The Broken Tale

A Billionaire Family

           "Babe? Layla, Babe? Wake up, babe." Brian's gentle voice sang in her ear.
Layla snuggled herself against the pillow and didn't open her eyes. Tickles were sent down her spine as Brian brushed his lips against her neck.
"Wake up, beautiful." He repeated.
"No. I'm tired." She replied.
"You've slept all night like a baby. How are you tired?"
"Carrying your baby drains my energy so deal with it, jackass."
He chuckled, "I get it. But, babe, you should get up. Chanel's here."
Layla sat up immediately.
"Chanel?"
He nodded, "She wants to show us something."
Layla let out a sigh.
             She had gained a lot of weight. The baby moving all the time made it very hard for her to move easily. Brian threw her arm around his shoulder and helped her get to her feet.
"What do you want to wear?" He asked, going over to the closet, "Talya bought you really cute maternity dresses."
He opened the closet door to reveal beautiful floral and light colored sundresses, coats and scarves hanging in there neatly.
"I like this one." He said, showing her a white floor-length dress with red floral prints.
"The pink one is cuter." She answered.
She pointed at a long pink one that had black stripes. Brian pulled it out and set it down on the chair nearby.
"Black coat, black scarf and black boats would color cordinate, don't you think?"
She nodded absentmindedly.
        Brian helped her change into the dress. It was very comfortable. The light dress clung to her body but it was soft to the skin. He helped her sit down on the bed and knelt down himself, slipping her feet into black ankle-length boots. He slipped a black knitted scarf with a pink flower on the side along with a matching black beanie.
"I wouldn't mind giving birth to twelve kids if you'll take care of me like this." She said jokingly.
He kissed her forehead, "Babe, you don't need to be pregnant. I'll take care of you 'till my last breath."
        Their eyes locked as he slipped the beanie onto her head. Layla could see her own reflection in his ocean blue eyes. But she could also see that the exhaustion in his eyes, the pain and worry that were wearing him down did not wear down his burning love and desire for her.
        And hers did not either. Her heart still raced at a thousand paces every time she saw him. She was grateful for that though. Because it motivated her to fight. To fight for her baby, to fight for the family and happiness she had always wanted and to fight for the love she had missed out on for her whole life.
       Brian slowly leaned in closer and brushed his lips against hers softly.
"I love you." He whispered.
"I love you too."
He smiled and got to his feet.
      He picked up the small silver device from the dressing table and knelt back down by her feet.
"It'll pinch." He reminded her.
"I know."
He carefully set the tiny device on her neck. Yet again, she felt the small pinch on her neck before the coldness flowed over her face and she knew her face had been disguised.
"Perfect." He said in satisfaction.
He stood up, taking her hands in his and pulling her to her feet.
"Let's go then, beautiful."
        Chanel was sitting on top of a table very casually in the kitchen. Engaged in conversation with Talya and Alexander very heartedly. Talya was laughing but Layla could see that she was slightly uncomfortable. As they walked into the kitchen, Layla could see why.
         Chanel was wearing a short and very body fitting little black dress. It revealed her toned legs that were complimented by black ankle-length boots that matched Layla's. She was wearing a long, fancy white coat with black fur at the end of the sleeves and neck, embellished with a silver chain and a small diamond stone hanging on it with small diamond earrings hanging on chains in similar style. Her look was complete with her short brown hair let down flowing above her shoulders and simple make up.
          Alexander's gazes fell on Chanel's body very shamelessly though he was trying to hide and his arm around Talya's waist. Chanel seemed to be noticing it too but she was ignoring it.
        "Good morning, sleepyhead." Talya said when they entered.
"Give her a break, Talya, being pregnant isn't easy." Chanel replied, hopping off of the table, "As you'll find out in a few weeks."
"God, please don't scare her more than this." Alexander sniggered.
"Is there anything new?" Layla asked Chanel impatiently.
"Yes, there is."
       It had been two days since they first met Chanel. They did not see her those two days but she did call Brian frequently to update him but Brian did not tell Layla anything.
"Are we going somewhere?" Layla asked.
"Yes." Chanel said, looking down at her phone, "You and Brian are coming with me."
"Where to?"
"My husband is landing. We'll pick them up and then we'll go to your new home for now."
Layla and Brian exchanged a wide eyed glare.
"N-New home?" Layla asked in a cracking voice.
"Yes, Layla. You can be tracked down here but there, it's unlikely you'll be tracked down easily."
"Wh-"
"Don't worry, Layla, you'll be safe there." Chanel interrupted absentmindedly.
        She was scarcely paying attention at all. Her fingers were working typing on her phone attentively. Layla kept silent. She did not find it her place to argue with Chanel. What did she know about what the FBI would do next? Chanel definitely knew the FBI down to the last detail, she was one of the heads of the FBI, how could she not? She was trying to help us, Layla thought, how can anyone be disrespectful enough to argue after all she's doing for us?
        Chanel sighed and tossed her phone back into her expensive black purse.
"Are you coming with us, Talya?" She asked.
"Do you need me to?"
"No, not really. Unless if Alex doesn't want to come." Chanel answered, "We only need one of you to know where the house is. Either you or Alex, you can decide."
Talya shook her head, "No thanks. I'll be vomiting the entire way anyway. Alex can go."
"Are you sure?"
"Mhm."
         Chanel sped through the highways at what Layla imagined must have been the maximum speed the sports car could go at. Layla could not bring herself to look out the window at how they passed every car by a thread. But Chanel seemed to have been an expert at speeding and driving perfectly. She did not seem to even notice nor care at the road passing by them at lightspeed.
"You seem to be eager to get to the airport." Alexander said jokingly.
Chanel laughed a little.
"I haven't seen my husband and children in a week, you bet I'd be eager." She admitted.
"How many kids do you have?" Layla asked.
"Two girls."
"Wow, that's so amazing. Are they twins?"
Chanel chuckled, "Nope. My eldest is ten, the younger is about eleven months."
"Ten?"
"Yes?" Chanel said lightly.
"But...I thought you were like twenty-nine?" Layla asked hesitatingly.
"I just turned thirty." She replied simply.
"I told you she had kids a little young." Alexander said.
"I didn't plan to but I don't regret it either." Chanel answered while taking a turn on the road.
"That must've been a handful along with business, huh "
        Curiosity hit Layla. She wanted to know Chanel a little at least if she was putting her whole life in her hands. So she pressed on with more questions. What was her life like before she had the baby? How did she work with a baby?Chanel told her about her early life. How she got into college, the work and endless months of no sleep. She explained how she and her husband had met and how they ended up together. Of the growth of her businesses.
       Layla listened with fascination. If it wasn't for what she remembered Ali and his friends told her at the party all those months ago and what Alexander had said about her, Layla would not have believed Chanel at all. Her story of such immense success at just thirty, of how she had taken the last few dollars she had as a twenty year old mother and turning them into multi billion dollar companies seemed to have been surreal.
       At the airport, Layla was not shocked to learn that Chanel's husband would be flying in by a private jet. Chanel asked Layla to wait in the lobby while she went out on the runway to meet her husband.
"It's really cold outside. We don't need you to get sick." She had said.
      Her hands were already shivering like ice cubes in her mittens so Layla agreed. She sat in the lobby, keeping her head down in the loneliest corner she could find. It was not very crowded but there were a few Valdez and Miller company employees flying in or leaving along with staff. But that did not change the anxiety that was eating away at Layla.
      Though she was wearing the device that changed her face, it did not change the anxiety. Her hands, feet and nose turned ice cold. She felt as if anyone who gave a single glance at her was suspecting her to be Layla Elmar, one of the FBI's most wanted criminals and a child killer. She felt as if anyone who walked closed to her would call authorities on her.
     She wondered for a moment why she had ended up where she was. When Lloyd had died, she was the one crying by his grave, she was the one comforting Ali and rubbing his shoulders, she was the one who was being beaten and it was her baby that died inside her. What had she done to deserve to be here? Why? She wondered if marrying Ali to get herself out of trouble was what qualified her to suffer? But then she reminded herself that Ali was the one who made her that offer in the first place. He knew very well why she had married him and had offered it to her himself. So did she deserve to suffer if he knew everything? Why? She had hoped to make their marriage work even if it hadn't started with love, she had put every ounce of herself that she could into making it work. She had ignored all of his infidelities, ignored all of his violent outbursts and gave into every one of his demands to make it work but it was never enough.
       So was it her fault....?
       Did she deserve it?
       Who was to say she could trust Chanel?
       She was an FBI agent for crying out loud!
       Was her sudden selflessness to practical strangers a little too suspicious?
       How many selfless people had she met throughout the twenty-two years of her life? Who was to say Chanel was not leading them into trap to arrest them?
       But yet again, Chanel was their only path. Going through with it with crossed fingers and hoping Chanel would not stab them in the back like everyone and everything else had was the one and only thing they had in hand anymore. What else could she do except give up?
      If the worst would be getting arrested by Chanel was the same if she just gave herself up, if she would end up in prison in both scenarios then trusting Chanel and taking the risk was worth it. At least she would know she had tried every single option thrown her way if anything were to happen.
      So lost in her thoughts was she that she did not notice how quickly time had passed by. Before she knew it, Chanel, Alexander and Brian were already coming back with a man, two old women with two little children.
     The man was tall and tan. His brown hair was slicked back and he had slight stubble. Big shades covered his eyes but he looked really handsome in his plain black sweater and tight black jeans completed with a long beige coat that matched the one Chanel was wearing the last time.
     He had a little wrapped up in a big pink balloon coat in his arm while his other arm was wrapped around Chanel's waist. Chanel was smiling from ear to ear, her head leaned against his chest and her arms full with an infant asleep over her shoulder
     Layla stood up as they approached her.
"I hope you didn't get too bored." Chanel said.
Layla shook her head with a small smile.
"Well. Layla, this is my husband, Cameron." Chanel introduced them, "Cam, this is Layla. Layla Elmar."
The man looked down at her with a friendly smile. He reached his free hand out to her.
"Nice to meet you." He said as he shook Layla's hand.
He, like Chanel, had no traces of an Australian accent in his voice. He too sounded completely American.
"Likewise."
The child shifted in her father's arm. Both children seemed to have been asleep and it explained why Chanel and Cameron were keeping their voices low.
"Let's go then."
         Outside, two more black SUV's were waiting for them, but Layla didn't see any chauffeurs. One of the car's doors opened automatically as the two old women approached the car, Layla could see car seats for the children in the backseats. Chanel and Cameron very carefully handed the children to them. But not before Chanel checked both girls and kissed their sleeping foreheads.
"Careful." She said to the women.
"Don't worry, Chanel." One of the women replied in her strong Australian accent.
The women strapped the children into their seats and got into the car,  shut the door for them just as automatically as it had opened.
"You three take the other car." Chanel said to them, "It'll follow Cameron and I to the house."
"Where are the keys?" Alexander asked.
Cameron laughed, "What keys?"
"The keys for the car."
"It doesn't need keys."
"What?"
"It's from Cameron's latest release." Chanel explained, "They're self driving. Just don't touch anything and you'll be fine for the ride."
"Are you sure this safe for Layla?" Brian asked.
"How would I endanger her or her baby? But if you don't like it, you can take my car and we'll take the other one. But I assure you, it's perfectly safe."
Layla sighed, "I'm sure it is if you say so."
"Are you sure? You can take my car, I don't mind."
"No, no. Your car's way too fast, I don't think it's not safe."
Chanel shrugged, "If you say so."
       Chanel hopped into the driver's seat of the white sports car really eagerly. Cameron smirked to himself before he joined her in the passenger's seat. Chanel started off onto the road with a puff of smoke and a roar. The SUV with the children followed Layla, Brian and Alexander, Layla assumed Chanel had told them to drive slowly for the safety of the children.
       They drove on and on until they were far away from any urban areas. As they passed by tree after tree and bush after bush, hours ticked by as well but they went on unnoticed. They tried to talk during the ride as they had nothing to do, not even to drive. They spoke of plans for the babies' births, possible names and hopes and fears. But their conversations were short lived. They were all too anxious and panicked to speak anyway.
       Their car was driving closely behind Chanel's. They could see Chanel and Cameron speaking, their glances at each other and outbursts of laughter. Even from a distance, Layla could see how much they loved each other. Layla had always assumed that socialites like them did not love each other. Billionaires only cared about image and infidelity was common, she believed but Chanel and Cameron, despite being one of the world's richest couple, radiated of love and constant desire for each other that she could see from a distance.
        An hour on the road, Layla was staring out the window in boredom with her mind racing in exhaustion when Brian nudged her on the arm gently.
"Check this out." He said.
Layla looked forward at what he was pointing at.
        She could see Chanel jumping into the backseat, completely unaware of just forgotten that they could see them. Cameron tossed his sunglasses away and climbed into the backseat on top of her.
"Do they realize we can see them?" Alexander asked.
"Even an agent can be overrun with passion." Layla replied.
        They could see Cameron taking Chanel in his arms, their lips interlocking as their hands explored each other's bodies. They could see his lips going down to her neck as she pulled on his hair.
"Ah, Jesus!" Brian exclaimed, looking away, "I get an urgency for sex happens but god shut the blinds at least."
Layla too tried to look away when she saw Chanel throwing her head back and her mouth hung open. Moaning, Layla assumed.
"Luckily there's no one around here to film this." Layla mumbled to herself.
Once passion had loosened its grasp on their minds, they realized what they were doing and quickly clicked something that shut black curtains on the car's windows.
"Finally."
         Another hour of boring, uneventful rides up into the mountains later, the cars finally came to a stop. At first, Layla could not see much but she quickly saw why they had came there as soon as they got out of the car.
         The house was more of a red brick mansion with small windows that were covered shut by curtains Layla could see through the glass. It was very domestic, no gardens except two tress, no pool, no nothing. Layla wondered why Chanel would have something like this in the freezing tops of the mountains.
"I know it's not that luxurious but it's safe." Chanel said, fixing her hair from the rough 'fun' she had had with Cameron in the car.
"No, it's really ni-"
Before Layla could finish her sentence, a small child ran passed her leg and wrapped herself around Chanel's legs. It took Layla a moment to see that it was Chanel's eldest daughter.
"I hate you!" The child screamed, "You were supposed to wake me once we landed!"
Chanel laughed. She knelt down and pulled her daughter into her arms.
"You looked too deep into your dreams, I didn't want to interrupt."
"Nice save, Mom."
"Who's this beautiful little lady?" Brian asked.
Chanel got to her feet but kept the girl's hands in hers.
"This beautiful lady is my eldest daughter." Chanel answered, "Alaya, say hi to Brian, darling."
"Hello!" The girl chirped.
       The girl looked a little different from her parents. She had bright blonde hair, nothing like her parents' chocolate brown hair. But that was all the difference could go. She had the same peach skin tone and she had her father's green eyes.
       Layla knelt down by the child and reached out her hand with a welcoming smile to match the girl's own.
"Aren't you just gorgeous." She said, "It's amazing to meet someone so beautiful. I'm Layla."
The child shook her hand with poise thag was beyond her age and friendliness that matched her mother's.
"I'm Alaya. I like your dress, it's so pretty!" Alaya answered, "Just like you!"
Layla chuckled in flattery.
"Thank you, darling."
"Anyway, let's go inside before we freeze our butts, hm?"