Layla's childhood was as ordinary as a daughter's whose mother had passed away early in her life could be. Growing up surrounded by a dominant presence of male figures in her life, she turned into a strong, courageous individual, prepared to tackle...
Layla was as transfixed as Julian, while she slowly took in the individual ahead of her, almost as if she wanted to memorize every last detail of their appearance before being pulled out of a dream.
A single word escaped past her lips, slowly getting carried away by the wind and freezing Julian to the core of his being.
"Liam," she breathed out, her voice lower than a mere whisper.
Somehow, the lone word reached the ears of the brunette who stood straight, facing the couple with his arms crossed in front of his chest and an undecipherable look on his face. His hard gaze morphed into a look of relief and happiness as he tore his eyes from Julian's frightened gaze to meet Layla's.
"Hey, baby girl. Missed me?" he asked, offering her a smirk along with a wink.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The Royal Mark : CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When Layla didn't return the newcomer's smile, Liam decided to turn his attention back to Julian. All previous signs of happiness that lit his face upon seeing Layla disappeared, and a frown settled on his face.
"Leave," the older of the two men spoke, his voice laced with a tone daring Julian to do otherwise.
Julian quickly shook his head, snapping out of the trance he'd fallen into. His jaw clenched and his hands balled into two fists as memories of their last serious encounter resurfaced in his mind.
While Julian had been training harder for the past couple months, the fact remained that Liam, who was a guard at the Royal Palace, was much more experienced at physical battle than Julian was. The younger of the two had no intention to lay hands on the other, at least not in front of Layla, but he was on his guard, ready to defend himself if need be.
Layla sensed the hostility between the two men and quickly placed herself right in between them. She shot a pleading look towards Julian, silently asking him to stay put, as she made her way towards Liam.
