Chapter 426

Daniel had poured countless resources and effort into the Life Elixir. Giovanna was about to lose her mind from Daniel’s relentless pestering, but they still hadn’t succeeded in making it.

“Just forget it! I don’t want to mess with this anymore,” Giovanna snapped, pointing at the trash can. “It’s supposed to be a pill recipe, but we can’t even form a single pill… The recipe must be wrong!”

“The recipe isn’t the problem,” Daniel said, sounding just as frustrated.

Seeing Amy’s constant irritability, his thoughts started spiraling. He couldn’t shake the fear that she’d go crazy just like his mom. It was his mom losing her mind that broke up the family. All those years growing up with his stepmom, he kept dreaming about his real mom–sometimes she was herself, sometimes she was completely out of it. She was so gentle, so beautiful, so smart… If she hadn’t lost her mind, how could Walter have killed her?

Amy was still so young. ‘If she really lost her mind like my mother did, would Landon be able to stay with a crazy wife for the rest of his life?’ he couldn’t help but worry.

But honestly, Giovanna had really done her best.

“Daniel, what do you even need this recipe for?” Giovanna asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Just curious,” Daniel replied. He still wasn’t telling the truth.

“Project Azureveil has way better pharmaceutical tech. Why not just ask them for help?” Giovanna shot Daniel a suspicious look, her doubts piling up. Everyone at home seemed perfectly normal–so who exactly was he trying to cure for being crazy?

“Whatever, I’m done,” Daniel muttered, finally giving up. He stuffed the handwritten recipe into his pocket and dumped the rest of the herbs into the trash.

Project Azureveil still had Marvel locked up–he was the real master when it came to alchemy. If he ever caught wind that Daniel was working on the Life Elixir, he’d instantly connect the dots to some kind of resurrection technique. Even if Marvel wasn’t a threat anymore, Daniel knew he still had to keep his guard up.

There are always rats in the ranks, no matter where you go. Project Azureveil was no different.

“Daniel, why’d you give up?” Giovanna pressed.

“Tuff and Landon both quit,” Daniel shrugged, like that explained everything.

Giovanna let it go, and the two of them started cleaning up the mess. Suddenly, Daniel’s phone chimed with a special ringtone–the one he’d set just for Lennon. His face lit up, and he rushed to check the message.

Lennon: “Daniel, I figured out how to make the Life Elixir!”

“This is incredible! Oh my god!” Daniel was practically bouncing with excitement. Giovanna hardly ever saw Daniel this hyped, so she peeked over curiously. Daniel didn’t hide anything–the cousins read the message together.

“Who’s Lennon?” Giovanna asked.

“Just someone I met online. Come on, let’s follow his instructions and try again–quick!” Daniel urged.

Giovanna just stared, lost for words. Stubbornness ran deep in the Hughes family, and Giovanna was the queen of never giving up without a fight. After failing at the Life Elixir for so long, the frustration had really started to wear her down. But now that someone was finally giving her some real guidance, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of hope. Without missing a beat, she crouched by the trash can, dug the herbs back out, and started prepping for another round.

After two days of hard work, they finally managed to make a few pills, each about the size of a soybean. Giovanna was over the moon with their success. She kept two pills for herself and handed the rest to Daniel.

Daniel thanked her and wasted no time booking a flight to Norava. When Giovanna saw where Daniel was headed, everything suddenly made sense–he was doing all this for Amy.

‘Wait, did Amy actually inherit aunt’s condition?’ Giovanna thought, a chill running down her spine. Her expression changed instantly, and she rushed to book a ticket to Norava herself.

In May, Norava was bursting with blooming flowers, and the city was slowly slipping into the warmth of summer. Cherries were in season, and when washed and served on an emerald green glass plate, they looked just like tiny red agates.

Amelia loved them.

Landon made sure to have cherries ready for her every day–both at home and in the office. No matter where she was, Amelia could always enjoy the freshest cherries.

But no matter how attentive Landon was, Amelia still had these occasional mood swings. Landon had been quietly consulting with Wesley and Morgan, worried sick about the possibility of some kind of hereditary madness. He was at his wit’s end, but there was nothing he could do. All he could do was do his best to keep Amelia’s spirits steady and hope that once the baby arrived, everything would go back to normal. If things didn’t get better… Landon didn’t even want to imagine what would happen. Amelia might look fragile on the outside, but she was tough as nails underneath. She couldn’t stand the idea of being called crazy.

“Honey, these cherries are so sweet today. You should have some,” Amelia said softly, appearing at his side before he even noticed.

Landon gently returned to the moment, giving her a tender smile. “As long as you’re enjoying them, that’s enough for me.”

“Good things are meant to be shared,” Amelia insisted, picking up a cherry with her slender, pale fingers and offering it to Landon.

The taste was sweet–so sweet it warmed his heart.

Landon glanced from Amelia’s face to her baby bump.

‘Hey there, little one, are you the reason Mommy’s been having such a rough time?’ Landon wondered.

‘Man, I really hope that’s it.’

‘If it’s just pregnancy hormones messing with her mood, then maybe she’ll be back to her old self once you’re born,’ he thought.

“Honey, I’ve been tough on you lately, haven’t I?” Amelia asked, still offering him cherries.

Landon chuckled, scooting his chair back and pulling her onto his lap. “Just a little.”

“I’m sorry…” Amelia said softly, feeling sorry.

‘Turning the CEO of Kingsley Group into my personal punching bag… what am I even doing?’ she couldn’t help but think.

“Then you’d better give me a proper reward once the baby’s out,” Landon teased, his hand caressing her thigh. Not only did he have to tiptoe around her moods, he also had to abstain from sex. It was pure torture for him.

“So, how exactly am I supposed to make it up to you?” Amelia asked, her tone playful.

Landon gave her thigh a gentle squeeze and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “In bed, on the balcony, outdoors… I’m up for anything.”

Whoa, that escalated fast!

“Landon!” Amelia squeaked, her cheeks burning red.

“It’s been torture for me too,” Landon said, his voice low and teasing.

“Oh, please! I’m a respectable pregnant lady, not as desperate as you,” Amelia shot back, trying to sound stern but failing miserably.

“You’re holding back your temper, and I’m holding back my desires,” Landon said with a grin.

Amelia couldn’t help but laugh, feeling a mix of amusement and sympathy for him. “Fine, next year at this time, you can have whatever you want.”

“Really?” Landon’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah,” Amelia said.

‘Then we should go out to the countryside… a little forest, a big meadow, wherever you want,’ Landon started daydreaming, his mind already running wild.

“Alright, alright, whatever you say,” Amelia said, rolling her eyes as she shoved a handful of cherries into his mouth. “Honestly, you’re just like a kid asking for new toys.”

What Amelia didn’t realize was that all of Landon’s shameless flirting was just his way of cheering her up. Seriously, he was a grown man–if he couldn’t keep his hormones in check, who could?

“Mr. Kingsley, Mr. Zuckerberg is here to see you,” the secretary announced.

Amelia shot to her feet. “Let Daniel in–hurry!”

“Yeah,” Landon replied.

Daniel walked in, carrying a basket of cherries he’d just bought from a farmer at the market. They’d first met years ago in a cherry orchard, and ever since then, he’d remembered how much Amelia loved cherries.

“Daniel!” Amelia’s face lit up when she saw him, her mood instantly lifting. “What brings you here?”

“Just passing through on business and thought I’d drop by to see you,” Daniel said with a warm smile.

Landon took the cherries and popped them into the mini fridge in his office. “Didn’t bring your wife and kid?”

“The little one’s still too young, so I left them at home,” Daniel replied. “How are you two doing?”

“I…” Amelia started, but before she could finish, Landon jumped in.

“We’re doing great!” Landon said quickly, cutting her off before she could say more.

Amelia had been about to admit she hadn’t exactly been the best to Landon lately, but he was already putting on a happy front for her. Daniel knew exactly what was going on. Amelia’s mood swings were tough, and Landon was the one taking all the hits. Landon never lost his cool–he always made things feel easy. Say one word of complaint and Landon would instantly shoot him a death glare.

“I’ve actually got something official to discuss. Hey Amy, why don’t you take a break? I need a word with my brother–in–law,” Daniel said.

Amelia frowned. “I’m the VP now, you know. What kind of business is so secret I can’t hear it?”

“It’s not business–I just need to ask Landon for a favor,” Daniel replied.

“Oh! Bro, is your business in trouble? If you need money, I can totally help you out…” Amelia offered.

“It’s not about money,” Daniel said, ruffling her hair with a fond smile. “Why don’t you go for a walk? We’ll head out for dinner in a bit.”

Landon narrowed his eyes.

‘Is he up to something again?’ Landon wondered.

Chapter 427