Chapter 53
“You. You don’t want it anymore?” Sandra couldn’t believe it. How could this be? she thought. The bracelet—the Antedia’s most treasured symbol of her love with Zachary.
She had been blind before, mistaking trash for treasure, Amelia needed. “I don’t want anything from that house. Throw it away, burn it, but don’t let it show up in front of me again.”
Sandra stared at Amelia, trying to find a crack in her facade, and wondered, Is she really this heartless, without a single shred of sentiment left?
Amelia narrowed her eyes. “Why are you still here? Do I need to call security?”
Sandra nervously called out, “Wal—”
She then changed her tone, adopting a pitiful stance. In a low voice, she said, “I went to see Mom and Dad a few days ago. I have already signed over the shares.”
“From now on, you’re the biggest shareholder in Edwards Group. As for me… I promise I won’t get in your way. Don’t worry. Just send me my dividends on time.”
“You’ve got it wrong. The biggest shareholder in Edwards Group is Landon, not me,” Amelia said casually, picking up a document and showing it to her.
Sandra froze when she saw the signature. “It’s not you?”
Amelia shrugged. “I’ve said it before. I’m just a puppet CEO for the Kingsley family. The money and power of Kingsley Group aren’t in my hands.”
“No matter what, you’re still Mrs. Kingsley. That’s pretty glamorous,” Sandra said with a smirk. She thought, So, she really is just a puppet. Who knows when the Kingsley family might kick her out?
"Chasing after something way out of reach—so stupid, so sad. Why not take a page from my book? I’ve got Zachary wrapped around my finger, and firmly in place as the Foster family’s matriarch."
“Get lost then.” Amelia’s cold dismissal left no room for argument. She didn’t want to see Sandra for another second.
“I’m leaving now,” Sandra said quickly, placing the diamond bracelet on the table next to Amelia.
Amelia took it, tossed it directly into the trash can, and called for housekeeping to take it out immediately. At that moment, Sandra finally believed it—Amelia had no feelings left for Zachary.
Sandra sighed inwardly, “Fine, I will just follow Mom’s advice then. Stay far away from Amelia and wait for the right moment.”
Just then, Gloria arrived and called out, “Amy… Amy…”
“Oh, Gloria, why are you here?” Amelia stood up, her previously cold and distant expression turning into a gentle smile.
“Amy, you must be hungry. Come and eat.” Gloria placed a thermal container on the table, revealing a meticulously prepared meal.
Amelia smiled, “The company has a cafeteria. You didn’t have to go through all this trouble.”
“The cafeteria food can’t compare to home-cooked meals. This is chicken soup; try it,” Gloria said.
“Thank you, Gloria.” Amelia began to eat.
When Sandra saw that the relationship between Gloria and Amelia was as harmonious as that of a mother and daughter, without a trace of tension, she was dumbfounded.
Sandra wondered, Gloria is the epitome of a high society matron, aloof and untouchable. Yet here she is, gelling along so well with Amelia?
“Amy, why is there a strange smell in your office?” Gloria suddenly wrinkled up her nose in distaste.
Amelia looked puzzled. “What smell?”
“A foul odor,” Gloria frowned. Amelia was taken aback. The office smelled fine—nothing unpleasant at all.
Just as Amelia was about to call someone to check, Gloria slowly turned to Sandra and said, “Oh, now I understand why the office smells bad. Turns out there’s a shameless pest hanging around here.”
Sandra froze, her face quickly turning red. “Mrs. Gloria…”
“Don’t go claiming kinship where there isn’t any. I don’t want to be associated with pests,” Gloria said coolly, her demeanor as dignified and unapproachable as ever. Sandra flushed with embarrassment, utterly humiliated.
Sandra pondered irritably, Who is she calling a pest? I’m the second heiress of the Edwards family, and the half-sister of Amelia. I’m raised like a precious gem by Mom and Dad. I’m anything but a pest.
Amelia hadn’t expected the “pest” referred to Sandra. Amelia then couldn’t help but smirk slightly, a warm feeling spreading through her chest.
It feels so good to have someone stand up for me, she mused. “Gloria, you’re making it hard for me to even think about leaving…”
“You’re my older sister here. Are you just going to let this happen?” Sandra asked Amelia, her voice full of grievance.
"I told you already. Stop calling me that.” Amelia’s gaze was sharp and full of warning. Sandra shivered, stomped her foot, and ran off in frustration.
Once Sandra was gone, Gloria’s previously aloof demeanor softened as she smiled kindly. “The air’s fresher now, Amy. Hurry and drink your chicken soup.”
“Thank you, Gloria,” Amelia replied. She drank the soup and then finished all the dishes Gloria had brought over.
Seeing Amelia’s appetite, Gloria beamed with delight and thought, Aww. Look at her. She’s eating more already. Pregnancy really does change things.
“Amy, now that you’re expecting, you must rest more. Delegate whatever work you can at the company to Aaron and the others,” Gloria advised.
“Alright, I will,” Amelia promised.
“Come home early, then. I’ll make a delicious meal for you tonight,” Gloria added with enthusiasm.
“Okay,” Amelia forced herself to agree. But then, she hesitated and said, “Gloria, I’m not quite settled yet. Please don’t go spreading this around.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it quiet. You know how Henry and the others hate seeing us do well. This needs to stay under wraps until you’re past the first trimester.”
“It’s best to wait until Landon recovers before announcing it.”
“Exactly. We’ll keep it quiet until then.”
“Mm-hm.”
Once she and Gloria reached an agreement, Amelia breathed a long sigh of relief. But neither of them realized Sandra had returned unnoticed and overheard everything from the hallway.
Sandra wondered incredulously, Amelia is pregnant? Unbelievable… With Landon in that condition, they’re still having kids? Wow… Amelia’s willing to do anything to hold on to the Mrs. Kingsley role.
With all that in mind, Sandra was seething on the way home, a storm of emotions swirling inside her.
Although Sandra had promised Gloria to stop causing trouble for Amelia, deep down, she’d been waiting for her moment—waiting for the Kingsley family to no longer need a puppet and for Amelia to be cast aside.
Sandra pondered, “When that happens, I’ll come as Mrs. Foster and crush Amelia underfoot. But now, with Amelia pregnant, everything changed. Ten months from now, with a child to her name, Amelia’s position would be unshakeable. How am I supposed to compete with that?”
Just then, Zachary called out, “Sandra.” His voice jolted Sandra out of her thoughts.
“Did you see her? What did she say?” he asked urgently, his tone almost desperate.
Sandra’s gaze turned complicated as she played back a recording of her conversation with Amelia. “Zachary, she really abandons you,” Sandra said quietly.
“Huh? That can’t be…” Zachary’s face went pale, and his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He reflected bitterly, She threw away the token of our love like it was garbage. How could she do that?
“Zachary, we need to let this go,” Sandra said, grasping his hand firmly. “We’ll find another way. One day, we’ll rise again. But we can’t depend on her anymore.”
Zachary pressed his lips together, refusing to speak. He thought, No, I won’t accept this. Amelia is mine. The 70-million-dollar antique is mine. And the Stonefield property—it should all be mine!
“Zachary,” Sandra sighed softly, her voice tinged with pity. “She’s pregnant. It’s Landon’s child.”
Zachary’s eyes widened with shock. His disbelief turned into an audible shout. “Impossible!”
“Gloria said it herself,” Sandra replied with a heavy sigh. “Honestly, we should have seen this coming. It’s the only way for Amelia to secure her position.”
Zachary fell silent, his hands trembling as they balled into fists again. The veins on the back of his hands bulged. For the first time, he realized the truth—Amelia wasn’t coming back to him.
He thought firmly, No, absolutely not. Amelia is mine. She will always only be mine. Even if I don’t want her anymore, she can only be something I throw away.
Sandra said, “Zachary, we—”
“Get out,” Zachary yelled.
Sandra opened her mouth to say more, but before she could, Zachary shoved her away forcefully.
She let out a startled scream, falling to the ground with a thud. Looking at Zachary in disbelief, she exclaimed, “Zachary, you pushed me?”