Chapter 144
"She's worth it," Daniel murmured to himself. He chuckled softly, adjusting his tie, his face beaming with satisfaction.
The gift from Amelia was the best he'd ever received. From that moment, he vowed to spend every birthday with Amelia and be there for hers.
"Amelia, right? Are you going to bring her back to Lunova?" Vivianne demanded, barely containing her anger.
"No." Daniel shook his head firmly. "She couldn't care less about going there."
Vivianne gasped in surprise. "What?"
Daniel said with a derisive laugh, "She has no interest in fame or fortune. As for money, the Kingsley fortune is more than she could ever spend. She doesn't need any additional benefits. So, Grandma, you don't need to worry about her changing anything."
Vivianne's face softened a little. "If she truly thinks that way, I can let her off the hook. But!" Her tone shifted abruptly, the commanding edge leaving no room for argument. "She must give me a written guarantee."
Daniel was exasperated. "On what grounds?"
Vivianne insisted, "Who knows what she's scheming? Verbal promises mean nothing. We need it in writing."
Maisie scoffed, "Exactly! Anyone can talk big. Don't let her fool you, Daniel."
Daniel shot back with a cold laugh, "She hasn't taken a single cent from the Kingsleys, nor has she benefited from us at all, so why should she sign any legal document? Besides, she's my flesh-and-blood. I trust her."
"Siblings, huh? What a joke. Catherine died in Lunova. How could she possibly have given birth here in Pinecrest? Daniel, I advise you to watch your words," Vivianne said.
But Daniel couldn't care less. 'All this fuss, just to protect the family's reputation? This family drove my mother mad, forced her to wander, and in the end, staged a ‘fake death‘ to save their face. This filthy family deserves no honor. This family doesn’t even deserve to show their faces!'
"Daniel, you're looking for Velmira, aren't you?" Maisie chimed in at just the right moment.
Daniel paled. "How did you know? Was it Dr. Mitchell?"
"It had nothing to do with Dr. Mitchell," Maisie said smugly. "I bribed a waiter at your party."
"You what?" Daniel's face filled with rage. He took off his glasses and shot Maisie a furious glare.
"Daniel, I remember my grandmother had that. Maybe I could give it to you," Maisie said with a sweet, seemingly innocent smile.
"Ha! I was worrying about how to manipulate Amelia, and now this Velmira issue falls right into my lap. So that’s her secret. She’s infertile!
"Without that medicine, how much longer can she stay as Mrs. Kingsley?
"Honestly, before I brought Grandma to the hotel today, I already knew you would have no choice but to accept my terms!"
Daniel narrowed his eyes menacingly. "Maisie, don't you dare cross my red line!"
"Daniel, don't worry," Maisie said sweetly, putting on her most earnest expression. "I'll plead with my grandma for you. After all, Amelia's health is your primary concern, right?"
Daniel took a deep breath. "So, what's your condition?"
"You can't acknowledge her." Maisie stepped forward, clinging to his arm with a sweet, possessive air. "I'm your one and only sister."
Daniel didn’t immediately push her away. Instead, he weighed his options carefully. He thought, Amy needs that medicine. If I don’t compromise, the Meyers family will never provide the remedy. Then she’ll never be able to conceive!
His silence made Maisie beam. "Brother, let's head back to Lunova first thing tomorrow, have lunch at Grandma's place, and then pick up the remedy…"
“…Fine.” He finally agreed.
For Amelia’s sake, Daniel agreed for the time being. But once it was done, no one could stop him from acknowledging his real sister.
“Daniel,” Maisie beamed triumphantly. “I’ll book our flights right away.”
Vivianne let out a silent sigh of relief. ‘Now that I’ve managed to coax Daniel back to Lunova, there’s no way I’ll let him leave again,’ she thought.
As for Catherine’s fate, it would remain as declared twenty years ago: accidental drowning.”
After a sound night’s sleep, Amelia woke up in high spirits and began preparing at daybreak to visit her mother’s grave.
Just as she and Landon were about to set off, Amelia received a text from Daniel: [Back in Lunova. Goodbye.]
‘He’s saying goodbye?’ she thought, the words lingering in her mind.
‘We will meet again. Definitely,’ she promised herself.
“But what exactly is going on?” Amelia muttered in confusion, quickly dialing Daniel’s number.
“The number you are calling is unavailable.”
“His phone is off?” She stood frozen in disbelief, staring at her phone. ‘We promised to visit Mom’s grave in Pinecrest today. Why did Daniel suddenly change his mind?’
“What’s wrong?” Landon came over and asked.
Amelia said, “Daniel said he went back to Lunova, and his phone was off.”
Landon frowned. ‘Daniel isn’t the type to bail at the last minute,’ he thought. ‘No one wanted to visit his mother’s grave more than he did. Something must have gone wrong.’
“Honey, since Daniel’s unavailable, let’s reschedule the visit,” Landon offered calmly.
“Guess there’s no other choice,” Amelia murmured, her eyes dropping in disappointment. “Landon, you don’t think anything’s wrong with him, do you?”
Landon smiled reassuringly. “As the head of the Zuckerberg family, he’s probably swamped with work. He’ll reach out when he’s free.”
“Yeah. Who else lives such a laid-back life like me, right?” Saying this, Amelia blushed and gave an embarrassed smile. “Honey, how about I go to work with you today?”
“Sure. The board meeting today will decide on the Edwards Group’s restructuring plan. You can sit in and listen.”
“Okay.”
Without hesitation, Landon sent Aaron to investigate at the hotel. When he learned it was Vivianne who had intervened, Landon’s expression stiffened.
“Mr. Kingsley, what are you going to do?” Aaron asked.
“Just because they’re from Lunova, they think they can disrespect my family?” Landon sneered. “If I remember correctly, there’s a state–level project in Lunova that the Zuckerberg family is involved in, isn’t there?”
“Yes. The Zuckerbergs and the Meyers are co-contractors. The project has been underway for six months.
“Terminate it. Effective immediately.”