Chapter 133

In the hospital, Elaine’s face was completely swathed in bandages, looking just like a mummy.

Elaine burst into tears the moment Landon arrived. “Landon, what should I do? My face is ruined. I don’t want to live anymore. Elaine’s beautiful face is ruined beyond recognition.”

Landon felt sympathetic and reassured her, “It can be treated. Don’t worry.”

Elaine asked between sobs, “What if it can’t be treated?”

“It can be treated. Mr. Atkinson has already arranged for you to see the best dermatologist in Lunova. He’ll definitely be able to help you. If all else fails, there’s always plastic surgery,” Landon said.

Elaine finally stopped crying, her teary eyes fixed on Landon. “Landon, you wouldn’t think less of me now, would you?”

“No. You’ll always be my kid sister,” Landon said with a smile, drawing a clear line.

Elaine’s face fell in utter disappointment as she turned her sorrowful, pleading gaze toward her father.

Of course, Klein understood his daughter’s intentions perfectly. Right now, what Elaine needed most was for Landon to say, “No matter what you look like, I’ll wait for you.”

But Landon is already married. As an elder, he couldn’t very well ask Landon to get a divorce right away. Landon absolutely hated being manipulated.

“Landon,” Klein said after some thought, “Elaine doesn’t want to be just your kid sister anymore.”

“At her age, she couldn’t possibly be my older sister.” Landon laughed, his eyes darkening with hidden meaning. “Mr. Atkinson, let’s not joke about such things.”

“I want to be your wife,” Elaine said, summoning all her courage.

Landon’s smile vanished instantly.

“You know I’m married. And I love my wife very much.”

“Amelia can’t even conceive anymore. She isn’t worthy of you. Just divorce her already,” Elaine blurted out.

“Good thing I don’t like kids. I never planned to have any,” Landon said, his voice growing colder as he wheeled around and left.

Elaine flew into a rage and smashed the glass on her nightstand to the ground. “Landon, do you know who did this to me? It was Amelia!”

Landon stopped his wheelchair, his icy gaze cutting through Elaine like blades.

Klein cleared his throat. “Elaine, you mustn’t make wild accusations. How could Amelia possibly do something like that?”

“That face mask came from her room. She tampered with it. She did it on purpose to ruin my face!”

Elaine shouted too loudly, tugging at the wound on her face. She hissed in pain.

Klein’s heart ached for his daughter. He stepped forward and said, “Elaine, calm down. The police are already on the case. They’ll find out who did this sooner or later.”

“Dad,” Elaine pressed, “but what if the evidence proves it was Amelia?”

Klein’s face darkened as a murderous aura filled the air. “Then I’ll make her pay with her life.”

Elaine finally broke into a smile. “Fine.”

Even someone of Landon’s stature had to yield to the Atkinson family’s powerful influence.

Elaine thought to herself, ‘No matter what my face turns out like, as long as Amelia dies, I’ll be Landon’s wife.’

Landon fixed his steely gaze on Klein. “If anyone dares to wrong Amy, they’ll pay dearly for it.”

Klein had spent decades ruling the underworld, getting whatever he wanted with just a snap of his fingers. Yet at this moment, Klein felt his scalp tingle under the piercing gaze of Landon, his junior.

Stroking his beard thoughtfully, Klein said, “Landon, our families go way back. I won’t hold certain things against you, but don’t go overboard protecting your own, either.”

“Sorry, Mr. Atkinson, but I’ve always been fiercely protective of my own,” Landon replied coldly.

Klein was secretly taken aback.

Truly a Kingsley through and through–even confined to a wheelchair, Landon exuded a formidable aura. In contrast, none of the younger Atkinsons could measure up.

Klein suddenly realized that the Atkinson family’s future prestige still depended on the Kingsley family’s support. Now was not the time for a head-on confrontation with Landon.

Relenting, Klein first comforted Elaine, then personally saw Landon out.

“Landon, you know I’ve spoiled Elaine since she was little. What I said just now was meant for her benefit. Don’t take it to heart.”

“I understand, Mr. Atkinson.” Landon chose not to expose him and calmly played along.

“If Amelia has nothing to do with this, then that poisoned face mask was meant for her. Elaine was just unlucky and took the hit this time. Next time, you might not be so lucky. You two should be careful,” Klein warned.

That same day, Elaine was transferred to another hospital, and Klein left Norava.

By evening, the police notified them that the beautician Lelia had confessed to tampering with the face mask in an attempt to frame Amelia.

As for the motive, it was straightforward. The gist was that Elaine had been too arrogant and treated Lelia like dirt, which made Lelia bear a deep grudge against her.

From incident to conviction, the case was resolved with astonishing speed.

“Lelia?” Amelia asked. She couldn’t figure it out.

Lelia had just landed Amelia’s order. With a commission of 300 thousand dollars and a bonus of 50 thousand dollars, it was equivalent to a year of her salary. Why would she be so irrational as to seek revenge on Elaine at a time like this?

“Intentional assault causing disfigurement means three years in prison. She wouldn’t have confessed if she weren’t guilty.” Landon let out a sigh of relief. As long as Amelia wasn’t the target, Landon could finally be relieved.

“Honey, was it really Lelia?” Amelia still couldn’t believe that someone as gentle as Lelia could do something so vicious to Elaine.

“She admitted it herself. How could there be a mistake?” Landon gently patted Amelia’s cheek. “Do I still need to work late tonight?”

“Yes, I’ve put the documents in your study for you.”

“Alright. You go to bed first. I’ll join you when I’m done.”

“Okay.”

At the thought of sharing the bed with him again tonight, Amelia’s cheeks flushed pink.

As soon as Landon entered the study, he asked Aaron, “Do you believe the culprit was Lelia?”

Aaron answered honestly, “I don’t believe it. There’s no evidence, but I know that Mr. Atkinson sent someone to talk to Lelia earlier today.”

“It’s highly likely that Elaine staged this whole thing herself,” Landon said coldly, his eyes icy. “Her scheme backfired–she tried to hurt someone but ended up hurting herself. Now, afraid I’ll find out it was her, she made Lelia take the fall.”

Aaron weighed the options and said, “Since Ms. Atkinson has already been punished, let’s just drop this matter. Any further investigation might put Mrs. Kingsley in the hot seat.”

“I’ll take their word for it this time, but if it happens again, I’ll sever all business ties with the Atkinson family for good,” Landon warned, his lips curling into an icy menace.

‘So what if they’re from the underworld? I’m not afraid,‘ Landon thought.

Aaron let out a relieved laugh and joked, “Brilliant call, Mr. Kingsley. If you kept pressing the issue, they’d really be in hot water over there.”

“Humph!” Landon snorted coldly. “When I was badly hurt, none of those guys lifted a finger to help. They can forget about any favors from me in the future.”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

Aaron nodded along absentmindedly, thinking, ‘If the orders come down, you’ll have to help anyway. You might as well start thinking about how to answer to Mrs. Kingsley.‘