Chapter 189
“No,” Edith shook her head, feeling as if her heart, which she thought had long turned to ashes, was starting to burn again. That sudden spark made her panic. ‘Why am I feeling this way again? Edith, you can’t let yourself fall for him again. He doesn’t care about you. You’re not good enough for him. And there’s still that old feud between the two families! It’s impossible for you two to be together!’ After repeating these words to herself, Edith managed to snuff out the spark before it could grow any stronger.
“Good. Just be more careful in the future,” Daniel said. “You’re way too trusting.” Edith, timid as ever, kept nodding her head. ‘Aiden’s got some serious issues. I really should stay away from him,’ she told herself. “By the way, I saw Paloma. But she still had that mask on and wouldn’t show her face,” Edith said. Daniel narrowed his eyes. ‘Does she know what Amelia is planning?’ he wondered.
“I tried to meet up with her, but she said she has amnesia and can’t leave the house. But I still managed to complete Amelia’s task,” Edith said, carefully taking out a strand of Paloma’s hair. Daniel was stunned. “So you only went to the Kyle family to finish the task?” “What else do you think?” Edith shot back. “Do I look like the kind of person who just crashes at someone else’s place for no reason?” She really wasn’t that kind of person. Even when she visited the Zuckerberg family, it was only because Joanna was her aunt, so she’d only drop by every now and then. Back then, she might not have been pretty, but her manners were impeccable. She was the very picture of a true lady from a distinguished family. What a pity! Aiden had hurt her. “Why does Amelia want Paloma’s hair, anyway?” Edith asked, her curiosity piqued. Daniel frowned, his brows knitting together. “You didn’t even know what she wanted it for, and you just went along with it?” “Amelia would never hurt me,” Edith said offhandedly. “But where is she, anyway? I called her, but she didn’t answer.”
The two walked together, and in the surging sea of people, two pairs of eyes were locked onto them. The assistant asked, “Mr. Kyle, aren’t you going after them?” “All I need to know is where they stay,” Aiden replied, pulling off his sunglasses and mask. His good looks and magnetic aura instantly made heads turn in the crowd. He grinned, clearly soaking up all the attention. “Mr. Kyle, Edith might try to steal Miss Kyle’s hair,” the assistant reminded him. “I know,” Aiden said, “I’m letting them get away with it on purpose.” The assistant was confused. “But won’t that expose Miss Kyle?” “Her condition is getting worse and worse. I can’t keep her hidden forever,” Aiden said, a rare hint of sadness flickering across his face before he quickly masked it. He thought to himself, ‘Kayla, the woman who has saved the entire Kyle family, is being kept like a prisoner in that manor. She really doesn’t deserve this…’
Meanwhile, Daniel and Edith walked side by side, and Edith’s heart started racing again. She deliberately slowed her pace, once more reminding herself in her mind, ‘Edith, stay calm. Don’t let your feelings get the better of you.’ With his long legs, Daniel quickly outpaced her, leaving Edith far behind in just a few steps. He turned his head and didn’t see Edith besides him. His heart thudded in panic, thinking for a second that she might have been snatched away again. “Edith!” Daniel called out. “Yeah?” Edith replied. Daniel spotted Edith standing about six feet away, looking completely lost. He felt a wave of relief and was both amused and exasperated at the same time. It turned out he was just walking too fast. Once Edith caught up, Daniel slowed his pace. Edith really didn’t want to walk side by side with him. It made her feel way too tense. But whenever she slowed down, he slowed down too. If she picked up the pace, so did he. Edith let out a helpless breath. ‘I can’t mess with him, but I can’t even avoid him!’ she thought. ‘Is fate just messing with me on purpose?’
After a rollercoaster of emotions on the way back, Edith finally felt like she could breathe at ease once they reached the hotel. Seeing that Amelia was still asleep, Edith quietly slipped back to her own room. Daniel quietly trailed after her with a plate of fruit in hand. Edith was at a loss for words. She finally couldn’t hold it in and blurted out, “Daniel, can you stop following me everywhere?” “I’m not following you,” Daniel looked up, surprised. “I’m just bringing you this fruit platter.” “Alright, you’ve dropped it off, now get out!” Edith said, exasperated. “Fine!” Daniel said. A wave of disappointment welled up inside him, and he stood frozen in the doorway for a long time, unable to bring himself to leave. ‘Am I bothering her?’ he wondered.
When Amelia woke up, she saw Daniel standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring off into space. He was holding a cigarette between his long, slender fingers, but every time he thought about lighting it, he remembered there was a pregnant woman around and stopped himself. By then, the cigarette had been squished and frayed so much from his fidgeting that it looked like a mess. “Daniel, is something bothering you?” Amelia asked. “Edith’s back,” Daniel replied, quickly hiding the bitterness at the corners of his mouth. He turned around, putting on a calm front. “Huh? That fast?” Amelia was pretty shocked. “I thought she’d be staying with the Kyle family for a few more days.” Daniel took out the hair sample. “She got what you wanted. But Paloma’s got amnesia, and the Kyle family won’t let her leave the manor.” “Amnesia?” Amelia’s heart pounded in her chest. She then finally had an explanation for why Kayla never came back to Norava to look for her family. Kayla had been taken when she was seven–old enough to remember everything. Before coming there, Amelia had thought of all sorts of reasons why Kayla might choose to be Paloma and not go home. Maybe she was being held captive, or maybe she was being threatened. But she never once considered that it could be amnesia. “She doesn’t even remember she has a son,” Daniel said. “But she acts totally normal around Edith…” Amelia pointed out. “Yeah! Maybe it’s just partial amnesia,” Daniel replied. Amelia absentmindedly placed her hand on her belly. She just couldn’t imagine how a mother could ever forget her own child. ‘What on earth has Paloma been through? What’s her life really like now…’ Amelia wondered. “Give me Gloria’s hair. We’ll do a DNA test first to confirm Paloma’s identity, and then decide what to do next,” Daniel said. “Okay.” Amelia took out the sealed bag she had prepared. “Daniel, is there a trustworthy lab around here where we can get the test done?” Amelia asked. “Of course. Aiden’s power doesn’t reach that far here,” Daniel replied.
Daniel put Gloria’s and Paloma’s hair samples together and had his assistant send them off for testing. All that was left was to wait. “Amelia, next time, don’t let Edith do anything by herself,” Daniel finally said after a long pause. Amelia was at a loss for words. “If anything comes up, just let me handle it,” he added. “Okay,” Amelia replied, quickly straightening her face. She couldn’t help but chuckle. ‘My tough-talking brother is getting more and more protective of Edith. What a pity–he hurt Edith so deeply before, now he’s in for a real wife-chasing hell. Good luck digging himself out of that mess!’ “Oh, by the way, Aiden’s totally into you,” Daniel said. Amelia was caught off guard by his words. ‘Did I just hear that right?’ she thought, stunned. Daniel patted her shoulder with a look of sympathy. “Falling for a married woman who’s pregnant? That’s pretty obsessive. You better watch out.” “What on earth does he even like about me? Just tell me and I’ll change it!” Amelia practically yelled, exasperated. For the first time in her life, she realized that being liked by a guy could be a total nightmare! She was married, pregnant, and had shown off her lovey-dovey side in front of Aiden more times than she could count. And he still wanted her? Seriously?
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Amelia tensed up, startled and gave a little shiver. “Who is it?” she called out, her voice trembling. “Mr. Zuckerberg, your meal delivery,” came a voice from outside. ‘Meal delivery? I didn’t order anything,’ Daniel frowned, suspicion flashing in his eyes. His face darkened as he turned to Amelia. “Go back to your room and lock the door.” “Daniel…” Amelia said softly. “Don’t be scared,” Daniel said. He gently pushed her into the room before going to open the door. It turned out it really was just a regular waiter delivering food. Daniel let out a sigh of relief. “I didn’t order anything.” “It was ordered by Mr. Kyle,” the waiter said. The fancy food cart was loaded with top-notch dishes, plus a huge bouquet of fiery red roses, all decorated with a string of sparkling star-shaped lights. It was luxurious and romantic. Daniel took a deep breath, relieved that Landory wasn’t there to see this. ‘Here we go… Aiden’s courtship is starting,’ Daniel thought to himself.