Chapter 43
Amelia thought with a heavy heart, "A father who could betray his own daughter like that isn’t worth keeping. But Mom…" Her heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, tight and painful.
When she was three, a severe fever had erased all memories of her mother. Despite living two lifetimes, she still didn’t know who her mom really was.
Amelia couldn’t help but wonder how, as a daughter, she could allow Sandra to further disgrace her mother’s memory.
But at the same time, if Amelia were to let Walter off the hook now, she wouldn’t feel satisfied. Frustrated, she began pacing back and forth on the balcony.
When Landon woke up from his nap, he noticed Amelia’s unusual behavior—far from her usual calm demeanor—and asked inwardly, “What’s wrong?”
“The Edwards family is threatening me,” she replied, clearly irritated.
'Threatening you with what?' Landon asked inwardly.
Amelia replied, “Walter refuses to give up his shares in Edwards Group. He’s threatening to die over it. And his ‘perfect’ daughter Sandra? She wants to dig up my mom’s grave.”
Landon chuckled inwardly, 'That’s it?'
Amelia frowned and retorted, “Isn’t that serious enough?” She mused, 'When Mom was alive, I was too young to be a good daughter. How could I let her rest in peace now that she’s gone?'
'Amelia, remember this—never have a weakness,' Landon said calmly in his mind. 'The moment you show a weakness, people will use it against you.'
Amelia bit her lower lip, conflicted. “Everyone knows that in theory, but who doesn’t have weaknesses?”
'Even if you do, you have to hide them,' Landon replied inwardly. 'If you refuse to be threatened, what could they possibly do to you?'
Amelia’s eyes lit up. “You’re right. If I don’t let myself be threatened, they can’t do anything. If Sandra really digs up my mom’s grave, I’ll just follow her to the burial site.”
'Looks like you’re not entirely hopeless, after all,' Landon commented inwardly with a faint smirk.
Amelia rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes, Mr. Kingsley, you’re the smart one.”
Feeling better, she moved on to her second task for the day—giving Landon a full-body massage. From his head to his feet, she worked meticulously.
Landon, thoroughly satisfied, narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in his mind, 'Do you absolutely want to take back Edwards Group?'
“Not really,” Amelia replied. “I could start my own company if I wanted. But the Edwards family built their fortune using my mom’s resources. Even if I destroy Edwards Group, I can’t let Sandra and her mother take it.”
'Then turn the tables—take the initiative and strike first,' Landon said in his mind.
Amelia nodded. “I got it.”
Amelia understood instantly. She quickly took a screenshot of Sandra’s message and sent it to Walter with a text that read: [What do you think would happen if I exposed Sandra’s threats?]
Meanwhile, Walter had just managed to catch his breath and was brainstorming strategies with Melissa in the ward. When he saw the message, he practically fainted on the spot and fell back onto the bed.
“Honey, honey, what’s wrong?” Melissa panicked, rushing to press the emergency button.
Walter grabbed her hand and weakly said, “I’m so angry…so angry that I could die. That wretched child.”
“Is it Amy?” Melissa immediately pieced it together and grabbed his phone. When she read Sandra’s message, her head buzzed as if she’d been struck by lightning.
Melissa pondered, 'Foolish. How could Sandra make a threat like this in writing? Amelia’s so cautious now—she’s grown sharp as a tack. Even when making verbal threats, we’re paranoid about being recorded. And yet, Sandra actually wrote it down.'
“Honey, Sandra’s young and naive. Don’t get too upset.” Melissa helped Walter sit up and gently rubbed his chest to help him breathe.
Walter managed to calm down a little, though his anger still burned. “That wretched girl. How did she end up like this?”
“Could someone be advising her from behind the scenes?” Melissa asked. She found the situation odd.
After all, she had practically raised Amelia and knew how simple-minded the girl used to be. There was no way Amelia would go against us just because of Zachary’s betrayal.
“A mastermind? Who?” Walter’s scalp tingled as the thought hit him. He wondered, 'Could it be Debra’s family? No, no. That’s impossible.
'When I met Debra, she was alone, disheveled, and had lost her memories. She was like a fool, dragging a suitcase around the streets.
'That suitcase was full of treasures, yet if she had any relatives, why didn’t anyone come looking for her—even after she died?'
“Honey, are you sure Debra never mentioned anything during those years?” Melissa pressed, growing uneasy. She knew that if the Hughes family had indeed shown up, things would get very complicated.
Walter clenched his teeth tightly and replied firmly, “She didn’t know anything back then. Her memory’s wiped clean. After four years of silence, there’s no way anyone is still around.”
Melissa still felt unsettled. “Then why has Amy’s personality suddenly changed so much?”
Walter sighed deeply again. “Maybe it’s the Kingsley family’s think tank.”
A small company like Edwards Group couldn’t possibly stand up to the Kingsley family. With Amelia refusing to care about him and holding Sandra’s words as leverage, Walter realized he had no cards left to play.
“Honey, do you think Amy has any other weaknesses?” Melissa asked.
Walter, clearly annoyed, snapped, “If even you don’t know, how would I?”
Melissa was left speechless by his retort. The couple sat there with worried faces while the oblivious Sandra, full of herself, eagerly dragged Zachary over to brag about her “accomplishments.”
Sandra said, “Dad, don’t worry. Amelia wouldn’t dare make a move against Edwards Group now.”
“How dare you even bring that up?” Walter, now furious at the sight of her, turned his back and refused to look her way.
Sandra froze for a moment and glanced nervously at Melissa. Melissa sighed, “Sandra, please talk things through with us before acting on your own in the future.”
“What happened, exactly?” Sandra asked, a mix of confusion and unease on her face.
Melissa explained, “That threat you made against Amelia—she’s planning to expose it to the media.”
Sandra’s mind went blank, buzzing with panic. “She wouldn’t dare, would she?”
“Desperate people aren’t afraid of consequences,” Zachary said slowly, his gaze lingering on the beautiful yet clueless woman beside him. His thoughts turned cold.
He wondered, 'She’s nothing but a pretty face with no brain. What on earth did I see in her before?'
Zachary added, "Digging up someone’s family grave is crossing the line. If this gets out, we’ll all be painted as villains. No one in Morava will want to work with us anymore. Besides, you could face charges for criminal intimidation."
Melissa looked at her daughter with an indescribable mix of disappointment and frustration. Debra’s grave was Amelia’s only weakness, and they could have handled it far better—if Sandra hadn’t ruined everything.
Hearing the word “charges,” Sandra grew visibly scared. “Mom…” she whimpered, instinctively leaning toward Zachary for comfort.
But no matter how much she shifted closer, she couldn’t feel that firm, protective arm she used to rely on. Turning her head, she realized Zachary was standing at least a couple of feet away from her.
Sandra’s heart sank. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Zachary’s attitude toward her was growing colder by the day.
She wondered, 'Is he upset because I messed up? Or has yesterday’s fling with Elizabeth put other ideas in his head?' She didn’t dare think too deeply about it. All she knew was that she had to keep her grip on Zachary, no matter what.
Sandra cradled her lower abdomen as she walked toward Zachary. “Zachary, could you ask your family for help? Our child can’t grow up without a grandfather.”
“Mrs. Edwards, here’s 15 million dollars. It’s everything I’ve saved,” Zachary said as he handed a card to Melissa.
She didn’t take it. 15 million dollars was far from enough to cover their 100-million-dollar debt. And with the Foster family’s wealth, they could easily make up the difference.
But from the look on Zachary’s face, the Edwards family realized he had no intention of saving them from ruin.
Sandra spoke up, “Zachary, 15 million dollars isn’t enough…”
“You don’t understand,” Zachary said with a sigh. “Even though I’m the Foster family’s heir, the money is under my father’s control. The only amount I can access is these 15 million dollars.”
Irritated, he thought, 'If Sandra hadn’t been so stupid, I wouldn’t have to clean up the Edwards family’s mess. Giving them 15 million dollars is already generous.'
“But where can we find another 70 million dollars so quickly?” Melissa fretted, her face clouded with worry.
Sandra bit her lip and thought about it before saying, “Let’s kidnap Amelia and force the Kingsley family to settle the debt for us.”