Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 646, 647, 648, 649, and 650) 

Chapter 646

The footsteps were particularly clear in the quiet hall because they were too hurried.

Everyone subconsciously looked in the direction of the footsteps.

Melody also turned to look in the direction where the footsteps came from. She saw James running toward her with a slight blush complexion and a chaotic breath.

She pursed her lips and cursed in her heart. ‘You are finally here!’

The receptionist’s eyes widened in shock when she saw who it was.

‘Mr. Deeds came down here!’ thought the receptionist.

However, her panic only lasted for a moment.

‘It must be a coincidence!’

However, James ran straight to them in the next second before the receptionist could completely calm down,

Then, he bowed to Melody and said, “I’m sorry, Miss Fox. The elevator is under maintenance. I ran down, so I was a little late.”

‘I see.’

‘So that is how it is!’

‘It turns out to be like that!’

The three sects, including the security guards, had three different emotions when they heard James.

The receptionist’s face was ashen, and her hands were visibly trembling.

“It’s okay,” Melody said calmly. “She stopped me from going up. Talk to her properly.”

“Yes!” Although James had joked with Melody in private, he did not dare to say anything disrespectful to Melody in front of others.

After moving his gaze away from Melody’s face, James’ expression quickly turned cold, and his gaze landed accurately on the receptionist.

The receptionist shivered and almost buried her head in her chest. Her voice was like the buzzing of a mosquito as she stammered, “I… I’m sorry, Mr. Deeds. I didn’t know she was your guest.”

James smiled coldly and said, “Miss Fox is not my guest. She is Mr. Swanson’s guest. Didn’t she tell you?”

The receptionist’s eyes widened.

‘The ugly freak is actually Ken’s guest!’ thought the receptionist.

The impact was even greater than James bowing to Melody.

The receptionist’s pupils almost trembled. She looked up with a pale face. “I… I’m sorry, Mr. Deeds. I didn’t do it on purpose. I was only doing my job. She didn’t have an appointment, so I could only stop her… She didn’t tell me she was Mr. Swanson’s guest. If I knew, how would I dare to stop the lady?”

Before Melody could speak, Spencer spoke first.

“Nonsense! Miss Fox said she was here to deliver food to Mr. Swanson as soon as she came over. It’s fine if you don’t believe us, but you said that if Mr. Deeds doesn’t come down in three minutes, Miss Fox will compensate each of you with 200 dollars. Later on, because of the elevator problem, Mr. Deeds came ten seconds later.

You directly dropped Miss Fox’s phone. Don’t think of denying these things you did!”

Melody was a little surprised when she heard Spencer’s confident voice.

She thought, ‘Spencer was a robot without his thoughts, but I did not expect him to be so unforgiving. He seems to be stronger than Seventeen, who is a bit dull. Of course, it may also be related to their age. Spencer looks seven or eight years younger than Seventeen.’

Melody’s mind was wandering. However, the more James listened, the uglier his face became

Although the receptionist had been crying and denying it, what else did James not understand when he looked down and saw the phone on the ground?

The death warrior would never lie to him.

“What’s your name?” James’s voice was as cold as ice.

“E… Emma Hill.”

“Good. Emma, you can pack your things and leave now. As for the other matters, I’ll get the Human Resources Department to contact you tomorrow.”

Emma was shocked.

‘James wants to fire me? Just because… I stopped the unremarkable and ugly woman?’

She thought she would be fined or deducted a few months of her bonus, at most!

“No.” Emma’s legs immediately went limp. She tugged at James’s pants and said, “Mr. Deeds, please forgive me this time! I’ll keep my eyes open next time. This won’t happen again.”

She had made a great effort to enter the Swanson Group headquarters and become a receptionist. She was already regarded as the pride of the entire village.

Her three-month internship had not ended, and she was suddenly fired. Moreover, those big companies might not hire her anymore. How could she accept that?

Emma cried bitterly, but James did not waver at all. He pulled his foot back forcefully.

“The front desk is the company’s face. The company can’t hire someone like you who judges people by their looks. This is Miss Fox. If our business partners come over in home clothes, will you chase them away, too? You won’t be the only one implicated by then!”

Emma’s tears and snot flowed together. She knew well it was useless to beg for mercy from James.

She couldn’t care less about her dignity and turned to Melody.

“Miss Fox, please be kind. I don’t know your identity. I thought you were here to cause trouble…”

Melody did not lift her eyelids as she said calmly, “You made a bet just now. I need to give you 2,200 dollars. My phone costs 1,800 dollars, and you compensate me 1,600 dollars. I have to transfer 600 dollars to you. Then the debt will be settled. Take out your phone. I’ll scan the QR code and pay.”

It was the Swanson Group. James had decided to deal with Emma. Even if Melody had turned the page, she could not embarrass James.

Otherwise, no one would take James’s words seriously in the future. The workplace was such a realistic place.

Finally, Emma was dragged out by the security guards with 600 dollars in cash.

The entire hall could hear Emma’s wails.

The security guards were glad that they had a way out. Otherwise, they would have had to look for work again.

The interlude passed quickly.

However, Melody, James, and Spencer could only go upstairs by taking the stairs because the elevator was broken.

On the way, Melody could not help but ask, “Ken has taken office as a new official. Would it be bad for him when you fired her for such a small matter?”

“Don’t worry, Miss Fox. It won’t happen.”

James analyzed the company’s situation with her in an orderly manner. Then, he said, “Many people are watching Mr. Swanson. They want to suppress him at the juncture when he just entered the company.

“Now that I did this, those people will know Mr. Swanson is not to be trifled with.

“If they want to do anything, they will think that even one who contradicted Mr. Swanson’s guest was fired, let alone them, who cause trouble.

“Therefore, not only will there not be any negative effects, but it will be a good thing.”

In other words, Melody had unintentionally established Ken’s prestige.

Melody heaved a sigh of relief. If she had known it would happen, she might as well have slapped Emma at the beginning and completely established some prestige for Ken.

However, she felt it was not good after thinking about it carefully. It was best to let James handle it.

Melody, James, and Spencer were skilled. They quickly reached the top floor.

Of course, James was a little out of breath after running down. However, when he saw how calm Melody was, his competitive spirit suddenly rose. He tried his best to hold his breath and knocked on the office door for Melody.

“Enter.” Ken’s voice came from inside.

Chapter 647

For some reason, Melody felt inexplicably nervous when she heard his low and hoarse voice.

She scolded herself inwardly for being useless. Then she calmed herself down and pushed the door open.

When the door opened, she saw Ken sitting at his desk, comparing the documents in his hand with the things on his computer. He did not even look up to see who was coming in.

Melody wanted to make fun of Ken. She turned around and took the food box from Spencer. She left a food box for James. Then she gestured for them to leave the room.

Spencer subconsciously wanted to speak, but James covered his mouth and dragged him out.

The office door closed automatically. Melody did not make a sound. She took the food box to the desk and opened the food box lid at the corner of the desk.

The food box had a good insulation effect. She could feel that the ravioli was still hot.

She drenched the ravioli with the seasonings she had brought, ripped open a disposable fork, and gently pushed the food box near Ken’s hand.

Ken saw a food box containing the ravioli from the corner of his eye. He subconsciously thought James had acted on his own.

Ken frowned and said unhappily, “I’ll eat after I’m done.”

Then he thought James would immediately take the food box away. Unexpectedly, James pushed his luck. Instead of taking the box away, he pushed it toward Ken.

The edge of the food box almost touched Ken’s arm.

‘When did James become so disobedient?’ thought Ken.

“James Deeds!”

Ken glared over coldly but widened his eyes in surprise the next second.

Melody was startled by Ken’s words. She didn’t expect Ken to react so strongly.

No wonder James had specially sent her a message. It turned out that James did not dare to do so for fear of getting into trouble.

‘James Deeds, you don’t want to get into trouble, but let me do it, right?’ thought Melody.

Melody quickly came back to her senses. She scratched her neck awkwardly and said, “You must eat no matter how much work you have. It will delay your work when you suffer from stomach problems due to hunger. A stomachache is as constant as a toothache, and you can’t concentrate on your work.”

Melody tried hard to think of a reason to absolve herself of her arbitrary decision just then. Then she saw Ken directly pull the food box over and reach out to her for a fork.

Melody hesitated before handing a fork to him.

“Have a seat.” Ken was not in a hurry to eat the ravioli. Instead, he let her sit opposite him.

There was a stool there. Melody walked over and sat down.

“I’m sorry, I…”

“Sorry,” Ken interrupted her apology. “I didn’t know it was you.”

‘So… he isn’t angry?’ thought Melody.

Melody probed, “Am I disturbing you?”

“No.” Ken shook his head. “The work has to be completed before tomorrow, but there’s plenty of time.”

Melody took a closer look at him and saw there was no anger in his eyes. Only then did she relax and return to normal.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but your habit of skipping meals when you’re busy is bad. Our lady boss of Herbathrive has got gastric cancer because she irregularly eats three meals a day. Of course, it was in the early stages. She was about to recover and be discharged.”

Melody paused and added, “I’m not cursing you. I’m just reminding you that health comes first.”

Ken looked at her deeply and said, “Don’t worry. I won’t let you be a widow.”

Melody’s eyes widened in frustration.

‘What widow? What the hell…

Before she could think of anything to rebuke him, Ken obediently picked up a ravioli and ate it.

After eating one, he asked her with certainty, “Did you make it?”

“Not really. I didn’t take part in making the ravioli. I only mixed the ingredients. I put the herbs in it. It increases one’s immunity to prevent colds. Eat more while it’s hot.”

“I didn’t taste herbs.”

“I used ingredients to block the smell of the herbs.”

“It’s a good imaginative idea.” Ken was generous in his praise.

Melody was about to say that it was nothing. Her master did it when she was little. Then she heard Ken ask again, “Do you have any ideas for creating a brand for it?”

“What?” It took Melody a second to realize Ken was referring to the ravioli she had brought.

“It’s just something casually made. I didn’t overthink it,” Melody said quickly.

“Then think about it for the next two days. Tell me the results when you’ve thought it through.”

Melody gave him a questioning look.

Ken explained to her.

“The Swanson Group has long been the leader of the property industry. Its entertainment industry is also well-known around the world. The group plans to enter the catering industry in the second half of this year.”

The Swanson Group owned many hotels but had no actual catering and foodstuffs.

Melody was secretly shocked.

‘The kind of thing is considered a company secret before it is announced. He tells me this?’ thought Melody.

Ken continued, “The catering industry has always been a huge cake

that can’t be divided. My father can’t do it all himself. If you’re interested, I’ll take over this piece.”

This way, Ken had a firm foothold in the Swanson Group.

Melody understood what Ken meant.

She only thought two seconds before saying, “I’ve decided and agreed. Let’s start with the instant ravioli.”

She wasn’t doing it for Ken, but since it was a major project of the Swanson Group, and Ramon couldn’t spare so much energy, either Ken or Ulric would be in charge of the area.

Of course, she couldn’t let Ulric get this big cake.

The more powerful Ulric was, the less likely she would succeed in her revenge. Even if she did not have the intention, she had it now. Moreover, she had the determination to succeed.

Ken looked at the change in Melody’s expression. Although he did not understand why she suddenly looked ambitious, it was a good thing that she agreed.

‘She will get a good share of the spoils. I can also get a better handle on the Swanson Group. It is the best of both worlds. However…’ thought Ken.

“The plan isn’t complete yet. You don’t have to put in too much effort to tire yourself out,” said Ken.

Anyway, health mattered most.

Melody nodded. “I know what I’m doing. Hurry up and eat. There’s no winter in Silverlake. Winter comes after summer. The weather is getting colder, and the ravioli easily get cold, which is bad for your stomach.”

“Okay.” Ken nodded. He quickly ate all thirty or so ravioli. Moreover, it seemed he could eat a little more.

“It’s delicious,” he praised sincerely.

It was hard to make something as simple as the ravioli taste so good.

However, she had done it. Not only that but also she had also mixed the immune-boosting herbs in the ravioli.

“Then go to work. I’ll wait for you to get off work together.”

Melody tactfully sat on the sofa aside.

She had to think carefully about making the instant ravioli.

It was unknown if it was because of the saying, “When a man and a woman work together, neither of them will feel tired.” Ken’s remaining work quickly shortened from two hours to an hour.

After Ken signed the last word, he looked up and saw Melody, who was more serious than he was, writing and drawing on the blank magazine page on the coffee table.

Chapter 648

Out of curiosity, Ken walked over.

Perhaps Melody was too serious. She did not notice he was standing beside her and continued to write and revise in the magazine.

Ken first looked at the magazine that was out of print. Then, he asked without changing his expression, “What are you writing?”

Melody was so frightened by his sudden voice that her hand holding the pen was a little unstable.

Upon seeing it was Ken, she explained, “I’m rewriting the recipe of the filling of the ravioli.”

“Oh?” Ken was not good at cooking. He asked, “I think the food I ate today is great. Can’t you use it directly?”

Melody nodded and said, “Of course not. I didn’t think about how long to store the ravioli filling today, nor did I consider selling the ravioli. Therefore, the ingredients and herbs I used are relatively expensive, and the ravioli is not unsuited for storage.

“Since they will be sold as instant food, I must prioritize recovering our investment and ensure it doesn’t go bad for a long time. Therefore, I have to change my recipe.

Melody had been thinking about it for more than an hour.

Then Melody asked Ken, “Are you done?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go back. I want to go home and think about it. The sofa is a little hard, and it’s uncomfortable to sit on it.”

“Okay.” Ken took the coat hanging on the chair and threw it into her hand. He said almost commandingly, “Put it on before you go out.”

“I’m not cold.” Melody quickly shook her head.

“Well? Do you want me to help you put it on?”

“No, no!” Melody quickly waved her hand. Then, she took the jacket and put it on.

Ken was very tall, close to 6.2 feet. Melody was only 5.5 feet. Melody wore his windbreaker coat like a child in an adult’s coat.

Ken took a look and could not help but laugh.

Melody glared at him.

He was the one who wanted her to wear it!

Melody and Melody walked out of the office one after another. James and Spencer quickly greeted them.

“Mr. Swanson,” said Spencer.

“Mr. Swanson,” said James.

“Yes. Go and get the car,” said Ken.

“Yes!” James was surprised by Ken’s speed, but he did not dare to ask further. He took out the car key and asked Spencer to start the car.

“Remember to turn on the air conditioner.”

James reminded Spencer but was still worried. He took the car keys and walked in front.

The maintenance of the elevator was not over yet. Along the way,

they encountered many employees who took the safe passage.

When everyone saw Melody wearing Ken’s coat, they quietly looked over and gossiped.

However, when they saw Melody’s face, the gossip in their eyes quickly dissipated.

Melody must be Ken’s friend or relative since she was so ugly.

Melody naturally felt the gazes of those people. She did not care about such gazes before because she thought what they thought was their business. But now, she subconsciously lowered her head for some reason.

The feeling of inferiority that she had felt in her previous life had appeared again in this life.

She thought her heart had become indestructible in this life, but it turned out she had overestimated herself, right?

She subconsciously glanced at Ken. Fortunately, Ken was on the phone and did not notice her abnormal reaction.

They finally reached the underground garage after walking down over twenty floors with difficulty.

The signal in the garage was not good. Ken hung up and turned to her. “Margaret will be back the day after tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Melody replied absent-mindedly.

However, in the next second, Ken said, “She said the family will have breakfast together and go to Cadence’s funeral the next day. She wants you to come along. We have to return to the manor together tomorrow night.”

Melody stopped in her tracks.

Returning to the manor meant that they had to sleep together and interact intimately from time to time in front of the Swanson family to avoid being discovered by the Swanson family people that she and Ken were acting as a loving couple.

However, that was not the point now.

Melody’s face turned slightly pale. She lowered her voice and asked, “Did Margaret hear some rumors when she asked me over for Cadence’s funeral?”

For example, Cadence’s death was related to her.

Ken’s expression was also solemn.

“If that’s the case, you won’t be able to turn it down.”

“Right…”

Melody was responsible for Cadence’s death. Although she felt Cadence deserved it, she still felt a little upset when she thought about how Margaret would be disappointed in her.

Melody rarely felt people who were genuinely good to her. Margaret was one of those people who was genuinely nice to her. She did not want to disappoint those who were genuinely nice to her.

However, she could not admit to Cadence’s death.

Ken suddenly grabbed Melody’s hand while she was struggling.

She subconsciously looked up at him and met his dark and determined gaze.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”

Melody’s nervous heart miraculously calmed down.

After returning to Serenity Villa, Melody was no longer in the mood to think about the frozen ravioli. She tossed and turned in bed, thinking about Cadence’s funeral.

Her sixth sense told her something bad could happen at the funeral.

Melody thought, ‘Why don’t I just not go? Wendell can’t do anything to me if I don’t go. However, if Wendell has spoken ill of me to Margaret, doesn’t it make me feel guilty not to show up at this point? If I did, Ulric would have done something… No. Mabel was also present at that time. If Ulric wants to clarify Cadence’s matter, Mabel would inevitably be involved. Ulric might do nothing or might do something I don’t expect.’

Melody was caught in a dilemma.

The more Melody thought about it, the more conflicted she became. As a result, she did not sleep the entire night. The next day, she walked out of the room with two dark circles under her eyes.

Ken had gone to work, and Susan was preparing her breakfast.

Upon seeing her like that, Susan was immediately shocked.

“Mrs. Swanson, what did you do last night?”

Susan swallowed the words “Have you gone to be a thief?” She asked worriedly, “Do you want to rest more?”

Melody touched her face.

‘Is it that obvious?’ thought Melody.

She smiled awkwardly and said, “I was busy with something last night and stayed up all night.”

“That won’t do. If you don’t recuperate, you’ll suffer even more when you get pregnant later. It won’t be good for the child, too.”

What was going on? How could Melody have a child with Ken?

At the very least, Melody wouldn’t be affected by staying up all night even if she did have a child with Ken.

However, Susan had had the older generation’s view, so Melody did not refute her. She said, “I’ll pay attention next time. Can you make me a cup of coffee?”

“Of course. I’ll go right now. However, you should eat something first. Drinking coffee on an empty stomach is not good for you.”

“Alright…” Melody helplessly pulled out a chair and sat down, but her heart was warm.

Melody couldn’t have such trivial care when she was with the Fox family. Naturally, she felt happy.

Melody finally felt alive after breakfast and a cup of coffee,

Spencer was already waiting at the door, ready to drive anytime.

Melody received a call from David when she got into the car.

“Miss Fox, bad news!”

Chapter 649

Melody felt a little post-traumatic stress disorder when she heard David say bad news. Her face quickly darkened.

“What happened?”

Spencer was perceptive. He didn’t wait for Melody to speak before stepping on the gas and drove quickly and steadily toward Herbathrive.

Melody held her phone tightly and heard David say, “A large group of people came today. They were all brought by the patients and families who brought the ravioli yesterday. They insisted on buying the ravioli we made yesterday.”

Melody heaved a sigh of relief and angrily said, “Do you have to say such a little thing in such a hurry?”

She did think that something bad had happened again.

David also realized Melody was shocked by him. He quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, Miss Fox. But… can you come over quickly? There are too many people…”

“I see.” Melody hung up the phone speechlessly and rolled her eyes inwardly.

She praised David in her heart yesterday for becoming mature. Alright, she could take it back now.

It was the morning rush hour. Because of Spencer’s good driving skills, they could arrive at the door of Herbathrive 40 minutes later.

Before Melody got out of the car, she saw a large crowd of people squeezing at the door of Herbathrive. They almost broke the wooden door of Herbathrive.

Upon seeing that, Melody somewhat understood why David was so anxious.

There were too many people.

Despite the escort of Spencer, Melody couldn’t squeeze in. She could only take a detour and enter Herbathrive through the backyard door.

“Miss Fox!” David panted as he ran over to report. “Not only are there no fewer people, but there seem to be more and more of them. What do you think we should do? We can’t just drop off our patients and help Momma Talia wrap the ravioli, right?”

Melody thought and said, “Do you have a loudspeaker?”

“Yes. It is at the warehouse.”

“Give it to me.”

David turned around and ran to look for the loudspeaker.

Melody took the loudspeaker and walked to the lobby. The lobby was also full of people, who were tightly packed together. As they squeezed, they shouted, “Ravioli! I want to buy ravioli, too!”

Those who didn’t know better would think it wasn’t a medical center but a restaurant.

Melody turned on the loudspeaker and spoke calmly, “Everyone, quiet down!”

Her sudden voice made everyone subconsciously stand still.

Melody continued, “The ravioli we made yesterday were for Herbathrive to repay our old customers. We didn’t sell them. However, we will set up a pot at the door and give the ravioli as a compulsory gift every weekend. We will give 100 servings each time. Come back during the weekend. We don’t have any now. Please don’t interfere with our medical practice.”

As soon as Melody said so, many sighs immediately sounded.

Fortunately, everyone was no longer as crazy as before. They began to leave slowly.

Melody told David, “Tell the person at the door to open the door as wide as possible. Keep an eye on the crowd at all times. Don’t have a stampede incident.”

“Yes!” David led his men to evacuate the crowd.

The crowd finally dispersed after more than half an hour. Herbathrive finally returned to normal.

After everyone left, David could not help but give Melody a thumbs up.

“Miss Fox, it has to be you!”

Melody glared at him. “I have to deal with such a little matter personally. What if I can’t come over if something happens? Learn more. You’re still far from it.”

David lowered his head in shame.

When Melody saw that, she softened her tone and said, “Forget it. You can’t be blamed for this. It happened too suddenly. Go and get Momma Talia in my consultation room. I have something to tell her.”

“Alright.” David quickly nodded.

There were not many guests today. Most of the guests had been scared away by the crowd just now, so there were not many patients who needed to be treated.

After Melody finished treating the two patients, she looked up and saw Talia standing quietly at the door waiting for her. Melody did not know how long she had been waiting.

“Momma Talia, why aren’t you coming in?” Melody quickly waved her hand and invited Talia in.

Only then did Talia come in, rubbing her hands reluctantly.

Talia was also curious about her attitude toward Melody.

She could get along naturally with everyone else at Herbathrive but was a little uptight in front of Melody.

“Miss Fox, you wanted to see me?”

Melody smiled and said, “I call you Momma Talia. You should call me Melody instead.”

Talia quickly waved her hands. “No, no. I’m used to calling you Miss Fox. I can’t change it.”

How could she change? Melody was her benefactor, her life mentor, and her leader!

Melody did not make things difficult for her and went straight to the point about the ravioli.

“You knew what happened in the lobby today. The ravioli is so popular. I’m preparing to create a frozen ravioli brand. I wonder if you’re interested?”

Talia was flattered.

“Me? I don’t think I can do it…”

“Be more confident. You must have attended many business dinners before and knew something about branding. You may be the only person in the whole Herbathrive who can help me with this.”

Talia was still hesitating when Melody added, “Perhaps you feel that living in Herbathrive is comfortable, but are you willing to be our chef for the rest of your life?”

Melody’s words pierced Talia’s heart.

She was silent for a moment. Then she gritted her teeth and said, “You are the boss. You certainly won’t harm me. However, I don’t know where to start.”

“I promised the people who came today to ask for the ravioli. Every weekend, we’ll give away 100 free servings of the ravioli at Herbathrive. Since it’ll be sold as frozen ravioli, we definitely can’t use yesterday’s ingredients directly in terms of storage or profit. So I thought we’d try out which ingredients are best for production and sales over the weekend.”

“I see. I’ll go back and think about what ingredients to use to replace the food that doesn’t change the taste and texture but can save costs and extend the storage time.”

Melody nodded in satisfaction.

Talia was smart. She understood immediately.

Then Melody said, “It would be better if we were the only ones to know about this for the time being. I’m not 100% sure that I’ll do the project.”

“Alright. I won’t tell Nana either.”

“Okay, go ahead. I’ll think about the ingredients, too.”

There were too many instant ravioli on the market. If Melody wanted to surpass them in one go, apart from pursuing the taste, she had to have something novel that made people have to buy it. For example, she put herbs in the ravioli.

Melody had been thinking about the matter almost all day and had forgotten about Cadence.

It was not until James appeared before her that she remembered she had to go to the Swanson villa tonight.

Her head immediately began to hurt.

‘I don’t want to go… thought Melody.

However, she had no choice. In the current situation, she knew she had to brace herself and take the bull by the horns.

Chapter 650

Melody was visibly depressed. She put down the list of ingredients in her hand with resignation.

“Let’s go.”

James looked at Melody and could not help but be puzzled. ‘Why is Melody going back to Ken’s house with her look like she’s going to die?’ thought James.

However, time was tight. Astrid called him in advance and ordered him to bring Melody back to the Swanson villa before 5:30. It was already 4:50.

Although the person James was following was Ken, Ken had yet to fall out with his family. On the surface, Astrid was still Ken’s mother. James had to listen to Astrid’s orders.

However, James had a conscience on the way. He reminded Melody, “Miss Fox, Mr. Swanson will be busy for another hour before he can start back. You will arrive alone first. Be careful no matter what you do.”

Melody immediately understood.

Astrid, Melody’s mother-in-law in her previous life, was trying to do the same thing to Melody by showing her strength in Ken’s absence.

However, Melody would not endure humiliation like in her previous life this time.

To put it bluntly, Melody cared too much about Ulric in her previous life, so she naturally obeyed Astrid from the bottom of her heart.

However, this life was different.

Melody straightened her back and said, “Yes. Don’t worry. I can handle it.”

James looked at her worriedly in the rearview mirror. Then he stepped on the accelerator, and the car sped toward the Swanson villa.

However, it was inevitable that there would be a traffic jam at the hour. No matter how superb James was, it was dark when they reached the Swanson villa.

James quickly glanced at the time when he stopped the car.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there were still three minutes to go.

“Miss Fox, let’s go in.”

Melody nodded. She didn’t need James to lead the way. She walked past the winding stone road in front of the parking lot and stepped through the living room door at 5:59 p.m.

As soon as Melody entered, she heard laughter coming from inside.

“Mabel, you’re still the best. You only give me a little massage, and my headache is eased. Yesterday, I even called a technician to come to my house. It was useless after more than an hour of massage.”

“I made a fool of myself. The technician is more professional than me. Perhaps your headache is already better, so I just happened to hit the jackpot.”

“You’re too modest, Mabel. You are a good girl.”

Melody frowned slightly when she looked at the two people chatting and laughing on the sofa in the living room.

‘Mabel is here, too? It seems that her relationship with Ulric is going smoothly… In my previous life, they had always been secretly together because of my existence. Now, they can openly stick

together. However, Mabel is still here at this hour. Could it be that she wants to stay overnight?’ thought Melody.

Melody looked around but did not see Ulric.

Behind her, James saw Astrid and Mabel did not notice their arrival. He could not help but speak up for Melody, “Mrs Astrid, Mrs. Melody is here.”

James did not want Melody to be the person who accompanied Ken for the rest of her life, but he knew well Melody was on his side.

As long as Melody did not divorce Ken, her honor represented Ken’s honor.

James was well known in this respect.

Astrid and Mabel looked over in surprise as soon as James spoke.

However, Mabel was pretending to be surprised.

She had seen Melody long before Melody stepped through the door.

‘She is so hideously ugly that it would be odd if she didn’t attract my attention,’ thought Mabel.

However, Mabel deliberately pretended not to see them. She wanted Melody to see she was a lot closer to Astrid than Melody, Astrid’s daughter-in-law.

“Here you are. Come and have a seat.” Astrid’s expression was calm, completely different from her attitude toward Mabel just then.

Melody’s expression did not change one bit. She nodded and called, ‘Mrs. Astrid.’ Then Melody was ready to sit down.

However, when Astrid heard Melody call her Mrs. Astrid, her ugly expression turned even uglier instantly.

‘Why? Ken has dared not call me Mom for so many years. Does the village girl also dare not to treat me as the mistress of the Swanson Family?’ thought Astrid.

“Indeed, I’m not worthy of being your mother.” Astrid sneered.

Melody paused slightly. Then, she ignored Astrid’s words and sat down in another armchair.

Astrid grew angrier.

However, Melody was now the Swanson family’s legitimate young mistress and Ken’s registered wife. So many servants were in the living room, and so was James, the microphone. Astrid could not flare up directly.

She looked at James sharply.

“You’re good at doing things. I asked you to bring her over before 5:30. You’re not even a minute early. How kind of you!” said Astrid.

There is always an excuse to convict the guilty.

Moreover, it was obvious Astrid was scolding Melody.

How could James not understand Astrid’s intentions?

‘Miss Fox is wronged when Mr. Swanson is away, thought James.

To avoid causing more trouble for Melody, James admitted his mistake. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Astrid. I went to pick up Miss Fox after you called me. It’s just that the traffic was too heavy, and I wasted a lot of time.”

Astrid was still unwilling to give up.

“So, am I wrong about you?”

The cold sweat broke out on James’s forehead.

Melody was about to speak up for James when she saw James give her a don’t look.

She understood. ‘Astrid is looking for someone to vent her anger on. If I stop Astrid, James will be in a worse situation.

Thinking of that, Melody could only calm down and force herself to ignore it.

James said sincerely, “It’s all my fault, Mrs. Astrid.”

Astrid raised her chin slightly. “Since you know your mistake, accept your punishment. Otherwise, you won’t learn your lesson.”

“Yes.”

Astrid rolled her eyes and said, “Kneel outside the door. You’re not allowed to get up until an hour later.”

“Yes.”

James did not say anything else. He stood up and walked outside to kneel.

Coincidentally, it started to rain when Melody came over. Now it was light rain turning into moderate rain, and Jesse was forced to kneel in the rain.

The autumn rain was bone-chilling, not to mention kneeling on the ground.

However, James did not say a word. He knelt just like that.

Melody couldn’t stand it. She lowered her eyes to think of a way.

She at least could text Ken to ask him to come over earlier.

After all, it was the Swanson family. Melody could not do whatever she wanted. She still had to consider the Swanson family’s true mistress.

However, Astrid’s gaze drifted over as Melody’s hand touched her phone.

With a faint smile, Astrid said, “Melody, you wouldn’t have to call Ken to report such a small matter just because I punished a servant who did something wrong, would you?

Melody’s fingers stiffened slightly as she squeezed out a smile.

“How can that be? You’re overthinking.”

“It’s good that I’m overthinking. Ken has just joined the company. We can’t let the gossipy subordinates find his fault. Let’s not disturb his work because of family matters.”

Melody pursed her lips. “You’re right.”

Mabel was overjoyed when she watched Melody who wanted to flare up but could only hold it in.

Since Melody returned from the countryside, Mabel had been suffering in front of her, even her mother…

Mabel’s mood sank when she thought of Yolanda, who had just died and had yet to be buried.

She turned to Astrid and said, “Mrs. Astrid, didn’t we just talk about how Herbathrive was trending today because the ravioli was delicious? I wonder if I can eat the ravioli that Melody made herself.

由

SEND GIFT

COMMENT

Subscribed

♡
Prev | Next