Chapter 220 When Michael and Kevin Reached for Her at the Same Time
Jenny hadn't learned about Amelia's injury from Kevin.
It had started days earlier, at the Martinez family gathering, a night Jenny would never forget. That was when she discovered that the girl she had cherished for more than a decade, the one she had raised under her roof, had hidden a mind far darker than Jenny could ever imagined.
Rachel had gone so far as to bribe one of the household staff, scheming to trigger Ryan's old illness, a plan meant to end Amelia's life.
That same night, Amelia had handed Jenny a handwritten letter, her birth mother's final words before she died. Jenny had read it in silence, the ink slicing through years of assumptions like a blade.
And only then had she understood, she had been living under the spell of Robert's charming lies. The resentment that had poisoned her heart had been misplaced. Rupert and Amelia had never deserved the weight of her anger.
The truth shattered her worldview. It was more than a revelation, it was a brutal kind of cleansing, a spiritual upheaval. Her hatred for Robert no longer needed words; it was enough to recognize the mistake she had made in trusting him. She had chosen wrong when she was young, and now she had no choice but to swallow the bitterness.
If the scandal ever broke, Robert's reputation would be the least of her concerns. What kept her awake at night was the thought of her five sons; how the shadow of a disgraceful father could stain them in the eyes of society.
As for Rachel, she was no longer worth a moment's thought. After what she had done, the law would deal with her. Prison was the only mercy Jenny could offer.
But Amelia; Amelia was the wound Jenny couldn't ignore.
From the moment Amelia had stepped into River City and crossed the threshold of the Martinez mansion, Jenny had greeted her with nothing but coldness.
And now, with the truth laid bare, she saw Amelia for what she was; innocent, and far more gracious than most. Since Amelia's arrival, her sons had changed, each in his own way. The house itself felt warmer, lighter.
It stirred something Jenny wasn't used to feeling; guilt.
Yet, pride was a hard habit to break. She had never bowed to anyone, let alone a teenage girl. So outwardly, she kept her usual distance. In private, she began to make changes.
She ordered the staff to install a full ventilation and moisture-control system in Amelia's old servant's room, replacing the mattress and linens with the finest materials available. She had always banned pets from the mansion, her mild allergy to cat fur made it nonnegotiable.
Amelia had learned this from Rachel and kept her cat, Shadow, confined to her room. When Jenny stumbled upon the animal one afternoon, she didn't send it away.
Instead, she had a premium cat bed and climbing frame delivered. When Amelia asked about it, Jenny claimed it was a gift from a friend, something she didn't want to waste. Amelia knew better, Jenny's friends didn't send random pet furniture.
She also called Donny, Amelia's homeroom teacher, instructing him to keep an eye on her and report anything unusual. Jenny understood all too well how students at elite schools treated those with less-than-perfect backgrounds, she had lived it herself.
And while Amelia now had a place in the Martinez mansion, the scandal Jenny had once fueled meant everyone in River City's upper circle knew she was an illegitimate child raised in the countryside.
Jenny feared that would make her a target, so she made sure someone was watching.
For instance, when Amelia was injured during riding class, Donny called Kevin first; and then Jenny. The moment she heard Amelia had fallen, she rang for the hospital's location and came straight here.
Now, with half the room's eyes on her, Jenny felt a rare flicker of unease.
Amelia didn't know Jenny had spoken to Donny, but she could guess. She had always been intuitive about these things. Her loyalties were absolute; if someone crossed her line, she would cut them out without hesitation; if she loved someone, she would guard them fiercely.
She hadn't read the letter herself, but Jenny's shift in behavior told her enough. There had been a misunderstanding in the past, and Amelia had noticed every quiet change Jenny had made which she kept in mind.
Jenny was not Rachel. Rachel's malice ran to the bone. Amelia had given her chances, but Rachel had used every one to hurt others, until there was nothing left but consequences. Jenny had her flaws, she was spoiled rotten, but she knew how to try and make amends.
When Jenny, almost without thinking, said "my own child," Amelia looked up.
Her eyes were clear, catching the light like glass, and a faint smile touched her lips. "Thank you."
The words were genuine. The smile was too.
It caught Jenny off guard. "Th... thank me for what?" she asked, her voice still carrying its usual edge, though something in her chest felt unexpectedly warm. She lifted her chin, deflecting. "Aren't you supposed to get that cast? Go on."
Orthopedics.
Chris's call had brought one of the younger orthopedic doctors to the exam room early. He had been waiting for some time, wondering why Chris hadn't arrived yet, when a knock finally sounded. He stood to greet them.
The door swung open, and for a moment he froze.
Amelia sat in a wheelchair, her expression cool, but she wasn't alone. Chris was thereand so were eight or nine others. Every head turned toward him in unison, and he swallowed hard.
Chris had said on the phone they were coming in for a cast. Since when did putting on a cast require an entourage?
Two of the men standing closest to Amelia looked like they belonged in boardrooms, not hospitals—both carried the kind of presence that made the air feel heavier.
"Chris," the doctor said, scratching at his temple. "This is the patient you mentioned?"
"Yeah, my sister. Hairline fracture in her lower leg. X-rays are here. I'll leave her in your hands."
Chris rolled the wheelchair forward, placing the film on the desk. The others followed, filling the space until the room felt smaller, the air thicker.
The doctor wiped at the sweat on his brow. The injury wasn't severe, that was a relief, but the atmosphere was anything but casual.
"Let's move her to the bed," he said as he stood. "I'll get the casting materials ready. We'll need to measure her leg first."
He had barely finished when Michael and Kevin both bent down at the same time, arms out, ready to lift her.