Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 161, 162, 163, 164 and 165)

Chapter 161

Seeing Fairlee walking up to her, Mabel became extremely anxious as it was the time when guests were arriving, and they were all getting out of their cars at the entrance.

Mabel thought that if Fairlee kicked her out in front of everyone, it would be beyond humiliating.

However, Yolanda remained composed as she understood the importance of maintaining politeness, greeting, “Ms. Lawrence, happy birthday. We felt increasingly sorry about the incident last time after we got home. We’ve been wanting to come and apologize in person, but Maria fell ill, and we’ve been swamped with other matters. So, today, we came not only to wish you a happy birthday but also to apologize for the incident with Barclay.

Yolanda subtly signaled Mabel with her eyes while Mabel quickly added upon catching on, “Ms. Lawrence, I’m sorry about what happened. Please don’t hold it against me as it was an unintentional mistake.”

Fairlee nearly gritted her teeth when she heard the words “unintentional mistake” but suppressed her hatred upon thinking of her plan with Janet, only replying with a smile, “What’s past is past. Why bring it up again! Surely you don’t think I’m the type to hold a grudge, do you?”

“Of course not,” Mabel and Yolanda said in unison, heaving a sigh of relief while thinking that their plan for today could proceed smoothly as long as Fairlee wasn’t holding a grudge.

On the other hand, Janet was growing restless as she scanned the area but couldn’t spot Melody, subconsciously feeling anxious.

Janet had gone to great lengths to set everything up, not just to help Fairlee and Barclay get revenge.

Thinking that all her efforts would be wasted if Melody didn’t show up, Janet couldn’t help but ask Mabel. “Mabel, didn’t you say that you brought your sister along, Where is she?”

Only then did Mabel remember that Melody was still in the car and just as she was about to call her down; she heard a cool voice behind her.

It was Melody saying.

Miss Murphy, you’re in such a hurry to me. What’s wrong?”

Mabel frowned before she turned around and complained, “Melody, why are you arriving so late? We’ve already apologized to Ms. Lawrence on your behalf.

Ignoring Mabel, Melody’s gaze fixed on Janet with a barely-there smile.

Staring unblinkingly at Janet, her smile seemed plastered on, making those who saw it feel uneasy.

Janet felt a chill run down her spine as if all her secrets had been laid bare, but she quickly regained her composure, feigning surprise. “Miss Melody, it’s you.”

Then, Janet continued while slapping her thigh in mock realization, “Oh my, you and Mabel both have the surname Fox, but I never thought you might be sisters.”

Mabel and Yolanda exchanged puzzled looks, and then Mabel asked in shock, “Miss Murphy, you know Melody?”

Janet replied, “Yes, we’ve met a few times.”

Melody’s eyes twinkled as she said meaningfully, “Yes, we became friends after some misunderstanding.”

Upon hearing Melody’s words, Janet’s face stiffened, almost losing her composure.

Feeling ignored, Fairlee coughed to draw Melody’s attention to her.

Yolanda timely interjected. “Melody, today is Ms. Lawrence’s birthday”

Melody smiled and said slowly, “Happy birthday, Ms. Lawrence, I’m sorry for what happened last time. By the way, has Barclay been discharged from the hospital?”

Fairlee’s forehead veins throbbed violently, and she replied through gritted teeth, “Thanks to you, he has been discharged.”

At this moment, a few newly arrived guests came over to greet Fairlee.

One began, “Ms. Lawrence, happy birthday.”

Another said. “May you grow younger with each passing year.”

“Thank you,” Fairlee said, her expression softening as she led the group inside.

At that moment, Janet suddenly linked arms with Melody and said softly. “Miss Melody, we had an argument recently, but sometimes initial clashes can pave the way for deeper friendship. Ken told me you’re a nice person, so if you don’t mind, let’s forget about the past and start over!

Melody’s expression remained unchanged as she replied calmly, “Sure, the past is just a misunderstanding and it’s all clear now.”

“You’re indeed a nice person, I thought you might still hold a grudge over what happened at the Silverlake Building,” Janet said while hugging more intimately with Melody.

Melody smiled sweetly, but her eyes glanced fleetingly at Janet’s hand before quickly looking away.

Soon, they were inside the villa.

Fairlee’s villa was a hillside property; although it wasn’t very large, it was impeccably maintained.

Melody looked up at the guests and recognized that those present today were all top–tier figures from various industries in Silverlake, all of them prominent leaders.

Although the Lawrence family was not particularly wealthy, these prominent figures still treated Fairlee respectfully due to her unique profession.

In truth, everyone present held a higher social standing than Fairlee, but since she was in the political field, these people flattered her even though they were worth much more than her.

Fairlee didn’t forget about Janet either, introducing her to the guests one by one, and when people learned about Janet’s identity, their focus shifted to her.

For a moment, Janet was the center of attention while Melody’s appearance and background were insignificant, soon being edged away from Mabel.

Compared to Janet, Melody’s looks and background were not presentable. She was quickly squeezed out of Mabel’s side.

Yolanda and Mabel had wandered off somewhere, leaving Melody completely alone.

But Melody didn’t seem to mind, calmly sipping champagne as if waiting for something.

Then, a commotion erupted from where Mabel was, with Yolanda’s voice rising. “How could such an important item go missing?”

Melody looked up as she thought, Here it comes.

Yolanda’s outburst naturally caught Fairlee’s attention, so Fairlee led Janet to walk towards Mabel.

“Mabel, what happened? Fairlee asked with concern.

Mabel discreetly pinched her thigh, causing her eyes to well up with tears as she stammered, “I…”

Standing beside Manel, Yolanda said at the right time, “Miss Murphy, we apologize, the gift you gave Mabel has suddenly disappeared. She had it pinned to her outfit just now.”

Janet recalled that Mabel had never worn any brooch from the start, but she didn’t expose Mabel; instead, she asked, “Mabel, did you lose the brooch I gave you?

Mabel nodded with a guilty expression. “Yes, that brooch you gifted meant too much to me, but now it’s suddenly gone.

Chapter 162

Janet was just about to inquire carefully when someone suddenly pushed her aside and asked concernedly, “Mabel, what did you lose” Realizing that it was Melody. Mabel looked up and met Melody’s cold, deep gaze.

Melody’s gaze sent chills down Mabel’s spine but the coldness disappeared in the blink of an eye, replaced by an expression full of calm.

Mabel wondered if she saw it wrongly, but before she could take a closer look, Melody grabbed her hand and began earnestly helping her search. “What are you doing?” Mabel subconsciously frowned.

Melody let go of Mabel’s hand and said innocently. “You lost something, so I’m helping you look for it. Brooches are so small that they can easily fall off, maybe it fell somewhere on your clothes.

knowing that brooches didn’t fall off that easily. Mabel smirked coldly inside as she foresaw that Melody would be known as a thief soon.

After Mabel gave Yolanda a look, Yolanda immediately stepped forward to pull Melody aside, while Yolanda’s hand inadvertently knocked against Melody’s head, causing Melody’s beret to fall to the ground.

Yolanda was filled with excitement while she quickly apologized before bending down to pick up Melody’s hat, adding, “Melody, I was afraid you might tear Mabel’s clothes, I’m sorry.”

Mabel also looked at the hat with anticipation because although the hat itself seemed usual, its lining was printed with dog patterns.

Janet had warned Mabel not to have anything related to dogs at this event because Fairlee’s mother had died of rabies after being bitten by a dog.

Now, as long as they turned the hat inside out to reveal the dog patterns, Melody would be finished because wearing a hat with dog patterns to Fairlee’s fortieth birthday celebration would be seen as a blatant provocation, and everyone would think Melody was an ignorant and malicious country bumpkin.

After apologizing for knocking off the hat, Yolanda picked the hat up and naturally turned it inside out, handing it back to Melody with the lining facing up.

She didn’t look at Melody or the hat but instead stared directly at Fairlee, believing that Fairlee would explode in anger soon

However, a few seconds passed, and Fairlee’s expression remained unchanged.

Yolanda thought. How could this be? Ain’t Fairlee supposed to erupt in anger upon seeing the hat.

Yolanda’s mind went blank for a moment, then she quickly looked at the hat, realizing the original dog pattern lining had somehow changed to a cat pattern.

Upon recalling their visit to Wilmot’s shop for styling, Yolanda instantly understood the situation and inwardly scolded Wilmot, determined to teach him a lesson after this.

While Yolanda seethed with anger, Mabel openly expressed her disbelief, exclaiming. “How is this possible?“

Melody put her hat back on and asked Mabel with a faint smile, “Mabel, what do you mean by how is this possible?”

With their plan failed, Mabel was both shocked and furious as she blurted out, “Your hat isn’t..

Yolanda quickly tagged on Mabel’s sleeve and said, “Mabel, now is not the time to worry about whether Melody’s hat is straight, let’s find the brooch Miss Murphy gave you first.”

Yolanda smiled gently, and with just one sentence, she explained Mabel’s lapse due to her concern for Melody’s hat.

The crowd couldn’t help but look approvingly at Mabel, feeling that she was a girl with good character as she was still concerned about Melody’s appearance even when she had lost something.

Reminded by Yolanda, Mabel quickly regained her composure and masked all her emotions, comforting herself inwardly, ‘It’s fine, the hat trick failed, but there’s still the brooch. Thank goodness that Mom is smart enough to set up multiple traps:

Thinking this, Mabel pretended to help Melody adjust her hat and then looked at Melody’s chest, feeling fortunate that the brooch was still the same one she had pinned earlier.

Mabel heaved a sigh of relief as she thought, It’s just a coincidence earlier, Melody is so stupid, so how will she figure out our plan?

The next second, Mabel pretended to be surprised and pointed to Melody’s chest. “Melody, why is my brooch on you?”

Melody looked puzzled as she asked, “Mabel, what brooch are you talking about?”

Mabel was focused on her act and didn’t notice the fleeting cold glint in Melody’s eyes.

The brooch on your chest is the brooch that I lost,” Mabel said with an aggrieved and forbearing expression. “Melody, if you wanted something of mine, you could have just asked as I would give you anything. But this brooch was a gift from Miss Murphy, how could you take a gift given to me by someone else?”

Melody looked like an innocent deer, pointing to the brooch, saying, “Mabel you must be mistaken. This brooch was given to me by someone else, it’s not yours

Yolanda stepped forward at the right moment, her face stern. “Melody, why are you still lying at this point? I regret bringing you back from the countryside. When did you start this habit of stealing? You’re simply disgraceful.”

Despite Yolanda’s accusations, Melody’s expression remained unchanged as she continued to explain innocently. “This is my brooch and I didn’t take Mabel’s.”

Upon hearing this, Yolanda vaguely sensed something was wrong, wondering why Melody wasn’t even clarifying that the brooch had been pinned on her by Mabel earlier.

Chapter 163

If Melody were to say that the brooch was a gift from Mabel, then both Mabel and Yolanda could claim that Melody not only stole but also lied shamelessly.

However, since Melody merely explained that it was her brooch, could it be that the brooch, like the hat, was swapped by Melody!

Just as Yolanda was about to find an excuse to let the matter slide, Mabel had already pulled Janet over and said, “Miss Murphy, Melody insists that the brooch is hers, but it’s truly the one you gave me. Could you help us identify it?”

Janet had anticipated that Mabel would use this tactic against Melody, so she stepped forward without hesitation, glancing at the brooch on Melody’s chest before firmly declaring, “This is indeed the gift I gave to Mabel, Miss Melody, not only did you take the brooch, but you brazenly wore it yourself, that’s too much.”

Janet’s tone was calm, but her words were sharp, each one accusing Melody of stealing the brooch she had given to Mabel and shamelessly wearing

For a moment, the guests looked at Melody with disdain and began whispering among themselves.

A person remarked, “How shameless, not only did she steal, but she also wore it openly. I’ve never seen someone like that?

One softly commented, “The Fox sisters are like night and day, while Mabel is the Best Celebrity in Silverlake, Melody is a thief.

A guest said, “Everyone knew about Wilona’s impeccable character back then, how could she have a daughter like this? Maybe the Fox family made a mistake and Melody isn’t the biological daughter?

Another agreed. “I think so too, Wilona’s daughter couldn’t possibly be this dishonest.

The guest’s comments were loud enough for Melody to hear clearly, but she pretended not to hear them, only looking at Janet meaningfully.

“Miss Murphy, you only took a glance, how can you be so certain that this brooch is the one I stole from Mabel and not my own?” Melody’s expression was calm as she spoke, even smiling faintly.

Melody’s smile made Janet uneasy, and this uneasiness fueled Janet’s annoyance towards Melody even more, determined to claim Melody as the thief to make her understand the harsh realities of society.

Janet glanced towards Fairlee, who immediately understood and exclaimed. “My bracelet is missing too.

Janet widened her eyes in surprise and asked, “Ms. Lawrence, could it be the bracelet I gave you, worth over millions of dollars?”

Fairlee anxiously replied, “Yes, that’s the one.”

“How could this be?” Janet murmured before suddenly looking at Melody while the guests also followed her lead and turned their eyes towards Melody.

Feeling confused, Yolanda wondered if it was a coincidence or something else, but then she gritted her teeth, making up her mind to label Melody as a thief no matter what.

Hence, with this resolve, Yolanda stepped forward and accused, “Melody, did you not only steal Mabel’s brooch but also Ms. Lawrence’s bracelet? Do you have any shame left!

Yolanda’s face was red with anger as if she were truly reprimanding her unruly daughter.

Watching Yolanda scold Melody, Fairlee felt immensely satisfied and exchanged a glance with Janet, who gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Then, Fairlee sighed and said, “Forget it, although the bracelet is expensive, I can buy one more. It would be terrible to ruin the harmony between our families over this. Mrs. Fox, I forgive her, but please talk to her properly after the party as such petty theft habits should not be practiced in Silverlake.”

Melody hadn’t had a chance to speak, now that Fairlee spoke and Yolanda paused her scolding, it allowed Melody to finally say, “Ms. Lawrence, thank you for your generosity, but I must clarify that I did not take your bracelet, I don’t even know what it looks like, so I don’t need your forgiveness.”

Fairlee was about to speak when Janet lightly tapped her from behind, and this was their prearranged signal which meant not to speak.

Just as Fairlee wondered why she should miss such an opportunity, she heard Yolanda say in a high–pitched voice, “We’ve caught you red–handed with evidence, yet you still refuse to admit it? Melody, are you trying to drive me mad? If you don’t confess right now, I have no choice but to turn you over to the police and let them discipline you properly”

Inwardly. Mabel was ecstatic, thinking. “Turn her over to the police, immediately send liar to the police!

However, knowing that she couldn’t reveal her thoughts, Mabel lowered her head, looking deeply disappointed in Melody

Seeing this, Janet patted Mabel’s shoulder and comforted, “Mabel, don’t be sad; turning her over to the police is for her good.”

Mabel nodded sorrowfully, a tear falling just at the right moment.

Melody watched this with a cold smile, then indifferently said, “Evidence! Did you or Mabel see me stealing, or find the missing items on me?

Thinking that Melody must be so panicked that she wasn’t thinking straight. Yolanda then grabbed the brooch from Melody’s chest and said. “The brooch Mabel lost appeared on you and this is evidence. What else do you have to say!”

“I said, this brooch is mine, not the one Miss Murphy gave to Mabel Melody’s voice remained composed while her expression didn’t change much, only her faint smile deepened.

Upon hearing this. Yolanda couldn’t help but feel anxious as if she were hanging in the air.

Melody’s gaze bypassed Yolanda, landing on Janet. “Miss Murphy, as the original owner of the brooch, are you sure this is the one you gave to Mabel?

Janet hesitated for a moment, not immediately responding because she was smart enough to sense something was off

Reaching out to take the brooch from Yolanda, Jane examined it closely and found out that there were letters “LD” engraved on the smooth back of the brooch, but the one she gave to Mabel had no engravings.

A look of surprise involuntarily appeared on Janet’s face as she wondered what was going on, thinking. Isn’t Mabel supposed to use the brooch I gave her to frame Melody? Why this brooch isn’t the one I had given Mabel”

Noticing Janet’s unusual expression, Yolanda’s heart skipped a beat as she asked in a hoarse voice, “Miss Murphy, this brooch..”

Janet closed her eyes briefly, her mind racing with countless possible responses before finally opened her eyes.

Chapter 164

There was a hint of apology in Janet’s eyes as she said to Melody under Yolanda’s questioning gaze, “I apologize, Miss Melody, I didn’t look closely earlier. This brooch is the same style as the one I gave to Mabel, but it’s not the one I gave her. It was our mistake, Miss Melody”

Yolanda held her breath instantly as she thought. How could my second plan fail as well! How did Melody discover it? Did she guess my plan from the very beginning! No, that’s impossible, there’s no way Melody could be this clever.

Clinging to her last hope, Yolanda asked Janet. “Miss Murphy, are you sure this isn’t the brooch you gave Mabel?”

Janet maintained an apologetic smile and said. “Yes, I’m sure.”

Janet wished she could say it was the one she gave Mabel, but seeing how calmly Melody was handling things, she couldn’t be sure there wasn’t another trap waiting.

Instead of letting people suspect she was in cahoots with Mabel and Yolanda, Janet thought it was better to temporarily let Melody off the hook because her reputation was much more important than Melody’s.

With Janet’s response, Yolanda and Mabel’s faces turned very ugly.

They had already thought that Melody might not be easy to deal with, which was why they set up two traps but they didn’t expect Melody to avoid the first one and even swap out the brooch in advance.

Yolanda’s mind was already in chaos, but she managed to hold it together and forced a smile, saying, ‘Melody, I made a mistake, and I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. But it was all for your good as I fear you might have picked up some bad habits in the countryside. I believe you won’t blame me, right!

Melody responded meaningfully. “Yolanda, most people in the countryside are quite simple and honest, it’s the big cities where you find more pickpockets.”

Yolanda didn’t understand what Melody meant, but Melody couldn’t be bothered to explain and walked straight up to Mabel.

Mabel was not as good at hiding her emotions as Yolanda, so her feelings were displayed on her face, which was a mix of disbelief, unwillingness, anger, and confusion.

As Melody suddenly approached her. Mabel was startled and quickly tried to hide her expression when she heard Melody ask calmly. “Mabel, why do you seem so surprised that the brooch I’m wearing isn’t the one you lost?”

“I am not.” Mabel blushed with anxiety.

Yolanda frowned and stood up for Mabel, saying, “Melody, what are you trying to do? Mabel is just anxious because she can’t find the brooch.

“Really? You’re not feeling guilty, are you?” Melody asked Mabel again.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Yolanda’s face darkened.

Mabel also argued back. “Why would I feel guilty!”

Melody calmly said, “That’s something you should ask yourself. Why do you feel guilty, and why are you so surprised?”

Mabel replied loudly, “I’m not!”

“Are you not? Then I must have misunderstood. Sorry, Mabel. I think you wouldn’t mind my misunderstanding, just as I don’t mind Yolanda’s misunderstanding of me, right?” Melody smiled apologetically and linked arms with Mabel.

Mabel found Melody’s closeness very repulsive, but at this critical moment, she couldn’t show discord between them and could only force a smile, nodding. “Yes, I don’t mind.”

However, in the next moment, she felt Melody’s fingers press on a main point on her arm.

Then, Mabel gasped in pain, her hand lost strength, and the purse she was holding fell to the ground.

Just as she was about to question why Melody pinched her, she saw two shiny items slide out of the fallen purse; one was the brooch she had personally pinned on Melody’s cloth, and the other was a diamond bracelet.

Mabel’s eyes widened in shock as she didn’t have such a bracelet, and then an ominous feeling spread throughout her body, making her scalp tingle.

She instinctively wanted to step on it to hide it, but it was too late as Melody had already picked up the bracelet from the ground, holding it in her hand while examining it in confusion

Melody remarked, “Mabel, I don’t remember that you have such a bracelet. Could this bracelet be Ms. Lawrence?”

Fairlee was also shocked as she thought, “Didn’t Janet say she had put it on Melody? Why is the bracelet in Mabel’s purse?”

As everyone’s eyes were on Fairlee, she couldn’t exchange glances with Janet, only pretending to be angry while questioning. “Mabel, how did my lost bracelet end up in your purse??

Since both daughters of the Fox family were accomplices in Barclay’s injury and hospitalization, Fairlee felt that framing either one would be the best solution.

Fairlee naturally looked fierce, so when she frowned, her aggressive look seared Mabel so much that Mabel forgot to defend herself.

Not expecting Fairlee’s lost bracelet to be found on Mabel, Yolanda was shocked and quickly stepped in to defend Mabel, smiling apologetically. “Ms. Lawrence, there must be some misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?” Fairlee picked up the bracelet before asking Yolanda, “Is this what you call a misunderstanding? Did my bracelet grow wings and fly into your daughter’s purse?”

“Well Just as Yolanda was about to speak, Melody suddenly stepped in front of Mabel to face Fairlee. “Ms. Lawrence, Mabel is young and ignorant. please don’t send her to the police station. I believe this is her first time doing something like this and I hope you can forgive her just this once, please?

This dramatic plea made Melody secretly give herself a thumbs–up.

On the other hand, Mabel couldn’t stay calm anymore and burst out. “Melody, shut up. I didn’t take the bracelet.

Mabel hated Melody so much that she wanted to strangle her right now.

“Mabel!” Yolanda gave Mabel a warning look, then turned coldly to Melody.

In these few minutes, Yolanda had completely understood that the bracelet must have been placed in Mabel’s purse by Melody.

Yolanda and Mabel had planned to frame Melody, but instead, they were outwitted.

However, they had no evidence, and due to the brooch incident, they had already lost everyone’s trust.

Thinking that it would only make things worse and cause an even bigger joke if she accused Melody now, Yolanda had no choice but to endure it, trying to brush this off.

Feeling deeply troubled or anxious, Yolanda’s gaze was piercing as if it could cut like daggers, then she whispered to Melody so only the two of them could hear, “Bitch, you’ll pay for what you did today.”

Melody heard Yolanda’s threat and smirked coldly in her heart, thinking that if it weren’t for her to turn the tables and falsely accuse Mabel, Yolanda and Mabel would not have spared her.

Melody decided to not let them off the hook easily because she knew that if Yolanda and Mabel managed to frame her for stealing something earlier, her fate would be a thousand times worse than Mabel’s.

Melody was no longer the person she is, in her past life and would never be defeated by them so easily.

While this was just Melody’s small warning to Yolanda and Mabel, she would make them suffer severe consequences of framing her.

Chapter 165

As Yolanda and Melody met eyes, it felt like they had clashed countless times before, but to onlookers, it was merely a brief two-second stare “Yolanda, why are you looking at me like that?” Melody averted her eyes, tilting her head toward Fairlee, signaling Yolanda. “Yolanda, please help Mabel plead for mercy as the bracelet isn’t cheap. What if Ms. Lawrence sends her to the police station?”

Yolanda was so infuriated that her head buzzed, feeling as if her blood was flowing backward.

Gritting her teeth, Yolanda tried to ignore Melody and turned to Fairlee. “Ms. Lawrence, I apologize sincerely as we didn’t know the bracelet belonged to you when we found it accidentally. Not recognizing its value, we initially planned to hand it over to the butler after the birthday party, never expecting it to be yours. Although it’s just a misunderstanding, it is still our fault.”

Her words were so sincere that it almost seemed like they found the bracelet.

Beside her, Mabel was even more emotional, her tears flowing effortlessly out of genuine fear, worrying that her reputation might be destroyed.

However, no matter how earnest Yolanda and Mabel were, Fairlee remained unmoved.

Fairlee felt that if Mabel hadn’t seduced Barclay back then, Barclay wouldn’t have done such a stupid thing to Melody, hence, her eyes darkened as she mercilessly spoke. “Yolanda, don’t you think your explanation is too weak? Everyone initially thought Melody stole the bracelet, and I chose to forgive her because it was merely theft. But you! Your daughter stole something, and instead of correcting her, you tried to make Melody take the blame. Theft plus framing was something I won’t forgive easily

Yolanda tried to explain, “Ms. Lawrence.”

However, Fairlee raised her hand to cur Yolanda off. “No more explanations. From now on the Fox family is no longer welcome at the Lawrence residence. I won’t call the police this time but as a warning. I’ll inform the organizers of the Best Celebrity contest to reconsider Mabel’s eligibility.”

Hearing this, even Yolanda’s face turned pale and her legs trembled because she had been counting on Mabel to win this year’s Best Celebrity and marry into the Swanson family.

Knowing Mabel might lose her eligibility, Yolanda abandoned all pride and grabbed Fairlee’s arm while saying, “Ms. Lawrence, please listen to me”

At the same time, Yolanda signaled Mabel to plead with Janet because Janet was Fairlee’s guest of honor and her words would surely carry weight.

Mabel understood Yolanda’s intention and quickly approached Janet. “Miss Murphy, for the sake of our friendship, please help me to explain. I swear I didn’t steal the bracelet”

Janet brushed off Mabel’s hand coldly and said with a regretful expression. “Mabel, I thought since you won the Best Celebrity last year, you would be excelling in both character and academies, but you’ve deeply disappointed me. From now on, we are no longer friends”

Janet’s voice was always harsh, her words fell heavily, hitting Mabel straight in the heart.

Suddenly, Mabel thought of something and sharply turned to look at Janet, saying, “It’s you, this was all your plan, wasn’t it? What exactly are you trying to do? We have no grievances or grudges, but why are you trying to harm me?”

Janet narrowed her eyes her expression darkening as she turned to Fairlee. “Ms. Lawrence, since today’s party has been ruined by the Fox family. I see no reason to continue.”

Upon hearing Janet’s words, Fairlee nodded and apologetically sent off the guests.

As the guests couldn’t wait to share the gossip that Silverlake’s Best Celebrity was a thief, they dispersed on their own without needing further prompting from Fairlee.

Once the guests were gone, Fairlee’s expression turned cold as she addressed the three remaining guests. “How dare you stay here? Security, come and escort them out. From now on, if they show up, chase them away every time.”

Fairlee wanted them to understand the serious consequences of offending the Lawrence family.

“No need. I’ll leave on my own, Melody said softly, casting a deep glance at Janet before striding out.

Janet felt a chill as if she had been plunged into an ice cave because she was sure that Melody understood Mabel’s previous words.

Janet regretted underestimating Melody and allowing her to escape unscathed, hence she decided to devise a new plan to deal with Melody quickly.

Melody left, but Yolanda refused to go and clutched Fairlee’s sleeve, saying, “Ms. Lawrence, with no one around, I’ll be straightforward. We never noticed the bracelet, let alone stole it.”

Mabel nodded vigorously, “Yes, Ms. Lawrence, Melody framed me by slipping the bracelet into my purse when I wasn’t paying attention.”

Fairlee chuckled lowly. “Yolanda, do you think you’re the smartest person in the world!”

Yolanda was momentarily stunned before realizing the implication of Fairlee’s words, her vision darkened and if Mabel hadn’t quickly caught her,

she would have fainted and fallen on the floor.

Mabel asked, “Mom, are you okay?”

Yolanda shook her head and grabbed Mabel’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Mabel was confused. “Go? But…

“Go Yolanda’s tone hardened.

Mabel was shocked and did not dare to say anything else, only supporting Yolanda to leave.

After walking out of the villa, Mabel could not help but ask again, “Mom, we haven’t explained clearly yet, why are we leaving just like that?” Yolanda let out a bitter laugh. “Mabel, you’re still too young. Fairlee knows Melody planted the bracelet.”

“Then why did she..” Mabel began to understand halfway through her sentence. “So she’s colluding with Janet and taking revenge on us for what happened with Barclay.”

Yolanda lowered her eyes, biting her lip as she thought, I can’t accept this

Yolanda felt utterly defeated as she had come in with high hopes but was now leaving in disgrace due to being outsmarted by Janet, whom she had underestimated

“I was too hasty.” Yolanda said in frustration “Why did I rush? If I had waited until Maria died and brought down Wilmot, Melody would have been isolated with no one helping. Why did I act now! I’m foolish.”

Mabel felt terrible when she saw this, blaming herself while saying, “Mom, stop talking. It’s all my fault, making us fall into someone else’s trap.”

Yolanda shook her head and was too upset to speak, but she didn’t blame Mabel, only angry with herself for being too hasty

After this lesson, she would need to pull many strings to ensure Mabel could still participate in the Silverlake Best Celebrity contest.

Now, Yolanda finally experienced the pain of shooting herself in the foot.

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