Chapter 193

Sandra lifted her chin proudly. “Of course. A child without protection won’t stay helpless forever. She’ll learn to survive on her own.”

“Then, congratulations on learning how to survive,” Amelia said, setting down her coffee cup and standing up to leave.

“Amelia, don’t you want to know how your husband is doing now?” Sandra called after her.

Amelia paused in her tracks, a strong sense of unease rising in her heart.

If it was coming from Sandra, it couldn’t be anything good.

But she still couldn’t help glancing back. “You knew?”

“He’s never coming back. Amelia, you’re a widow now,” Sandra said, her eyes gleaming with schadenfreude as she looked at Amelia, feeling absolutely thrilled inside.

After all this time competing, she had finally won a round.

With Aiden’s obsessive, almost unhinged personality, Amelia was bound to suffer.

His influence ran deep, his reach long.

The idea that the Zuckerberg family could protect her was nothing more than a delusion.

“You’re lying!” Amelia yelled. “Sandra, you’re lying!”

“If I’m lying, strike me down,” Sandra shrugged. “Tell me, haven’t you been unable to reach him for ages? That’s because he’s dead. Of course he can’t contact you.”

“Amelia, Landon loved you so much! If he wasn’t dead, do you really think he’d let you worry like this?” Sandra taunted.

“Amelia, I admit I’ve lied to you more times than I can count since we were kids. But this time, I swear, I’m telling the truth.”

“Shut up!” Amelia grabbed the cup and threw it at Sandra.

The bodyguard reacted fast and caught the cup.

Sandra grinned. “Amelia, you can’t hurt me anymore. You’re really clueless–you haven’t been able to reach him for so long and you never even thought to call the cops.”

Every word out of her mouth was like a bad omen.

Amelia didn’t want to believe it, but she was terrified.

Sandra had really gotten to her.

Those words struck her like thunder on a clear day, making her mind go blank and her knees nearly buckle.

She kept taking deep breaths, barely holding on to her sanity as she forced out, “How do you know?”

“Because he crossed the Kington Gang,” Sandra replied with a sly, mysterious smile.

‘The Kington Gang? Joanna?’ Amelia thought.

With this clue in hand, Amelia managed to calm herself down. She gave Sandra one last look, held her head high, and walked away.

But after just a few steps, her back hunched again, and she staggered forward.

Sandra watched Amelia’s panicked, retreating figure, humming a little tune in delight.

‘Amelia, serves you right! Finally, it’s your turn to suffer! Hahaha!’ Sandra thought.

“Let’s go!” Sandra called out, then turned on her heel and walked off with her head held high.

Once Amelia stepped into the elevator, she straightened her back, her gaze firm and determined.

Maybe not everything Sandra said was a lie, but it certainly wasn’t the whole truth either. Still, Amelia had managed to catch an important clue from her words.

The Kington Gang.

At the elevator doors, Edith had been waiting for quite some time.

When she saw Amelia’s pale face and bloodshot eyes, she was startled. “Amelia…”

“I’m fine,” Amelia said, taking a deep breath and striding back to the room.

Edith was left dumbfounded.

Amelia looked like she’d just been shaken up, but somehow, she seemed to be holding it together just fine.

“Amelia,” Edith called out, hurrying after her.

Once the door was shut, Amelia finally spoke. “It’s the Kington Gang. It’s related to them.”

“What?”

Edith’s face went pale, and she stumbled back.

“Edith, you know about the Kington Gang too?” Amelia asked in surprise.

Just from the name, one could tell the Kington Gang was a criminal syndicate. If they dared to go after Landon, they had to be a seriously powerful international organization.

Edith lived such a sheltered life–how could she possibly know about something like this?

“It’s over, it’s over…” Edith muttered.

Her ears were buzzing, and her face turned as pale as a sheet.

Amelia stepped forward and grabbed her cousin’s shoulders. “Wait, you know about them? Edith, please, tell me–where can I find the Kington Gang?”

“I don’t know where they are, but I…” Edith choked out, her tears falling with a sudden drop.

She turned around and slipped off her top.

The tattoo just below her shoulder blade came into Amelia’s view. Her eyes went wide. “You have a tattoo?”

“This is the Kington Gang’s tattoo,” Edith said bitterly.

‘What?’ Amelia’s mind went completely blank with shock.

It took her a long moment to snap out of it. “Wait… you’re with the Kington Gang too?”

“I’m not!” Edith shouted, her voice cracking with panic.

Her sudden outburst made Amelia scared.

“I don’t even remember when I got this tattoo. It was my aunt…” Edith was crying harder and harder. “I wanted to get it removed, but nobody dares to help me…”

That tattoo felt like a mark of shame she could never get rid of, burned right into her skin.

And the worst part was her own beloved aunt who forced it on her.

She couldn’t even find it in herself to hate her for it.

“Joanna?” Amelia asked with a faint, bitter smile.

It really was her behind all this.

Amelia immediately called Maisie. “Where’s your mom?”

“My mom…?” Maisie hesitated, then her voice grew guarded. “Amelia, why are you asking about my mom? She’s been behaving herself lately–don’t you dare mess with her again!”

“Mais,” Amelia called gently.

The way Amelia said her name, so familiar and warm, instantly reminded Maisie of Daniel.

That’s what Daniel used to call her.

“Mais, you’ve helped me before. I won’t hurt you,” Amelia said softly, her voice calm and reassuring, slowly easing Maisie’s tension.

If Amelia had any ill intentions, Joanna would be dead by now.

“What do you want?” Maisie asked.

Amelia said, “Landon is missing. Sandra says it has something to do with the Kington Gang.”

Maisie was stunned. ‘The Kington Gang? What the hell is that?’

“Your mom has that tattoo, doesn’t she?” Amelia asked.

Maisie’s heart was pounding with anxiety. “My mom’s been at the Zuckerberg Estate this whole time–she hasn’t left, and she can’t even reach anyone outside. There’s just no way she’s involved in any of this.”

“Are you sure, Maisie?” Amelia pressed.

“I’m sure,” Maisie replied firmly.

Maisie immediately snapped a selfie and sent it over.

The time and location matched up perfectly.

‘Could it really not be Joanna?’ Amelia wondered, doubt creeping into her mind.

“Okay, thanks, Maisie,” Amelia said, biting her lip.

Maisie hesitated, then asked anxiously, “Landon... what happened to him?”

Sandra said he’s dead.”

“What?” Maisie’s mind went blank with shock.

“No way! How could that be?” she blurted out, her voice trembling.

“Exactly, how could that be? He hasn’t even seen the baby yet of course he has to come back,” Amelia sighed, then ended the call.

Maisie clutched her chest, struggling to catch her breath, anxiety twisting in her gut.

Amelia was pregnant, Landon had disappeared, and now it was all somehow tied to the Kington Gang.

“Maisie, who was that on the phone?” Joanna asked, suddenly appearing by the stairs.

The Zuckerberg Estate was completely cut off from the outside world–only Maisie’s phone could receive calls from approved family contacts.

But all this time, no one had ever called them.

So when the phone finally rang today, Joanna couldn’t help feeling both excited and curious.

Sunlight streamed in at an angle, but even in the brightest light, Joanna looked like a venomous snake crawling out from the shadows. No amount of sunshine could wash away that chilling aura around her.

“Amelia called. She said Landon is missing,” Maisie said, looking at her mother with a heavy heart. “Mom, she thinks it was the Kington Gang…”

“Oh, is that so? Hahaha…” Joanna burst out laughing, clearly delighted.

Maisie frowned. “Mom, does this have anything to do with you?”

“Yes,” Joanna replied, her tone casual.

“Mom!”

Maisie felt like she was about to faint. “You promised Daniel you’d stop causing trouble…”

“They’re the ones who locked me up! The headquarters couldn’t find me, so of course they had to investigate the whole thing!” Joanna sneered. “They deserve it!”

Maisie was speechless. She couldn’t figure out how her mom could still manage to cause trouble even while being locked up.

Maisie hesitated, then said softly, “Mom, please… just tell them to let Landon go…”