Chapter 272

Finally, Joyce realized that Kayla was nothing like anyone she had ever met before.

Kayla was strong–not someone she could easily mess with.

Joyce took a deep breath and said, word by word, “The Prescott family will never accept your illegitimate child!”

“If they don’t, so be it. I don’t care,” Kayla replied nonchalantly.

‘What a joke. It’s not even my kid. Why should I give a damn?’ Kayla thought to herself.

“You don’t even care about your own child?” Joyce asked, stunned.

Kayla couldn’t be bothered to answer. She was just about to walk out when she heard footsteps in the hallway, followed by Tuff’s voice.

“Amelia, you have to help me talk some sense into Kayla…” Tuff said.

Joyce’s eyes flickered. The moment Tuff stepped in, she grabbed the glass from the table and, in one swift motion, splashed it onto herself.

“What are you doing, Miss Kingsley?” Joyce’s voice trembled, sounding aggrieved and on the verge of tears.

Her words quivered with a sob, as if she’d been deeply wronged.

Tuff and Amelia, who had just walked in, stood there, frozen.

Tuff cursed inwardly, ‘Crap, things have already escalated!’

“I’m just telling the truth. I really didn’t mean to cause any trouble in your family…” Joyce said, her voice trembling.

Water was dripping down her hair and face, soaking her neck and the front of her shirt.

Her eyes were rimmed red, and she bit her lower lip hard, looking every bit the picture of a wronged victim.

Kayla narrowed her eyes and turned to Tuff. “I didn’t do it.”

“What, do you think I splashed myself on purpose?” Joyce choked out, tears brimming in her eyes, looking utterly wronged.

Amelia frowned.

She couldn’t help but sneer inwardly, ‘Oh, this isn’t just a run-of-the-mill bitch act. She is putting on the airs of a cultured intellectual.’

‘She’d just made me look like some unreasonable brute,’

“Kayla…” Tuff looked conflicted, stuck between the two.

He felt bad for Joyce, but he also didn’t dare cross his wife. So, he just stood there awkwardly, not moving an inch.

“Tuff, you and Kayla should head back first,” Amelia said, stepping forward and giving Kayla a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Tuff thought he probably ought to say a few words to comfort Joyce. After all, his wife had just made things difficult for her.

But when the words were right on the tip of his tongue, he just couldn’t bring himself to say them.

That look from Kayla was just too terrifying.

“Go on. I’ve got this,” Amelia said with a calm, easy smile, lightening the mood in the room.

Kayla gave Joyce a deep, lingering look before walking out.

Tuff trailed after her, eager to please.

Joyce felt a wave of bitterness. ‘The mighty Prescott heir, groveling like some stray mutt just for love. How utterly pathetic,’ she sneered inwardly.

“You can go now, Mrs. Kingsley,” Joyce said coldly, wiping her face and hair with a tissue, her tone full of dismissal.

“That water? Kayla didn’t do it,” Amelia said, calm but firm.

Married life had only made her more stunning, her presence even more graceful and commanding.

She was the very definition of a classy, elegant wife.

Joyce’s expression changed dramatically as she really hadn’t expected Amelia to say that.

“Mrs. Kingsley, is this how you always indulge her?” Joyce let out a laugh, more out of anger than amusement.

“Kayla? If she can use her fists, she won’t bother talking. Throwing water or wine? That’s way too childish for her. She wouldn’t even bother with that kind of trick,” Amelia replied coolly.

“Go ahead and keep defending her!” Joyce shot back.

Joyce stood up, ready to leave.

Amelia reached out to stop her. “Miss Lambert, let me give you some advice. Don’t go up against the Kingsley family. And don’t even think about messing with someone else’s family.”

“What’s the big deal of the Kingsley family?” Joyce asked, putting on a refined front, though her eyes were full of scorn. “Do you even know who Tuff is?”

“Flying Tiger Sect elite,” Amelia replied.

“You know that? Then what about Kayla?” Joyce pressed.

“She knows too.” Amelia nodded slightly. “My husband is Tuff’s boss.”

Joyce sucked in a sharp breath.

‘Landon is Tuff’s boss? There’s more to this marriage than I thought,’ Joyce mused.

She’d always wondered–with Kayla’s plain looks and two kids tagging along, how could Tuff ever be interested in her?

‘So it’s all just because of work!’ she thought.

‘Poor Tuff, getting squeezed so hard by his boss.’

She made a mental note to talk to Maggie later–she was definitely going to tell Maggie to make Tuff quit this job and just go home to take over the family business for good.

“Petty squabbles are whatever, but if anyone dares lay a finger on Kayla, they’re making an enemy of the whole Kingsley family!” Amelia said, her tone cold and resolute.

Joyce let out a mocking laugh.

‘As if I care,’ Joyce thought, her eyes full of disdain.

“If Tuff ever does anything to hurt Kayla, the whole Prescott family is done for,” Amelia said, letting out a light laugh.

‘Does Joyce even get how serious this is? Trying to steal someone else’s man without even bothering to check their family background–talk about clueless,’ Amelia thought.

Joyce didn’t believe it for a second.

Even if Tuff lost his job, he still had the Prescott family backing him up.

The Prescott family was an old-money powerhouse with deep roots.

‘The Kingsley Group? As if they could ever swallow up the Prescott family,’ Joyce sneered inwardly.

“The Hughes family in Lunova? That’s my grandfather’s side. The Zuckerberg family? That’s my mother’s side,” Amelia said calmly.

Joyce was completely stunned.

The Hughes and Zuckerberg families were the top dogs in Lunova’s elite circles.

Compared to them, the Prescott family was just not worth mentioning!

The Lambert family? They couldn’t even compare.

“Miss Lambert, I hope you know your place,” Amelia said with a faint smile before turning to leave.

Her graceful, elegant figure as she walked away cut deep into Joyce’s heart and pride.

‘So this is where Kayla gets all her confidence from,’ Joyce thought bitterly.

‘But with the way Kayla acts, she totally doesn’t deserve Tuff at all!’ Joyce fumed inwardly.

She refused to accept this! The injustice burned in her chest. There was no way she was going to let it end like this.

Kayla stormed off, her face as dark as a storm cloud.

Tuff followed after her like a whipped pup, trying to please her with a smile. “Kayla, listen to me…”

“What? Are you here to accuse me of splashing water at her?” Kayla shot back.

“No, it’s not that…” Tuff stammered.

“Then what is it?” Kayla pressed.

Tuff was at a loss for words after Kayla snapped at him. After a few awkward seconds, he finally asked quietly, “Does your hand hurt?”

Kayla couldn’t help but snort with laughter.

Her expression softened at last.

“Tuff, do you really mean that?” Kayla asked.

“Of course!” Tuff replied.

Tuff took Kayla’s hand, noticing that her knuckles were flushed red.

With all his years of brawling, Tuff could tell at a glance that she must’ve landed a punch on something hard.

“Jeez, if you want to throw down, just do it. No point hurting yourself for nothing,” Tuff muttered.

Kayla chuckled and asked, “So, if I really got into a fight with her, whose side would you be on?”

“Yours, of course!” Tuff replied without a moment’s hesitation.

He needed to get his wife out of there as soon as possible, or things might really end up with the cops getting called.

No way was he letting his wife’s reputation get dragged through the mud again.

“Smart move,” Kayla said as she opened the car door and got in.

Tuff breathed a sigh of relief, hopped into the driver’s seat, and headed for home.

Kayla asked, “So, what’s your mom’s attitude now?”

“Pregnancy really is the ultimate trump card. She’s not pushing us to get a divorce anymore,” Tuff replied.

“So, she’s just waiting for the baby to be born before she tries to divorce us then?” Kayla asked.

“Uh…” Tuff stammered, breaking out in a cold sweat.

‘Women really do know each other–she nailed it!’ he thought.

“No need to wait that long. Once my mom’s surgery is over, we can just come clean to your mom,” Kayla said with a little scoff.

Since she’d married Tuff, she had to think about his situation too. She couldn’t just turn the whole Prescott family upside down the moment they tied the knot.

“Yeah, yeah,” Tuff nodded eagerly. “No rush. Just keep up the act and take it easy for now.”

Kayla’s eye twitched. “Are you crazy? I was just faking it for your mom. Don’t you know whether I’m actually pregnant or not?”

“Of course I know! But hey, if you really were pregnant, I wouldn’t want you to get all riled up,” Tuff said with a cheeky grin.

‘Just last night, we were getting adventurous with some seriously exciting new positions!’ Tuff thought, a little smug.

“But since we’re already lying, might as well keep it up,” Tuff said. “My mom’s already got chicken soup simmering at home. We’ll have some when we get back.”

Kayla rubbed her forehead. “Can’t you just get your mom to go home first?”

“She said she wanted to stay and take care of you while you’re pregnant,” Tuff replied.

At that, Kayla was left speechless.