Hayes.

Kayla knew he’d been the heir to Hayes Group and a total hellraiser when he was younger–wild, arrogant, a player with a death wish. He’d made waves in both legitimate business circles and the underworld, and people were genuinely terrified of him.

Kayla had heard that the scar on his brow came from playing hero and nearly cost him his eye.

Around that same time, Hayes Group had been targeted by enemies and was on the verge of collapse.

Caleb had walked away from his darker connections without looking back, took over the failing company, rebuilt it piece by piece. Now, Hayes Group stood at heights most people couldn’t even dream of reaching.

Caleb was definitely a dangerous man. His life had been anything but ordinary.

and

But for some reason, standing in front of him now, Kayla didn’t feel the slightest bit afraid. She shook her head without hesitation. “I’m not scared. You keep saying you and my mom are enemies, but I just know you

won’t hurt me!”

Kayla lifted her chin slightly, looking completely confident about it. She didn’t know what had happened between Bailee and Caleb, but in her past life, Caleb had cared so much about her mom. Kayla refused to believe they were really enemies.

Caleb froze for a second, then let out a mocking laugh. He set down his pen and leaned back lazily in his chair, crossing his arms with an amused look on his face.

“Won’t hurt you?” Caleb said. “You’ve got some nerve, kid. Don’t tell me you think just because you’re Jackson’s daughter and a Sexton heiress, I’d be scared of the Sextons and wouldn’t dare touch you.”

When Caleb said “Jackson,” Kayla could clearly hear the venom dripping from his voice.

Kayla shook her head firmly. “It’s not because of Jackson…”

Caleb narrowed his eyes slightly, surprised by how cold Kayla sounded when she mentioned Jackson’s name.

Then Kayla continued, “It’s not that you’re scared of Jackson. You’re scared of hurting my mom. Because of her, you won’t hurt me.”

The words hit Caleb like a slap. He froze, then his expression turned stormy. He looked almost flustered as he let out a cold snort. “Hah! Bailee, that blind crybaby with zero loyalty–scared of her? You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Kayla saw his reaction and felt even more certain she’d nailed it. She pressed on. “I said it wrong. You’re not scared of my mom. You just… can’t stand to see her upset!”

The second Kayla finished, Caleb shot to his feet. In his panic, he knocked over his coffee cup, sending it spilling all over his desk.

But Caleb acted like he didn’t even notice, his voice defensive and sharp. “What are you talking about? Why would I care about her feelings? She’s my enemy. If something bad happened to her, I’d be thrilled.”

As Caleb spoke, he frantically tried to clean up the mess on his desk. But for some reason, his hands were shaking.

Kayla stared at him for a long moment, then said coolly, “You sure about that? Fine then. Guess I wasted my time coming here. I’ll make sure to tell my mom exactly what you said.”

Kayla turned to leave, but in her head, she was counting down. ‘Five, four, three…

“Wait!” Caleb’s cold voice cut through the air, stopping her in her tracks.

Kayla slowly turned back around with a smirk. “Mr. Hayes, something else you need?”

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