Chapter 41

Zachary finally noticed something was off. He glanced down and saw Sandra staring at his crotch, startling him. Instinctively, he reached out to cover himself and asked, “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Zachary, did you use protection with Elizabeth today?” she asked.

Zachary frowned—he hadn’t. At the time, he’d thought it was Amelia, so he’d thrown caution to the wind and gone for it. He’d even thought that getting her pregnant would be a bonus.

He figured if Amelia ended up getting kicked out of the Kingsley family, he could take her in without a hitch. And if not, she could stay in Kingsley Manor and give birth to his child, who would inherit the Kingsley family’s assets.

With those selfish thoughts, Zachary had been particularly enthusiastic during the act. But now, faced with Sandra’s interrogation, he lied with a guilty conscience, “Of course, I did.”

“That’s a relief,” she said, visibly relaxing. This meant Zachary hadn’t gone so far as to want a child with Amelia – maybe what he did today was just out of spite.

Sandra looped her arms around his neck, half-joking as she teased, “I’ll let it slide this time. But if there’s a next time, I’ll make sure to cut off your little buddy.”

She smiled sweetly as she spoke, but Zachary felt a chill run down his spine. What he didn’t realize was that she was a ruthless woman. One day in the future, she really would pick up a pair of scissors and aim them at him.

Meanwhile, Amelia had spent the night sleeping on the sofa, utterly unaware of what had happened outside. When she got up in the morning, she saw Landon sitting on the bed and asked curiously, “Why are you sitting up like that?”

Landon let out a sneer and thought irritably, ‘This damn woman made me sit up and sleep all night, and now she’s playing dumb?’

As Amelia got herself ready, she said nonchalantly, “I’m not going to the office today.”

Landon couldn’t hold back his anger anymore and snapped inwardly, ‘You’re not taking care of your husband, and you’re not going to work – are you trying to rebel?’

Amelia frowned and retorted, “I’ve been taking care of you. Washing your face, giving you massages every day…”

Her voice faltered as it hit her – she hadn’t washed Landon’s face last night. And, come to think of it, she also hadn’t helped him lower the bed. She nervously thought to herself, ‘Oh no….’

Blinking guiltily, Amelia tried to explain, “I forgot last night…”

‘You’re clearly doing this on purpose to get back at me,’ Landon sneered inwardly, his bloodshot eyes practically blazing with fury from lack of sleep.

It was a pity that he couldn’t manage much expression at the moment – he had to rely on the intensity of his eyes and the weight of his words to show his anger.

Of course, when it came to Landon’s inner thoughts, Amelia could choose to listen or not. Nobody else would know either way. Just like last night – no matter how much he had called out to her, she had ignored him completely.

Landon huffed and thought bitterly, ‘Unbelievable. Once I recover, I’ll make sure she understands just how serious the consequences of mistreating me are.’

As Amelia adjusted him to lie flat, she asked, “Come on now. Why would I want to get back at you?”

Landon scoffed in his mind, ‘Because I scolded you –’

Before he could finish, Amelia cut in with a laugh, “Scolded? That wasn’t scolding. That was you ‘educating’ me."

“Thank you, Mr. Kingsley, for the reminder. Since I am Mrs. Kingsley, I’ll make sure to play my role properly and use the advantages it brings wisely. I won’t take risks so lightly again.”

Amelia’s sharp tongue and quick wit left Landon silent. Then, she added, “You rest here for a bit. I’ll get a towel.”

Amelia really did bring back a towel and carefully wiped his face and hands, just like every other time she took care of him.

Her actions were still meticulous and gentle, but something felt off to him. He could tell she was clearly still holding a grudge, but there was no way to prove it.

After finishing the cleaning, Amelia went downstairs for breakfast. She didn’t change clothes or grab her purse, which made it clear to Landon that she wasn’t planning to go to work today.

He pondered, ‘Fine. After what happened yesterday, she’s bound to stir up trouble at the office. It’s probably better for her to stay home and rest.’

Landon struggled to pick up his phone and, with one hand, sent a text to Aaron: [How’s the investigation into the car accident coming along?]

Aaron replied quickly: [We’ve confirmed Kenneth’s involvement. He’ll be apprehended soon.]

Landon responded: [Hold off for now. Send my uncle and his family on a vacation abroad.]

Aaron replied simply: [Got it.]

Having settled everything, Landon closed his eyes wearily, trying to catch up on sleep. Poor guy had been stuck sitting all night, barely getting any rest.

But just as he was about to doze off, a light, tinkling laugh floated up from below the window. “Wow. So white and so smooth.”

Landon jolted awake and wondered in confusion, his brows furrowing, ‘What’s so white and smooth? What’s Amelia up to?’

Just then, Amelia’s voice rang out again, cheerful and sweet – very unlike her usual businesslike tone when dealing with him. “Mom, can I sleep with him from now on?”

Gloria chuckled warmly, “No way. Landon would get mad.”

“Who cares about him?” Amelia huffed playfully. “From now on, I’m sleeping with Silas. Silas makes me happy.”

Gloria smiled, “Fine, fine. Since Landon’s not exactly in top shape, let Silas keep you company then.”

Amelia chirped, “Oh, thank you so much. Silas, come here – let’s kiss. Mwah.”

Landon’s face darkened instantly, and he thought, ‘Silas? White and smooth? Sleeping together? Makes her happy? And a kiss? Has Mom actually gotten Amelia a boy toy? Are they serious? All because Henry’s been pressuring them about kids? This is insane.’

With a loud bang, he slammed his fist against the nightstand, his frustration boiling over.

On the terrace below, Gloria and Amelia were busy cuddling and petting a fluffy little kitten when the noise startled them. They froze for a moment before their faces paled in panic.

They both thought anxiously, ‘Oh no, that sounded bad. Landon couldn’t have fallen out of bed, could he? Gosh. Let’s hope he didn’t hurt himself…’

Both Gloria and Amelia bolted upstairs, bursting into the bedroom with wide eyes.

But instead of finding Landon on the floor, they saw him glaring at the nightstand, furiously smacking it with his only functional left hand. The rest of his body remained stiffly sprawled on the bed, unable to move.

The sight made Gloria’s eyes sting with tears. She rushed to his side and asked anxiously, “What happened, Landon? Are you okay?”

Landon’s eyes blazed with anger as he pointed his left hand accusingly at Amelia. Confused, she walked over, still cradling the kitten in her arms. “You’re looking for me?”

He stared at the little white cat in Amelia’s arms, momentarily stunned, and then asked in his mind, ‘What is this?’

“This is Silas,” Amelia replied, stroking the silky fur on the white cat’s back. She beamed as if showing off a prized possession. “Isn’t he just the cutest?”

Landon was utterly speechless as he pondered, ‘So this is Silas, huh? It is just as white and smooth as she said… Ugh, my bad.’

“Your hand must be hurting, huh, Landon? Here. Let me take a look.” Gloria gently grabbed Landon’s hand, her face filled with concern. “Oh no, it’s already bruised. Amy, go grab the pain relief spray.”

“Got it,” Amelia replied.

She fetched the pain relief spray and sprayed it all over the bruises on Landon’s elbow. Confused, she asked, “Why didn’t you just call me? Why were you slamming on the nightstand?”

“That’s right. It wasn’t easy to get your arm healed, so how could you let yourself get hurt again?” Gloria chimed in with a grumble. Landon had no response; he couldn’t exactly admit he was jealous of a little cat.

“Just tell me what you need next time, okay?” Amelia said with a sigh.

Landon closed his eyes in frustration, choosing to ignore her. She could only shake her head and remark, “So frail, yet so full of attitude.”

Gloria sighed, “That’s just how Landon is, Amy. Try to bear with him.” Still, she couldn’t help but feel annoyed inside and thought, ‘If he’s able to talk to his wife, then he should talk more and work on it. Why does he always sulk and shut everyone out? Hasn’t he sulked enough?’

“It’s fine,” Amelia said lightly. “He didn’t sleep well last night. That’s probably why he’s grumpy today.”

Gloria’s expression shifted as if something suddenly clicked. Right in front of both of them, she pulled out her phone and called Wesley, “Landon’s worn out from too much…activity. Bring some supplement over.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Landon choked on his own saliva, coughing violently. Though his voice was faint, the fact that he managed to make a sound at all was practically a miracle – especially after three months of complete silence.