“Are you out of your mind?” Joanna shot Maisie a cold, piercing look.
“Mom, it’s all over now. Amélia is the real victim here! From beginning to end, she’s the one who suffered the most,” Maisie insisted.
“And what about me? Who hurt me?” Joanna fired back.
Maisie was left speechless. It was like trying to reason with a wall–there was just no getting through to her. Her mother was the one who set everything in motion, yet she didn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt. She honestly believed she’d done nothing wrong.
“Maisie, you’ve changed. You’re nothing like the daughter I used to know,” Joanna said coldly as she walked over. Despite her frame growing thinner from being locked up, she still radiated an intimidating presence. Maisie felt a bit scared. “Mom, just drop it, okay? While my brother still hasn’t made a move…”
“And what can your brother do? You think he can take on the Kington Gang?” Joanna sneered. “If I hadn’t let my guard down, if you and Edith hadn’t been so disappointing, would I have ended up locked up like this?”
All Maisie could do was sigh–again and again.
“I’m tired. I’m going to bed,” Maisie muttered, sounding utterly worn out. There was just no reasoning with her mom anymore. All Maisie could do was run away from it all.
But Joanna wasn’t letting up. She stood by the sofa and kept going, “Maisie, everything I’ve done is for you. For the Meyers family!”
“Just wait! One day, we’ll get out of the Zuckerberg Estate and return to the bright city lights. We’ll live a life above everyone else."
Maisie clamped her hands over her ears, refusing to listen. ‘Why does she insist on going down the wrong path?‘ Maisie thought.
Back at the Kyle Estate in Dreicean, Sandra returned and gave Aiden a quick rundown of what happened.
“Mr. Kyle, I’ve delivered your message. Amelia believes Landon is dead,” Sandra said.
“Good. How’s she holding up?” Aiden asked lazily, sipping his coffee.
“She’s falling apart, but she’s incredibly resilient–still hasn’t broken yet. You might have to wait a little longer,” Sandra replied.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got all the patience in the world,” Aiden said, glancing at the time without a care. In just two hours, the DNA test results would be out. He’d finally get to see Amelia. He couldn’t help but feel a little excited about it. The estate was peaceful and beautiful, bathed in warm sunlight and a gentle breeze.
But over at the hotel, Amelia was really about to break down. If Joanna wasn’t making a move herself, then it had to be the Kington Gang doing her dirty work.
Chapter 194
Amelia was filled with questions she couldn’t shake. She didn’t know who was behind it, where the Kington Gang was hiding, or how to seek justice. Amelia racked her brain for a long time but still came up empty. Right now, she hated herself for being so powerless.
“I don’t know where the Kington Gang is either. But Daniel said the tattoo I have is a protection mark–they won’t hurt me. Maybe I should go look for them?” Edith suggested.
Amelia forced a bitter smile. “And where exactly do you think you’ll find them?”
“I… I’ll just go out on the street, wave a flag, and shout. Someone from the Kington Gang is bound to show up eventually,” Edith said, sounding a bit too hopeful.
‘That’s just wishful thinking…’ Amelia thought. She shook her head. “No need. We’ll deal with it when we get back to Lunova.” She remembered Landon saying he was the head of Project Azureveil. Then the Project Azureveil headquarters was exactly where she would go.
“I’m back,” Daniel said, returning with the freshly printed DNA test results. Seeing Amelia’s pale face, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Sandra came by and said some pretty messed up things. She told us it was the Kington Gang who did it to Landon,” Edith said, her voice growing softer with each word. Even though she’d never had any direct dealings with the Kington Gang, as long as that tattoo stayed on her back, she’d never be able to clear her ties with them.
“The Kington Gang…” Daniel narrowed his eyes, thinking it over. “That actually makes things simpler!”
“Hm?” Amelia looked up, her voice soft but steady. “We’re no match for the Kington Gang, are we? I want to go to Project Azureveil headquarters and find someone even more powerful to help us.”
“Alright. We’ll go as soon as we get back to Lunova,” Daniel agreed.
Amelia felt a bit more at ease, feeling more confident that this was the right path. She glanced at the test results and asked, “So, what’s the result?”
“Paloma and Gloria are biological mother and daughter, which means she’s actually Kayla,” Daniel explained.
“So it really is true…” Amelia murmured. Even though she’d suspected it all along, having the truth right in front of her just brought up even more questions.
“That’s wonderful! She really is Kayla…” Amelia flipped through the report, her expression a little dazed. It all seemed to go a little too smoothly–so much so that it felt almost unreal.
“Then let’s go find Paloma and tell her the truth,” Edith said excitedly.
“No, we can’t do that,” Amelia said, her voice steady as she turned to Daniel for his opinion. “Daniel, does this feel right to you?”
“Of course not,” Daniel replied, his face serious.
Chapter 194
Daniel’s expression grew even more grim. There’s no way Aiden didn’t know Paloma wasn’t really his sister. From investing in Norava to bringing Edith in as Landen’s piano teacher, every move had been a calculated effort to guide them here.
So now, they were trapped.
“Daniel?” Edith, a little slow on the uptake, finally sensed something was off and called out softly.
“It’s fine. There’s no danger,” Daniel replied with a reassuring smile. Edith was never really at risk anyway–not with the Kington Gang watching her back. But when it came to Amelia, Daniel couldn’t help but worry for her. He was both furious and anxious, his emotions all over the place. Coming to Dreicean was like walking straight into the lion’s den. But he just couldn’t bring himself to blame Amelia for any of this. With Landen’s true parentage already half out in the open, anyone in her position would want to see it through to the end. No one could have imagined that Aiden would set up such an elaborate scheme just to pursue a pregnant, married woman.
“Could Aiden be connected to the Kington Gang?” Amelia asked.
Daniel nodded gravely. “Most likely…” Otherwise, Aiden would not say something like ‘wait until you’re widowed’. And Landen’s sudden disappearance, timed precisely before Paloma’s true identity was about to be revealed, was no coincidence. This was all part of Aiden’s carefully orchestrated trap.
“Daniel, are we trapped here now?” Amelia asked, worry in her voice.
“It seems so,” Daniel replied, his tone heavy. He pulled out his phone and checked the latest reports from his team. Sure enough, the hotel was already covertly surrounded.
“I’m under the Kington Gang’s protection–take me hostage and use me as your ticket out!” Edith said through gritted teeth.
Daniel stared at her in shock.
“They won’t lay a finger on you as long as I’m with you,” Edith added.
‘Are we really doing this all over again?‘ Daniel thought. Last time, Maisie used herself as bait. Now, it was Edith’s turn. They were clearly the blood relatives of his enemies, yet they continued to protect him with what little strength they had.
“Daniel, stop hesitating,” Edith said, pulling out a fruit knife and pressing it into his hand. “Let’s just do it!” Maisie had pulled this off before–so could she.
Chapter 194
“Don’t,” Daniel said quietly. He set the fruit knife down on the table.
Edith stared at him, stunned. “Why?”
“I can’t use you anymore,” he said softly.
“Is this really the time to worry about that?” Edith said, exasperated.
Edith grabbed the knife again, but Amelia stood up. “Edith, don’t.”
“Amelia, why are you…” Edith started.
“They won’t buy it,” Amelia said. After pulling herself together, she even managed a small smile. “You’re too cute–who would ever want to hurt you?”
“Amelia!” Edith stamped her foot in frustration. “Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”
“I’ll go see Aiden,” Amelia said.
Edith was terrified. “No! His intentions aren’t pure. You can’t go see him…”
“Everything he’s done is just to keep me here. I’ll go see him, and you all head back home,” Amelia said. The Kington Gang would never believe they were holding Edith hostage, but Amelia could use herself as leverage.