Chapter 101

At Kingsley Group, Amelia was working so hard that her neck ached. The three days she spent in Pinecrest had piled up a mountain of work for her. She finally understood why CEOs were always so busy. The rich, powerful CEO in novels, who only cared about love, drama, and intrigue with the female leads and supporting characters, didn’t actually exist.

“Ms. Edwards, here’s a document from the Engineering Department. Please review it,” the secretary said, handing her another thick file.

Amelia rubbed her temples, deciding it was time to get Landon involved in some work. The losses of last month were due to the Engineering Department, and she suspected Henry’s people were behind it.

“Landon, take a look at this,” Amelia said, walking into his office, only to freeze when she saw him adjusting his zipper. She quickly backed out of the room. “I didn’t see anything. You can continue.”

An awkward silence continued for a few seconds before Landon’s voice broke it. “Come in.” Amelia furrowed her brows and thought, ‘Is he already done?’

Landon said, “Honey, do you want me to tell you to come in over the company intercom?”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Amelia replied quickly, hurrying inside. She feared he might just do that. Landon lazily leaned against the headboard, an amused glint in his eyes. “So, what did you want me to continue doing?”

Amelia’s ears flushed red, too embarrassed to say she meant for Landon to continue what he was doing before. “Nothing.” Amelia turned her face away, pretending like she didn’t know what he was referring to.

“Do you think I’m that desperate?” Landon suddenly grabbed her hand, a playful glint in his eyes. Amelia shivered. She knew that men had sexual desire, and when they didn’t have a partner, they’d take care of things themselves. She understood that.

But she never expected Landon to want her to help him out. “Didn’t you take care of it yourself?” Amelia said, nervously stuttering.

“Take care of what?” Landon narrowed his eyes and thought, ‘She really thought I was masturbating.’

Landon had just come back from the bathroom and was lying on the bed adjusting his pants. His lower half wasn’t fully functional yet, so it was easier to lie down while adjusting. “Maybe we can just forget about that? Don’t worry. I won’t mock you.” Amelia tried to pull her hand away.

But the harder she tried, the tighter Landon held on. Finally, Amelia gave up and muttered under her breath, “You’re not fully recovered, are you? And yet you still have so much strength.”

“There’s strength in other places, too. Want to try?” Landon watched as her face turned a deep shade of red, clearly enjoying himself. He thought, ‘She’s so easy to tease. How did she even date Zachary?’

“Landon, are you shameless?” Amelia was both embarrassed and annoyed. She wanted to escape immediately, but her hand was still caught. She could only sit on the edge of the bed, looking down, feeling awkward all over.

“It’s improper to put on my pants? So I’d be proper only if I was naked?” Landon smiled as he looked at her, clearly enjoying teasing her. “Honey, is that what you want? To see me like that?”

“Enough. Just look at the file.” Amelia slapped the Engineering Department’s file onto his face.

“I was just adjusting my pants,” Landon explained, finally letting her go, and he started looking through the file. Realizing she had misunderstood Landon, Amelia felt a wave of embarrassment sweep over her.

She had thought Landon was teasing her, but in reality, she made a mistake. Sighing quietly, Amelia thought to herself, ‘I’m such a pure person, so why does my mind always wander when Landon’s around?’

After reading the file, Landon said, “The project looks fine. What do you think?”

“I suspect that David or someone on his team is a mole hired by Henry. They should be—”

“Okay.” Landon nodded, looking at her with approval. “You go ahead and take care of it.”

Amelia hesitated. “But this is your company, and you’re awake now. Firing an entire team is a big deal—it’s something you should handle.”

“My body’s still weak, so you, my dear, will take care of it. No problem,” Landon replied.

Amelia couldn’t help but twitch her eye. She said seriously, “I never knew you could be so shameless.”

“That’s because people don’t understand me.” Landon gazed deeply at Amelia. His mind stirred. Unknowingly, Amelia had become his exception. Landon was more than willing to show his true self to her. But the problem was that Amelia was determined to leave him.

“You can’t go in.” Just then, Amelia heard Aaron’s hesitant voice from outside. Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively tensed. “Patrick’s here again.”

“Ignore him.” Landon’s expression shifted, his face now cold and unapproachable.

“But Aaron can’t stop him…” Before Amelia could finish, a large hand suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling her toward him. The next thing she knew, she was lying on top of Landon, his lips sealing hers.

“Landon…” Patrick’s voice cut off abruptly as he watched the two of them kissing. A wave of fury surged inside him.

He thought, ‘So it’s true—Landon has recovered well. And here he is, in broad daylight, in his office, getting intimate with his wife. Their affection is too obvious. We’d all been deceived. All the talk about Landon being immobile and Amelia marrying a vegetable—it has all been a smokescreen. From the moment Amelia took Landon out of the hospital, everything has been planned.’

“Did Patrick come?” Only then did Landon pull away from the kiss, smiling and looking toward the door. Amelia’s heart raced, her face flushed bright red. She tried to move off Landon, but his grip around her waist was too tight.

Amelia could only stay where she was, pressed against him. Landon’s body was so warm, and hers felt the same. Even through their clothes, Amelia could feel the heat between them.

She thought, ‘The novels are right—there really is such a thing as burning passion between a man and a woman. It’s making my heart race, my body weak. Damn, how could I feel this way about him? We’re just a business partnership.’

“Is there something you need, Patrick?” Landon asked, his voice cool.

“Heard you’re better, so I came to check on you.” Patrick quickly put on a smile, his eyes now calm, as if the rage moments ago had never happened.

“Alright, you wait. We’ll be out shortly,” Landon said.

“Okay.” Patrick stepped back, closing the door behind him.

Amelia pushed at Landon’s chest. “What’s wrong with you?”

“He’s interested in you, and I don’t like it.” Landon finally loosened his grip on her waist.

He thought, ‘Patrick enjoyed impressing women, always setting up situations to make himself look like a hero. He’s obviously trying to get Amelia’s attention. But Amelia is my woman, and no one else is allowed to covet her.’

“You didn’t have to go that far,” Amelia said, quickly getting up and fixing her disheveled hair and clothes, trying to hide her nervousness.

“All men like to stake their claim, you know?” Landon licked his lips, looking both confident and seductive.

Amelia’s heart raced again, her face growing even hotter. “That’s for someone you like. I’m not…”

“You are.” Landon stared at her, his gaze intense. At that moment, he had made up his mind and thought, ‘Since I have feelings for Amelia, why not pursue her and keep her by my side forever? She is the only woman I’d ever felt this way about!’

“Are you out of your mind?” Amelia gasped, her mouth hanging open, her mind buzzing. She thought, ‘Landon likes me? This is impossible. Isn’t he into men?’

Amelia’s lips, swollen from their kiss, looked even more inviting. Landon’s gaze flickered, and he called out, “Come here.”