Amelia’s birthday party arrived in the blink of an eye.
The Zuckerberg family hosted the event at the most expensive and luxurious hotel in Lunova, inviting the elites from <b>both </b>the business and political worlds.
An elder from the Hughes family and Daniel stood on stage, making a grand announcement. “This is Amelia Edwards, the younger daughter of Catherine and Porter Zuckerberg.”
The crowd was in an uproar.
“Didn’t Catherine pass away? How did she end up having another daughter with Porter?”
“She’s gorgeous! She has the same elegance Catherine used to have.”
Amelia stepped forward with a smile. “Hello, everyone. I’m Amelia Edwards.”
Not to be outdone, Landon added, “I’m Amelia’s husband.”
“My brother’s nervous,” Ka teased in the audience.
Tuff said dotingly, “If it were me, I would be nervous too. The Hughes and Zuckerberg families are serious heavyweight
“Exactly. They’ve got my back. You should be nervous. If you ever cross me, they could wipe the Prescott family Ka,ughing.
“I’m always nervous,” Tuff replied.
He squeezed Ka’s hand tightly, wishing he could rip his heart out and show it to her. ‘If only she could see how much I care, he thought.
Not far away, Joyce, disguised as a waitress, shot a jealous look their way.
‘So what if you have all those powerful backers, Ka? You won’t be riding high for long. I’ll take Tuff back one day, Joyce thought.
“Ms. Lambert.”
A waiter walked up to her.
“Mr. Lambert wanted me to let you know. It was Tuff who hurt Ka’s face.”
“What?” Maggie blurted out, totally stunned.
“It’s your move now, Ms. Lambert,” the waiter said before melting into the crowd.
Joyce’s heart was pounding so hard she could barely catch her breath.
‘So that’s what happened… Now I know what to do!‘ she thought.
The party was already halfway through. As one of Lunova’s most influential figures, Tuff was busy making <b>rounds</b>, <b>toasting</b><b>, </b><b>and </b>mingling with everyone.
<b>08:02 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b>25 <b>Aug </b>M
When he finally made it back to his seat, he snuggled up to Ka, lookingpletely satisfied. “Honey<b>, </b>you’re the only <b>one </b>I love in
the world.”
“Come on, have a drink with me,” Ka said, pouring him a ss.
Tuff was a little tipsy, but he still remembered Ka couldn’t drink. He suddenly looked at her with concern and blurted <b>out</b>, “Honey, you can’t drink, can you?”
“I’ve got my stand–in,” Ka said with a yful wink.
Tuff paused for a second, then cracked up. “Bring it on!”
They clinked their sses, and Tuff knocked back both drinks himself.
The whole fancy party faded into the background as theyughed and drank together.
Tuff and Ka only see each other in their eyes. The whole world just faded away. It wasn’t until Giovanna came over to talk about Ka’s surgery that they snapped out of it.
“Hope you didn’t drink, right? Your surgery’s set for tomorrow morning, and we’ll get you to the hospital tonight,” Giovanna said.
“Alright,” Ka agreed without hesitation, a spark of excitement in her eyes.
‘Finally, I’m getting my looks back!‘ Ka thought, her heart racing.
“I’ll go with you…” Tuff said.
“Go with her? Go home and be with your son,” Giovanna teased. “Don’t you trust me with your wife?”
“Of course, I trust you. I just can’t stand the thought of my wife being in pain. I want to stay by her side the whole time, Tuff replied, his words a little slurred, but his eyes full of love.
Giovanna made a gagging gesture. “You’re so mushy! Wait till your wife gets even prettier. You’ll be even more head over heels.”
“She’s already smitten with me,” Tuff said with a cheeky grin.
Ka blushed, a little embarrassed. She said, “Go home and take care of Landen. If you get bored, drop him off at the Zuckerberg family. I’ll be back in a few days after the surgery.”
“Alright!” Tuff agreed, looking like a lovesick puppy.
Giovanna rolled her eyes and stood up. “Alright, I’m outta here! I can’t handle all this lovey–dovey stuff.”
“Hey, Tuff,” someone suddenly called out.
Ka nced over and didn’t recognize the guy. She looked down at her phone instead.
She’d had all the social training growing up in the Kingsley family, but right now, she couldn’t be bothered by strangers.
“Tuff, is this the girl whose face you messed up?”
Ka’s head shot up, staring at Tuff in disbelief as his face went pale with guilt.
The guy kept going, “Damn. The stray bullets do a number. One second she’s a knockout, next she’s <b>only </b><b>got half </b><b>her </b><b>looks</b><b>… </b>
“Shut up! Get lost!” Tuff snapped.
Tuff barked out a furious order, and the grinning guy scurried off without another word.
Ka fixed her gaze on Tuff. “Was it you? Were you the one who hurt me back then?”
“Ka, hear me out…” Tuff pleaded.
“Was it you?” Ka pressed.
“Yes.”
Tuff hung his head, clutching the tablecloth like a kid getting scolded.
“So, did you marry me because you felt guilty?” Ka asked, her voice steady but cold.
“No!” Tuff jerked his head up, his voice sharp, like he’d been burned.
“Honey, I love you. Nothing else matters! I’ve got blood on my hands, but I’d never try to make up for my guilt by marrying you love you, that’s it…” he said, his voice shaking with emotion.
“Alright,” Maisie let out a sigh of relief.
She stepped closer, leaned in on her tiptoes, and pressed a kiss to Tuff’s lips.
Tuff was speechless.
“That’s all I needed to hear,” Ka said with a lightugh, her eyes sparkling with mischief like a young girl.
Tuff was scared out of his wits.
Even Landon had no idea he was the one who scarred Ka’s face. Tuff thought he could keep that secret buried forever.
Who could’ve guessed he’d run into one of his old war buddies at Amelia’s birthday party, and the guy would blurt it out right
before his wife?
He was paralyzed with shock.
Those two or three minutes felt like the end of the world.
“Honey, I didn’t do it on purpose…” Tuff said, his voice low and full of regret.
“It’s alright. You had no way of knowing I’d be among the enemy,” Ka replied gently, her tone calm and forgiving.
Tuff fell silent again, nervously wringing his hands.
Ka frowned. “Wait, did you know it was me?”
“Yeah,” Tuff murmured. “I caught a glimpse of you, but things were so chaotic. I only had time to call Landon. By the time he <b>got </b>there, you were already gone…”
Ka felt a storm of emotions swirling inside her–bittersweet, regretful, overwhelmed all <b>at </b><b>once</b>.
She had been so close to her family, closer than she ever realized.
<b>08:02 </b>Mon<b>, </b><b>25 </b><b>Aug </b><b>MC </b>
Just one missed moment, and she’d end up trapped with the Kyle family, suffering under Jonny’s torment, wishing she were <b>dead</b>, ‘If only I hadn’t missed that chance…‘ she thought, her mind spinning with regret.
“Ka, I’m so sorry…” Tuff said, his voice trembling with fear.
Ka had never cared much about her looks, but what haunted her was that ugly chapter of her life.
‘She’s going to be furious, isn’t she?‘ Tuff thought, his heart pounding with dread.
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