Chapter 221
Autumn had arrived, and the afternoon sun in Norava brought a gentle warmth. Paloma was lounging in a deck chair, basking in the sunlight.
Suddenly, someone shouted from outside the fence, “Miss Kyle, your flowers!”
“Flowers?” Paloma repeated, a bit confused.
She opened her eyes.
‘Who would send me flowers in a city where I barely know anyone?’ she wondered.
“Miss Kyle, could you please sign for them?” the delivery person asked.
Paloma frowned. ‘Why would I need to bother with something this trivial?’ she thought.
‘Wait, that voice sounds so familiar,’ she mused.
She stopped the butler, who was about to head out, and decided to check it out herself.
There stood Tuff, riding a small electric scooter, dressed in a delivery uniform, and holding a large bouquet of roses.
“Mr. Prescott?” Paloma couldn’t help but laugh. “Did you switch jobs or something?”
“Not at all. I just wanted to see you, so I dressed up like this,” Tuff said with a smug grin. “What do you think, Miss Kyle? Does it suit me?”
“Not bad,” Paloma said, giving him an appraising look from head to toe.
“So, can I have a word with you in private?” Tuff asked.
“And in what capacity?” Paloma leaned against the doorframe, her expression calm.
“As your suitor, is that okay?”
Tuff held out the bouquet with both hands, gazing at Paloma with genuine sincerity.
Even though it was all just an act, his heart was pounding out of control. ‘Damn, what’s gotten into me?’ he thought.
“Sure,” Paloma nodded.
She agreed and took the flowers.
Tuff blinked rapidly in surprise, for some reason feeling a surge of excitement in his chest.
“Let’s go!” Paloma said.
She stepped outside and hopped onto the back seat of the little scooter.
Her gorgeous designer dress was a total mismatch with Tuff’s delivery uniform.
Tuff was stunned – he just stood there, completely spaced out.
‘Standing next to this elegant princess, I do look like some farmhand,’ he thought.
“Miss Kyle, let me order you a car!” Tuff said, feeling embarrassed to drive her around the villa neighborhood on this little scooter.
‘Man, if I’d known she’d say yes, I would’ve just brought my car,’ he thought.
“No need. Let’s go!” Paloma said, her hand naturally going around Tuff’s waist.
Tuff’s heart started pounding again, and his ears turned red.
“Miss Kyle…” the butler hurried out.
“Oh, this is my boyfriend,” Paloma casually said.
Hearing that, the butler was dumbfounded.
It wasn’t until Tuff drove off with Paloma that the butler finally snapped back to his senses.
He quickly called Aiden. “Mr. Kyle, Miss Kyle was just taken away by her boyfriend!”
“Boyfriend? Who?” Aiden demanded, his expression changing instantly.
He was in the middle of a meeting when he heard this, and his face darkened.
“I don’t know. He looked like a delivery guy…” the butler replied.
Aiden could only facepalm in exasperation.
‘Who would dare lay a finger on the already married eldest daughter of the Kyle family?’ he thought.
“Mr. Kyle, should we go after them? But Miss Kyle seemed really happy,” the butler said hesitantly.
To be honest, it had been ages since he’d seen Miss Kyle act so bold and unrestrained.
“I’ll go find her myself. Stay out of it,” Aiden said.
After a pause, he added sternly, “And don’t report this to the higher-ups.”
“Yes, sir!” the butler replied.
The autumn breeze was refreshing as Paloma sat on the back of the scooter, narrowing her eyes in delight as the wind brushed past her face.
The two of them together were such an odd pair that they turned heads everywhere they went.
Tuff just couldn’t handle it anymore. Barely out of the villa neighborhood, he ditched the scooter by the roadside, tore off his delivery jacket, and got ready to call a cab.
“Does it really bother you that much?” Paloma burst out laughing.
“I just don’t want to make you look bad, Miss Kyle,” Tuff sighed, running his hand through his hair, trying to style it into something classy and cool.
But no matter how he fixed his hair, with these clothes, he still looked like a delivery guy.
“You found the bug, didn’t you?” Paloma asked.
Tuff was caught off guard – he hadn’t expected her to bring it up so directly.
‘So, she did it on purpose? Was she eavesdropping on the Kingsley family while also luring me over?’ Tuff wondered.
“Tuff, last time you peeked at me while I was taking a shower at the hotel, what exactly were you trying to prove?” Paloma asked.
Tuff’s face flushed red as he lowered his head. “I wanted to confirm if you were Kayla…”
“And? What did you find out?” Paloma pressed.
“You are Kayla, Landon’s biological sister! We met once a few years ago. Do you remember?” Tuff looked up, his eyes filled with guilt.
Paloma shook her head. “No, I don’t. I got really sick and lost all my memories from before.”
“What?” Tuff was stunned.
It made sense that she might forget her family and homeland if she was asked as a child. But she was already an adult when she entered the spy organization.
‘She forgot all of that, too?’ Tuff wondered to himself.
“They told me I’m the eldest daughter of the Kyle family, and that I have a son named Landen. So I’ve just been living like that ever since,” Paloma said, her eyes clouded with confusion.
Tuff felt a pang in his chest and said softly, “Are you doubting who you really are?”
“I saw the DNA report Amelia put together,” Paloma replied.
At this, Tuff was momentarily speechless.
So she had known about her true identity all along, and they were so afraid her condition would get worse that they never dared to come clean to her.
“Without the datura I gave her, Amelia would never have been able to leave the Kyle family estate,” Paloma said with a gentle smile.
“You…” Tuff was shocked again. “Weren’t you afraid she might actually poison Aiden to death?”
“They’ve been lying to me for years. Why should I protect them?” Paloma said indifferently.
Hearing this, Tuff fell silent again.
After a long pause, he asked softly, “Who’s Landen’s father?”
“Jonny Kyle,” Paloma replied.
Just hearing the name, Tuff could guess who it was.
But after all his years roaming the world, he had no idea the Kington Gang even had a firstborn son.
“He’s dead,” Paloma said, pursing her lips and lowering her eyes to hide the pain in her heart. “He died saving me.”
Hearing this, Tuff felt a sharp pain twist in his chest, leaving him speechless.
‘Just what kind of things has she gone through all these years?’ he wondered.
“I’m sorry, Miss Kyle…” Tuff said softly, his voice full of guilt.
“It’s all right. I only remembered him recently, thanks to Dr. Shawn,” Paloma replied gently.
As she said this, a crisp, yellow leaf was carried by the autumn wind and drifted down onto her shoulder.
She caught the falling leaf, continuing, “For years, I’ve been wondering who I really am. Now, I just want to go back to being myself.”
“Alright! I’ll help you!” Tuff said through gritted teeth.
If he hadn’t messed up back then, Landon would have brought her home already, and she wouldn’t have had to suffer through all these years.
Even though he didn’t know everything she’d been through, just losing her husband alone was enough to break her heart.
If only he’d recognized her right away back then…
“Tuff, Landon didn’t lose his memory,” Paloma said, tapping her temple. “Just like me, someone messed with his head – there’s something inside."
“Huh?” Tuff let out a cry.
His face went pale with shock.
‘Since when did the Kington Gang get into high-tech stuff?’ he thought, utterly baffled.
“It’s not something you can just take out. Try to mess with it, and I will be dead,” Paloma said. “That’s why I’ve been stuck living like a bird in a cage, forced to play the role of the Kyle family’s eldest daughter.”
Hearing that, Tuff was a complete mess.
‘Is Landon going to be like this for the rest of his life?’ he thought, feeling a chill running down his spine.
‘Then what about Amelia? What’s she supposed to do?’ Tuff worried, his heart sinking.
“Tuff, you can keep chasing after me, but we can’t acknowledge who we really are to each other. Understand?” Paloma checked the time as she said this.
Their date was almost over as Aiden was probably already out looking for her.
She needed to work out the next steps with Tuff as soon as possible.
“I get it!” Tuff nodded hard. “Just tell me your plan, and I’ll back you up all the way.”
“The Kingsley family needs Landon. Take Amelia to the Montgomery family and see how Landon reacts. But whatever you do, make sure Amelia doesn’t get agitated – she’s pregnant,” Paloma said.