Chapter 310

“Alright,” Landon replied cheerfully, stepping aside and shooting Paul a meaningful smile.

Paul felt a bit uneasy, for he’d let Landon go out for coffee today in a moment of carelessness.

Though nothing had gone wrong, if Landon reported him to Monroe, he’d definitely be in for it!

“Honey, you seem distracted. This is the best spot to enjoy the night view. Come sit down,” Monica said sweetly.

At this, Paul’s heart stirred.

He finally understood why some old geezers were so obsessed with young women’s bodies.

It gave them such an adrenaline rush, tricking themselves into thinking they were still young.

Right now, he was feeling exactly the same.

He had wrinkles on his face, and his back wasn’t as strong as it used to be.

Yet, he felt noticeably younger all over, as if he’d turned back the clock!

“Paul!” Monroe’s shout snapped him out of his daydream.

He quickly let go of Monica and bowed humbly, “Mr. Monroe.”

“Didn’t I warn you?” Monroe’s forehead veins bulged with anger.

“Miss Monica wouldn’t agree!” Paul explained.

‘Here we go with that excuse again! Seriously, the same old line!’ Monroe fumed inwardly.

He was about to lose his mind because of this.

But his darling daughter Monica put her hands on her hips and snapped, “Daddy, you’re not allowed to bully my husband!”

“Monica, I need you to take care of something for me…” Monroe said.

“No! I want to stay home with my hubby,” Monica pouted.

“Then let him do it…” Monroe tried.

“No way! He has to keep me company!” Monica insisted.

Monroe took a deep breath to quell his rising fury.

He’d always done whatever he wanted in life, but when it came to his daughter’s crazy romance, he was totally helpless!

The worst part was that Marvel still hadn’t figured out a way to break the curse!

“Forget it. Let’s get to the point. Has Landon been acting strange lately?” Monroe asked.

“Nope!” Paul said.

He kept quiet about the fact that Landon had gone out.

“Keep a close eye on him. Don’t let him leave the house,” Monroe said in relief.

“Yes, sir,” Paul said obediently.

He acted as meekly as he could.

Suddenly, someone came in to report, “Mr. Monroe, we’ve found Joanna!”

“Where?” Monroe asked, his face darkening.

“Pinecrest!” the messenger reported.

“She sure has a thing for Pinecrest, huh?” Monroe sneered. “Let her know the mission’s over–she can come back now.”

“Yes, sir,” the messenger replied, then left.

In Pinecrest, Edith had been moved to a more comfortable IP room.

She was planning to take a quick nap while getting her IV drip, waiting for Amelia to send someone to pick her up.

Unexpectedly, she spotted a familiar figure.

“Auntie?” Edith called out.

“You shouldn’t be running around so much now that you’re pregnant,” Joanna said affectionately, gently touching Edith’s face. “You look so pale–it’s not good for the baby.”

“Auntie…” Edith’s eyes welled up with tears, and she felt like crying.

If it weren’t for Joanna, she wouldn’t have had to run off with a baby on the way.

Joanna did love her, that was true, but she’d also hurt her. Edith couldn’t bring herself to love or hate her anymore.

“I heard everything when you called. I’m sorry, Edith. I got you involved in all this,” Joanna blamed herself.

Choking back her tears, Edith asked, “Auntie, can’t you just leave this path behind and start over?”

“I can’t anymore,” Joanna let out a sigh.

Her eyes clouded with a heavy sense of taboo.

“Why not? The Kington Gang is gone. As long as you stop doing bad things, there’s still a place for you at home…” Edith said.

“I joined the Mystic Sect,” Joanna explained.

“What?” Edith blurted.

She was stunned, and she had a sinking feeling in her gut.

It was like she’d just escaped one pitfall only to fall into another, even deeper than before.

“If I ever betray my master, I’ll die,” Joanna said. “Edith, once you’ve recovered, go back with Daniel. Don’t worry about me.”

“Auntie, are you poisoned too?” Edith asked anxiously, gripping Joanna’s hand tightly. “Did they poison you?”

“No,” Joanna shook her head.

It was an exchange.

She’d handed her very life over to the Mystic Sect.

If she ever betrayed her master, she’d bleed from every orifice and die a gruesome death.

That’s even more tragic than what happened to Marvin!

“Auntie, then come back with me! I’ll talk to Daniel and persuade him to let you go…” Edith pleaded.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Joanna said quietly.

“Auntie…” Edith begged.

“When you get back, tell Daniel to stay out of the Mystic Sect’s business. No one in this world can mess with them. The smartest thing is to give up on Landon,” Joanna added.

Her grave expression and somber tone made Edith’s heart sink even deeper.

“Auntie…” Edith murmured.

‘Don’t let anyone know I was here,’ Joanna whispered, her eyes darting nervously.

She didn’t dare linger a second longer–after saying her piece, she slipped away in a hurry.

With Amelia stepping in, Daniel was sure to come for Edith. As long as Edith stayed safe, she could finally disappear from all this mess.

But as soon as she stepped out of the room, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Daniel standing there.

“Shh…” Daniel put a finger to his lips, signaling Joanna not to disturb Edith.

Joanna took a deep breath to steady herself and followed Daniel to the side of the emergency exit.

“You got here pretty fast,” Joanna said.

“I respect Edith. For her sake, I’m willing to let you go back. I won’t hold anything against you,” Daniel said, his face etched with exhaustion from hours of travel.

At this, Joanna paused for a moment, and for a split second, she saw a shadow of Porter in the way Daniel carried himself.

But she quickly came back to her senses and shook her head. “Edith tried to persuade me, too, but there’s no way now.”

“So, what kind of deal did you make with the Mystic Sect?” Daniel asked.

But Joanna didn’t answer.

Yet, Daniel waited patiently.

In Daniel’s eyes, Joanna had always had two sides–she might seem gentle and soft-spoken, but deep down, she was tough as nails. She was sharp-tongued and rarely at a loss for words.

Whenever she went quiet, it either meant she was about to blow up or she was carefully weighing her options.

Right now, it was probably the latter.

“If you don’t tell us, how are we supposed to help you?” Daniel asked.

“You want to help me?” Joanna looked in surprise.

“What could it be? Edith couldn’t let you go, and Mais could never let you either,” Daniel said. “After the Kington Gang, you haven’t done anything unforgivable. For their sake, I’m willing to let you live out your days in peace in Luriova.”

Joanna’s eyes widened–she couldn’t believe Daniel would go this far for Edith.

He used to hate her so much!

‘Should I stay? Should I?’ Joanna wavered.

Monica and Paul were just way too lovey-dovey.

Monroe couldn’t take it anymore after just two days–he had to leave. Out of sight, out of mind.

Of course, there was another reason: the Mystic Sect couldn’t do without him. The ultimate project was already underway, and there was no room for failure!

Again, Landon managed to get out.

Same café, same seat.

And the same familiar fake couple.

“Honey, how’s it going?” Amelia leaned against Night Owl, pretending to discuss what to order.

[Still no leads on the Mystic Sect. I’m starting to think there’s nothing valuable in that house.] Landon messaged Amelia.

“Honey, I want to try Lee’s coffee,” Amelia said, her tone casual but her eyes meaningful.

Lee’s–sounded like ‘leave.’ She was sending him a signal.

Her message couldn’t be clearer: “If there is nothing worth staying for, stop wasting time here. Leave!”

But Landon hesitated.

His family was safe now, and he could walk away from the Montgomery family whenever he wanted.

But what about after that?

With Monica like this, Monroe wasn’t going to back down now.

If Monroe ever found out he was just faking his memory loss, he might not get off so easy next time.

[Amy, let’s just wait a little longer.] Landon messaged.

Amelia’s heart sank, but she still managed a smile. “Honey, if you don’t like Lee’s coffee, just order something else.”

“I’ll have this Quick Orange drink,” Night Owl said.

The name itself was a coded message. It was already March, and there was only about a month left before summer hit.

They wanted him to finish things quickly, no more dragging it out.