Chapter 78
The atmosphere in the Kingsley family was particularly heavy today. Landon did not wait in the living room as he usually did, and Gloria was nowhere to be seen.
“Emma, where is Gloria?” Amelia asked.
“She went for a walk,” Emma replied.
Amelia felt that something was off. ‘Gloria waits for me to come home every day. She’s just like my birth mother. Today I went out with Patrick, and Gloria was more anxious than anyone. How could she have the mood for a walk?’
“Mrs. Amelia, Mr. Landon got really angry. You should go and check on him,” Emma said.
“Okay.” Amelia hurried to the bedroom and found that the vase of flowers on the left bedside table had been smashed, leaving a mess everywhere.
Landon’s expression was cold, his body tense, and his eyes darkened. His anger was so intense that it almost masked his upset demeanor.
Amelia put on a smile and greeted him, “I’m back. I accidentally put my phone on silent, so I didn’t hear your call.”
Landon remained silent and motionless, just staring intensely at Amelia.
“Are you angry?” Amelia asked, her eyes curved into crescents, reflecting the light like a shimmering galaxy.
Amelia was beautiful. She used to look like a typical rich girl, noble and elegant, but now she had an added liveliness. Landon thought, ‘Any man who saw her smile would surely be moved, right?’
Thinking of how Amelia might have smiled at Patrick all night, Landon’s expression turned even colder. ‘Huh.’ Landon let out a cold snort from deep within, conveying more than words ever could.
Amelia thought Landon was still upset because she hadn’t answered his call, so she patiently said, “I’m sorry. I won’t put it on silent again.”
Amelia thought, ‘Although Landon and I are just partners, it feels really nice to be cared for. The angrier he gets, the more he shows he is worried about my safety.’
Amelia continued to soothe him, “Patrick’s too scheming. He didn’t do anything to me today. He just wants me to lower my guard.”
Landon already knew this through Aaron, so he disdainfully turned his head away.
Amelia moved to face Landon, sitting down at the edge of the bed. “Landon, please listen to me.”
‘No.’ Landon turned his head away again.
Amelia circled back. “Landon…”
Before Amelia could finish her sentence, Landon turned his head to the other side.
Amelia had to circle back once more.
But tonight, Landon was particularly rebellious, continuously moving his head away.
After several attempts, Amelia grew frustrated and held Landon’s face with her hands. “Don’t move. Just listen to me.”
Amelia’s hands were soft but a bit cool. Her unique touch sent a strange flutter through Landon’s heart. He angrily tried to pull away. ‘Take your hands away.’
“No.” Amelia pressed her hands firmly against Landon’s face, preventing him from moving.
Landon looked at Amelia with a hint of frustration.
“I am very alert. I didn’t eat a single dish, not even water. I also didn’t talk to him. I was very distant,” Amelia explained.
‘So she was forced,’ Landon thought, and his anger finally eased a little.
“But Sandra came in with a knife, wanting to kill me. She looked terrifying with her hair all over the place.” Amelia paused here intentionally to observe Landon’s reaction.
Sure enough, Landon’s expression froze as he asked, ‘Did she hurt you?’
“No, Brooke was there,” Amelia replied with a proud expression, thinking, ‘See, he cares about me!’
“Patrick even beat up Sandra. He was so cruel and perverted. Sandra had just had an abortion, but he still kicked her in the stomach.” Remembering the scene, Amelia seemed to feel Sandra’s pain. “He’s too brutal. Is he like that usually?”
‘Yes,’ Landon finally spoke properly. ‘You must be careful of him.’
“Are you finally willing to talk to me?” Amelia mischievously winked, smiling in triumph.
Landon thought, ‘Fell for her trick again.’
“Thank you for caring about me. I will give you a spa treatment.” Amelia went to fetch warm water and a face mask, her cheerful laughter like a melody, gradually softening Landon’s heart.
‘As long as she’s okay.’ No one knew how nervous Landon had been when he couldn’t reach Amelia, even forgetting that he could directly ask Aaron for updates.
“Landon, you’re such a good boss. I will definitely take good care of myself and will never let you down at work,” Amelia said happily as she hummed a little tune, rolling up her sleeves to wash Landon’s face and give him a spa treatment.
In an instant, Landon’s expression changed, thinking, ‘Does she only see me as a boss? Just like this?’
‘Stop, I don’t want any.’ Landon turned his head in anger, and the cleansing foam Amelia had on her hands smeared onto his lips.
Amelia quickly grabbed a washcloth to wipe off the foam from Landon’s face. “What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
Landon maintained a stern expression and remained silent.
Amelia worried that the cleansing foam might have gotten into Landon’s mouth, so after wiping off the foam from his lips, she pressed a finger against his lips and gently wiped the corners of his mouth.
“Is there anything in your mouth? Is it bitter?” Amelia leaned in too close, her fragrance drifting into Landon’s nose, and the outline of her chest was vaguely visible.
Landon closed his eyes, his breathing becoming heavy. He thought, ‘She really is quite carefree.’
“Never mind, even if you did eat some, it wouldn’t matter. It’s not toxic,” Amelia said with a smile as she stepped back and continued caring for Landon’s skin.
However, Landon could no longer remain calm. It felt like a playful kitten was scratching at him, stirring up his restlessness. ‘Amelia, stop,’ Landon couldn’t take it anymore and suddenly shouted.
Amelia stopped and began to question her own massage technique. “Is it really uncomfortable? I feel like I’m doing pretty well.”
‘Yes,’ Landon responded flatly.
“Then shall we end it here today?”
‘I guess so.’
Finally, Amelia’s hands stopped moving over Landon’s face, and he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Outside the door, Gloria, who had come to bring treats to the couple, was taken aback. ‘Not comfortable? Amelia did a good job? Ending it here today?’
‘So Amelia and Landon finally did that? Great, I didn’t expect that after Patrick got involved, Amelia and Landon became closer!’ Gloria was overwhelmed with joy and quietly left with the treats.
The next day, Wesley delivered Sandra’s actual medical records to Amelia.
‘It was Zachary. He secretly got rid of Sandra’s pregnancy,’ Amelia thought, even though she had already suspected it. Upon learning the truth, she still felt a chill run down her spine. ‘What a ruthless man, not even sparing his own child.’
‘Luckily, I have already awakened, and luckily, I didn’t have sexual relations with Zachary in the past. Otherwise, even if I had a child, it would have been aborted.’
“Amelia, how dare you come to see me?” Sandra entered the café with a face full of hatred. She glared at Amelia but didn’t dare to make a move. Yesterday, Patrick’s kick had nearly cost her life, and she was truly frightened.
“This is your medical record. Take a good look,” Amelia said as she handed over the documents.
“It’s another trick? You want to make me hate Zachary, right?” Sandra cursed but still took the medical records. After reading it, her face turned ashen.
“You only had signs of a miscarriage and could be cured.” Amelia observed Sandra as if seeing her past self when she first learned the truth. Amelia didn’t know whether to hate Sandra or to pity her.
Sandra stared blankly at the report as if she couldn’t recognize the words. After a long while, she trembled and asked, “Then why did the doctor want me to have a D&C immediately?”
“What do you think?” Amelia retorted.
Sandra fell silent again. She gripped the report tightly and then burst into tears.
Having achieved her goal, Amelia stood up to leave. ‘From now on, Sandra shouldn’t come looking for trouble with me anymore.’
Bright sunshine filtered through the branches, and the rhythm carried by the wind was pleasing to the ear. Amelia’s steps became lighter. Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind her and covered her mouth. She then lost consciousness right away.