Chapter 183
In the Kyle family, after finishing his piano practice, Landen snuggled into Aiden’s arms. “Uncle Aiden, I practiced ten times today!”
“Good job,” Aiden said softly.
Aiden had just finished his shower, his light gray robe hanging loosely on his body. Water dripped from his hair, sliding down his chest in a way that was downright seductive. Good thing there were no women in the room, or they would have totally lost their minds over him!
“Uncle Aiden, I did exactly what you told me. I told Mrs. Kingsley that Mommy has blond hair,” Landen said.
Aiden affectionately patted Landen’s head. “Such a good boy!”
“But Uncle Aiden, why did we have to lie?” Landen looked up at him, his face full of confusion.
The innocence of a child would always hit the softest spot in one’s heart. Aiden felt a bit guilty.
‘In the end, I still ended up using the kid,’ Aiden thought with a sigh. He frowned, thinking for a while before finally saying, “Grown-up stuff, you wouldn’t understand. Don’t worry about it.”
“Uncle Aiden, when can I go see Mrs. Kingsley again?” Landen asked.
“Next time you come to Norava,” Aiden replied.
Landen’s face fell immediately. “Uncle Aiden, I don’t want to go back… It’s not fun at home at all.”
“Don’t you miss Mommy?” Aiden’s eyes flashed with a hint of darkness, but then he quickly put on a bright smile.
“I only miss Mommy, not anyone else,” Landen pouted, looking aggrieved. “Actually, I don’t really miss Mommy that much either… She doesn’t even recognize me.”
“It’s just temporary. One day, Mommy will remember you,” Aiden said, patting his head and smiling to comfort him.
But sometimes, a kid’s sadness just didn’t go away that easily. Having a mom who didn’t remember him was the one thing Landen just couldn’t get over.
‘When will Mommy ever remember me?’ Landen thought sadly.
Aiden glanced at the calendar, already making plans in his mind. ‘The DNA test that Amelia secretly sent off should be coming back soon, right?’
He never would have thought that Amelia, the “evil sister” in Sandra’s words, would end up becoming his greatest ally.
At Kingsley Group, early in the morning, Henry and his wife showed up at the office with a swarm of reporters, blocking Landon at the door.
Henry demanded, “Landon, where the hell did you put Patrick?”
Cynthia snapped, “Why hasn’t Patrick shown up after all these days?”
“Did you kill him? Landon, you’re seriously twisted—even your own cousin isn’t safe from you!”
Landon said nothing in response.
The couple took turns yelling at Landon, trading accusations back and forth. The reporters’ cameras kept flashing, and even though their stories weren’t written yet, they already had the perfect clickbait headline in mind: [Kingsley Family Feud: Henry’s Eldest Son Missing].
Camila went even further. She dropped to her knees before Landon, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded, “Mr. Kingsley, please. I’m begging you, save my son!”
Another round of camera flashes went off, catching every bit of the drama.
“I’m already working on it. Just give me a little more time,” Landon said calmly.
He didn’t care much for Henry and Cynthia, but he wasn’t about to pick on a woman like Camila. He helped Camila up and said, “I’ll go find him myself. And before that, I’ve already arranged for the blood Fraser needs.”
“Really?” Camila asked in disbelief. “Even with Patrick gone, there’s still blood available?”
“Yes.” Landon nodded solemnly.
“Kids are innocent. No matter what kind of grudge I have with Patrick, I’d never drag a child into it,” he said.
Even though Fraser’s illness needed Patrick himself to cure it, as long as he could find a suitable blood match for the time, it would help keep Fraser’s condition under control.
“Thank you. Thank you…” Camila said, her voice overflowing with gratitude. Compared to the rest of the Henry family, Camila was much more reasonable. She thanked Landon over and over before finally leaving.
Henry was fuming. “Camila, don’t go! We haven’t even finished our script yet…”
“Pfft! You guys even have a script?” Amelia couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Cynthia shot her a fierce glare. “Don’t you dare laugh!”
“Okay,” Amelia replied, quickly straightening her face.
‘Alright, alright, I’ll behave,’ Amelia thought, forcing herself to stop smiling. Cynthia had been itching to take a shot at Amelia, but it was like punching a pillow. There was no impact at all. She felt a wave of frustration building up inside her, like she was holding her breath and couldn’t let it out.
Henry jabbed a finger at Amelia and barked, “This isn’t your place to butt in!”
“That’s right! Someone like you, who isn’t even wanted by your own parents, has no manners at all. How dare you laugh when your elders are talking?” Cynthia finally seized her chance to lash out.
Landon was about to step in and defend Amelia when he saw a man stepping out of the elevator. His eyebrows shot up, and he immediately shut his mouth.
‘Looks like the very protective brother just arrived. Time for me to sit back and enjoy the drama,’ Landon thought with a smirk.
“Who are you calling no manners?” A cold, commanding voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of firm, purposeful footsteps.
“Mr. Zuckerberg?” Henry blurted out in shock, suspicion in his eyes. “What are you doing here at Kingsley Group?”
“What, you think I’d just stand by and let you walk all over Amelia?” Daniel strode over to Amelia, his gaze sweeping over everyone with authority. “Let me make this official. Amelia is my sister. From now on, anyone who goes against her is going against the entire Zuckerberg family!”
Henry and Cynthia looked like they’d just been struck by lightning—completely shell-shocked.
‘Wait, Amelia is actually the heiress of the Zuckerberg family in Lunova?’ they thought, utterly in disbelief.
‘Isn’t she supposed to be the eldest daughter of the Edwards family—the one Walter can’t stand? The one who doesn’t even have a single friend or family member in Norava who’d ever stand up for her?’ they wondered, still reeling from the shock.
“Daniel, what brings you here?” Amelia asked in surprise. Actually, that was perfect. She could take the chance to tell him about Landon’s trip to Ausposh.
“Silly girl, why didn’t you flaunt your status a little? Letting those snobs look down on you and push you around!” Daniel shook his head, his voice full of doting affection.
Amelia just smiled nonchalantly. “If a mad dog bites you, you can’t exactly bite it back, right?”
Henry and Cynthia’s faces alternated between pale and flushed with anger.
‘Who’s she calling a mad dog?’ they both thought angrily.
As for the reporters they’d brought along, they’d slipped away at some point.
Landon clapped his hands sharply. “Guards, escort them out!”
The guards nodded. “Yes, sir!”
Henry and Cynthia were “politely” shown the door of Kingsley Group, but they left with a bitter taste in their mouths.
“You’re no match for Landon,” a lazy voice drifted over from behind their car.
Both of them startled and hurried over to check. “Mr. Kyle?”
“Patrick is still alive, so relax!” Aiden said, his signature charming eyes narrowing as he gave them a dazzling smile.
But Henry felt a chill run down his spine at that dazzling smile. There was something downright unsettling about it.
‘The youngest CEO of Merry Group, heir to a financial empire, tossing out billions of dollars like pocket change… No way a guy like that is as harmless as he looks,’ Henry thought, his nerves on edge.
“Mr. Kyle, have you seen Patrick?” Cynthia asked nervously.
“No, I haven’t,” Aiden replied, shaking his head.
Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out a lighter, and lit up a cigarette.
The slightly worn, flashy lighter made Henry’s eyes widen in shock. That was Patrick’s favorite lighter. He never went anywhere without it!
“Henry, you really should trust Landon. He’ll definitely help you get your son back. But…”
Aiden’s tone suddenly shifted, the warmth in his smile replaced by a dangerous edge.
“When Landon’s not around, don’t even think about bullying his wife. Or you’ll have to deal with the consequences,” he warned coldly.
“Yes, right, whatever you say…” Henry stammered, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Aiden’s lips curled back into a smile, all traces of menace gone. “Alright, that’s the end of the secrets. Time for me to go see Mr. Landon Kingsley.”
“Mr. Kyle, after you!” Henry quickly stepped aside to let him pass.
‘The hallway was more than wide enough…’ Henry thought, feeling the pressure anyway.
It wasn’t until Aiden had walked away that Cynthia leaned in and whispered, “Honey, what did he mean by that?”
“Our son’s fate… I’m afraid it’s completely in his hands now,” Henry let out a heavy sigh.
Cynthia was stunned. “It’s him? Shouldn’t we call the police or maybe tell Landon about this?”
“Are you stupid? Can’t you see what’s going on? Mr. Kyle is here because of Landon!” Henry snapped, glaring at his wife.
“What?” Cynthia was even more confused. “Do they have some kind of grudge?”
Henry shook his head. “I don’t know. But we’d better just keep our heads down.”