Chapter 280

“Monica?” After hearing Landon’s explanation, Tuff and Kayla were both stunned.

A few moments later, Kayla picked up her phone and called Aiden. This was the first time she had ever reached out to him since coming back to her birth family.

Aiden was absolutely delighted. Standing among the tulips, he called out, “Kayla, you finally thought of me!”

“It’s only been a few days,” Kayla replied, her voice soft and gentle as ever. “We just saw each other at my wedding.”

“Really? Feels like it’s been a whole century!” Aiden grinned. He bent down to pick a tulip and brought it to his nose to smell.

The evening breeze drifted by, and in Dreicean, dusk had already fallen. The last rays of the setting sun splashed the sky with brilliant colors, painting a breathtaking scene. Unfortunately, such beauty could only be enjoyed by him alone. Ever since Kayla and Landen went back to Norava, only the servants were left in this whole estate with him. Aiden felt very lonely. Sometimes, he even wondered if he had been abandoned by the world, with no one beside him who truly cared about him.

“Aiden, I need to ask you something,” Kayla said.

“Go ahead.” Aiden’s excitement sank when he realized Kayla wasn’t calling because she missed him.

“Are you still in touch with the Montgomery family?” Kayla asked.

“Not anymore,” Aiden said. “After the Kington Gang attacked headquarters, Monica and her parents disappeared. Later, I restructured the Kington Gang, and the Montgomery faction wasn’t on board with the changes, so they all left too.”

“So that means they’re still alive…” Kayla said, her heart skipping a beat.

“Of course.” Aiden paused, seeming to realize something. “Kayla, why are you suddenly asking about them?”

Kayla explained, “To be honest with you, there’s a group called the Mystic Sect that created a powerful charm poison and used it on my mom.”

“The Mystic Sect? Charm poison?” Aiden was so shocked he gripped his phone tightly, unable to believe what he was hearing.

Kayla pressed on, “Aiden, have you ever heard of them?”

“Yeah…” Aiden replied.

“Then tell me, where is the Mystic Sect? Where is Monica?” Kayla asked again.

Aiden didn’t answer immediately. His handsome face showed hesitation.

Kayla grew impatient. “Come on, Aiden, just tell me already!” she urged.

“Kayla, never try to deal with the Mystic Sect,” Aiden said softly but seriously.

His heavy tone brought weight to Kayla’s heart.

“The Mystic Sect isn’t like us. They have people with supernatural powers. Any group that challenges them ends up utterly defeated,” Aid said.

“Supernatural powers?” Kayla laughed in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? There’s no such thing as supernatural powers in this world.”

“I’m not joking, Kayla. It’s the truth. Please, just give up. If the Mystic Sect doesn’t want to cure the poison, there’s nothing anyone can do. Let Gloria spend her remaining days in peace. That charm poison takes a long time to really take effect…”

“No way!” Kayla cut him off, her voice firm and resolute. “My mom might have cancer. She needs treatment. But with the charm poison in her system, surgery isn’t possible.”

“Ah… well…” Aiden was stumped for words.

Charm poison was rather mysterious. It had no symptoms when dormant and could stay that way for a long time. Unless the person who administered the poison actively triggered it, the victim wouldn’t feel anything wrong.

The Kingsley family could choose to remain in a standoff with the Mystic Sect – neither side making a move. That way, Gloria could at least live another ten years. But now that Gloria had cancer on top of all the poison, things were tricky.

Aiden thought, ‘Kayla just got back home. The warmth of family hasn’t even healed the scars in her heart after all these years, and now she might lose her mom? What should I do? I don’t want to see Kayla get to be heartbroken.’

“Aiden, just tell me what you know. I’ll decide what to do. Okay?” Kayla said softly.

Aiden remained silent, his mind racing with worry and hesitation. Both Tuff and Landon instinctively straightened up, holding their breath as they waited for his answer.

After what felt like an eternity, Aiden finally spoke. “I’ll send you the information I have. But Kayla, please remember what I said.”

“Okay,” Kayla breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Aiden.”

“If you can… just drop by and see me once in a while, okay?” Aiden added softly.

“Of course! Once this charm poison mess is sorted out, I’ll bring Landen back to stay for a few days,” Kayla promised.

“Great!” Aiden perked up instantly, full of energy like someone flipped his power switch.

Landon, however, wasn’t pleased, and his face darkened. Once Kayla finished the call, he asked, “Why are you going back there?”

“It’s okay, Landon. Aiden would never hurt me,” Kayla said with a reassuring smile. “I know him well. Right now, it’s just me and Landen that he has left."

“Can’t I come with you?” Tuff asked, raising his hand hesitantly.

Kayla couldn’t help laughing. “It’s up to you if you don’t want to go. I can’t exactly tie you up and drag you along.”

“I do! I really do!” Tuff quickly raised his hand, looking eager. He wanted to stay by his wife’s side at all times, especially when returning to Dreicean.

Tuff thought, ‘Aiden is a total maniac. No one can tell when he might lose it again. I have to be with my darling to feel at ease.’

Landon took out a cigarette and was about to light it, but after a moment’s hesitation, he put it back.

“Give me one too,” Tuff said.

Landon shot him a glare. “You want my sister to breathe your secondhand smoke?”

“Hey, she smokes too!” Tuff shot back, snatching the cigarette and lighting it for his wife himself.

Landon angrily took the cigarette from Kayla’s fingers. “You’re married now, so stop smoking.”

“We’re not exactly planning for babies right now,” Kayla said, completely unfazed.

“You will someday. So, no smoking,” Landon insisted, tossing the cigarette straight into the trash. He wasn’t going to smoke either, and no one would.

What Landon didn’t know was that Kayla never planned on having any more kids. She and Tuff always made sure to use protection.

Before long, Aiden sent over some information about the Mystic Sect. It was just a few hundred words – really brief.

Tuff looked annoyed. “That’s not much information.”

“The Mystic Sect is practically a secluded sect. It’s already good that he could dig up this much,” Kayla glared at her husband. “What did you find?”

Tuff was tongue-tied since he hadn’t managed to dig up a single thing.

“So the Mystic Sect really is kind of mystical,” Landon remarked, looking thoughtful. “Was it really founded by someone with supernatural powers?”

“Don’t believe Aiden’s nonsense. What supernatural powers? We’ve got so many elites in the Flying Tiger Sect. Has anyone got powers?” Tuff scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Kayla also felt Aiden was exaggerating the influence of the Mystic Sect. Only Landon took it seriously and believed there were people with powers in this world. He had a perfect example right by his side – Amelia, who could hear his thoughts.

“Mr. Kingsley, everything’s ready,” Aaron reported as he walked in.

Landon stood up and announced, “Let’s go.”

“Go where?” Kayla asked quickly.

“To Dreicean to find Monica,” Landon answered.

In a café tucked in a lively amusement park in Dreicean, a woman wearing a baseball cap and oversized sunglasses was elegantly sipping her coffee. Across from her sat a middle-aged woman with a scarf wrapped around her head, leaving only her eyes exposed.

“Miss Montgomery, it’s easy to get caught on surveillance in public places. Don’t come to amusement parks again,” the middle-aged said. Her tone wasn’t exactly respectful, more like she was giving orders.

Monica adjusted her sunglasses. Her lips curled in disdain as she said, “I want to be seen. That’s how I lure him out.”

“Miss Montgomery, you can’t handle him alone,” the middle-aged woman warned. “Landon is seriously strong. Just look at what he did to me.”

“That’s just because you’re useless,” Monica sneered. “No one in the Meyers family is remotely clever.”