Chapter 74
Landon’s face darkened, his grip on Amelia’s hand tightening like a vise. ‘Amelia, is that really what you want? A divorce?’
Amelia’s breath hitched. She finally realized he was angry, furious even. His left hand, still not fully healed, held her wrist with surprising strength, the bones practically grinding together.
“Landon, you’re hurting me.” Tears welled up in Amelia’s eyes as she winced, her lower lip trembling.
‘One minute he’s all smiles, giving me a ring, the next he’s exploding,’ Amelia thought, bewildered. ‘This guy’s mood swings are insane.’
Seeing her on the verge of tears, Landon loosened his grip. Sure enough, a bright red mark encircled her wrist.
Landon felt a pang of something akin to regret, but he quickly turned his head away, refusing to acknowledge it. He was the one who’d hurt her, after all. He wouldn’t admit to feeling anything for her.
“Landon, you’re so angry,” Amelia teased, a playful lilt in her voice. “Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for me?”
A strange sensation rippled through Landon, like a bubble bursting at the surface of his mind. He quickly brushed it aside with a forced laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Good,” Amelia said, her voice laced with relief. “You’re getting a lot better. At this rate, we’ll be able to finalize everything soon.”
Landon felt a surge of anger. ‘Deep breaths, deep breaths,’ he told himself. ‘A loveless marriage isn’t worth losing my cool.’
“This ring is quite intricate. I’ll need to examine it more closely.” Amelia settled into a nearby chair, her focus entirely on the ring in her hand.
Amelia thought back to her life before. As the heiress to the Edwards family, she’d never needed to work in her life. Her days had been filled with leisurely pursuits—socializing, dabbling in romance, reading, catching up on the latest shows.
Now, Amelia was caught in a web of intrigue, forced to fight for her very survival, calculating her every move.
Watching her from across the room, Landon felt his anger slowly dissipate. It was his fault she was dragged into this mess with the Kingsleys, his fault that Henry saw her as an enemy.
Her fear, her desire to leave him—it all made sense. No one could blame her if she just slipped away. But instead, she chose to stay, to be his voice, his stand-in, to help him protect his empire.
This sense of responsibility was commendable, and Landon knew he couldn’t ask anything more of her.
Just then, Donna’s shrill cries pierced the air. “You heartless beasts. What have you done to my grandson?”
“Oh no.” Amelia’s face paled, and she clutched her ring nervously.
Landon squeezed her hand reassuringly. ‘Don’t panic.’
“What if she has a complete meltdown? You know how she is—with the threats and the hysterics,” Amelia asked, her voice laced with anxiety.
‘Then we’ll give her a taste of her own medicine,’ Landon replied, his expression hardening.
Amelia cringed at the thought. “I can’t stoop to that level.” Being raised in a family where displays of emotion, where appearances meant everything, were practically taboo.
It wasn’t until she’d married into the Kingsley family that she’d even learned to stand up for herself—and that was mostly because Landon had a special talent for getting under her skin.
Landon simply shook his head. ‘Go find my mom.’
Amelia seriously doubted Gloria was the type to resort to dramatic hysterics, but to her surprise, Gloria readily agreed.
“Gloria?” Amelia was stunned.
“My late husband spoiled me rotten,” Gloria admitted, a blush warming her cheeks. “I threw my fair share of tantrums back in the day.”
Though her husband had passed away years ago, the memory of their loving relationship still brought a smile to her face. It was a source of comfort and strength in times of need.
Seeing Gloria’s expression, a mixture of shy affection and sweet nostalgia, Amelia couldn’t help but think Gloria must have been very happy: Amelia wondered if she, too, would one day experience that kind of happiness.
Soon, Donna stormed in, flanked by Henry and Cynthia. Tears streamed down both women’s faces as Donna and Cynthia clutched each other’s arms, their angry accusations filling the room in a chaotic chorus.
Though Henry hadn’t said a word, his clenched jaw and dark expression spoke volumes.
“Donna, Henry, what are you doing here?” Gloria stepped forward to greet them, Amelia trailing closely behind. Bodyguards stood at attention, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.
Having experienced the bodyguards‘ prowess firsthand the night before, Henry wisely held back, allowing Donna to take the lead.
“Gloria, are you trying to kill me?” Donna wailed, tears streaming down her face. “How could you put my grandson in jail?” Every wrinkle on her aged face seemed to quiver with rage. She looked ready to tear Gloria apart and hand the entire Kingsley Group over to Henry.
“Donna, how can you be so biased? It was clearly Kenneth who harmed Landon.” Gloria’s voice was filled with anguish. “Landon is your grandson too. Kenneth tampered with his car and nearly killed him.”
“Nonsense. Kenneth would never do such a thing. It’s all a misunderstanding,” Cynthia retorted. “You just can’t stand to see my family doing well now that your own son is in a vegetative state.”
Cynthia’s words were like a knife to the heart. Gloria’s face paled, and she swayed on her feet. Amelia quickly reached out to steady her, murmuring, “Gloria, stay strong.”
“It’s the two of you who are causing all this trouble, stirring things up and making everyone miserable,” Donna growled, pointing a finger at Amelia. “You’re a jinx. Get out of here.”
“Sorry, but my marriage to Landon is protected by law. This is my home, and no one but Landon has the right to kick me out,” Amelia retorted.
Donna trembled with fury. “You, you-” she sputtered, then clutched her chest with a dramatic groan, preparing for a tactical faint.
But before she could hit the floor, Gloria let out a shriek and collapsed. “Amy-” Everyone froze, including Donna. She hadn’t even managed to swoon, and Gloria had beaten her to it.
“Someone call an ambulance,” Amelia cried, playing along with the chaotic scene.
In the distance, Landon lay with his eyes closed, listening to the commotion and silently applauding their performances. ‘Well played, ladies, well played,’ he mused.
“Gloria, stop faking it and get up,” Donna roared.
Gloria twitched a couple of times in response.
“Grandma,” Amelia cried, tears streaming down her face. “Kenneth has already hurt Landon. Are you going to drive Gloria to her death too?”
Donna, completely caught off guard, was speechless for a moment.
“Mrs. Gloria, what’s wrong?” The household staff came rushing in, their worried voices overlapping in a chorus of concern.
Amelia stood up, her eyes filled with tears, and walked towards Donna with an air of tragic accusation. “If anything happens to Gloria, you’d all be to blame.”
“Ridiculous. This is ridiculous,” Donna sputtered, pounding her cane on the floor in frustration, unable to form a coherent response.
Cynthia felt a pang of fear. Gloria had endured a lot of anger and frustration these past few months, but she had never fainted like this before. Cynthia wondered if Gloria was truly ill from the stress.
Henry stood off to the side, a brooding presence. Even without saying a word, his imposing figure radiated menace.
Amelia felt a flicker of fear. ‘Even now, they’re not backing down?’ she thought anxiously.
Just then, a clear voice cut through the tension. “Grandma, I’ve come to take you home.”
‘Patrick?’ Everyone thought and turned towards the sound, recognizing the voice. He strolled into the room, his demeanor relaxed and confident.
Amelia’s mind flashed to a scene from a TV drama—a prince arriving to effortlessly resolve a crisis and rescue the heroine. It seemed Patrick was about to play that very role.
“Grandma, while Kenneth didn’t mean any harm, he was definitely in the wrong. It’s good that Amelia is ensuring he learns from this.” Patrick smoothly played the peacemaker, his gaze softening as it settled on Amelia.