Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 296, 297, 298, 299, and 300)

Chapter 296 – Bad Daughter

Yolanda was shocked by the viciousness in Melody’s eyes for a moment, but she quickly calmed down and put on that fake smile again. “Melody, what do you mean? I only borrowed Hattie for a few days. Why do you sound like I kidnapped Hattie? She’s just a servant. Why would I kidnap her?”

Melody retorted, “Cut the crap. You know what you’re trying to do. You better stop now, or you’ll regret it.”

Yolanda was about to speak when she heard footsteps behind her. She immediately teared up and looked extremely aggrieved. “Melody, I know you’ve never liked me, but you can’t slander me just because you don’t like me. Am I so vicious to you?”

“You-” Melody was about to flare up when Russell walked out. He was wearing matching pajamas with Yolanda.

Russell frowned and asked with concern, “Yolanda, what’s wrong?”

Yolanda threw herself into Russell’s arms and cried as she said, “Russell, I can’t stay in this house for another minute. I only borrowed Hattie from Maria for two days and asked her to go to the country to visit my mother on my behalf. But Melody said that I kidnapped Hattie… Everyone said it’s difficult to be a stepmother, but I didn’t expect it to be so hard. Melody always shouts at me rudely, and she’s slandering me now.”

Russell’s anger immediately surged. ‘How ill-mannered Melody is,’ he thought.

Russell comforted Yolanda a little, then walked to Melody to slap her.

However, this time, Melody did not endure it silently. Instead, she grabbed Russell’s hand.

Russell was stunned. He clearly did not expect Melody to dare to resist. The anger in his heart instantly burned even more fiercely as he tried to pull his hand back.

However, Russell was surprised that the seemingly thin Melody was surprisingly strong. No matter how hard he tried, he could not break free from Melody’s grip.

Furious, Russell tried to kick Melody in the stomach.

It was obvious that this kick was extremely strong. Melody was shocked and quickly dodged.

“You bastard. How dare you dodge? I’ll beat you to death today.” Russell’s hand was free now. He rushed up, wanting to punch and kick Melody.

Melody did not have the time to waste with Russell. She turned and ran downstairs.

Russell’s furious voice came from behind. “You son of a bitch. Come back here.”

Melody ignored Russell and ran out of the house.

When Melody ran to the entrance of the neighborhood, she was surprised to find that Ken was still standing there.

Ken’s eyes were filled with surprise when he saw Melody. He stubbed out his cigarette and walked forward. He could tell at once that there was a hint of vulnerability in her eyes. He immediately sensed that something big had happened because Melody had never shown such a side to him.

As Ken observed Melody’s expression, he asked, “What happened?”

“Ken.” There was a slight lump in Melody’s throat. It was unknown if she was feeling wronged or worried about Hattie. Her voice was shaking.

“I’m here. Tell me,” Ken said.

These four words seemed to have some power that calmed Melody’s chaotic emotions.

Melody took a deep breath and said as calmly as she could, “My grandmother’s servant, Hattie, was sent away with an excuse by Yolanda. I can’t contact her now… Hattie has helped me many times during this time. I suspect Yolanda is going to do something bad to her.”

Ken listened carefully and opened the passenger door. “Get in the car.”

Melody nodded and got into the car.

After Ken asked about Hattie’s basic situation, he dialed a number. His phone automatically connected to the car, and Sid’s voice sounded in the car. “Boss, where did you send Melody off to? Why aren’t you back yet? Jane is about to get drunk. Come back now.”

Ken frowned and said, “Don’t let her get drunk. She just went to the emergency room a few days ago because she was drunk.”

When Melody heard this, an unprecedented feeling arose in her heart. It was as if she had eaten something bitter. Mixed feelings rose in her.

This feeling had vaguely appeared when they were playing Truth or Dare tonight, but it seemed to be getting stronger and stronger now.

Melody didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she pursed her lips and tried to suppress the strange feeling. Ken did not notice the change in Melody’s expression. As he drove, he said, “I have a situation here. Get your family to investigate someone for me… See if she got on the train tonight.”

On the other end of the phone, Sid didn’t suspect anything and replied, “Oh… Okay, send me her information on your phone.”

Ken did not waste any time. He hung up the phone and sent Hattie’s message according to Melody’s description and photo.

After doing this, Ken looked sideways at Melody. “Don’t worry, they’ll find her soon.

“Okay…” Melody said.

A moment later, Sid called, “I found her. Hattie was supposed to be on the 8:50 p.m. train tonight, but she didn’t get on the train, and there’s no sign of her at the train station.”

“Got it.” Ken hung up and was about to get someone to check the surveillance cameras from when Hattie left when he heard Melody ask, “Do you have a computer in your car?”

“Yes.” Ken took out a laptop from the backseat and handed it to Melody. He asked, “What do you want the laptop for?

“To check the surveillance cameras, Melody said concisely as her fingers quickly typed on the keyboard.

Ken glanced at the computer screen and was surprised Melody was clearly hacking into the nearby surveillance system.

In less than a minute, several surveillance images appeared on the screen

Melody adjusted the surveillance camera according to the time Maria said. Soon, she found the image of Hattie being taken out of the neighborhood by the butler, Roy, on a motorbike.

However, after leaving the neighborhood, they did not drive toward the train station.

Thinking that Roy was Yolanda’s trusted aide, Melody took a deep breath and quickly checked the surveillance cameras along the way.

Roy brought Hattie to a secluded suburb. The surveillance cameras couldn’t give any clue here and she could not find Hattie at all. But it should be there

Before Melody could say anything, Ken had already changed direction. The car sped toward the suburbs.

On the way, Melody’s hands could not help but tremble. She felt both worry and self-blame. If Hattie had not helped her during this period, Yolanda would not have taken action against Hattie

As Melody thought, Ken spoke as if he could read her mind, “Melody, never blame yourself for other people’s mistakes.” Melody’s eyelids twitched as she looked at Ken

Ken said as he focused on driving. “When I knew my mother’s death might have something to do with Astrid and the Lawrence family, I felt useless at first and even gave up on myself for a long time. But later, I thought it through. The ones who were wrong were Astrid and the Lawrence family, not me. What I have to do is to work hard to find the truth, not waste my time punishing myself.”

Melody moved her lips and said, “Thanks…”

“I told you, you don’t have to thank me. We’re… friends, aren’t we?” Ken asked.

‘Friends? Us?’ Melody thought. Her eyelids trembled. ‘Since we are friends, why did he send James to investigate me? Melody was about to blurt out the question…

Chapter 297 – Take Action

Melody started, “Ken, you…”

“Yes?” Ken tilted his face and glanced at Melody from the corner of his eye.

Melody moved her lips but swallowed her words. Now was not the time to talk about this. Hattie’s safety was more important.

Melody changed topics. “I’ve been home for a long time. Why are you still at the entrance of my neighborhood?” Ken looked uncomfortable for a moment, but he quickly replied calmly, “I was on a conference call. It’s not safe to drive and call.”

“No wonder…” Melody did not doubt Ken’s words.

*****The car soon arrived in the suburbs.

Ken looked at the map and said, “Although this suburb is deserted, the road ahead leads straight to the port. There are no boats at this time. If they want to travel by boat, they must wait until tomorrow morning. So they must be nearby.” When Melody heard this, she opened the door to get out of the car. However, when she touched the door handle, Ken grabbed her.

“Stay in the car. I’ll leave you the key. The car is bulletproof. Lock it up if something goes wrong. Wait for my men to come get you. They’re on their way.”

“What about you?” Melody asked.

“I’ll look around first. She should be in one of the buildings,” Ken said.

After that, Ken threw the car key to Melody. After asking for Hattie’s cell phone number, he quickly got out of the car to look for Hattie.

After Ken got out of the car, he called Hattie. There was still no answer, but her phone was not switched off. If the phone was not off, he could find the source of the signal.

*****

At the same time, in an abandoned warehouse, Hattie was trussed to a chair with a dirty rag stuffed in her mouth. Her eyes were filled with fear and anger, and she kept whimpering.

A masked man was annoyed and kicked Hattie’s leg. Alright, shut up. There’s no one around. It’s useless for you to shout for help. Besides, you’re old. What can we do to you?”

“That’s right. Those who don’t know better might think that we’re rapists,” the bald man said.

The masked man teased, “Hey, Joe, you haven’t been with a woman before, right? This is a good opportunity. Don’t be picky. We’ll make room for you. We can turn off the lights and let you enjoy what it’s like being a man.”

The two men looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“Piss off.” The fat man, Joe Seed, kicked them and changed the topic unhappily. “Why isn’t Roy back yet? Is he discovered?”

“He’s just buying tickets and bringing us supper. How could anything happen?” the masked man said.

They panicked for a moment but quickly calmed down and began to circle Hattie. “What’s the use of an old woman like you? We’re paid 2 million dollars for bringing you to

Weaona and feeding you to the lions…” they remarked.

Hattie was trembling all over. It was unknown if it was from anger or fear.

Not far from the warehouse, Roy got off the motorbike with bags of supper.

As Roy walked to the warehouse, he complained, “These bastards actually treated me as an errand boy. If it weren’t for Madam, I would-“

Roy suddenly stopped mid-sentence. The sharp and cold feeling on his neck made him shiver. There was a dagger pressed against his neck.

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Roy’s back as he asked with a trembling voice, “W-who are you…”

As Roy asked the question, a large hand covered his mouth and dragged him far away

Roy wanted to shout and attract the attention of the people in the warehouse, but the man’s grip was very strong. The faint groan he made quickly dissipated in the night wind. Before long, Ken dragged Roy to the side of the car.

Melody quickly jumped out of the car to check on the situation. Seeing that it was Roy, the corners of her lips curled up coldly. She said with a faint smile, “Roy, what a coincidence to bump into you in the wilderness.”

When Roy saw Melody, he was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground. His gaze shifted, and when he saw Ken again, his eyes almost popped out. “Y-you guys…”

Ken did not waste any time. He grabbed Roy’s collar and asked, “Is Hattie in the warehouse? How many people are inside?”

Roy was also smart. He swallowed and forced a smile. “Mr. Swanson, Miss Melody, what are you talking about? I don’t understand what you’re saying…”

In the next moment, Ken kicked Roy in the stomach.

Roy instantly fell to the ground. He was in so much pain that he could not even make a sound.

When Roy finally recovered, Ken lifted him from the ground with one hand easily. “Do you understand now?”

Roy’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks in fear. However, after he told the truth, what awaited him was jail time.

Thinking of this, Roy gritted his teeth and said with a miserable face, “Mr. Swanson, I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Looks like that kick wasn’t hard enough.” Ken narrowed his wolfish eyes and was about to attack when a slender hand suddenly pressed down on the back of his hand.

Ken instantly stopped. Melody quickly let go of his hand, but Ken could still feel the residual warmth. He looked at Melody inquiringly.

Melody shook her head and said, “Beating such a person will dirty your hands.”

As Melody spoke, she took out a medicine bottle from her pocket. Before Roy could react, she fed him a red pill. Then, she nimbly smacked Roy’s chin upward.

Roy was caught off guard and swallowed the pill. When he came back to his senses, he hurriedly tried to spit out the pill, but no matter how hard he coughed, he failed.

“Don’t waste your effort,” Melody said faintly. “This pill dissolves very quickly. It has already dissolved in your system. It’s useless even if you spit it out.”

Roy grabbed his neck and asked in horror, “W-What did you feed me?”

“The Nine-Nine Pill, also known as Lethal Killer. If you don’t take the antidote within 81 days, you will bleed from your orifices and die.” Melody’s tone was very calm, as if she was talking about the weather.

Roy’s face instantly turned pale. After being stunned for a few seconds, he grabbed Melody’s sleeve like a madman and said, “The antidote. Give me the antidote now.”

Melody shook off Roy’s hand. “Whether I give you the antidote depends on your performance. I’ll ask you one last time. Do you understand what we just said?”

Roy struggled wildly internally.

Melody was not in a hurry. She crossed her arms and waited patiently.

About two minutes later, Roy clenched his fists in resignation. If he told the truth, he would just be in jail. Moreover, he was just an accomplice. He would be released in a few years. However, if he still refused to admit it, he would only die. He had no choice but to die or go to jail.

Roy gritted his teeth and closed his eyes in despair. “Hattie is tied up in the warehouse. There are three people inside. One of them has a gun…”

Melody nodded and asked, “Where are those people from?”

Roy had already completely compromised by now. He told them everything he knew. “They’re local mafia in Silverlake. In their early years, they were arrested for some unsavory business at the border and were sent to prison. They have just been released.”

“How did Yolanda know them?” Melody asked.

When Roy heard the name “Yolanda”, he hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he said truthfully, “Madam has a distant relative who’s with them, but has never been arrested. The relative is still at the border. That was how Madam was introduced to these three people.”

Melody nodded and turned to look at Ken. “Shall we make our move?”

Chapter 298 – Death

Ken could not help but frown when he saw how eager Melody was to charge forward. “You’re staying in the car.”

“No.” Melody was very determined this time. She said with a serious expression, “Didn’t you hear what he said? One of those three guys has a gun. I’m worried about you being alone.”

“But…” Ken started.

Melody retorted, “Ken, this is my business. If something happens to you because of me, I won’t be able to live with my conscience. Therefore, I have to get involved.”

Ken was silent for a moment before asking, “If something happens to me, will you only feel guilty?”

Melody did not understand Ken’s words. She asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” Ken’s eyes were unreadable. He paused for a moment and said, “If you insist on following me, be smart. If you can’t handle it, run.”

“I know. I’m scared of dying,” Melody said.

Ken had an “I couldn’t tell” expression on his face. He turned to pull Roy over and whispered in his ear, “Listen up. This is what you do…”

When Roy heard this, his hands trembled slightly. He gritted his teeth and nodded. “Alright… I’ll cooperate with you as long as you give me the antidote…”

*****

A few minutes later, the three people in the warehouse were joking around in boredom when someone suddenly knocked on the door.

They instantly fell silent. One of them stood behind Hattie and pressed a knife against Hattie’s neck.

Joe walked behind the door and asked in a muffled voice,” Who is it?”

“It’s me.” When the voice sounded, they immediately relaxed.

Joe opened the iron door and asked with disdain, “Why did you take so long to get supper?”

Roy said tiredly, “My motorbike ran out of fuel, so I walked back. I can’t carry the supper alone. It’s too heavy. I left it with the motorbike. Why don’t you come with me to get it? “How useless.” Joe curled his lips and said, “Where’s the motorbike? Is it very far?”

“It’s not far. It’ll take about ten minutes to walk there, Roy said.

“That’s not far? Roy, you’re troublesome Joe complained. He said to his two companions in the warehouse, I’ll go with him to get it. You two, keep an eye on her.”

“Got it. Hurry up and go. I haven’t eaten since this morning I’m starving,” the masked man said.

“Cut the crap. If you continue talking crap, go yourself, Joe threatened.

Joe cursed and pushed Roy out, closing the iron door of the warehouse.

“Which way?” Joe asked impatiently.

Roy pointed. “It’s over there.”

Joe pursed his lips again and walked in the direction Roy was pointing.

When Roy passed by the bushes, he subconsciously slowed down.

Joe turned unhappily. “What are you doing? Hurry up. If we starve to death, you can handle your business…

Halfway through, Joe suddenly felt movement behind him. He subconsciously turned and was hit on the head.

With a thud, Joe fell to the ground.

Melody threw away the wooden branch in her hand and walked forward to kneel beside Joe. She used silver needles to pierce a few spots on his body. After doing this, she stood up and patted her hands clean. “Stay here and watch him. I’ll go to the warehouse to take a look.”

Roy broke out in a cold sweat. “D-don’t leave me here alone.

If he wakes up, he’ll kill me.”

As Melody walked toward the warehouse, she said, “Don’t worry. If you don’t remove the silver needles from him, he won’t wake up.”

Roy was still panicking. “Miss Melody…”

Melody turned and glared at Roy coldly. Roy immediately fell silent and shrank his neck, not daring to say another word.

*****

At the same time, there was a knock on the warehouse door.

“Here they come.” The masked man muttered, “Joe must have forgotten something. How troublesome.”

He grumbled as he headed for the door. However, when he opened the door, there was no one outside.

“How strange…” The masked man looked out suspiciously. In the next second, he was suddenly pulled out by a strong force.

After a few muffled sounds, there was no more movement outside.

The bald man who was left in the warehouse finally realized the seriousness of the matter. He took out the gun and gave Hattie a warning kick. Then, he bent down and quietly walked out.

However, when he walked out of the warehouse, the door suddenly closed from the inside.

The bald man was shocked and hurriedly knocked on the door. “Open the door. Come out and fight me one-on-one if you have the guts.”

Hattie, who was tied to a chair, watched as Ken jumped down from the hole in the roof. Her despairing eyes instantly lit up. She made muffled noises.

Ken gestured for Hattie to keep quiet. He walked forward and quickly removed the rag from Hattie’s mouth. Then, he untied the ropes.

“Mr. Swanson…” Hattie had just spoken when the back door of the warehouse was suddenly kicked down

Dust instantly filled the air. When it dissipated, Ken’s sharp eyes saw the bald man aiming a gun at his heart.

At the same time, Melody had just reached the entrance of the warehouse when she heard a gunshot from inside. Her heart began to beat violently. Her eyelids twitched Her mind went blank for a moment

However, Melody quickly came back to her senses and shouted Ken’s name while kicking the door hard.

Although the warehouse door was an iron gate, it had been in disrepair for a long time and was rusty. After a few kicks a gap immediately appeared

Melody reached through the gap and opened the door. She held the dagger Ken had given her tightly and quickly ran into the warehouse was filled with dust. Melody immediately saw Hattie cowering in the corner. She quickly ran over and grabbed Hattie’s shoulders. “Hattie, you.”

Tim fine.” Hattie’s hands trembled as she said, “Go look at Mr. Swanson now. He seems to have been shot.”

Melody’s pupils instantly constricted. Her entire body was covered in sweat. At this moment, the surroundings seemed to be so quiet that she could hear her heartbeat

Melody’s heart had never beaten so fast before. The abnormal heartbeat made her suddenly understand something. Her feelings for Ken… seemed more than just feelings for a partner

However, the current situation did not allow Melody to dwell on it. She instructed in a low voice, “Hattie, hide here and don’t move. If the situation is not right, run out of here”

“Alright.” Hattie nodded vigorously.

Melody gritted her teeth and stood up, quietly walking toward the dust. She saw a bald man lying on the ground He was curled up on the ground looking agonized.

Melody couldn’t care less about the man and continued to search for Ken. In the next moment, she saw a tall figure lying in a corner. His white shirt was already dyed red from blood.

Melody was instantly stunned. She froze. It was blood in her body stopped flowing She even forgot to react and just stood there in a daze.

Death The word that Melody had personally experienced seemed to be playing out in front of her again.

No… This can’t happen Melody thought.

Ken Melody shouted in horror and rushed to Ken’s side Her fingers trembled as she checked his breathing.

Chapter 299 – A Strange Feeling

Melody’s heart pounded like thunder as she reached under Ken’s nose. Even the tip of her nose was sweating She thought, Nothing must happen to him. Otherwise, I will blame myself and feel guilty for the rest of my life.

However, before Melody could check if Ken was still breathing, her hand was suddenly seized by his large hand.

Melody was shocked and subconsciously looked at Ken’s face.

Ken’s obsidian eyes had opened at some point and were fixed on Melody.

When their eyes met, the tension in Melody’s heart instantly relaxed. Her anxiety urgently needed to be vented.

Melody tried to find her voice. “You’re okay?”

“Yeah…” Ken struggled to sit up as he spoke. The gunshot had hurt his eardrums, and his ears were still buzzing.

The next second, Melody pounced into Ken’s arms

Ken instantly stopped moving. He looked at Miclody who was crying in his arms and looked helpless

“Thank god you’re fine… That’s great…” Melody kept mumbling

Ken was stunned for a while before a smile appeared on his face.

But at this moment, Hattie’s hoarse shout came from not far away “Careful!

They subconsciously looked up and saw the bald man getting up from the ground. He was holding a broken steel bar and aiming it at them.

Melody’s hand reacted faster than her mind. With a flick of her wrist, the dagger in her hand flew toward the bald man.

The dagger pierced the bald man’s thigh. He held his leg and screamed.

At this moment, Ken’s men arrived. Seeing this, they immediately grabbed the bald man and beat him up.

“Mr. Swanson, are you alright?” The leader of the bodyguard stepped forward. When his gaze landed on Melody and Ken, he looked away uncomfortably.

Melody looked down and realized she had thrown herself into Ken’s arms because she was too emotional. She quickly withdrew from Ken’s embrace as if she had been electrocuted. She coughed awkwardly and said, “Sorry…”

In a second, Melody seemed to have returned to the person who was polite to Ken and always maintained a hint of aloofness and distance.

The expression in Ken’s eyes was complicated. After a moment, he retracted his gaze from Melody.

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Ken said

expressionlessly. Then, he stood up nimbly. When he passed by the bodyguard, his aura seemed to turn cold. He looked darkly at the bodyguard.

The bodyguard was shocked and reported in a panic, “We found two unconscious people by the roadside and at the entrance of the warehouse. Including this one in the warehouse, there are three people in this group, right?” “Yeah,” Ken said.

Melody also recovered from her embarrassment and asked Ken, “The blood on you…”

Ken pointed at the bald man. “It’s from him.”

Melody immediately asked in confusion, “Then why did you faint?”

Ken glanced at Melody and said naturally, “The gunshot was too loud. I was taken aback.”

“Oh… That’s good.” Melody nodded. However, she thought,” Why did Ken faint from shock, but Hattie and the bald man with the gun were fine?’

However, Melody immediately shook her head. It was impossible for Ken to be so bored to the point of pretending to faint.

Melody quickly stopped thinking about this and got up to check on Hattie. Hattie was covered in bruises of various sizes and rope marks. They were a little unbearable to look at.

“I’m fine…” Hattie forced a smile. “I’m fine.”

Melody immediately felt like crying. “I’m sorry. It’s all because of me that Yolanda hurt you…”

Hattie shook her head. “She has disliked me for a long time. What she hates the most is not having her way. After all, I’m someone close to Maria. I reckon she has this idea for a long time.”

“No…” Melody shook her head but did not say anything else. In her previous life, after her grandmother passed away, Hattie safely returned to her hometown. Nothing like this had ever happened. All of this was because of the butterfly effect caused by her rebirth.

The last thing Melody wanted was to implicate the people around her, but it seemed that they were always implicated by her.

Hattie did not notice the complicated expression on Melody’s face. She asked, “Miss Melody, what should we do now? Should we directly expose Madam?”

Melody came back to her senses and shook her head calmly and restrainedly. “Now is not the time. Although today’s matter has blown up, Yolanda is very smart. She did not leave any evidence to directly prove she did it. The only evidence we have is Roy’s testimony. She can say that Roy and I collaborated and put on an act. She can push everything to me or only insist Roy did this for this himself…”

Hattie was furious. “So there’s still no way we can bring her to justice now?”

“Yes, and… I’m afraid you’ll have to suffer for a while,” Melody said.

“What do you mean by that?” Hattie asked.

Melody whispered her plan, “You can’t show up in Silverlake for now. We have to let Yolanda think her plan has succeeded.”

Hattie nodded repeatedly. “Then Mrs. Maria…”

Melody said, “I can’t tell Grandma the truth for now. I can only tell her after she has taken this month’s medicine and her condition has completely stabilized.”

“I understand,” Hattie said.

Melody told her plan to Ken. Ken looked at Hattie and suggested, “Then let Hattie accompany Susan during this time. Susan always says she’s bored all day long. It’s good to have someone to accompany her.”

Melody did not want to trouble Ken again, but going to Serenity Villa was the safest for Hattie. Hence, after hesitating for a moment, Melody nodded and agreed. “Okay, thanks…”

Ken frowned and said, “I don’t want to hear the word thanks’ from you again. If you say it again in the future, you will owe me a meal.”

“Alright…” Melody pursed her lips. The strange feeling in her heart returned. But this time, it didn’t feel bitter.

Melody felt that something was wrong, but she did not dare to think about the reason. She said in a panic, “I’ll go back first. I’m afraid Dad will cause another scene.”

Ken’s face darkened. “Do you need my help to deal with your father? He only knows to cause trouble in the family.”

Melody shook her head. “No need. I want to personally take back what he owes my mother and me. As for now, let him live a few more days in peace.

Soon, they left the warehouse and rushed back to the city.

On the way, Melody glanced at Ken, who was sitting beside her. She felt uncomfortable everywhere.

Ken seemed to sense that something was wrong with Melody and glanced sideways at her. “What’s up?”

Their eyes met. Ken’s gaze was deep and seductive.

“Nothing…” Melody suddenly turned, her face turning red.

Fortunately, it was very dark in the car, so Ken did not notice.

Melody took a deep breath and clenched her hands in her lap, cursing herself for her unusual behavior today. She had too many things to do and too many enemies. She could

not repeat the same mistake as in her previous life and fall in love unilaterally

Melody brainwashed herself silently. Her chaotic heart finally calmed down.

An hour later, the car stopped at the entrance of the Fox family’s neighborhood. ♡

Chapter 300 – Whip

Before Melody left the car, Ken confirmed again, Tee you sure you don’t need me to go in with you?”

Melody said, “No need; if you go in with me, it will only make Yolanda uneasy. Yolanda overthinks everything, so needs to be very careful in preventing mistakes. When the time is right, I’ll throw all the damning evidence at her, ensuring she has no way to make a comeback. Otherwise, if she gets the chance, she’ll fight back with everything she’s got, and that would be counterproductive.”

After saying that, Melody noticed Ken looking at her deeply as if trying to see into her soul, then instinctively lowered her gaze and self-mockingly said, “Do you think I’m scary?” Ken shook his head. “I never thought you were scary”

Melody didn’t believe him and shrugged. “I’m going in, please take care of Hattie. She’s very reliable and hardworking; if she stays with you, she’ll take good care of you.”

“I’m not a child, so stop mentioning taking care of me all the time. You should go in.” Ken paused before adding, “By the way, Cadence was discharged from the hospital today. When she was hospitalized, my people kept injecting her with drugs, but now that she’s out, they can’t act anymore. She’ll probably regain consciousness soon, so you need to prepare.”

“I understand.” Melody clenched her teeth as she thought of everything Cadence had done in her previous life, determined to get well-prepared as she knew Cadence wouldn’t let this go easily.

Last time, if she hadn’t been worried about implicating Ken, she might have taken drastic action right away, but now she was fearless, ready to face any challenge that came her way.

Waving goodbye to Ken, Melody walked towards the Fox family’s villa, feeling that a storm was awaiting her.

As expected, the villa was still brightly lit when she arrived at the door, though the lights usually would be off by this time.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, noticing Russell sitting sternly in a chair in the living room, with Yolanda and Mabel standing on either side of him.

Russell’s face was full of anger with his expression as dark as ink, meanwhile, Mabel looked worried, but her immaturity showed through her obvious excitement.

Melody noticed Yolanda’s anxious expression, seemingly worrying if Melody had found Hattie,

Russell expected Melody to step forward and apologize, but seeing her indifferent and aloof expression only fueled his anger. “You still dare to come back?”

“Are you saying you don’t want me to come back, Dad?” Melody asked.

Russell stood from his chair, cursing, “You wretch, what kind of attitude is this? Not only did you defy Yolanda, but you also ran away from home. How could I have such a disgraceful daughter?”

Melody fearlessly met Russell’s almost fiery gaze when he was talking.

For the past two months, Melody had been trying to please Russell, still, it was clear his favoritism towards Mabel wouldn’t change because his bias was deeply ingrained, with no amount of appeasement would alter this reality. Instead of continuously playing the meek lamb and enduring grievances, Melody found it better to let Russell feel he couldn’t control her so that he would be hesitant to hit or scold her.

With this in mind, Melody’s expression grew colder as she said indifferently, “I didn’t run away from home, I went to find Hattie. Since her phone is unreachable now, I suspect she’s missing.”

At these words, Melody noticed Yolanda visibly relax, and then Yolanda spoke softly, “Hattie is unreachable because she’s on a train. You know how bad the phone connection is on trains, so you can’t just claim she’s missing because you can’t contact her, and you certainly can’t blame me for

Russell gritted his teeth. “Yolanda, don’t waste your breath on her, she brat is getting more and more out of hand and I need to teach her a good lesson today. Someone, bring me my whip.”

“Yes,” The servant responded and went to take the whip.

Mabel’s expression became even more joyous and excited, but Yolanda gave her a warning look, signaling her to restrain herself.

The servant soon returned with a black whip, which was thick and slick.

It wouldn’t break the skin but would cause excruciating pain and internal injuries with a few lashes, perfectly suitable to Russell’s cunning because internal injuries would not draw outside attention compared to visible wounds.

Having suffered many times from this whip in her past life, Melody knew well how painful it was and her gaze became even colder as she asked, “What did I do wrong that deserves such punishment?”

Yolanda seized the opportunity to advise, “Russell, don’t hit her as we can talk to her calmly. If you hit her, she’ll only hate me more. Also, with just a lash from that whip, I’m afraid she might not be able to bear it.”

Yolanda’s worried expression would convince anyone that she was a caring stepmother.

Melody pressed her lips together, her eyes full of mockery when she recalled that in her past life, Yolanda would always intervene when Russell wanted to hit her, making Russell hit even harder.

Despite this, Melody had trusted Yolanda back then and even thanked her for speaking up.

Melody realized that once one trusted a person, one would lose sight of reality, but now, she felt lucky that fate had given her another chance.

As expected, Russell grew even angrier after hearing Yolanda’s words, replying, “She needs a beating to learn about respecting others. Whether she likes you or not doesn’t change the fact that you’re her mother.”

As Russell spoke, he took the whip to strike Melody while Melody was ready to grab the whip.

However, just as Russell raised his hand, the servant guarding the door suddenly rushed in to report, “Sir, Madam, we have guests here.”

Upon hearing this, Russell froze and retracted his hand that was about to swing the whip because he didn’t want anyone to see him disciplining his daughter.

Handing the whip back to the servant, he asked, “Who’s here so late?”

Yolanda couldn’t help but clench her fists, wondering if it was Ken again because although Melody’s other supporters could be dealt with, Ken was the real problem she couldn’t get rid of.

Yolanda also thought it was her fault to let Melody treat Margaret’s illness back then that Melody now had Ken’s powerful support; it was truly infuriating.

Just as Yolanda was vexed, the servant replied, “It’s a couple and the man is called Ander Morgan.”

Mabel couldn’t help but cover her mouth in surprise. “It’s Mr. Morgan.”

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