“Aiden, the cakes here in Norava are really good. You should try some,” Paloma called out to Aiden.
But as Aiden felt nervous, no matter how good the cakes were, they tasted like chewing wax in his mouth. But since Paloma said so, he couldn’t bring himself to contradict her.
Finally, after another hour at the Kingsley family’s place, he got to escape. During that time, Gloria chatted enthusiastically with Paloma, but Paloma acted indifferent the whole time.
‘I’m so disappointed,’ thought Amelia, while Aiden felt a wave of relief wash over him.
Once they were in the car, Aiden scolded Landen, “Why did you come all the way to Norava?”
“Come on, Little Landen is still sick. Give him a break,” Paloma said.
Aiden couldn’t help but feel bad for him–after all, Landen was his brother’s only child.
“Well, never mind then. I’ll get you both back right away,” Aiden said.
“Aiden, aren’t you coming back with us?” Paloma asked.
“I’ve still got a project going on in Norava,” Aiden said hesitantly. He hadn’t even managed to win over Amelia yet–how could he just leave now?
Paloma chuckled. “I think you just can’t let go of Ms. Edwards. But with the way things are between you two, do you think there’s any hope of breaking the ice?”
“It’s not about her,” Aiden explained awkwardly. “This project is huge. I’ve already invested over three billion dollars just in the land.”
“Just three billion dollars! That’s nothing for the Kyle family. Aiden, you don’t have to explain yourself. You’re an adult now–you’re free to make your own choices,” Paloma said.
“Paloma…” Aiden murmured.
“But just one thing–don’t use love as an excuse to hurt innocent people,” Paloma added, her tone serious.
Aiden gave a wry smile. “She spent ten years getting the poison out of my system. Wasn’t that just her way of keeping her guard up against me?”
“As long as you understand. You’re the only heir to the Kington Gang. The Kyle family can’t afford to lose you,” Paloma reminded him.
It was rare to see Paloma this serious that Aiden felt a rare warmth inside. Even though his brother was gone, this sister-in-law cared for him like a mother. Maybe that was the only bit of good luck in his otherwise miserable life.
“Uncle, I don’t want to go back,” Landen shouted.
But Aiden frowned and said, “Stop messing around!”
“I just don’t want to go back. I like it here. I like Grandma Gloria,” Landen said, his voice trembling. He rarely threw a fit, but when he did, he could be really stubborn.
Chapter 220
At this, Aiden felt distressed, rubbing his temples as he said, “Your mom is going back home. Don’t you want to be with her?”
“Why can’t Mom stay here and play with me in Norava?” Landen shot back.
‘Seriously, what am I even supposed to say to this?’ Aiden thought, completely at a loss for words.
“Mom doesn’t have a job anyway, so it doesn’t matter where we play. I don’t care–I want Mom to stay here and play with me in Norava," Landen insisted. He started bawling and throwing a fit, refusing to go home no matter what.
At this scene, Paloma stroked her forehead and said, “Aiden, I’ll just stay a few more days then.”
“Paloma, does it hurt a lot?” Aiden asked, suddenly alarmed.
“Just a bit,” Paloma replied.
“Alright, Landen, stop fussing. I’ll say yes, okay?” Aiden compromised.
“Okay,” Landen nodded. He stopped crying in an instant.
Paloma let out a sigh of relief. “That’s much better. My illness really can’t handle all this fuss.”
“You still need to take it easy, Paloma,” Aiden said, also letting out a breath of relief.
“Could you arrange a quiet villa for me?” Paloma asked.
“Of course!” Aiden said in a pretentious but teasing tone.
Thus, Paloma settled down in Norava with no trouble at all.
Meanwhile, at the Kingsley family’s place, as soon as Landen left, the whole house fell into a lonely, lifeless silence.
“Why does Paloma always wear a mask? She looks like she must be a real beauty!” Gloria sighed wistfully.
“Mom, do you like her?” Amelia asked.
“I do,” Gloria nodded, pausing for a moment, unsure if she should say what was really on her mind. Paloma reminded her so much of the daughter she’d lost all those years ago.
‘Forget it, better not to mention it. The Kingsley family was already a mess–no need to trouble Amelia with the past right now,’ Gloria thought to herself.
“Mom, I like her too. If fate allows, we’ll meet her again,” Amelia said, her words hinting at something more.
‘Once Landon finishes his undercover mission, he will return with Kayla. Then they could finally be reunited as a family,’ Amelia thought.
Her eyes sparkled with hope as she thought this way.
“Edith, after watching everything today, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Aiden who brought Landen to Norava,” Amelia lowered her voice and said, once Gloria went off to take care of something else.
Chapter 220
“Then who else could it be?” Edith asked, startled.
“Maybe it was Landon. Or maybe Paloma herself,” Amelia said, her gaze drifting down to the watch on Edith’s wrist. “Whoever it was, I have a feeling there’s a secret hidden in that watch.”
“What?” Edith went pale with fright and hurriedly took off the watch.
Amelia had Aaron take the watch to get it checked out. Sure enough, there was a bug hidden inside, and it was connected to a Lunova SIM card.
“Oh my god, there really was something fishy about it…” Edith’s heart was pounding like a drum.
“Mrs. Kingsley, Mr. Landon doesn’t have a Lunova SIM card,” Aaron said, his expression grim.
“Can you check?” Amelia asked.
“Just ask Tuff,” Aaron replied.
Aaron called Tuff, and it didn’t take long to get the results: the SIM card had only been used to contact Dr. Shawn.
“Dr. Shawn?” Amelia’s heart skipped a beat.
‘Why would Dr. Shawn and Paloma want to spy on Edith’s life? Could it be that Paloma has figured out the truth about who she really is?’ she wondered.
Amelia put the bug back into the watch and handed it to Gloria. “Mom, Edith said this watch suits you better, so she wanted me to pass it on to you.”
“Really? Then please thank her for me,” Gloria said, happily accepting the watch. This was Paloma’s watch–far more precious than any of the million-dollar timepieces in her collection. For some reason, she couldn’t help but feel a special fondness for that child.
After that, Aiden kept a close eye on Paloma every day and noticed that once she moved into the villa, she went right back to her old habits from the estate–keeping to herself, never stepping outside or paying attention to anything beyond her walls. He felt relieved, thinking maybe she simply enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of Norava.
What he didn’t know was that every day, Paloma would hide under her covers, secretly eavesdropping on everything Gloria did around the house through the bug in the watch.
Gloria would get up at six every morning to do some light exercise. After that, she’d eat her meals alone, making small talk with the servants now and then. She had all three meals by herself, just waiting for Amelia to get off work and come home. Sometimes, she’d join other society ladies for a bit of shopping, but honestly, she never looked all that interested.
Every morning and evening, she would pray: “I hope my son Landon will come back to us soon. And I hope my daughter Kayla can return to me safe and sound… If she really can’t come back, I just hope she’s out there, living her life.”
She had never truly forgotten her daughter; it was just….
Hearing all that, Paloma secretly touched her injured face, thinking to herself, ‘I’m sorry… I forgot about you…’
Chapter 220
After several days, Tuff finally managed to pinpoint the bug’s terminal. “Mrs. Kyle is right here in Norava!”
“Norava…” Amelia felt her heart tighten.
‘It’s Paloma! It has to be her!’ Amelia thought to herself. After all, Dr. Shawn was all the way over in Dreicean.
“Tuff, do you think Paloma might have remembered something?” Amelia asked, her voice trembling.
“I don’t know,” Tuff replied. “I’ll head to Norava and check it out myself.”
“Just don’t alert her. Aiden doesn’t want Paloma to realize her true family ties,” Amelia warned.
“Understood,” Tuff promised.