Mr. Arley's Woman

"What do you mean Livia isn't in Willberg?"

"Sir, Miss Rylee and that guy are on the passenger lists of a plane heading to Kovinvilles. The plane will land in Kovinvilles soon," Austin reported.

Levin was so shocked that he lost his words. Maybe he would forget how to breathe if he didn't hear Austin's voice.

"And the guy's name is Jayde Rylee. He's the son of the head of Ryl Industries who disappeared after being released from prison, but no one knows why he disappeared."

"Ryl Industri? Isn't that company already bankrupt?"

"That's right. The company went bankrupt six years ago. Do you want me to look deeper about the Rylee family?"

"Yes. But keep it secret," Levin ordered. If indeed Jayde deliberately disappeared, then he didn't want anyone to know his whereabouts.

"Yes, sir."

"And lastly, make sure you get the information about Miss Rylee. And nothing is missed."

Levin hung up the phone call.

"What is Livia's relationship with Jayde Rylee? Wait, they have the same surname. Could they be related? No, I know Livia has no relatives."

Levin closed his eyes and tried to think clearly.

"Livia, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you—"

"Sir, we're here," the bodyguard interrupted.

Without waiting any longer, Levin got out of the car. He took a step and entered the house.

"Levin, what's wrong?" Edith asked as she saw Levin enter the living room with an angry expression.

"Where's mom?" he asked coldly.

Edith swallowed her saliva. Before she could answer, someone interrupted her.

"Thank goodness you came here. We're just about to have breakfast. You should have breakfast with us. It's been a long time since you ate with us."

The discordant voice that Levin was looking for sounded clear in his ears. He turned around and saw his mother walking over to him.

"How could you do such a bad thing to me? I always respect you and do whatever you want, but why did you separate me from the most precious person in my life?" Levin cried.

"Levin," Marleigh held Levin's right hand and said calmly, "she's not as good as you think. I just want to protect you. She has poisoned your mind. But now you don't have to worry because you've divorced that bitch. I will get the woman you deserve."

"Enough! I don't want to listen to your bullshit!" Levin shouted angrily

Marleigh was so shocked. His sharp gaze made her body tremble. She had never seen Levin so angry with her.

'It's all because of that bitch!' Marleigh thought. She hated Livia even more because Livia had turned Levin against him.

"Levin, why are you behaving like that to Mom?" Edith said, standing next to her mother. "Mom just—"

"Edith!" shouted Levin, making Edith silent and frightened.

Levin was about to speak, but someone grabbed his shoulder and said calmly, "Levin, control your emotions."

Levin turned and looked at his twin.

"Were you involved with her plan?" Levin asked with his sharp gaze.

Lucius put his hand in his trouser pockets as he replied, "You know I never interfere in this family matter. I don't know what she has done, but before you blame others, you should look at yourself. You released Livia yourself. Have you forgotten what you did last night?"

Levin did not accept Lucius' words. He grabbed his collar. "Fuck you! I—"

"If you did love Livia, you should find out the truth first. But what? You trust Bart more than your wife. You even hurt her heart by sleeping with Esme. If it weren't for Livia, I would have battered you. I thought you had changed, but it turns out that you still can't control your anger and be aggressive. You don't deserve to be Livia's husband, Levin!"

Just as Lucius finished speaking, a punch landed on his face and knocked him down.

Lucius touched his sore cheek and laughed. "Am I wrong?"

No! Because Lucius was right, Levin got very angry.

He confessed to Lucius that he was guilty and regret. However, that wouldn't have happened if Marleigh didn't cooperate with Bart to trick him.

Lucius, who heard his explanation of Marleigh's deeds, immediately widened his eyes. He glanced at Marleigh sharply. Then, he quickly suppressed his anger and controlled his expression.

Meanwhile, Levin gritted his teeth when he saw the Arley's family members.

"From now on, there is no Levin Arley in your family members!" Levin declared.

Levin's words surprised Marleigh and Edith, while Lucius just sighed.

Levin is the one who put the Arley family at its peak after Marcus Arley died. How could Levin leave the Arley family?

'I won't let Levin go,' Marleigh thought.

Seeing Levin turn around and would go, Marleigh grabbed his hand. "Levin, wait! You can't break our relationship like this!"

"I'm sorry, Levin," Edith said. She walked over to him and then hugged him.

Hear her brother would leave, Edith unable to hold back her tears. "I'm sorry. I just—I feel jealous of Livia because you pay more attention to her, so I don't like her. And last night, I did lie. I'm sorry, Levin. Please, don't go. I promise I will not cross my limits again."

Levin clenched his fists.

The promise was useless because Livia had already left him. They even divorced.

The disappointment was too great. The people he loved just left wounds in his heart.

He didn't have great expectations for Marleigh. But Edith? She was someone who not only he loved but also trusted. That was why he couldn't control his anger when Edith confirmed Marleigh's words last night. But in fact, his beloved sister has regained his belief.

Who else could he trust now?

Was this how Livia felt last night? There was no one she could trust.

'No, she must be hurt even more because I have betrayed our love,' Levin said in his heart.

He let go of Edith's embrace, and his gaze was as cold as ice. There was no more warmth in his eyes, let alone the affection that Levin used to show her.

There were no words. Levin turned around and intended to leave, but Marleigh returned to hold his arm.

"If you don't let go of my hand now, I won't give the branch of Zero Group to Edith!"

Levin's threat made Marleigh loosen his grip and gave Levin a chance to get his hands off.

However, Marleigh couldn't just let Levin go.

"Look! Because of that woman, you are fighting against your family. It's obvious that she's a cunning woman. You should forget about that bitch and live your new life!"

Hearing Marleigh's words, Levin's eyes turned red, and his jaw hardened. His body emitted a dark aura. His hands clenched tightly.

He could no longer hear others insulting Livia.

Just as Levin was about to act, the phone in his pocket rang.

It was from Austin.

Levin quickly answered the phone call because Austin might get information about Livia, and that was more important. When the phone touched his cheek, the loudspeaker was accidentally touched.

"Mr. Arley," Austin's voice from the other end of the phone sounded restless and anxious, "the plane exploded and caught fire while people were getting off the plane. The news is being broadcast live on international channels now."

Levin felt his heartbeat as if it had stopped beating. He also forgot how to take in the air around him.

His gaze was empty.

Explode? How could it be? No. It shouldn't happen! He didn't want to lose Livia.

Lucius also heard that. He took the remote and turned on the international channel: the firefighters were fighting a massive fire that enveloped the fuselage.

No one could have survived that fire.

Lucius' eyes suddenly showed regret. He shouldn't let her go last night.

Now, it was too late.

Levin also saw the news. The voice of the news anchor slowly faded from his ears as he couldn't hear any noise, only the buzzing in his head, and suddenly his body collapsed unconscious.

Lucius immediately returned to reality and walked over to Levin.

Edith and Marleigh tried to rouse Levin, but nothing worked.

"Help me carry him," Lucius ordered to the guards. Then he carried Levin on his back with the bodyguard's help.

When Lucius walked towards the door, Marleigh spoke, "Where are you taking Levin?"

"Levin doesn't want to stay in this house anymore, so I'm gonna take him home and call a doctor," Lucius replied coldly without looking at Marleigh.

"What are you saying? You should persuade—"

"Stop, Mom! I've warned you! Do you still not understand?" Lucius stared at Marleigh intently. "If you're still holding Levin, it's not only Levin who leaves, but I do so. And, of course, with Edith."

Lucius's words made Marleigh speechless. She could only let them go.

---

After several hours of being unconscious, Levin opened his heavy eyes. He looked at the familiar ceiling.

He was in his room.

He didn't know why he was there. But when his consciousness returned fully, he remembered Austin's earlier words.

"Livia!" Levin cried. He quickly got up and sat down.

"Mr. Arley." Austin, who had previously sat on the sofa, walked toward the bed.

"How long have I been here? What about Livia? No, no, no, book a flight to Kovinvilles now! I'll check myself," Levin ordered.

"Mr. Arley, you can't go to Kovinvilles for a few days because Kovinvilles International Airport is closed," Austin explained.

Levin was already standing in front of Austin when he asked a question, "What do you mean?"

"When you were unconscious, Mr. Lucius asked me to find out about the accident. Before the plane exploded, a car broke through the barrier. It stopped under the fuselage and then exploded. So, the airline temporarily closed international flights to find out what happened and to prevent similar incidents in the future," Austin explained.

"And what about Livia? Have you heard anything yet?" Levin asked in a low voice. He was so afraid to hear that Livia died.

Austin walked to the coffee table, took the iPad, and handed it to Levin.

Levin took it and sat down on the edge of the bed. He scrolled through the photos on the screen as Austin explained, "They are the people who made it out of the plane and survived. And Ms. Rylee is not among them."

When checking another picture, Levin didn't dare touch the iPad screen. Too terrible to look at.

Austin continued, "The explosion was big so that the fire was difficult to extinguish, and not a few passengers had intact shapes. The forensic team has identified some victims, and there is no Ms. Rylee's name among them. Until now, they are still working to identify the identity of the deceased victim."

'Livia can't be one of them!' Levin thought.

But if Livia was not among the survivors, then there was only one option left: Livia was on the list of unidentified victims.

His breath suddenly choked up.

The image of Livia being one of the burnt victims made his whole body shiver in fear. His back was wet with cold sweat. Slowly, his vision became blurry with tears.

No. That was not true!

Livia must be safe!

Levin tried to comfort himself, but tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.

The iPad in Levin's hand almost fell if Austin hadn't caught it.

Austin hesitated to continue, but in the end, he swiped a few photos and played a video, then showed it to Levin as he spoke, "It was the only CCTV footage showing Ms. Rylee with Jayde Rylee at the airport. There are no other recordings. It looks like someone deliberately deleted it."

Levin saw a video of Livia crying in Jayde's arms. Although the video wasn't clear, Livia seemed in pain.

His heart felt torn apart when he saw Livia in pain in the arms of another man.

'Her GERD must have relapsed because of our problems,' Levin guessed.

Before Levin had time to react, not even before absorbing the information he had received, Austin continued, "And regarding Rylee's family, Jayde has a sister, but no one ever knows what she looks like. It said his sister was so genius that they took her abroad to school when she was little. And not many people know the whereabouts of his sister, but it seems Jayde Rylee's sister is Ms. Rylee."

Levin's blank gaze turned to look at Austin and suddenly darkened.

"That's impossible! Livia said that her family had died in the fire."

Austin explained, "When Ryl Industry went bankrupt, there was a company that had not received compensation. The CEO of that company is Mr. Dean. He said he asked the Rylee family's daughter for compensation, and her name was Livia Rylee. But honestly, Mr. Dean could not confirm Ms. Rylee's face because it wasn't him who collected the debt, but his man. But his employee has already resigned after getting the money from Ms. Rylee."

Hearing Austin's explanation brought back Levin's memory of three years ago. At that time, he insisted on being able to help Livia pay off the debt left by her family, who were gone. He even handed it directly to the debt collector without asking for details. However, he asked the guy not to tell anyone if he saw him with Livia and to stay away from them as much as possible.

"Is the person who has resigned Mr. Griffin?" Levin asked to be sure.

"That's right, sir. You know it? So, it's true they are siblings?"

Levin did not respond. He lowered his head and squeezed his hair. The information Austin provided led him to speculate.

Jayde disappeared, and Livia covered her family's background. Could Jayde be someone's target? If true, the plane must have deliberately blown up because Jayde was on the list as a passenger.

Levin's eyes darkened. His right hand clenched tightly, while the other hand holding the iPad.

If he hadn't listened to Bart, Livia wouldn't have left Willberg last night, and she would still be by his side.

"Get rid of Bart! I don't want to see him again in the future!" Levin commanded coldly.

"Yes, sir."

"Find out more about the surviving passengers. Maybe Livia and Jayde have already gone down and hid."

After Austin left, Levin slumped down and hid his face behind the knees with his hands around the legs.

"I'm sorry, Livia. Please don't leave me."

Levin still wanted to put his hopes on the assumption they might be hiding somewhere.

Nevertheless, after three hours, Austin reported, "I've checked the CCTV repeatedly, but there is no Ms. Rylee."

Austin seemed to hesitate before continuing, "The forensic team has announced that they couldn't identify some bodies because they were... cut and charred."

Levin was lost a word. Worse, his life's purpose.

He did not stop scowling at himself for being aggressive. Thinking of Livia betraying him made him unable to think clearly, and he took a wrong decision. And now all that remains is regret.

***

After the incident, two weeks later.

The butler of the Levin Mansion, Mrs. Ellen, picked up the telephone and called Lucius.

"Mr. Lucius, come here quickly. Master ... Master—"

"Calm down, Mrs. Ellen. I'm on my way now," said Lucius, who was leaving the Zero Group CEO's room.

'Levin, please don't do anything crazy. I can't lose you either,' Lucius said in his heart.

His heart was so uneasy when he went to Levin's Mansion.

Hopefully, he wouldn't be late.