Chapter 107: The Debt Is Paid

After the board meeting ended, Missy went directly to Knight Corporation.

She entered the building with her head held high, her heels clicking sharply against the polished marble floor.

No one stopped her.

Not the security guards at the entrance, not the receptionist at the front desk, not even the employees who passed her in the hallways.

Everyone at Knight Corporation knew that Layton Knight favored Miss Hawthorne. Troubling her would only mean getting fired.

She walked through the lobby like she owned the place, her expression confident, almost smug.

The elevator ride to the top floor felt shorter than usual, her anticipation building with each passing second.

When the doors opened, she stepped out into the executive suite. The atmosphere here was different—quieter, more refined, the kind of space reserved for those who held real power. Missy had been here countless times before.

She knew exactly where Layton’s office was.

As she approached the heavy wooden door, Mike appeared from around the corner. He straightened immediately when he saw her, his expression polite but professional.

"Good morning, Miss Hawthorne," he said, stepping slightly into her path. "What can I help you with?"

Missy barely glanced at him. She gave him a curt nod, her tone dismissive. "I want to see Layton."

Without waiting for a response, she reached for the door handle.

Mike moved quickly, positioning himself between her and the door.

"Miss Hawthorne," he said firmly, "Mr. Knight is busy with a business call. He can’t see you right now. You can wait in the lounge, and I’ll call you once he’s free."

Missy froze, her hand still hovering near the handle. She turned to look at him, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"What?" Her voice rose slightly. "I can’t see him?"

Mike had never stopped her before. For years, she had walked into Layton’s office without knocking, without asking permission, without anyone daring to question her.

Layton had allowed it. He had never once told her she couldn’t.

Until now.

Missy’s shock quickly morphed into indignation. She looked at Mike with barely concealed arrogance, her chin lifting.

"You’re stopping me?"

Mike maintained his professional smile.

"I’m only following President Knight’s instructions."

Missy’s face darkened.

"Move."

She ignored him completely. Without another word, she pushed past him and opened the door.

Inside the office, Layton sat behind his massive desk, his attention focused on a stack of files spread out before him.

He didn’t look up when the door opened. His pen moved steadily across a document, his expression cold and unreadable.

Missy stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She pouted slightly, her voice taking on a soft, injured tone.

"Layton, your assistant is stopping me from entering your office."

Layton didn’t look up. His voice was flat, devoid of warmth.

"I’m busy. If you need something, you ask him whether I’m free or not."

Missy’s eyes widened. She had never heard Layton speak to her in that tone before—cold, distant, almost dismissive. For a moment, she simply stood there, stunned.

Then she forced herself to recover. He’s probably just in a bad mood, she told herself. That’s all.

She ignored the chill in his voice and changed the subject, her tone turning petulant.

"Layton, why did you block my credit cards?"

Layton finally looked up. His gaze was cold, his expression unreadable.

Missy didn’t notice. She continued, her voice rising slightly with frustration. "And you didn’t deposit this month’s money into my account either. Maybe there’s some mistake with the finance team. You should ask them to fix it."

Layton set down his pen slowly, his eyes never leaving her face.

"I asked them to cancel all future transactions to your account," he said, his tone matter-of-fact. "And I blocked your cards."

Missy stared at him, her mouth opening slightly in shock.

"Why?" Her voice cracked.

"Did I do something? Are you angry with me? Tell me!"

Layton leaned back in his chair, his expression still cold. "Haven’t I paid you enough?"

Missy blinked, confusion flickering across her face.

"For twelve years," Layton continued, his voice steady and emotionless, "every month I’ve been transferring one million dollars into your account. I gave you premium credit cards with no limits. For twelve years."

He paused, letting the words sink in.

"I think the debt I owed you for saving my life is cleared. Don’t you?"

Missy’s face went pale. She staggered back a step, her hand reaching out to steady herself against the edge of a chair.

"What... what are you saying?" she whispered.

Layton sighed, his expression softening just slightly—not with affection, but with something closer to exhaustion.

"Mindy is already angry with me," he said quietly. " already misunderstands our relationship. I won’t give her another reason to leave me."

He looked directly at Missy, his gaze unwavering.

"So we don’t have to see each other anymore. We should maintain our distance. I’ve already paid my debt to you. "

He paused, then added, his voice firm and final:

"And you don’t have to come here anymore."

Missy stood frozen, her mind struggling to process what she was hearing. She had never—never—thought Layton would say these words to her.

She had always believed he was devoted to her, that whatever she asked for, he would give. That she held a special place in his life that no one else could touch.

And now he was cutting her off.

Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks in perfect, practiced streams.

"Why are you saying all this to me?" Her voice trembled, breaking just enough to sound heartbroken.

"We both love each other. Then why are you being so harsh to me? Are you angry with me? Tell me! You might have misunderstood something!"

Layton didn’t reply. Instead, he turned toward the door and called out, "Mike."

The door opened immediately. Mike stepped inside, his expression carefully neutral.

"Take her away," Layton said flatly.

Mike nodded, relief flickering briefly across his face. Finally, he thought. Finally, President Knight is acting in his right mind.

"Miss Hawthorne," Mike said politely, gesturing toward the door. "Please, this way. President Knight is busy."

Missy whirled on him, her tears forgotten for a moment as fury flashed in her eyes.

"Shut up!" she snapped.

She turned back to Layton, her expression shifting instantly back to pitiful desperation.

"Layton, did Mindy say something to you? She might have some misunderstanding. Please don’t believe her—you know she’s been acting strange these past few months."

She took a step closer, her voice dropping to a pleading whisper.

"And you don’t even love her. Why do you want to stay married to her? You promised me. You promised you would marry me. Then why?"

Layton looked at her coldly, his jaw tightening.

"I am already married," he said, his voice hard.

"And I won’t divorce her. She didn’t say anything to me. I just believe I’ve paid my debt"

"We’re simply old acquaintances."

"And from today onward..."

"We’ll maintain our distance."

He paused, his gaze sharpening.

"The whole city already thinks you’re my girlfriend. I can’t let my wife have this misunderstanding anymore."

Missy flinched as though he’d struck her. For a moment, she simply stared at him, her mind reeling.

Then anger surged through her, hot and uncontrollable.

"Wife?" she spat, her voice rising. "What wife? She already left you! She’s moved on with that ugly gangster!"

"Get out!" Layton’s voice cracked through the room like a whip.

Missy froze, her eyes widening. She realized immediately what she’d said, and her expression shifted again, panic replacing anger.

"Layton, I’m sorry!" She started sniffling, her tears returning. "I didn’t mean that! Please, tell me—did I do something wrong?"

The room instantly fell silent.

Layton’s pen stopped moving.

Mike slowly looked toward his president.

The temperature inside the office seemed to drop several degrees.

Layton slowly raised his eyes.

Layton stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. His voice was ice.

"Get. Out."

Missy stared at him for a long moment, her chest heaving. Then, slowly, she turned toward the door.

Mike stepped aside, holding it open. "Miss Hawthorne, please, this way."

Missy huffed, her face flushed with humiliation and fury.

Without another word, she stormed out, her heels clicking sharply against the floor as she disappeared down the hallway.

As the door closed behind her, Mike let out a long, relieved breath.

Layton returned to his desk, his expression unreadable.

"Did you find anything?" he asked without looking up.

Mike straightened. "Not yet, Mr. Knight."

Layton’s jaw tightened. "Investigate Emily. If you can’t find anything on Missy, start with her."

Mike nodded. "Understood."

Just then, Layton’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen, then answered.

"Draven."

Draven’s voice came through, calm and measured. "Let’s meet today. I have something to discuss with you."

Layton paused for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

He ended the call and set the phone down, his gaze drifting toward the window.

Mike also left, closing the door softly behind him.

Alone in his office, Layton picked up the pen again, but his hand hovered over the documents without moving. The words blurred together, meaningless.

He had always been in control.

Always three steps ahead.

Always certain of the outcome.

But this time, he had miscalculated.

And the cost was becoming clearer with every passing day.