Chapter 257

“Kayla, you don’t remember Shelby’s house, do you?” Amelia asked.

Kayla shook her head. “Nope.”

“How about we take a tour together and get familiar with the place?” Amelia suggested.

“Sure!” Kayla replied with a bright smile, clearly happy with the idea.

Amelia turned to Shelby with a smile. “Aunt Shelby, is that okay with you?”

“Sure, go ahead!” Shelby waved her hand casually and called over a servant to show them around.

Amelia and Kayla linked arms and started their little tour.

Honestly, the place looked just like it did twenty years ago. Everything Kayla saw felt so familiar, like nothing had changed at all.

They checked out each room one by one but didn’t notice anything unusual.

But when they walked into the study, Kayla suddenly grabbed Amelia’s hand tightly.

“Nadia, is this Tristan’s study?” Amelia asked casually, patting Kayla’s hand to calm her down while looking around.

Taking the hint, Kayla quickly pulled herself together.

Nadia replied, “No, this is Mr. Marvin Gellar’s study.”

“Marvin?” Amelia looked around at the antique furnishings, unable to picture a Gellar guy hanging out in a place like this.

Marvin Gellar was thirty-four, right in his prime. ‘Why would he be into a place like this?’ she wondered.

“Where does Marvin work now?” Kayla asked.

“He first worked as a government employee but thought the salary was too low, so he quit and went into business instead,” Nadia explained with a smile.

“Oh, so what kind of business is he running?” Kayla asked.

“That, I really don’t know,” Nadia replied.

Kayla didn’t ask any more. Instead, she absentmindedly flipped open a book on the desk–it was The Old Testament.

She winced a little, then shut the book again.

That just made Amelia feel even more curious.

Hardly any young people believed in mysticism, let alone actually studied it.

‘Man, this Marvin really is a weirdo,’ Amélia thought to herself.

“That painting must be worth a lot, right?” Kayla pointed to a painting next to the desk and asked Amelia to take a look.

Thanks to the blessing of the Hughes family, Amelia had a bit of research on calligraphy and painting.

She could tell at a glance that the quirky-looking painting of A Withered Rose was actually a true masterpiece by a renowed artist from centuries ago.

“Kayla, this is a real antique,” Amelia said.

“Oh, no wonder it looks so special,” Kayla replied.

Nadia, the longtime maid who had watched Kayla grow up, stood by with a fond smile as she listened to their comments.

After they finished checking out the whole house, it was time for dinner.

But Shelby’s husband, Tristan, still hadn’t come back.

“Shelby, where’s Tristan?” Kayla’s grandmother, Juliet Gellar, asked.

“He’s probably out playing cards with his friends again,” Shelby replied, a cold look flashing in her eyes. “Don’t worry about him. Let’s eat.”

Amelia and Kayla shared a silent glance, both understanding each other without saying a word.

The Gellar family only had two daughters. Shelby stayed at home, and they brought in a son-in-law who married into the family.

Juliet’s son-in-law, Tristan, came from a poor mountainous region in another province. Relying on his own talent, he worked his way up from a struggling student to a government employee. He was introduced to Shelby and eventually became a live-in son-in-law of the Gellar family.

The Gellar family was wealthy, and with the help of Gloria’s husband, they enjoyed even greater prosperity.

Everyone said Tristan was really lucky to have latched onto Shelby, who was his golden ticket.

But some people also mocked him, calling him a “freeloader” who climbed his way into a rich family by marrying a wealthy heiress.

After dinner, Gloria and Shelby were still deep in conversation when Amelia said, “Gloria, we should head back and take care of the baby.”

“Oh, is it really that late?” Gloria glanced at the sky, a look of reluctance in her eyes.

“Gloria, if you don’t want to leave Shelby just yet, you can stay here for a few days. It’s no big deal,” Amelia said with a smile.

Shelby echoed her words, trying to persuade her, “Gloria, since you rarely come back, why don’t you stay with me for a few days?”

“Alright,” Gloria hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing.

Shelby’s lips curled ever so slightly, almost too subtle to notice.

On the way home, with Gloria not around, Landon and the others could finally talk freely.

“Well? Did you find anything off?” Landon couldn’t wait to ask.

“I saw The Old Testament in Marvin’s study. Why would he be into that?” Kayla frowned. “I remember he never believed in mystery before.”

Marvin was seven years older than Kayla, so when she got kidnapped, he was already a fourteen-year-old teenage boy.

He was a total bookworm and loved all things tech. Back then, his dream was to become a pilot when he grew up.

“Honestly, I don’t really know him that well,” Landon said, frowning in confusion. “We barely see each other these days. Mom only brings him up every now and then.”

“That painting of A Withered Rose in his room? It was actually done by a mystic,” Amelia said.

For some reason, Kayla got goosebumps all over.

She just couldn’t shake the feeling that Marvin had turned into some unfathomable villain.

“Amy, did you notice anything else?” Landon asked.

Amelia replied, “Shelby and Tristan really don’t get along. Every time she brings him up, you can just see the hate in her eyes.”

“Could it be that Tristan forced her to kidnap me?” Kayla asked.

“That doesn’t seem right.” Amelia shook her head.

“Then…” Kayla said, still completely baffled.

‘But why would Aunt Shelby go so far as to kidnap Landon?’ she wondered.

“Was Shelby really with Tristan of her own free will back then?” Amelia asked.

Kayla and Landon exchanged a look–they honestly had no clue.

All they remembered was that Tristan and Shelby had always been kind and gentle.

“I’ve got a wild theory!” Amelia took a deep breath, ready to drop a bombshell.

Landon and Kayla both sat up straight, their attention fully focused.

“I think Shelby has always held a grudge against Gloria because of the whole arranged marriage thing. That’s why she wanted to kidnap Landon–to get back at Gloria and ruin her life,” Amelia said.

Donna always valued sons over daughters.

After Gloria gave birth to her first child, Kayla, Donna made her disappointment known both openly and behind her back.

She would constantly compare Kayla to Patrick from Henry’s branch of the family, always making pointed remarks.

It wasn’t until Gloria had her second child, Landon, that her life finally got easier.

If one really wanted to make Gloria’s life hell in the Kingsley family, the simplest way would be to make sure she never had a son.

That way, not only would her mother-in-law and sister-in-law walk all over her, but the entire family fortune would end up in Henry’s hands.

“It’s possible…” Landon’s voice and face both turned ice-cold.

All these years, Shelby always seemed to have a problem with him, but he just never noticed.

After Kayla was kidnapped, their dad started keeping a much closer eye on Landon, so Shelby couldn’t make a move on him anymore.

She couldn’t stand him, but there was nothing she could do about it.

It wasn’t until a little over a year ago, when Kenneth messed with his car and caused that accident that left him in a vegetative state, that Shelby finally got her wish.

Back then, Gloria was going through hell, but Shelby didn’t show her face even once.

“I’ll handle looking into Tristan. This is my specialty,” Kayla said, her eyes flashing with a cold, murderous intent.

At that moment, Amelia felt like she was seeing Kayla slip right back into her old spy mode from her days undercover in the Shawn family.

“Okay.” Landon nodded. “Kayla, no matter what you find out, don’t let it get to you. Leave the rest to me.”

“Got it,” Kayla said with a smile. “I know I have depression, but I’m not going to let myself get upset so easily.”

“Wait, you actually know?” Amelia blurted out, genuinely surprised.

But according to Brian, Kayla hadn’t even been aware of her own illness before.

“Of course I know my own condition,” Kayla said. “I’ve survived the hardest times. I’m a lot stronger now.”

Landon couldn’t quite agree with that. ‘If she were truly strong, she wouldn’t have fallen into depression again,’ he thought.

“Landon, could you drop me off at Tuff’s place later? I’m staying there tonight,” Kayla said.

Landon was completely speechless. ‘You two aren’t even married yet!’ he thought.

“Sure thing,” Amelia quickly agreed, giving Landon a discreet kick under the table.

‘Who knows, maybe love really is the cure for Kayla’s depression?’ she thought.