Chapter 430

Daniel stayed in Norava for a couple of days and then left.

Amelia was surprised to find she wasn’t so on edge after coming back from the cherry orchard. She mentioned it to Landon, and he asked, “Did seeing your dad lift your spirits?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Amelia said softly, nodding. Getting to meet and reconnect with her dad really made her happy. And the best part was, there were no hard feelings or blame between them. Everything just felt so peaceful.

Gloria, seeing her daughter-in-law looking much better, kept reassuring her, “It’s just morning sickness, honey. Once you get further along, it’ll go away on its own.”

Amelia didn’t doubt it for a second.

By the end of June, bad news came from the Gellar family–Shelby was seriously ill. After all, they were sisters by blood, so Gloria went to visit her. It had been ages since they’d last met, and Shelby was now gaunt and sallow, her skin almost waxy from illness.

Gloria was stunned. “Shelby…”

“Wondering how I ended up like this, aren’t you?” Shelby lay on the couch, shooting Gloria a resentful glare. Her sickness had left her so emaciated that her eyes looked huge and round, almost like brass bells.

“Shelby, let’s just focus on getting you better,” Gloria sighed. She’d let go of all the anger and resentment–now, she just felt at peace. Her husband had been framed; he never meant to betray her. And Shelby, the one who pulled all the strings, was finally getting what she deserved.

“There’s no cure,” Shelby said with a bitter smile. “It’s late-stage liver cancer.”

“What? How could this happen?” Gloria frowned and called for the butler.

The butler said, “Ma’am, we never treated her badly. She just wouldn’t see a doctor at first, and things went downhill from there.”

“Why didn’t anyone let me know?” Gloria asked.

Shelby replied, “I wouldn’t let them.”

“Shelby, why make things so hard for yourself?” Gloria said, her voice soft.

“Isn’t it true you hate me? If I die sooner, I won’t be a bother to you anymore,” Shelby said bitterly.

“Shelby!” Gloria called out.

“I called you here today because I want to see Jeffrey one last time before I die,” Shelby said, closing her eyes, looking so weak she seemed like she could slip away any second.

Just the mention of that kid irritated Gloria. As an illegitimate child, he couldn’t show up as the third oldest son of the Kingsley family.

“Gloria, this is the only thing I ask. Are you really going to let me die with this hanging over me?” Shelby demanded, her voice piercing and full of anguish.

Lucia sobbed, “Aunt Gloria, please—just grant my mom this last wish!”

The once-glorious Gellar family had dwindled to just this mother and daughter, left to watch over the empty shell of their former home. Gloria felt a mess of emotions swirling inside her. After hesitating for a moment, she finally said, “Alright. I’ll talk it over with Landon when I get back.”

“If I don’t get to see Jeffrey, I’ll die with regret!” Shelby cried out.

Gloria’s mind was in turmoil. She sat for a bit longer, then got up and left.

When she got home, she didn’t go straight to Landon. Instead, she talked it over with Amelia first. That was when Amelia suddenly remembered–the Gellar family were also her relatives. They’d kept the Gellar family under house arrest before, worried they might get mixed up with the Mystic Sect again. It was not just to keep them from making trouble, but also to protect them. Now that the Mystic Sect was gone, there was no reason to keep them under lock and key anymore. She let Landon know she was lifting the house arrest on the Gellar family.

As for Jeffrey… Amelia couldn’t help but frown whenever she thought about him. He always felt like a ticking time bomb. But at the end of the day, he was still a person–a living, breathing human being. You can’t just do whatever you want with him.

“Amy, do you think Landon will go for it?” Gloria asked, clearly worried her son might blow up.

‘He probably will. I mean, it’s her son after all–letting them meet one last time before she goes isn’t too much to ask,’ Amelia thought aloud.

“Then could you talk to him for me?” Gloria pleaded.

“Sure,” Amelia agreed. It was the grown-ups who screwed things up–Jeffrey didn’t do anything wrong. Landon couldn’t really say no to that.

The next day, they went to the care facility to pick up Jeffrey. It hadn’t even been a year since they’d last seen Jeffrey, but he’d already grown a few more inches. According to his birth certificate, he had just turned fourteen, and he was already about five foot nine. He was every bit a Kingsley.

Right then, Jeffrey was out on the grass playing soccer. With how athletic he looked, you’d never guess there was anything off about him. But Landon would never forget the way Jeffrey had totally lost it in his office that day, tearing the place apart like a madman. He looked like a total maniac.

“Mr. Kingsley, here’s Jeffrey’s latest treatment record,” the director said, handing over the medical file. “As long as he doesn’t get triggered, he’s perfectly fine.”

“What kind of triggers set him off?” Landon asked.

“Gunshots, screeching brakes, the sound of glass or porcelain shattering,” the director replied.

“What exactly is his condition?” Landon asked.

“It’s a really unusual case. We’ve been running this place for years, but we’ve never had anyone quite like him. He’s not nuts–actually, he’s super smart and picks things up fast. But if something sets him off, he can get seriously scary,” the director explained.

The old director adjusted his glasses, clearly at a loss about what to do for Jeffrey.

“What should we do when he loses control?” Landon asked.

The director showed him a custom tranquilizer gun. “Just use this–it’s got sedatives inside.”

“Alright,” Landon replied. Landon took the tranquilizer gun and walked over to Jeffrey.

“Bro,” Jeffrey called out. When he saw Landon, he walked over, still holding the soccer ball. The bright summer sun shone down, highlighting the sweat on Jeffrey’s face. But even with all that sunlight, there was nothing bright about him–he still gave off this brooding, almost unsettling vibe.

“Jeffrey, do you want to leave here?” Landon asked.

“No,” Jeffrey replied.

“Why not?” Landon asked.

“I’m a bastard. Nobody out there wants me,” Jeffrey muttered.

Jeffrey’s answer caught Landon off guard. “Who told you that?”

“I picked up on it at my sister’s wedding,” Jeffrey said. He was just a kid–so sensitive and wise beyond his years. You couldn’t help but feel for him.

“Do you miss your mom?” Landon asked.

Jeffrey shook his head. “Not really.”

“Why not?” Landon asked.

“I’ve just gotten used to not having her around,” Jeffrey replied.

Now that Landon was a father too, he found it easier to empathize with Jeffrey. Landon sighed softly and said, “Go change your clothes. I’ll take you to see her.”

Jeffrey wasn’t really up for it–he just stayed silent. Landon finally broke the silence, saying, “She’s sick. She doesn’t have much time left.”

Jeffrey froze up all over, and then he finally headed off to get changed.

While Jeffrey was changing, Landon took the opportunity to check out his apartment. It was a small one-bedroom place, filled with books and an easel. His paintings were strewn across the walls and scattered on the floor. The artwork and the decor were equally chaotic, with tangled lines twisting everywhere. They were so abstract that Landon just couldn’t appreciate them.

“Mr. Kingsley, his mind is really twisted. Be careful if you let him out,” the director warned seriously.

“I’ll bring him back,” Landon replied, finally looking away.

Honestly, those abstract paintings hit Landon hard—they left him feeling seriously unsettled.

‘Does Jeffrey have a demon lurking inside him?’ Landon couldn’t help but wonder.