Chapter 102
“No.” Amelia quickly stepped back, glaring at him warily. She looked as if facing a great threat.
She thought, ‘Landon likes men. If he said he liked me, either he was confused, or he was just trying to deceive me like Zachary in my past life. I can’t fall for it again.’
“Patrick’s still outside. Hurry up and come out,” Amelia said quickly before rushing out.
Landon frowned deeply and thought, ‘She doesn’t like me?’
Patrick stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, smoking, filling the office with the strong smell of tobacco. Amelia immediately went outside.
“All done?” Patrick turned around, seemingly amused as he studied Amelia. He thought, ‘There is no trace of the usual portUPA DJEL WAR have. That earlier scene—is it all a show for me? Landon is still as childish as ever!’
“Patrick, have a seat. My husband will be out soon.” Amelia deliberately referred to Landon as her husband. If she pretended to be a stofer cons maybe Patrick wouldn’t make any more moves on her.
“Alright.” Patrick exhaled a long stream of smoke, doing so with an elegant, carefree air. In the backlight, his tall frame seemed to send shivers down Amelia’s spine.
‘I have to be careful around Patrick,’ Amelia silently warned herself, even regretting not waiting for Landon to come out with her. When Landon finally opened the door, she rushed over to help him with the wheelchair and asked thoughtfully, “Honey, do you want coffee?”
Landon looked up at her, his eyes catching the nervousness in hers, and smiled knowingly, “Yes.”
“Okay.” Amelia wheeled him toward the desk and went to make the coffee. As for Patrick, what he drank was none of her business. “I have coffee, thanks,” Patrick called out to Amelia. Amelia rolled her eyes.
“Landon, I thought I’d be waiting for a while. It turned out it didn’t take long at all for you two to wrap up.” Patrick slowly walked toward Landon, resentment bubbling up inside him.
Of their generation in the Kingsley family, only he and Landon took after John in his good looks, earning John’s favoritism from their birth. Back then, Patrick had been John’s precious little one.
But then Landon had been born, and from an early age on, he had been a quick learner. Later, when Landon’s father had started the company, and it became more and more successful, John’s attention had shifted entirely to Landon.
Despite being John’s eldest grandson, Patrick had to live in Landon’s shadow. “You’re not the man here.” Landon looked at Patrick’s face, which was somewhat similar to his own, with disdain.
The family knew that Patrick’s proudest achievement was spending an entire night with a man, completely breaking him down so that the man never dared show his face again. Patrick laughed loudly, “Landon, would you like to try my man? I can send him your way.”
“I’m not as messed up as you; I only like women,” Landon snorted coldly. Amelia, holding the coffee at the door, froze. She thought, ‘Landon only likes women? Is there no genetic mutation after all?’
“Mrs. Kingsley, the coffee’s ready.” Aaron entered, holding another cup of coffee.
Amelia furrowed her brows, a bit hesitant. She asked, “Aaron, what’s Landon’s sexual orientation?”
Aaron choked on his own spit. “Mrs. Kingsley, what are you thinking? Mr. Kingsley definitely likes women.”
“Has he never liked a man?”
“As Mr. Kingsley’s assistant, I can swear to God that Mr. Kingsley likes women.”
“Then I misunderstood,” Amelia murmured, a sense of inexplicable joy rising within her. She thought, ‘He likes women, and he is still pure.’
Aaron was stunned, his face dark with confusion. He thought, ‘What? Mrs. Kingsley thought Mr. Kingsley likes men?’
“Give it to me.” Amelia awkwardly took the coffee from Aaron, then walked into the office to give it to Landon.
Landon and Patrick were deep in conversation, the tension between them palpable. The air was thick with hostility, and the neatly stacked documents on the desk were now scattered in disarray. Amelia’s heart clenched. She thought, ‘Did they get into a fight? Is Landon hurt?’
“Honey, here’s your coffee.” Amelia handed Landon the coffee she’d prepared, her concerned gaze saying what she couldn’t put into words.
Landon caught the worry in her eyes and smiled, “Don’t worry, Patrick’s not about to kill me in the office.”
“There’s no need to fret,” Patrick chimed in, smoothly picking up the other cup of coffee, “just here to check on Landon. We’re cousins, after all, very amicable.”
Taking a sip, Patrick narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. “Your coffee is excellent, though it would’ve been even better with a little milk. I quite like milk in my coffee.”
“I’ll remind Aaron to add some for you next time,” Amelia replied with a straight face, pretending to miss the innuendo.
Patrick froze and thought, ‘Wait–it isn’t her coffee? It’s from Aaron, that annoying assistant?’ Suddenly, the coffee in his hand felt impossible to swallow.
Landon chuckled quietly and thought, ‘Good job, darling.’ Amelia rolled her eyes at him and thought, ‘So childish. Do we really need to gang up on Patrick in such a petty way? And couldn’t he stop calling me darling all the time?’
“It seems getting coffee made by you is a rare privilege,” Patrick said, recovering quickly with a charming smile. “Landon, you’re a lucky man. One illness, and you ended up with a beautiful wife.”
Patrick’s dramatic flair left Amelia speechless with reluctant admiration. This man was born to put on a show. “She only needs to take care of me,” Landon said coolly. “If you’re feeling envious, Patrick, you should give up your wild ways and settle down.”
“I already have.” Patrick’s gaze lingered on Amelia for a moment, his tone carrying a deeper meaning. “I only like women now.”
“Well, that will certainly please your mother. At least one of her sons finally turned out normal,” Amelia replied with a faint smile.
Patrick thought, ‘So she’s had me pegged as abnormal this whole time? No wonder she’s so indifferent to me, no matter how much I try to be friendly. Who on earth has been feeding her these lies?’
Patrick felt a surge of frustration. If looks could kill, half the family would’ve been wiped out by now–everyone who’d gossiped about him behind his back. His notorious reputation wasn’t doing him any favors.
“Patrick, we’ve got work to do, so we won’t keep you.” Landon’s tone was polite but firm.
“Well then, see you at Grandmother’s birthday party.” Patrick cast one last lingering look at Amelia before walking out, clearly reluctant to leave. The office door clicked shut, and the moment it did, Landon clutched his chest and started coughing violently.
“What’s wrong?” Amelia was instantly alarmed, fumbling for her phone with trembling hands.
“I’m fine.” Landon grabbed her hand to reassure her, but his labored breathing and pale complexion told a different story.
“You don’t look fine. Did he hurt you? Where are you injured? Let me see.” Amelia was on the verge of tears, her voice rising in panic.
“It was just a brief exchange. Really, I’m fine,” Landon said with a faint smile.
Tears rolled down Amelia’s cheeks. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone in the office.”
“I did it on purpose,” Landon said, wiping away her tears softly with a smile. “He’s worse off than I am.”
“You mean…”
“He came today to test how much I’ve recovered. So, of course, I let him.”