Chapter 279

"Yeah, I’m picking on you today. What are you gonna do about it?” Kayla didn’t even need to raise her voice to command the room. She was all about keeping her cool. In fact, after landing a hit, she seemed even more composed.

Joyce, on the other hand, was a total mess–completely thrown off her game. In contrast, she really looked like a mistress being put in her place by the legitimate wife. After all, Kayla and Tuff’s wedding had just happened recently. Everyone remembered it well. So with Joyce suddenly jumping into the picture, it was clear to everyone she was totally playing the homewrecker role.

“Dr. Lambert, aren’t you supposed to be in a meeting? You should probably get going.” Wesley stepped out of the room to smooth things over.

Joyce just stood there, clutching her files tightly. She was not willing to let this go and take those two slaps lying down. Based on Tuff’s usual schedule, Joyce supposed he should be arriving at the hospital soon.

“Dr. Lambert?” Wesley urged.

Joyce said with grievance, “Dr. Harrington, she slapped me!”

“Which is why I’m telling you to avoid her!” Wesley blurted out. The childhood trauma of being chased around and smacked by Kayla was still way too fresh in his mind. If Joyce stuck around any longer, she’d be next on the hit list.

Unexpectedly, Joyce just stood there, unmoving despite Wesley’s advice. Everyone else was silent too, just watching the whole thing go down.

“Wesley, sometimes it’s better to just keep quiet,” Kayla said, her icy gaze sweeping over him. Wesley shrank his neck in. Between playing the hero or saving himself, he chose the latter. He retreated into the room and quietly shut the door behind him.

Seeing Wesley so desperate to avoid the fallout finally made Joyce uneasy. Is Kayla seriously going to hit me again? Joyce thought nervously.

“Miss Lambert…” Kayla took two steps forward.

Joyce instinctively stepped back, staring at her warily. “Y-You, don’t come any closer…”

“Then why don’t you leave?” Kayla said.

Amelia was trying hard not to laugh. Kayla was a total powerhouse. If Amelia were as fearless as Kayla back then, Sandra wouldn’t have gotten away for so long.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in a meeting? Or are you just waiting for my husband to come check out that handprint on your face?” Kayla called her out directly.

Joyce was too embarrassed to stay any longer, so she turned and walked away. But she didn’t bolt or look flustered. Instead, she kept her back straight and her steps steady.

“She’s got nerves of steel,” Amelia couldn’t help but be impressed.

"Anyone who can handle the OR has to have that,” Kayla snorted.

The two women entered the ward, and Gloria was still asleep. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Amelia turned to Wesley and asked, “Why was she in Gloria’s room?”

“Dr. Lambert specializes in gastrointestinal surgeries, so after a hospital’s consultation, she was brought in as a specialist…” Wesley said, looking a little guilty for some reason.

“Kick her out,” Amelia said firmly. “We’ve got Dr. Mitchell. He’s more than enough.”

“Got it,” Wesley agreed. He didn’t dare say a word of protest. As long as Kayla didn’t start hitting people again, anything was fine!

“Does she know all about my mom’s condition?” Kayla asked, with her legs crossed casually. She was so beautiful, and even crossing her legs looked graceful.

“Of course,” Wesley nodded.

“Does she know about the charm poison?” Kayla asked.

“No, she doesn’t. Landon made sure it wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the hospital records,” Wesley replied.

Kayla felt a little more at ease. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Joyce showed up at a strangely convenient time. Not before her wedding, not even during it–only after her mom was hospitalized.

“Aaron, check Joyce’s movements before and after she came to Norava,” Kayla said, making the call right in front of Wesley.

Wesley’s face instantly changed. “Wait, Kayla, are you suspecting her?”

“I just can’t stand her,” Kayla snorted. “Just mind your own business and do your job.”

“Got it,” Wesley said, wiping the sweat from his brow. He thought, ‘Dr. Lambert really picked the wrong person to mess with. Of all people, she had to poke the bear.’

“Kayla!” Tuff finally rushed in, looking completely flustered.

Kayla shot him a sideways glance before turning her attention back to the window. “Did she complain to you?”

“Uh… yeah,” Tuff admitted sheepishly. He’d been stuck trying to find a parking spot at the hospital, which had taken him a while. Then he got a video call from Joyce, saying Kayla had slapped her. Looking at her face, she really did get hit hard. Tuff thought his wife’s hands must have been hurting after that.

“Kayla, quick, hold these,” Tuff said, handing her two pieces of ice, placing them in her palms.

Kayla and Amelia looked at each other in confusion.

“If your hand hurts, just use some ice,” Tuff chuckled. “Next time, don’t get your hands dirty. I’ll get you a bodyguard.”

Kayla blinked. Her icy expression softened. “You only care about my hands?”

“What else?” Tuff grinned. “No way am I letting my wife’s delicate hands get even a scratch.”

Kayla’s face instantly turned red.

Amelia, who had been through her share of romance, immediately understood. She quickly turned to tidy the nightstand, pretending she hadn’t heard Tuff’s shameless flirting.

“Tuff, I don’t want to put you in a tough spot. Just tell her to go back to Lunova,” Kayla said.

“Okay. I’ll talk to her.” Tuff agreed without hesitation. He had figured out that leaving Joyce and Kayla alone together was just asking for trouble, so it was better to keep them apart.

The group hung around the hospital for a while, but Landon never showed up.

Did Lucia not confess? Amelia wondered as she stepped outside to call her husband.

“She confessed. It was Monica.” Landon’s voice was ice-cold… The days he had been implanted with a memory–erasing chip and confined by the Montgomery family were the darkest, most humiliating moments of his life.

“What?” Amelia was utterly shocked. “But wasn’t the Kington Gang wiped out?”

“The Montgomery family is still around,” Landon replied.

“That can’t be…” Amelia frowned deeply. Her mind was spinning. The charm poison came from the Mystic Sect, and the Montgomery family was second in command of the Kington Gang. Did the gang have connections with the Mystic Sect?

“Honey, don’t worry. Once we find her, everything will fall into place,” Landon said, his voice turning gentle as he hesitated for a second. “I need to go abroad for a while. Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Amelia agreed without a second thought. “Just promise me you’ll keep yourself safe.”

“I will. For Mom, for you, for our son–I’ll come back safely,” Landon said with a relieved smile. Before asking, he had run through countless scenarios in his head. With the way Amelia usually was, he thought she would either put her foot down or insist on tagging along. He never expected her to agree so quickly. After all, that crazy Monica had always wanted him. She was technically Amelia’s rival in love, but Landon never liked her.

“Should we tell Kayla?” Amelia asked.

Landon said, “Let her go home first. I’ll talk to her myself. She has had more contact with Monica, so I want to get the full story before I leave.”

“Alright.” Amelia nodded.

She took a deep breath. When she put the phone down, her eyes were already red. Her husband was heading off on another dangerous mission. She really didn’t want him to go. But this was about his mom’s life. There was no way she could stop him. All she could do was support him and take all his worries off his shoulders.

“Kayla, Landon can’t find something at home. Why don’t you go back and help him look? Tuff, you go too. I’ll stay here with Gloria,” Amelia said.

Kayla caught on right away. She smiled, chatted briefly with Gloria, then left with Tuff. But the moment they stepped out of the hospital room, both their faces darkened.

The coming storm would be big.