Kayla walked back into the house, guilt gnawing at her as she remembered how Poppy had taken her place and done those terrible things. โMom, Ameliaโฆโ
โKayla, youโre back,โ Amelia said, waddling over with her big belly.
Amelia looked fine, and neither Landon nor Tuff showed any signs of injury. That meant their plan had worked!
โYou mustโve felt terrible, thinking it was me hurting you,โ Kayla asked.
โNot really. I realized pretty early on that she was just a stand-in,โ Amelia replied with a smile.
Kayla was stunned. โBut Poppy looks so much like meโฆโ
โNo matter how much she looks like you, there are always little differences,โ Amelia gave a small, secretive smile. โI just didnโt tell MomโI was afraid sheโd accidentally give it away.โ
Gloria glared at her, pretending to be angry. โAmelia! Why do you keep everything from me?โ
โI was just afraid you wouldnโt be able to keep up the act, Mom,โ Amelia said bluntly.
โHmph!โ Gloria pulled her daughter into a warm hug. โEveryone in the family is so amazing, except for me, their useless mom.โ
โWeโre finally all together again,โ Gloria said softly.
โYeah,โ Kayla let out a heartfelt sigh.
Thank goodness for her clever brother and sister-in-law. If it werenโt for them, the Kingsley family would never have survived this ordeal.
โNothing bad will happen from now on, right?โ Gloria asked, still a little worried.
โNo. Aiden will bring Landen back,โ Kayla replied.
Amelia looked surprised and turned to Landon. โYou guys let him go?โ
โHeโs genuinely devoted to Kayla. We finished todayโs mission so quicklyโhalf the credit goes to him,โ Landon said.
โSo the Kington Gang wonโt be coming after us for revenge anymore, right?โ Amelia asked.
โNo, I donโt think so,โ Kayla replied with a smile. โHonestly, Aiden isnโt really ambitiousโheโs just a little starved for affection.โ
Landon pressed his lips together.
โThat guyโs been after my Honey for way longer than just a day or two,โ he thought sourly.
โThatโs great!โ Amelia exclaimed.
โFinally, I can really let my guard down,โ she thought, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. โNow that weโve made it through all the tough times, itโs nothing but smooth sailing ahead!โ
That night, the whole family celebrated together.
Tuff, who had played a big part in everything, was invited to stay and join in the fun.
As they drank and laughed, Tuffโs eyes kept drifting to Kayla.
Gloria noticed and leaned in to whisper to Amelia, โAmelia, do you think thereโs something going on between them?โ
โYeah,โ Amelia replied with a small smile. โMom, what do you think of him as a potential son-in-law?โ
โIโm satisfied! More than satisfied!โ Gloria said, her face lighting up.
Nobody wanted Kayla to find a good man again more than she did.
โKaylaโs still dealing with her headaches, so she probably wonโt accept him anytime soon,โ Amelia said quietly. โBut we can start preparing her engagement gifts in advance.โ
Gloriaโs brow furrowed again as she thought about Kaylaโs headaches.
โMom, weโll definitely find a way to cure it, so donโt worry,โ Amelia reassured her. โWhat doesnโt kill you makes you strongerโKaylaโs luck is still waiting for her out there!โ
โYeah,โ Gloria replied.
Gloria forced herself to take a deep breath and tried to put her mind at ease.
โWe canโt spend every day worrying about things that havenโt even happened yet,โ she told herself.
Not far from Kingsley Manor, Giovanna and Daniel stood side by side, looking out into the distance.
After a long silence, Giovanna flashed the scalpel in her hand and said, โIโve gone over both of their medical records. We can take the chips out, but the odds are fifty-fifty.โ
โThatโs pretty riskyโฆโ Daniel muttered, his palms starting to sweat.
Even someone as decisive as him didnโt know what choice to make now.
Trying to treat them is a huge risk, but if we do nothing, itโs basically just waiting for death.
โMaybe we should try reaching out to Aiden again. The chips came from his familyโmaybe he can give us some pointers?โ Giovanna mused.
Daniel thought she was being unrealistic. โThat guyโs genuinely in love with Kayla. If he had a way to fix this, he wouldโve told us already.โ
โOr maybe heโs just clueless?โ
Giovanna let out a soft laugh. โCome on, letโs go to Dreicean.โ
A few days later, Landen arrived at Kingsley Manor with a team of bodyguards in tow.
โMommyโฆโ As soon as he saw Kayla, he rushed straight into her arms, clinging to her and bursting into tears.
He was just a little kidโhe didnโt really understand what had happened. All he knew was that something huge had happened at home, and heโd almost lost his mom.
Kayla crouched down and pulled him into her arms. โLandenโฆโ
โMommy, I was so scared. I thought youโd never come backโฆ sob sob,โ Landen whimpered, tears streaming down his face.
โOh, sweetheart, that will never happen. Mommy loves you so much, Landen!โ Kayla said, her voice thick with emotion.
โGrandpa said you didnโt want me anymoreโฆโ Landen sniffled.
โHow could that ever be true? Mommy loves you the most, Landen,โ Kayla said, her heart twisting with pain as she hugged him tightly.
What mother doesnโt love her child? Kayla just wanted to go back to her own mom, but she didnโt have the strength to fight against Yin Shan, so she had no choice but to leave Landen behind for a while.
โMommyโฆโ Landen whispered, his voice barely audible.
โCome on, letโs meet your grandma and uncle,โ Kayla said, gently guiding him over to the rest of the family.
Landenโs eyes widened in surprise. โGloria is my grandma?โ
โThatโs right! This is your uncle, Landon, and your aunt, Amelia,โ Kayla said, introducing them.
โLanden, welcome home,โ Landon and Amelia said, each offering him a gift.
Landon and Amelia had both prepared gifts for him.
Landen was already familiar with everyone, so he wasnโt shy at all. But he couldnโt quite figure it outโif Landon was his uncle here, then who was the uncle back in Dreicean?
โDreicean is still your home, and your uncle will always be your uncle,โ Kayla explained with a gentle smile.
โSo now I have even more people who love me?โ Landen asked, his eyes shining with excitement.
โThatโs right!โ Kayla replied with a warm smile.
Gloria scooped Landen up into her arms, hugging him tight and calling him her sweet grandson again and again.
Only now was their family truly whole again.
โDidnโt your uncle come to bring you here himself?โ Kayla asked.
Landen said, โAiden has so much work to doโheโs so busy he doesnโt even have time to sleep.โ
โOh.โ
Kayla felt a little uneasy.
It seemed like Aiden had really taken over the Kington Gang.
Old powers die hardโsome things just refuse to disappear.
The Kington Gang and the Flying Tiger Sect, one from the underworld and one from the light, will always be on opposite sides.
Aiden wouldnโt give up the power heโd gained, and Landon wouldnโt leave the Flying Tiger Sect.
Even if things are calm now, sooner or later theyโll end up at each otherโs throats.
โAm I really going to have to watch my two brothers become enemies?โ Kayla thought, her heart sinking.
Her head started throbbing again from overthinking, so Kayla had to let it go for now.
โIf only I wasnโt sick. If I could just stay well, maybe Aiden might actually rein himself in for me,โ she thought.
And if that were the case, maybe Landonโs Tiger Gate wouldnโt keep putting on the pressure eitherโฆ
But sadly, she only had six months left to liveโฆ
What Kayla didnโt know was that Landon and Tuff had been searching high and low for a cure for her.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, four months had passed.
Ameliaโs belly was getting hugeโshe was just about ready to pop.
During that time, Landon hadnโt left Norava even once.
After everything theyโd been through, he was finally able to savor the peace and quiet of a normal life.
Every day, aside from work, Landon just hung out with his Honey, his mom, and his nephewโenjoying the simple moments together.
Finally, the wait was overโthe baby was about to be born, and the whole family was over the moon with excitement.
โHoney, donโt be nervous. Iโve got the best doctors lined up for you. Iโm right here with you, so donโt worryโฆโ Landon said, his voice full of concern.
โHoney, does it hurt? Donโt worry, Iโm here,โ Landon said, his voice trembling a little.
Landon was rambling on and onโanyone with eyes could see that the mom-to-be was totally calm, but the new dad was a nervous wreck.
Amelia pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. โIโm not scared, really.โ
โThatโs what I like to hear! Iโm right here with you,โ Landon said, rubbing his hands together anxiously, eager to follow her into the delivery room.
Kayla grabbed his arm. โYou canโt go in.โ
โWhy not? The doctors all said I could be there for the delivery,โ Landon protested, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants.
Maybe heโd just had too much water todayโhis palms just wouldnโt stop sweating.
โWe donโt agree!โ the family chimed in together.
All three women chimed in at once.
With how nervous Landon was, if he went in, who knows if heโd be the one comforting them or the other way around? If he ended up traumatized, theyโd have to help him recover!
Better to just keep him out!