Amelia’s sons only grew louder in response. Landon’s temple throbbed with frustration. He couldn’t figure out what he’d said wrong this time.
“Poor Amy, she’s so shaken up,” Gloria said sympathetically, wrapping her arms around Amelia. Not knowing the full story, she felt nothing but compassion for Amelia. The scene stirred memories of her own daughter, who had disappeared at such a young age, making her feel even more protective of Amelia.
Landon’s head was pounding. He decided to stay quiet, thinking to himself, "Whatever. She’ll stop crying once she’s used herself out."
Amelia’s tears weren’t just about today. Years of bottled emotions—the trauma from her past life, the raw wound of losing her mother—burst forth like a broken levee.
For the first time since her rebirth, Amelia let herself break down completely. By the time her tears finally subsided, her eyes were swollen, her breathing ragged with hiccups, looking utterly pitiful.
The scene was heartbreaking—not just for Gloria, but even Landon felt a sharp pain in his chest watching her. He began to question himself, wondering if he had really been too harsh.
“There, there. You’ve let it all out now. Why don’t you go take a hot bath and get some rest?” Gloria suggested gently.
“Okay,” Amelia nodded, still sniffling as she headed upstairs. She completely ignored Landon, as if he wasn’t even there.
“He said I couldn’t make it without him? Heh," Amelia thought bitterly. “Well, let’s see how he manages without me."
“Amelia?” Landon called out but was met with silence. He could only stand helplessly at the bottom of the stairs, watching her walk away. Eventually, Gloria had one of the housekeepers escort him back to his room.
Exhausted from her terrifying encounter with Zachary earlier that day and drained from hours of crying after she got home, Amelia could barely keep her eyes open. She managed a quick shower before collapsing onto her small bed.
Landon tried several times to talk to her but didn’t find the right moment. After mindlessly scrolling through his phone for a while, feeling frustrated and helpless, he, too, decided to call it a night.
He naively thought things would be better after she got some sleep. What Landon didn’t understand was that Amelia was stubborn by nature. She wouldn’t be so easily consoled.
Amelia had a restless night, whimpering in her sleep. Each time, Landon would wake up immediately at the sound of her distress.
Every time Landon tried to wake Amelia, she remained unresponsive. It was as if she had blocked their mental connection, refusing to receive his signals. Landon felt helpless as the night dragged on in an endless cycle of fitful sleep and worried waking.
The next morning, Landon woke up with dark circles under his eyes and a general feeling of exhaustion. Amelia, on the other hand, looked fresh and well-rested.
“Did you have nightmares last night?” Landon asked anxiously.
Amelia just shot him a look and put on a pair of noise-canceling headphones.
Landon was speechless. He felt that was a bit dramatic. After all, he’d been talking to her telepathically, not out loud.
Amelia finished getting ready in record time and headed downstairs.
Landon, still being completely ignored, finally realized she was giving him the silent treatment. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to stay calm and sent her a text: Your purse is still in the bedroom.
Chapter 61
Amelia texted back dismissively, "[I] don’t even work anymore, so why would I need a bag?"
She was on strike. Landon couldn’t believe what he was receiving.
The company was swamped with work lately, with countless matters requiring her attention. He sent another message: [You already skipped yesterday. You can’t miss today, too.]
Amelia: (It’s YOUR company. Why should I give a damn?)
Landon’s chest heaved with frustration as he clenched his jaw, typing back: Yesterday’s incident had nothing to do with me. What exactly do you want from me?
Amelia glanced at her phone, then set it down with a sneer, choosing not to respond. ‘Let Mr. CEO throw his little tantrum. What’s it to me? I’m neither his pet nor some clingy vine that needs him to survive!'
These days, Amelia felt a surge of confidence. She was finally independent and able to stand on her own two feet. Yesterday’s run-in with Zachary had been a stupid mistake, a momentary lapse in judgment. From now on, she’d be extra vigilant and avoid any potential danger.
“How are you feeling today, Amy?" Gloria asked with concern, her eyes occasionally glancing at Amelia’s belly. She knew how crucial emotional well-being was during pregnancy.
“Much better now,” Amelia replied with a gentle smile, looking beautiful and sweet. “Gloria, I think I’ll take a few days off from the office."
“Yes, absolutely. You should rest at home.” Gloria nodded vigorously, “Yesterday, Wesley and I went to Kingsley Manor and gave Henry a piece of our minds."
“Really?” Amelia perked up with interest. “Henry’s always been so unreasonable, Did you actually manage to win an argument with him?”
“Oh, you bet.” Gloria launched into a detailed account of the past family drama at Kingsley Manor. “The moment I slammed that medical report about the threatened miscarriage in front of Landon’s grandma, she completely lost it."
With nothing better to do, Amelia found herself drawn into the gossip. The two of them chatted away animatedly, completely absorbed in their conversation.
Meanwhile, Landon was left waiting in the bedroom. Nearly an hour passed without any response, and his frustration was building. He desperately wanted to talk to someone about it, but felt completely helpless, trapped in his own mounting anxiety.
To make matters worse, Aaron’s messages started flooding in: [Mr. Kingsley, where is Mrs. Kingsley? The meeting is about to start]
Aaron: Has Mrs. Kingsley updated you about the Pinecrest collaboration?
Aaron: Mr. Kingsley,
Aaron: [Mr. Kingsley? Are you there?
Landon felt a headache coming on. He finally realized he couldn’t afford to lose Amelia right now. She was his perfect proxy, handling communications, operations, and management on his behalf. Plus, she was the key to keeping Henry’s ambitions in check as the current lady of the Kingsley family.
Then, Landon decided to make another sincere apology.
A moment later, Amelia’s phone buzzed twice. When she checked it, she found a transfer notification. Landon had sent her 300 thousand dollars.
“Why is he sending money? Did he transfer it to the wrong person?" Amelia wondered, but she accepted the transfer anyway. After all, she wasn’t about to turn down free money.
Just as she was about to put her phone down, another transfer notification popped up. It was another 300 thousand dollars.
Amelia furrowed her perfectly shaped brows and couldn’t help but respond with a simple: What’s this for? Her response triggered something unexpected—for every message she sent, an automatic transfer was initiated. Each reply meant another transfer.
The math was simple and very much in her favor. Amelia grinned, suddenly inspired to start sending multiple “thank you” messages.
With each “thanks" she typed, Landon transferred another 300 thousand dollars. Her screen quickly filled with a flurry of thank you messages and a cascade of payment notifications.
Landon set down his phone and massaged his temple with his left hand, taking a deep breath. Three hundred thousand dollars just to get two words out of Amelia—this deal felt ridiculous even to him.
“Amy, why does your phone keep buzzing?” Gloria peered over, noticing the constant stream of transfers from Landon to Amelia. She couldn’t help but grin.
“Amy, honey, he’s clearly trying to get your attention. Why don’t you head upstairs and see what he needs?" Gloria said with a suggestive smile.
Though reluctant, Amelia felt pressured by both the money and Gloria’s eager gaze. She made her way back to the bedroom.
‘Amelia, you finally came back," Landon sighed with obvious relief.
Leaning against the doorframe, Amelia gave him a sidelong glance. “What do you want?”
“Let’s make up,” Landon said, forcing his voice to stay calm. He had to keep reminding himself to rein in his temper.
Amelia let out a bitter laugh. “Heh, I can’t live without you, remember?”
Landon took a deep breath, swallowing his pride as he admitted, "And I can’t live without you either, We can help each other moving forward."
“When are we getting divorced?” Amelia asked bluntly.
The sudden change of topic caught Landon off guard. ‘What?”
“Don’t worry.” Amelia’s voice was ice-cold. “I won’t cling to you forever. This marriage will end sooner or later. Until then, I can keep being your proxy, but you’ll have to pay me for it.”
‘Fine," Landon agreed, relieved. He’d already given her 100 million dollars without batting an eye. Paying her a salary was nothing in comparison.
“My skills are unique,” Amelia said with a smirk. “So, I want a daily salary of two million dollars.”