Chapter 79

A bucket of ice water splashed down on Amelia, shocking her back to consciousness. She realized she was tied to a chair, and not far away sat a handsome young man who could rival women in looks.

‘I don’t know this person. Why did he do this to me? Is he acting on Zachary’s orders? Or Patrick? What do they want?’ Amelia contemplated various possibilities in her mind. “Who are you? Why did you tie me up?”

“Oh, you’re awake?” the man spoke with a flamboyant tone, curling his fingers dramatically, leaving Amelia utterly stunned.

Amelia couldn’t believe that such a flamboyant pretty boy was the head of the kidnappers. “I don’t know you. Who are you?” Amelia pressed again.

“You don’t need to know who I am. Just do as I say.”

“What do you want?”

“Kill Landon.”

Amelia gasped, her eyes widening in shock. After some time, she asked, “Do you have a grudge against him?”

“Yes.”

Amelia completely calmed down and thought, ‘Since he is Landon’s enemy, he must be targeting me because I am Landon’s wife. If that man needs me, he temporarily won’t harm me. As long as I buy some time, and when the Kingsley family discovers I am missing, they will come to rescue me.’

“Murder is illegal. I can’t do it. Besides, he is my husband.” Amelia pretended to tremble in fear, trying to fit the profile of a hostage.

“He is nothing more than a living dead man,” the man scoffed disdainfully, pulling out two pills from his pocket. He shoved one into Amelia’s mouth and placed the other in her palm.

He added, “This is poison. You have five hours to kill Landon. If you succeed, I will give you the antidote. Otherwise, death awaits you.”

Amelia tasted the bitterness of the pill, and the pain began to twist in her abdomen. Her face turned pale as she thought, ‘Is this really a deadly poison? If I go to the hospital, will they be able to detoxify me?’

The man seemed to read Amelia’s thoughts, saying, “This is a poison made using ancient methods, and no one but me can detoxify it.”

Amelia felt hopeless, thinking, ‘I’m going to die at the hands of this sissy.’

“Jonas.” At that moment, a familiar voice sounded, and someone burst through the door.

“Patrick?” Amelia looked at Patrick in shock, thinking, ‘Could Patrick be the mastermind behind all this?’

“Don’t be afraid.” Patrick gave Amelia a reassuring smile. Then, his expression darkened as he moved toward Jonas, exuding a bloody aura.

“Patrick.” Jonas, terrified, hid behind the sofa. “Patrick, I was helping you save Kenneth. I have already poisoned Amelia. Once Landon is dead…”

“Give me the antidote,” Patrick extended his hand, shouting in anger.

Amelia blinked in astonishment, thinking, ‘Is Patrick here to save me?’

“Patrick, you can’t. This is the only way to save Kenneth,” Jonas stammered, shaking his head like a bullied weakling.

“Don’t force me to get rough.” Patrick’s voice was heavy and ominous.

Jonas was terrified, reluctantly pulling out the antidote. “Here.”

Patrick took the antidote, turning to Amelia, instantly shifting from a fierce warrior to a gentle, caring man. “Amelia, don’t be afraid. Take the antidote and you’ll be fine.”

‘Is this really the antidote?’ Amelia doubted, hesitating to take it.

Amelia thought, ‘That sissy came to save Kenneth, and Patrick is Kenneth’s brother. Logically, they should be on the same side. Why would Patrick want to save me?’

“Jonas is just an idiot. Don’t care about him,” Patrick patiently coaxed. “Let’s get the poison out.”

Amelia felt intense pain in her abdomen and thought, ‘Since I’ve already taken one poison, taking a second one won’t matter.’ Gritting her teeth, she swallowed the pill. The abdominal pain quickly began to subside, and eventually, the discomfort completely disappeared.

“Is this really the antidote?” Amelia looked at Patrick, feeling confused. “Are you really here to save me?”

“Of course,” Patrick smiled, and his face, similar to Landon’s, shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

Amelia furrowed her brow, unable to see through Patrick anymore. ‘Patrick wants to plot against Kingsley Group. Doesn’t he want to get rid of Landon? Why is he stopping Jonas?’

“Patrick, you shouldn’t have saved her,” Jonas complained in a low voice, his pink lips pouting.

Amelia turned her eyes away, refusing to look at Jonas. Although he was beautiful, it was really hard to talk about a six-foot-tall man behaving like this.

“Kenneth made a mistake and should pay the price. It has nothing to do with anyone else. If you dare to hurt anyone again, I will make sure you never see Kenneth,” Patrick said coldly.

Jonas, feeling aggrieved, shed tears and stomped his foot as he ran away, his figure swaying like the most dazzling dancer.

Amelia felt a wave of nausea watching Jonas.

Patrick untied Amelia and asked with concern, “Are you hurt anywhere? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“No, I’m fine.” Amelia shook her head. She looked at Patrick, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “Patrick, how did you come here?”

“Jonas is Kenneth’s boyfriend. After Kenneth was arrested, he kept shouting for revenge. It was my fault for not keeping an eye on him. I’m sorry.” Patrick’s words were straightforward, leaving Amelia stunned and speechless.

Amelia thought, ‘It’s already outrageous that Patrick is attracted to both men and women, but Kenneth actually likes men too. Is the Kingsley family like that due to genetics? Then what about Landon…’

Amelia blinked, realizing that Landon’s lack of interest in women could be attributed to genetics, which seemed reasonable. She thought, ‘That pregnant girl must have been used as a breeding tool. How pitiful!’

“Don’t worry. It won’t happen again,” Patrick promised seriously. “Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

“Thank you.” Amelia was grateful for Patrick’s rescue, but she still felt uneasy. She kept an eye on the road signs and texted Brooke and Aaron to inform them of her whereabouts. If Amelia didn’t return home in forty minutes, they would have to call the police.

Patrick drove attentively, seemingly unaware of Amelia’s anxiety. He dropped her off at her doorstep and gentlemanly opened the car door for her. “Gloria has some misunderstandings about me, so I won’t get out of the car. Are you okay by yourself?”

“I’m fine,” Amelia replied.

“Go ahead.” Patrick waved goodbye and drove away.

Amelia was completely stunned. ‘Patrick really brought me home safely. What exactly is he doing? Doesn’t he want Landon dead to inherit Kingsley Group smoothly?’

“Mrs. Kingsley,” Brooke and Aaron arrived one after another, anxiously calling Amelia’s name.

“Is Patrick a good person or a bad person?” Amelia squinted her eyes, deep in thought.

“He’s definitely a bad person,” Brooke and Aaron said in unison, nervously watching Amelia.

Amelia wrinkled her nose and said, “But he saved me from Jonas.”

After hearing the whole story, Brooke and Aaron exchanged incredulous glances. Clearly, they also couldn’t make sense of Patrick’s behavior, thinking ‘Jonas’ meddling was the best opportunity for that group of people. Does Patrick still have some brotherly feelings and doesn’t want to put Mr. Kingsley to death?’

“Take this pill for testing.” Amelia handed Jonas’ poison to Aaron. “As for facing Patrick, you guys should pretend you have let your guard down.” “Mrs. Kingsley, you absolutely cannot trust him. Even if he saved you today, it doesn’t mean he’s a good man,” Brooke said, unusually raising her voice. Amelia smiled slightly, “I’m just pretending so he would reveal his true intentions. Don’t worry. I understand better than you do.” The previous Amelia lost her vigilance under the “favor” of her stepmother, but the current Amelia would never make that mistake again.