Chapter 243

At Atkinson Villa, Elaine was enjoying her afternoon tea, waiting for good news.

“Still thinking about Landon?” Klein asked, noticing how happy his daughter looked as he sat down to join her.

“Of course,” Elaine replied with a smug smile. “He’s the light I dream of, the mark I can never erase from my heart.”

With the Kington Gang backing her, she was sure this time she could finally make Landon hers.

The only thing that frustrated her was that she still couldn’t finish off Amelia.

But Poppy had told her that Aiden was dangerously obsessive. If Amelia ever fell into his hands, she’d be in real trouble.

“Elaine, if it weren’t for you, our family would never have turned to the Kington Gang. You need to step up your game,” Klein said.

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’m not the same girl I used to be,” Elaine replied, lifting her chin proudly.

Klein nodded in approval.

“The Kington Gang may have fallen on hard times, but they’ve still got real power and deep pockets,” Klein said.

Times had changed, and the Atkinson family was now just a shell of its former self.

Originally, Klein had hoped Elaine would marry Landon and use the Kingsley family’s wealth to bail them out.

But after her repeated failures, he had no choice but to accept the olive branch extended by the Kington Gang.

This was a step with no turning back.

He hoped that this time Elaine would make the family proud by marrying into the Kingsley family and inheriting their wealth.

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll make it happen,” Elaine reassured him.

Out of nowhere, she stumbled upon a breaking news report.

“Landon Dies After Failed Surgery in Lunova…”

“What? Landon…” Elaine’s vision went black for a moment. She pressed a hand to her forehead, unable to believe it, and forced herself to look at the screen again.

Klein’s face went ashen as he snatched the phone and read the headline–he was completely numb.

Landon was dead.

“Landon–no!” Elaine broke down, wailing uncontrollably, her whole world collapsing as she sobbed her heart out.

Klein’s hands trembled as he frantically dialed to confirm if the news was real.

Word was, Landon had risked it all in Lunova, going under the knife to get that chip out of his head. But the surgery failed.

“He’s really… gone…” Klein staggered over and slumped down beside his daughter, his voice hollow. “Elaine, please… try not to fall apart…”

“Dad, is Landon really… gone?” Elaine choked out between sobs.

Klein nodded heavily. “Yeah.”

“How could this happen? I gave everything for him, and I never even got to have him!” Elaine cried out, stomping her feet and sobbing uncontrollably.

‘Landon and Amelia aren’t even divorced yet! Now that he’s dead, he still belongs to Amelia–even in death! He couldn’t be mine when he was alive, and now I can’t even have him when he’s dead?’ she thought, ‘He is dead. Everything the Atkinson family and I have done becomes nothing.’

“Landon–ahhh!” she wailed, her voice cracking with grief.

Klein watched his daughter, his heart aching, but frustration bubbling up inside him.

As far as he knew, everything the Kingsley family owned was already in Amelia’s hands. Now that Landon was gone, she’d inherit it all, fair and square, as his widow.

Now, the Atkinsons could forget about ever getting a share of the Kingsley fortune.

Was the Atkinson family really going to scrape by on the Kington Gang’s charity forever?

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him–he had a plan.

“Elaine, Amelia has to die…” Klein muttered, his tone cold and resolute.

But Elaine was so lost in her own grief that she didn’t even register a word her father was saying.

Klein had no choice but to give her a firm shake. “Elaine, snap out of it!”

“Dad, I can’t go on without him…” Elaine sobbed like the world was ending.

On top of the pain of losing the man she loved, there was a huge sense of resentment and unwillingness to accept it.

‘Why does Amelia always get everything? Why don’t I even get a shot? It’s so unfair! So unfair!’ Elaine screamed in her heart.

“Slap!”

Klein slapped her across the face.

The pain jolted Elaine out of her sobbing. “Dad, why did you hit me?”

“Elaine, things have come to this. We have to think about the Atkinson family now.”

“Dad, I don’t know anything about business,” Elaine said, still in shock.

“Go to the Kingsley family and tell Amelia that Landon died after his surgery. As long as she’s dead, I can use business tactics to swallow up everything the Kingsleys own,” Klein said coldly, his tone full of calculation.

Elaine wiped her tears. “Dad, we can’t do that! Aiden said he wants Amelia to stay safe and sound…”

“Hmph! He’s just a cast-off from the Kington Gang!” Klein sneered. “I’ve already got it all figured out. Just do as I say.”

“But…” Elaine hesitated.

“No buts. This is the only way for the Atkinson family to stay strong and never fall from grace!” Klein insisted, his voice cold and resolute.

In Norava, Kingsley Manor was on total lockdown–no internet, no news, nothing from the outside world got in.

Only Kayla managed to get word from Lunova, and when she saw the news that Landon had died after his surgery, she was totally stunned.

After that, she almost went crazy.

All her schemes had been about blackmailing Landon. Now that he was dead, how the hell was she supposed to pull anything off?

Time to try Tuff again.

Kayla gritted her teeth and dialed Tuff’s number.

“Darling…” came Tuff’s voice on the other end.

“Shut up!” Kayla shouted, unable to stand it anymore.

‘Ugh, this guy is so cheesy!’ she thought, unable to stand it.

She couldn’t even imagine how cringe-worthy it would be to date someone like him.

“Kayla, waaaah…” Tuff started sobbing. “Landon’s gone…”

“Is that true?” Kayla asked.

“Waaaah…” Tuff faked a sob, half-covering his mouth and nose, his shoulders shaking dramatically.

If Daniel hadn’t been sitting right across from him, anyone else would have thought Tuff was actually heartbroken.

Kayla could only say, “So, you people from the Flying Tiger Sect really don’t care if Amelia and Gloria live or die?”

“Huh?” Tuff was caught off guard.

“Tuff, don’t forget they’re still in my hands. I can kill them anytime I want!” Kayla snapped.

“I haven’t forgotten. But you know how it is–out of sight, out of mind. No one in the Flying Tiger Sect cares about them anymore… Honestly, they’re way more interested in hunting you and Aiden down,” Tuff replied.

Kayla’s forehead throbbed.

‘Seriously? Aren’t they supposed to be the good guys? Since when did the Flying Tiger Sect get so shameless?’ she thought.

“Kayla, when are you coming to claim Landon’s body?” Tuff asked.

“Tuff, you’re supposed to be Landon’s friend. Are you really just going to stand by and watch his mom, wife, and kid get killed?” Kayla snapped.

Tuff sniffled and said, “His mom is your mom too. I don’t believe you’d actually hurt your own mother.”

Kayla was left speechless.

“And as for Amelia, Aiden’s way better at keeping her safe than I am,” Tuff whined, still pretending to cry. “I’ll just call him myself.”

“Shit!” Kayla swore, slamming her phone down again in anger.

When she met the worried eyes of Gloria and Amelia, she knew she couldn’t break the news to them just yet–she couldn’t tell them Landon was dead.

Meanwhile, back at the Prescott Villa in Lunova, Tuff was laughing so hard he was practically rolling on the floor. “Hahaha, Mr. Zuckerberg, how was my acting?”

“Oscar-worthy,” Daniel said, giving him a thumbs-up in admiration. “But are you sure this will make Kayla back down?”

“Nope,” Tuff said with a grin, waving his hand dismissively. “Mr. Zuckerberg, haven’t you noticed something off?”

“What do you mean?” Daniel frowned, puzzled.

“Back when we were faking a relationship, I always called her ‘darling,’ not ‘Kayla.’ But now, she totally loses it whenever I use that word,” Tuff said.

Daniel thought it over. “Yeah, she really freaked out when she heard you call her ‘darling.’”

“Exactly.” Tuff’s eyes narrowed slyly. “Honestly, ever since she first called to threaten me, I’ve been wondering if she’s actually the real Kayla.”

Daniel’s face grew serious. “So what are you getting at?”

“I’m telling you, she’s almost definitely a fake!” Tuff’s voice went cold. “And I’ve got this gut feeling…”

“Can you just get to the point already?” Daniel snapped, swinging a fist at him in frustration.

Tuff caught his fist and said, “Your sister’s sharp–she’s probably already realized that woman isn’t the real Kayla.”