Chapter 109

Amelia chuckled. She thought, “So that’s Elaine’s plan? She wanted my dress. Not a chance!”

“What are you laughing at? You better compensate me with a new dress, or I won’t let this go.” Elaine raised her voice, her wide eyes brimming with tears, ready to sob her heart out for everyone to see.

This dramatic routine—crying, whining, and throwing a tantrum—Amelia had seen Henry and his family pull off plenty of times. She knew it like the back of her hand.

Cynthia frowned, thinking, “Is Amelia going to cry first?”

However, Amelia snatched the wine glass from Elaine’s hand and splashed it all over her.

The room went silent. Everyone stared in shock, wondering how Amelia dared to do that in front of so many people.

“Amelia, are you out of your mind?” Elaine shrieked, her face drenched, her makeup smudged. She glared at Amelia in disbelief.

“You keep accusing me of throwing wine at you,” Amelia sneered. “Well, I figured I’d make it worth your while.”

“You…” Elaine trembled with rage, thinking, “How could Amelia dare do this in front of everyone?”

“Fine, I’ll get you a new dress,” Amelia said, setting the wine glass down. Then she turned toward Landon. “Darling, you saw all of that, right?”

“Brilliant work.” Landon smirked, clearly amused. He turned to Aaron and instructed, “What are you waiting for? Go get her the dress.”

“Right away.” Aaron immediately left the room.

Elaine thought, “I finally got the silver mermaid gown Landon bought. Once I slim down and wear it, it’ll feel like being wrapped in his affection. A splash of wine is a small price to pay. Totally worth it. But one day, I’ll return the favor—tenfold, a hundredfold. I’ll make Amelia regret it until she’s crying and begging.”

“Ms. Atkinson, my apologies. Let me take you to change,” Cynthia said. Only then did Elaine leave with Cynthia.

“Can you get the exact same one? I’m not giving away my dress,” Amelia whispered.

Amelia hadn’t acted recklessly when she splashed Elaine earlier. Just before doing it, she had caught Landon’s inner thoughts, “Don’t hold back. Give her what she deserves. I’ll handle the consequences.” That was all the reassurance she needed to boldly promise a replacement.

Landon took Amelia’s hand and smiled, “Yes. But you’ll have to cover the cost yourself.”

“Okay,” Amelia agreed. Elaine’s little tricks and schemes were painfully immature. All that fuss was just to get her hands on a dress Landon had bought, but Amelia wouldn’t let Elaine have that satisfaction.

“Ms. Atkinson has always been a bit spoiled. Let’s not hold it against her. Carry on, everyone.” Gloria skillfully redirected the guests. In just a few words, she’d not only distanced Amelia from any wrongdoing but also restored the lively atmosphere.

The guests exchanged knowing smiles. Maybe Elaine had orchestrated the drama, but Amelia had thrown a drink in the end. Still, Gloria’s fierce loyalty to her family was as unshakable as ever.

“Amelia, you certainly have a sharp edge.” Patrick strolled over with a glass of wine, his tone laced with mockery.

“I have to teach her a lesson,” Amelia said, lightly brushing her finger over the rose-shaped ring on her hand. Her tone was sharp, laced with meaning. She thought, “If Patrick dares hurt Landon again, I’ll make sure to knock him out with a good dose of anesthetic.”

“Nice ring. But…” Patrick frowned as he glanced at Landon. “You’re married yet haven’t given her a proper wedding ring?”

“We’ll get one when we have the wedding ceremony,” Landon said.

Amelia thought, “What a pipe dream! Once you recover, we’re heading straight for a divorce. What wedding are you talking about?”

Patrick said, “What if you never get back on your feet? Maybe you should just buy the rings now to avoid giving anyone ideas about swooping in and replacing you.” He crouched down, resting one hand lightly on Landon’s knee.

Amelia’s heart raced. Panic overrode her cure, and she shoved Patrick away.

Patrick had merely wanted to check if Landon’s legs had any sensation, but Amelia’s sudden reaction caught him off guard. He toppled backward, landing awkwardly on the floor. The glass in his hand shattered, scattering across the ground.

Seeing the opportunity, Patrick deliberately pressed his right hand into the glass shards. He groaned and held up his bleeding hand. “Landon, Amelia is trying to kill me.”

Amelia frowned, thinking, “I just wanted to protect Landon. How did it end up with Patrick getting hurt? Great, now Cynthia’s definitely going to make a scene.”

“Patrick, what happened to your hand?” Cynthia rushed over, grabbing Patrick’s injured hand and exclaiming dramatically.

The mix of blood and red wine on Patrick’s palm made the injury look far more gruesome than it actually was.

“Amelia, are you out of your mind? First, you offended Ms. Inson, and now you hurt Patrick? Are you here to ruin this birthday party?” Cynthia’s voice was loud enough to draw every guest’s attention again.

Amelia was furious but kept her face composed. “Patrick, I’d appreciate it if you stayed away from Landon. Otherwise, I might mistake you for a threat and accidentally hurt you again.”

“Amelia, you’re overthinking it,” Patrick frowned. “I only wanted to check if Landon’s legs were recovering.”

“Is that so?” Amelia replied. “Then my apologies. I’ve been on edge lately. There are always people trying to harm Landon. It makes me jumpy. I’d suggest you avoid touching him from now on—wouldn’t want any more unfortunate ‘accidents’!”

Amelia’s calm words carried a pointed message to everyone present. Someone was out to hurt Landon.

The guests’ expressions shifted. They began to remember something from the past.

Over four months ago, Landon’s car accident, which left him in a vegetative state, had dominated the Norava trending news. People had lamented the fall of a promising young talent.

Then came the revelation that Kenneth had tampered with Landon’s car, causing the accident. Now, after Amelia’s words, it seemed this might not have been Kenneth’s act alone but part of a larger scheme involving Henry and his family.

“What nonsense are you talking about, Amelia?” Cynthia was furious, raising her hand to strike Amelia.

Patrick quickly grabbed Cynthia’s wrist, laughing, “Mom, Amelia didn’t mean to hurt me.”

“Didn’t mean to? Look at your hand—it’s bleeding,” Cynthia exclaimed, clearly distressed. She thought, “Yesterday, Landon broke Patrick’s ribs, and today, Amelia injured him. These two are like jinx for my family.”

“It’s fine. With Amelia looking out for Landon, we should be grateful,” Patrick said. “Landon is the pillar of the Kingsley family. I hope that you won’t hesitate to protect him when real threats approach him, Amelia.”

Patrick maintained his poised, polite demeanor as if they had simply been joking and Amelia had only hurt Patrick accidentally.

The guests smiled and returned to their celebrations.

Patrick successfully redirected everyone’s attention and turned the situation around.

Amelia couldn’t hold back her frustration. “Damn it, how shameless.”

“Honey, looks like I’ll be relying on you for protection from now on,” Landon said with a grin.

Amelia’s temper flared even more. “Why didn’t you scold him?”

“It’s enough that you’re standing up for me,” Landon said. He’d long seen through Patrick’s tactics.

The little episode just now was merely an appetizer. The main course was yet to come.

“Amelia, where’s my dress?” Elaine stormed out of the changing room, barely containing her excitement as she asked.

Amelia glanced at Landon, and Landon looked at Aaron.

Aaron responded, “Ms. Atkinson, please wait a moment. It’s on its way.”

“Landon, your wife really doesn’t know how to behave. You should teach her some manners,” Elaine said as she tried to sit beside Landon.

Landon immediately moved his wheelchair, creating distance between them. Elaine was speechless.

“Mrs. Kingsley, the dress is here. How would you like to pay?” the manager asked.

“Swipe my card.” Amelia pulled out her credit card and made the payment. She thought, “A whopping 56 thousand dollars, ouch. Thankfully, I’m now a bit of a wealthy woman myself and could afford it.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Kingsley.” The manager didn’t dare meet Elaine’s gaze, quickly retreating after the payment was made.

Elaine was stunned, muttering, “How could it be Amelia paying?”

“This is her mess. She’s responsible for it,” Landon smiled. “Ms. Atkinson, are you happy now?”