Chapter 47

"What the heck are you sneering at? Can’t you tell I’m just trying to deal with your mom?" Amelia felt awkward, turned her head to look at Landon, and grumbled inwardly, "With your mom?"

"I’m not interested." Landon’s blunt inner thought made Amelia feel even more annoyed. But with Gloria right there, she couldn’t say anything.

It wasn’t until they were back in their room that Amelia explained, "Landon, I’m not trying to climb the social ladder or anything. I only agreed to give this a try because your mom pressured me."

"Oh, really?" Landon snorted inwardly, clearly not believing her.

"Believe it or not. Time will tell." Amelia was so irritated she threw her bag onto the couch.

She thought furiously, "What’s his problem? Just because he’s handsome, smart, and rich, he thinks every woman on earth will fall for him? Not me. Who needs men? Being your own queen is way better."

Amelia irritably sneered, "Landon, the way you are now, no woman would even want you. You can’t move and talk – what can you offer anyone?"

Her gaze deliberately lingered on Landon’s lower abdomen for a moment. "What good is it if something rises but you can’t move?"

Amelia’s words hit him right in his pride. His face turned visibly red with anger as he fumed inwardly, "Amelia, say that again if you dare."

Unbothered, she pulled a face and retorted, "I’ll say it a hundred times, a thousand times – you still won’t be able to move."

Amelia thought, "Feels great to fire back at him. He can’t do anything to me anyway. Honestly, life’s so much better when you don’t play by the rules."

She started humming a tune while Landon glared at her. But she couldn’t care less, thinking, "Go ahead. Glare all you want."

"You’re right. Whether I can move or not has nothing to do with you," Landon finally murmured inwardly after taking a deep breath. "There’s no need for anything between us."

"Exactly, exactly." Amelia nodded enthusiastically, clearly unbothered by him.

Landon paused for a moment and decided not to argue with her anymore. It wasn’t worth raising his blood pressure.

Besides, he had no intention of pursuing a relationship with her – this was purely a mutually beneficial arrangement. So, whether he could "perform" or not really wasn’t her business.

Maybe Landon was too drained from all the arguing because he fell asleep shortly after. Hearing his steady breathing, Amelia frowned and wondered, "He doesn’t seem to have as much stamina today as yesterday. Is he really…losing vitality?"

Her eyes wandered and landed on the supplements Wesley had left behind. She looked thoughtful.

Just then, Sandra’s shouting pierced through the quiet. "Amelia, get out here if you dare. Let’s settle this one-on-one."

Amelia frowned but, not wanting to disturb Landon’s rest, stepped outside to the front door. She looked coldly at her once-beloved sister and asked, "What do you want?"

"Amelia, you heartless traitor. How could you set up your own parents?" Sandra’s bloodshot eyes were filled with hatred.

Amelia gave a dry laugh. "Oh, so they’re allowed to scheme against me, but I’m not allowed to fight back?"

"They were just trying to save the company. Why did you have to send them to jail?" Sandra yelled accusingly.

The plan had been Sandra’s idea, and everyone had agreed to it. She thought it was a brilliant move, but it backfired. Amelia only ended up with a few surface wounds while Sandra’s parents and boyfriend landed in jail.

Imitating Sandra’s tone, Amelia shot back, "I was just trying to protect myself – is that wrong?"

Sandra stomped her feet and jabbed a red-painted fingernail at Amelia’s forehead. "You can’t just send them to jail…"

"Ms. Edwards, careful not to stress yourself," Amelia warned, grabbing Sandra’s finger and applying a little pressure.

Sandra immediately wailed as if the sky were falling. "Ah. My hand’s going to break!"

Amelia released her and said coldly. "Hmph. You have no right to lecture me. Get lost."

"… I’m your younger sister, for heaven’s sake," Sandra stammered.

Amelia’s lips curved into a sly smile. "Younger sister? Or should I say, older sister?"

Sandra froze, her eyes darting nervously. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"What if Mrs. Foster found out you’re an illegitimate child?" Amelia asked, her tone sharp.

Even Sandra’s impeccable makeup couldn’t hide the sudden paleness of her face. "Y–You’re insane. I was born after our parents were married."

"Oh, really? Then why is your birth certificate dated six months before mine?"

"That’s impossible. You’re lying."

"Shall we find out?"

With that, Amelia leisurely pulled out an old, yellowed birth certificate, stamped with the seal of Norava Hospital. Authenticating it would be a simple matter of checking the seal.

Sandra staggered back a few steps, disbelief written all over her face. "Where did you get that?"

"Secrets don’t stay buried, Sandra." Amelia’s words were measured but cutting. "Think carefully. Do you really want me to expose your mother’s dirty affair with my father?"

Amelia’s words struck like lightning, leaving Sandra’s legs weak. Her mother’s warning echoed in her mind. "No one can ever find out you’re older than Amelia…"

Sandra’s mind spiraled in panic as she thought, "It’s over. Amelia knows. She knows I’m the illegitimate daughter born before the marriage…"

But desperation suddenly fueled Sandra’s courage. She lunged at Amelia, aiming to snatch and destroy the birth certificate.

But before Sandra could lay a finger on Amelia, two men – Amelia’s bodyguards – appeared out of nowhere. They grabbed one of Sandra’s arms and held her firmly in place.

Amelia shook her head, thinking, "Sandra’s ambition and ruthlessness are impressive, but she’s always lacked the brains to match."

"Mrs. Kingsley, how should we handle this?" one of the bodyguards asked, his voice cold and authoritative.

The words were like a hammer striking down, making Sandra tremble uncontrollably. "You can’t hurt me. I’m pregnant. I’ll call the police."

"Sure, and while you’re at it, we’ll charge you with trespassing. Maybe you can reunite with your parents in jail," Amelia chuckled.

Sandra’s confidence crumbled as thoughts of her detained parents and lover flashed through her mind. She started sobbing pitifully, "We are family. Why make things so harsh, Amelia? We’re sisters, no matter what. Blood is thicker than water. How can you treat me like this?"

"This is too much for you to handle? Compared to what you did to me, this is nothing," Amelia said coldly, her face darkening. "If I were to drag you to the operating room right now and claim you needed to have a breast removed…"

"You wouldn’t dare," Sandra screamed in terror.

Her shriek startled Gloria, who came rushing out. "Amy…"

The concern in Gloria’s voice warmed Amelia’s heart. She gave a sweet, reassuring smile. "Gloria, I’m fine."

"That’s good to hear." Gloria let out a sigh of relief. Then, her gaze shifted to Sandra, her expression turning to one of pure disgust. "What kind of trash dares to cause a scene at my house?"

"You’re all one big happy family, aren’t you?" Sandra sneered, her eyes flashing with malice. "Mrs. Gloria, aren’t you worried that Amelia might bring some illegitimate child into the Kingsley family?"

Amelia’s face darkened instantly. She strode over and slapped Sandra hard across her face. The sharp sound echoed in the room.

"You know perfectly well that Zachary and I are innocent. Say one more slanderous word, and I’ll tear your mouth apart," Amelia snapped. Her voice trembled with fury, her delicate face stormy and intimidating.

Sandra had never seen Amelia this terrifying before. Sandra’s heart pounded with fear, but after just two seconds of stunned silence, she started shouting again, "Then tell me, who is Lanny?"

Smack – Amelia landed another slap on Sandra and retorted, "You really think you can just throw out some fake name and tarnish my name?"

Sandra huffed, "Did I make it up? Amelia, take a good look at yourself. Why do you think Zachary never touches you? Why do you think he ended up in my bed?"

"Because you’re cheap." Amelia’s chest tightened with pain. The bitterness of her past life still haunted her. Every time she thought about it, it felt like someone was twisting a knife in her heart.

"No. It’s because you’re pathetic," Sandra shot back with a cruel sneer. "Remember your birthday last year? He wanted to be intimate with you then, but you screamed another man’s name."

Amelia frowned, her delicate brows furrowing. "Impossible," she said firmly. In her mind, she thought, "Zachary was the only man I’ve ever dated. How could I have called out another man’s name?"

Sandra sneered, "Oh, Lanny… Lanny. That’s what you kept shouting. I heard it loud and clear from outside the door. Lanny… Lanny…"

Sandra swayed her head mockingly as she repeated the name, her voice dripping with shamelessness. Even Gloria, who had seen her fair share of drama, blushed at Sandra’s obscene tone.

When she glanced back at Amelia, whose face had turned a deep shade of purple with embarrassment and anger, Gloria couldn’t help but wonder, "Was there really something between Amelia and this so-called Lanny?"

Meanwhile, Landon, who had been trying to sleep upstairs, had already been woken by the racket. He had been listening to the argument for a while, his gaze turning icy as he wondered, "Lanny, huh?"