Chapter 163

At 3 p.m., Landon brought Amelia to his office. William had already arrived. They hadn’t seen William for three months. Now, his hair was greying at the sides.

“Mr. Smith…” Amelia’s eyes filled with tears. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” William nodded.

“I’m so sorry for dragging you into my family’s mess,” Amelia said.

“It’s all over now,” William said gently.

“If there’s anything you need, I’ll be more than happy to help,” Amelia said earnestly.

‘Three months have passed in the blink of an eye,’ Amelia thought. ‘William must have endured hell during his captivity, while Rachel must be worried sick at home. And all this suffering is because of me.’

“Mr. Smith, this is Landon, my husband,” Amelia introduced.

William sized up Landon as he thought, ‘So he is the man who drove Porter out of the business? He seems like a decent young man. Such a shame about his legs.’

“I’ve heard so much about you, Mr. Kingsley,” said William.

Landon chuckled and thought, ‘Must be Porter who said that.’

“Mr. Smith, you’ve just returned. Please take today to rest. Tomorrow, we’ll go to Pinecrest to finalize the inheritance paperwork. From now on, no one should trouble you again,” Amelia said.

She let out a deep sigh of relief and thought, ‘Too many things have happened because of the tiara, and now, all of this is finally coming to an end.’

“Alright,” William glanced at the time. “I’ll head back to Pinecrest today to get things ready.”

“No, no,” Amelia quickly said. “We’ll go together tomorrow.”

William chuckled, “Are you worried someone might kidnap me again?”

“Yeah,” Amelia said, feeling a bit sheepish.

“Don’t worry,” said William. “I’ll be waiting for you both at the law firm tomorrow.”

“Are you sure you’re leaving now?” Amelia turned urgently to Landon, her eyes pleading for him to say something to make William stay.

But Landon said, “Mr. Smith, you haven’t seen Mrs. Smith for so long. Indeed, you should go home first. I’ve already made all the necessary arrangements for you.”

“Much appreciated,” William said.

William sat for a moment, then took his leave.

Amelia felt a hollow ache inside, her eyes clouded with melancholy.

“Why the long face?” Landon asked with an amused smile.

Amelia replied, “The surprise came so suddenly that I still can’t believe it. Only when I saw Mr. Smith did it feel real, but now that he’s gone, it all seems like a dream…”

“Life’s full of surprises. You’d better get used to it,” Landon said, and his lips curved into a knowing smile.

Landon thought, “Who’s the next surprise? Porter or Giovanna?”

“Honey, how did you manage to find Mr. Smith?” Amelia asked.

With a straight face, Landon said, “With so many people searching for so long, if we still couldn’t find him, I would look pretty useless, wouldn’t I?”

“You could’ve at least given me a heads-up,” Amelia pouted.

“Telling you earlier would only make you worry,” Landon said.

‘I might as well give her the result and save her the worry. What a wonderful husband I am!’ Landon thought proudly.

Amelia instinctively sat down and began massaging Landon’s legs. “Honey, I know I neglected you yesterday. I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Neglect me again, and I’ll kick Edith out,” Landon teased playfully.

Amelia was speechless, thinking, ‘What a petty man. He does hold a grudge.’

“I need to tell Daniel about this,” Amelia said.

Amelia reached for her phone to call Daniel, but Landon gently stopped her. “I’ve already informed him. He’ll be waiting for us in Pinecrest tomorrow.”

“Huh? Then Edith…” Amelia trailed off.

Landon shrugged and said, “Didn’t tell her.”

Amelia nodded, then shook her head, feeling inappropriate.

She thought, ‘Pinecrest and Norava are just two hours apart by car. Won’t they bump into each other?’

Just as Amelia thought about it, her phone buzzed with a text from Edith. [Amy, I heard Pinecrest has beautiful scenery. I’m going for a visit, and I won’t be back tonight.]

Amelia facepalmed, thinking, ‘Great, now they’re going to bump into each other.’

Little did Amelia know that all this was Landon’s doing.

After all, just because he supported her making friends didn’t mean he was okay to be ignored.

Not wanting to risk any complications overnight, Amelia insisted on setting off to Pinecrest before dawn the next day.

Left with no choice, Landon arrived early with her.

“Look, Honey, the law firm isn’t even open yet,” Landon said, rubbing his temples, looking sleepy.

Amelia was bouncing with excitement. “Being early pays off! As their first customers today, they’ll serve us right at opening time.”

“Your brother won’t be here for another hour,” Landon said. He was shocked when he saw Daniel’s latest text.

‘Holy crap. Daniel took a red-eye flight and is already transferring to Pinecrest. Both siblings are real go-getters,’ Landon thought to himself.

“Honey,” Amelia said, “even though my mother left this tiara for me, I think Daniel should have a share~”

“Stop right there! That’s your family matter. You and your brother can work it out yourselves,” Landon said.

‘It’s just 70 million dollars. I can’t care less,’ Landon thought.

Amelia knew Landon couldn’t care less. She was asking out of formality.

As dawn broke, the law firm finally opened for business.

William quickly wrapped up the paperwork and officially released the inheritance to Amelia.

Amelia suddenly realized that the inheritance procedures were strict only for her.

Debra was just an alias, so the identification documents used for the will were forged ones purchased by Walter.

Without proper verification, William accepted this trust of 70 million dollars.

“Mr. Smith,” Amelia asked hesitantly, “you knew my mother before, right?”

A deep, lingering sorrow welled up in William’s eyes. He sighed and said, “Catherine was so kind-hearted. It’s a pity fate was so cruel to her.”

He specifically said “Catherine” instead of “Mrs. Edwards” or “Ms. Hughes.”

‘So he did know that Debra and Catherine were the same person!’ Amelia thought excitedly.

“Mr. Smith,” she asked hesitantly, “do you know anything else? Like, how did my mother die?”

William was silent for a moment, then finally said, “She died of poisoning.”

Even though Amelia had suspected it all along, hearing the truth with her ears still shattered her heart. The pain was so overwhelming that she felt like she might pass out.

‘So it’s true… Walter and Melissa murdered Mom on purpose…’ Amelia thought.

“Then why didn’t you save her?” Landon asked coldly.

“Even if you couldn’t save her, you could’ve at least called the police!” Amelia choked out, clutching her chest in anguish as tears streamed down her face.

“She just wanted to die…” William said, closing his eyes for a moment.

When William opened his eyes again, their clarity had returned, “For her at that moment,” he said quietly, “death was liberation.”

“What kind of poison was it?” Amelia asked, her voice thick with sobs.

‘The poison must have tortured her beyond endurance,’ Amelia thought. ‘That’s the only reason Mom would leave her little girl behind. What the hell did Walter give Mom?’

“I don’t know.” William shook his head. “Amelia, let this matter rest. It was your mother’s dying wish.”

“I’ll kill Walter!” Amelia roared, her body trembling with rage.

“If you want to,” William said flatly as he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

William thought to himself, ‘Walter murdered Catherine. He deserves to die. As long as it doesn’t involve Porter, I won’t interfere. After twenty years, Catherine’s departed soul should attain the peace she deserves.’

Landon gently pulled Amelia into his arms. “Honey, calm down,” he said softly, trying to appease her.

Daniel arrived late, radiating coldness. “If it were poisoning, the toxins would have seeped into her bones. All we need to do is exhume the body and run an autopsy. Then we’ll have enough to convict Walter.”

“Daniel, you’re here…” Amelia choked out.

“Amy, don’t cry. Anyone who has hurt Mom will pay for it,” Daniel said gently, stepped forward, and hugged Amelia.

“Daniel…” Amelia whispered as she collapsed into Daniel’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Landon watched them with a pang of envy. “How lucky Daniel is to have found his sister… When will I ever find mine?”

“Mrs. Kingsley, the items are here,” William’s assistant said, presenting the lockbox and opening it in front of everyone.

Landon finally beheld the antique tiara worth 70 million dollars. It still gleamed with understated opulence, each curve and gemstone holding centuries of untold stories in its silent grandeur.

But inside the lockbox, there was also a letter apart from the tiara.