Bang! The door was kicked open with a thunderous crash.
Poppy whipped around, her face drained of color. Standing right there in the doorway was Landon–someone who was supposed to be dead! She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She rubbed them hard, but Landon was still standing there, alive and real. Behind him stood dozens of elite enforcers from the Flying Tiger Sect, each one armed to the teeth. And the guards she’d posted to watch over Kayla were all lying dead on the floor.
“Landon…” Kayla called out, her voice trembling as tears poured down her cheeks. She struggled desperately to sit up, but the drugs had sapped all her strength–her whole body felt limp and powerless, and even speaking was almost impossible.
“Landon, you faked your death?” Poppy finally realized she’d been played. She frantically grabbed her phone and called back to check on the Kingsley family. The answer she got was devastating: the elite enforcers from the Flying Tiger Sect had stormed in, and her people had been wiped out. Which could only mean one thing–Amelia and Gloria had already been rescued.
“That’s right,” Landon said coldly, raising his gun and aiming it straight at Poppy’s heart. “I faked my death.”
Poppy’s eyes went wide with panic. In a split second, she darted toward Kayla, desperate to take her hostage. Bang! Landon didn’t hesitate–he pulled the trigger, and the shot hit Poppy right in the thigh. Poppy crashed to the floor, but even as she went down, she tried to throw herself at Kayla, using her own momentum for one last desperate attack. But someone else was faster–a shadow darted in front of Kayla, shielding her just in time. Poppy’s dagger just managed to nick the person’s calf before she was sent flying with a swift kick. Poppy let out a blood-curdling scream as she was sent flying through the air. But before she could even hit the floor, a hand snatched her by the collar, yanking her back and pinning her down without giving her a chance to land.
“Are you okay?” Tuff asked, climbing off Kayla and looking at her with deep concern.
Kayla managed a weak smile and shook her head. “You came too?”
“I came to save you, of course!” Tuff grinned, helping her to her feet. But Kayla could barely stand–she was so weak that she ended up leaning almost entirely on Tuff for support.
Kayla said anxiously, “Landon, you need to go see Amelia. She thinks you’re dead and she’s heartbroken… I’m afraid it might upset her and harm the baby…”
“I’ve already seen her,” Landon replied with a faint smile. “I talked to her before Elaine had the chance to tell her I was ‘dead.’”
“What?” Kayla was completely stunned. Back then, Amelia was still under Poppy’s control. Kayla had seen her and Gloria hugging each other, both of them heartbroken.
“Kayla, Amelia’s really smart. You don’t have to worry about her,” Landon said proudly, a satisfied smile on his face. The fact that she could read his mind was the biggest flaw in Poppy’s whole scheme. And that was exactly what gave him the confidence to risk everything.
“Okay… okay…” Kayla finally let out a sigh of relief and collapsed into Tuff’s arms, completely passing out.
Landon frowned. ‘Is my sister putting too much trust in Tuff?‘
“Landon, go see your honey. Leave this to me,” Tuff said, carrying Kayla bridal style and hurrying her to the hospital.
Seeing his own sister being carried off like a princess by his buddy, Landon couldn’t help but feel a little weird about it. But as soon as he thought of Honey, he pushed those feelings aside and rushed back to Kingsley Manor as fast as he could.
Daniel was leading his men as they cleaned up the aftermath. The bodies of the Kington Gang members were quietly dragged away, and the enforcers from the Flying Tiger Sect took their places, pretending to be the Kington Gang’s men as they continued to guard Kingsley Manor.
Amelia and Gloria were sitting side by side on the couch, watching everything unfold like they were in a dream. Just a little while ago, they’d heard the news that Landon had died. And now, out of nowhere, Daniel had shown his team to rescue them. The sudden turn of events left Gloria completely dazed.
Amelia was still in a daze, barely able to wrap her head around what just happened. She’d always believed Landon would come for them, but she never thought he’d show up this fast.
“Amelia, Landon will be back soon,” Daniel said, wiping some blood off his face. Then he turned to Gloria and added, “Gloria, Landon’s not dead.”
“R–really?” Gloria’s voice trembled. She felt like she was floating, as if she were still caught in a dream.
“Mom, it’s true,” Amelia said with a smile. “The guy who came to deliver the flowers today? That was Landon.”
“Huh?” Gloria was both shocked and overjoyed, her eyes going wide. She racked her brain, trying to remember exactly what happened when the flowers were delivered. Landon’s disguise had been so perfect–even his own mother hadn’t recognized him. But then, how did Amelia see through it? If she already knew Landon was alive, why didn’t she tell me? And yet, when Elaine announced Landon’s “death,” I still put on such a heartbroken act.
“Mom, the person who’s been watching us these past few days isn’t Kayla,” Amelia explained. “She’s an imposter–a fake sent by the Kington Gang. That’s why I couldn’t tell you anything. “If you’d acted even a little bit strange, Landon’s whole plan would’ve fallen apart. And we might not have made it out alive.”
Amelia finally told her the truth. “Mom, I’m sorry.”
“What? You’re saying Kayla’s not real?” Gloria felt like she was about to faint. That face, those wounds, that body… it was Kayla, no doubt about it! There was just no way she could ever mistake her own daughter!
“She’s a fake,” Daniel explained. “Her name is Poppy. The Kington Gang planted her as a stand-in a long time ago.”
“Oh no! Then where’s my real daughter?” Gloria blurted out, her voice trembling with panic.
“Don’t worry, she’s safe,” Daniel quickly reassured her. “Landon’s already rushing over to rescue her right now.”
Only then did Gloria manage to calm down a little, but she was still patting her chest nonstop, trying to steady her nerves. She’d been a housewife all her life and had never faced anything this wild. It was going to take her a minute to pull herself together.
“Daniel, is it all over now?” Amelia asked.
Daniel thought for a moment before answering, “Not yet…”
“So… are we still in danger?” Gloria asked, her anxiety flaring up again.
Daniel nodded. “The main problem is that we still can’t remove the chips from their brains. We’re going to have to face off against Aiden.”
“Aiden went to the Atkinson family! You guys need to catch him–use him to threaten Aiden!” Amelia blurted out anxiously.
Daniel nodded. “I’ve already sent people after him.” But whether or not they could actually catch Aiden… that was another matter entirely.
Everything had gone smoothly today, but Daniel couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in his heart. It felt like things were far from over.
“Honey!” Landon finally made it back.
Amelia jumped up in surprise and joy, looking at the man rushing toward her. “Hubby…”
“Honey, I’m sorry for making you worry again…” Landon said, pulling Amelia into his arms, making sure to leave plenty of space for her baby bump.
Gloria, her eyes brimming with tears, watched her son come home. Then she motioned for Daniel to follow her out, so they wouldn’t be the awkward third wheels here.
“Honey, you’re finally back!” Amelia exclaimed, her voice filled with relief.
“Yeah. I’m back, and I’m never leaving again…” Landon said.
Landon buried his face in the crook of Amelia’s neck, his voice choked with emotion.
‘God knows how worried I was about her,‘ he thought.
“How’s Kayla?” Amelia asked softly.
“Tuff took her to the hospital. She’s fine. What about you? How are you and the baby?” Landon asked, his voice full of concern.
“We’re good. We were ready for a long fight. I just didn’t expect you to come back swinging so fast,” Amelia replied. She reached out and patted his back.
‘That’s my man–an elite from the Flying Tiger Sect. Smart and tough as nails,' she thought. It had only been a few days since Poppy first infiltrated their home.
“Thank you for always trusting me,” Landon said. ‘If she hadn’t believed in me… I don’t even want to think about what could’ve happened.’ With the way things were now, she couldn’t take any more shocks. ‘If anything pushed her over the edge, she could lose the baby–or even both of them could be gone…‘
“Of course I believe in you! I had to see you with my own eyes, dead or alive—just like when you were taken by the Kington Gang,” Amelia said, her smile trembling as tears welled up. She was scared too. But with him gone, if she didn’t stay strong, who else could afford to fall apart? For the sake of their child, she had to hold on till the very end.
“Honey, you’re really something…” Landon let out a long sigh. “Seriously, you might look delicate, but your spirit is just as fierce as any of the women we train in the Flying Tiger Sect.”
Amelia smiled with her eyes and bit her lip. She wasn’t about to tell him that after living two lifetimes, she was already tough as nails.