โHubby!โ Amelia exclaimed, her voice trembling and heart racing as she stared at Landon, his clothes stained with blood. She was scared out of her wits.
Landon pulled her into his arms and said, โIโm fine. Itโs just minor scrapes.โ
Ameliaโs eyes widened in disbelief. โCould minor scrapes bleed so much?โ she thought. Her hands trembled, and she pushed him back and quickly shut the lounge door behind them. Even at this point, she reminded herself to stay calm and not frighten Edith. โHubby, letโs get to the hospital quickly,โ she said, her voice on the verge of breaking, eyes brimming with tears.
Landon gave her a reassuring smile, saying, โIโve told you Iโm fineโฆโ
โBut thereโs so much bloodโฆโ Amelia said.
โNot all is mine.โ
Landon took off his shirt, and Amelia finally burst into tears. โYou scared me to deathโฆโ
It turned out he just suffered from minor scrapes. Besides a two to three-inch gash on his arm, there was nothing else.
โHoney, youโre such a scaredy-cat now,โ Landon teased, amused. โBack then, my injuries were way worse, and you were never so scared,โ he thought.
โIโm getting old. I used to be a daredevil, but now Iโm all cautious,โ Amelia said with a shaky laugh.
โNonsense! Youโre as young and radiant as ever!โ Landon teased, grinned, and affectionately pinched her cheek.
โWhat about others?โ Amelia asked.
โTheyโre all fine. Theyโll come over once they finish what theyโre doing,โ Landon replied.
โWhat about Jonny?โ
โHe managed to slip away, but Aidenโs chasing after him now. Landenโs also been picked up,โ Landon said.
โItโs not a perfect outcome, but honestly, itโs not too bad,โ Amelia thought.
โI hope heโll never come back to disturb Kaylaโs life again,โ Amelia sighed and said.
โAidenโs after him. He said he could handle it,โ Landon reassured her.
However, Amelia didnโt hold out much hope. After all, Aiden had already tried to take Jonny out twice, and it still hadnโt solved anything.
โDonโt worry. He canโt escape this time. We let him escape on purpose, and once we locate the base Monroe left for him, weโll eliminate it for good,โ Landon said.
Landon pinched her cheek, refusing to let go. He couldnโt get enough of her. If it werenโt for the venue, he would have grabbed her and kissed her like crazy.
โOnly God knows how dangerous my situation was just now. If Night Owl hadnโt pulled off that hypnosis trick with all her might, Jonnyโs knife wouldnโt have just cut my arm instead of stabbing me right in the heart,โ Landon thought.
โHubbyโฆ Hubbyโฆโ Amelia whispered, feeling relieved as she nestled into his arms.
Not long after, Daniel returned. The groomโs tailored suit jacket was nowhere to be seen, and he was walking around shirtless. His pants had been torn during the fight, revealing red boxers underneath.
The corners of Ameliaโs eye twitched, and she instinctively looked away. โHeโs hilarious,โ Landon said, and couldnโt help laughing. โLetโs go check it out.โ Amelia was at a loss for words.
Daniel didnโt feel the slightest bit disheveled. On the contrary, having just won a battle, he felt like a triumphant general and shouted, โEdith, Iโm back!โ
โHubby!โ Edith opened the door herself and then froze. Everyone in the lounge burst out laughing when they saw him.
โDaniรจl, what happened to you?โ someone teased.
โAnd youโre the groom? Your boxers are out for everyone to see; itโs so embarrassing!โ another joked.
Daniel lowered his head and looked at himself, grinned, and declared, โHey, I just won the fight!โ
โYeah, my hubbyโs the best!โ Edith beamed, her eyes full of admiration.
Daniel was even more smug. โHoney, you know what? The fight today is the thing Iโm most proud of in my life. Iโm gonna tell our son about it, and our grandchildren. The whole Zuckerberg family for generations must remember my moment of glory!โ
โSure! Sure!โ Edith echoed right away.
Amelia rubbed her forehead and thought, โThese two really are a perfect match; always in perfect sync in whatever they do.โ
โDaniel, whatโs the matter with you? What the heck happened today?โ Tyler asked, his voice full of concern.
โTyler, some punks tried to crash the wedding,โ Daniel replied, waving it off like it was nothing.
As the head of the Zuckerberg family, he was usually running the business empire and hardly got his hands dirty in a real fight.
โBut today? Man, I feel awesome! So freaking epic!โ he thought to himself.
โDaniel, you didnโt offend some dangerous people, did you?โ Tyler asked, looking seriously worried.
โIf Danielโs got some kind of enemy after him, thereโs no way Iโm letting my daughter marry into that mess,โ he thought.
โNah, I didnโt,โ Daniel replied.
โThen what is it all about?โ Tyler pressed.
โWe settled other peopleโs grudges once and for all today.โ
Tylerโs face darkened. โDaniel, youโve gone too far. How can you make a joke out of a wedding? Edith is timid, and sheโs pregnant,โ he said.
โDad, I knew about it,โ Edith said with a smile.
Tyler was stunned. โYou knew about it?โ he asked.
โYeah! Daniel and I were both part of the plan today,โ Edith replied.
Tyler was at a loss for words. โLooks like my daughter has grown tougher,โ he thought.
โTyler, the weddingโs over. Time for you to head back,โ Joanna said.
Thinking about his daughter now being part of another family, Tyler couldnโt help but feel sad. โEdithโฆโ
โDad! Iโm just married to Lunova, only three streets away from home. Iโll still come back often,โ Edith said helplessly.
Joanna was speechless, too, and gave Tyler a shove. โAlright, time to go home!โ she said.
โEdith, donโt forget to come home!โ Tyler called out.
โYeah, I know!โ Edith replied. Tyler wiped his tears, turning back to look at her every few steps as he walked away.
Daniel was about to take Edith home. After a momentโs hesitation, he turned to Maisie and said, โCould you bring Joanna back later?โ
โWeโll check with her later,โ Maisie replied with a relaxed shrug. โYou guys go ahead.โ
โAlright,โ Daniel responded. Daniel and Edith made their way home, while Amelia accompanied Landon to the hospital to get his wound bandaged.
The Flying Tiger Sect handled the aftermath, and Amelia caught sight of Lennon again. He was all smiles, and he looked like he didnโt take part in todayโs mayhem.
Amelia paused, then said, โLennon, sorry about today. You didnโt get to enjoy the wedding party.โ
โNo worries,โ Lennon shrugged and said. โIโll get to toast with you guys someday.โ
Amelia suspected he had misunderstood. โLennon, weโre not going to throw another weddingโฆโ she said.
โI know,โ Lennon winked and said, โIโll just go over to their place and celebrate with them.โ
Amelia was at a loss for words. โHeโs such a strange, bright guy,โ she thought.
Just as Tuff picked up Landen, he headed straight home. โLandenโฆโ Kaylaโs voice cracked just as she saw her son, tears welling up in her eyes. โLanden, Iโm so sorry. I love you, I really doโฆโ
โMommy, I know,โ Landen said, standing on his tiptoes to wipe away her tears with his little hands.
Kayla was at a loss for words. She was afraid that things would get more complicated the more she tried to explain.
โLandenโฆโ she whispered.
โMommy, does it still hurt?โ Landen asked with concern, and Kayla was baffled.
โI heard everything. Youโre injured and canโt have another baby, right? So what you said that day was to trick Dad because he was being bad,โ Landen said.
Kayla couldnโt believe her son was so clever. Overjoyed, she held him tightly and whispered, โLanden, Landenโฆโ
โMommy, nobody bullied me! I live well every day, and look, Iโve gained weight,โ Landen said. He had indeed put on a little weight; his cheeks were noticeably rounder.
Kayla was finally relieved. โLanden, itโs my fault. I didnโt protect you well,โ she said.
โNo, itโs my fault. I promise this will never happen again,โ Tuff, by the side, said solemnly.
Landen smiled happily, and tears welled up in his eyes. โSee? Bad Dad was wrong. Not only does Stepdad love Mommy, but he loves me, too.โ
โI have perfect love from Dad and Mom. Iโm the happiest child in the world!โ he thought.
โDaddy, thank you,โ Landen said, walking over and planting a kiss on Tuffโs cheek.
Tuff almost teared up right then and there. He swore to himself that from now on, he wouldnโt just treat Landen as his son, he would also love and protect this kid twice as much as anyone else ever could.
โEven though that bastard Jonny is Landenโs biological father, it doesnโt matter at all. I raised him and he would be my son!โ he thought to himself.