Chapter 368
As soon as Aiden arrived in Lunova, Jonny got wind of it right away.
He gladly served Landen a drumstick.
“Thank you, Daddy,” Landen said, his eyes red and teary, sniffling from time to time. He was still stuck in the heartbreak of “Mommy’s got a new baby and doesn’t love me anymore.”
“Eat up! Even if your mom’s busy with the new baby, you still have me,” Jonny said gently, which was rare for him.
Landen nodded hard. “Yeah! From now on, you’re the only one I have, Daddy!” Then he started gnawing on the drumstick, savoring every bite. A big smile appeared on his little face. “Daddy, it’s yummy!”
“Enjoy it? Have another!” Jonny, in a rare good mood, picked up another drumstick and put it on Landen’s plate.
“Thank you, Daddy! You’re the best!” Landen said happily.
His pure, innocent smile caught Jonny off guard. At that moment, a flicker of paternal love stirred deep within him. He had two motives for kidnapping Landon. The first was to lure Kayla into his trap so he could control her, and the second was to draw Aiden into Lunova, which would allow him to take over the Kington Gang back in Dreicean. The first part didn’t work out, but Aiden was here now.
Jonny thought to himself, ‘The Kington Gang is practically in my pocket already! With money and power on my side, what can stop me from taking Landon down? And Kayla? Sooner or later, she’ll be mine too. I heard her face is all healed up, and she looks even more beautiful now.”
Jonny was so pleased with himself that he chuckled out loud, lost in his fantasies. Landen, mid–bite into his drumstick, shivered in fear and dropped his gaze, too scared to meet Jonny’s eyes.
‘There’s no way Mom would ever stop loving me,’ Landen thought to himself. Even though he was just a kid, he’d overheard the servants of the Prescott family talking. Kayla had almost died in the hospital after getting hurt so badly, and she could never have children again. ‘So, Mom lied to the crazy Dad yesterday about having a baby! Mom will come to save me. I only need to keep the crazy Dad calm and stay safe,' Landen thought.
Neither side made a move unless the other did. Both were playing by the rules.
Chapter 368
Aside from calling Kayla once a day to stage fake abuse against Landen, Jonny hadn’t done anything.
Soon after, it was time for Daniel and Edith’s wedding. The Zuckerberg family pulled out all the stops, and Edith, who had been keeping a low profile in the cutthroat world of high society, was back in the public eye. Edith was showing a noticeable baby bump, so Daniel had a high–waisted, full–skirted wedding dress specially made to ensure she looked radiant at the ceremony. The dress made her legs look endless and perfectly hid her baby bump.
Still…
“Honey, I don’t want to wear this,” Edith said softly, checking herself out in the mirror.
“Why not?” Daniel asked, totally smitten with his wife. “You look gorgeous today. This dress is perfect for you.”
“The skirt is too wide, making it hard to walk in,” Edith complained, though what she was thinking was, ‘If I need to make a run for it, this dress is a tripping hazard.' Today was a big day, and she was already mentally prepared to hide if anything went wrong. The wedding dress was so complicated that it would slow her down if she needed to bolt.
“You don’t have to walk. I can carry you. Is that okay?” Daniel teased, grinning at her.
“No, that’s too much,” Edith replied, shaking her head. “I’m shy.”
Daniel was at a loss for words, thinking, ‘Seriously? We’re already having a baby, and now you’re telling me you’re shy?’
“Honey, let’s pick another outfit,” Edith said.
Daniel looked a bit disappointed, but he nodded. “Okay!” He had several outfits picked out for her, and all the shoes were flat leather ones.
In the end, Edith chose a simple dress, formal enough for the occasion, but easy to run in if she had to. The only downside was that it didn’t quite hide her baby bump, but otherwise, it was perfect.
“Honey, how do I look?” Edith asked bashfully, holding a fan in front of her baby bump as a subtle cover.
“You look amazing,” Daniel replied as he gently pulled her hand down. “No need to hide it. Having a baby is a blessing, a double joy that so many people envy.”
“You’re right,” Edith murmured, let her hand fall, and checked herself out in the mirror, standing tall and proud.
“Daniel, it’s almost time for the wedding. We should head to the hotel,” Maisie called from outside the door. She looked quite somber, and Edith’s heart sank when she saw it.
Chapter 368
‘Is Aunt Joanna not coming back?’ Edith wondered.
“Mais, you’re the maid of honor,” Daniel reminded her.
Maisie forced a smile. “Don’t worry, Daniel. I’ll take good care of Edith.”
‘From now on, Edith isn’t just my cousin. She’s also my sister–in–law,’ Maisie thought.
“Mais, I’m totally on it today. Feeling awesome,” Edith said.
‘Not scared of anything… Today, I’m all about staying composed. Nothing’s gonna shake me, even if the world comes crashing down,’ Edith told herself.
“Let’s go!” Maisie said.
They all headed to the hotel, where Tyler was already waiting. Seeing his daughter looking so beautiful on her wedding day, tears welled up in his eyes. “Edith…”
“Dad, I’m gonna be happy,” Edith said with a gentle smile.
Daniel greeted him. “Hey, Tyler.”
Tyler was too ashamed to face the Zuckerberg family. He choked up and murmured, “Hey.”
“Dad, has Aunt Joanna reached out to you?” Edith asked.
“No, why? What has she done now?” Tyler’s expression darkened, instantly suspecting Joanna was stirring up trouble again.
“Nothing, I just invited her to the wedding. No idea if she’ll come,” Edith replied, glancing around the room.
All the faces in the crowd were familiar. Landon, Amelia, Tuff, and Aiden were already there.
“She’d better not show up!” Tyler grumbled, clearly annoyed. “Edith, don’t even mention her name today. Just enjoy ourselves.”
Maisie couldn’t help but feel a little bitter.
‘Sure, Mom made mistakes, but she doesn’t owe the Meyers family anything,’ Maisie thought. ‘Mom spent her whole life stressing over her family, and in the end, even her brother disliked her. If she saw all this, would she regret it?’
“Edith, I rehearsed the whole wedding ceremony. Nothing will go wrong,” Tyler assured her.
“Okay,” Edith replied.
“Edith, are you feeling tired? Why not lie down for a bit? We’ve got plenty of time,” Tyler suggested.
“Dad, I need to touch up my makeup,” Edith said.
“You can do that lying down! Any pro makeup artist can handle it,” Tyler insisted.
Edith smiled helplessly. Seeing that Tyler cared so much about Edith, Maisie was super jealous, and so was Amelia. Amelia’d never known what it was like to have a dad who cared.
“Envious?” Landon asked.
Amelia nodded.
“Then let me tell you a secret,” Landon said, giving her a playful wink.
Amelia sighed. “Nothing exciting now except Landen coming home.”
“Your dad might show up,” Landon said, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“What?” Amelia’s heart skipped a beat. “W–which dad are you talking about?”
‘Walter is still locked up, so there’s no way it could be him. Is Landon talking about my birth father? Is he coming?’ Amelia’s mind was spinning.
“Porter,” Landon said, his voice low and serious.
Amelia felt her breath catch, and she felt like she might pass out.
“He might show up today. Just wanted to give you a heads–up,” Landon said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
‘Now that things have come to this, is Porter going to show up now?’ Amelia wondered. ‘That old book from the Zuckerbergs is hiding the secret he’s after.’
“Is he here? Where is he?” Amelia said, looking around anxiously.
“Honey, don’t get too worked up. There’s no guarantee he’ll come,” Landon said, unable to hold back a smile, but feeling a little sorry for her too.
Nothing could fill the void left by the absence of a father’s or a mother’s love.
‘So,' Landon thought, 'no matter how unique Kimsey is, as parents, we have to protect him and love him, no matter what.' Landon had even decided not to have a second child. Kimsey would be his one and only.
“Edith!” A voice full of youthful energy rang out, and Daniel’s expression immediately darkened.
Everyone turned to see a sunny, outgoing boy striding in, carrying a red gift box. The gift box was wrapped in red silk fabric, giving it an old–world charm.
Tyler remembered Catherine’s wedding day, when row upon row of engagement gifts were wrapped in that same red silk fabric, joyfully delivered to the Zuckerberg family.