Chapter 62
Landon stared at Amelia, speechless. Two million dollars a day? Even I didn't make that kind of money, he thought.
"And it has to be paid daily," Amelia added, raising an eyebrow. If Landon didn’t agree, she saw no point in continuing this charade.
"Fine," Landon said through gritted teeth, his jaw clenched.
Amelia was secretly thrilled. Two million dollars a day meant a whopping sixty million dollars a month; it was surely a sweet job. From now on, she’d treat being Landon’s wife as just another job.
"I already transferred six million dollars today," Landon said.
"Wasn't that for the apology?" Amelia widened her innocent-looking eyes.
Landon didn't know how to answer that question.
“I understand,” Amelia continued, a sly smile playing on her lips as she blinked her glistening eyes. “A man of your stature, Mr. Kingsley, probably finds it hard to offer a genuine apology, so you express it with money instead, right?”
For the first time in his life, Landon felt completely outmaneuvered. He was the one who usually held all the cards. But with the tables turned, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and play along. "Fine," he muttered. "Whatever you say."
"Thank you, Mr. Kingsley," Amelia said with a cheeky grin. "And since you have such a delicate constitution and are prone to anger, please, don’t bottle it up. Feel free to take it all out on me. For the right price, I’m happy to be your punching bag.”
Landon, the billionaire, was speechless again.
“So, Mr. Kingsley,” Amelia continued, even bowing slightly in a display of subservience, “what are your orders?”
Landon was fuming. He felt like he’d been played for a fool. It was his own damn fault, though. They could have had a perfectly normal marriage, but now they were stuck in this weird limbo where they were neither husband and wife nor boss and employee.
When Landon didn’t respond, Amelia slowly started to back away. “Mr. Kingsley, if you don’t have any further instructions, I’ll just…”
“You didn’t go to the office yesterday," Landon blurted out. "You need to go in today.”
"Of course." Amelia quickly changed into her business attire, grabbed her bag, and headed out the door.
Landon frowned, a knot forming in his stomach. This wasn’t what he wanted at all. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and his expression darkened.
"Wait."
Amelia turned, her expression perfectly polite. “Yes, Mr. Kingsley? What are your instructions?”
Landon was about to lose it at her attitude. He gritted his teeth and said, “I told you the day before yesterday that an old friend needs visiting.”
“Oh, right. I’ll go after work today.” A pang of jealousy shot through Amelia, but she quickly pushed it down.
Landon paused, then added, "Go get some nice gifts."
"Okay." Amelia nodded, already mentally browsing through gift options. Maternity clothes? Baby supplies? Maybe some fancy vitamins?
Landon stared at his seemingly obedient “employee,” feeling a headache coming on. He waved her away. “Just go.”
“Fine.” Amelia grabbed her bag and walked out. Landon, fuming and needing to vent his frustration, decided to take it out on someone else. He texted Aaron: [Aaron, it’s time for a change of heir in the Foster family.]
Chapter 62
At the Foster Villa, Sandra gasped when she saw Zachary. He hadn't been home in two days, and now he was back, covered in bruises. "Zachary, what happened to you? Who did this?" she exclaimed.
"Amelia," Zachary spat out, his teeth clenched.
Sandra froze, and then her face hardened. "You went to see her again? I thought we agreed to stay away from her?"
"I ran into her at the hotel." Zachary winced. His body was a tapestry of bruises and aches. One rib was completely broken, and three others cracked. Even breathing sent jolts of pain through him. And his manhood had narrowly escaped permanent damage and would be out of commission for a while.
"Ran into her, and she did this to you?" Sandra exclaimed, helping him gingerly onto the bed. "Amelia's a savage!"
Zachary groaned as he lay down, and a woman’s earring tumbled out of his suit pocket.
"What's this?" Sandra picked it up, her face suddenly hardening. "Don't tell me you were messing around with Elizabeth again!"
"No, we were discussing business," Zachary said through gritted teeth.
"Business? Then tell me, what did you get out of this little 'business'?" Sandra pressed, her voice cold, a shiver of dread creeping up her spine.
Zachary was already on edge from the pain and frustration, and Sandra’s interrogation was the final straw. “Will you lay off? Everything I do is to make money and provide for this family. What about you? What do you do besides spend it?”
“You’re yelling at me? You think I’m useless?” Sandra’s voice cracked. She hurled the earring at him, then covered her face and ran out of the room, sobbing.
Zachary slumped back against the pillows, exhausted. He missed the old Sandra, the one who understood. He had no idea what had happened to her.
Pamela burst into the room, her face etched with worry. “Zachary, what have you done?”
Zachary's heart skipped a beat. “Mom, what’s wrong?” He instantly feared Sandra might be having complications with her pregnancy.
“Your grandfather is bringing Matthew back,” Pamela blurted out, her voice laced with anxiety.
“What?” Zachary nearly fainted. It was over. He knew this meant his family was about to strip him of his inheritance.
“Zachary, what on earth did you do to anger your grandpa?” Pamela’s voice rose to a shout.
“…” Zachary was completely bewildered. “I didn’t do anything!”
“What the hell? Look at yourself. Who did this to you?” Pamela’s eyes widened in horror as she took in Zachary’s battered and bruised form. Suddenly, she realized that he’d messed with someone he shouldn’t.
“Uh… No one, really,” Zachary mumbled, avoiding her gaze.
Pamela’s hand cracked against his arm. “Don’t lie to me,” she roared.
“I might have… sort of pissed off the Kingsleys,” Zachary admitted, his fists clenching, his face a mask of resentment.
The blood drained from Pamela’s face. “The Kingsleys? Landon, don’t tell me you’ve messed with Amelia again!”
The word “again” made Zachary scowl, his lips pressing tightly together in defiance.
“Tell me,” Pamela demanded, delivering another stinging slap.
The swelling on Zachary’s already injured face bloomed into an angry purple. He cupped his cheek gingerly as he recounted the previous day’s events.
Pamela practically flew out of her chair in outrage. “You’re insane. Absolutely insane.”
Chapter 62
“Mom, I’m so sorry, I really messed up.” Zachary finally grasped the gravity of the situation and sank to his knees.
As his knees hit the floor, pain shot through his injured leg.
“Shit…” Zachary hissed through clenched teeth, crawling forward despite the pain. “Mom, I know I screwed up. Please, I need your help.”
“What do you expect me to do if Kingsley Group is putting pressure on us?” Pamela snapped, frustration evident in her voice. “You just had to push it, didn’t you? We’re way out of our league with Amelia now. She’s not someone we can afford to antagonize.”
“What should I do, Mom?” Zachary asked desperately.
Pamela thought for a moment before responding, “Look, Kingsley Group is Amelia’s territory now. She’s known to be soft-hearted. That’s something we can work with. Swallow your pride, charm your way back into her good graces. Beg for forgiveness if you have to.”
“Already tried that.” Zachary let out a bitter laugh. “I literally got down on my knees for her."
“Mom, I’ve tried everything – being gentle, being firm, nothing works. She despises me, but she holds no grudge against you. She might still respect you and listen to you. Please, you need to talk to her,” Zachary said, shaking his head in despair.
Pamela’s face twisted in disgust at the suggestion. The thought of begging Amelia for anything was beneath her. It had always been Amelia seeking her approval, never the other way around. “You want me to beg her?” she asked incredulously.
“Mom, it’s our only option left. You don’t want Matthew taking control, do you?” Zachary pressed, his brow furrowed with concern.
Pamela fell silent. As a blue-blood from old money and academic prestige, the idea of humbling herself before a young woman went against everything she stood for.
But looking at Zachary, his face a swollen, bruised mess, utterly defeated, Pamela finally relented. “Fine,” she sighed. “I’ll go see her.” She was thankful she still had an ace up her sleeve when it came to Amelia.