The sky was completely dark as Amelia and Edith faced off in a game of chess. Their skills were so evenly matched that it was difficult to predict who would emerge as the winner.
Landon had watched for a while but had quickly grown bored. Their time together after work had once felt special, but ever since Edith had arrived, Amelia no longer clung to him the way she used to. With a guest in the house, he hadn’t been able to voice his complaints openly; all he could do was wait.
After waiting a bit longer, Amelia still paid him no attention. Landon took a deep breath, and his inner voice said, “It’s so sad, Honey’s ignoring me!”
Amelia’s hand shook, almost causing her to drop the piece. She glanced up to shoot Landon a glare, only to find him looking back with those pitiful eyes.
Landon: “Now that Honey has made a friend, it seems like she doesn’t need me anymore!”
“Honey, aren’t you working overtime tonight?” Amelia rubbed her forehead, feeling overwhelmed. She thought, ‘Does he have to sulk just because I’ve made a new friend?’
“Come on! I’m waiting for you to join me for some overtime!” Landon said suggestively, but Edith didn’t pick up on the hint.
She believed that Amelia still had work to complete, so she quickly said, “Amy, go ahead. We can continue our game tomorrow.”
“Alright,” Amelia replied, her ears turning pink. ‘Overtime?’ she thought, flustered. ‘Overtime in bed.’
Back in the room, Amelia exclaimed, “Honey, you’re so annoying! I was playing chess with Edith—what’s with those pathetic eyes?”
Landon replied, “Was I sulking?”
Amelia suddenly ceased her conversation. ‘Oh right, he doesn’t even realize I can hear his thoughts,’ she recognized.
“Honey, don’t tell me you no longer want to play chess with Edith?” Landon said, a knowing smile on his face as he gently lifted her chin with his slender fingers. “I can tell you’re in the mood for some ‘overtime,’ aren’t you?”
“Nonsense!” Amelia swatted his hand away. She pointed out the window and said, “Look how early it is! Save those thoughts for bedtime!”
“So, you want it, huh?” Landon asked with a broad smile. “Then let’s not waste any more time.”
Amelia stamped her foot in frustration. “No way! I’m sleeping in Edith’s room tonight!”
Landon pouted and asked, “What about me?”
“Have a peaceful night for yourself!” Amelia said.
Landon was eager to accelerate and head straight to the bedroom. Suddenly, Aaron called him, “Mr. Kingsley, Giovanna has just caught Carlo…”
By the time Amelia finished selecting her pajamas from the walk–in closet, Landon had already left the room. She frowned in confusion. “Where did he go?”
A servant entered and said, “Mrs. Kingsley, Mr. Kingsley mentioned that he has to stay late at the office and asked you to go ahead and get some rest.”
Three months into their marriage, tonight marked the first time Landon wasn’t home. With nothing else to occupy her time, Amelia went straight to Edith’s room for a chat.
Under the heavy darkness of night, the Maybach sped toward Pinecrest. Aaron smacked his lips as he shared the latest news. “Wow, Giovanna is fierce! She showed up with her crew and snagged Carlo—just like that! The girls at the café said she even pulled out a knife.”
“Giovanna Hughes…” Landon unlocked his phone, revealing her background check already waiting in his inbox.
Chapter 161
Giovanna had held a PhD in traditional medicine from Quinstein University and had been working in pharmaceutical research at the time. However, in the photos from the café incident, she was seen holding a scalpel—a tool of modern medicine—despite her background being rooted in traditional medicine.
“Mr. Kingsley,” Aaron reported, “the Hughes family has always favored sons over daughters. For years, they’ve focused solely on grooming Giovanna’s three brothers. In fact, within the family, she’s nearly invisible; she has maintained such a low profile in Lunova that some people don’t even realize she’s a Hughes.”
“But of all people, they chose to send her this time…” Landon mused, his fingers tapping thoughtfully on the desk.
Surprise attacks had always been effective. The stronger one was, the more they saved their strength for the end. If Landon hadn’t bought the café that used to be Giovanna’s, he wouldn’t have found out so soon that she was preparing for her endgame.
“Where did Carlo go with her?” Landon asked.
Aaron checked, his eye twitching. “She took him to the cemetery where Catherine is buried… Damn, she has guts going to a graveyard in the middle of the night without flinching at ghosts!”
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear what she said to Carlo,” Landon said solemnly. “Find a way to contact the cemetery caretaker and discover what she’s planning with him.”
“Alright,” Aaron replied.
The night was dark, and the hillside cemetery was enveloped in an eerie gloom. Despite the atmosphere, Giovanna remained unfazed as she skillfully twirled the scalpel between her fingers, keeping Carlo firmly in check. “So, is your boss supposed to be here? Or is he already six feet under?”
“Ms. Hughes, how could I possibly lie to you?” Carlo said, his body covered in cuts and bruises, looked like he had been beaten badly.
He hadn’t initially intended to give in. Both Landon and Daniel had sent their associates after him, but he had successfully evaded them. However, Giovanna was different—she wouldn’t hesitate to pull a knife at a moment’s notice. He was genuinely terrified of her.
“Where should we go next?” Giovanna asked, glancing around at the dark surroundings.
The wind howled through the graveyard in the dead of night, chilling and eerie. Carlo shuddered, but steeling himself, he pointed toward the only light in sight—the caretaker’s cottage. The dim lamplight in the shadowy graveyard only intensified the cold, making the place feel even more foreboding.
“Move!” Giovanna commanded, her tone leaving no room for disagreement. Without waiting for a reply, she strode ahead.
Carlo swallowed hard, impressed by her bravery. ‘Ms. Hughes truly has guts,’ he thought. He could only hope that whoever was inside wouldn’t hold this against him.
“You’re here?” called a deep, raspy voice from inside the house.
Giovanna stopped a couple of feet away and said, “I’m sorry to disturb you at this late hour.”
“Please come in,” the man inside responded, his tone calm yet authoritative.
Carlo nervously glanced at Giovanna. “Ms. Hughes, could you please let me go now?”
“No.” Without saying anything else, Giovanna firmly pulled him into the house.
When she saw who was inside, she was shocked. “Uncle?”
Porter nodded slowly. “It’s very kind of you to remember me still.”
The once–untouchable head of the Zuckerberg family was now dressed in simple clothing and had a shaved head. Mist swirled through the room, and Catherine’s memorial tablet stood on the table.
Chapter 161
Giovanna was utterly taken aback. “H–How did you get here?”
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Porter replied, a serene smile gracing his lips. His presence felt otherworldly, his eyes calm and detached, as if he had long since risen above the concerns of everyday life.
Giovanna took a deep breath, quickly assembling the entire situation in her mind. Finally, she looked at Porter and asked, “Did you bring Aunt Catherine to Pinecrest all those years ago?”
“No,” Porter replied.
“Then why did you have Carlo buy up her engagement gifts?” Giovanna asked sharply.
Porter softly replied, “I wanted to ensure she wouldn’t be poor.”
Giovanna sneered. “I may have been young, but even back then, I knew it was you pretending to be the devoted lover who had the affair that drove Aunt Catherine to madness. Stop!”
Porter began to finger his rosary beads more rapidly. After a long pause, he said, “It was Caesar who brought her to Pinecrest. I searched for her for so long. By the time I found her here, she had already married Walter Edwards and was pregnant.”
“Caesar?” Giovanna frowned. ‘Why does that name sound familiar?’ she wondered.
“The Edwards family couldn’t afford the kind of upbringing Catherine deserved,” Porter explained. “That’s why I had Carlo buy those antiques—to help improve her living situation.”
“Walter Edwards is utterly despicable,” Giovanna said, her voice cutting sharply. “How could you possibly let Aunt Catherine stay with him?”
“They already had a child together,” came the quiet reply. “And at the time… Catherine was emotionally attached to him.”
As the memories came rushing back, Porter’s fingers moved faster over his rosary beads. Snap–the string gave way, and the beads spilled across the concrete floor, each one landing with a sharp, ringing clatter.
With his eyes half–lowered, Porter murmured, “As the head of the Zuckerberg family, I couldn’t remain in Pinecrest for long, nor could I let anyone… She was still alive. I thought she had finally found peace—until Amy and Landon began digging into those antiques.”
“Enough!” Giovanna exclaimed, her eyes red with tears. “I don’t want to hear your excuses! You’re the one who drove her to madness and made her an outcast in Lunova! You killed her!”
Porter’s lips trembled, but he couldn’t find the words to speak.
Giovanna raged, “What’s the point of guarding her grave now? Can she come back to life? The Hughes family will never forgive you! And Daniel—if he knew what you’ve done, he’d never forgive you either!”
Despite Giovanna’s fierce reprimands, Porter remained silent, offering no defense. Only once her anger had faded and she calmed down did he finally speak, his tone solemn. “Someone wants to kill Amy,” he said.
Giovanna sneered. “Isn’t all of this because of your beloved new wife?”