Chapter 832

Jason's POV

I scrolled through my contacts until I found her name and pressed the call button. It rang twice before she picked up.

“Jason?” Maddie’s voice came through, bright and cheerful as always. “What’s up?”

I tried to keep my voice steady, casual. “Hey, Maddie. I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

“Nah, you’re good. Layla’s out right now, so it’s just me at the villa. Everything okay?”

I hesitated, my heart pounding. Should I just come out and ask? Would she even tell me the truth? I took a deep breath, forcing myself to speak. 

“Yeah… I just… I wanted to check in. I’ve been calling Layla, but she doesn’t call back as much anymore. I just wanted to make sure… everything’s fine.”

There was a brief pause before Maddie responded, her voice softening. 

“Oh, Jason… Everything's fine. Layla’s just been a bit distracted, you know? Vacation mode and all that. But she’s fine.”

I clenched my jaw, my ch