Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 226, 227, 228, 229, and 230)  

Chapter 226

Russell was originally in a good mood, but when he heard Yolanda and Mabel echoing each other, he slowly frowned, and there was suppressed anger in his eyes. “Would both of you rather trust an outsider than Melody! Although Melody came back from the countryside, you’ve seen it during this period of time. Her upbringing and temper have all inherited my merits. She’s not someone who doesn’t know her limits!”

When Mabel heard that Russell was biased towards Melody, she was immediately enraged. She did not care about Yolanda’s instructions and said. “Dad, it’s not that I don’t believe Melody, but I’ve already called Mr. Clark. He personally told me that Melody was the one who detained Pamela. The Clark family has ordered a lot of things from our company, What if Mr. Clark vents his anger on the company? Mom and I are worried about our family’s future.”

Russell was furious. He reached out and slapped Mabel. He felt that his dignity as the head of the family had been challenged. “According to you. the Justalion Group can’t do without the Clark family? Am I so useless in your eyes?”

Mabel was hit so hard that her entire body tilted to the side. She looked at Russell in disbelief as tears streamed down her face.

Yolanda’s heart ached. As she rubbed Mabel’s face, she said, “Russell, why did you hit her for no reason? You know that she admires you the most in her heart. How can she think that you’re useless? This matter has really blown up. We’re all afraid that Melody will harm our company.

Only then did Russell’s anger dissipate a little, but his tone was still cold. “Don’t worry, Melody won’t harm our family.

This time, Yolanda couldn’t hold it in anymore. She said, “Russell. I know your heart aches for Melody, but you can’t spoil the child too much. She caused more trouble this time than before. If you don’t teach her a lesson, it will be even worse in the future. By then, it will be too late!”

Russell’s anger, which had been suppressed with great difficulty, was aroused again. “What’s wrong! You and your daughter can’t tolerate a little girl from the countryside?”

Yolanda’s eyes were filled with surprise.

Russell continued angrily. “Mabel, you’ve been spoiled by your mother since you were young. You can get whatever you want, but what about Melody? I was afraid that your mother wouldn’t get along with her, so I sent her to the countryside when she was only a child. I pity her for being so young and growing up alone in the countryside. It’s not easy for her to finally come back now. It’s fine if you don’t treat her well, but you want me to teach her a lesson all the time. Why are you so petty? If I hear you say anything bad about her in the future, don’t blame me for punishing you!”

The more Russell spoke, the angrier he became.

He was not a fool. During this period of time, he had seen how Yolanda and Mabel treated Melody. It was just that he did not take it to heart in the past. However, this did not mean that he was blind. Now, after Ken’s reminder, he deeply felt that as a father, he was really a failure. If he continued to let Yolanda and Mabel go on like this, something would happen sooner or later. Therefore, he had to teach them a lesson.

Russell took a deep breath and said coldly to Yolanda, “I’ll sleep alone tonight. You sleep in the guest room! Get the servants to send the food to my room. I don’t want to see you guys again today.”

With that, he got up and walked upstairs, leaving Yolanda and Mabel with a cold back view.

Mabel’s eyes were filled with tears. She was extremely flustered. She pulled Yolanda’s sleeve and asked, “Mom, what happened today? Why is he so biased towards Melody, that wretched girl? Could it be that he cares more about Melody now and not me?

Yolanda also wanted to know the reason. If it was in the past, Russell would become angry and want to catch Melody and beat her up.

She didn’t know what was going on that day.

After thinking about it, Yolanda said. “Don’t worry, you don’t know your father well enough. He just likes to talk pompously and suddenly wants to establish the image of a good father. Once his interests are involved, he will immediately forget everything he said today.”

Mabel asked, “But why didn’t he believe a word we said today?”

Yolanda smiled coldly and said, “It must be because Troy is busy fishing Pamela out and doesn’t have time to deal with the Justalion Group and Melody. When Troy is done with Pamela, your father will naturally know that what we said today is for his own good.”

Mabel held her painful cheek and asked, “Then what should we do now?”

“Wait” Yolanda narrowed her eyes and said, “When Troy is done with his work and comes back to find trouble with Melody, we will need to do a lot of things by then. Your father will naturally teach her a lesson. The trouble she caused this time is different from before. It directly affects your father’s interests. Your father might be so angry that he will directly kick Melody out.”

When Mabel heard this, she felt a little better. Even her face did not seem to hurt as much.

However, when she thought of Russell’s expression and tone just now, she still felt a little uneasy. She felt like she was about to fall out of favor.

However, there was really nothing she could do now. The only thing she could do was wait for Troy to cause trouble.

Yolanda thought of Pamela and said, “Go and visit Pamela tomorrow morning. Although Troy’s attack on Melody is a good thing for us, we can’t really lose our source of income. You have to build a good relationship with Pamela. When the time comes, she will naturally remind her father to be careful with dealing with our company.”

“Alright!” Mabel immediately agreed.

At Leit Bar, Janet waited for a while and finally received the news. “Someone’s here. He said he’s looking for you”

Janet nodded and gave the man a look. Then, she pretended to be drunk.

The man immediately understood and grabbed Janet’s collar. “Looks like your family won’t come. In that case, since you’re quite good–looking. compensate my clothes with your body!”

As the man spoke, he leaned over and pressed himself against Janet.

His voice and movements were very loud and even in the noisy bar, it was very eye-catching.

The man’s acting skills were extraordinary. He chuckled and said, “Liule girl, your figure is not bad! If you are with me, I will definitely not treat you badly!”

With that, he boldly reached for Janet’s waist and slowly slid his hand up.

In the nick of time, a low shout rang out “Stop!”

Before the man could react, he was forcefully pulled away by a large hand and thrown more than six feet away.

When Janet heard the commotion, her eyelids trembled slightly, She did not open her eyes, but she knew that it must be Ken.

She thought, The timing is just right! God is really helping me.

In the next second, she felt the world spin as she was picked up horizontally.

The smell of male hormones spread to the tip of her nose.

Janet’s heart instantly raced.

She had never been so close to Ken to be able to smell his scent.

At the thought of this, Janet could not help but take a deep breath greedily and bury her face in the man’s chest

Chapter 227

Those who did not know better would think that the two of them were a couple in love.

Janet was completely immersed in happiness. She was very satisfied with everything she had arranged.

Although this move was really cliché, the results showed that it was the most useful.

Janet secretly decided that she would completely take down Ken tonight and finish what she started.

She knew that Ken was actually a very responsible person. Once he had slept with her, he would definitely take responsibility for her.

However, in the next moment, a familiar voice came from above. The person holding her said with concern, “Miss Murphy, are you alright?”

Janet’s originally soft body instantly stiffened, and a stunned expression appeared on her face.

She thought. Isn’t this… James? Did I hear wrongly?”

For a moment, Janet did not care that she was pretending to be drunk. She suddenly opened her eyes and looked at the face of the person carrying her.

The lights of the bar were dim, but James’s face was only inches away. She saw him immediately.

The person who came was actually James.

At this moment, it was as if Janet had been struck by lightning. All her happiness and expectations were instantly shattered.

At the same time, her rationality shattered along with the happiness she had just imagined.

“Miss Murphy, you’re awake?” James heaved a sigh of relief when he saw her open her eyes. He said, “I’ve already gotten someone to beat up the guy who was harassing you. You’re fine now, don’t be afraid.”

Janet finally came back to her senses. She quickly held her forehead and pretended to be dizzy while maintaining a distance from James.

“Miss Murphy, do you feel dizzy?” James’s eyes were filled with concern.

Janet clenched her fists tightly. Her heart was filled with confusion and hatred.

She had already encountered such a terrifying danger, but Ken did not come personally. Instead, he sent James. She wondered if she was really not important to him at all…

She thought, ‘If the person who encountered such a situation today was Melody, would he send James or come personally?

Janet did not know the answer, but the anger in her heart burned brighter and brighter. She blamed everything on Melody.

If it weren’t for Melody, she wouldn’t have to lower herself to do such a thing to earn Ken’s concern.

Thinking of this, Janet secretly decided that she must get Ken to come over today.

She deliberately retched and stubbornly waved her hand. “I’m fine. Go. I want to be alone for a while.”

James could not help but feel even more worried. “Miss Murphy, you can’t be like this. I’m worried about you staying here alone. Bars are filled with all kinds of people. You should come with me.”

“I don’t want to!” Janet looked away with tears in her eyes. “Een doesn’t need me anymore. Even if something happens to me, he won’t be worried at all. Don’t worry about me. Let me fend for myself.”

As she spoke, she picked up the wine on the table and was about to pour it into her mouth.

“Miss Murphy!” James quickly went forward and grabbed the bottle of wine. “Don’t be like this. How can Mr. Ken not need you? How many products of Ximber Tech were developed by you? Mr. Ken is just angry right now. He is angry that you didn’t tell him before you did anything.”

Janet shook her head as tears streamed down her face. “You’re wrong. James. He really doesn’t care about me. If he cared about me, he wouldn’t have let you come. Maybe if I die here tonight, it will be good for him. Yes… If he doesn’t care about me anymore, why am I still alive?”

As soon as she finished speaking. Janet crashed into a corner of the table.

James was scared out of his wits. He quickly rushed forward to stop Janet. “Miss Murphy, don’t do anything stupid! If Mr. Ken really doesn’t care about you, he wouldn’t have informed me to come and save you just wait, I’ll call Mr. Ken now!”

As James spoke, he pulled Janet with one hand and dialed Ken’s number with the other.

Seeing this, Janet’s lips secretly curled into an imperceptible arc.

At Serenity Villa, after finishing the bowl of spaghetti, Melody did not stay idle and started discussing Zack’s matter with Ken.

Melody said. “The current Ximber Tech can’t be compared to Mont Technology for the time being. We won’t know until your series of products is introduced. Zack will have a better future if he jumps over to Ximber Tech. But Zack wanted to talk to me in a week, so I need to know if I can reveal to Zack about Ximber Tech’s products.

Ken said calmly. “Sure. If he’s willing, you can bring him to the company to experience it. However, there’s one thing. You can’t reveal my identity. From what I know, Ulric has noticed his ability. If he chooses Ulric in the end, he might reveal my identity”

Melody hurriedly nodded. “I know that. If not for that, you could have come forward and poached him yourself. Your name carries more significance than Ximber Tech.

Ken slowly glanced at her, his gaze noncommittal.

Melody continued, “Then I’ll focus on the company’s competitiveness and future prospects to attract him to jump ship.”

Ken suddenly asked, “Do you know anything about Mont Technology which he is currently employed in?”

Melody was stunned for a moment before nodding. “1 understand, but Mont Technology started by making lamps. More than ten years ago, Mont Technology was the first company to switch from making straight and curved tubes to making energy-saving lamps. They relied on this to make a lot of money before switching to smart technology furniture products.”

Ken raised his eyebrows and continued to ask, “What else?”

Melody asked in confusion, Is there anything else I need to know?”

Ken said indifferently, “Mont Technology did start out as a light fixture, but until now, it’s still a family workshop. The higher-ups of the company are all members of the Mont family. They all have different amounts of power in the company.”

Melody’s eyelids twitched twice, and her eyes instantly lit up. “What you mean is that although Zack has helped Mont Technology improve because almost every higher-up is a member of the Mont family, his career there is not easy. If the higher-ups don’t actively respond to a policy, it won’t be easy to implement it. As for those relatives of the Month family, all of them can’t know how this industry works. It’s probably extremely difficult for Zack to communicate with them. They might even think that Zack is useless.”

The more Melody spoke, the more excited she became. In the end, she stood up and bowed to Ken. “Thank you. I’ve roughly decided how to talk to Zack.

Ken glanced at her calmly. “I thought you should have known this long ago

Although be said that, there was a hint of admiration in the depths of his eyes.

Melody was always very quick-witted and could learn something new after being given a little push.

Melody did not notice the admiration in Ken’s eyes. She scratched her head apologetically and said, “I’m sorry. I was too focused on investigating Zack Nelson. I really don’t know much about Mont Technology.

In her previous life, she had relied on Ulric and cured Ford’s illness to successfully poach Zack. She did not know much about Mont Technology.

Now that she thought about it, she was indeed not meticulous enough.

What Melody did not know was that her sincere apology made Ken’s eyes darken.

At this moment, Susan walked forward and said with a meaningful smile, “Miss Fox, I’ve prepared your toiletries. It’s getting late. Are the two of you going to rest?”

Chapter 228

Melody looked at the time and said. “It’s past eleven o’clock. It’s indeed getting late. I have to go to Icy Clear Cosmetics early tomorrow morning. I’ll go and rest.

“You’re really concerned about Wilmot’s matter.” Ken sneered at her.

Melody asked in confusion. You don’t seem to like Wilmot very much?”

Ken asked, “Is he money! Does everyone have to like him?”

Melody pursed her lips and did not say anything else. She walked towards the guest room that Shane had slept in previously.

However, Susan stopped her. “Miss Fox, you’re going to the wrong room. The room arranged for you to sleep in is upstairs.

Susan pointed in the direction of Ken’s room on the second floor and said, “Because the little kid wet the bed, I removed the mattress and so on in the guest bedroom on the first floor. The new one can only be sent over tomorrow.”

Melody frowned. “What about the other guest rooms!”

Susan rubbed her hands and said with a smile, “You’re the only guest in the house. There aren’t that many guest rooms at all, so you can sleep with Mr. Ken tonight”

“What?” Melody’s eyelids twitched “Susan, are you kidding me?”

Susan pretended to yawn and said, “It’s late. I’m old and should go and rest. Miss Fox, I wish you a good night’s sleep with Mr. Ken. I’m going to sleep first.”

As Susan spoke, she left very quickly. She showed the speed that people of her age really had. She disappeared instantly.

Melody looked at Ken in a daze. “What should we do!”

“What else can we do! Go upstairs and sleep! Ken put down the tablet in his hand. As he walked upstairs, he said leisurely, “Don’t worry, I won’t be interested in you.

“You.” Melody was so angry that she blurted out, “A lot of people are interested in me!”

“Really?” Ken’s eyes were smiling as he glanced at her chest.

Melody quickly crossed her arms. Where are you looking?”

Ken looked away lightly. “Indeed, there’s nothing to see.

With that, he went straight upstairs.

“What do you mean?” Melody chased after him angrily. When she came back to her senses, she realized that she was already standing by his bed.

For a moment, she blushed.

Ken said naturally. I’m going to take a shower first. You can choose which side you want to sleep in.

With that, he went into the bathroom.

Soon, the sound of ambiguous water running came from the bathroom. Melody’s heart was beating like a drum as she sat on the bed with a flushed face.

She thought, ‘What do I do?

Although she had already married someone in her previous life, she was never intimate with Ulric, let alone sleeping on the same bed with him…

Melody bit her lower lip hard, her face so red that it could drip blood.

At this moment, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

Her heartbeat quickened at this moment.

The next second, the bathroom door opened.

As the door opened, the water vapor inside was also brought out. She could only vaguely see Ken standing in the mist. He was only wrapped in a white towel. His perfect abs were half covered by the towel, and his figure was so perfect that he was like a rare sculpture.

For a moment, Melody seemed to lie bewitched and subconsciously stared at him.

A muffled laugh suddenly sounded. Melody suddenly came back to her senses and her gaze happened to meet Ken’s obsidian–like black eyes.

Ken did not blow–dry his hair, His black hair was wet and stuck to his forehead. The contours of his cold face seemed to be gentler than usual.

His lips curled into a faint smile. “Why! You’ve never seen a man before?

Melody regained her senses and quickly looked away. She blushed and looked away as she denied it. I am not looking at you.

“Really?” The smile on his lips deepened. Just as he was about to speak, his phone suddenly rang, breaking the atmosphere in the room.

He reached out and looked at the caller ID on his phone. The gentleness on his face instantly dissipated, and he answered the call expressionlessly.

“Hello?”

James said. “Mr. Ken! Come to Leit Bar quickly. Miss Murphy’s condition is not good. She drank too much and wants to commit suicide!”

“What did you say?” Ken frowned.

“You’ll know the details when you get here. Hurry up and come over James sounded very anxious.

Ken held the phone tightly and said in a deep voice, “I’ll be right there”

With that, he hung up the phone, picked up a set of clothes, and walked out of the bedroom. As he walked, he said to Melody, “Something happened to Janet. I’m going out for a while. You can go to sleep first.”

Melody’s back stiffened. She subconsciously asked, “Are you going out now? Do you need me to go with you?”

However, Ken simply left after saying coolly. “No need.”

The sound of clothes rubbing against each other came from outside the door. Then, the sound of footsteps gradually faded away. With a bang, the door closed.

The room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. The light in Melody’s eyes dimmed bit by bit.

She couldn’t explain what she was feeling at the moment, but she felt that the room had suddenly become very cold.

She sat on the edge of the bed in a daze for a long time. Her mind was blank, but her mind was filled with Ken’s back when he left

In the end, she laughed at herself. She felt like a clown at that time.

Ken was worried about Janet’s situation, but she was blushing and her heart was beating like an 18–year–old girl in love. She felt pitiful and ridiculous.

Melody took a deep breath and patted her face. She told herself to sleep early and not think too much.

After washing up, she lay on the bed and looked at the ceiling. It was clearly very late, but she did not feel sleepy at all. Even she did not know what she was thinking.

Ken rushed to Leit Bar. It was a half–hour drive, but he arrived in less than 15 minutes.

“Mr. Ken!”*” James had already cleared the bar. He immediately saw Ken enter.

Ken nodded slightly and frowned as he looked at Janet.

She was completely drunk and her eyes were listless. It was as if she could not see anything clearly. She could only barely stand with James’s help, but she kept muttering that she wanted to die.

“What’s going on?” Ken stepped forward with a cold expression.

James handed Janet to Ken. As he took a step back, he said, “Miss Murphy refused to leave. She insisted… she insisted on committing suicide. She said that you don’t need her anymore. There’s no meaning for her to live.”

Ken’s expression instantly became even uglier.

He supported Janet with one hand and turned to remind James, “Go out and buy soane hangover medicine. Also, don’t let anyone enter the bar. She has a special identity. It’s not good for her to be seen like this.

“Yes,” James nodded and quickly walked out, feeling extremely gratified.

He thought, ‘Mr. Ken still cares about Miss Murphy!

After James left, Ken helped Janet to a seat. Just as he was about to let go, Janet wrapped her arms around his neck. “Ken?” It’s me, Ken replied.

No, you’re lying. You’re not him. Janet shook her head and laughed at herself. How can Ken come over? He doesn’t care about me at all. It’s better for me to die. Anyway, there’s no one in this world who cares about me.”

As she spoke, she got up and was about to bang her head on the table.

Chapter 229

Ken was startled and quickly reached out to grab Janet’s wrist

Janet took advantage of the momentum and fell into Ken’s arms, hitting his chest with her fists. “Let go of me! Let me die! None of should care about me!”

Ken had no other choice. He picked Janet up horizontally and started striding out.

Just as he reached the doorway, he bumped into James, who had just bought some hangover medicine.

Seeing Ken holding Janet, James asked, somewhat shocked, “Mr. Swanson? Where are you going?”

“To the nearby hotel. She’s in a bad state. We need to sober her up first.

“Yes, Mr. Swanson.” James quickly went to get the car, and soon they reached the nearest hotel.

However, neither of them noticed the flash of a camera in a black business car nearby.

At Serenity Villa, Melody was about to fall asleep when her phone suddenly chimed with a message.

Is it Ken?‘ she wondered.

Her sleepiness vanished instantly, and she opened her eyes to check her phone.

However, the message was from an unfamiliar number, containing just two photos.

Curious, she clicked on them, only to see pictures of Ken holding Janet intimately. In the second photo, Ken was carrying Janet into a hotel.

It was obvious what a man and a woman going into a hotel together would do.

Melody glanced at the bed she was lying in, which belonged to Ken. This scene felt oddly ironic.

It was her fault that this perfect couple couldn’t go home and had to sleep in a hotel.

Taking a deep breath, Melody got up, found a blanket in the closet, and went downstairs to lie on the couch.

The couch didn’t carry Ken’s scent, which helped calm her down. Her gaze fell back on her phone.

This time, she wasn’t looking at the photos but the number that sent them.

“Who has sent me these photos? What’s his or her purposer‘ she thought to herself.

She frowned slightly and dialed the number.

The phone rang twice before the other party hung up.

She tried calling again, but it went straight to voicemail.

Melody couldn’t even lie still on the couch. She opened Ken’s laptop on the coffee table and her fingers flew across the keyboard.

The screen filled with green lines of code as she rapidly typed. In no time, she had finished and hit the enter key, successfully hacking into the sender’s phone and retrieving his identity.

“Anthony Murphy.” She read the name aloud, her eyes narrowing as she searched for information about Anthony online.

Soon, she discovered he was a distant relative of the Murphy family in Instermond.

So it’s Janet’s doing. I should have guessed; she sneered inwardly.

Janet had set this up, just waiting to flaunt her victory.

With a blank expression, Melody deleted all traces of her activity from the laptop and closed it.

She couldn’t deny that her mood was completely ruined by Janet’s antics, her mind involuntarily imagining what might be happening between Ken and Janet at the hotel.

In the hotel suite, Ken laid Janet on the bed and was about to ask James to get some water when his wrist was suddenly gripped. It was Janet.

“Don’t go… don’t leave me. You’re all I have left…” Janet mumbled, her eyes misty with a haze of tears.

Ken frowned slightly, unable to leave Janet alone in this state.

He sighed and said, Jane, I need to get you some water. You’ve had too much to drink.”

“Don’t go.” Janet stubbornly tightened her grip on Ken’s wrist.

From the bed, Janet continued to murmur, “Don’t leave me here alone… My brother left, and abandoned me, and now you will too. I know I did wrong. but I truly regret it but no one listens…

Tears streamed down her cheeks, making her look even more pitiful.

Ken had no choice but to sit by the bed and use his free hand to dial James‘ number. “Bring the hangover medicine in, and ask the hotel to warm some milk.”

“Yes,” James replied succinctly and went to carry out the task.

After the call, Ken’s gaze fell back on Janet.

Janet had been with Ken through the creation of Ximber Tech. For one of Ximber Tech’s new products, she hadn’t even attended her brother’s funeral.

On the business battlefield, they had been unstoppable. No matter how formidable the opponent, Janet had always been confident and composed. He had never seen her so despondent.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Ken tucked the blanket around Janet and said, “I’m not leaving. You can’t handle alcohol well, so don’t go to places like bars in the future.”

As his words hung in the air, Janet’s sobbing seemed to ease.

Ken heaved a sigh of relief.

Just then, James knocked on the bedroom door with the hangover medicine.

‘Come in,” Ken said.

James entered, handing Ken a glass of water and the medicine while asking, “Mr. Swanson, is Miss Murphy feeling any better?”

“Somewhat” Ken replied. After a pause, he asked, “What about the guy who harassed her!”

The guy pretended to be unconscious and ran when we were about to put him in the car. The bar

James looked down, embarrassed. “He got away. The entrance was crowded, and we lost him.”

“And the bar’s surveillance footage!”

“Coincidentally, the surveillance system was being upgraded today, so nothing was recorded. We’ll have to wait until Miss Murphy sobers up fully and get a sketch artist to have her describe the guy.”

“Okay.” Ken’s expression was unreadable as he patted Janet’s shoulder. Jane, wake up and take your medicine. You’ll feel better.”

He brought the medicine to her lips, but Janet turned her head away, frowning like a child. “No medicine.”

“Be good,” Ken said, motioning for James to help him. Together, they struggled for a while before getting Janet to take the medicine.

As James was about to leave quietly, Ken called out to him, “James.”

James stopped and quickly asked, “Mr. Swanson, is there anything else?”

Ken looked down at Janet, her brows still furrowed in her sleep, and asked quietly. “Do you think I’ve been too cold-hearted toward Janet?”

James could not help but choke. Ken spoke again. “Say what you want to say.”

James hesitated, then swallowed hard and replied, “Miss Murphy’s contributions to you and the company are well–known. Seeing her like this, you do bear some responsibility. Honestly, how long have you known Miss Fox compared to how long Miss Murphy has been with you! Yet it seems you treat Miss Fox much better than Miss Murphy. Many people are disheartened by your actions.”

Ken’s back stiffened, his eyes darkening.

James quickly apologized. T’m sorry, Mr. Swanson. I overstepped.”

Chapter 230

When James thought Ken was about to get angry, he heard Ken say calmly. “It’s fine. You’re right. My punishment for Jane was indeed thoughtless. Once she recovers tomorrow, she can return to work. The launch of the new product can’t do without her.”

James let out a sigh of relief and instinctively said, “That’s the right decision!”

To James, Jane was the only woman who matched Ken perfectly, given how she toiled for the company and Ken.

Ken frowned and gave him a sidelong glance, which startled James. Realizing he had said too much, he quickly changed the subject. “Miss Murp wasn’t in good shape tonight. Are you staying here tonight”

Ken glanced at Janet, who was whimpering and seemingly uncomfortable. After a brief silence, he said, “Get me a blanket. I’ll stay here tonight. Yes. Mr. Swanson!” James responded with delight and went out to fetch a blanket. He quickly set up a bed on the floor.

Ken wanted to wash up, but as soon as he moved to leave, Janet began to cry.

By this time, the hangover medicine should have taken effect, but perhaps Janet was too drunk.

With no other option, he asked James to bring him some toiletries. He washed up stood by the bed and then settled down on the makeshift bed on the floor.

The night was both long and short.

Melody didn’t fall into a deep sleep until the early hours when the sky began to lighten. It felt like she had only slept for a moment when Susan’s voice woke her up. “Miss Fox? Why are you sleeping on the couch? Where’s Mr. Swanson?”

Melody was a light sleeper and had woken up when Susan entered the living room.

She sat up from the couch, feeling sore all over.

Faced with Susan’s questions, she didn’t know how to respond and vaguely said, “He had something to do and went out

“Oh, then why are you… Susan started to ask more, but Melody waved her hand tiredly, cutting her off. “It’s late. I’m heading out. If Ken comes back, please tell him I won’t be home tonight.”

Susan looked surprised but, seeing the dark circles under Melody’s eyes, she swallowed her words and simply nodded. “Alright, Miss Fox”

Melody didn’t linger any longer. After freshening up, she hailed a cab and headed to lcy Clear Cosmetics.

Coincidentally, as she got out of the taxi, she ran into Troy.

It seemed Troy was heading to the company next door. Not wanting to cause any trouble, Melody quickened her pace into Icy Clear Cosmetics.

However, Troy noticed her and swiftly stepped in her path.

“Melody?” Troy’s gaze scanned her from head to toe with disdain, then he let out a cold laugh. I never would have guessed it A country girl like you has some tricks up her sleeve. Even after I pulled such a big move by canceling my orders, your father will stand by you. I’m genuinely curious, what kind of tricks did you pull?”

Melody ignored most of what “Troy said, but she caught the part about Russell standing by her.

She felt a flicker of confusion as she wondered. ‘Could it be that Troy is mistaken? Yes, she hadn’t gone home last night, and Russell hadn’t called. which is unusual.

Suppressing her doubts, she calmly asked, “Is there something you need, Mr. Clark!”

Troy smirked slyly and said, “Nothing much. I just wanted to give you a head–up. The matter with Fam isn’t over. You’ll pay the price sooner or later!”

His face radiated a smug satisfaction, making Melody frown and feel a surge of unease.

“What’s Troy planning” she wondered.

Before she could ask further, Troy strode away, heading straight into the adjacent company, which also dealt in fashion design.

Melody noted the name of the company and then pushed aside her thoughts as she walked into Icy Clear Cosmetics.

Wilmot had sent an assistant to wait for her at the entrance. Seeing her approach, the assistant, with an indifferent expression, stepped forward. “Miss Fox, Mr. Sherman instructed me to wait for you here, I’ll take you to the R&D department.”

Noting the contempt in the assistant’s eyes, Melody didn’t say much and simply nodded, following the assistant to the R&D department.

“Mr. Mayer, she’s here,” the assistant casually informed Tim Mayer, the head of the R&D department, before turning to leave.

Melody instinctively called out to the assistant. “Where’s Wilmot?”

The assistant impatiently said, “Mr. Sherman is hospitalized with a fever. Mr. Mayer will be in charge of you.”

Then, without any regard for Melody, he muttered resentfully. “It’s all because of you, jinx. If you hadn’t bet the company. Mr. Sherman wouldn’t be so worried that he fell ill. Thanks to you, we’ll all be sick from stress soon enough!”

Melody opened her mouth, about to inquire about Wilmot’s condition, but the assistant didn’t bother to say another word and swiftly left.

She was about to call Wilmot when the head of the R&D department, Tim, called out to her. “Miss Fox, come with me, please.

Melody paused her motion to dial, realizing that Wilmot’s illness was likely stress-induced and the best way to help was to develop the new product quickly.

With this in mind, she put her phone away and followed Tim into the R&D department.

Unlike Wilmot’s assistant, Tim wore a constant friendly smile and responsibly introduced her to the R&D department. “This is the meeting room, those are the workstations for the R&D department staff and my office is right there. The lab is at the back.”

Melody nodded, her gaze sweeping over the empty workstations, and asked. “Isn’t anyone at work yet?”

Tim’s smile widened. “Of course not, everyone is busy working on the new product in the lab.”

“Working on the new product?” Melody’s brow furrowed.

She scrutinized Tim more closely, sensing something was off.

Tim maintained his smile and said, “Miss Fox, everyone is working hard because no one wants to lose their job over your big bet. After our morning meeting, we decided to improve the formula of the Golden Water. Maybe it can compete with the All–Purpose Water.”

Melody’s face darkened further. “Why didn’t anyone inform me about the meeting? Didn’t I say I would develop the new product!”

Tim gave a sardonic smile. “Miss Fox, it’s important to understand one’s limits. As far as I know, you don’t even have a bachelor’s degree. How could you possibly develop a cosmetic product! Those claims are for Silk Beauty Cosmetics, not for us insiders.”

Melody stared coldly at Tim, finally seeing him for the hostile hypocrite he was, even worse than the assistant.

Tim continued, “For the next few days, you just need to clock in and out on time. By the way. I’ve arranged your workstation by the window, so you can enjoy the view and not get bored. Of course, if you do get bored, you can play some games or something Just don’t disturb the R&D staff.”

Melody bit her lip hard, suppressing her anger. “Mr. Mayer, what do you mean? Are you saying you don’t intend to let me participate in the development of the new product?”

Tim kept smiling. “Miss Fox, what are you talking about! You are the key figure in our new product. On the day of the showdown, we’ll need you to step up. Isn’t that participation.“”

Prev | Next