Chapter 58
Unable to speak, Landon could only communicate with his eyes, trying to tell Gloria that his phone was on the floor and he needed her help to retrieve it. But Gloria was too consumed with worry about Amelia’s safety to notice his silent plea.
“My baby, you can’t be in danger. I need to call the police right now.” Gloria’s voice trembled with panic.
Left with no choice, Landon resorted to knocking on the table. The sound finally caught Gloria’s attention. “Landon, what are you trying to tell me?”
Landon pointed at his phone under the bed.
“What is it?” Gloria walked over and finally spotted the phone on the floor. ‘Right. How else could he talk to me without a phone?’ she thought to herself as she quickly handed the phone back to Landon.
Opening WhatsApp, Landon froze as he saw the two messages Amelia had sent last night.
Amelia: Since I’m leaving anyway, I guess there’s no need to keep up the fake pregnancy act anymore?
Amelia: [Mr. Kingsley, just say the word, and I'll be out of here faster.]
‘Fake pregnancy? She wasn’t pregnant at all?’ Landon thought, his brows furrowing slightly as he reread her messages twice.
“Amy didn’t take her medicine last night,” Gloria fretted. “We thought she came up to take care of you, but she wasn’t even home.”
The fog in Landon’s mind finally cleared. She wasn’t pregnant–he’d jumped to all the wrong conclusions. His gloomy mood instantly lifted.
“Landon, tell me what happened,” Gloria urged anxiously.
Taking a deep breath, Landon switched screens on his phone and typed, “I told her to get out.”
Before he could finish typing, Gloria burst out, “Have you lost your mind? Amy has no one else. Where is she supposed to go in the middle of the night?”
Landon’s head was throbbing as he typed faster: “We had a fight.”
“So what? You can’t just kick her out because you have a fight with her, right? She’s pregnant with your child, for heaven’s sake.” Gloria’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Landon replied: “Mom, she won’t go far. I just need to smooth things over, and she’ll come back.”
“Heh.” Gloria let out a sardonic laugh. “You think women are that easy to win over? Let me tell you something. When your father made me angry, I didn’t come home for three years.”
Landon broke into a cold sweat. ‘Amelia has a gentle temperament. Surely she wouldn’t follow in Mom’s footsteps,’ he thought. But suddenly, panic began to set in. ‘What if she gets so angry she leaves the country? Who else can communicate with me so effortlessly? Who’s going to handle things at the office?’
Landon quickly texted Amelia: “Where are you? Come back immediately.”
But there was no response. Amelia was still deep in a peaceful slumber, sleeping off her hangover.
“Any word from Amy?” Gloria asked anxiously.
Landon’s expression darkened as he typed: “Nothing.”
“What are we going to do?” Gloria’s voice shook with panic.
Landon replied tersely: “Find her.”
Gloria understood the obvious need to search, but the real question was how. Norava was massive. If Amelia didn’t want to be found, she wouldn't be.
Landon typed: “Mom, I’ll handle this. You go take care of your other business.”
“Fine, it’s in your hands,” Gloria said through gritted teeth. Then she added a threat, “If you can’t convince Amy to come back, you’re no longer my son.”
Landon could only stare at his mother in disbelief, speechless.
After Gloria stormed off, Landon immediately texted Aaron. Soon, every hotel in Norava was on high alert, searching for Amy.
It took only thirty minutes before Landon received a precise response from Aaron: “Mr. Kingsley, Mrs. Kingsley is staying at the Falcon Hotel.”
Landon let out a heavy sigh of relief. ‘Thankfully, she’s still in Norava,’ he thought to himself.
Aaron: “Mrs. Kingsley ordered two bottles of wine and a bunch of barbecue last night. She hasn’t left her room since. Her phone’s turned off, and there’s no answer at the door. She’s probably still passed out from drinking.”
After a moment of silence, Landon instructed: “Stay by her door. Bring her back immediately when she wakes up.”
Aaron: “Yes, Sir.”
The morning sunlight streamed through the windows, filling the room with a golden glow. Outside, birds perched in the trees, their cheerful chirping providing a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere within.
From his position in bed, Landon couldn’t see the full view outside the window. ‘Being helpless is torture,’ he thought to himself. “When will I finally recover?”
While waiting for Amelia to return home, his new automated hospital bed was delivered–the one he’d ordered yesterday. Finally, he could choose whether to sit up or lie down on his own, but his heart felt as empty as the house itself. It wasn’t the same without Amelia.
Landon checked the time–1 PM. Amelia should be awake by now, he thought.
Just then, another message came through from Aaron: “Mr. Kingsley, Mrs. Kingsley refuses to come home. She says you’re already divorced.”
“She really knows how to hold a grudge,” Landon thought bitterly, grinding his teeth. He fired off a text: “Which courthouse does business in the middle of the night? Tell her to come back immediately.”
“Aaron, you don’t need to check with him anymore,” Amelia said to herself. ‘No work, no one to answer to. We’re done,’ she thought. Amelia leaned against the doorframe. ‘This is the life,’ she thought.
“Mrs. Kingsley, please don’t put me in this position,” Aaron pleaded with an awkward smile. “Why don’t you pack up and head home?”
“Humph,” Amelia scoffed. “Landon and I are done. There’s nothing between us anymore.”
“But you’re still legally married,” Aaron pointed out with a knowing smile. “The divorce isn’t final yet.”
“That’s just paperwork. Gloria will handle it,” Amelia dismissed his concern. “We didn’t even need to be there for the marriage registration. The divorce will be even simpler.” With that, she shut the door in his face. “Aaron, leave now, or I’m calling the police.”
Aaron rubbed his nose in resignation and decided to leave. It wasn’t the police threat that bothered him. He was more concerned about the divorce scandal becoming public knowledge and making headlines.
Just after Aaron left, the door across the hall opened. Zachary stood there in his bathrobe, staring at Amelia’s apartment with keen interest. ‘So Amelia and Landon are getting divorced?’ he thought, a sly smile spreading across his face. “I’ve been waiting for this day.”
His eyes lit up with excitement. After checking that the hallway was clear, he strode over and knocked on her door.
“I’m calling the police,” Amelia shouted from inside, assuming it was Aaron again.
But Zachary couldn’t care less about her threats.
“Amy, it really is you.” Zachary lunged forward.
Amelia’s face went pale as she tried to stem the door shut, but it was too late.
“Get off me, you jerk!” Amelia struggled with all her might. Zachary possessed a physical strength–the natural advantage he had as a man–that was overwhelming.
“Help! Somebody help me!” Amelia screamed, struggling against his grip as she tried to call out. In one fluid motion, Zachary kept her restrained while kicking the door shut behind them. “Calm down, Amy.”
“You better back off,” Amelia warned, trying to sound tough despite the panic rising in her throat.
This is the most exclusive hotel in Norava. You can’t even get to the presidential suite floor without a key card frantically. Was he following me?
“I heard your conversation with Aaron,” Zachary said with a smirk. “So things have fallen apart between you and Landon.”
Amelia’s heart sank at this unfortunate timing. She tried to downplay the situation. “We just had an argument.” "Didn’t you persuade me to come home?"
“Yet you didn’t go back.” Zachary’s eyes gleamed with predatory intent as he gazed down at her. “Amy, I knew you still love me.