Chapter 264
“Aaron,” Landon strode in, exuding a menacing aura. Aaron sighed, looking defeated. “Mr. Kingsley, I’m afraid it’s true…”
“Where’s the kid?” Landon asked, his voice low and dangerous.
“He’s over there,” Aaron replied, pointing toward another room. To prevent anyone from overhearing, he locked Jeffrey in there.
“Good,” Landon said, nodding. He hesitated outside Shelby’s room. “I overheard the whole conversation between Shelby and Marvin,” Aaron said sympathetically. “Mr. Kingsley, turns out you’ve got yourself a little brother now.”
Landon handed him a cigarette and walked toward Jeffrey’s room. By the floor-to-ceiling windows, the teenager stood with his hands clasped behind his back. For a split second, Landon almost thought he was staring at his own reflection from years ago. ‘He looks just like me. It’s almost scary,’ Landon muttered to himself.
“So, you’re Jeffrey?” Landon asked, lighting a cigarette as he slowly walked over. The teenager turned to face him, his expression unreadable. “Jeffrey Kingsley.”
Landon nearly choked on his cigarette. ‘He even got the family name—just like all the Kingsleys,’ Landon thought, a bit stunned.
“Dad picked the name,” Jeffrey added calmly.
Landon let out a heavy puff of smoke, his chest heaving violently. ‘So, Dad knew about this kid this whole time?’ Landon thought, his mind spinning. ‘And Mom? She’s been living as a widow for five years. How is she supposed to handle this?’ Landon’s heart ached for her.
“Do you know who I am?” Landon asked. Jeffrey looked at him, a flash of defiant scorn in his eyes. After a long moment, he finally muttered, clearly reluctant, “Yeah, I know.”
“So, what are you supposed to call me?” Landon asked.
“Big brother,” Jeffrey muttered, clearly unwilling.
Landon nodded, pulled out another cigarette, and offered it to him. “Want one?”
“Nope,” Jeffrey said, wrinkling his nose in distaste.
Landon withdrew his hand, sat down on the couch, and motioned for him to sit as well. Jeffrey sat down across from him.
Chapter 264 1 Aug
“So, tell me what you’ve been through all these years,” Landon said. Jeffrey stayed silent. Landon wasn’t in a hurry. He just waited patiently. He needed to know just how this little brother came into existence! But to his surprise, Jeffrey was even more stubbornly patient than he was. The two of them sat there in a silent standoff for a whole hour, and Jeffrey still didn’t say a single word. The defiance and stubbornness from their first meeting faded away. And Jeffrey just sat there like a cold, lifeless wax figure. He didn’t speak, and not a single emotion slipped through. Landon had to admit, even back when he was a teenager, he never had this kind of self-control.
Finally, Landon had to break the silence. “You don’t want to talk?”
“What’s there to talk about?” Jeffrey shot back.
Landon was speechless.
“When I visited the Gellar family, I never saw you around,” Landon said.
“The Gellar family? That’s not my home,” Jeffrey replied coolly.
Landon tried to stay patient. “Then where’s your home?”
“The sanatorium,” Jeffrey answered, his tone flat.
‘He doesn’t look sick at all. How could he have grown up in a sanatorium?’ Landon thought, completely baffled.
Crash! Aaron came in with coffee and accidentally broke a cup. The crisp sound of shattering glass was like flipping a switch in Jeffrey. His face changed dramatically in an instant. He sprang up from the couch and, without thinking, started grabbing whatever was nearby and smashing it. Bang! Crash! Anything he got his hands on, he smashed. His face, which had been blank just moments ago, twisted into something wild and almost possessed, like he’d been taken over by a demon. Every now and then, he let out weird, animalistic growls.
Aaron’s jaw dropped in shock. He stood there for a whole minute before snapping back to his senses, then rushed over to shield Landon, ready to get help to hold Jeffrey back. But Landon stopped him. The two of them just watched as Jeffrey went on a rampage, only dodging out of the way when they had to.
“Aaaaah-”
With that last howl—equal parts agony and twisted relief—Jeffrey finally brought his rampage to an end.
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Chapter 264
He sucked in a deep breath, brushed imaginary dust off his clothes, and even took a moment to tidy up his collar. Then, just like that, his face went blank again, as if nothing had happened. He plopped back down on the couch and calmly reached for a glass of water.
Landon and Aaron exchanged glances, both at a total loss. After everything they’d been through, even they were thrown for a loop by this kid’s outburst.
“Jeffrey?” Landon called out.
“Yeah?” Jeffrey looked up, sounding genuinely puzzled.
The way he answered with a question only left Landon and Aaron even more baffled.
“Just now, you…” Landon started.
“What about just now?” Jeffrey replied, looking genuinely confused.
Landon pressed his lips together, his face turning grim. ‘So that’s why Jeffrey’s been stuck in a sanatorium all these years. He’s got some kind of rage disorder!’ Landon realized. And every time he lost control, he’d just black out—having absolutely no clue what he’d just done.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take you home,” Landon said, keeping his tone calm. Jeffrey just shrugged and got up to follow him without a word.
Aaron quickly found out which sanatorium Jeffrey stayed at and gathered a few people to “escort” him back. Nobody said a word the whole way. There had been so many bombshells today, and they all felt completely shocked! So Isaac had an illegitimate son, born to his sister-in-law, Shelby, and the kid had even got issues on top of that!
At Kingsley Manor, with Kayla and Landon suddenly gone, the whole house felt unusually quiet. Gloria just couldn’t get used to it. After Amelia had settled Kimsey, Gloria finally asked cautiously, “Amy, that boy… he’s Kayla’s child, isn’t he?”
“I don’t know,” Amelia replied.
“It definitely isn’t Landon’s,” Gloria said firmly. “Kayla’s been gone for so many years. Maybe someone took advantage of her or hurt her… Amy, do you think Tuff will mind?”
Amelia thought for a moment before answering, “Gloria, Tuff and Kayla are truly in love. They can overcome anything.”
“I think so too.” Gloria felt a little more at ease with Amelia’s support. “That boy is my grandson too. If I were to bring him back…”
“Gloria, you’re overthinking it,” Amelia said, half-amused, half-frustrated. “We still don’t even know for sure who that kid is!”
“He looks so much like Landon. Do we really need to confirm?” Gloria said. “Either way, if he’s part of our family, we should bring him back.”
“Gloria, don’t overthink it. Just let us handle things first, okay?” Amelia said.
“Handle? What is there to handle?” Gloria’s face changed instantly.
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Amelia couldn’t help but ask, “Gloria, don’t you think it’s weird? Why was Shelby who brought the kid over?”
Gloria was momentarily stunned. ‘Wait, right… why?’ she wondered, her mind suddenly full of questions.
“Could it be that after Kayla went missing, Shelby actually knew where she was and what was happening—and even took the kid with her?” Gloria asked.
“Gloria, your imagination really is something else,” Amelia said, not sure whether to laugh or feel sorry for her.
But one thing was crystal clear to her—no matter how much her husband doted on her, she had to stay sharp and keep her guard up! She couldn’t let herself turn into some pampered, clueless airhead.
“Amy, did I say something wrong?” Gloria frowned. “Maybe I should just ask Shelby myself!”
Amelia quickly stopped her. “Don’t call her. Shelby isn’t going to say anything helpful right now. Let’s just wait for Landon and Kayla to explain.”
“Fine.” Gloria put her phone away, still looking worried. ‘Kayla finally found happiness. I can’t let anything mess that up—not even a little!’ Gloria thought, fiercely protective.
“Gloria, can you help me look after Kimsey? I need to take care of some things at the company,” Amelia said, simply handing her son over. Keeping busy would help Gloria stop overthinking things. ‘I just hope Landon comes back with some good news…’ Amelia thought, silently praying for a positive outcome.