The group rushed to the abandoned warehouse by the riverside. Amelia, with a trembling voice, turned to Brooke and asked, “Brooke, is this the place?”
“This is the place. But…” Brooke hesitated, her gaze lingering on Landon as if she wanted to say more.
Landon smiled gently at Amelia and said, “Honey, just wait here in the car. We’ll go check inside.”
“No!” Amelia quickly grabbed his wheelchair. She said anxiously, “With your legs, if something goes wrong, you won’t be able to get away. You must stay in the car. Brooke, I, and the others will go check it out.”
“Honey, this wheelchair can outrun you any day,” Landon chuckled as he flipped open the armrests. “Check these out! Do you know what they are?”
Amelia’s eyes widened. “Your wheelchair has built-in weapons?”
She was stunned. It wasn’t just the armrests; even the base could launch deadly projectiles. Landon’s wheelchair was a moving arsenal.
Landon reassured her with a gentle pat. “Wait here,” he said before stepping out of the car.
Besides Brooke and Aaron, they’d also brought an entourage of bodyguards. It was quite an intimidating show of force.
Compared to them, Amelia felt like a total pushover. She hesitated for a moment, then thought, ‘Better listen to Landon. No need to be a dead weight.’
Landon advanced toward the abandoned warehouse with Brooke and the bodyguards. Meanwhile, Amelia watched from the car, nervously wringing her hands.
‘Even after living so long, I’ve never seen anything like this,’ she thought, scenes from violent gang wars in movies flashing through her mind.
The more she dwelt on it, the more anxious she became. By the time Landon disappeared into the warehouse, sweat was already beading on her forehead and nose.
Without realizing it, Amelia murmured, “Honey, please be safe.”
Gunshots erupted, sharp and sudden. Amelia was so terrified she nearly passed out, her heart pounding wildly.
“Madam, don’t worry. Mr. Kingsley can handle this,” the driver, Owen, said calmly.
But Amelia couldn’t stay calm. ‘Gunshots. This meant the opponents were well-armed.
‘Where there was a fight, there would be casualties. What if Landon got hurt?’ Amelia’s face turned ghostly pale. She dared not let her thoughts go any further.
Amelia’s voice trembled as she pleaded, “Owen, I need to go find him!”
Owen shook his head gently. “Mrs. Kingsley, please stay here and wait patiently. If anything happens, someone will come and let you know.”
Amelia bit her lower lip. “You seem to know many things about him. Do you often see situations like this?”
Owen gave her a knowing smile. “Working for Mr. Kingsley has been… quite educational.”
‘Today’s just a minor skirmish,’ Owen thought. ‘But better not tell Mrs. Kingsley that. If I scare her off, Mr. Kingsley would have my head!’
Another volley of gunshots rang out. Each shot struck Amelia like a physical blow to the chest, making her heart pound and sending waves of terror through her.
Amelia’s voice quivered, bordering on a plea. “Owen…”
Owen comforted her with pity, “Don’t worry, Mrs. Kingsley. Your husband is far more capable than you imagine.”
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Hearing that, Amelia clutched at her chest, on the verge of tears.
Soon, Landon stepped out of the abandoned warehouse, Brooke and the others following close behind. Amelia could no longer contain herself.
Amelia flung open the car door and sprinted toward him. Meanwhile, Landon wheeled himself quickly toward her, arms open wide.
“Honey, are you alright? Is everyone okay?” Amelia rushed over, grabbing the armrest as she anxiously scanned him for injuries.
Landon gave her a gentle smile. “We’re fine. Those amateurs have been taken care of.”
‘Next time, I won’t bring her to scenes like this. She was scared out of her mind!’ Landon thought.
“So, what about William?” Amelia’s voice trembled with worry.
A sharp look flashed in Landon’s eyes. “He’s not here.”
“You’re saying we were tricked?”
“Most likely.”
Amelia’s heart hammered into her chest. “But who tricked us?”
“We’re not sure yet, but we’ll find out.” Landon enveloped her fingers in his. “Come on, let’s go home.”
“Okay.” Amelia kept looking back as they left.
Relief washed over her that no one was hurt, but disappointment lingered. It had all been for nothing, and there was still no news of William.
The car sped along as the river breeze swept through the windows, but it did nothing to ease Amelia’s anxiety. ‘Is William still alive?’ she wondered.
“Don’t worry. The fact that there’s been no news about William for so long is good news,” Landon reassured her, his eyes half-narrowed, a habit whenever he was deep in thought.
Landon’s gaze narrowed further, a sign he was lost in thought. ‘Those people came from Lunova, huh? I can’t believe the Meyers family’s counterattack had targeted us directly—how despicable.
‘No matter whether I or Amelia was captured today, it would have forced Daniel to give up Velmira.
‘Even if Velmira ended up in Mr. Delmar’s hands, it would eventually come to me. But Daniel would have to marry Edith and be trapped in an unhappy marriage.
‘Amelia would be heartbroken all the same, and I’ll never allow that!’ Landon swore inwardly.
“Honey, at this point, the tiara doesn’t matter anymore. My only hope is that William is alive,” Amelia murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “My mother had gone forever, but Rachel is still waiting for her husband to come home.”
“I know.” Landon gave her hand a reassuring pat. “We’ll find him.”
“Okay.”
At the Meyers family’s residence, Joanna elegantly sipped her wine while her brother, Tyler, paced back and forth anxiously.
Setting down her wine glass with visible impatience, Joanna said, “Tyler, can’t you sit down for a while? Your pacing is making me dizzy.”
Tyler replied anxiously, “I’m worried. Azureveil has already started liquidation. Once they’re done, we’ll be completely pushed out!” He glanced at Joanna, searching her face. “Should we just give the medicine to Mr. Delmar?”
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“Let’s wait a little longer,” Joanna replied. She checked the time and expected news from her people.
‘If we managed to capture Amelia, Daniel wouldn’t dare to threaten me with the drug. He will have to obediently marry Edith and give up Velmira. Only then can I hand Velmira to Mr. Delmar. That’s killing two birds with one stone.’
Finally, Joanna’s phone rang. Her face lit up with anticipation as she answered, “Is it done?”
“No.”
“What?!” Joanna shrieked. “You’re utterly incompetent! How could you fail at such a simple task?” She was furious.
“Please calm down, Madam. Landon was too much for us. His wheelchair is a walking arsenal. He even had a gun! We suffered heavy casualties and had to retreat.”
The more Joanna listened, the angrier and more uneasy she became. ‘Who rigs a wheelchair with weapons?’ she thought.
‘How many people in this country can legally own a gun? And isn’t Landon supposed to be just some small-time businessman?’
“Madam, that’s what happened. Right now, the best thing we can do is to find William or Kayla before they do. That way, we’ll have leverage over them.”
“Then why are you still here? Go find them!”
“Right away, Madam.”
Tyler saw the anger on Joanna’s face and knew things were going south. He closed his eyes in defeat and said, “Joanna, give the medicine to Mr. Delmar. Save the company first. Personal matters can wait.”
“How shortsighted!” Joanna snapped. “If Edith can’t marry into this family, who will guarantee our lasting prosperity?”
Joanna watched herself in an era where profit comes before everything. She would never forget her family’s desperate situation after their bankruptcy thirty years ago.
To restore her family’s former glory, she slept with countless men. Becoming the matriarch of the Zuckerberg family was a risky gamble for wealth and power.
Even with the Zuckerberg family as her backing, it took her another ten years to bring the Meyers family to glory. She would never let the Meyers family fall into decline again.
“So what now? Mr. Delmar needs our immediate answer!”
“Let that 20 billion go!” Joanna snapped, making a decisive call to cut their losses. She gritted her teeth, resolute in her decision.
Tyler flared up. “Are you out of your mind? Do you even know how much 20 billion dollars is? We can think about Edith later, but once this money’s gone, it’s never coming back!”
Joanna finally slapped Tyler. “The Meyers answers to me!” she spat through clenched teeth, unable to tolerate him any longer.
Clutching his stinging cheek, Tyler finally fell silent. Indeed, their family’s power belonged to Joanna. But he was reluctant to watch 20 billion slip away.
Tyler’s jaw clenched. He seethed inwardly, but dared not say another word.
“Tell Mr. Delmar the medicine was missing when our office relocated. We can’t locate it right now and tell him to wait longer,” Joanna commanded.
At this critical juncture, stalling for time was the only option. With Velmira in hand, she was sure she could devise a win-win solution, safeguard the project and keep Daniel in check. Joanna would make it happen in her image.
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