Page 9 of Secret Baby for my Off-Limits Fiancé

I cling to the memory of Mira’s tiny hand and Dad’s gentle insistence that there’s more to life than work.

Can I really have a future where I not only run the Marchetti Empire but also find my own happiness? A future where balance isn’t just a word?

For now, I hold on to that thought as I drift off to sleep, certain of one thing. I will take over the family business, and I’ll do anything to achieve it.

3

LAYLA

“Howcouldthishavehappened?” I whisper, exasperation and disbelief mingling as I roughly push my hair back.

I stand amid the ruins of my beloved shop, my heart pounding in my ears.

Giana, Cathy, and I remain in stunned silence. Waterlogged dresses hang limply from their racks, delicate fabrics ruined beyond repair. The once-pristine carpet now lies as a soggy mess mixed with debris, and the walls are stained and cracked, bearing the scars of burst pipes.

“This is a nightmare.” Cathy’s voice is barely audible over the constant hum of industrial fans trying to dry the damage.

Outside, the fire department works feverishly to salvage what remains.

Unable to face the devastation, I turn away.

A lump forms in my throat as grief and anger churn within me.

This shop was the culmination of my dreams, the result of years of hard work, late nights, and every ounce of my passion. And now… it’s all gone.

Giana steps forward and places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Layla. This is rough.”

“How am I supposed to recover from this?” I rub my temples as if I could massage away the pain. “We had pre-orders lined up for months. This shop was my entire net worth. I poured all my savings into it.”

I fight back tears as take in the entire space drenched, with firefighters already finishing cleanup. I blink away, trying desperately to steady my emotions as the reality sinks in.

A firefighter emerges from the wreckage, holding the sodden remains of a wedding dress I’d been commissioned to create.

My heart lurches at the sight. “Oh god.”

Cathy comes to my side, joining Giana as they form a protective circle around me.

“Don’t worry, Layla. We’re going to figure this out.” But there is so much uncertainty in her voice.

How? I want to ask, but I force myself to swallow the desperation. This shop was my dream, and now it’s gone, everyone expects me to be strong. I cannot let them see me break down.

I clear my throat. “How often does something like this even happen?”

I survey the damage anew.

Cathy frowns. “Honestly, burst pipes in a commercial building? It happens more often than you’d think. There was nothing we could have done to prevent it. I bet the builders cut costs with sub-par materials.”

“Lucky me,” I groan, running my nails through my hair. “Does insurance cover any of this?”

Cathy offers a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry. Accidents like this aren’t covered, only theft is.”

The magnitude of the loss begins to sink in. Thousands of hours of work, hundreds of thousands of dollars lost in an instant.

Failure is a crushing weight on my shoulders.

I’m finished. Done.

I have nothing left and no way to start from scratch.

---