Chapter 386

Alcohol just made all those buried feelings explode. Tuff’s eyes were red and glassy as he staggered toward Kayla.

“Honey…” Tuff said softly.

“I won’t kill her. I won’t put you in a tough spot,” Kayla said softly, taking Tuff’s hand. “You should’ve told me earlier.”

Tuff was stunned for a moment, then turned around.

Daniel held up his phone.

Obviously, he was the one coordinating with Kayla just now.

Tuff felt even more wronged. “Honey, it’s not that I didn’t want to tell you…”

“That memory just hurts too much. I know you don’t want to talk about it, and I understand,” Kayla said softly.

“Honey…” Tuff said softly.

“If Joyce wants to make a scene, let her. I’m not letting her mess with me,” Kayla said, her voice steady.

“Yeah,” Tuff replied, feeling a little better.

He looked so pitiful as he slumped toward Kayla, feeling totally wronged.

Kayla caught him in her arms.

Daniel flashed a grin, waved, and walked off.

Mission accomplished.

News got back to Norava, and Amelia, still in her pajamas, rushed straight into Landon’s study. “Honey, I know what the reason is!”

“No excuse will ever make this right!” Landon snapped, his jaw clenched as he looked up from his desk.

He’d only been away from Lunova for a few days, and already Tuff had gotten Joyce pregnant.

When he first heard the news, Landon had been so furious he’d wanted to kill Tuff.

“Tuff owes Joyce’s brother his life, so he didn’t kill her,” Amelia said, handing him her phone.

The conversation between Tuff and Daniel had been broadcasted live to Kayla and was also recorded.

After listening, Landon’s expression finally softened.

But just thinking about his sister being wronged still pissed him off.

“That’s between him and her brother. It has nothing to do with Kayla,” Landon said, his voice tight.

“Kayla’s got such good taste in men, of course she’s got love rivals,” she burst out laughing. She didn’t expect Landon could be unreasonable too.

“Honey, Kayla’s even more independent than me. We gotta give her freedom,” Amelia said, circling behind him and working his shoulders.

She might look delicate, but her grip was surprisingly firm. Landon just closed his eyes, soaking it all in.

“I’ve sent a team of lawyers to Lunova, and Aaron’s bringing backup,” Landon said.

Amelia just stared at him, speechless. ‘Seriously? Is he for real? It’s not like we’re going to war.’

“Honey, are we going back to Lunova for Spring Festival?” Landon asked.

“Nope,” Amelia replied, not even hesitating. She knew exactly what he was up to and shut him down right away.

Family could protect for a while, but they couldn’t shield from everything—especially not love.

This was a road Kayla had to walk on her own.

The couple trusts each other deeply; their meddling would only cause trouble.

“Honey, does the Kingsley family have any businesses in Lunova?” Amelia asked, changing the subject.

“No,” Kayla replied.

Landon regretted not expanding his business empire to Lunova.

If he had business trips to Lunova all the time, Kayla wouldn’t have found him so annoying.

Landon opened his eyes and declared, “I’m going to set up a company in Lunova!”

Amelia gave a small smile. “Sure, go for it!”

The Kingsley family was wealthy and powerful, but the emperor was far away and out of reach. They needed to land some big business deals to intimidate those who looked down on them.

Joyce had been holed up at home for two days, but when no court summons showed up, her confidence came roaring back.

‘Kayla was just bluffing at that party. Like she’d really take me to court. She wouldn’t even dare mess with Maggie, let alone actually sue me,’ Joyce scoffed to herself.

So, Joyce started showing up at all these fancy parties, flaunting the Prescott family’s heirloom emerald necklace like it was nothing.

She strutted around like a proud woman, showing off everywhere she went. She didn’t even bother pretending she felt guilty about being the mistress.

She even had the nerve to call up Maggie and ask, “Can you come with me to my prenatal checkup?”

“I’m out of the country,” Maggie said, her voice turning cold. Her suspicions about Joyce were definitely growing, and she was getting colder toward her.

The blue sky and endless ocean in the distance were a soothing sight, washing all her worries away.

She’d specifically escaped overseas for a vacation, all to dodge Kayla’s payback.

“Maggie, why are you being so mean to me?” Joyce complained.

Maggie took a deep breath. “I’m playing cards and losing, so I’m in a bad mood. Just go to your checkup on your own. I’ve already given the hospital a heads-up.”

Joyce’s heart skipped a beat.

‘A heads-up?’

‘Is Maggie starting to suspect me too?’ Joyce thought, suddenly uneasy.

That didn’t add up–she’d been so careful, how could Maggie be onto her?

“If that’s all, I’m hanging up. I’m in the middle of a game,” Maggie grumbled, clearly annoyed.

Joyce pulled herself together and said, “Maggie, maybe you could talk to Tuff for me, get him to come with me?”

“Because of you, he almost cut me out of his life. And now you want me to convince him to go with you? Seriously?” Maggie said, just talking about it made her mad.

No matter how stubborn her son was, he was still her son. If they really cut ties, she couldn’t bear it.

Thinking about how Joyce had her wrapped around her finger these days, Maggie’s temper flared up again. “If you want to sue him, go ahead! I’m done trying to control him.”

Then she just hung up.

Joyce sat there, lost in thought.

‘Tuff’s not owning up to what happened that night, so now it’s up to Kayla to admit it or not,’ Joyce thought.

She dug out the photos and the hospital injury report, took photos, and sent them to Kayla.

That pitiful, innocent act–covered in bruises–really caught the eye.

But Kayla just smirked, totally unfazed.

Leaving someone covered in bruises and scratches wasn’t Tuff’s style.

Tuff might look tough, but in bed, he treated her like she was made of glass.

He loved grabbing her slim waist, rubbing his face against her neck… No matter what they were doing, he’d never leave any obvious marks on her.

He always said if anyone ever caught a glimpse, she’d be mortified.

And if our son ever caught a glimpse, that’d be a total disaster.

So even if he ever left a mark, it was always somewhere her clothes could cover. And if he noticed, he’d be the first to grab the ointment and take care of it for her.

But Joyce’s neck, collarbone, and chest were all covered in hickeys, plain as day.

‘Seriously, did she have to go all out with the fake injuries?’ Kayla thought, shaking her head.

She was honestly curious what kind of guy knocked Joyce up and left her in that sorry state.

Joyce waited for Kayla to reply, and when Kayla still didn’t, Joyce couldn’t resist calling her up. “You saw the photos, right?”

“Yeah, I saw them. Looks like you had quite a wild time. Bet you had a blast, huh?” Kayla replied coolly.

“Of course. Guess all your guidance paid off–Tuff’s got some serious skills,” Joyce said, totally shameless.

Kayla just chuckled and didn’t bother to reply.

‘She’s not even mad? Seriously?’ Joyce fumed inside. “Kayla, no matter how pretty you are, you’re still just secondhand goods. Jonny already wore you out, and Tuff says you’re not even any fun in bed…”

She just kept going, spitting out the nastiest insults she could come up with.

But none of it even fazed Kayla.

Because everything Joyce said was just pure fantasy on her part.

With people like her, Kayla didn’t even have to bother calling out their delusions. Even if she claimed she could fly, Kayla would just shrug and say, “Well, watch out for turbulence.”

Kayla’s calm would either drive Joyce crazy with rage or make her so smug she’d end up digging her own grave.

“Kayla, are you even listening to me?” Joyce demanded.

“Yeah, I hear you,” Kayla said, sounding bored.

“Then why aren’t you mad?” Joyce pressed.

Kayla let out a lazy yawn. “Weren’t you drunk that night? Being drunk doesn’t count–unless you can pull it off again while sober.”

Joyce was left speechless.

‘Kayla’s not really being all chill about this–she’s just giving herself an out. Tuff was wasted, so it doesn’t count as cheating? Okay, I get it now,’ Joyce thought to herself.

Joyce took a deep breath and dialed a number that wasn’t even saved in her contacts. “Where are you? Come see me tonight…”

What she didn’t realize was that right after she hung up, Kayla casually typed a few keys on her computer— and instantly, a location popped up on her screen…