Chapter 262
“Who is that? He looks so much like Landon!”
“No way! Is that Landon’s bastard child?”
“If Landon started fooling around when he was younger, his kid would be this old...”
Rumors quietly started swirling at the wedding banquet. By now, almost everyone thought that boy was Landon’s love child.
Even Landon was flustered. He leaned in and whispered to Amelia, “Honey, it’s not true…”
Amelia glanced at the boy, then, without a second thought, said, “I believe you.”
Landon breathed a sigh of relief.
‘I know for sure that kid isn’t my love child, so whose love child is he?’ Landon wondered, a frown creasing his brow.
No one knew what Marvin had just whispered to Kayla on the wedding stage, but her expression changed dramatically. Without a second thought, she rushed off the stage, completely ignoring the ongoing ceremony.
Tuff hurried after her, lifting the train of her wedding dress, his own face looking just as grim.
“Wait, could that be Kayla’s kid?” someone blurted out.
In an instant, the suspect switched from Landon to Kayla.
Gloria felt completely numb, her mind going blank from shock.
She took a deep breath and kept repeating to herself, ‘It’s fine. It’s fine! Our family has more than enough money—even if we had to raise a hundred more kids, we’d manage just fine.’
‘Having one more grandchild should make me happy!’ she tried to convince herself.
With that thought, Gloria hurried after Kayla.
“What are you trying to do?” Landon stepped onto the stage, his back to the audience as he glared at Marvin.
Marvin calmly brushed off his collar. “Landon, aren’t you curious about that kid?”
“Who is he?” Landon demanded.
Of course, Landon was curious. But his guess was the same as everyone else’s. That boy was Kayla’s son, born during the years she’d been missing.
‘No big deal. He’s one of our own,’ Landon thought.
“You’d better not try anything with me here, Landon,” Marvin warned, his tone icy. “Otherwise, the truth about that kid’s parentage… might just make your father jump right out of his coffin.”
The sudden mention of his father made Landon’s heart skip a beat, a strong sense of unease creeping in.
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Landon’s father had been gone for five years, and no one ever mentioned the legendary Isaac Kingsley of Norava anymore, especially the family. Everyone was afraid it would make Gloria sad.
But out of the blue, Marvin had brought him up…
Amelia’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Wait, could that boy actually be Isaac’s illegitimate child?’
“So, what’s your real goal today, Marvin?” Amelia asked, her eyes narrowing.
Marvin arched an eyebrow and grinned. “Amelia, you’re really the sharp one.”
“What do you want?” Landon asked, struggling to keep his temper in check.
‘It’s Kayla’s wedding day,’ Landon reminded himself. ‘As long as nothing goes wrong, I don’t care if I have to pay him off.’
“I want one–third of the shares in Kingsley Group,” Marvin said, his tone calm but firm.
Landon was stunned, and for a moment, he wanted to punch Marvin right in the face.
Amelia quickly grabbed his arm and whispered, “Everyone’s watching. This is Kayla’s wedding day.”
Landon forced himself to hold back, his chest heaving with anger. “Reason!”
“He’s your brother,” Marvin replied coolly.
Amelia frowned. ‘I actually guessed it right?’
Landon glared at Marvin in utter disbelief. “That’s impossible.”
“I’ve got DNA evidence,” Marvin replied casually. “Want me to show everyone right now?”
But with his late father’s reputation at stake, Landon had no choice but to swallow his anger, no matter how furious he was.
He gritted his teeth and said, “This is Kayla’s wedding. Stop making a scene. If you have something to say, let’s settle it at home!”
“No, I want your answer right here, right now,” Marvin insisted.
“Marvin, don’t go too far,” Amelia warned, her voice low but firm.
Marvin somehow produced a tiny compass, no bigger than a walnut, and started toying with it in his hand. “I know you’re not someone to mess with, Landon. But if you don’t agree to my terms here at the wedding, you’ll never get another chance.”
The message was obvious. If Landon didn’t back down, he’d spill the truth about that kid’s parentage right there and blow up Kayla’s wedding for good.
Landon fixed his gaze on Marvin but sent a mental message to Amelia. ‘Go find Aunt Shelby. When I zap Marvin unconscious, make sure she drops too.’
Amelia’s lips curved into a faint smile.
Chapter 262
‘Good idea!’ she thought. If the troublemakers passed out, they wouldn’t be able to cause any more chaos. That was simple, brutal, and effective.
“Honey, go get the documents ready,” Landon said, as if he was giving in.
Marvin said, “No need. I’ve already got everything ready.”
With that, he pulled out a share transfer agreement and a pen from inside his jacket.
“Honey, just sign it! It’s only money. Don’t mess up Kayla’s wedding over this. I’ll go get her. The ceremony’s not over yet!” Amelia said with a sigh.
Landon took the pen and paper, while Amelia slipped off the stage.
Meanwhile, down in the crowd, Shelby was absolutely thrilled watching the drama unfold. All Landon had to do was sign, and just like that, they’d have a third of the Kingsley family’s fortune in their pocket. It still wasn’t enough for them, but it was definitely a great start.
Kayla hurried over to the main table, gritting her teeth. “Impressive tactics, Aunt Shelby!”
“Not bad,” Shelby replied, her smile warm and gentle, just as kind as she always appeared.
“This is my wedding!” Kayla’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.
Before she turned seven, she was the princess of the Kingsley family. But after that, Shelby had personally thrown her into hell. After finally clawing her way to happiness, she’d seen this wedding as a brand new beginning. And yet, once again, it was Shelby who destroyed everything.
“Kayla, bringing him here today—what better gift could I possibly give you?” Shelby said with a sly smile.
“You!” Kayla sputtered, her rage nearly boiling over.
The boy standing next to Shelby looked completely indifferent. He was the center of attention, but he seemed completely oblivious to everything going on around him. He was so indifferent that it was almost unnatural.
“Kayla, we’re family. I’m just here to give you my blessings,” Shelby said with a gentle, loving smile. “The ceremony isn’t over yet. How could the bride just walk off the wedding stage? Go on, get back up there.”
“Kayla!” Amelia came running over, lifting the hem of her dress.
Kayla bit down hard on her lower lip, furious and helpless. Her wedding didn’t even matter to her anymore. But she had to think about her mom—her feelings, her situation.
Chapter 262
No way could she let Shelby spill the truth about that boy in front of everyone!
“Amy, take Mom and get her out of here,” Kayla said, her voice low but urgent.
Gloria was totally lost in the chaos, and in her confusion, she simply assumed that the boy really was Kayla’s love child.
“Kayla, listen to me,” Amelia whispered in her ear.
Kayla was taken aback for a second, then turned to glance up at the stage. Landon and Marvin were inching closer to each other, heads bowed together as they quietly argued over the terms on the agreement.
She leaned in and whispered, just loud enough for the few of them to hear, “Is he really going to sign?”
“Yeah, Landon’s made up his mind,” Amelia said, giving Shelby a sad look.
Shelby just smiled smugly, clearly pleased with herself.
‘Either they give up the money, or let Gloria be humiliated in front of everyone by finding out her husband betrayed her—and that she’s been loyal to him for five years for nothing!’ Shelby thought.
‘Landon and Kayla are so devoted to their mom, of course they’ll pick the first option!’ she added to herself.
“Fine!” Kayla finally relented, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Impressive tactics, Aunt Shelby!”
“Not bad,” Gloria replied, her smile as gentle as ever.
Kayla turned away, while Shelby sat back down, ready to watch the rest of the ceremony. But before she could even get comfortable, someone landed a karate chop right on the back of her neck.
“Kayla…” Shelby gasped, her voice barely a whisper.
Shelby went limp and collapsed. Even as she lost consciousness, she just couldn’t believe Kayla would actually go this far and knock her out cold.
‘Doesn’t matter, I’ve still got Marvin,’ Shelby thought, her mind spinning even as she started to black out.
‘Marvin’s right there on the stage in front of everyone. The moment he sees me go down, he’ll expose everything!’ she reassured herself.