“Yes!” Monica beamed, shooting Amelia a smug look.
Amelia lowered her gaze, hiding the mockery in her eyes. She could hear Landon’s thoughts again: ‘Is it really worth tying myself down in marriage just because she saved my life?’
‘The engagement just started, and he already regrets it.’
‘He’s just grateful to Monica–there’s no love at all.’
‘He’s in love with me, not her!’ Amelia thought.
‘One day, I’ll take him back!’ she vowed to herself.
“You still have me,” Aiden said, reaching under the table to touch Amelia’s hand. But she brusquely shoved his hand away without hesitation, her expression icy.
“Mr. Kyle, please behave yourself,” she said firmly.
Everyone at the table turned to look at them. Aiden had never felt so humiliated in his life. But what could he do? She was acting all proud, knowing he loved her, and he just had to take it.
“Mr. Kyle, she’s pregnant,” Landon said, shooting Aiden a glare. “And she just said she’s got a great relationship with her husband.”
“What the hell is it to you?” Aiden snapped, his temper flaring.
Landon fell silent.
‘Yeah, why do I even care? Why am I so hung up on Amelia?’ he wondered.
Monica had just bruised Landon’s ego by inviting guests over, and now she was worried he might get hurt again. She shot Aiden a displeased look and said, “Aiden, anything that goes on in my family, my husband has every right to be involved.”
Aiden was left at a loss for words.
‘Tch! Totally blinded by love,’ he scoffed inwardly.
Amelia blinked, seriously starting to wonder if being hopelessly in love just ran in the Kyle family. But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. As long as Landon could keep Monica under control the way she had Aiden wrapped around her finger, he’d have a much easier time. As for those lost memories, he could take his time getting them back–no rush at all. She believed one day he would remember.
Dinner wrapped up in a flurry of noise and bickering, and by the time it was over, the clock was already striking eight. Night had fallen, the world outside swallowed by darkness, and the air had turned chilly in an instant. Landon came over with two pretty, lightweight blankets, handing one to Paloma and the other to Amelia.
“Honey, can I have one too?” Monica said.
Landon finally went to get her a blanket as well. Aiden, on the other hand, felt like he didn’t even exist.
“Paloma, let’s go home,” Aiden said.
“Not going,” Paloma replied.
Paloma pulled her blanket tighter around her and lazily snuggled into the soft sofa. “I’ve made plans to meet Uncle and Aunt tomorrow. I’m treating them to dinner.”
“Are you coming back after dinner tomorrow?” Aiden asked.
“The day after tomorrow, I’m going surfing at the beach. And the day after that, I’m heading to the island for some fun…”
Paloma’s schedule was packed so full that Aiden realized there was no room for him in her plans at all. He felt completely deflated. He might be the king of the hill in the Kington Gang, but at home, those two women had him totally at their mercy. Monica was completely exasperated with Amelia too, but she couldn’t do a thing about her either. It was a perfect closed loop–everyone had someone who could keep them in check, and there was just no way to break the cycle. The atmosphere in the luxurious living room was downright strange, and in the end, everyone just ended up staying over.
Paloma, Amelia, and Aiden stayed on the first floor. Monica and Landon stayed upstairs on the second floor.
Late that night, Monica knocked on Landon’s door.
“Who is it?” Landon asked.
“Honey, it’s me,” Monica replied, her voice dripping with sweetness.
Landon knew exactly what Monica was after, and he couldn’t help but feel repulsed inside. He said flatly, “I’ve got a headache. If you need something, let’s talk tomorrow.”
“Honey, I’m scared. Can I stay with you tonight?” Monica said, her voice trembling.
“It’s our own house, what are you so afraid of?” Landon replied.
“I just had a nightmare,” Monica said.
Landon glanced at the clock. It had only been a little over an hour since everyone went back to their rooms. He knew Monica needed at least an hour just to remove her makeup, do her skincare, and soak in the bath. ‘So with my handful of minutes left, she claims she already had a nightmare? Is that even enough time to dream, let alone have a nightmare?’ he scoffed inwardly.
“Honey, come on, open the door for me!” Monica pleaded.
“My sweet husband…” she called out again.
Landon just ignored her. Monica kept banging on the door, and the noise was so relentless that even Amelia, all the way downstairs, was woken up by it. Amelia cracked her door open, ears pricked, trying to catch what was happening upstairs. Monica was always proud and haughty, but after being humbled today, she was desperate to regain her pride by seeking out Landon. Knocking on his door in the middle of the night, she was trying to seduce Landon.
‘Is Landon really going to sleep with her?’ Amelia wondered.
‘They’ve been engaged all these days–have they even spent a night together yet?’ she thought.
Amelia’s mind was in turmoil. She understood he’d lost his memories, and she knew his heart was still with her. But even so, she just couldn’t accept the idea of him sleeping with someone else.
“Honey, if you don’t open the door, I’m really going to start making a fuss!” Monica began to whimper, her voice so pitiful it could melt anyone’s heart.
Landon finally opened the door, sounding completely exasperated. “Seriously, what do you want now?”
“Honey, give me a hug, a kiss…” Monica threw herself into his arms, clinging to him like a koala. She was trying to use her sweet, delicate body to ignite his most basic instincts. The night was so quiet that the faint rustle of fabric and her breathy whimpers carried all the way downstairs. The distance muffled the sounds, but Amelia was especially sensitive. Every tiny noise seemed to be amplified in her ears.
She clutched at her collar, wanting to rush upstairs and put a stop to it. Suddenly, a hand reached out and stopped her. It was Paloma. Paloma shook her head at her, telling her not to go. Amelia bit down on her lower lip, feeling so stifled inside she could barely breathe.
“Honey, just have your way with me…” Monica’s words grew even more shameless.
Landon remained completely unmoved. “Did you forget I’m impotent?”
“Cough, cough…”
Amelia nearly choked on her own spit. Paloma hurriedly yanked her back inside the room. Upstairs, Monica was frozen in shock, but when she heard a woman coughing downstairs, she snapped, yelling, “Who’s down there?” Downstairs, everything went dead quiet–no one made a sound. Amelia pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.
‘Wait, Landon’s impotent?’ she thought, stunned.
‘Is he just pretending? Or did something really happen to him?’ she wondered.
“Does it really bother you that much?” Paloma whispered teasingly in her ear.
Amelia blushed and whispered, “No…”
“If he’s really impotent, there goes your happily ever after,” Paloma joked.
“Honestly, I don’t care about that,” Amelia muttered. Amelia patted her belly. “Besides, we’ve already got a baby on the way.”
“He still cares about you,” Paloma said.
Amelia smiled with relief. “Yeah! Deep down, he hasn’t really forgotten me.”
“You’re really lucky,” Paloma said. “But you need to understand–he might be able to throw a tantrum at Monica, but he can’t leave here. Don’t provoke Monica too much.”
“Got it. I’ll head back to Norava tomorrow,” Amelia said. “Once I’m gone, you’ll be able to stay a few more days. You and Aiden haven’t seen each other in over twenty years.”
Paloma had planned to stick around for the long haul, but Amelia couldn’t stay that long. She’d been racking her brain for a way to nudge Amelia to leave first, but to her surprise, Amelia brought it up herself.
“Amelia, it’s fate that you found me. I promise, I’ll help you bring him back home,” Paloma said.
“Sis, I’m really not in a hurry. Just make sure you all stay safe–that’s what matters most,” Amelia replied.
Amelia reached out and took Paloma’s hand. Once she got a clear picture of what was really going on here, she’d call in the Flying Tiger Sect for backup. As soon as the Kington Gang was wiped out, Landon and Kayla could finally go back home!
Upstairs, Monica tried a few times with her wandering hands, but after several failed attempts, she pulled back in frustration. “Honey, why isn’t it working yet?”
“I have no idea. Maybe it never will,” Landon replied, his face expressionless. “If you’re feeling lonely, go get yourself a lover or something.”
“No, no, I’m not lonely,” Monica blurted out. “Never mind, you get some sleep. I’ll just go back to my room.”
“Mm,” Landon replied coolly.
He closed the door and rushed straight to the bathroom, scrubbing himself off in disgust.
‘She actually touched me! Ugh, I feel filthy now–so gross!’ he ranted inwardly.