Chapter 103

The doctor said, “Mr. Kingsley, you’ve fractured two ribs. You need to rest and avoid heavy exertion.” Patrick stared at the X-ray, his expression as dark as a storm cloud. He looked terrifying.

He thought, ‘That cripple, Landon, has actually managed to fracture two of my ribs with a single strike. And yet, no matter how much strength I put into my attacks, I haven’t been able to hurt Landon at all. It’s infuriating.

‘Am I just destined always to be inferior to Landon? In business and martial arts–Landon outmatches me in every way. Why? Why am I always a step behind Landon?’

Even after returning home, Patrick still couldn’t accept it. “How did it go?” Henry asked, seeing the dark look on Patrick’s face.

“His strength is back,” Patrick replied bitterly, his handsome face twisted in anger.

“What? Oh no. If he’s fully recovered, we’re finished,” Henry sighed heavily. “He’s been bedridden for months, and now he’s bouncing back? We are doomed.”

“Dad, if you don’t have anything helpful to say, just keep quiet.” Patrick shot him a cold glare, and Henry immediately shut his mouth, clearly intimidated by Patrick.

“Right,” Cynthia said, glaring at Henry while handing Patrick a glass of water. “We’re all alive and well. We’re not finished. Don’t lose hope, Patrick. He’s still not back on his feet, is he? There’s plenty of opportunities yet.”

“I won’t give him the chance to get back on his feet.” Patrick’s lips curled into a cold smirk, his eyes glinting with deadly intent. In the Kingsley family, there was only room for one of them–him or Landon.

“Patrick, our future depends on you,” Cynthia said. “And your brother, I visited him in prison yesterday. He’s lost so much weight.” It pained her to think of her youngest son in prison.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll take care of Landon. Once he’s gone, I’ll bring my brother home,” Patrick said with a smirk.

Patrick had already made up his mind. He thought, ‘Tomorrow is Grandmother’s birthday party. I’ll make sure to let Landon leave completely defeated.’

Back at the company, Landon’s return had boosted morale overnight. The stock price, which had been sluggish for months during his illness, skyrocketed the moment he showed up.

“Your influence is incredible,” Amelia admitted, genuinely impressed. She’d managed to stabilize the company during the month she took charge, but she hadn’t been able to reverse the downturn.

Landon, however, had barely shown his face, and the stock price immediately rebounded. It was a testament to his power in the business world. Suddenly, Amelia regretted not buying some Kingsley Group stock in advance. If she had, she’d be making a fortune right now.

The more she thought about it, the more she regretted it, her face scrunching up like a crumpled piece of paper. Landon noticed and couldn’t help but laugh, “Admiration so intense it’s twisting your features?”

“Not quite,” Amelia sighed. “I just regret not buying your stock earlier.” Landon choked on his coffee, coughing violently.

“Are you okay?” Amelia immediately leaned over, patting his chest to help him breathe. “You’re not feeling unwell again, are you? Wesley’s taking forever to come by…”

“You’re already a rich woman. Isn’t that enough?” Landon teased, catching her hand in his.

“Who ever complains about having too much money?” Amelia pouted.

“How much allowance did Walter give you each month?” Landon asked quietly.

Fifteen thousand dollars, Amelia said, her tone tinged with bitterness.

She had always thought she and Sandra received the same monthly allowance. Sandra, however, spent hers lavishly on shopping sprees, even claiming some of her designer purchases were high-end replicas.

Amelia had been so protective of Sandra that she’d even saved up her own money to buy Sandra real designer bags. It wasn’t until later that Amelia had found out Sandra had actually been receiving 70 thousand dollars a month.

“Was it enough?” Landon asked, his grip tightening around her hand. The socialites in Norava’s high society often had bags that cost tens of thousands of dollars.

“It was fine. I never wanted much,” Amelia replied, pulling out her phone. “Look, I even managed to save a little.” The amount–a mere tens of thousands of dollars–was nothing to Landon.

“What about the money I gave you?” he asked.

“Oh, the 100 million dollars? I opened a separate account for that, and my salary goes into another one.”

“Why bother with all the separate accounts? It’s easier to manage if you keep everything in one.”

“Well, I was planning to return the 100 million dollars to you.”

“Silly girl.” Landon couldn’t help but laugh. He thought, ‘Amelia doesn’t care about money or status. The only thing she’d ever truly want is Debra’s keepsake. What a silly girl!’

“I’m not silly,” Amelia muttered, embarrassed by his teasing laugh as she lowered her gaze. “I just thought it was your money.”

“And now?”

“Now? It’s all mine.”

Landon burst into hearty laughter, the sound resonating through the office. The secretaries at the desk outside exchanged stunned glances. If they weren’t collectively startled, they might’ve suspected they were hearing things. They thought, ‘Mrs. Kingsley is laughing so loudly?’

“There’s nothing strange about it,” Aaron commented casually, sipping his coffee. “Mrs. Kingsley has that effect on him.” He leaned back with a knowing smile. “Who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll even see their baby running around the office.”

Before Aaron could elaborate further, Wesley came rushing in, slightly out of breath. “Aaron, what’s going on with Landon? I was only away for a short time, and this happens? How have you been looking after him?”

Aaron looked at him, perplexed. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Amelia called and told me to come immediately…” Wesley trailed off as the sound of Landon’s deep, hearty laugh reached his ears. There was no way someone sounding that cheerful was in trouble.

“Go in and see for yourself,” Aaron suggested.

Wesley hesitated, pointing nervously at the office door. “What are they doing in there?”

Aaron shrugged nonchalantly. “Beats me. I haven’t gone in for a while.”

Wesley hesitated even more. “What if…I walk in on something I shouldn’t?” If he stumbled upon something private, Landon would have a real go at him.

Aaron chuckled lightly, “If Mrs. Kingsley gets upset, you’ll be in deeper trouble.”

That was all Wesley needed to hear. He braced himself and knocked on the door. “Landon? Amelia? I’m here.”

Amelia replied, “Come in.”

“Okay.” Letting out a sigh of relief, Wesley opened the door cautiously. Inside, he found Landon lounging in his wheelchair, looking remarkably relaxed. A genuine smile softened his typically sharp features, and his hands rested lightly across his abdomen.

Amelia, sitting beside him, was flushed pink, a mix of bashfulness and playful annoyance written all over her face. The sight hit Wesley like a ton of bricks—he felt like he was drowning in their affection.

“Wesley, did you bring needles?” Amelia asked, her tone laced with irritation.

“Huh?” Wesley was confused.

“He had a fight with Patrick today. You should give him a few extra needles to help him recover,” Amelia said.

Wesley’s face changed immediately, and he rushed forward, already reaching for Landon’s shirt. “Don’t…” Before Landon could finish protesting, his shirt was torn open, revealing his chest, which was covered in dark bruises.

“Good heavens, look at this,” Amelia gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as concern flashed across her face. Her heart twisted at the sight.

Landon pressed his fingers to his temple, sighing, “It’s nothing, really. Just a surface injury.”

“You’re not a doctor,” Amelia snapped, her voice rising. “No wonder you’ve been coughing–this must be internal damage.”

“Amelia, it’s really not a big deal,” Wesley said, his expression relaxed after a quick examination. “He’s fine. No need to panic.”

Amelia’s suspicious eyes darted between the two men. “Do you take me for a fool? I’m not blind. Stop teaming up to lie to me.”

Wesley laughed and shook his head, “I’m serious. There’s no major issue. Landon’s strength is back–normal people can’t hurt him now.” He handed Amelia a bottle of spray. “Use this three times a day. He’ll be fine in three days.”

Amelia glanced at the dark marks on Landon’s chest, still unconvinced. “Shouldn’t he get an X-ray, just to be sure?”