Chapter 40
By the time Amelia got home, it was already 9 PM. Landon was sitting on the bed, his eyes cold and sharp, like winter frost.
Seeing that, Amelia asked, “Why are you sitting up? The doctor said you shouldn’t stay in that position for too long. At this hour, you should be lying down.”
With that, she set her purse down and walked over, ready to adjust the bed so Landon could lie down.
'Did you have fun?' Landon asked coldly in his mind.
Amelia looked up at him, startled. “What are you talking about?”
'About Elizabeth and Zachary,' Landon pondered as he glared at her, his frosty expression melting into a blazing fire, ready to consume her whole.
Amelia guiltily rubbed her nose. “So…you knew.” She thought, 'Aaron just can’t keep his mouth shut, can he? Of course, he went and spilled everything to Landon.'
'With all that chaos, how could I not?' Landon pondered as he raised his left hand and lit up his phone screen.
On it was a post with a glaring hashtag: “Karma Strikes: Zachary Foster’s Wild Flings Land Ms. Sandra Edwards in the ER.” Amelia’s eyes widened in shock at the sight.
Accompanying the post was a short video clip. Even though the faces were blurred, Amelia immediately recognized the video. It was the one she had sent to Sandra herself.
Amelia couldn’t help but find it amusing and pondered, 'Seriously? She lost it so badly she had a miscarriage?'
The initial shock quickly gave way to a wave of satisfaction as Amelia thought, 'So, cheating on her sister’s fiancé is fine, but when her precious man cheats on her with someone else, it’s a whole different story? Hypocrite.'
'You’re way too bold, Amelia,' Landon thought, his voice in his mind heavy with frustration. The thought of how close she had come to being drugged made his blood run cold.
The Youngs and the Edwards weren’t close families, and this was Amelia’s first time attending a Young family’s event. If she’d let her guard down for even a second and drank Elizabeth’s spiked wine, she would’ve been the one starring in that video.
With that in mind, Landon’s chest heaved a few times in frustration. If he could move right now, he would’ve pinned Amelia down on the bed and spanked her hard.
He grumbled inwardly, 'Not long ago, she was tricked by Zachary into that operating room, and today, she has the nerve to drink someone else’s wine. She knew something was wrong with it but didn’t even bother to tell me.
'Oh, and she even had Aaron keep it a secret for her. If I hadn’t seen the news, I wouldn’t have known the Young family had such a big scandal today.'
“Relax, okay? The moment I saw Henry and Zachary, I was already on guard,” Amelia reassured in a gentle voice, her eyes twinkling like starlight.
Inwardly, she mused, 'Wow, someone actually cares about and worries about me… It feels so nice. I’ll definitely treat him to a full–body spa tonight to show my gratitude.'
Amelia then murmured with a faint smile, “Landon, thank you for your concern…”
'Who’s concerned about you?' Landon snorted coldly in his mind. 'I just don’t want my wife getting pushed around and humiliated.'
When Amelia heard that, her sense of gratitude abruptly stopped growing. She stared at him in stunned silence, her mouth slightly open, thinking, 'Oh, so he wasn’t worried about me… He’s only worried about his reputation.'
'What’s wrong? You thought I was worried about you?' Landon asked inwardly. He noticed her astonishment and felt an inexplicable satisfaction. His words in his mind became even harsher. 'Who do you think you are, Amelia?'
Amelia slowly closed her mouth, her lips twitching slightly. Unwilling to back down, she muttered, “But you said I was your woman that day."
'Exactly. So play your role properly and don’t embarrass me,' Landon replied dismissively in his mind before closing his eyes, making it clear he didn’t want to deal with her any further.
He pondered irritably, 'Charging straight into danger even when you know it’s there. Does she think she’s invincible? Foolish.'
The sparkle in Amelia’s eyes dimmed as she sighed inwardly, 'It’s just a role, nothing more. I was foolish to think much. With my background and my past with Zachary, how could I ever match someone as distinguished as Mr. Kingsley?'
She then curled her lips into a self–mocking smile and headed to the bathroom to wash up.
Hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom, Landon opened his eyes. After saying his harsh words, he felt a bit more at ease, expecting Amelia to come out and help him wash up and get into bed.
Not long after, Amelia came out of the bathroom in her pajamas. She didn’t even glance at Landon on the bed and headed straight for the sofa. She laid down, pulled a blanket over herself, and shut her eyes to sleep.
He stared, completely dumbfounded, and thought, 'I’m still sitting here, and I haven’t even washed my face or wiped my feet yet. Did she forget? That must be it. She must’ve been so tired today that she just forgot about me.'
So, Landon used the only hand he could move, his left one, to knock on the bedside table–Thud. Thud. But there was no response from Amelia on the sofa.
He knocked again, this time twice more, and added a silent plea in his head, 'Amelia, I haven’t washed my face yet.' Still, no response from the woman on the sofa.
'Did she fall asleep that fast?' Landon muttered awkwardly to himself. Instinctively, though, he realized she wasn’t really asleep–she just didn’t want to talk with him. She was mad.
Feeling a bit indignant, he wondered, 'What right does she have to be angry? Everything I said was for her own good. Sure, my words were harsh, but it’s only because I hoped today’s events would teach her a lesson.
'She shouldn’t be putting herself in danger like that anymore. What reason does she have to be upset?'
Landon’s frustration simmered, but no matter what he tried, Amelia ignored him completely. At first, she was only pretending to sleep. But soon enough, she actually fell asleep. As for Landon, he spent the whole night sitting upright.
Late at night, in the hospital, Sandra’s crying was like needles piercing Zachary’s eardrums–relentless and unending. She sobbed, “Zachary, how could you fuck another woman? And in front of so many people… How am I supposed to hold my head up now?”
“Enough,” he growled through clenched teeth, his patience finally snapping.
Sandra had been so startled that she stopped crying, staring at Zachary in disbelief. “Did you just yell at me again, Zachary?”
He sighed, “I-”
But Sandra didn’t give him the chance to speak. Her voice turned sharp as she said, “You never used to raise your voice at me. You’ve yelled at me twice. Zachary, are you fed up with me already?”
“I’m not,” Zachary replied, on the verge of losing it. The incident at Young Villa today hadn’t just embarrassed Sandra–it had humiliated him too. His friends hadn’t stopped mocking him since.
A promising 23–year–old young man, caught in broad daylight with an older woman–and caught red–handed, no less. To make matters worse, the men who witnessed the scene were all prominent figures in the business world.
And as if that weren’t bad enough, the woman in question was Elizabeth–Devon’s most treasured youngest daughter leaving Zachary with no way to shift the blame onto her.
Zachary fumed inwardly, 'That old bastard Henry slapped me several times. My face is still swollen, and it hurts to talk. We all planned this together, but now I’m the one stuck holding the bag.'
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. His face darkened, and a cold fury gleamed in his eyes.
Sandra had never seen Zachary like this before, and it terrified her. Swallowing nervously, she cautiously tried to soothe him. “Alright, alright. I’m not mad at you anymore. Zachary, please calm down.”
“I was set up.” He ground out the words through gritted teeth.
“Who set you up?” Sandra asked in a timid voice.
Zachary replayed the scene in his mind. At the time, it wasn’t just Amelia’s purse at the scene–her coat was there too. If he hadn’t seen her coat, he wouldn’t have jumped into the act without looking at her face.
Sandra urged, “Zachary, say something…”
Zachary shut his eyes tightly, fighting the overwhelming impulse to wring Amelia’s neck. “Amelia… She was the target today, but she realized it and turned the tables. She gave Elizabeth the drugged wine and put her coat on Elizabeth. That’s why I mistook her…”
As the pieces fell into place, all his resentment and hatred settled squarely on Amelia. Meanwhile, Sandra felt a chill creeping into her heart.
Sandra thought, 'So Zachary was planning to sleep with Amelia today. He still thinks about her. Back then, he couldn’t care less about Amelia–he wouldn’t even kiss her, let alone sleep with her. But now, he actually wants to sleep with her… No. I won’t let that happen.'
With that in mind, Sandra’s eyes drifted downward and locked onto Zachary’s crotch.