Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 171, 172, 173, 174 and 175)

Chapter 171

Hearing Wilmot’s words, Melody was slightly stunned.

She thought, ‘Is Wilmot confessing to me? But that’s impossible, clearly haven’t restored my appearance yet. There’s no way he’d have feelings for me with such looks. In my previous life, I was back in Silverlake for two years, and apart from Ulric’s purposeful advances, no man confessed to me.”

She really did not know how to respond to such a confession.

After thinking about it, Melody bit her lower lip and said, “Wilmot, I’m really not worthy of you in my current looks, so I’m very sorry. But I’m willing to continue being a friend to you and Shane. I’m very sorry. I really… can’t reciprocate your feelings.

She had too much to do, and a lot of it was dangerous. She didn’t want to involve anyone who genuinely cared about her.

Besides, she had always treated Wilmot as a friend and had even used him. She had never considered romantic feelings between them.

She was touched, but feelings could not be forced, even if she really liked Shane.

Wilmot’s eyes darkened, and the last bit of light gradually dissipated.

But it all ended there. His feelings for Melody were merely fondness, not love. After all, they had only known each other for less than a month, and the number of times they had met was few and far between.

However, disappointment was inevitable.

“Okay, Wilmot said. Ending the conversation without further elaboration, he waved and said, “Goodbye, Melody.”

Although the way he addressed her had been reverted, the feeling was completely different now.

“Goodbye, Melody said.

She watched Wilmot get into the car. She only looked away when the car completely disappeared into the traffic.

As she turned around, she was surprised to see Ken standing at the door and looking at her.

She could not quite understand the meaning of his gaze. It seemed to carry a hint of puzzlement mixed with a sense of inquiry.

‘But what is he puzzled about? she thought. ‘And what is he trying to figure out?

Melody smirked and asked bluntly, “Mr. Swanson, it turns out that your hobby is listening in on other people’s conversations, huh?”

But Ken was not angry. He spread his hands and said, “Who said I was listening in on your conversations? I just came out to get some fresh air. If that’s considered listening, I was listening openly.”

He had a look of absolute denial.

Melody simply asked, “What did you hear?”

Ken did not hide anything and said truthfully, “I started listening in on your convo from the point he confessed to you.”

Mélody muttered inwardly, ‘So, that means he didn’t overhear Wilmot say he was jealous, right?”

After being conflicted for two seconds, she decided to forget what Wilmot had said. She said to Ken expressionlessly, “Call me after you finish your work in the afternoon. I’ll go with you to the Swanson family’s home.”

Just as she was about to leave after speaking, Ken called out to her to stop her from leaving and said arrogantly, “Give me your WhatsApp account.”

Melody gave him a puzzled look.

He met her puzzled gaze and said, “It’s too much trouble to call.

Melody did not overthink things. She quickly added Ken on WhatsApp. Then, she hailed a taxi and left.

Meanwhile, inside the restaurant, executives from Taynorma Capital exchanged glances around the table.

From the moment Ken entered, the presence he exuded was especially terrifying, especially after coming back from the restroom.

Those who didn’t know might have thought he had finished eating someone in the restroom.

Seeing Ken walk out of the restroom and head straight for the exit, several executives instinctively wanted to follow him, but they were stopped by Owen.

Several people asked in confusion, “Owen, he left just like that. We’re not going to chase after him, huh? He doesn’t take us seriously at all!”

Yes. He’s the same age as my son, but he’s even more arrogant than his dad!”

“Shut up, all of you!” Owen scolded coldly. “I don’t think he left just like that. He won’t be so disrespectful to us.”

“Why did he suddenly go out then…

“I don’t know either, but I figure he will definitely come back, Owen said. He sensed that Ken’s state today seemed to be related to the people at the table where he went to ask about the dishes.

He thought, “But whether it’s related to Wilmot or the ugly woman, I don’t know!

As he spoke, footsteps could be heard at the door.

Everyone quickly looked up.

It was Ken. He had returned.

“Mr. Swanson,” Owen said. He immediately put on a smile and stood up, clearly sensing that Ken’s cold demeanor had significantly softened.

He thought, “Wilmot and that woman went out earlier as well. Could it be that Ken’s mood really has something to do with them? I have to investigate this matter properly when I return.

He concealed his thoughts and asked with a smile, “Is the restaurant too stuffy, so you went out for some fresh air?”

“Mhm,” Ken replied. He then bent forward and returned to his seat.

As he sat down, the table immediately fell silent.

His gaze swept across the dining table, noticing that the table was filled with dishes that children loved, such as sundaes, fried eggs, and custard tarts. For a moment, he could not control the expression on his face.

“Ahem…” He covered his nose and coughed. “The weather is hot. No one seems to have much of an appetite. Since that’s the case… why don’t we move to a cafe to discuss things?”

The group of people had been staring at the children’s set meal on the table for a long time and could not sit still anymore. They agreed enthusiastically, saying. “Mr. Swanson is right. This place isn’t suitable for discussing serious matters. Let’s go to a nearby cafe.

Owen couldn’t wait to go to a quieter place. He immediately made a reservation at a nearby cafe and ordered snacks for everyone. It was past mealtime, and everyone was hungry. It was just that they were too embarrassed to dig into that “kids‘ meal” across from them.

Soon, the group of people moved to the cafe.

On the other side, Melody hailed a cab and headed toward Zacks’s house. While she was heading there, she sent a message to James, asking him to go straight to Zack’s house.

She had to quickly send the medicine over to Ford after his meal. She didn’t have that much time to waste.

On the way, a notification popped up on her phone.

She glanced at it and saw that it was a greeting message from Ken.

His WhatsApp name was simple. It was just his name, which was Ken Swanson. As for his profile picture, it was the default gray silhouette of a person’s head and shoulders. His WhatsApp status was innocuous. He had only reposted some industry news and nothing else.

He really just treated WhatsApp as a communication tool.

Melody turned off the screen of her phone, closed her eyes, and prepared to rest for a while.

However, her phone rang again.

She glanced downward and saw that it was a WhatsApp message from Ken.

[I have a brokerage meeting at three in the afternoon. After it ends, I’ll go to my own company to inspect. James will bring you over then. We’ll meet there and head to the Swanson family’s home to see Grandma.]

Ken’s message was quite lengthy. Melody took a moment to digest it. She felt that this was not about discussing the meeting time, but more like… a husband reporting his schedule to his wife.

She thought, Wait. What am I even overthinking about?

She reached out and knocked her head.

“We’re about to get a divorce soon after marriage, yet here I am thinking about us as a married couple, she thought. I’m truly out of my mind.”

It was all because of Wilmor’s words that her mind started to become chaotic.

She forced herself to focus and not let her imagination run wild. She briefly replied to Ken’s message. [Okay.] Then, she stopped looking at her phone, closed her eyes seriously, and took a nap.

But the more one wanted to fall asleep quickly, the harder it became to actually doze off.

She simply opened her eyes and started writing the prescription to treat Beverly’s stomach cancer on her phone.

Chapter 172

Although Melody had learned more about traditional medicine from her master, she preferred to treat cancer with modern medicine.

However. Beverly’s cancer was still in its early stages, so it was more appropriate to treat it with a combination of traditional medicine and modern medicine.

Just as she finished writing the prescription for treatment, the taxi arrived at Herbathrive. After picking up the medicine, she returned to the car and gave the driver Zack’s address.

About half an hour later, the car stopped again.

Melody put away the pen and paper and got out of the car. He bumped into James, who had just parked the car.

She took the initiative to greet him, saying, “Hey, you’re here.”

During this period of spending time with him. Melody sensed that James was a reliable person, albeit with an awkward personality.

He seemed to be quite appreciative of her, but he often put on an expression of disgust. “What exactly is he feeling awkward about?‘ she thought, still unable to figure out.

After greeting him, she saw James once again put on a look of strong dislike. With a grim expression, he questioned, “Miss Fox, what schemes are you plotting against Mr. Ken behind my back again?”

“Schemes?” Melody asked in puzzlement, “Why would you say that? I didn’t do anything to him. On the contrary, he almost caused me to lose a friend.”

James asked in disbelief, “You said you didn’t do anything. Why did Mr. Ken ask you to go to his company then?”

“What’s wrong with going to the company?” Melody said, feeling even more puzzled. “It’s not my first time going there. you forget the last time I went? Janet and you were both there that day.”

James looked at her in shock and said, “Are you talking about the Swanson Group’s headquarters?”

“Of course, duh,” Melody said.

Upon hearing this, James fell silent.

He thought, “The company that Mr. Ken wants me to bring Melody to is a branch in Silverlake of the tech company he secretly founded, but Melody seems genuinely unaware. Plus, she looks confused. She doesn’t seem like she’s pretending. He could not help but mutter inwardly. Could it be that I’ve misunderstood Melody?‘

“Forget it,” he said as he waved. “Important matters take priority. Let’s go to Zack’s house first.”

Melody looked baffled, but she did not overthink things. She just chalked it up to his ‘awkwardness acting up again, so she put this matter at the back of her mind and walked toward unit 415, carrying the medicine bag which was still warm.

Ford, who had always welcomed her at the entrance of the alley was not there. Melody found it a little strange, but she did not dwell on it. She walked to the door and knocked, saying, “Ford! It’s Melody. I’m here!*

However, the door was tightly shut, and no one came out to open it.

She couldn’t help but mutter, “That’s strange…

‘Ford has a bad back and walks slowly, but things aren’t so bad that he doesn’t even open the door after five minutes have passed, she thought.

“Could it be that he’s taking a nap!” she said.

She reached out and knocked on the door with her palm again.

This time, the door of the house next door opened, and an old man walked out with a handheld fan.

“Young lady, are you looking for Ford?” he asked.

Melody quickly nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m looking for Ford. Is he not at home?”

The old man shook his handheld fan and said, “He moved out yesterday. It seems like he won’t be coming back to stay for now.

Melody’s heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding rising with her,

She hurriedly walked forward and asked carefully, “Sir, can you tell me why Ford suddenly moved out?”

The old man said. “Um… I’m not entirely sure about it either. But I heard them arguing, saying something about liars… Ford was then forcefully taken away by his grandson. Even his luggage was parked this morning by some people they called over. Neither of them showed up.”

He rambled on. “That luggage took two trucks to transport! Those people took so much stuff. It’s uncertain when both of them will come back. Maybe they’ll never come back.”

His speech was somewhat incoherent. Melody managed to grasp it with some effort. She then bowed to thank him.

“Thank you,” she said. “We got it.” As she spoke, she took out a pen and paper from her handbag, quickly wrote down her cell phone number, and handed the paper along with a twenty–dollar bill to the old man.

“Sir, if they move back, can you give me a call?” she said. “My number is written on this piece of paper. Also, this 20 dollars is my reward for you.

“Ah, well…” The old man refused for a while, then nimbly accepted the money. I’ll definitely call you first thing once they move back”

Melody said. “Okay. Thank you, Sir,”

She said goodbye to the old man and turned to leave the alley.

The moment she walked out of the alley, she and James spoke almost simultaneously.

“Zack has found out,” she said.

“Zack has found out, James said.

The two of them were stunned for a moment. They quickly exchanged glances, confirming that Zack had found out about her secretly treating Ford.

Melody could not help but turn around anxiously. She asked while pondering. “Only a few of us know about this matter. Given Ford’s personality, there’s no way he would tell Zack. How exactly did Zack find out about this?”

“Yeah…” James was about to continue when he suddenly remembered that he had mentioned it to Janet two days ago at the Swanson Group’s headquarters.

He guessed inwardly, ‘Could it be… Miss Murphy?‘

But he quickly berated himself inwardly for overthinking things. There’s no way Miss Murphy would tell Zack about this,”

he thought. ‘Melody is trying to poach Zack for the sake of Mr. Ken. Miss Murphy always acts in the best interest of Mr. Ken, so there’s no way she would secretly tell Zack just because she doesn’t get along with Melody. But how exactly did Zack know?

James was deep in thought when he suddenly looked up and saw Melody staring straight at him.

His heart skipped a beat, feeling inexplicably guilty. He stammered, “Miss, Miss Fox, why are you looking at me? I didn’t tell Zack

“I know it’s not you,” Melody said as she squinted and said seriously. “Other than you, me, and Ford, is there anyone else who knows about me treating Zack’s grandpa?”

She did not even tell Ken about that matter because the plan had not been completed. There was no need to take credit in advance, so there was no need to explain in detail.

James swallowed his saliva and said, “Mr. Ken knows too.”

Melody was silent for a moment, thinking, ‘Ken really needs to poach Zack. He is not someone who would secretly sabotage: me just because he doesn’t like me. He’s not sneaky in his actions, and he won’t reveal it to Zack. Who’s the person that tells Zack then?”

Melody asked again, “Other than Ken, who else knows about it?”

James instinctively shook his head and said, “No one else.”

Melody said. “Then…”

“Miss Fox!” James interrupted Melody. “It serves no purpose in thinking about who revealed it. It doesn’t matter who revealed it. The most important thing now is what we should do next. Do you need me to use the power of the black market to find Zack’s current residence?”

“It’s okay,” Melody said, shaking her head and refusing I know Zack well. He moved out because he was guarding against me. If I go to his house rashly, it will only backfire.”

“What should we do then?” James asked.

Melody was silent for two seconds before saying, “Wait.”

Chapter 173

James asked in puzzlement, “Wait? What are waiting for?”

“Wait for Ford to come looking for me,” Melody said. T’ve been coming here every day recently, and I believe it hasn’t been in vain. It’s just that waiting is not the best way to solve the problem… After pausing for a moment, she added, “I’ll look for Zack directly tomorrow.”

James was shocked. “You’re going to look for him?” he said. “He probably won’t want to see you, right?”

“Not necessarily. Melody said with a faint smile. “Don’t underestimate a woman’s abilities.

“A woman’s abilities?” James said, involuntarily glancing at Melody up and down.

He thought. If it were Miss Murphy, Zack would probably fall for the honey trap. But if it’s Melody… forget it. Zack not being scared into having nightmares is considered a good outcome. There’s no denying that when it comes to looks, Miss Murphy completely outshines Miss Fox.

Melody could guess what James was thinking from his expression, but she couldn’t be bothered to explain. She immediately called James to drive off to Herbathrive.

The car soon arrived at the entrance of Herbathrive. She asked James to wait outside while she walked toward

As soon as Melody entered. David welcomed her enthusiastically like a puppy wagging its tail.

He said. “Miss Fox! Has the medicine been delivered?”

Melody nodded noncommittally and went straight to the backyard, where she found Beverly.

Beverly was in a much better mood than that day. She even smiled gently when she saw Melody. “Hey Melody, you’re here,” she said. “Colin just mentioned you earlier.”

Melody sat down opposite Beverly. After routinely taking Beverly’s pulse, she asked, “Mr. Herbert has been mentioning me. Where is he?”

“He went to buy groceries for me, saying he wants to nourish my stomach through diet first,” Beverly said.

As soon as she finished speaking, Colin returned.

Melody did not waste any words. She immediately handed the prescription she had written to Colin.

Colin hurriedly took it. After reading the prescription, his eyes seemed to glow as he looked at her.

He said. “Miss Fox, you, you’re amazing… Truly worthy of being the student whom Mr. Parker highly favors! This prescription of yours is not much different from the prescription I wrote myself, but the few extra medicinal herbs you wrote are simply the finishing touch! The efficacy of this prescription immediately improves!”

Colin’s tone was incredibly excited, his voice even trembling-

Beverly, who was beside them, did not know medicine, but hearing Colin say that made her happy too. After all, this prescription would be used to save her life.

“Miss Fox, I didn’t expect you to be so talented at such a young age,” Colin said. “I’m really not worthy of you calling me “Master If you don’t mind, I’ll call you “Master‘ from now on.”

Melody said helplessly. “Mr. Herbert, I’m going to be really bashful if you call me that. Besides, when I was by my master’s side in the past, I only learned theoretical knowledge. Most of the time, I watched him practice. My practical skills are not as good as yours. I hope you won’t be stingy with sharing and will teach me more in the future.”

Beverly liked Melody a lot, thinking. This young girl is very capable, yet she is good–tempered and humble.

She smiled at Colin and Melody, saying, “You two don’t have to insist on calling each other Master. Melody, from now on, you can call him ‘Colin‘, and he’ll call you ‘Melody. As for me, you can call me Bev. No one should be called ‘Master.

This form of address was very intimate. Melody couldn’t wait to get closer to her talent spotter in Silverlake during her previous life. She immediately agreed.

After chatting for a while. Beverly felt a little sleepy and went to rest.

Melody stopped smiling and said seriously, “After checking Bev’s pulse carefully this time, I found that her physical condition is very frail, prone to internal chills yet easily gets inflamed. According to traditional medicine, it’s a case of imbalance. If we rely solely on my prescription for treatment, it will work, but the effect will be very slow.

Colin quickly asked, “So based on what you said, how should we treat her?”

“I suggest that she drink my prescription while combining it with modern medicine treatment,” Melody said. “Her body can’t withstand chemotherapy, so I suggest that after I regulate her health for half a month, she should immediately undergo surgery. After the surgery, it will take at least a month and at most three months to recover completely.”

Colin was against modern medicine. He frowned and said, “Surgery is harmful to the body. It’s fast, but…

“Colin, if you trust me, it’s best to do as I say,” Melody said. “Traditional medicine is profound, but there’s a medicine that has developed so quickly. I hope you can acknowledge the capabilities of modern medicine in treating cancer.”

After Melody persuaded him for a while, Colin finally nodded out of love for Beverly.

Then let’s not use this prescription for her now,” Melody said. I’ll rewrite the prescription and let her regulate her health for half a month to build a good foundation. This way, her vitality won’t be overly weakened during the surgery.”

“Alright,” Colin said. “Let’s do as you say.”

After the two of them finished chatting, Melody’s phone dinged with a notification sound.

She glanced downward and saw that it was a message from James, urging her to set off to meet Ken.

Only then did Melody realize that it was already past four o’clock in the afternoon.

She quickly stood up and said goodbye to Colin.

Colin was still unsatisfied. “Time passes too quickly,” he said. “Melody, come over more often whenever you have time. There are still many things I’d like to learn from you. At most, I’ll pay you wages for the time you spend coming over in the future. How about that?”

Melody smiled and said, “Okay.”

Before leaving, Melody thought of her own medicinal herbs and stopped to ask, “Colin, I want to ask you. Other than the Taylor family in Insterimond, who else has the medicinal herb called Green Velvet?”

“Green Velvet?” Colin said. He thought for a moment before replying, “Someone in Silverlake may have it.”

“Who?” Melody asked.

“Ruby Taylor,” Colin said. “She’s married to the second son of the Taylor family. The Taylor family’s ancestral home is in Silverlake. It seems that they are expanding their business there ow. It just so happens that she has come here before for health treatments. If you need it, I’ll help you ask.”

“Alright!” Melody said, hurriedly nodding. “I appreciate your help. This medicinal herb is very important to me. I’ll think of a way to gather the money. As long as she has it, any amount of money is acceptable.”

“Sure,” Colin replied. He could not help but ask, “Is it for treating your face?”

Melody said, “Yeah…”

“Rest assured then, Colin said. “I’ll definitely help you ask as soon as possible. As the daughter–in–law of the Taylor family, it shouldn’t be a problem for her to get some Green Velvet.”

“Thank you, Colin,” Melody said. After thanking him, she turned around and left.

The Taylor family had also been practicing medicine for generations, but from this generation onward, they had already ventured into the financial industry.

The Taylor family’s Green Velvet was not considered a medicinal herb. It was a type of medicinal pill that was created by mixing many rare medicinal herbs in appropriate proportions.

That was a secret formula passed down by the Taylor family’s ancestors. It wasn’t readily sold and was basically auctioned off.

The Taylor family had always maintained a cooperative relationship with Ulric. In Melody’s previous life, she acquired Green Velvet with great difficulty. She only got it after she became Ulric’s right–hand woman.

But in this lifetime, she was not on Ulric’s side. Naturally, she couldn’t obtain Green Velvet through the Taylor family.

She could only pin her hopes on Ruby.

She had not had much interaction with Ruby, so she could only wait and see what Colin had to say.

Preoccupied with something that weighed on her mind, Melody walked out of Herbathrive. However, James did not notice. her expression and started complaining….

“Miss Fox, didn’t you make an appointment with Mr. Ken?” he said. “You stayed inside for so long. What were you doing? I hope you can be more punctual in the future.”

While James was complaining, he finally sensed that something was off and looked over at Melody.

Chapter 174

Melody smiled at him. Although she was smiling, there was no warmth in her eyes, which made people inexplicably fearful.

James could not help but think of Ken’s expression when Ken sent him to and his heart trembled uncontrollably.

Melody’s side. At that time, he felt the same way, James swallowed hard. Hurriedly restraining his complaints, he said, “Let’s get in the car first.”

Involuntarily, his tone softened quite a bit.

Only then did Melody look away. She bent forward and got into the car.

This situation made James berate himself for being useless.

He thought. It’s fine to be so timid in front of Mr. Ken, but why am I also so useless in front of Melody, a young girl who returns from the countryside?’

He slapped his head and got into the car in frustration.

Melody didn’t stay idle after getting into the car. She used her phone to check for information about Ruby,

Ruby graduated from Alfenia University, the top university in Halcyon. She was a native of Silverlake. Shortly after graduating, she got married to Mason Taylor, the second son of the Taylor family.

Mason doted on his wife a lot. He was worried that Ruby wouldn’t be used to living in Insterimond, so he had been living. with her in Silverlake after their marriage. He was now in charge of the import and export trade of the medical equipment produced by the Taylor family.

The information online was very limited, and that was all she could find out.

However, Melody’s attention was focused on the date when the two of them got married.

They are a loving couple that has been married for six years, yet they still have no children?‘ she thought.

She made a mental note of this information.

Just then, the car came to a stop.

Melody looked out of the car window and realized that their destination was not the headquarters of the Swanson Group, but a small office building that was also located in the CBD.

On the office building, prominently displayed were the golden words “Ximber Tech.”

“Kimber Tech?” Melody asked James in confusion. Why are we here? Aren’t we supposed to pick up Ken?”

After Melody asked, she saw James’s face darken at a speed visible to the naked eye through the rearview mirror.

He said in a muffled voice, “This is Mr. Ken’s property. Only a few trusted aides know about it. Even Margaret is unaware.”

Melody looked up in surprise and said, “Ximber Tech is Ken’s property?”

James looked at her in puzzlement and said, “Why? Miss Fox, you have only been back from the countryside for a month, right? Why do you sound like you’ve heard of our company…”

Melody cleared her throat and didn’t respond.

She thought, “Not only have I heard of it, but in my previous life I even wanted to help Ulric rope in Ximber Tech. But before the plan started, I died tragically on the operating table. But I truly didn’t know that Ken was the owner of Ximber Tech. Ximber Tech! In the future, they’ll dominate a large part of Halcyon’s business world. Almost everyone will have Ximber Tech’s products at home. Right now, though, Ximber Tech is still relatively unknown. But if I remember correctly, by the end of this year, the X–X-series products developed by Ximber Tech will stun the entire Halcyon. No. It should be said that they will stun the entire world.

Melody’s heart skipped a beat. She was glad that she had not had the chance to rope in the owner of Ximber Tech in her previous life.

Otherwise, I’d have helped Ulric to rope in Ken, she thought. “That’d be an incredibly audacious move.

Melody secretly managed her shock. Feigning nonchalance, she said, “I’m usually more interested in tech products, so I heard of Ximber Tech when I was in the countryside.”

When James heard this, smugness was written all over his face.

He let out a snort and raised his proud chin, saying, “Miss Fox, I didn’t expect you to be so forward-looking. I tell you what. The future will definitely be the world of technology, and the leader of future tech products will surely be our Ximber Tech.”

As James spoke, his tone involuntarily softened.

This was because Ken never allowed him to be too arrogant and ostentatious.

Just when James thought Melody would scoff, he saw Melody seriously nod in agreement. “You’re right,” she said. “The leader of future tech products will surely be Ximber Tech.”

Melody looked so certain. If James didn’t know Melody, he would have nearly believed that she knew what the future would look like.

Melody asked expectantly, “Can I take a tour of your company?”

“Sure, cough!” James cleared his throat and stopped boasting, leading her toward the front desk.

The receptionist was dressed very plainly and had a friendly smile, unlike the previous receptionist at the Swanson Group.

Upon seeing James, the receptionist smiled and said, “Mr. Deeds the leaders are having a meeting upstairs. It’ll probably take another ten minutes before it ends. Are you late or do you not intend to attend the meeting?”

James shrugged and said, “I’m just here to pick someone–up and show someone around for a casual tour.”

“Okay,” the receptionist said before looking at Melody and pointing in a direction, gesturing for her to take the elevator to go upstairs.

James pressed the elevator button for the second floor.

After getting out of the elevator, he explained to Melody as he led the way. “The first floor is the reception area, he said. “The second floor is the exhibition area, and the third floor houses the design department. There are very few people here, though. This is just our branch. The headquarters is much larger and it’s located at Insterimond. The fourth floor is for the marketing and sales departments, and the fifth floor is the office area, where meetings are held. I’ll take you to the exhibition area to take a look. The other parts are similar to regular companies.”

“Okay. Melody said. She then asked, “Which area does Miss Murphy oversee in your company?”

“Business and design, James said, frowning as he looked at her. “Why are you asking this?”

Melody waved and said, “It’s just a casual question. Why are you looking so serious? I’m just asking casually. Do you think I’ll harm her?”

James smirked and said, “Miss Murphy has had a long-standing working relationship with Mr. Ken. Ximber Tech has developed to a point where it has a presence in almost every city. She has contributed a lot to that. So, Mr. Ken values her a lot. A lot. She’s valued a lot.”

James said “a lot” three times in a row. The meaning behind his words could not be clearer.

She thought, ‘In Ken’s heart, my position is far inferior to Janet’s. But even with James telling me, I’m well aware of it. It’s precisely because I understand that Janet is Ken’s right–hand woman that I’ve been enduring it, never truly laying a hand on her. Even when she treated me like this today at the Lawrence family’s home, I didn’t expose her in front of everyone!

Soon, they arrived at the second floor..

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, Melody felt the futuristic technology vibe.

The second floor didn’t look like a single floor. It looked more like a hotel with multiple rooms.

Every room was installed with various products of Ximber Tech, such as smart butlers, a variety of complete smart home setups, and so on. One of the rooms was even renovated into a hospital ward. The products inside were all designed specifically for patient care.

“How is it?” James said. After showing Melody around all the rooms, he could not help but feel proud again.

But when he looked at Melody, he noticed that there was not much surprise on her face.

He said, “How come you seem not surprised at all….

“When I experienced the company’s products back then, I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep that night, he thought. ‘How come Melody is so calm?”

“Not bad,” Melody said. She wanted to show a surprised expression, but she simply couldn’t feel surprised.

This was because, in her past life, her room was later equipped with a full set of Ximber Tech’s smart home products, so instead of being shocked, she felt more of an indescribable sense of familiarity.

Chapter 175

If Melody hadn’t been reborn, she would definitely be screaming with joy right now.

So, it was not that the products weren’t impressive enough. It was just that she had experienced most of these things before. The only thing that surprised her was the ward,

With such a ward, doctors wouldn’t even need to do rounds anymore.

But Melody was still very surprised, not by the products, but by the fact that the owner of Ximber Tech was Ken.

Melody hadn’t fully processed this information, yet.

Melody was very much looking forward to seeing Ulric’s reaction when he found out that Ken was the owner of Ximber Tech.

That expression will surely be priceless.

After all, in two years, the market value of Ximber Tech would far exceed that of the Swanson Group.

In other words, Ken wouldn’t need to pay any attention to the current business giant, the Swanson Group.

No wonder whenever Ken mentioned Ulric, he was always indifferent, without a trace of jealousy.

He really didn’t need to be jealous of Ulric.

On the other side, James was carefully observing Melody’s changing expressions and couldn’t help but become more curious.

James asked, “Miss Fox, what are you thinking about? Are you paying attention to the tour?”

Melody snapped back to reality, just about to respond when her phone suddenly rang with a WhatsApp notification.

Ever since Ken added her on WhatsApp, he liked to contact her through it.

She pressed the answer button, and Ken’s cold voice came through: “Where are you?”

Melody said. “On the second–floor exhibition area.”

Ken said, “Come to the office floor to find me.”

With that, he ended the call without waiting for Melody’s response.

Melody conveyed Ken’s message to James, who couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous.

Ken had changed. He no longer contacted James first for anything

James couldn’t understand what was so special about Melody this made Ken value her so much.

James led the way silently with a stiff face.

Melody followed James and wondered, “What’s with his attitude now?‘

Melody realized she didn’t understand what young men were thinking nowadays.

They soon arrived at the office floor, and James led her to Ken’s office.

As the office door opened, Melody expected Ken to be alone inside, but instead, five or six people were standing in.

She immediately noticed Janet standing closest to Ken.

Janet was dressed in a black business suit, with meticulously applied makeup and her long hair held up with a hairpin, seemingly ready to fall at any moment. A blend of laziness and professionalism came together harmoniously in her appearance.

Undeniably, although she wasn’t as pretty as Mabel, Janet was more popular with men.

As Melody sized up Janet, Janet also noticed her.

The moment their eyes met, Janet’s expression turned to one of disdain, a flash of surprise and jealousy in her eyes. She clearly did not expect to see Melody here.

Melody averted her gaze to Ken, noticing that since they parted at the restaurant, he seemed to have intentionally dressed up, his hair neatly combed, his eyebrows trimmed, looking both sharp and dignified.

He didn’t notice Melody coming in, and his handsome face was expressionless as he lowered his head to write something on paper. He said coldly, “Redo this product. Our design principle is user comfort, not these flashy gimmicks!”

The people standing, including Janet, responded in unison, “Yes”

Melody felt it was inappropriate to disturb them.

Melody was about to leave when she accidentally stepped on James behind her.

“Ouch… James inhaled sharply in pain.

The sound caught Ken’s attention, making the high–ranking officials who hadn’t noticed her turn to look curiously,

Feeling awkward, Melody apologized, “Sorry for disturbing you. I’ll leave now…

She turned to go, but Ken said, “No need, sit on the sofa with James and wait”

“What?” She looked at Ken in surprise.

Ken frowned and repeated, “Sit and wait.”

The high–ranking officials‘ eyes grew more curious, seemingly asking. “Who is she?”

But, compelled by Ken’s tone, Melody could only sit on the sofa with a brave face.

James, however, didn’t dare to sit and obediently stood beside the sofa.

For a moment, only Melody and Ken were seated in the office, with everyone else standing as if awaiting a reprimand.

She felt Janet’s cold gaze once more before Janet looked away, frowning at some distant point

After the brief interruption, Ken’s focus returned to the documents, continuing the meeting.

He said, “Inform the headquarters‘ PR department not to disclose any product details or designs before they’re fully developed. Just make a concept video. Keep all product details confidential. And the marketing department…

As Melody listened, her eyes couldn’t help but fall on Ken again.

Ken, sitting against the light, made his already sharp facial features more prominent. His angular face exuded masculinity.

Those deep eyes carried seriousness and gravity, inexplicably appealing.

Perhaps knowing about Ken’s impressive alias made her look at Ken with a new perspective. Today, he seemed more handsome than ever before.

Even his Adam’s apple moving up and down while he spoke was attractive.

Melody swallowed, quickly averting her gaze, and said to herself inwardly, ‘We need to stay calm. This man is not someone I can or should desire.

After a while, she felt much calmer when looking at Ken.

Meanwhile, James, standing next to Melody, couldn’t help but think, ‘Why does Mr. Swanson’s voice sound more magnetic and husky than usual when he’s in a meeting today? Could it be because?

His gaze fell on Melody.

After a quick glance at Melody’s face, James quickly looked away dismissing his thoughts.

It must be because Ken had been in too many meetings and talked too much today, making his voice hoarse.

After about ten minutes, Ken finally said, “Let’s call it a day. Remember the key points I emphasized,”

“Yes!” Everyone responded in unison, both fearful and admiring of Ken.

As the executives were about to leave, Ken said again, “The HR Manager, Janet, you two stay behind.

“Yes, they said.

Janet’s gaze shifted to Melody, and then she asked Ken, “What about Miss Fox and James?”

She asked about both but clearly meant Melody, the “outsider.”

Melody instinctively stood up, but Ken said in a husky voice, “What I have to say involves her.”

Prev | Next