Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 196, 197, 198, 199 and 200)

Chapter 196

Jessica’s face turned even uglier upon hearing this, and she immediately slapped the boy’s face, angrily scolding, “Everyone else is helping him because you’re incompetent!”

Neil immediately shrunk his neck, wailing loudly in tears.

The nearby teacher was at a loss, wanting to step forward to comfort but hesitating in the face of Jessica’s anger, and remained silent for a moment.

Melody, however, was more certain that Neil must have started the fight between the two.

Seeing Jessica about to hit the child again, Melody stopped her coldly, “Ma’am, it’s indeed wrong for children to fight, but it’s not right for you to do this, right?”

“Huh?” Jessica scoffed as if hearing a huge joke, forgetting to blame her own son. She pointed at Melody’s nose and said, “Who do you think you are? I’m disciplining my son, what business is it of yours?”

Melody nodded. “I don’t want to meddle either. Let’s clarify our matters. Your son has made Shane cry. I don’t need compensation from you, but I must hear an apology.”

Even more incredulous, Jessica responded, “Clearly, your little brat was in the wrong! My son has such serious injuries, and I haven’t even mentioned you paying for medical expenses, but you’re already looking for trouble with me?”

Melody remained composed and said calmly, “Since neither of us was present, we can’t be sure whose fault it was. Let’s hear from them to clarify.”

Melody gently rubbed Shane’s head and asked in a soothing voice, “Shane, can you tell me why you were fighting?”

Shane looked up, tears welling in his eyes, and said while sobbing, “Neil called me a motherless bastard and told me to get out of the kindergarten…”

Melody’s expression immediately turned grim.

Melody had heard that phrase countless times herself when she was young, and she knew firsthand the significant psychological damage such words could inflict on a child.

Melody looked coldly at Jessica and said, “Did you hear that? The reason for the fight is that your son insulted Shane first with such vicious words. For a child so young to say such hurtful things, how exactly do you usually discipline your child?”

Jessica sneered and replied, “I don’t think I need an ugly freak like you to dictate how I raise my son. Furthermore, is there anything wrong with what my son said? Isn’t he indeed a child without a mother?”

“You…”

Melody was furious. She turned around and ordered James, “Call the police!”

“Yes, Miss Fox.” James nodded. Just as he was about to make a call, Jessica’s bodyguard snatched his phone away.

With a glance, Jessica signaled her bodyguards, who immediately surrounded James and Melody.

Terrified, Shane quickly ran into Melody’s arms for safety.

Melody narrowed her eyes coldly and spoke expressionlessly, “Jessica, what do you mean by this?”

Jessica chuckled and said, “You know who I am? Do you dare to demand an apology from me? What audacity! My new product is launching soon. How long do you think Icy Clear Cosmetics can hold on? Listen, I will soon acquire Icy Clear Cosmetics, and then both you and Wilmot will be at my mercy! I suggest you behave sensibly and kneel down to apologize now. I might still leave you a way out. Otherwise…“.

“Otherwise what?”

Jessica frowned displeased, “You don’t know what’s good for you! Today, I’ll teach you a lesson! Get them, give this reckless ugly woman a good beating!”

The bodyguards stepped forward.

At this moment, a deep voice sounded mockingly.

“Oh, who would have thought such a scene could happen at a kindergarten gate? Silk Beauty Cosmetics has quite a reputation, gathering a crowd for a brawl at a kindergarten gate.”

Jessica looked displeased in the direction of the voice, but as soon as she recognized the person, her eyes widened in shock.

Ken Swanson?

This was the lunatic who even crippled his own younger brother.

Seeing Ken, Jessica’s heart skipped a beat for a moment in fear.

Silk Beauty Cosmetics has only emerged in recent years. Despite its significant growth and becoming one of the top domestic pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies, its foundation and expertise were still far behind compared to the Swanson Group.

She did not dare to make a big fuss in front of Ken. She immediately put away her arrogance and said in surprise, “Mr. Swanson, why are you… here?”

“Wasn’t Ken unmarried? Why was he at the entrance of the kindergarten?‘

Jessica looked at Melody and then at Ken. She refused to believe that Ken was here for Melody.

After all, this woman was too ugly and dressed very simply. She did not look like someone related to the Swanson family at all.

With this in mind, Jessica gathered her courage and continued, “Mr. Swanson, my son was bullied, so I came here to seek justice. I’m sorry you had to witness this. I’ll handle it quickly and won’t affect your mood.”

Ken smiled playfully and said with a trace of roguishness, “What a coincidence. I’m also here to uphold justice.”

Jessica looked utterly stunned.

Ken pushed a bodyguard away and stood in front of Melody.

Melody hadn’t expected Ken to appear here, just as she hadn’t expected him to show up at the Fox family home last night.

His sudden appearances in moments of crisis stirred her emotions more each time.

She herself hadn’t even noticed this stirring of emotions.

“You…”

Melody thought Ken might say something to her, but instead, he didn’t utter a single word. He stood firmly in front of her with his back to her, his gaze fixed on Jessica with a slightly mocking expression.

Jessica’s eyes widened. The impossible possibility was now right in front of her.

Jessica couldn’t fathom any connection between this ugly woman and Ken, but the reality was right in front of her. She had no choice but to believe it.

“Mr. Swanson…” Jessica awkwardly laughed, saying, “I didn’t expect you to be friends with this lady. Isn’t this a bit of an overreaction? Children will be children, and it’s not really appropriate for us adults to intervene. Out of respect for you, let’s forget about this matter.”

As Jessica spoke, she nudged Neil. “Quick, apologize and make up with Shane.”

Children did not understand the twists and turns of the adult world. Neil only remembered his mother saying that he could not lower his head in front of Wilmot’s son.

He immediately pouted and shook his head in rejection. “I don’t want to be friends with a motherless bastard!”

Jessica’s face darkened. She reached out and slapped Neil on the forehead.

“I told you to make up!”

Neil was shocked and started crying again.

Jessica immediately felt even more awkward. She looked at Ken with a stiff smile.

“Mr. Swanson, children don’t understand. I’ll go back and educate him properly,” she said, pulling her son along to leave.

However, before she could take a few steps, Melody said coldly, “Stop!”

Jessica’s back stiffened. She gritted her teeth and turned to look at Melody with a forced smile. “It’s just children playing around. Both are at fault. Do you really want to take it seriously?”

The tone implied that if Melody continued to insist on the matter, Jessica would consider it a mistake on Melody’s part.

Chapter 197

Melody looked at Jessica expressionlessly.

“As I said just now, Shane is not at fault, so your son must apologize to Shane. Also, as a parent, not only did you not teach your child correctly, but you also insulted and threatened others in front of your child. You have to apologize to me and pay compensation.”

Jessica’s face turned furious. If it weren’t for Ken’s presence, she would have ordered her bodyguard to kill Melody on the spot.

She stared stiffly at Ken, hoping he would say something.

Ken raised his eyebrows and said casually, “Didn’t you hear what she said? Apologize and compensate her mentally.”

Jessica clenched her fists and said with an unpleasant expression, “I’m sorry!”

Melody looked at Neil, and Jessica quickly patted Neil’s head, commanding, “Say sorry!”

Neil was also frightened by Ken’s aura. Although Ken was smiling, he felt Ken was scarier than his mother getting angry.

Neil immediately said, “I’m sorry! I won’t dare to do it again!”

Only then did Melody’s expression ease up a little. She took out her phone and showed the QR code. “Just give me 200 thousand dollars for mental compensation.”

“200 thousand dollars?”

Jessica spoke loudly but didn’t dare ask for so much even when she opened her mouth widely.

“What’s wrong?” Melody tilted her head. “The dignified chairman of Silk Beauty Cosmetics can’t take out 200 thousand dollars?”

Jessica was so angry that she was about to explode. However, since Ken was staring at her, she could only brace herself and walk forward to scan the QR code.

Soon, 200 thousand dollars was transferred to Melody’s account. Melody said calmly, “You can leave now. I hope this won’t happen again.”

Jessica forced a smile and pulled her son, leaving away

The two teachers were particularly adept at flattery. They approached and said, “We’re truly sorry for this incident. We didn’t expect something like this to happen. We’ll definitely pay more attention to Shane in the future.”

“You should pay attention to it. When children fight in kindergarten, teachers should stop them in time, not let the situation develop, and even hide the truth from their parents,” Melody warned with a cold expression. “If such a dereliction of duty happens again, I can guarantee you will lose this job.”

The kindergarten was small, but it was a prestigious one in Silverlake and well–oiled, so no one would want to leave.

Hearing this, the two teachers nodded repeatedly and promised.

Melody did not want to push things too far. She warned them a few more times before letting them leave.

Soon, only their group remained at the kindergarten gate.

Melody asked James to bring Shane into the car, then turned to thank Ken sincerely. “Thank you for today. If it weren’t for you, this matter wouldn’t have been resolved so quickly.”

Ken took out a cigarette and said lazily, “Thank me? What are you going to thank me with?”

Melody frowned slightly.

“You’re so rich, yet you still want me to give you the 200 thousand dollars? Isn’t that a little too much?”

Ken paused and chuckled. “Melody, I’m really curious about what kind of person I am in your heart.”

‘You are a damn capitalist!

Of course, Melody did not say it explicitly. She held firm, saying, “30-70, you take 30, I take 70. No more!”

Ken could not help but raise his hand and knock her on the head.

“I don’t want your money! I’m hungry. Go to my house and cook me a meal to settle the bill.”

Melody’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s it?”

Otherwise? Do you think there’s anything else on you that’s worth asking for?”

Melody pursed her lips unhappily and nodded in agreement. “No problem!”

Wouldn’t it be better to be squeezed out of labor than split up the money?

She paused, then asked, “Can I bring Shane?”

“Wilmot’s son?”

Yes!”

Ken’s face turned cold. “Are you really planning to be someone’s stepmother?”

“How is that possible? Wilmot is currently on a business trip and can’t come back. Shane definitely can’t go to kindergarten this afternoon. I’m worried about leaving him alone at home,” said Melody, adding, “Wilmot has helped me a lot, and I can’t neglect Shane. Could you please do me this favor?”

Ken’s gaze was cold. He tugged at his tie and said expressionlessly, “Just this once.”

“Thank you!”

Melody quickly thanked him. However, when she saw Ken lighting a cigarette and was about to smoke, she subconsciously reached out and snatched the cigarette between his fingers. She frowned and said, “Why are you still smoking when you have a cold? Aren’t you afraid that it will become pneumonia?”

Ken slightly smirked as looked at her with a meaningful gaze.

Melody was about to find out the meaning of that deep gaze when Ken suddenly chuckled and said, “Marriage is indeed different. No wonder people say that marriage is the grave of smoke.”

“What grave of smoke? Marriage is the place of love.”

After Melody finished speaking, she saw Ken looking at her with a faint smile.

For a moment, her back stiffened. She coughed awkwardly and said, “This is advice from the doctor. Take it or leave it. I’ll get in the car first.”

With that, she hurriedly got into the car.

Ken looked at Melody’s hurried back and the smile in his eyes deepened. Then, he also stepped into the car.

Neither of them noticed that there was a silver–gray Mercedes–Benz parked not far away. A woman was staring at them until the car drove away from the kindergarten, only then did she fiercely look away.

“Bitch!”

In the car, Janet’s nails dug into the steering wheel, and with a “click‘ one of her nails broke into two pieces.

She gasped in pain and slammed the steering wheel.

The car let out a longhorn, attracting the attention of passers-by.

Meanwhile, Melody was carefully checking the condition of Shane in the car.

After confirming he was not injured and had only lost a button, she finally felt relieved.

Shane had already calmed down. He stared at Ken with his big eyes.

Ken frowned unhappily. “What are you looking at?”

Shane was shocked and immediately shrank into Melody’s arms.

Melody quickly patted Shane’s back comfortingly and scolded Ken, “Why are you scaring a child?”

Ken sneered. “I’m not scaring him. He’s just timid.”

Melody rolled her eyes at Ken and turned to comfort Shane. “Shane, don’t be afraid. He’s not a bad person.”

“You…”

Shane nodded and asked hesitantly, “Melody, is he your boyfriend?”

“He’s not…”

I’m not her boyfriend,” Ken said with a faint smile. “I’m her husband,”

Melody’s back stiffened as she looked at Ken. “What nonsense are you spouting in front of a child?”

“Am I spouting nonsense?” Ken looked sideways at her.

Melody looked away uncomfortably. She heard Shane say unhappily, “No! Melody can’t marry you!”

Ken said in amusement, “Why can’t she marry me?”

“She’s my dad’s!” Shane hugged Melody tightly, wanting to use this opportunity to declare his ownership.

Ken said coldly, “Then please tell your dad that she has already married me.”

Chapter 198

Shane immediately turned angry and crawled over to bite Ken.

Ken crossed his arms over his chest and said, “Try biting me if you dare.”

The sight of the two, one big and one small, caused Melody to burst into laughter.

Seeing that Shane was about to cry, Melody said helplessly, “Shane is just a few years old. Can’t you give in to him a little?”

Ken glanced at her with a displeased gaze.

“Why should I give in to him?”

Melody choked. For a moment, she did not know what to say. She could only turn to look at Shane.

Shane’s cheeks were puffed up like a little pufferfish. He also looked unwilling to admit defeat.

Melody shrugged. “Alright, you two go ahead and fight. I’ll take a nap first, let me know who wins when you’re done.”

After saying that, she curled up by the car window and really didn’t care about anyone else. She just closed her eyes and rested.

When Ken and Shane saw this, they looked at each other and then looked away without saying anything else.

Only then did the car return to silence.

James, who was driving, looked at the rearview mirror with a strange expression.

Why did he feel that Mr. Swanson’s words and actions did not resemble a nobleman at all?

Could it be that he was possessed by a ghost or something?

Thinking of this possibility, James glanced at the rearview mirror again.

However, he met Ken’s sharp gaze through the rearview mirror. He was so frightened that he immediately did not dare to be distracted and obediently did his job as a driver.

Soon, they arrived at Serenity Villa.

The moment the car stopped, Melody immediately sensed it and quickly opened her eyes.

But she noticed that Shane, who was beside her, had fallen asleep with his head resting on her lap and his two small feet pressing against Ken’s back.

Ken picked up Shane’s foot with one hand in disdain and was about to move away.

“Don’t move,” Melody said in a low voice. “It’s not easy for a child to fall asleep. If he wakes up later, he’ll start fussing again.”

As she spoke, she reached out to lift Shane up.

“I’ll do it,” Ken said expressionlessly. Then, under her surprised gaze, he easily carried Shane and walked out.

Melody was stunned for a moment before she quickly came back to her senses and got out of the car to follow Ken.

However, Ken had large paces and left her behind. When she entered the house, she saw Ken already coming out of the guest room on the first floor.

When their eyes met, Ken looked like he was enduring something. He said coldly, “I’ll go upstairs and take a shower. I hope you’ll have finished cooking by the time I come down.”

Only then did Melody notice that his suit jacket was wet. It was obvious that Shane had peed all over him.

Melody was shocked. She was afraid that Ken would get angry. Just as she was about to apologize on behalf of Shane, Ken had already walked upstairs.

Her words were stuck in her throat, and she felt very guilty.

“Miss Fox.” Susan also came out of the guest room and said, “The child has been cleaned up and is sleeping soundly. I’ll go buy him some clothes and diapers. Could I trouble you to look after him in the meantime?”

Melody quickly nodded. “Alright, no problem. Leave it to me.”

Susan quickly left. Melody asked James to go to the guest room to watch Shane, in case he suddenly woke up and looked for her. She then headed into the kitchen.

She surveyed the kitchen and noticed there weren’t many ingredients left. If she went to the supermarket now, she wouldn’t be able to make it in time before Ken finished his shower.

After thinking for a moment, Melody decided to make a pot of rice and beans.

Cooking rice and beans was a bit difficult. The balance of flavors, textures, and other factors all require careful attention.

Those things that usually looked the most ordinary actually took more effort than delicacies.

After deciding on the ingredients in her mind, she called Susan and reminded her to bring back the items she needed.

Soon, the sound of a knife chopping on a cutting board echoed through the kitchen.

When the rice and beans were ready, she mixed in the two things she had asked Susan to bring back, and the dish was considered successful.

Melody also made two other dishes, which were beautifully golden omelets and salads.

She and Susan came out with the dishes one after another and saw Ken leaning against the window smoking again.

The smoke lingered, obscuring half of his face.

James, standing opposite him, asked hesitantly, Mr. Swanson, what should we do now?

Ken reached out to flick the ash out of the window and said sim[ply, investigate.

Alright, James replied promptly, then fell silent before asking, What about the news?

Ken replied with only one word: “Suppress.”

“Yes!” James nodded and quickly left.

As he turned around, he met eyes with Melody. She was about to speak when James quickly looked away and left with a dark expression.

Melody’s heart skipped a beat. Her intuition told her that something big bad happened, and it likely involved her. Otherwise, James wouldn’t reacted that way upon seeing her.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Melody placed the dish on the table and turned to Ken.

She looked at the cigarette between his slender fingers and couldn’t help but go up to take it. She frowned and said, “Wait until you’re over your cold before you smoke again.”
Ken did not comment and asked, “What did you make?

Melody did not answer. Instead, she asked, “What happened?”

Ken remained silent and subconsciously glanced at his phone.

Melody hesitated for a moment before boldly taking the phone from him. She saw a trending topic on his phone screen.

“The CEO of the Swanson Group is suspected of falling for a married Woman.”

She frowned as she clicked on the trending topic to read more details.

The top post prominently featured her photo, where she was with Shane, and Ken stood beside them.

The photo was taken very smartly. The three of them had clearly not done anything, but from the angle of the photo, the three of them looked intimate.

There were countless comments under the post. When she clicked on it, she found that the comments had already surpassed two hundred thousand.

This was even less than half an hour after the post had been made.

The last time there was such a popular post, it was a top celebrity who suddenly announced their marriage.

The most liked reply said, “A rich handsome guy like this has such taste? This girl is so ugly that even if she chased me for 186 miles, I’d only turn around to see if I could steal something from her.”

Except for the comment with the most likes, all the others were awful. They all attacked Melody personally.

Even Melody could not help but feel a little bitter when she saw those comments.

“Stop looking” Ken took back his phone and said coldly, “You don’t have to care. The post will be deleted very soon.”

Melody shook her head and said, “I don’t care about the comments. What I care about is who posted the news.”

I’ve got James looking into it.”

Melody hummed and voiced her guess, “Could it be Jessica?”

Ken denied it directly. “She doesn’t have the guts.”

Melody thought for a while and said, “I see that the person who posted the post has a new account. I don’t think we can find anything from the IP. I suggest starting by checking the surveillance near the kindergarten to see if any suspicious individuals are lurking around.”

“Mm,” Ken replied and said lazily, “I’m hungry.”

Chapter 199

Melody still wanted to talk business with Ken, but he walked towards the dining table as if he did not care about this matter at all.

Melody’s eyes darkened and she smiled self–self-deprecatingly.

She thought, “That’s true. Why should Ken care about these things? None of the comments are scolding him. This scandal does not affect him at all since he is so wealthy and powerful. I still think too highly of myself in Ken’s heart!’

Melody suppressed her emotions and was about to call Shane to get up for lunch when she heard Ken click his tongue at the dining table. His tone was filled with doubt as he asked, “Melody, I helped you earn 200 thousand dollars and you’re giving me this?”

Melody stopped in her tracks and explained, “There’s not much food in the kitchen. This is all I can do.”

Susan quickly explained to Melody, “Mr. Ken, you don’t usually have lunch at home and you like to eat fresh ingredients, so I didn’t stock up on many ingredients in the fridge…”

Melody walked to the dining table and said, “If you can wait, I’ll go to the supermarket to buy groceries now.”

“Forget it.” Ken pulled out a chair and sat down. “Let’s have this for now.”

He scooped a bowl of oatmeal into the bowl and took a sip. Then he tasted the omelet and finally the pickle.

Melody wanted to see from his expression if he was satisfied with what she made, but Ken had the same expression no matter what he ate. She could not see anything and could only ask, “Is the taste okay?”

Ken did not answer. He looked up at her. “Aren’t you going to call that brat out for lunch?”

Melody thought of Shane and quickly walked to the guest room. She did not notice that the corners of Ken’s mouth curled up slightly.

When Susan saw Melody enter the room, she deliberately asked in a low voice, “Mr. Ken, do you need me to go out to buy groceries?”

He did not answer her question. “There is hot food here.”

“What?” Susan looked confused. She only saw Ken’s lips curl up slightly.

Susan was a smart person. Knowing that she did not have to go out to buy groceries anymore, she turned around and returned to the kitchen to clean up.

In the room, Melody finally woke Shane up. When she walked out of the room, Ken was already gone.

She asked Susan with her eyes. Susan pointed upstairs and said softly, “Mr. Deeds is back. They are talking upstairs.”

Melody nodded and sat down to eat oatmeal with Shane.

Shane did not like to eat. He mumbled that he wanted to eat ice cream. Melody tried her best to persuade him, but he only took a sip of the oatmeal. Then, he dived right in. He finished most of the oatmeal and reached out with his small hand and said, “Melody, I want more!”

Melody nodded with a smile. Just as she was about to ask Susan to scoop more, Susan said awkwardly, “Sorry, Mr. Ken has finished the rest. Only your portion is left.”

“What?” Melody could not help but raise her voice. “We made food enough to feed five people.”

Susan rubbed her hands. She was too embarrassed to say that Ken had asked her to store half of it in the fridge and not allow anyone to eat it. She only repeated, “There’s only one bowl left.”

Melody had no choice but to give half a bowl of oatmeal to Shane. Fortunately, she had a small appetite, so half a bowl of oatmeal was enough for her.

After Shane finished, he started yawning again, probably because he was really tired from crying.

She patiently brought Shane back to the guest room and coaxed him to sleep before quietly walking out of the room.

Susan was putting away the dishes. She walked over and asked, “Have they come down?”

Susan shook her head. “Not yet.”

Melody said, “I’ll go up and take a look.”

She thought, ‘What James and Ken are talking about is related to me. I should go up and join them to see if there is anything I can help with.

However, just as Melody reached the door of Ken’s room, she heard Ken’s voice coming from inside. “Are you sure it was released by Janet?”

Melody stopped in her tracks and retracted her hand from the doorknob uncontrollably.

James said, “Yes, it’s confirmed to be Miss Murphy. I haven’t contacted Miss Murphy yet. I don’t know if there’s a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?” Ken sneered and said, “The surveillance camera has already found out that it’s her. The IP belongs to someone with the last name Murphy. You still think it’s a misunderstanding?”

“Then…” After two seconds of silence, James asked, “Could it be that Miss Murphy has other arrangements? Do you need me to call her over now?”

Ken asked, “No need. Has the post been deleted?”

James said, “It’s deleted. The relevant keywords have also been banned.”

Ken said, “Okay.”

When Melody heard this, she opened the door and entered the room with a natural expression.

Both of them looked at her with different expressions.

Melody asked, “James, did you find anything?”

James glanced at Ken. Ken said indifferently, “We didn’t find anything. The surveillance cameras near the kindergarten happened to malfunction. The IP address of the person who posted is overseas and can’t be located.”

Melody looked deeply at Ken. Then, she nodded slowly. “If you can’t find anything, then forget it.”

Ken paused and said, “Alright. I’m sorry…”

Melody did not want to find out why he was sorry. She suppressed the disappointment in her heart and smiled. “What’s there to be sorry about? I didn’t lose anything. Shane went to sleep again. I am afraid that he will suddenly wake up, so I am going to accompany him. Call me if you need anything. I’ll be in the guest room.”

“Sure.” Ken did not say anything else.

Melody nodded at James and turned to leave.

The moment she closed the door, the smile on her face could no longer be maintained.

She did not stay any longer and quickly went downstairs. She quietly lay beside Shane and stared at the ceiling.

She couldn’t describe her feelings at that moment, but she really couldn’t smile anymore.

However, she was certain of one thing. Between Janet and her, Ken must have chosen Janet.

She didn’t blame anyone but herself for not being strong enough.

After lying down for a while, her phone suddenly rang.

Melody was afraid of disturbing Shane, so she answered the call without looking at the caller ID and said, “Who is it?”

Then, she walked to the bathroom in the guest room.
“Miss Fox, it’s me.” Melody immediately recognized the voice. It was the person she had sent to monitor Mabel.

She closed the bathroom door and gripped her phone tightly. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

The person said, “As per your instructions, Mabel went to the beauty salon in the morning. After having lunch in Epoch Plaza, she went to Sky Hall.”

The bodyguard was afraid that she didn’t know about that place, so he immediately said,

Melody asked, “Who did she play billiards with?”

The bodyguard said, “Mr. Ulric…”

“Ulric Swanson?” Melody smirked playfully.

She thought, ‘Are these two finally going to start hitting it off?’

“Yes,” the bodyguard said. “Sky Hall has been reserved. I can’t find out what’s going on inside.”

Hall is the place to play billiards.”

“There’s no need to keep an eye on them,” Melody said cautiously, “Retreat immediately. Don’t let Ulric find out.”

“Yes, Miss Fox.” After the call ended, Melody laughed mockingly.

The couple who had taken her life in her previous life were finally entangled again in this life.

However, when the two of them were exposed to being together in her previous life, Ulric’s legs had already been cured by her. In this life, it was much moved up much earlier.

The world was made of many gears. Once a gear changed, there would be a chain reaction, so this was normal.

Just as Melody was thinking about what to do next, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

Chapter 200

The person who knocked on the door was Ken. When he saw Melody open the door, he subconsciously glanced at her expression. He did not know if she had heard what he said to James.

Seeing her calm expression, Ken felt a little relieved. He said, “I have to leave to do something. I’ll be back in about two hours.”

Melody did not want to stay here for even a minute. However, Shane had just fallen asleep. She could only nod. “Okay.”

Ken looked at Shane who was sleeping soundly on the bed and asked, “When is that guy coming to pick him up?”

He was referring to Wilmot.

Melody answered truthfully, “Tonight.”

“Got it,” Ken replied expressionlessly and turned to leave.

Melody looked at Ken’s back in confusion. She thought, ‘He doesn’t seem to like Wilmot. Why?‘

There was no way to find the answer, and she did not want to dwell on such a small matter. After returning to bed, she opened the black market forum on her phone.

This time, she happened to see Wendell Hunter online.

The other party’s profile picture was shaking crazily as if he had sent her many messages.

She was not in a hurry. She clicked on the chat box. The chat box was filled with messages from Wendell. [200 million dollars? You are quite bold to ask for that. Let me tell you, as long as you successfully cure the patient, the perks will be much greater than 200 million dollars. Do you know about the Swanson Group? The person I am asking you to use nine–line acupuncture to cure is the future heir of the Swanson Group, Ulric Swanson. If you cure him, you’ll have countless connections. No matter what you want to do in the future, the Swanson Group will protect you. Isn’t this much more valuable than 200 million dollars?]

However, after a series of messages, Wendell’s tone suddenly became gentle and refined. [Dr. Second, do you really know nine–line acupuncture? I can consider paying you 200 million dollars, but before that, I have to confirm if you’re worth it. It might be a little abrupt for me to say this, but there’s a layer of internet between us. I have to be careful. I hope you can understand.]

Melody’s username on the forum was Seconds. From Wendell’s tone in the second message, Melody quickly determined that those words were not said by Wendell, but by Ulric.

It seemed that Wendell had already told Ulric her request of 200 million dollars.

It was not a small sum even for Ulric. After all, he loved to invest. He would never keep that amount of cash lying around.

It would take some time for Ulric to gather 200 million dollars.

Just as Melody finished reading the messages, she saw another message from him. [Dr. Seconds, do you have time to chat?]

The corners of Melody’s lips curled up slightly. She deliberately waited for a while before replying: [Yes.]

Wendell replied almost instantly: [Dr. Second, it’s an honor to meet you. I wonder if we can meet and talk?]

Melody raised her eyebrows and typed slowly: [The rule of the black market is that we should not show our faces easily before the transaction. I’m also doing this for my safety. I hope you can understand.]

[Understood.] Two seconds later, the other party replied: [I don’t know if you’ve seen my reply before. As long as you can prove nine–line acupuncture, I’ll immediately gather the money to transfer it to you.]

Melody thought for a moment and replied, [Cervical Cl to C5.]

The other party replied with a question mark in confusion.

Melody replied: [Nine–line acupuncture is divided into nine sets of treatments. Each set is for one course of treatment. We need to take action on these parts of your spine bones as the first course of the treatment. If the sequence and places I mentioned are proven to be wrong, I will apologize to you for wasting your time.]

About a minute later, the other party replied: [I’ll confirm it as soon as possible. Please wait for a few days. I can use this time to raise the 200 million dollars.]

Melody did not reply and went offline, leaving with a sense of mystery.

On the other end of the phone, Ulric was playing with the lighter in his hand with a dark look in his eyes. The silver Zippo flipped over the tip of his finger, making Wendell’s heart pound.

Compared to the hot-tempered Astrid Swanson, he was more afraid of Ulric who was usually gentle and smiling.

“Ulric…” Wendell said nervously, “What did that person say?”

Ulric threw his phone to Wendell and picked up a billiard cue. He smiled gently and said, “Wendell, do you want to play?”

Wendell looked at the smile on Ulric’s face and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

“What? Do you think I suck at this game?” Ulric’s smile deepened.

“Of course not!” Wendell did not dare to ask about the forum anymore. He quickly said, “How do you want to play?”

Ulric gave the bodyguard beside him a look. The bodyguard immediately went forward to tidy up the table.

While waiting, Ulric said calmly, “If you win, I’ll help you bring Cadence out of the hospital. If you lose… you have to keep practicing billiards here.”

Cadence could not leave the mental hospital. The hospital was filled with Ken’s staff. He did not even have the chance to visit her.

Upon hearing this, Wendell swallowed hard and said excitedly, “Alright!”

If he lost, he didn’t think the punishment was severe. This was a bet that he would definitely earn.

Ulric smirked and slowly said, “Wendell, you don’t mind letting a cripple like me kick off first, right?”

The veins on Wendell’s forehead bulged. He deliberated over his words and said, “Of course, you can kick off first…”

“Alright.” Ulric wiped the pool cue and half–bowed to aim at the target ball.

With a snap, the collateral effect of the cue ball caused four balls to fall into the pocket one after another.

“Nicely done!” Wendell laughed and clapped as he praised.

But soon, Wendell could not laugh anymore because the last ball on the table fell into the pocket. He had already lost before he even started.

“This…” Wendell’s face twitched as he looked at Ulric uneasily.

Ulric threw the billiard cue into his arms and said with a smile, “Looks like you have lost. Then fulfill your promise and practice here.”

“Ulric!” Wendell was anxious. He quickly walked forward and said, “Cadence is your cousin. When the news broke, her career was already ruined. If you don’t help her, her life will be completely over!”

Ulric shrugged. “Don’t you already lose?”

Wendell was speechless.

Ulric’s face suddenly darkened as he looked at him coldly. “It wasn’t easy for us to find clues about nine–line acupuncture. How dare you almost offend that person? Consider what happened to Cadence a small lesson for you. You should be glad that you’re my mother’s brother. Otherwise… you’d be a corpse now.”

Wendell was so frightened that he trembled. The blood in his body seemed to have frozen in an instant.

In the next second, Ulric smiled again and patted his shoulder gently. “Get to practice. Don’t leave until I’m satisfied. Anyway, there’s no need for you to go back to the Swanson Group. You have nothing to do, right?”

Prev | Next