Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Edgar was taken aback by her resolve. Yet, after pondering for a moment, he realized Leila was oblivious to Landon’s circumstances, which justified her need for reassurance.
Edgar promised repeatedly to secure a lawyer for Leila, and gradually, she began to relax.
Edgar then accompanied Leila back to Landon’s villa.
Upon entering, they found Landon nonchalantly eating, seemingly unaffected by earlier events.
As Landon looked up and their eyes met, Leila offered him nothing but a brief, icy glance.
Landon maintained a calm exterior, but when Leila wasn’t looking, his grip on his knees tightened imperceptibly.
As Leila turned away, a fleeting sadness shimmered in her icy eyes.
Edgar observed the subtle exchanges between the two. Here were two people, clearly fond of each other, yet caught in a web of misunderstandings.
Yet, Edgar couldn’t reveal the truth. Revealing to Landon that the child Leila was carrying was indeed his would likely prompt Landon to act recklessly. Deception, it seemed, was best served by deceiving Landon first.
After Leila ascended the stairs, Landon felt the dishes lost all their appeal. He signaled to Edgar. “Have the kitchen whip up something for her. She loses her appetite when she’s down. Tell her she’ll be grounded if she skips her meal.”
Edgar, unable to resist, questioned, “And if she wishes to cook for herself?”
Landon answered nonchalantly, “That’s fine. As long as she’s eating and sleeping well. Keep an eye on her daily routines, and report anything unusual directly to me.”
While Landon issued his directives, Edgar’s phone erupted into a ring.
Without hesitation, Edgar answered the call. After absorbing the details from the other end of the call, his expression darkened immediately. “I’ve got bad news, Mr. Kensington. There’s been an incident with your mother.”
Shirley had suffered a car accident while descending the mountain.
Landon preferred solitude, choosing to reside in a villa nestled in the mountain’s embrace on the city’s outskirts.
The mountainous path, though intimidating, was well-equipped with safety features and generally posed no threat.
It was reported that Shirley, feeling uneasy, had opted to drive herself. Tragically, the brakes malfunctioned.
Shirley was now in the hospital, her condition unknown, with the police conducting inquiries.
This news unsettled Landon deeply. After all, Shirley was his mother.
A nagging suspicion tugged at Landon. Something about this didn’t sit right. Even if the investigation absolved him of any direct involvement, his adversaries would undoubtedly exploit this tragedy to undermine him.
Observing Landon’s troubled expression, Edgar suggested, “Mr. Kensington, perhaps we should announce that you’ve been unwell and confined to bed these last few days? That way, if they try to slander you, there won’t be any grounds to sustain their accusations.”
Landon exhaled deeply, his voice low. “It seems the mastermind might actually prefer me to react exactly like that.”
Landon found himself caught in a complicated dilemma. Shirley’s car accident seemed to be more than just a coincidence. But who would dare to orchestrate such a thing? It must have been someone with considerable skills or a member of the Kensington family. Could Dean be involved?
A shiver ran through Landon as he considered the possibility. After all, Shirley was their mother. Besides, Shirley had always shown nothing but kindness toward Dean. He hoped it was all just in his head.
In the VIP ward of the hospital, Shirley had undergone resuscitation for the third time.
The doctor assured everyone she was stable now but needed close monitoring.
Dean seemed lost in thought, barely responding even as the doctor called out to him repeatedly.
When finally informed that Shirley was no longer in critical condition, a fleeting look of disappointment crossed Dean’s face. Nevertheless, he asked cautiously, “Is there a risk of concussion or memory loss?”
The doctor, noticing Dean’s furrowed brow, spoke with a reassuring calm. “There’s no need for alarm. In a car accident as severe as this one, if she had sustained a head injury, survival would have been unlikely. The real concern now should be her rehabilitation. Without proper care, she could face long-term consequences, possibly even disabilities.”
Dean, visibly agitated, waved off the doctor’s concerns with a brisk gesture. “I got it.”
The doctor eyed Dean suspiciously. Dean was acting strangely. His mother had just been in a serious accident, yet he appeared remarkably composed.
Seizing a moment alone, Dean slipped away to the stairwell where a tall, somewhat gaunt man in a suit awaited him.
A grotesque scar ran across half of the man’s face, twisting his mouth into a sinister semblance of a smile that could unsettle anyone at a mere glance. His presence in the dimly lit stairwell was unnerving.
Dean, his voice laced with a hint of desperation, approached the man. “Shirley survived, and the doctor mentioned she won’t have any memory loss when she regains consciousness. What are we going to do if she wakes up and identifies me?”
The man, finding Dean’s sudden panic almost amusing, responded dryly, “Worrying about that now seems a bit late, wouldn’t you say?”
Dean felt a wave of irritation wash over him. “You’re the one who put me up to this. If I end up getting caught, you’re not going to get off the hook!”
The man remained calm, lighting a cigarette and turning to face Dean with an unflinching gaze. His left side, unmarred by injury, had a handsome quality, but his gauntness lent him an eerie air.
The man retorted, “I warned you before you went ahead with it. The risks are high, but so are the potential rewards. You chose to proceed. I merely gave you my advice. Whether I get caught doesn’t concern me. For someone like me, life holds little value. But you? You hail from the esteemed Kensington family. You can’t afford to throw your life away.”
Dean’s mix of anxiety and anger surged as he looked at the man’s undaunted demeanor. Yet, he realized that this man was his only real support in this predicament.
Despite his reluctance, Dean knew he needed to swallow his pride. “I apologize. Just tell me what to do next. Don’t worry about the reward. You’ll get what’s promised. I’m a man of my word.”
The man’s smile twisted unnervingly, yet under Dean’s desperate gaze, he finally relented and said, “Stick to our initial plan. If all goes smoothly, you’ll stand as Shirley’s sole son hereafter. Didn’t the doctor mention her probable disability? Facing a future confined to bed, all she’ll have to lean on is her son. After that…”
The man trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid, but Dean grasped his implication immediately.
This plan was harsh, no doubt, but Dean saw no alternative at this juncture. His expression hardened with determination. “Understood. I’ll take care of it.”
Relieved of a significant burden, Dean’s spirits lifted noticeably. He regarded the man with newfound respect tinged with appreciation. “I used to think you are heartless and brutal, but it turns out you do possess some cunning. Keep working for me. You’ll find it worthwhile.”
With a few reassuring pats on the man’s shoulder, Dean turned to leave.
Watching Dean’s retreating figure, the man’s eyes shimmered with icy disdain and scorn.
After Dean had departed, a woman attired as a nurse entered the stairwell. She approached the man with evident deference. “Mr. Kensington, everything is in order.”
The man, acknowledged as Mr. Kensington, gave a slight nod. “I never really trusted Dean to manage anything properly. If not for the necessity of using him to reconnect with the Kensington family, I wouldn’t have ever considered partnering with someone of his sort.”
At his words, the woman let out a scoff. “Dean still tries to give orders as if he’s in charge. Does he honestly think people would willingly follow a leader like him? Mr. Kensington, your intellect surpasses even Landon’s. Why should someone with your background have to be subordinate to others? The unfairness you’ve endured is truly regrettable.”
Stan Kensington offered a smile, but his eyes betrayed a chilling resolve as he spoke. “Exactly my point. Why? We are all heirs to the Kensington legacy. Does my birth outside of wedlock make me any less deserving? The ordeals Shirley subjected me and my mother to are unforgettable. Now, having overcome so much to reach this point, I am intent on reclaiming everything that rightfully belongs to me.”
With those words, Stan reached out tenderly to caress the woman’s face. “You had a promising career ahead as a skilled doctor. Now that you’re with me, do you feel slighted?”
The woman returned his gaze with warmth and devotion. Even though half of Stan’s face was marred by a severe disfigurement, she seemed completely unfazed by it. “Being with you, every sacrifice is justified. In this entire world, only we truly understand each other.”
A shadow flickered across Stan’s eyes. “Once I acquire everything I yearn for, I’ll surely marry you. But for now, your task is to continue perfecting the drug. Landon isn’t going down easily. The last batch you concocted worked to some extent, but he’s still too spirited for my liking. If confronting him directly proves too challenging, focus your efforts on the woman he holds dearest. Gaining leverage over him is crucial.”
“Alright.” The woman tenderly caressed Stan’s hand, whispering, “I’m with you all the way.”
Suddenly, a knock echoed from the corridor, disturbing their moment.
Instinctively, Stan nudged the woman aside. “Someone’s here.”
A heartbeat later, the door swung open, revealing Melinda.
The woman next to Stan regarded Melinda with a blend of arrogance and caution.
Stan cleared his throat. “Step outside for a moment. I need to speak with her privately.”
With a reluctant glance at the pair, the woman turned and departed, softly closing the door as she left.
Melinda folded her arms. “Next time, don’t avoid discussing things like this with me. After all, you wouldn’t have met Dean without my help. And if our plan works out down the line, I hope you remember what I did today.”
Stan smiled faintly. “Of course, your efforts won’t go unnoticed.”