Chapter 581

Melody instinctively flirted once again, her voice softening. “Please, Ken…”

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized something was off. She stared at her phone screen in shock, her eyes wide open.

‘Did I just flirt?’ she thought.

Susan treated her like a younger family member, even as affectionately as a daughter. It was normal for her to act cutesy with Susan but with Ken…

‘He must think I’m disgusting now.’ Melody blushed deeply, her embarrassment nearly overwhelming. She instinctively wanted to hang up.

But at that moment, Ken’s voice came through the phone. “Alright, I can’t help it. I’ll pick you up at Herbathrive after my meeting, and we’ll head to Central Hospital together.”

Melody blinked in astonishment. ‘What? Ken isn’t disgusted? Does he actually like this kind of thing and enjoy hearing me be all sweet? That’s such a strange preference.’

Unsure how to respond, she heard a voice on the other end. “Mr. Swanson, it’s time for the meeting.”

Hearing this, Melody quickly said, “I’ll see you then. I’m hanging up now.”

She abruptly ended the call and pressed the phone firmly against her chest. ‘I must be losing my mind. I actually treated Ken like Susan. Holy shit!’

Her mind was in turmoil, but she managed to maintain a calm exterior and turned to Seventeen. “Let’s go. Mr. Swanson agreed.”

Seventeen immediately responded, “Yes.”

‘From the day Mr. Swanson first introduced me to Miss Fox, I knew there had to be something between them. Sure enough, Mr. Swanson hates it when people talk to him like that, but Miss Fox does, and he doesn’t mind at all. What does that mean? They must have something going on,’ Seventeen thought.

Seventeen tried to calm down and drove with forced composure, almost stalling the car at a red light.

Meanwhile, inside Herbathrive, David was going about his usual routine of seeing patients. However, with fewer patients today, he personally escorted an elderly gentleman downstairs.

After a few months of work and occasional learning sessions with Melody, David had significantly improved his medical skills and had even gained a bit of local renown.

“Thank you, Dr. Marrow. After finishing this last dose of medicine, my wife won’t faint anymore. Whenever you’re free, we’d love to have you over for a meal,” the elderly gentleman said sincerely.

David felt a mix of embarrassment and joy.

He loved being a doctor and helping others was part of what made it fulfilling.

He just preferred not to be rewarded.

He waved his hand. “No need to thank me. I’m just doing my job. But if anyone asks about traditional medicine in the future, please recommend Herbathrive.”

“Of course,” the elderly man replied with a smile, taking the medicine and leaving.

After sending the patient off, David was about to head to the back to check the newly arrived medicinal herbs when a young couple walked through the doors of Herbathrive.

David immediately approached them. “Are you here for prescriptions or a consultation?”

The girl, dressed head-to-toe in designer clothes, looked David up and down with a hint of disdain. Noticing the doctor’s badge on his chest, her contempt softened slightly.

However, seeing that David was wearing almost worn-out canvas shoes, it was clear to her that he was just a poor, lowly person.

She wasn’t inclined to speak with someone she deemed beneath her, so she signaled her boyfriend to handle the situation.

Understanding the cue, her boyfriend looked at David with equal arrogance. “We’re here for an interview.”

David, who was not very perceptive about people’s attitudes, immediately recognized them and said, “Ah, it’s you two… Elton Grant and Charlotte Wallrich, right?”

Worried that the younger pair might be nervous about the interview, David tried to lighten the mood with a joke. “You don’t quite look like your photos on the resume. I didn’t recognize you right away.”

However, as soon as David finished speaking, Charlotte’s face darkened. “What do you mean? Are you saying I look heavily photoshopped? I look exactly like my photo, okay?”

Elton, standing next to Charlotte, also quickly became stern. “What’s your problem? You’re being really rude.”

David was taken aback. He hadn’t expected them to misinterpret his joke.

Realizing that some people might be sensitive about such things, he felt regretful and quickly apologized. “I’m sorry. I’m just a bit straightforward and didn’t mean to offend. I was just trying to ease any tension with a joke. You both look even better in person, really.”

Seeing David’s sincere apology, Elton signaled Charlotte to let it go.

Due to their extensive travel abroad, the couple had wasted too much time and had missed the opportunity for their hospital internship in collaboration with their school. They were reluctant to let their parents know, so Herbathrive was their best remaining option.

If they don’t secure an internship soon and get their paperwork done, they might not graduate smoothly.

This would directly affect Charlotte’s chance to inherit the Wallrich family’s fortune.

And Elton’s dream of living off her wealth would be dashed.

Charlotte understood Elton’s look and knew what he meant, but she was still annoyed.

As the heiress of the Wallrich family, she had never faced such open mockery from anyone besides the family’s two old fogies.

‘He thinks a simple apology will make me forget this? No way. If word gets out, what will happen to my reputation?’ she thought.

Charlotte pointed at David’s nose and said, “You’ll need to kneel and bow your head if you want to let this go. Otherwise, I won’t forgive you.”

“What?” David looked up at Charlotte in shock, wondering if he was hearing things.

Seeing the cold, unyielding expression on Charlotte’s face, he realized he hadn’t misheard. Charlotte was seriously demanding that he kneel because of a joke.

The other staff members on the first floor of Herbathrive looked over in disbelief. ‘Are these two out of their minds? Didn’t they see that David was smiling when he spoke? It’s clear he was just joking.’

Even if David had offended them, he had sincerely apologized, and there was no need for him to kneel and bow.

They were just young people.

Seeing that David hadn’t moved, Charlotte raised her chin in irritation. “Are you deaf? I told you to kneel.”

Chapter 582

David was furious.

It was his fault for speaking out of turn first, but Charlotte’s behavior was simply too outrageous.

“Why should I kneel to you? Is it really acceptable for you to insult me like that? I already apologized and clarified that I was just trying to lighten the mood for your interview. Now you want me to kneel? Isn’t that a bit much?” he was angry.

“Oh? Why should you? Just because I’m the eldest daughter of the Wallrich family.” Charlotte sneered.

David clenched his fists. “Even if the President supported you, I still wouldn’t kneel.”

“You piece of trash, who do you think you are? Do you have any idea who I am? How dare you speak to me like that? You’re practically asking for trouble.” Charlotte was shouting angrily when Nana, hearing the commotion, rushed over.

Nana had always disapproved of Charlotte’s habitual arrogance.

Understanding the situation, she quickly stepped forward to speak on David’s behalf. “Charlotte, this is Herbathrive, not your family estate. Tone down your arrogance. David didn’t do it on purpose, so why are you being so aggressive?”

Charlotte looked at Nana with a hint of surprise before her lips curled into a mocking smile. “Oh, I thought it was someone important. Turns out it’s just a poor thing kicked out by her own father.”

Nana’s face darkened. She hadn’t expected Charlotte to be so rude that she even dragged her into it. “Charlotte! Who do you think you’re insulting? Don’t push it too far.”

“What can you do about it?” Charlotte smirked, noticing Nana’s Herbathrive uniform, her sarcasm growing.

She deliberately raised her voice. “Do you think you’re still the eldest daughter of the Jensen family? Now, you’re not even fit to be a servant. If I’m not mistaken, you and your mother were completely cut off, right? I thought you’d be starving on the streets by now. Who knew you’d come here to work?”

“You…” Nana clenched her teeth, unable to refute Charlotte.

Because Charlotte was right.

Her current status was indeed worlds apart from Charlotte’s, and she had indeed been cut off.

Seeing Nana’s flushed face and her inability to respond, Charlotte’s smile grew even more radiant.

She folded her arms and looked down at Nana from a high perch. “But you don’t have to struggle so much. I could help you out.”

Nana turned her face away and said coldly, “I don’t need your help. I’m doing just fine.”

“Really? Those shoes you’re wearing must cost only around 10 dollars, right? You’re wearing cheap knock-offs and still claim that you’re doing well?” she continued.

Nana took a couple of steps back, feeling guilty.

David furrowed his brow and stood in front of Nana. “Whether you’re doing well or not isn’t about how much money you have. People like you, with your arrogance, will never understand that. And don’t forget that you’re here for an interview. If you’re hired, will you also be working at the clinic?”

“How could I be anything like her? We’ve stated clearly in our application that we don’t want any of your money,” Nana replied.

“That’s right,” Elton added with a smug expression.

Charlotte sneered, pointing at David as she spoke to Nana. “Nana, I’m fully capable of helping you out of this situation. If you bark like a dog right now and slap this ungrateful commoner, I’ll give you 2 million dollars. With that money, you could easily move with your mother to a small town and live a life free from worries.”

David was taken aback by her words, instinctively shrinking back and casting a complicated look at Nana.

He wondered if Nana might actually agree to such a request.

After all, not long ago, he and Nana had been at each other’s throats, and she had even brought a group of thugs to cause trouble at the clinic.

Moreover, 2 million dollars was a sum that most people would never earn in a lifetime. With that money, Nana could entirely transform her life.

Anyone in her position might be tempted, especially someone who was used to living in luxury.

But the time they had spent together over the past few days had improved their relationship considerably. If Nana really did slap him, he might not even have the heart to retaliate.

In the next moment, Nana actually moved, seeming as if she was about to act on Charlotte’s demand.

“Nana?” David’s eyes widened, his voice trembling slightly.

The other people present quickly spoke up. “Nana, come to your senses. Don’t listen to that woman’s nonsense.”

“Yeah, Nana, she’s just trying to mess with you.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow and promptly took out a check from her rare Birkin bag, filling it out for 2 million dollars and displaying it for everyone to see. “2 million dollars is just pocket change to me. Why would I bother using such a trivial amount to toy with her? Nana, I’m giving you three seconds. If you do as I ask, this check is yours.”

“Three, two, one…” As soon as she finished counting, Nana actually raised her hand.

Charlotte’s smile widened with excitement, but before she could fully revel in her triumph, Nana’s hand suddenly changed direction and came down hard on Charlotte’s face.

The sharp slap left Charlotte stunned, her expression frozen in shock.

Elton, taken aback, was momentarily speechless, unable to process what had just happened.

David, however, quickly snapped back to reality and looked at Nana with evident relief. “Nana… you… Thank you.”

Nana cleared her throat awkwardly. “Thank me? By the looks of it, you didn’t trust me at all. Did you really think I would follow her orders and hit you?”

“I…” David’s response was cut short as Charlotte snapped out of her daze and screamed, “Bitch! How dare you hit me!”

Charlotte raised her hand, aiming to grab Nana’s hair. Nana swiftly dodged.

Seeing Nana evade her, Charlotte’s fury intensified, and her previously pristine face twisted into a grotesque mask of rage. “Elton, get rid of her. If you kill her, it’s on me.”

Elton, though irritated, was slightly more composed than Charlotte.

After a brief moment of anger, he quickly remembered their purpose for being there.

He pulled Charlotte aside and whispered urgently, “Charlotte, don’t forget why we’re here. Your grandfather has already made sure that the modern hospital won’t let us in through any back doors. So, we can’t get into the modern hospital.

“There are only a few traditional hospitals hiring, and this one is the most well-known and recognized by schools for internships. If you escalate this, and this hospital refuses to let us intern, you will have no chance of inheriting the

Wallrich family’s fortune.”

Though much of her anger had dissipated, Charlotte stubbornly retorted. “I’m their only granddaughter. It’s impossible that they won’t let me inherit the fortune if I don’t graduate. I don’t believe they would actually donate the family fortune,” she said.

Chapter 583

“Really?” Elton reminded Charlotte. “Don’t forget that you have an aunt who married far away. She was just abused by her husband a few days ago and fled back to Silverlake with her daughter. Also, your parents were driven out because they accepted a bribe. Your grandfather knows how hard they’ve had it. Why are you so sure he won’t treat you the same way?”

Charlotte’s face stiffened, and she finally cracked,

reluctantly squeezing out a concession through gritted teeth. “Fine.”

‘Once I become the rightful heir to the Wallrich family, dealing with a mere Nana and a lowly man will be a piece of cake,’ she wondered.

She would have plenty of opportunities to get revenge for this slap in the face later. Losing her position as heir over these two would be a costly mistake.

Charlotte took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

Seeing this, Elton knew his persuasion had worked. He raised his chin and addressed the Herbathrive staff. “Charlotte is magnanimous and forgives your rudeness.” Nana laughed. “Who exactly needs forgiveness here?”

Elton frowned. “Nana, don’t push your luck.”

“Who’s pushing their luck? David just said you were here for an interview. I’m replying on his behalf now. Your interview has been unsuccessful. We won’t be hiring you,” someone said.

“That’s right,” others chimed in.

If these two were hired at Herbathrive, it would spell trouble for everyone.

“You…”

“Enough with the pointless talk.” Charlotte stepped forward. “You must hire us. Otherwise, you’ll be making an enemy of the Wallrich family.”

David, unaware of Charlotte’s background, chuckled. “Are you out of your mind? Whether we hire you or not is up to Herbathrive, not about making enemies…”

“It seems you truly don’t know who I am,” she sneered.

“Who are you?” David thought to himself, rolling his eyes. He had never met anyone as shameless as them before.

Had he known the two interns were like this from the start, he wouldn’t have bothered with the interview and saved himself the trouble.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know the Wallrich family from Silverlake, but surely you’ve heard of Central Hospital? Oliver Wallrich is my grandfather. The head of the Medicines Control Agency is one of my grandfather’s former students. If I want to shut down Herbathrive, it’s just a matter of making a phone call. I don’t believe that Herbathrive can’t be found guilty of something.”

“Medicines Control Agency…” David’s face turned ashen, and he turned to Nana for confirmation.

Nana, caught off guard by Charlotte’s threat, was seething with anger but could only nod. “What she says is true… Her grandfather is indeed Oliver.”

David was taken aback, clenching his fists and glaring at Charlotte with frustration. “You’re going too far.”

It was clear that Charlotte was using her influence to coerce them. He got himself into big trouble.

Charlotte lifted her chin proudly. “Of course, I could choose not to do that. But you’d better process our employment immediately.”

“That’s right. It’s a privilege for you to have us apply here. You should consider yourselves honored,” Elton said.

The two of them were more arrogant than ever, and David dared not argue further or dismiss them on a whim.

Herbathrive wasn’t his to risk, and if his negligence led to its closure, he might have to face serious consequences.

“What should we do…” David whispered to Nana…

Nana was equally distressed.

They hadn’t yet repaid the favor Melody had done for them, and they couldn’t afford to let their personal grievances jeopardize Herbathrive.

In a moment of panic, Nana suggested. “We definitely can’t. just throw them out. We need to buy some time. Once Melody arrives, we can ask her how to handle it. For now, just go through the interview process…” she said.

David immediately agreed.

Originally, Melody was supposed to handle the interviews, but since she wasn’t there yet, they had to start the process and delay as much as possible.

He nodded and said, “Go to the backyard and call Miss Fox. Explain the situation to her. She’s smarter than we are and will surely come up with a solution.”

As David spoke, he felt increasingly inadequate.

Just that morning, he had thought he might soon be able to take on more responsibilities and assist Melody more effectively. Now, he realized he was far from being capable. Nana nodded and went to the backyard with her phone.

“Melody, it’s bad…” As soon as she made the call, she quickly explained the situation to Charlotte and Elton, apologizing profusely. “I’m so sorry. It’s my fault for losing my temper and putting Herbathrive in this crisis. If she really uses her grandfather’s connections, then we…”

On the other end of the line, Melody’s tone was calm. “Don’t worry. I’ll be there soon.”

Nana didn’t understand why, but hearing Melody’s voice seemed to calm her anxious heart almost immediately. “Then we’ll wait for you to arrive.”

“Okay.” After ending the call, Nana took a deep breath and stopped Talia, who was about to check on the situation.

“Mom, you should stay here. You know how vicious Charlotte can be.”

Talia, visibly angry, replied, “At my age, I’m not afraid of a little girl like her. Even if it means risking my life, I won’t let her destroy Herbathrive.”

“I know you’re anxious, but times have changed. We’re not in the same position we used to be. If you go out there and argue with her now, it’ll only make things worse and won’t solve anything,” she explained.

“Then what should we do?” Talia asked.

“We’ll have to wait for Miss Fox to arrive.” Nana sighed.

“But just waiting isn’t going to help,” Talia said, pacing back and forth. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “I’ve got an idea. I’ve had a few meals with Oliver. He’s different from Charlotte. He’s reasonable. How about I go see him now?”

“Will that work?” Nana asked, uncertain. “We were all driven out by Dad. Will he still see you?”

“Don’t worry. He will. Although he can be as sharp-tongued as Charlotte, he’s a lot kinder than she is. And if he refuses to see me, I’ll just stay at Central Hospital until he does,” she said.

“Alright.” Nana gritted her teeth, deciding to take the risk. We can use the hospital’s delivery van to save on taxi fares.”

“I’ll go with you.

“Good, let’s go now.” Without hesitation, they headed out the back door of the hospital and made their way to Central Hospital to find Oliver.

Meanwhile, David had explained the situation to Charlotte and Elton. “I can’t kick you out right now, but you must pass the interview to stay. The interview process has two parts, a written test, and a clinical practice test. You need to average at least 80 in both sections to pass.”

Charlotte scoffed dismissively, clearly not taking David seriously.

She had already mentioned the vice head of the Medicines Control Agency, Rowan Turner. Even if they didn’t score 80, she doubted anyone would dare refuse to let them intern.

She responded with feigned patience. “Fine, let’s go through the process.”

Chapter 584

David felt a bit relieved when Charlotte agreed to follow the regular procedure.

This way, he could buy some time until Melody arrived.

He handed them two sets of test papers. “These are the papers we use for hiring other doctors, but since you’re students, I’ve already removed some of the more difficult questions. You only need to answer the ones left.”

Charlotte arrogantly snatched the test papers and asked coldly, “Where are we taking the exam?”

“Upstairs in the break room,” David replied.

He led them to the second floor, instructed a pharmacy clerk to watch over them, and then headed downstairs to prepare the clinical practice questions.

He had intended to find Nana to help, but after searching around, he couldn’t find her.

“Where’s Nana?” he asked a colleague.

The colleague snorted angrily. “I was just about to tell you. She’s gone.”

“What do you mean?” David asked, confused. “What’s going on?”

The colleague scowled. “I saw her leave through the back door and drive away in one of our hospital’s delivery vans. I called out to her, but she didn’t even acknowledge me. And her mother left with her. They must have felt we were in trouble, so they decided to bolt. I’m furious. They even took our van. David, we need to call the police immediately to get our vehicle back.”

“That can’t be,” David said firmly. “She wouldn’t just abandon her post like that.”

Although David hadn’t known Nana for long, she had struck him as the kind of person who would never desert her duties, even facing a difficult situation head-on.

The fact that she hadn’t slapped him when Charlotte asked her to was proof enough for him.

“How do you explain them leaving the hospital at such a crucial moment?” the colleague pressed.

“They must have gone to find help,” David suggested.

“Find help? Hey. If they had someone to rely on, why would they be working as errand staff here? David, you’re being naïve. If they don’t come back, you’ll have to explain to Miss Fox,” he continued.

Mentioning Melody brought David a sense of pressure, but he still trusted his instincts. “Nana and her mother aren’t fleeing. There must be another reason.”

“Let’s see,” the colleague said angrily, clearly frustrated with David’s unwavering trust in Nana, and stormed off.

After the colleague left, David tried calling Nana, but she not only didn’t answer but also hung up on him.

‘Could she really be abandoning us?’ A wave of intense unease washed over him.

He pushed aside his anxiety and focused on his immediate tasks.

Although Herbathrive was a traditional hospital, it was located in a residential area, and it frequently received emergency cases from local residents.

For the sake of patients, Herbathrive had an emergency center with two doctors in modern medicine on duty.

This was why Melody’s dog, Lucky, was able to undergo surgery in Herbathrive’s operating room when it was in need.

David temporarily set aside his concerns about Nana and quickly found the two doctors to discuss the content of the clinical exam.

“Normally, we wouldn’t include this since they’re just students with little clinical experience. But if they do pass, it could really shake things up at Herbathrive. So, I need your help to figure out a solution,” he explained.

“Understood. If the assessment is too difficult, they’ll be dissatisfied. If it’s too easy, it won’t work either… Ugh, this is really troubling,” one of the two said.

“Let’s first see which patients are willing to be used for their assessment. We can’t force patients to let interns treat them,” another added.

“Right, we should choose from the patients who agree…” The three of them were deep in brainstorming.

Meanwhile, in the car, Talia asked Nana with curiosity, “Why aren’t you answering David’s calls?”

“Let’s wait until things are settled,” Nana replied, her foot pressing firmly on the gas pedal. “I’m afraid that if our plan fails, it will only disappoint him. It’s better not to give him any hope for now.”

Talia, observing Nana with a knowing look, said, “I see.”

Nana felt uncomfortable under her mother’s gaze and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Talia shifted her gaze and said, “Among the people at Herbathrive, David is the one you’re closest to. He might be a bit slow-witted, but he’s a good person, hardworking and reliable. He’ll probably make a good husband and father.”

Nana’s heart skipped a beat, and she responded, “Mom, what are you thinking?”

Talia’s expression turned knowing. “You can’t hide this from me. The way you look at him is exactly the same as when you used to like someone else. His character is excellent. I’ve come to realize that love is more important than money. If you really like him, I wouldn’t object.”

“Mom,” Nana said, annoyed. “We’ve only known each other for a week. You’re jumping to conclusions.”

“Well, just get to know each other better for now. I’m not rushing you to get married immediately,” she smiled.

“I’m not discussing this with you. Let’s focus on what we’re going to say when we meet Oliver.” Nana snorted.

With that, Talia dropped the subject, and the mood turned serious again.

Meanwhile, Melody had finally arrived at Herbathrive.

She had left during the morning rush hour, and the traffic was a nightmare. After receiving Nana’s call, she decided to abandon her car midway and ran to speed through the traffic, finally reaching Herbathrive.

As soon as she walked in, the staff in the lobby quickly rallied around her, eager to update her on the situation.

“I’m already aware of everything. I’ll go upstairs and check things out. You all focus on your tasks and don’t let this delay patient care.” Melody instructed.

“Yes!” The staff responded in unison and quickly returned to their duties.

Melody wasn’t in a rush to head upstairs. Instead, she first went to the backyard and used her laptop to look up information on Elton and Charlotte.

Knowing both oneself and one’s opponent ensured success in a hundred battles. Under her examination, she learned about the various aspects of their lives and why Charlotte was interning here.

With a look of understanding, she closed her laptop and made her way to the second floor.

The written test was supposed to last about an hour, and it had only been a little over ten minutes since the test began when Melody arrived at the room where the candidates were taking their exams.

Only a pharmacy staff member was present, keeping an eye on the candidates to prevent any cheating.

When the staff saw Melody approach, his eyes lit up and he immediately began to greet her. “Hi, Ms. Fox…”

Melody made a shushing gesture and walked over to where the candidates were seated.

Just as she was a few steps away, Charlotte turned to her, pointing arrogantly. “Hey, you.”

Melody paused briefly and met Charlotte’s gaze with calm composure. “What’s up?”

Chapter 585

Charlotte was completely oblivious to the fact that she was in the middle of an exam. Acting like a queen, she commanded Melody. “I’m feeling a bit tired from answering questions. Go get me a drink. I want an iced Americano.” Elton put down his pen and said, “I’ll have a mocha.”

The two of them seemed less like they were in an exam and more like they were ordering from a coffee shop.

The pharmacy clerk was startled and about to intervene when Melody, smiling, spoke up. “Sure, if you both manage to get hired, I’ll buy you a drink every day. But for now, please focus on your exam, or I’ll have to consider it as abandoning the test.”

Charlotte’s expression darkened immediately. “What do you mean? How dare a mere errand girl threaten me? Didn’t anyone tell you who I am?”

“I know,” Melody said, maintaining her calm demeanor. “The Wallrich family’s eldest daughter, granddaughter of Oliver from Central Hospital.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow smugly. “Well, at least you have some insight. Now go get my coffee. Oh, and have someone else deliver it. You’re so unattractive that you’ll spoil my mood for the exam.”

The pharmacy clerk’s face darkened. Everyone at Herbathrive revered Melody, and yet these two dared to be so disrespectful.

But Melody remained unperturbed, her smile even more pronounced. “Ms. Wallrich, you might not have heard me clearly. Let me repeat myself. If you don’t continue with the exam and stay quiet, I’ll have to consider it as abandoning the test.”

“You…” Charlotte was taken aback by Melody’s stubbornness. Infuriated, she stood up and pointed at Melody, ready to unleash her anger.

But Elton sensed something was off.

If she was just an errand girl, she had no right to declare their test abandoned.

Realizing this, Elton quickly pulled Charlotte aside. Charlotte, hold on. She might not be just an errand girl.”

Charlotte looked Melody up and down, scrutinizing her.

Seeing she wore no branded items and carried a simple white Herbathrive bag, Charlotte sneered. “She dresses so poorly and looks so insignificant. She must be an errand girl.”

“Do not insult Miss Fox,” the pharmacy clerk said, his forehead bulging with veins as he struggled to keep his composure. “She’s in charge of Herbathrive. All major and minor affairs of Herbathrive are decided by her. She’s our boss.”

Charlotte’s smile froze. “You must be joking…”

Just then, David arrived, having heard that Melody was at Herbathrive.

He ran up, looking ecstatic to see her. “Miss Fox, you’re finally here! Everyone has been waiting for you.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened in shock.

David’s level of respect for her was astonishing.

‘So… this unattractive woman really is in charge of Herbathrive?’ At that moment, Charlotte felt a pang of regret.

“Yep, I’m here.” Melody dismissed Charlotte’s reaction and said to David, “I can handle things here, so you go on with your tasks.”

“Actually…” David lowered his voice. “We haven’t finalized the content for the second clinical exam yet.”

“Don’t worry about that. Just let them finish with the patients first,” Melody replied.

David’s eyes brightened. “Have you figured it out already?”

“No,” Melody said cryptically. “In any case, you don’t need to worry about it. With the number of patients today, focus on them for now.”

“Got it.” David, reassured, took a final look at Charlotte and Elton before heading off.

The pharmacy clerk watched Charlotte’s expression, noting her frustration with a sense of satisfaction.

‘See, I wasn’t lying. Miss Fox is indeed the person in charge,’ he wondered.

Charlotte, aware of the clerk’s gaze, ground her teeth in anger. ‘Damn it…’

But she quickly regained her composure. ‘So what if she’s the person in charge? The fact that she’s in charge means she should be even more worried about me taking down Herbathrive. I’ll make sure she regrets this.’

At this moment, Melody said, “Hey guys, can you continue with your exams now?”

Charlotte bit her lower lip hard. Under Elton’s constant gaze, she reluctantly sat back down to take the exam.

‘What’s there to be arrogant about even if she is the person in charge? Once my internship is over and I have my certificate, I’ll make sure this ugly woman gets what’s coming to her. And David and Nana… none of them will escape, she wondered.

Charlotte gripped her pen tightly, her eyes flashing with resentment and anger.

Seeing this, Elton reminded her. “We’ve already wasted some time. Let’s hurry up. Have you managed to get in touch with your contact?”

“Why the rush?” Charlotte glared at Elton and said in a tone only they could hear. “The signal’s connected. Just answer the questions based on the situation. Make sure your answers don’t match mine exactly.”

Elton was displeased with Charlotte’s tone, but remembering the benefits of marrying her, he suppressed his irritation and continued to flatter her. “Sure thing.

Charlotte, you’re the best.”

“Hmph, obviously!” Charlotte lifted her chin, her expression smug.

Melody lightly tapped the table twice.

“Please remain quiet. Whispering could be considered

cheating,” she said, noticing Charlotte shoot her a scathing look.

For the next few minutes of the exam, Charlotte seemed to settle down, and both of them focused intently on their papers.

Since they were behaving, Melody decided she didn’t need to keep a close watch.

She signaled to the pharmacy clerk to take a break and slowly walked to stand behind Charlotte and Elton, intending to check their progress after half an hour.

As she glanced at their papers, a fleeting look of surprise crossed her usually impassive face.

The first half of the test consisted mainly of multiple-choice questions, and both of them answered all the questions correctly. Some of the questions, which David had marked out in advance due to their difficulty, were also answered correctly.

Recalling the background information she had found on them, Melody sensed something was off.

At that moment, Charlotte turned and said irritably, “Hey, I don’t like having someone watching me while I’m working on my test. Could you stand a bit further away? I don’t do cheating, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Sorry.” Melody apologized but her eyes continued to scrutinize Charlotte’s face.

由

SEND GIFT

COMMENT

Subscribed

♡
Prev | Next 

Chapter 576

Footsteps echoed ominously, drawing closer to the door.

James knew Melody’s words had her reasons. Even though he was about to be discovered, he couldn’t afford to waste any time. Abandoning any thoughts of escaping through the window, he kept his head down and focused on removing the silver needles from Sid’s arm.

“Who’s there?” The two bodyguards spotted a figure inside the ICU the moment they arrived at the door.

‘So someone really is trying to harm Ken,’ they thought.

James gritted his teeth, quickening his pace. He managed to pull out the last needle just as the bodyguards burst in, wielding iron rods.

But by then, it was already too late for him to escape.

The two bodyguards immediately blocked his way, one in front and one behind. These two were among the most skilled men Sebastian had brought along.

James had anticipated this. If he had to take on these two alone, it would take hundreds of rounds to bring them down. By then,

Sebastian would certainly have returned.

Frustration and self-blame overwhelmed him.

Sebastian, who already disliked Ken, would surely have an even worse opinion of him once he found out James had broken in here.

‘How could I mess up something so simple?’ James thought, feeling a deep sense of guilt.

One of the bodyguards brandished his iron rod, while the other pulled out a handgun, aiming it directly at James’ forehead.

The reason Sebastian felt confident enough to leave only two men to guard this floor was that they were armed. “Don’t move, or we’ll shoot,” the one with the gun warned.

James hadn’t noticed the gun until now. Gunshots would definitely be fatal. Realizing resistance was futile, he forced a nervous smile. “Gentlemen, there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m just here to visit Mr. Quant…”

Meanwhile, Sebastian, who felt he had wasted a valuable half-hour of his life, was already in the elevator, descending rapidly.

He would be there in less than ten seconds.

Back in the ICU, one of the bodyguards tightened his grip on the iron rod, coldly advancing toward James. “Cut the crap. Raise your hands and explain yourself. What are you really here for?”

James instinctively tried to hide the bundle of silver needles behind his back, but the bodyguards noticed the movement.

“What’s that?” The one with the gun immediately sensed something was wrong. His finger tightened on the trigger as he barked, “Drop it on the floor, or I’ll shoot.”

James took a step back instinctively, but this slight movement made the bodyguard think he was about to resist, and he immediately prepared to pull the trigger.

At the critical moment, a slightly hoarse voice suddenly broke the tension. “What do you think you’re doing?”

All three men in the ICU froze, turning in disbelief toward the source of the voice.

On the hospital bed, Sid had somehow opened his eyes.

“Mr. Quant?” The two bodyguards were overjoyed, so much so that they momentarily forgot about James. One of them rubbed his eyes vigorously, while the other pinched his thigh hard, trying to confirm if they were hallucinating.

It didn’t take long for them to realize that Sid was indeed awake.

“Mr. Quant, you’re awake…” they exclaimed.

James had known from the start that their plan was to bring Sid back to consciousness for a brief period, but seeing Sid, who had been in critical condition, suddenly alert and speaking, still left him deeply shocked.

‘She really did it, he thought, awestruck.

Melody’s abilities never failed to astonish him, no matter how prepared he thought he was.

The bodyguards, after their moment of surprise, quickly remembered James’s presence and once again pointed their guns at him. “Mr. Quant, this guy was trying to harm you. But don’t worry. We’ll take care of him right now.”

James snapped back to reality and turned to Sid for help, pleading with his eyes. “Mr. Quant, it’s me.”

Sid recognized James. Although he didn’t understand exactly what had happened, he knew that Sebastian had always disliked Ken, so it wasn’t surprising that his bodyguards had their guns trained on James.

“Stop!” Sid ordered, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask, yet loud enough for everyone to hear. “James is my friend. Put the gun down immediately.”

The two bodyguards exchanged uneasy glances, and one hesitantly spoke up. “But… Mr. Quant, he has something in his hand…”

“Why?” Sid demanded as he ripped off the oxygen mask, his tone serious. “Are you ignoring my orders now? Do you think just because I’m weak, I can’t do anything about it?”

“Of course not,” the two bodyguards stammered, startled by Sid’s fierce response, and quickly shook their heads.

“Then get out of here. And remember that you’re to act like nothing happened. If I hear that you’ve uttered even a word about this to my father, I’ll make sure you regret it,” he added.

“Yes…” they replied, nodding hurriedly before leaving the ICU under the weight of Sid’s intense gaze.

As soon as they were gone, James wasted no time getting to the point. “Mr. Quant, there’s no time to explain everything. Your dad plans to take you back to Insterimond tomorrow, and we won’t be able to stop him. Mr. Swanson is worried that Ulric might try something on the way, so you must stop your dad from taking you. And you need to act quickly. You’ll only be conscious for about ten minutes. Miss Fox used acupuncture to wake you, but after ten minutes, you’ll pass out again.”

“Melody, huh?” Sid nodded, acknowledging the situation. “I understand. But there’s something important I need to tell you. The person who stabbed me was…”

“Mr. Quant,” one of the bodyguards suddenly called from outside.

James’s expression tensed. ‘It’s Sebastian.’

He quickly grabbed Sid’s hand. “Mr. Quant, remember what I told you,” he urged, all the while moving toward the window.

Just as Sebastian was about to enter the ICU, James slipped out of the window, using the air conditioning units to make his descent. In a matter of seconds, his figure disappeared into the night.

Sid bit his lip in frustration. ‘Damn it, I was just about to tell him Janet’s name.’

The next moment, Sebastian stepped inside.

When he saw Sid’s eyes open, he was so overcome with joy that he nearly stumbled. “Sid?”

Struggling to maintain his composure, Sebastian asked, disbelief evident in his voice, “You’re awake?”

Sid nodded.

Sebastian immediately called out, “Quick! Someone get the doctor!”

“Wait.” Sid interrupted him, “No need to call the doctor yet. I have something I need to say to you first.”

“Alright, go ahead,” Sebastian said, nodding eagerly as he rushed to Sid’s bedside.

His usually stern eyes were now misty with emotion.

A man nearing fifty was actually on the verge of tears.

Sid couldn’t help but feel moved. His relationship with his father had been strained for so long that he’d assumed Sebastian cared more about the family business than about him. But now, it seemed that wasn’t entirely true…

Despite his emotions, Sid didn’t forget James’s warning. He spoke firmly. “I heard from your men that you’re planning to take me back to Insterimond tomorrow?”

“Yes. I’ve already arranged for the best surgeon in all of Halcyon. Once you’re there, after some rest, we’ll proceed with the second surgery. After that, you should be on the path to recovery,” Sebastian said.

“Listen to me carefully. I can’t leave Silverlake right now.” Sid stated with conviction.

Chapter 577

Sebastian was taken aback and asked, “Why? Although Silverlake’s medical facilities are decent in Halcyon, the top-tier resources are all in Insterimond. You know that.”

“It’s not about the medical level,” Sid replied. “Once we set out, someone will definitely try to kill me on the road. I won’t even make it to Insterimond. I’ll die along the way.”

“What?” Sebastian suddenly recalled that the ugly woman he knew through Ken had said the same thing.

She had claimed that as soon as Sid moved, he would die on the road.

A chill ran down Sebastian’s spine.

Yet, his subconscious skepticism remained. He frowned and asked, “Who exactly is trying to kill you? Is it Ken?”

Sid glanced at the clock on the wall. He had less than three minutes left. ‘I need to wrap this up quickly, he thought.

However, he couldn’t reveal that Janet was a traitor. If he told Sebastian, who was known for his straightforwardness, it might actually make things worse.

He trusted that Ken would discover Janet’s betrayal and deal with her effectively.

Sid weighed his thoughts and quickly said, “It’s not Ken. The one after me is Ulric.”

“What?” Sebastian was deeply shocked, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Ulric is so mild-mannered and has always been polite to me. Why would he want to target you? What would he gain from that? We have no grudges against him.”

“But he has a grudge against Ken. Since I’m Ken’s right-hand man, and eliminating me would be of great benefit to him,” Sid added.

Sebastian was stunned, his mind racing.

If what Sid said was true, Ulric’s offer to arrange for a car to escort Sid to Insterimond was likely a ploy.

He shuddered as he considered the implications.

Time was running short, and Sid, ignoring what Sebastian was contemplating, continued, “There’s one more thing I need to tell you, though I’m afraid you might not believe it. But now, I have no choice but to say it.”

“Go ahead,” Sebastian urged.

“Ulric’s legs were not crippled by Ken. Ulric staged the whole thing himself to frame Ken. Both Ulric and Astrid are no good. Don’t be swayed by them, and don’t let them know I told you this, or you’ll be in danger,” he explained.

Sebastian’s mind struggled to process such a massive amount of information.

At that moment, Sid felt a wave of dizziness.

He strained to utter his final words. “If you don’t want to watch me die, you must follow Ken’s orders exactly. And you can only follow his instructions.”

As he finished speaking, Sid’s vision blurred, and he lost consciousness again.

“Sid? Sid!” Seeing Sid fall unconscious once more, Sebastian hurriedly pressed the call button on the wall. “Help! Someone, come quickly!”

The on-duty doctors arrived promptly.

They examined Sid carefully but found no abnormalities. The readings on the monitors were identical to those from earlier in the day. “Mr. Quant, your son’s condition is the same as before, with no changes. Why did you suddenly press the call button?”

Sebastian was about to explain that Sid had briefly regained consciousness before collapsing again, but recalling Sid’s warning, he hesitated and instead said, “It’s nothing. I thought I saw his finger move.”

The doctors sighed in relief. “Given his current state, it’s unlikely he would regain consciousness. The movement you saw might have been a trick of your eyes or a muscle twitch.”

“Unlikely to regain consciousness?” he asked, puzzled.

‘Wasn’t it a miracle that Sid woke up earlier?’ Sebastian wondered.

Struggling to suppress his urge to question the doctors further, he nodded and said, “I understand. It must have been a mistake on my part.”

“No problem. If there are any issues, call us anytime.” The doctors quickly left the room.

Sebastian stood by the window, pacing back and forth, trying to digest Sid’s words.

He couldn’t be sure whether Sid’s claim about Ulric being the culprit was true or if it was a misunderstanding, but one thing was certain. Sid had to stay here for now.

After a while, Sebastian dialed the landline of the Quant family in Insterimond. “Send all available personnel to Silverlake immediately. They need to get here as quickly as possible.”

Since they couldn’t get back to Insterimond, the only option was to bring personnel from Insterimond to secure Sid’s safety.

After all, if Ulric was indeed the threat, it would be wise to be cautious. Silverlake was the domain of the Swanson family, and it was better to be careful.

After arranging the reinforcements, Sebastian stared at Ken’s number in his contacts, his eyes filled with indecision.

Ever since Ulric’s legs were injured, he hadn’t been kind to Ken, either speaking in a sarcastic tone or outright mocking him.

Now, he needed to call Ken and felt deeply embarrassed about it.

After struggling for half an hour, Sebastian finally mustered the courage to dial Ken’s number.

“Hello, Sebastian,” Ken answered.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Sebastian said, “I’m not leaving tomorrow. Until my team arrives, could you arrange for some people to protect Sid in the hospital?”

He expected Ken to take the opportunity to reprimand him, demand an apology, or at least be somewhat standoffish. Instead, Ken responded without hesitation, “No problem.”

Ken’s straightforward response only made Sebastian feel more uncomfortable.

He was debating whether to thank Ken when Ken continued, “Actually, you didn’t need to make this call. I’ve already deployed over a hundred people and positioned them in various discreet spots around the hospital. My team has also hacked into the hospital’s surveillance system, so we can monitor everything in real-time and ensure no one can exploit the situation.”

Sebastian stared in disbelief. “Wh-what? Your people have been monitoring the hospital’s surveillance?”

This level of detail was more meticulous than even what he, as Sid’s father, had arranged.

On the other end of the line, Ken misinterpreted Sebastian’s reaction and assumed he was dissatisfied with the monitoring. He quickly said, “Sorry, I should have informed you earlier. If you’re uncomfortable with this, I can transfer the monitoring rights to you right away. Do you have tech personnel on your end? I’ll arrange for the handover.”

“No…” Sebastian hurriedly clarified. “That’s not what I meant. Your arrangements are fine. I don’t have many people here, so I’d feel more reassured with your team keeping an eye on things.”

“Understood. If there are any issues, I’ll make sure they notify you immediately,” Ken said.

“Okay,” Sebastian replied, nodding.

“Alright then, I won’t keep you any longer,” Ken said, about to end the call when Sebastian suddenly said, “Wait.”

“Yes?” Ken asked.

“Well… about the things I’ve said to you in the past, please don’t take them to heart. I’m getting older and my mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be. I might have misunderstood a lot of things…” he hesitated.

Ken paused for a moment, gripping his phone tightly, and then said, “Sebastian, we’re family. There’s no need to apologize.”

Sebastian felt his eyes well up, his voice trembling as he replied, “Fine…”

Chapter 578

After ending the call, Sebastian stood in place, feeling a mix of emotions.

He suddenly realized that his approach to handling things might have been flawed all along. He really needed to take a deep look at himself…

On the other end of the line, after Ken hung up, he ran into James, who had just come down the stairs from the 11th-floor ICU.

James had been descending slowly to avoid making too much noise. Just as he finally set his feet on the ground and was about to relax, a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Ah!” James was startled and let out a cry.

But before his cry could fully escape, the large hand covered his mouth. “It’s me.”

“Mr. Swanson?” James turned around and, seeing it was indeed Ken, let out a sigh of relief. He patted his chest and said, “You scared me… I thought it was someone from Mr. Quant’s side.”

Ken, with a look of disgust, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe away the saliva James had left behind. “He’s already called me.”

“Really? Mr. Quant actually called you himself?” James, a bit slow on lit up with the uptake, finally grasped what was happening. His eyes lit with excitement. “Did you two reconcile?”

Ken tossed the handkerchief aside and nodded. “I guess you could say that. He reached out and asked me to arrange for someone to look after Sid. We really owe this to Melody. By the way, why did only you come down? Where is she? Did she come down the stairs?”

James slapped his forehead in frustration. “I forgot to tell you. Miss Fox collapsed.”

“What?” Ken’s eyes narrowed. “Where is she?”

“I had Seventeen take her down first. They should be…” Before James could finish, he felt a gust of wind and, when he looked again, Ken had vanished from his sight.

On the stairs, Seventeen was carrying Melody down while carefully avoiding any of Sebastian’s people when a shadow suddenly appeared in front of him.

Before he could react, a large hand grabbed Melody’s arm. “Leave her to me.”

Seventeen realized it was Ken.

Ken rarely intervened directly, and Seventeen was never sure of Ken’s skills. But given the speed at which Ken moved, it was clear his abilities far exceeded his own. Normally, Seventeen would have sensed the presence of any skilled individual within his line of sight, but Ken’s arrival had been nearly silent.

Seventeen lowered his head in fear. “Yes, Mr. Swanson.”

Soon, Melody was handed over to Ken.

As they continued down the stairs, Ken asked, “Why did Melody collapse?”

Seventeen hurriedly replied, “I don’t know the exact details, but from what I saw, it seems that Miss Fox must have fainted from exhaustion due to focusing too intently during the acupuncture session.

Melody had experienced similar situations before, so Ken quickly understood why this happened.

He felt a pang of guilt as he carefully carried her to First Hospital.

That night, Rodney was on duty. Upon learning about Melody’s condition, he immediately began examining her.

After a thorough check, Rodney’s expression relaxed slightly. “Don’t worry too much. Miss Fox is just a bit exhausted. I’ll give her some saline. She should wake up soon. However, she needs to rest well over the next few days and avoid any further strain.”

“Alright.” Ken nodded, feeling even more guilty.

If he had known it would come to this, he would have taken other measures to prevent her from collapsing from exhaustion.

While Rodney prepared the IV drip, Ken couldn’t help but reach out and gently touch Melody’s face.

This face had been ridiculed by many for being gloomy, but he had never seen it that way. In fact, he felt as though there was an inner light about her, one that drew him in and made him want to chase after it…

At that moment, Melody’s eyelids fluttered.

Ken was startled and quickly pulled back his hand.

Thankfully, Melody did not wake up but merely frowned slightly before remaining still again.

He sighed and placed his hand over his own heart.

He wasn’t sure why, but the thought that she might wake up had made his heartbeat quicken.

Soon, the IV drip was finished, but Melody still did not wake up.

According to Rodney, she was no longer in a fainting state but simply sleeping soundly.

Seeing this, Ken couldn’t bring himself to wake her up. Instead, he carefully picked her up and took her back to Serenity Villa.

By this time, Susan had already gone to bed. After bringing Melody to her room, Ken hesitated over whether he should remove her outerwear.

‘If she sleeps with her coat on, she’ll be uncomfortable… but if I take it off, she might be upset if she finds out the next day… he thought.

While he was still contemplating, Melody’s voice suddenly broke the silence. “Ken?”

His eyes snapped open, and he looked at the bed where Melody lay. “You’re awake? How do you feel? Is anything still bothering you?”

“Not really…” Melody shook her head. “I’m almost recovered. I just exhausted too much energy during the acupuncture session, and with the time constraints, I couldn’t hold on.”

“I’m sorry,” Ken said, lowering his head. “I’ll make sure you don’t have to take such risks again.”

“It’s nothing,” Melody said nonchalantly as she started to sit up.

Only then did she realize she was in Ken’s room and hurried to pull the covers off to get out of bed?

“Don’t move.” Ken immediately stopped her. “There’s no need to go to another room. Just rest here. You haven’t been home for days, and the blankets haven’t been aired out. You’ll sleep here tonight, and I’ll use the guest room.”

“But…” she hesitated.

“There are no buts,” Ken said firmly, but then softened his tone and joked. “Tonight, you’re the biggest hero. This bed is yours to enjoy.”

Melody chuckled, but then remembered something and asked, “How about Sebastian? Has that been resolved?”

Ken nodded and recounted his conversation with Sebastian.

Melody sighed in relief. “That’s good to hear. It seems my acupuncture skills haven’t declined. You should get some rest too. I’ll go to sleep now. There’s still Regina’s matter to prepare for tomorrow.”

Ken hesitated. “You’re not feeling well. Maybe it would be better to postpone Regina’s issue?”

“No, Melody said with a frown. “The longer we delay, the stronger the malicious doctors will become. They’ll be even harder to deal with later.

Ken knew he couldn’t change her mind and reluctantly agreed. “Then make sure to rest well. Try to sleep in a bit longer tomorrow.”

“I’ll do my best…” Melody replied.

“Hmm?” Ken looked at her.

“Alright, I understand. I’ll try to sleep longer before getting up,” she said, forcing a smile.

Ken then softened his expression again, wished her goodnight, and left.

Once Ken was gone, Melody got up to wash her face.

Whether it was the splash of water or the lingering presence of Ken’s scent in the room, she found herself unable to fall asleep for a while after returning to bed.

Meanwhile, Mabel was wide awake.

She was scrolling through online news about Cadence, fearful that Cadence’s death might somehow implicate her.

Seeing that it was almost four in the morning, she decided to get up and go downstairs for a drink.

As she came down the stairs, she ran into Russell, who had just returned home.

Chapter 579

“Dad?” Mabel’s gaze fell on Russell, noting that he was still carrying his briefcase under his arm. She asked in surprise, “You just got home from work?”

“Yes.” Russell nodded. He looked extremely tired, with bloodshot eyes that made him look unwell. Yet, he was in good spirits, smiling as he asked, “It’s almost dawn. Why haven’t you gone to bed?”

Mabel naturally didn’t mention that she was unable to sleep due to the recent murder case and had come downstairs for a drink.

She forced a small laugh and said, “I just came down for a glass of water. By the way, Dad, what have you been busy with these past few days? You’ve been leaving early and coming home late…”

Russell, looking excited, said, “Owen agreed to sell me the abandoned factories of Taynorma Capital. I later negotiated with a few other factories, so I needed a lot of funds. I had to go out for dinners with the bank people to secure the loan.”

Mabel was taken aback and asked, “Aren’t Owen’s factories quite big? Aren’t they enough? Why are you expanding further? What if the clothes don’t sell and we end up with unsold inventory? It could easily lead to a financial collapse.”

“Why do you always speak so pessimistically?” Russell glared at Mabel. “You’re about to marry Ulric, and partnering with the Swanson Group is imminent. With them backing us, we won’t need to worry about unsold goods. Besides, I’ve hired several internationally renowned designers to work on our clothing line. The Justalion Group is going to make a strong comeback soon.”

Whenever Russell mentioned a comeback, his eyes sparkled with excitement, and his fatigue seemed to vanish.

However, Mabel felt even more uneasy.

She couldn’t understand why she felt this way. Even though Ulric had helped her during the Cadence incident, she felt uneasy about the future.

“Dad, maybe we should hold off on the other factories for now? The Taynorma Capital factories are already numerous and big. With just these, our production capacity is more than enough. There’s no need to invest all our money at this time. If we can’t repay the loan, we might end up losing the entire Justalion Group…” she warned.

Mabel said this not only because she was concerned about Russell, but also because she knew that the Justalion Group would eventually belong to her, which was why she was so worried.

But Russell didn’t seem to take any of it in.

He said with conviction, “Once we officially partner with the Justalion Group, we’ll definitely get a flood of orders. Today’s young people don’t like to wait. If our clothes aren’t produced and shipped on time, they’ll cancel their orders. We’d end up losing a lot of potential revenue.”

“But, Dad… What if there aren’t as many orders as you expect? And with the urgent need for funds, it will be difficult to negotiate low interest rates with the bank. We’re at a high risk of financial ruin.” Mabel pleaded.

“This is impossible.” Russell’s mood soured immediately, his face darkening with anger.

In the past, Mabel would have backed off at this point and avoided annoying him.

But since this situation now affected her own interests, she gritted her teeth and continued to argue. “Dad, don’t be so hasty. We should wait until we actually receive a flood of orders before expanding. Or at least wait until the partnership is confirmed. The factories you’ve already bought are sufficient for handling the initial orders. Once the company’s finances are stable, we can expand then.”

Russell, however, was set in his decision and responded impatiently, “Enough. You’re too young to understand these business matters. Just focus on your own affairs. Make sure you keep things in order with Ander and don’t worry about the company’s issues for now.”

After giving her a pointed look, Russell headed upstairs, signaling that he didn’t want to hear anymore.

Mabel wanted to continue persuading him but was intimidated by the look Russell gave her.

Russell was known to be volatile and had a history of violence. Melody was a warning she didn’t want to ignore. She didn’t want to end up like Melody, locked away in an abandoned garage.

‘Mom isn’t here. If I get locked up, there’s no one to rescue me,’ she thought.

Fuming, Mabel clenched her fists but had no choice but to give up.

Ever since Melody had returned from the countryside, things had been going badly for Mabel.

Her frustration grew, and she caught sight of Russell’s briefcase casually left on the living room sofa.

Holding her breath, she listened for any noises from upstairs. Once she heard the sound of Russell closing his bedroom door, she hurried to the sofa and began to sift through the documents in the briefcase.

What she discovered shocked her.

Russell had acquired or leased twice as many clothing factories as she had anticipated.

‘With so many factories, how is Russell going to pay for them?’ she wondered.

Then it hit her. She had recently noticed a lot of her luxury items were missing. Connecting the dots with the documents in front of her, she stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

It seemed that Russell had been secretly selling her luxury goods.

“Damn it,” Mabel seethed, gritting her teeth. She knew that confronting Russell about this directly would only make him furious. His pride would make him lash out uncontrollably.

So, she had to keep this grievance to herself.

However, losing her luxury items was a minor issue compared to the potential disaster of a failed partnership. If things didn’t work out, they could end up with nothing.

Increasingly anxious and sleepless, Mabel realized she had no other option but to advance her relationship with Ulric as quickly as possible to secure a partnership for the Justalion Group.

The long night felt even longer.

At Serenity Villa, Melody had initially promised Ken that she would rest well this morning before going to Central Hospital to expose Regina’s true nature.

However, Owen’s call came early in the morning.

She rubbed her eyes, feeling sore all over.

The fatigue from the Resurrecting the Dead was much heavier than she had anticipated.

She managed to answer the call. “Hello?”

Owen’s timid, conciliatory voice came through the phone. “Dr. Knowles, am I disturbing your rest?”

Melody glanced at the clock. It was just past eight in the morning. She cleared her throat and replied, “No, I was just about to get up. What’s the matter?”

“Well, Dr. Knowles, I’ve figured out everything about Pauline’s situation. Although you prescribed a remedy for the chronic poison, she’s really struggling with the withdrawal from the poppy. Could you help? I don’t want my daughter to be controlled by this substance for the rest of her life…” he said.

Melody’s eyelids fluttered, and she said apologetically, “I promised Miss Nathan that I would provide a prescription to aid in her withdrawal, but I’ve been swamped with other tasks and completely forgot. Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll write the prescription shortly. Have someone come to Herbathrive in an hour to pick it up and also to get the medicine prepared. It’s safer to get it here than elsewhere.”

Owen had exposed Ulric and Wendell, making them enemies who had to be guarded against.

Chapter 580

Owen was well aware that he was now Ulric’s enemy, and he immediately responded, “Okay, I understand. Thank you so much…”

“It’s only fair,” she replied. “Since you’ve done what I asked of you, I certainly won’t go back on my word. Don’t worry.”

“Okay. There’s one more thing… Once I finish sorting out the assets here, I plan to move my entire family abroad,” he continued.

“Abroad?” She hesitated for a moment, then said, “That sounds good. It’s definitely safer for you and your family to be overseas rather than staying in Silverlake. But before you go, make sure you stock up on medicine. Herbs don’t expire easily as long as they are stored properly.”

“Thanks for the reminder. I’ll be sure to take care of it,” he said.

“Well…” Melody paused, remembering Russell and Mabel showing up at Owen’s door that day. She asked nonchalantly, “I saw that Mr. Fox from the Justalion Group came by to see you the other day?”

Owen had always thought Melody was referring to Wilona, so he had never connected Russell with Melody.

“Yes.” He nodded and mentioned that Russell was interested in buying one of his idle factories, then asked curiously, “Why do you ask about this suddenly?”

“Oh, just a casual question. His daughter is quite well-known,” she said.

“Are you talking about Mabel? She is quite famous. She won the Silverlake Best Celebrity last year and is friends with Shindy. They talked for a long time. Shindy really likes her. If you’d like to meet her too, I can arrange a dinner for you…” he offered.

“No need,” Melody said with a faint smile, her tone remaining calm. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll head to Herbathrive first. Remember to send someone over.”

“Sure.” Owen agreed quickly.

After the call ended, Melody’s eyes narrowed slightly. ‘Buying idle factories?’

With the Justalion Group’s current meager order volume, many of their own factories were sitting idle, yet he was still looking to expand production.

Melody’s mind raced, quickly connecting the dots. It seemed that Russell was betting everything on Ulric, hoping Mabel could facilitate a collaboration between the Justalion Group and the Swanson Group, preparing for a potential surge in orders.

‘A surge in orders? It’s so funny. Melody sneered, her lips curling into a cold smile.

She had already come up with a plan to reclaim the Justalion Group entirely through litigation.

However, this method would take a long time and might not guarantee that she would recover all the shares from Russell. Now, Russell had conveniently provided her with an opportunity.

A detailed plan quickly formed in Melody’s mind.

To execute this plan, she just needed to wait for the perfect moment, which she had already set up in advance.

The order she received from Mabel on the black market forum would soon come into play.

‘Mom, the Justalion Group you worked so hard to establish… I’m about to help you reclaim it very soon, she thought, just as her phone rang again.

Melody initially thought Owen might have forgotten to mention something, but it turned out to be David calling.

With the situation at Herbathrive being unstable, her heart sank instantly. She answered the call and immediately asked, “What’s going on?”

David quickly responded, “Don’t worry. There’s nothing wrong.”

Melody sighed in relief and asked, “So why are you calling me at this hour?”

“Here’s the thing. We’ve been recruiting. I wanted to ask if you have time to come and interview a few medical school interns?” he asked.

“Interns? Before Mr. Herbert returns, it’s better to avoid taking on interns. I don’t have time to train newcomers, and you and the other doctors already have enough on your plate. I’m afraid adding a few more inexperienced interns might be overwhelming for you,” she said.

“That’s true. They do lack clinical experience. However, they mentioned in their application emails that they don’t require any salary, just a stamp on their internship certificate once they complete their term. I thought it sounded like a good deal and wanted to get your opinion,” he explained.

“Just the internship certificate, huh…” she hesitated.

It seemed that these interns were eager to start.

Considering the opportunity to help and their willingness to work for free, Melody decided to agree. “When will they arrive? I’ll come over in half an hour.”

“They should be arriving soon. They just messaged me saying they’re on their way,” David said.

“Alright, I’ll head over now,” Melody said.

“Great, see you soon,” he said.

“Okay.” Melody hung up, freshened up, and went downstairs, where she happened to run into Susan coming back with a delivery.

Seeing Melody dressed and ready to go out, Susan hurried over and asked, “Miss Fox? Are you going out?”

“Yes.” Melody nodded.

“Mr. Swanson instructed that you must stay home and rest properly until he returns,” Susan said, positioning herself in front of Melody as if to block her path.

Melody stopped in her tracks, a look of frustration crossing her face.

‘He actually had Susan keep an eye on me, she thought.

Taking a deep breath, she put on a bright smile and approached Susan, linking her arm with hers in a playful manner. “Susan, please let me go out. I just need some fresh air. I really can’t stay cooped up at home…”

“That’s not possible. Mr. Swanson said you’re not feeling well. I absolutely can’t let you go out. I was planning to plant some new flowers in the backyard. If you’re bored, how about I teach you how to garden?” she offered.

Melody was taken aback. “I’m not interested in gardening…”

“Well then, how about you teach me to cook? Your cooking skills are so impressive. Maybe if I learn a bit, you’ll find my cooking more to your taste next time,” she asked.

“I can teach you to cook another time when I have more free time. I really need to go out now. I have an appointment,” Melody said, tugging gently at Susan’s sleeve. “Please, Susan, just let me go. I promise I’ll be back before Ken returns.”

Susan, finally unable to refuse, sighed. “But you must return before Mr. Swanson gets back. He said he’d be home by eleven. You’d better keep track of the time. Otherwise, he’ll give me a death stare.”

Melody couldn’t help but laugh. “He’s not as scary as you make him out to be.”

“He is! Haven’t you noticed? There are hardly any mosquitoes in this house, thanks to Mr. Swanson’s cold aura,” she joked.

Melody couldn’t argue with that and finally agreed. “I promise I’ll be back before eleven.”

Susan then relented, allowing her to leave.

“You’re the best, Susan. I’m off now.” Melody waved goodbye and, with a resigned look from Susan, left Serenity Villa.

However, not long after she got into the Seventeen, Ken’s call came through. “Are you out?”

Melody felt a throb at her temples and gave Seventeen a cold look.

‘No wonder Seventeen couldn’t start the car for a while. It was probably reporting me,’ she thought.

Seventeen was sweating nervously, unable to meet her gaze.

Melody sighed, knowing she couldn’t hide the truth, and admitted it. “Yes, I’m heading to Herbathrive.”

“No way. You promised me you’d get enough rest.” Ken’s tone was as firm as Susan’s.

由

SEND GIFT

COMMENT

Subscribed

♡
Prev | Next 

Chapter 571

Pressing this spot worked every time and its effect was comparable to a tranquilizer. However, this time, this method was useless.

‘How could this be?’ Melody tried her best to maintain her composure on the surface, but her heart was drowned by waves of panic.

Ken inadvertently turned to look at Melody and saw that her face was pale. He could not help but be shocked. “No need to report. Just continue to keep an eye there.” He interrupted Seventeen and ordered him to leave. Then, he asked anxiously, “Melody, are you alright?”

“Nothing, I just ate in a hurry just now. My stomach is a little full.” Melody shook her head and answered, but her eyes subconsciously avoided Ken’s gaze.

She knew what was wrong with her. Her heart was throbbing. However, she could not say it, let alone let Ken notice the change in her mind. ‘If he knows it, he will definitely find me disgusting, right?’

“That’s good.” Ken let out a sigh of relief.

Melody did not reply. She just took a deep breath and forced herself to take these things off her mind. She changed the topic and said, “Do you have any plans later? If not, I want to go back and rest first.”

“I still have to go to Sid,” He said in a low tone.

Melody’s back stiffened and she laughed mockingly. ‘Not to see Sid, but to see Janet, right?”

She did not believe that a smart man like Ken would not suspect Janet. However, he did not reveal any doubts about Janet. The reason could only be that he trusted her too much.

Melody’s mood turned bad without warning because she thought she was just lying to herself. “Then I’ll go back first.”

“Come with me.” Ken’s tone was unquestionable. “Wendell must be watching you now. You can’t be separated from me.”

“I…-” She tried to refuse but got interrupted.

“If you don’t want to get out, then wait for me in the car. I’ll be back soon.”

Melody lowered her eyes silently. After a moment, she said, “I’ll go with you to see Sid.”

Ken did not think too much about it and nodded. “Okay.”

Soon, the driver changed to Seventeen. Seeing that Melody was also in the car, he was surprised for a moment. “Miss Fox, are you injured?”

“No.” She shook her head.

When Seventeen heard the coldness in Melody’s voice, he was very puzzled, but he did not dare to ask further. Then he drove to the hospital where Sid was.

At the same time, in the Hunter family, Wendell hugged Cadence’s cooled body as he howled and screamed in tears.

The bodyguards around all kept quiet out of fear. They lowered their heads and did not dare to make a sound, afraid that they would be implicated.

After a long time, Wendell suddenly fell silent.

His eyes were bloodshot as he grabbed the bodyguard closest to him

and questioned with a ferocious expression, “Where’s Ulric? Where’s Ulric? Why isn’t he here yet?”

The bodyguard replied with a trembling voice, “I’ve already informed Mr. Swanson. He should still be on his way here.”

“He’ll only take half an hour at most to get here. It’s been more than an hour now. He should be here now even if he’s crawling!” As soon as he finished speaking, the living room seemed to have suddenly fallen into a dead silence. Wendell felt a chill run down his spine. He had a bad premonition. ‘Could it be…

He turned his head stiffly and saw Ulric sitting in a wheelchair, looking at him with a faint smile. The moment he saw who it was, Wendell’s pupils quickly shrank to a point, and goosebumps appeared all over his body. “When did you come here…”

The smile on Ulric’s lips deepened as he said in an ambiguous tone, “When you said I’m crawling.”

Wendell’s legs went weak and he fell heavily to the ground with a bang. ‘Oh no…’

He was just getting emotional and anxious to find an outlet to vent his anger. Unexpectedly, Ulric arrived just when he was cursing.

Wendell was scared out of his wits. He wanted to stand up, but his feet were trembling violently. The sound of the wheelchair was getting closer and closer. Wendell did not dare to look up. His forehead was covered in cold sweat. “Mr. Swanson, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that! I-I was just too angry. Please forgive me!” As he spoke, he threw away all his dignity and bowed hard towards Ulric.

Ulric stood up with the help of the mechanical leg and walked towards Wendell. He looked down at the person kneeling on the ground.

At this moment, Wendell was so scared that his legs were trembling even more violently and his face turned colorless.

Ulric sneered. In the end, he could not be bothered to argue with a fool like Wendell. He averted his gaze and looked at the dead Cadence with disdain. He mocked coldly in his heart, ‘So stupid.’

Wendell was stupid and Cadence was even more. She even thought that she could get rid of Melody alone so easily. If Melody was so easy to deal with, then he had no need to go to such lengths to set up the incident in the youth center.

No wonder Melody had locked her up in the mental hospital. If he had known that Cadence was so stupid, he would not have pulled her out.

Wendell did not know what Ulric was thinking as he silently observed him when Ulric was looking at Cadence. His eyes lit up. Suddenly, he mustered his courage and grabbed Ulric’s pants. “Ulric, Cadence died when dealing with Melody. You have to avenge her! You grew up together and she is the closest to you. You can’t just watch Melody kill her and not do anything…”

Ulric kicked Wendell away as if he was kicking away a dirty rat. “She’s courting death herself. She deserves it.”

Wendell was stunned and looked at Ulric in disbelief.

He thought that Ulric would treat Cadence differently, but this truth was so shocking. “Ulric…”

“Don’t fucking say my name!” Ulric said coldly with a dark face, “Idiot, don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. Killing Melody was the mission I gave you. Do you want to throw it back to me? Do you think I’m as stupid as you?”

Wendell trembled when his thoughts were exposed. He explained awkwardly in fear, “No, no, that’s not what I meant…”

Ulric closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He tried his best to control his emotions and said, “Now that Cadence is dead, so be it. If you don’t want to push the blame on us, don’t let the police pursue this matter anymore.”

He did not come here to mourn Cadence but to let Wendell know that it was about time to stop.

Wendell subconsciously refused. “Then Cadence died in vain, right? It was Melody who killed her. Why can’t the police continue to pursue the matter?”

Ulric massaged his temples in frustration.

When Daniel, Ulric’s trusted aide, saw this, he lowered his head and played a recording on his phone.

Cadence and Wendell’s voices instantly sounded in the living room.

“Dad, don’t worry. It’s just about killing Melody, right? Not a big deal. Just leave it to me.” In the audio, Cadence’s voice was so arrogant.

“Don’t be stupid. Killing Melody isn’t as bad as Janet. We have to come up with a detailed plan before we can take action.” Wendell was more careful.

“She’s just an ugly girl from the countryside. Don’t worry about it. Leave this matter to me. I’ll let her suffer and die in despair today!” Cadence was so confident when she was alive.

Chapter 572

“But what if the plan fails and tips him off? Ulric will definitely kill me!”

“Ulric won’t do that. Just leave it to me.”

The voices came from a surveillance recording, clearly showing Cadence discussing with Wendell how to take Melody out of the picture.

If this video ever got out, not only would Cadence die a disgraceful death, but she would also be forever branded as a venomous woman.

More importantly, the video mentioned Ulric by name. If it leaked, even though he wasn’t implicated in the murder, his carefully crafted image would be utterly destroyed, and the damage would be immense.

“How… how did you…?” Wendell’s face was filled with terror.

The video had been sent to him by someone working for Ken, and the message was crystal clear.

No matter what, he had to keep his mouth shut and stop pointing fingers at Melody.

‘How did Ulric find out about something I kept from him?’ Wendell wondered.

He looked around, realizing with a sinking feeling that more than half of the people around him were likely Ulric’s spies, watching his every move.

A cold sweat broke out across his skin, and dizziness washed over him in waves.

“You should be grateful. Mr. Swanson showed mercy and spared your life. Now, you have six days left until the deadline you agreed on with him. You better figure out what you’re going to do.” Daniel warned coldly.

Wendell opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Cadence had already alerted Melody, and her security would now be tighter than ever.

Killing Melody within a week seemed impossible, like something out of a fantasy.

At this point, Wendell wasn’t even thinking about his daughter’s death anymore. All that filled his mind was the fear of his own imminent demise.

Just then, Ulric broke the silence with a suggestion. “Mrs. Hunter has been away on vacation for quite some time. Don’t you think she should come back for the funeral?”

Wendell hesitated, then cautiously asked, “Are you suggesting that I should hint to Mrs. Hunter that Cadence’s death is related to that bitch Melody?”

“Smart thinking,” Ulric replied with a raised eyebrow before turning and walking away.

Since the plot was already set in motion, the more people who knew about Wendell’s grudge against Melody, the better.

Even though Melody was responsible for Cadence’s death, in the hour Wendell had, he couldn’t find any evidence to support it. Instead, he was handed that incriminating video, leaving him no choice but to abandon any pursuit of justice against Melody.

‘But as for Wendell’s death…’ Ulric thought to himself, turning to give Wendell one last glance, a look as indifferent as the one he had given the already deceased Cadence.

In this situation, Cadence’s death almost seemed like a blessing in disguise as if she had made one final contribution.

“I’ll have my mother handle the funeral arrangements. We’ll make sure it’s grand and give her a proper send-off. You should move on. You’re still young. Maybe the next one will be a son.” Ulric casually tossed out this last remark before leaving Hunter Manor without a second thought.

Before getting into his car, Ulric coldly ordered Daniel. “Have all surveillance in the Hunter Manor cut off, and tighten the cybersecurity around my residence. Ensure that no one can hack into the network.”

“Understood. I’ll have the hackers reinforce the security right away!” he said.

Back in the living room, Wendell sat there, stunned.

He glanced at Cadence, whose lifeless eyes were still wide open, unseeing.

At that moment, he didn’t know whether to break down over Cadence’s death or over the monumental task that now lay before him.

But one thing was certain. He wouldn’t be sleeping tonight.

Meanwhile, Melody and Ken arrived at the hospital where Sid and Janet were being treated.

As soon as the car stopped, Melody quickly opened the door and stepped out, not waiting for Ken.

He hesitated for a moment before hurrying after her. “If you don’t want to go in, you can wait for me in the car.”

“No, I need to check on Sid’s wounds,” Melody replied.

“Alright,” Ken said, dropping the matter.

When they reached the inpatient department, James rushed over to meet them, his expression anxious. “Mr. Swanson, Miss Fox, you’re just in time. Sebastian wants to transfer Sid to a hospital in Insterimond tomorrow…”

“Tomorrow?” Melody frowned. “Sid’s body isn’t strong enough for such a long trip right now.”

Upon hearing this, Ken’s face darkened, and he asked coldly, “Where is Sebastian?”

“He’s right outside the ICU,” James reported.

Without another word, the two of them headed toward the ICU.

As they rounded a corner, Melody spotted Sebastian speaking with Adrian, the incompetent doctor from this hospital. “Please keep a close eye on Sid during the transfer…”

Ken was about to stride over, but Melody quickly stopped him, pulling him back around the corner.

Seeing the confusion in Ken’s eyes, she whispered, “Sebastian already has a grudge against you. If you confront him now, he might just go ahead and transfer Sid to Insterimond tonight. It’s better if I talk to him.”

“Are you sure you can handle it?” he asked.

“At least I’ll be better than you,” Melody replied confidently.

Ken hesitated for a moment, knowing that Sebastian held a deep grudge against him. If he approached Sebastian, it would only make things worse.

Reluctantly, he nodded. “Alright, I’ll wait here for you.”

Melody gave Ken a reassuring pat on the shoulder before quickening her pace and rounding the corner.

At the ICU entrance, Adrian was nodding vigorously. “Mr. Quant, don’t worry. On the way to Insterimond, I’ll make sure to keep a close watch on Sid.”

He was trying hard to suppress the excitement bubbling up inside him.

After investigating, he learned about Sid’s true identity, his immense wealth, and his powerful connections. It felt like a massive stroke of luck had just landed squarely in his lap.

He wasn’t about to let such a golden opportunity slip through his fingers.

So when Sebastian suggested moving Sid to Insterimond the next day and asked for his assistance during the trip, Adrian readily agreed without a second thought, abandoning any last shred of professional ethics.

He knew Sid’s condition wasn’t suitable for a long journey, but the sooner they left Silverlake, the better. He feared his misdeeds might soon be uncovered.

However, in the next moment, Adrian caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

He squinted and realized it was that bothersome woman.

‘What a coincidence! I took credit for her work. She must be here to confront me now, he thought, feeling a twinge of anxiety.

But then he remembered her threats in the stairwell and the words he was about to say caught in his throat. Instead, he nervously lowered his gaze.

Melody didn’t even spare Adrian a glance as she walked straight up to Sebastian. “Mr. Quant, I heard you plan to take Sid to Insterimond for treatment tomorrow?”

Sebastian glanced at her, recognizing her as someone associated with Ken.

His eyes narrowed in displeasure. “Who do you think you are? How dare you speak to me?”

Unfazed by Sebastian’s condescending tone, Melody shrugged. “I might not be anyone important, and I certainly don’t deserve your attention. But as Sid’s friend, I don’t want to see him die on the way to Insterimond.”

“You…” Sebastian began, but Melody didn’t give him a chance to continue. Raising her voice, she pressed on. “I can tell you with absolute certainty that if you move him tomorrow, he will die on the journey!”

Chapter 573

Melody’s firm and unwavering tone made Sebastian’s eyes widen in an instant, and fury surged through him like wildfire. “You… You’re talking nonsense! Who are you, really? Did Ken send you here just to piss me off?”

Melody remained expressionless as she spoke. “This has nothing to do with Ken. It’s simply because I don’t want to see my friend die in such a manner.”

“Don’t you dare curse my son! He won’t die!” Sebastian was nearly losing his mind with rage.

‘Who does she think she is, talking to me in such a disrespectful way? Even Ken has to be polite around me, but this ugly woman has no manners whatsoever. If she weren’t a woman, I would’ve already struck her by now, he wondered inwardly.

Melody glanced calmly at Adrian, who was cowering in fear and spoke in a detached tone. “If you think I’m cursing him, why don’t you ask the doctors at the top hospital in Silverlake? See if they recommend you take Sid away. You must know that Sid’s injuries are too severe for him to travel by plane. The change in air pressure alone could cause his already damaged heart to burst. But do you really think that driving all the way back to Insterimond will solve everything? The distance is long, and any bump in the road could reopen his wounds, forcing an immediate second surgery. But in his current state, he can’t handle another operation. Are you in such a hurry to get back to Insterimond that you’re willing to risk your own son’s life?”

Sebastian’s face turned a deep shade of blue, and he spat out a string of curses. “You’re full of shit! He’s my only son. Why the hell would I want to kill him and end my own bloodline?”

“Then why can’t you wait just a couple of weeks?” she asked.

Sebastian’s voice was icy. “Ulric has already arranged for a fully-equipped ambulance for Sid. That vehicle is like a mobile ICU. Sid was attacked in Silverlake, and all my men are in Insterimond. Every day he stays here, he’s in more danger. As for the bumps you’re so concerned about, I’ve already taken that into account. The ride in that ambulance will be smooth, and there’s no way the situation you’re describing will happen.”

“Ulric?” Melody narrowed her eyes, and suddenly, the things that had been unclear to her began to make sense.

She had found it strange earlier. Insterimond’s medical resources were indeed far superior to those in Silverlake, especially the renowned Insterimond First Hospital.

However, Sid needed at least another half month of recovery before he could undergo a second surgery, so Sebastian’s rush to return now made no sense.

Now she understood why.

Sebastian had never liked Ken, and with Ulric whispering in his ear, it was no wonder he wanted to get Sid back to Insterimond as soon as possible.

What Sebastian didn’t realize was that his plan would only give Ulric’s people another chance to go after Sid.

‘Damn it… Now that Ulric is involved, there is no way I can stop Sebastian from taking Sid away, she cursed inwardly.

Seeing that Melody didn’t continue to speak, Sebastian’s expression eased up a little.

“From the way you’re talking, it seems you genuinely care about Sid. Since your intentions were good, I’ll overlook your earlier rudeness. You can go now.” Sebastian waved dismissively, acting as though he was being magnanimous.

Melody clenched her teeth, about to continue persuading him, when she saw Janet, dressed in a hospital gown, suddenly appear at the end of the hallway. Janet walked briskly toward them. “Mr. Quant!”

Sebastian turned, and his stern expression immediately softened when he saw Janet. “Janet? I told you not to come by again. You’re still recovering yourself!”

“I’m fine,” Janet said, shaking her head. “I overheard what you were just discussing. Miss Fox is right. Such a long journey might be too much for Sid’s body. Why don’t you wait half a month? In the meantime, Ken and I will make sure Sid stays safe. If you’re concerned about the equipment here, you can transfer him to another major hospital in Silverlake.”

Adrian immediately panicked upon hearing this. “Mr. Quant, our hospital may be small, but it’s fully equipped, and some of our equipment is even more advanced than what the big hospitals have. There’s no need to transfer him to another hospital in Silverlake. All this moving around might cause more problems. It’d be better to just head to Insterimond directly.”

The back-and-forth only made Sebastian more determined to leave. “Enough, I’ve made up my mind. We’re leaving for Insterimond tomorrow morning!”

“Mr. Quant… even if your mind is made up, it might be best to at least inform Ken. You two should discuss it before making a final decision, alright?” Janet offered.

Sebastian’s face darkened instantly. “Discuss with him? If it weren’t for him, Sid wouldn’t be hurt in the first place! Janet, don’t make me start disliking you too.”

“My apologies, Mr. Quant.” Janet looked startled and quickly shut her mouth, not saying another word.

But Melody noticed the fleeting glimmer of triumph in Janet’s eyes.

‘She has done it on purpose! She has deliberately provoked Sebastian, ensuring that no one can sway his decision to take Sid, she wondered.

Melody took a deep breath, her mind racing.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up as a new idea struck her.

In this world, there was probably only one person who could stop Sebastian from taking Sid away.

Melody didn’t waste another moment on Sid, Janet, or anyone else. She turned and left without hesitation.

As she reached the corner, she signaled Ken and James to follow her, and they quickly exited the hospital building.

James had no idea what was going through her mind, and he couldn’t stop sighing along the way. “It’s over. Even Miss Murphy couldn’t stop Mr. Quant. Sid is definitely going to be taken away now. What are we going to do? Out of all of us, Mr. Quant only has a soft spot for Miss Murphy…”

Melody suddenly stopped in her tracks, shooting a cold look at James.

Noticing her gaze, James felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine. “W-Why are you looking at me like that…”

“Are you stupid?” she asked.

“What… why are you insulting me out of nowhere?” James grumbled in frustration, turning to Ken for help.

Melody bit her lip, not caring what Ken might think, and said directly, “Do you really believe Janet said those things to stop Sebastian?”

“Isn’t that the case? Miss Murphy felt guilty enough to try to kill herself, and you heard her just now. She was trying to stop Mr. Quant,” he said.

“You really are stupid! Didn’t you notice that what she said had the opposite effect? And that’s exactly what she wanted to happen!” she stared at him.

James frowned. “Miss Fox, I know you and Miss Murphy have had your misunderstandings, but this time you’re seriously mistaken. She’s not that kind of person, okay?”

‘If Janet has been up to something, Mr. Swanson would have told me after checking the call records, meaning that Janet hasn’t betrayed us. Since he hasn’t said anything, it means Miss Murphy is clean,’ he wondered.

With that in mind, James became even more determined to defend Janet, his words spilling out recklessly. “Miss Murphy and Sid have been friends for years! But where are you at that time, Miss Fox? Maybe still in the countryside, right?”

Chapter 574

As soon as James finished speaking, Ken shot him a cold glare, one so icy that it snapped James right out of his emotional outburst.

He shivered slightly, his face turning pale as he stammered, “Mr. Swanson, I…”

It suddenly dawned on him that his words had crossed a line. His face, which had been drained of color, now flushed bright red, his hands trembling with a mixture of shame and anxiety.

He was utterly uneasy, caught between guilt and nervousness.

“Apologize” Ken ordered, his voice even colder than his gaze, making it feel like the room temperature had dropped.

James quickly lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Miss Fox.”

“It’s fine,” Melody responded, her expression remaining largely unchanged.

She knew James wasn’t a bad person. He just tended to speak without thinking when he got worked up.

His attitude wasn’t something that bothered her.

James was suspicious by nature. He hadn’t said those things to mock her. She had long understood his personality and wouldn’t let his words affect her.

However, she was more curious about what Ken thought about the situation.

She turned her gaze to Ken, only to find him still glaring icily at James. “Your year-end bonus is withheld. Write a self-reflection tonight.”

For James, nothing was more dreadful than writing a self-reflection. The color on his face shifted from bright red to an almost sickly gloom, but he didn’t dare protest.

He simply gritted his teeth and muttered, “Yes.”

Melody bit her lip, unable to hold back any longer, and asked Ken, “James might not be thinking straight, but what about you? Do you also think I’m being petty and misunderstood Janet?”

Ken’s eyes flickered slightly, and his expression turned complex as he averted his gaze.

He didn’t believe in Janet for a second. The evidence against her was overwhelming, and he had known for a while that Janet was the traitor.

But now wasn’t the time to reveal any of this. No matter how much it pained him, he had to keep it hidden.

Ken clenched his fists, forcing himself to lie. “Melody, Janet really does have a close relationship with Sid…”

“Enough. You don’t need to explain. I know what you’re thinking,” Melody interrupted Ken before he could finish.

She already understood that Ken, like James, thought she was simply mistaken about Janet.

Since they trusted Janet so much, it was pointless to argue until she found solid evidence proving Janet was the spy.

A sharp pang of bitterness surged within her, bringing a stinging sensation to her nose.

However, Melody was never one to be swayed by emotions. No matter how terrible she felt, she never lost sight of what truly mattered.

Taking a deep breath, she swallowed the bitterness that had risen in her throat.

Then, with a calm, expressionless face, she said, “It doesn’t matter to me what you think. I’ve already given you my warning.”

“Melody, I…” Ken felt like he had a lump in his throat, unable to explain further.

He was playing a complex game involving Janet, and until everything fell into place, he had no intention of revealing to anyone that he already knew Janet’s true colors.

Seeing Ken hesitate halfway through his sentence, Melody assumed he was still torn between her and Janet.

She waved her hand dismissively, saying, “Enough. The most urgent matter is that Sid must not be taken to Insterimond. I wasn’t just trying to scare Sebastian with what I said.

“If they actually leave Silverlake tomorrow, Ulric won’t even need to send people to try to kill Sid again. Sid won’t survive the journey. It’s a long trip, at least fifteen or sixteen hours on the highway to reach Insterimond. If Sid’s condition worsens, there’s no way he’ll get timely medical attention. To put it bluntly, if Sid sets out for Insterimond, it’s a death sentence.”

Ken pondered for a moment, then looked at her and said, “Sebastian is a man of his word. If we want to stop him, we’ll have to get tough. Luckily, he didn’t bring many people to Silverlake. We could just detain him here.”

“No.” Melody shook her head. “Sebastian already said Ulric arranged for a special ambulance. That means Ulric won’t let us detain him.”

Ken’s expression darkened. “But there’s no other way. If we can ensure Sid’s safety, does it matter if we ruin our relationship with Sebastian?”

“Let’s not go there unless absolutely necessary. Besides, how can you be sure that confronting him will stop Sebastian? He’s not just anyone. Your father might get involved too,” she said.

Ken sensed something and asked, “Do you have another plan?”

“Yes.” Melody nodded. “There’s someone who can stop him.”

“Who?” Ken and James asked in unison.

“Sid,” she smiled.

James looked confused. “But Sid is still unconscious.”

“I know a special acupuncture technique, Resurrecting the Dead. It’s as effective as it sounds and can bring someone back to consciousness, even if they’re near death. However, it does have some side effects,” she added.

Ken didn’t hesitate. “Do it. Otherwise, he really might not make it.”

Melody hesitated, her expression growing complicated. “Aren’t you curious about the side effects?”

“What is it? Will it be fatal?” Ken asked, following her lead.

“It won’t be fatal, but it might be worse than death,” Melody replied.

Hearing this, Ken’s expression turned serious. “What’s the side effect?”

A faint blush crept across Melody’s cheeks as she lightly coughed into her hand. “The side effect is… there’s a chance he might lose his sexual function.”

Ken’s face froze at the words.

For someone like Sid, who frequently had new girlfriends, losing sexual function might indeed seem worse than death.

James, standing nearby, chimed in, “What’s the big deal about that? Miss Fox’s medical skills are top-notch. Once Sid recovers, I’m sure she can cure him in no time, right?”

Ken shot James a sharp glare in response.

Melody was, after all, a young woman, and some things were simply inappropriate to discuss in front of her. James’ lack of tact was truly concerning.

James, clueless as to what he’d said wrong, thought to himself, ‘I was complimenting Melody. Why is Mr. Swanson glaring at me?’

Feeling utterly baffled, James decided it was best to stay quiet, fearing that saying more would only lead to more mistakes.

Melody cleared her throat again and continued, “There’s a chance, not a certainty. But a decreased interest is almost guaranteed. Still, as I said before, the most important thing right now is to save his life. If you have no objections, arrange for me to access the ICU and perform the acupuncture. If Sid himself says he doesn’t want to go to Insterimond, I’m sure Sebastian will listen.”

“That’s actually a solid plan. As soon as Sebastian goes to rest, I’ll make the arrangements for you to go in,” he said.

“Alright.” Melody nodded, and the group immediately began planning how to discreetly get her into Sid’s ICU room.

Fortunately, Sebastian had only brought fewer than ten bodyguards, with a few staying close to him and a couple stationed at the hospital’s main entrances, leaving only two guarding the ICU floor.

Their numbers didn’t even come close to matching the forces Ken had positioned nearby, who were essentially death warriors.

However, just as everything was set, and Melody was about to head to the ICU, an unexpected complication arose.

Chapter 575

The sky was already dark, and by this time, Sebastian would typically be back at the hotel across from the hospital, resting. But tonight, he was still in the regular ward next to the ICU.

The lights in the room were still on, and Sebastian was on edge, alert to even the slightest sound from outside.

“How can I enter?” Melody retreated into the corner of the room, her gaze shifting to Ken for help.

Ken remained silent for a couple of seconds before decisively responding, “I’ll distract Sebastian. The rest is up to you.”

Melody was taken aback. “But Sebastian despises you. How are you going to get him out of here?”

“Don’t worry. I have a way.” Ken shot her a reassuring glance and then gestured to James, indicating that he should follow Melody’s lead.

Once everything was set, Ken straightened his collar, lifted his head, and confidently walked toward the corner of the hallway.

As soon as Sebastian rounded the corner, the bodyguards stationed on the floor immediately moved to block his path.

“Mr. Swanson, we’re sorry, but Mr. Quant has given strict orders that no one is allowed near here,” one of them said.

Ken’s gaze was cold as he eyed the two men. “Are you sure you want to stop me?”

“Well…” The two bodyguards exchanged nervous glances before one of them finally mustered the courage to speak. “Sorry, Mr. Swanson, but we have our orders.”

“Then go tell Sebastian that I need to speak with him,” Ken replied flatly.

“Please wait. I’ll go check with Mr. Quant,” one of the bodyguards said, turning to get Sebastian’s permission.

It wasn’t long before Sebastian emerged from the room, glaring at Ken with obvious irritation. “What are you doing here so late? If you’re here to stop me from taking Sid, you’re wasting your time. My mind’s made up.”

Ken stepped closer, his expression unreadable. “I’m not here for that.”

“Then what about you?” Sebastian asked, his irritation giving way to curiosity.

“I’ve found some clues about who hurt Sid,” Ken replied.

Sebastian’s previously impatient eyes suddenly lit up with interest.

“Who?” he demanded, grabbing Ken by the sleeve. “Who is it?”

Ken tilted his head slightly, glancing toward the elevator. “The evidence is on my laptop, which is in the car.”

“Where’s your car? Take me there right now.” He hurried over.

There were elevators on both sides of the floor. Ken nodded and led Sebastian toward the elevator farthest from Melody’s location.

As they stepped into the elevator, Ken couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. ‘With Sebastian’s near-paranoid vigilance, if it weren’t for the army of guards Ken has stationed around the hospital, Sid would have been in serious danger long ago.’

On the other side, as soon as Melody saw Sebastian and Ken leave via the elevator, she quickly moved toward the elevator entrance.

“Who goes there?” Two bodyguards immediately stepped forward to block her path.

Seeing this, James was about to signal a few death warriors to step in and take care of the situation, but before he could act, there were two thuds. The two bodyguards were already lying unconscious on the ground.

James had seen Melody’s skills before, and he knew these two guards were exceptionally well-trained. Even he would have needed dozens of rounds to take them down, yet Melody had dispatched them in under two seconds.

He had clearly underestimated her abilities. “Stand guard here. Do not let anyone disturb me. This acupuncture technique must be executed flawlessly, or the consequences could be dire.”

“Understood,” James responded, instinctively straightening his posture.

Melody nodded and swiftly entered the ICU.

Resurrecting the Dead required the use of eleven acupuncture kits, a clear indication of the massive workload ahead.

Ken obviously couldn’t keep Sebastian distracted for too long. The moment Melody entered the ICU, she began the acupuncture treatment on Sid with no time to spare.

Driven by curiosity about the Resurrecting the Dead Melody had mentioned, James quietly made his way to the ICU door.

Through the glass, he watched as Melody removed Sid’s hospital gown and, with astonishing speed, inserted silver needles into various points on Sid’s body.

The speed of her hands was remarkable, likely the result of countless years of practice.

‘How brilliant is she? Not only is she highly skilled in combat, but her medical expertise is equally impressive… James thought to himself.

Reflecting on how he had mocked Melody earlier, James felt a growing sense of embarrassment. ‘At her age, I certainly wasn’t this capable…

Inside the ICU, a thin layer of sweat had already formed on Melody’s forehead.

True acupuncture masters infused their own energy into the needles during treatment, an elusive, almost mystical concept that defied scientific explanation and was a skill possessed by only a select few acupuncturists.

Melody slowed her movements as she reached the acupuncture points on Sid’s neck.

These particular points were located near the centers controlling breathing and heartbeat. Even the slightest miscalculation in applying pressure could result in the patient’s heart suddenly stopping, which was why these points were typically avoided in standard acupuncture.

However, the Resurrecting the Dead required that these points be targeted.

As she inserted the final silver needle, Melody’s clothes were almost entirely soaked with sweat.

Fortunately, the procedure was completed without a hitch.

Her steps unsteady, she gripped the edge of the bed for support and looked up at James.

James had assumed Melody hadn’t noticed him spying on her, but when their eyes suddenly met, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.

It wasn’t until she gestured for him to come in that he snapped out of it and quickly entered the ICU. “Miss Fox, are you…”

“In five minutes, remove the silver needles,” Melody interrupted… her voice barely above a whisper. The moment the words left her mouth, her vision went black, and she collapsed toward the floor.

James, quick on his feet, caught Melody just in time, calling out urgently to those outside. “Someone, get in here!”

Seventeen rushed over and, seeing Melody unconscious, froze in shock for a split second.

“Why are you just standing there? Get Miss Fox out of here. Have the others withdraw,” James said.

“Yes.” Seventeen promptly knelt down, carefully hoisting Melody onto his back before carrying her out of the room.

“Five minutes…” James muttered to himself, glancing anxiously at his wristwatch as he began to pace the room, his nerves getting the better of him.

‘Mr. Swanson, I just hope you can keep Sebastian occupied until this is over, he thought, trying to steady his breathing.

Downstairs, after being led to the car, Sebastian quickly realized that the so-called evidence Ken had gathered was nothing more than irrelevant statements from a few airport witnesses. His patience was running thin. “You spent two days collecting evidence, and this is all you’ve got?”

“There are some other leads, but…” Ken began.

“Don’t bother,” Sebastian interrupted, his voice dripping with irritation. “You’re just wasting my time, pretending you’re making an effort. But I’m not stupid. If you think this is going to change my opinion of you, you’re wrong. I’ll never have any respect for a sneaky snake like you.”

With that, Sebastian pushed open the car door and stormed back toward the hospital.

Ken looked up at the floor where the ICU was located, his expression grim.

‘I hope Melody has already finished up. I’ve stalled him for too long. If I delay any further, Sebastian will definitely get suspicious,’ he thought, his worry growing with each passing second.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the five minutes were up.

James quickly began removing the silver needles from Sid’s body, one by one.

But at that exact moment, the two bodyguards who had been knocked out outside started to regain consciousness.

Their first instinct was to assume something had happened to Sid, and they immediately scrambled to their feet, hurrying toward the ICU.

Hearing the sound of their rapid footsteps approaching, James broke out in a cold sweat, his hands beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

It took him two attempts to remove just one of the needles.

With the guards closing in fast, there were still three needles left in Sid’s right arm.

James could only think one thing. ‘It’s over…

由

SEND GIFT

COMMENT

Subscribed

♡
Prev | Next 

Chapter 566

After pondering for a while, Mabel decided to ignore Cadence. Anyway, she had only asked her to press the button and turn on the screen. No one had told her that she should turn it off.

Moreover, Mabel did not know about this plan before and was also an innocent victim. Cadence would only hate Melody, not her.

Mabel was brainwashing herself and quickly got rid of the last trace of guilt in her heart. Then she put the button back into her pocket with a clear conscience.

The bodyguards downstairs did not know that the remote was in Mabel’s hands, so they could not turn off the screen. They had no choice but to control the computer while the other group ran upstairs. However, for no reason, the computer seemed to have crashed, and they had no way to operate it.

On the second floor, Cadence had specially reinforced the door to execute the plan perfectly, so no one outside could not open the door easily.

Melody could sense that the two groups of people were flustered as she pursed her lips coldly and looked at the big screen.

Cadence had already woken up, but as a spoiled rich daughter, she could not break free from the bald man who was twice her weight. She could only cry and scream, her eyes filled with despair.

However, there was no pity in Melody’s eyes. After all, kindness to the enemy was cruelty to herself. If anything she had made any slight errors just now, she would have been the female lead in that video.

Cadence deserved this pathetic ending because she was the cause of everything. She did not deserve anyone’s pity.

In the room, Cadence’s emotions had gradually turned from hatred, despair, regret, and breakdown to numbness. The dual torture of her body and mind left her eyes empty, like a lifeless puppet.

The man was finally done, but his head was still unconscious. His brain could not tell what the woman beneath him looked like. He only remembered one thing clearly, and that was to kill this woman after taking away her chastity. ‘Kill her!’ There was a voice endlessly repeating this order in his mind.

He was only one step away. In five years, he would be able to obtain everything he wanted!

“Go to hell!” The man’s eyes were bloodshot. He raised the dagger on the bedside table and waved it at Cadence’s chest violently.

At this moment, Cadence suddenly came back to her senses. “No! I’m not Melody! Don’t do that! Ah!”

Cadence screamed and dodged as the dagger stabbed into the spot where she had been lying.

Her heart had never beat so fast before. She could no longer care about the fact that she was naked and used all her strength to run towards the door.

At this moment, there were shouts and banging sounds at the door. “Miss Hunter, open the door!”

Cadence’s eyes lit up as she sped up and ran towards the door. Just as she was about to reach it, she suddenly tripped over something and fell to the ground. However, the expected pain did not come. She looked down and found that she had fallen onto something soft, which was her subordinate, still unconscious.

Cadence cursed in her heart and quickly got up from the ground to continue running.

But before she could get up, the bald man was already in front of her, holding the cold dagger in his hand.

“No!” Cadence’s eyes widened in fear. Then, she gritted her teeth and grabbed her subordinate before the edge of the dagger arrived.

In an instant, her bodyguard’s chest was pierced through, and the stink of blood instantly spread in the air.

“Ah…” Cadence was so scared that her whole body was trembling. She tried to stand up, but her feet were motionless.

“Don’t come to me! I’m not Melody!” She shouted and scrambled towards the door.

However, her efforts were in vain because her ankle was grabbed tightly by the bald man.

She immediately kicked him violently with her other foot, but the bald man did not feel any pain. Instead, his eyes flickered with excitement. ‘Kill her!’

If he killed her, his mission would be completed. Then he would take revenge on her wife and the man who had cheated on him.

“Go to hell!” He was screaming out loud.

Finally, at this moment, the people outside bumped the door down. However, there was already a man and a woman lying in blood. Only the bald man was left holding a dagger and laughing.

Everything was too late.

At the same time, such a brutal and bloody scene was completely recorded by the camera. The customers in the restaurant were either vomiting or had already fainted from fear. Some timid ones had already run out when the bald man picked up the knife.

Melody looked expressionlessly at Mabel, who was standing in the corner.

Mabel’s mental fortitude was stronger than she had imagined. Although her eyes were filled with shock, there was no fear at all.

Melody could not be bothered to pay attention to her anymore and found Ruby vomiting in the crowd. “Ruby.”

She held Ruby’s arm and took out a pill for her. “This works. It has no effect on the baby.”

Ruby nodded with a pale face. Then she took the pill in with absolute trust. Instantly, a faint taste of bitterness instantly spread in her mouth. The moment she swallowed the pill, she felt much better.

“Let’s go.” Melody used her body to block Ruby’s sight so that she did not have to see the scene on the screen again.

“Hmm…” Ruby had a lot of questions to ask, but she really did not want to see this gross scene. She just remained silent and nodded slightly. With the help of Melody and the bodyguards, she walked towards the entrance of the restaurant.

“Stop right there!” When Mabel saw that they were about to leave, she reflexively walked forward and blocked their way.

Melody gave her a deep look. “What? You want me to stay and explain to the police what happened with you?”

Mabel took a deep breath. After glaring at Melody, she turned around and left the restaurant first.

Melody sneered in her heart. She knew that Mabel would not dare to get herself involved.

She turned her head indifferently and glanced at the screen one last time. In the footage, Cadence’s blood was gushing out. There should be no more chance for her survival anymore.

Melody retracted her gaze and left the restaurant with Ruby.

As soon as the two of them got into the car, Ruby asked impatiently, “Melody, are you alright? You were also on the second floor at that time. Are you injured? What’s going on?”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. As for the things upstairs, I don’t know what’s going on either. But it should be Cadence’s enemies coming for her.” Melody answered. The fewer people involved in this kind of murder, the better it would be. Knowing too much wouldn’t do Ruby any good, so she didn’t plan to tell her the truth.

Soon, they arrived at Ruby’s house.

Melody promised that she would stay here with her for the night.

Chapter 567

Melody would never go back on her word and still calmly helped Ruby out of the car as if nothing had happened.

“So scary…” Ruby pointed at her phone and said, “The news is out. Cadence is no longer alive.”

When Melody heard this, her eyes lit up and she turned to check it. The news reported that there was a murder in the most famous Floassian restaurant in Silverlake. When the police arrived, the two victims had already been confirmed dead.

There was a flash of light in her eyes for a moment, but it passed soon. In her previous life, Cadence joined forces with Ulric and tricked her into going to the hospital to dig out her heart. In this life, including that hound incident, this was the second time that Cadence had tried to kill her. Such a vicious person indeed deserved this ending.

Melody could not be soft-hearted. Or she would be the only one who had died.

Ruby did not notice the change in Melody’s gaze and her hands were still trembling.

She tried her best to calm down when holding Melody’s arm and said in a hoarse voice, “I still can’t believe it. She has talked to us, but she is dead. now. Melody, do you think she can still be saved?”

Melody shook her head. “No.”

Considering the huge amount of blood loss, Cadence couldn’t wait for the medical staff to arrive. Although Sid was also stabbed, the two of them were injured in different places.

Cadence was injured in a major artery and that meant a narrow chance of survival even if Melody came upstairs to save her at that moment, not to mention that she would never do such a stupid kind thing.

After the two of them entered, Melody asked the servant to pour a cup of hot water for Ruby.

After drinking, Ruby’s trembling hands gradually calmed down. “Silverlake is really too dangerous.” She sighed. “Maybe I should go back to Insterimond for my baby. After all, the Taylor family’s headquarters is there and it’s safer. Melody, do you have any thoughts about going to Insterimond to develop? If you want to go, I can arrange it for you immediately.”

“Insterimond…” Melody could not help but fall into deep thought.

That was her mother’s hometown. However, the Brewer family did not agree to Wilona marrying Russell, so they threatened to sever ties with her. But in the end, Wilona still married Russell, so the two families had no contact since then. She wondered if her mother would regret severing ties with her family.

Melody took a deep breath and said, “I don’t think so for the time being, but I’ll take an exam there in a while.”

Ruby could not help but feel a sense of regret. However, she couldn’t force Melody. Ruby could only follow Melody’s wishes and ask, “What exam?”

“I can’t explain it clearly now. A friend of mine advised me to do it.” Melody paused and said, “For you, Silverlake is indeed not as safe as Insterimond. If you want to go back, just hurry up. I’ll come to see you when I’m free.”

“Really?” Ruby was pleasantly surprised. She took her hand gratefully and said, “Thank you, Melody.”

“You’re welcome. I also quite love your child and always believed there is something special between us.” As Melody spoke, she suddenly felt dizzy because the drug that Cadence had given her had not been completely detoxified.

Realizing this, Melody said, “Ruby, I’m a little tired today. Can I go to my room to rest? I’ll recover after lying down for about ten minutes.”

“Of course! I’ve already asked the maid to make a room for you. The sheets are all new. I’ll take you there.”

Ruby quickly got up and brought her to the guest room. Just as she had said, the room was spotless and brand new, and she even prepared a fitting change of clothes. “Have a good break. When you’re better, I’ll get the chef to cook a few more dishes. You should be as hungry as I am.”

Melody nodded. After watching Ruby leave, she lay on the bed and began to perform acupuncture on herself.

In the restaurant, the situation was urgent and the poison did not have time to be completely removed. Now, another round would almost solve the problem. After disinfecting a few slender silver needles, she pushed them into a few acupoints in her body. She closed her eyes and quietly waited for the poison to be removed.

At the same time, Ruby was instructing the chef in the living room. “Yes, buy some food. But don’t make them too greasy. The bland food is better for her skin. Also, don’t buy seafood or anything stimulating. Then buy a few coconuts. Coconut juice is good for the skin.”

She instructed in detail and her words were full of concern for Melody.

All the servants in the house secretly reminded themselves not to neglect the ugly woman in the guest room.

At this moment, a bodyguard entered and reported. “Mrs. Taylor, there’s someone outside looking for Miss Fox.”

“Looking for Melody? Who is it?” Ruby asked.

The bodyguard looked like he didn’t dare to say his full name. He shrank his neck and said, “Mr. Swanson.”

Ruby raised her eyelids and revealed a smile while feeling surprised.

It seemed that Mason was right. The demonic Mr. Swanson was really engaged to Melody and seemed to care about her, or he would not have come to their house. This man must have spent a lot of effort.

All the people in Silverlake said that this young man was scary, but because of Mason, she had once met Ken at a banquet. His words and actions made her feel that those rumors might not be true.

Most importantly, she trusted Melody’s judgment. Since Melody agreed to marry Ken, it meant that he was not a bad man.

Ruby suppressed the smile on her face and walked out. When she walked out of the door, she noticed Ken’s anxious expression, completely different from the cold man she had seen before. ‘Is this the power of love?’

The last trace of fear in Ruby’s heart towards Ken dissipated. She finally could not suppress the smile at the corner of her mouth. “Mr. Swanson, you’re here. We didn’t wait until you showed up at the restaurant back then. I thought you didn’t care about our Melody.”

Ken was anxious to find Melody. When he heard this and knew that Melody was in Ruby’s house, he heaved a sigh of relief.

Wendell would not do anything to retaliate against Melody here because the Taylor family had excellent security.

However, he also sensed something weird and could not help but ask in shock, “What do you mean by not waiting until I show up?”

Ruby was stunned for a moment before asking, “I called Miss Murphy to

tell her that Melody was in trouble and asked you to help. Didn’t she tell you? Then how did you find this place?”

Ruby’s head was full of questions, but Ken’s hands by his sides subconsciously clenched into fists.

Chapter 568

As Ken clenched his fists, a dark glint appeared in his eyes. Jane was really refreshing his impression of her again and again. However, it was not the time to expose her yet.

Thinking of this, Ken suppressed the anger in his heart and shook his head. “No, she told me. I didn’t hear you clearly just now.”

“Oh, I see.” Ruby was so naive that she did not feel that anything was wrong. “Mr. Swanson, please. Come in. Melody is resting now. She said she would rest for ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes?” Ken keenly sensed that something was wrong.

After seeing Ruby lead him to a room, he immediately stopped. “Mrs. Taylor, if she wants to rest, don’t disturb her. If you don’t mind, I’ll wait for her in the living room.”

“Alright.” Ruby nodded.

The two of them chatted casually as they waited in the living room. However, from Ruby’s words, he had already confirmed that Ruby was not dangerous to Melody. Then his eyes were not that cold when looking at Ruby.

At this moment, the door of the guest room on the first floor opened.

Melody looked up and saw Ken sitting upright on the sofa. Se even suspected that the poison in her body had not been purged. Otherwise, why would she see Ken in Ruby’s house?

However, in the next moment, Ken was already walking towards her. Only then did Melody realize that this was not an illusion.

“Why are you here?” Her eyes were filled with surprise, but she quickly understood. It must have been those “eyes” planted around her by Ken. She really had no privacy at all.

However, what Melody did not know was that as soon as the incident happened, Ken was informed about the situation in the restaurant. Then, he sent his men to clean up the aftermath for Melody, including the death warriors.

He had found Ruby’s house purely based on his intuition. Ken did not answer Melody’s question and frowned. “Your phone is turned off.”

Puzzled, Melody took out her phone and realized that her phone had run out of battery. “Sorry.”

Ken’s expression did not soften much. He said

expressionlessly, “Let’s talk when we get back.” As soon as he finished speaking, he naturally grabbed Melody’s hand. Melody was shocked. She resisted and took her hand back. “I promised Ruby that I would stay with her tonight.”

“Oh?” Ken turned to look at Ruby.

Ruby felt a chill on her back as if a gust of cold wind was blowing at her. She instantly shivered and said almost reflexively, “Melody, I suddenly remembered that I’ve already asked another friend of mine to stay here, so you… Why don’t you go back with Mr. Swanson?”

Before Melody could say anything, Ken grabbed her hand again. “Did you hear that? Don’t cause trouble for Mrs. Taylor.” With that, he pulled her out, not giving her a chance to resist.

Soon, Melody was brought to the car. Ken directly raised the partition in the car, isolating the back seat from the front seat. Then, he reached out and pulled her to take a closer look.

“What are you doing?” Melody subconsciously shrank her neck.

“I’m checking to see if you’re injured anywhere,” Ken said solemnly.

“I’m fine. If something had really happened to me, Seventeen would have told you long ago.” Melody lowered her head.

“There were times when he failed,” Ken said coldly.

“I’m really not injured…” Melody wanted to retort, but she suddenly felt a chill in her lower abdomen when Ken lifted the corner of her clothes.

“You…” She was about to speak, but Ken’s face was as cold as ice. His gaze was fixed on her abdomen.

Melody followed Ken’s gaze and saw a large bruise on her stomach. She remembered that the moment she lost consciousness, Cadence seemed to have kicked her.

No wonder she kept feeling a dull pain in her abdomen. She thought that her period was coming soon, but she didn’t expect it to be caused by external injuries.

“You call this uninjured?” Ken’s tone sounded icy.

Melody subconsciously shrank her neck and said guiltily, “I-I didn’t realize…”

Ken’s eyes darkened.

Melody did not know why, but she instinctively explained, “Because it doesn’t hurt, I didn’t notice it at all. I didn’t lie to you on purpose.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Ken pressed her stomach mercilessly with his rough fingers. His force was light, but the pain was incomparably deep and clear.

“Hiss!” She subconsciously sucked in a breath of cold air. ‘It hurts!’

She glared at Ken, only to see Ken’s stern expression as if he was saying “You deserved it!”

“I thought it didn’t hurt.” He raised his chin.

“You-” Just as she was about to scold him, Ken had already lowered the partition in the car and ordered the driver coldly, “To the hospital.”

“Got it,” the driver immediately responded and turned the car around to drive to the nearest hospital.

“I’m fine. I don’t need to go to the hospital,” Melody said. As a doctor, she knew that there was nothing wrong with her body. Going to the hospital would only waste time and resources.

Ken glanced at her expressionlessly, looking like he was going to press her stomach again.

Melody covered her stomach with lingering fear. ‘Forget it, just do a checkup.’

Seeing that she was finally willing to cooperate, Ken’s expression softened a little. He got down to business and said, “Wendell’s current state is no different from madness. He’s spreading that you’re the murderer.”

Melody nodded without surprise and said, “He knows that Cadence’s plans were targeted at me. He must have guessed that I have made some countermeasures. But don’t worry, I’ve already tampered with the surveillance cameras. The police can only see several specific scenes. I’ve connected them very seriously. They can’t find me.”

Ken glanced at her. “The surveillance footage is done. Then what about the fingerprints you left in that room?”

Melody’s expression stiffened. “Everyone can see that it was the bald man who attacked Cadence. Even if there are traces of me now, they can’t convict me.”

“But Wendell will never let go of any chance to accuse you. You will be thoroughly investigated by the police.” Ken reminded her.

Melody pursed her lips. “I’m already prepared to be investigated.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Melody realized something. Wendell had gone mad, so the police should have already found her by now, but the fact was the opposite.

Melody looked at Ken in shock. “You helped me get rid of those traces?”

“Or how would it take so long for me to find you at Ruby’s place?” Ken revealed a faintly proud smile.

Under such circumstances, Ken was still able to clean up all the remaining traces for her. His ability completely exceeded her expectations because this was something she could not do either.

“Thank…” She knew that Ken did not like her thanking him, so she changed her words, “You did a great job.”

“Since you know that I’ve done a great job, don’t let my hard work go to waste. Just do the checkup.”

Chapter 569

Ken’s tone was so unquestionable.

In just an hour, he felt like he was on a roller coaster. The moment he found out that Melody had trouble, it was undeniable that he was more anxious and upset than when he found out that something had happened to Sid. He ran the red light all the way to the restaurant. Fortunately, the end result was good and no one could slander her.

Melody had no idea what kind of emotional earthquake Ken had experienced. She just lowered her eyes and nodded. “Got it…”

Ken looked at her deeply. He did not intend to tell Melody about that. “Tell me what happened in the room.”

Then Melody explained everything in detail. Ken’s expression did not change, but the light in his eyes became darker and cruel.

“What’s wrong with you? You knew it was a trap, so why did you still follow her upstairs.” Ken asked with surging emotions.

“What can I do?” Melody was helpless. “If I don’t go, Cadence would say I’m a heinous sister. Moreover, if I don’t get rid of her completely this time, there will be a next time. Like now, peace forever.”

Ken snorted from the tip of his nose. “Let’s see how Wendell will leave you in peace!”

Melody shrugged nonchalantly. “We’ll deal with whatever comes our way. If Wendell wants to deal with me, I have to be prepared to become the second Cadence.”

She was not boasting. Wendell alone could not do anything to her unless Ulric moved again. However, it was impossible to avoid these things. She might as well face the challenge head-on. Running away was not her style. She was no longer the overcautious version of herself before her rebirth.

Ken gave her a warning glare and said in a commanding tone, “You can’t leave my sight for the time being.”

“I-” She was about to refuse when the driver reminded her, “Mr. Swanson, Miss Fox, we’ve arrived at the hospital.”

Melody looked up. It was the rival of the hospital she worked at, Silverlake Hospital

However, it did not matter where she did the checkup. After all, it seemed impolite and annoying to keep going to Central Hospital and seeking help from Rodney.

At the thought of this, Melody could not care less about what Ken said for the time being. She opened the door and got out, prepared to end this quickly before going back to make a plan to deal with what Wendell might do.

As soon as Melody got off, Ken followed closely behind.

The two of them quickly arrived at the emergency department. After a round of examination, the doctor said, “It’s nothing serious. Her internal organs have been not injured. The bruises will slowly dissipate.”

Melody already knew that this would be the case. Just as she was about to get up and leave, Ken pressed her back into her chair.

She looked at Ken in confusion, who frowned and said to the doctor, “You just pressed her body a few times. How do you know that there’s no injury inside? Let’s give her an ultrasound or CT scan.”

“She really doesn’t need it.” As soon as the doctor finished speaking, his body trembled when he met Ken’s cold gaze. “You’re right. It’s better for us to use the machine for a high-precision checkup.”

Ken raised his eyebrows. “Then write the checklist.”

The doctor immediately prescribed two checklists.

Melody looked helpless. “Ken, I really…”

“What?” His eyes were full of warning.

Melody shook her head. “It’s fine. I’ll go for a checkup. Wait for me here.”

With that, she walked out and cursed in her heart. ‘What’s wrong with you? Why could a man be so annoying? If my mother was alive, she wouldn’t even be so troublesome.’

However, even though she was complaining, there seemed to be a sweet spring gushing out from the depths of her heart with a pure sweetness. It was undeniable that Ken’s concern made her happy.

Realizing this, Melody immediately reached out and patted her face. “Melody, wake up!”

She took a deep breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a white figure flash past. Her expression did not change at all. She took the checklists and walked towards the ultrasound room.

However, just as Melody turned the corner, the white figure hid behind a green plant that was as tall as a person, staring at her back. It was not until Melody’s figure completely disappeared that the person heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s really Melody. Damn it, she almost saw me…”

The woman patted her chest in relief. But the next second, a hand was on her shoulder.

“Ah!” This woman screamed in shock.

That person was also shocked by the scream, and took a step back and asked, “Dr. Knowles, what’s wrong?”

Regina, who was pretending to be Wilona Knowles, realized that it was a young nurse from the hospital. She heaved a sigh of relief and explained awkwardly, “I’m fine. I was shocked when you suddenly patted me.”

The nurse smiled apologetically and asked, “What were you looking at just now? I saw you hiding behind here. Did you see the director?”

“Director?” Regina tilted her head.

“Yes…” The nurse smiled and said, “The director must admire you too much. I’ve seen him secretly paying attention to you a few times. However, his fanaticism is indeed kind of too much, right?”

Regina’s heart skipped a beat and she asked nervously, “You said that he’s always secretly watching me?”

“That’s right, especially when you’re on duty in the emergency department. I think he might want to learn from you.” The nurse laughed uncontrollably.

However, Regina broke out in a cold sweat when she heard that. The dean must have suspected her and maybe this was why he handed his wife’s surgery to her.

‘Isn’t he afraid that he will lose his wife? Damn it!’ Regina’s heart was filled with hatred and panic but she did not show them on her face

Regina forced a smile and said, “Yes, the director is indeed funny. Well… I’ll go get busy first. I’ll get off work after one last ward round.”

“Okay.” The nurse did not dare to waste any more time and quickly left with the medical record.

Regina finally gritted her teeth as she watched the nurse leave.

It was so ridiculous that her mother forced her to pretend to be Dr. Knowles and claimed that this would allow her to improve. It should be pushing her into the abyss of danger.

Fortunately, Melody did not notice her just now. Otherwise, she would not have to wait for the surgery tomorrow and her identity would have been exposed now.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly and dodged in time.

However, Regina did not see that the person who frightened her was right standing behind a wall and looking at her.

“Regina? Dr. Knowles?” She thought that she probably knew who was the impostor.

‘That’s interesting.’ Melody slowly curled her lips into a sly smile.

Chapter 570

Melody did not stay. Instead, she quietly followed the young nurse. After confirming that Regina would not come this way, Melody immediately quickened her pace and stopped that nurse. “Um, hello…”

The nurse stopped in her tracks and was secretly shocked when she saw the red spots on Melody’s terrifying face. However, as a nurse, she had seen numerous bloody scenes, let alone an ugly face.

She calmed down and squeezed out a smile. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s like this… I heard that an excellent doctor called Dr. Knowles came to your hospital. I wonder if she has any appointments tomorrow. I want to bring a friend of mine to see her.”

The nurse said apologetically, “Dr. Knowles is going to operate on the director’s wife tomorrow, so she won’t be working at the outpatient clinic. You can make an appointment with her on your phone so that you won’t miss it.”

“The director’s wife’s surgery? What illness does she have?” Melody asked.

“Well…” The nurses paused.

When Melody saw the young nurse hesitate, she immediately smiled and said, “Don’t misunderstand. I know your director’s wife, so I asked. It doesn’t matter if it’s inconvenient.”

“So you two know each other. It’s not serious, just a hip replacement surgery. However, because the hospital director’s wife is older and has other chronic illnesses, this surgery is relatively more difficult. However, with Dr. Knowles around, there will definitely be no problem.” The nurse’s words revealed her trust in Dr. Knowles’s medical skills.

Melody smiled and nodded. “Yes, the surgery will definitely be completed successfully. I wonder when the surgery will be. I’ll come and see her then.”

“At ten o’clock in the morning. The surgery will take about two hours,” the nurse answered.

“Alright, I got it. Thank you.” Melody waved her hand and turned to leave.

She was worried that malicious doctors’ clues would stop, but Regina came at the right time. She and her mother had disappeared for so long, but it turned out that they had changed their names.

Then Melody quickened her pace to finish the two checkups. Soon, the medical report was out.

The doctor said, “Miss Fox, the CT scan and ultrasound show that your abdomen is normal. There are no injuries or bleeding inside. I’ll prescribe some ointment. Apply it and rub your abdomen for a while every day. The bruises should disappear in three days.”

“Thank you.” Melody was afraid that Ken would find fault again, so she took the prescription and pulled him out quickly.

Ken lowered his eyes and glanced at the two of them holding hands. His thin lips parted, and there was a hint of doting in his eyes. ‘This girl…’

As soon as the two of them got into the car, Melody immediately told Ken that she had bumped into Regina impersonating her.

Ken was about to speak when his phone suddenly rang.

She couldn’t hear what the person on the other end of the phone said, but Ken’s expression suddenly became even colder and more solemn than usual.

“I understand. Keep a close eye on her movements.” As soon as he finished speaking, Ken cut off the call and looked at the curious Melody. “It’s from the person I planted beside Ulric. The woman who treated Ulric’s leg illness is called Jennie Taylor.”

Melody’s eyes widened. “Jennie!”

It was Regina’s mother.

She clenched her fists and said, “Looks like we have to deal with Regina tomorrow. Once Jennie cures Ulric’s legs, the consequences will be serious.”

Ken had the same idea. He nodded and said, “Jennie is now living in the place arranged by Ulric. The security nearby is very tight. We can’t go to catch her rashly. o her daughter is the key.”

“Well, she’s coming to the hospital tomorrow to operate on the director’s wife. I’ll find the right moment and arrest her for probable cause.” Melody nodded.

Ken’s gaze landed on her abdomen. “Are you feeling well? You’ve been busy all day.”

“I’m fine,” Melody said firmly. “This concerns malicious doctors. I don’t trust anyone else to handle it.”

“Alright, I’ll cooperate with you the entire time at the entrance of the hospital. But for now, let’s eat first.” He got a food box from somewhere and opened it on the spacious table in the car.

Melody looked down and realized that they were all her favorite dishes. “When… did you get someone to cook these?”

“When you were doing the checkup,” Ken said casually.

“Thank you, let’s eat together.” She picked up some food for him.

Ken didn’t refuse. He had been busy all day, and this was the first taste of food other than breakfast today.

However, even though his stomach had become a little sore from not eating for a long time, his eating posture still carried the elegance of an aristocrat. It was a stark contrast to Melody, who was devouring.

Melody realized that she looked kind of rude and subconsciously slowed down.

However, Ken said, “Don’t worry about that. Eat your food. Your table manners are very cute.”

The corners of Melody’s mouth twitched stiffly. Clearly, she did not take Ken’s words seriously.

With her current face, if Ken didn’t feel disgusted when eating with her, it could be said that his mental fortitude was extremely strong.

Just as Melody was considering whether to turn around and eat, there was a knock on the car window. She quickly put down the food and looked out of the window warily. Seeing that it was the death warrior Seventeen, she felt relieved.

However, she was still a little curious about where he went when she and Ruby left the restaurant.

Ken gave her a look that told her to continue eating. He reached out and lowered the car window.

Seventeen did not see Melody sitting on the other side of the window. He thought that there was only Ken in the car.

After calling out “Mr. Swanson” respectfully, Seventeen went straight to the point. “Everything has been settled. There won’t be any fingerprints left at the scene.

“As for Wendell, we’ve already revealed it to him. Now he knows that you’ve obtained evidence that Cadence attempted to frame Miss Fox. He definitely won’t dare to mention Miss Fox to the police again. And it was useless even if he continued to make a scene because he did not have any evidence.

“At the same time, the past scandals of Cadence have been posted online, including some dirty things that Wendell did. I’m afraid he is busy enough with himself…”

Seventeen reported everything in detail. Every word he said was heard by Melody.

So Ken handled so many things for her without her knowing.

Initially, she thought that he would at most get rid of the fingerprints in the room. ‘But now that he has done so much for me, why did he just casually mention it?’ she wondered.

The sweet feeling in her heart surged again. Melody tried her best to calm her heartbeat by pressing a specific acupoint.

由

SEND GIFT

COMMENT

Subscribed

♡
Prev | Next 

Chapter 561

When Mabel heard that the celebrities would laugh at her, she couldn’t bother to suspect why her alcohol tolerance was so bad today and grabbed Cadence’s arm to stand up to go upstairs.

Their actions were all seen by Melody. She raised her eyebrows slightly. For some reason, she felt that a show was about to start.

After a show while, she saw Cadence coming down from upstairs and continuing to eat at her original seat.

At this moment, a servant carefully carried a tray with a bottle of expensive red wine to Melody and Ruby.

Melody raised her eyebrows slightly and glanced at the servant nonchalantly, who quickly moved his gaze away from her and looked at Ruby.

“Mrs. Taylor, our anniversary is around the corner. Our

manager prepared for this gift for you and Mr. Taylor.” The attendant placed the bottle on the dining table and asked, ” Do you need me to open it for you?”

Ruby looked at the vintage of the wine and said, “Open it.” Then she said to Melody, “This wine is quite good. Melody, try it. It’s a sweet taste suitable for us girls.”

The attendant smiled and was about to open the wine when Melody waved her hand. “Don’t waste this good wine. Bring it back to Mason. I can’t drink a lot.” After saying that, Melody reminded Ruby, “You’re pregnant, so don’t touch alcohol. It will hurt both you and the baby.”

Ruby nodded and said, “I know, I just want you to try it. Since you don’t want to drink it, forget it.” Then she looked at the attendant and said, “So save the wine here. I’ll open it for my husband the next time he comes.”

“Yes.” The servant did not dare to have any objections. He nodded, picked up the bottle, and turned to leave. But his elbow bumped into Melody’s glass, which fell to the ground and got broken.

“Ah!” The attendant exclaimed and said apologetically, “I’m sorry. I’ll deal with it immediately.”

He took a new glass from the tray and handed it to Melody. At the same time, he called someone over to clean the pieces on the ground. Soon, the mess was cleaned up.

Ruby complained and said to Melody apologetically, “Sorry for these mistakes. You met so many troubles in my place.”

Melody shook her head casually. “It’s not a big deal. It doesn’t matter. I quite like the food here.”

Hearing this, Ruby smiled with a relieved expression. Alright, the creative dish of the head chef should be ready soon. After we finish eating, you can go to my house and sit for a while. Or you can just rest there.”

“Sure,” Melody agreed happily. Since she had nothing to do at night, it sounded like a good idea to go to Ruby’s house to see if there was anything that pregnant women should avoid at home.

“That’s great. Mason is not at home. I was worried that I would be scared at night. With you around, I feel much more at ease.” Ruby smiled happily and reached out to refill Melody’s glass.

“Thank you.” Melody took a sip and glanced at Cadence from the corner of her eye.

However, Cadence also happened to be looking at her and quickly retracted her gaze, lowering her head to taste the food.

Melody’s lips curled into an imperceptible arc as she continued chatting with Ruby with a natural expression. What’s the second floor for? I saw someone go upstairs just now. Is there a private room?”

“Ah, the second floor is a resting area. There are many rooms for guests to rest after the meal. But actually, a lot of businessmen discuss business with guests there. Many influential people like to treat foreign guests here because they don’t have a custom of talking about business when eating.”

Melody nodded and quickly changed the topic.

An attendant rushed down from the second floor. “Miss Hunter!”

Cadence stood up with a puzzled expression and asked, ” What’s wrong?”

“Your friend seems to be feeling unwell. Hurry up and take a look.” He looked anxious and waved his hand.

“Okay.” Cadence did not hesitate and ran upstairs in a hurry.

In less than two minutes, Cadence ran down again and went straight to Melody. “Miss Fox, you know medicine, right?”

Melody raised her eyebrows and asked, “Yes, what’s wrong?”

“Mabel is in trouble. I don’t know what happened to her, but she suddenly foamed at the mouth and twitched all over as if she had epilepsy. Hurry up and go upstairs to take a look!” Before Melody could speak, Cadence continued, “Although she quarreled with you just now, she’s still your sister. You won’t be so cruel to sit idle, right?”

Melody pursed her lips. She hated the feeling of being pushed to the high ground,

Seeing that she did not speak, Cadence continued to stand on the moral high ground and said, “Saving people is a doctor’s duty. Are you really going to ignore her life just because you argued with her?”

Cadence’s voice became louder and louder, attracting the attention of the guests nearby.

Someone could not help but say, “Since you’re a doctor and your sister is sick, you should go up and take a look no matter what, right?”

“I recognize her. Her name is Melody Fox! She was chased out by her family a few days ago. I heard that it was because she was too vicious. Now, it seems that the rumors are true. She’s really cold-blooded!” Another one shouted.

Cadence sneered in her heart. Melody could also reject her, but this way, she would make everyone in Silverlake think that she was a vicious bitch. Although this would not cause substantial harm, rumors were sometimes very useful. In short, today, Melody couldn’t escape from this trap and get her reputation impaired.

Ruby also heard the people around criticizing Melody. She frowned and retorted, “Saving people is a favor, not her duty. This is a restaurant, not a hospital, and she’s not at work. So she has the right to make her own decisions. You have no right to force her.”

The surrounding people pursed their lips, but the disdain and disgust for Melody in their eyes grew more intense. After all, whoever could leave her sister in the lurch would probably do more evil things in the future.

No wonder there were rumors that Yolanda was imprisoned because of Melody’s frame. Now, it seemed that this was very likely to be true. Then there was the difference between this woman and a demon. The only one who could be considered equally evil was Ken, who was also known for crippling his brother’s legs.

The people looked at Melody with more and more disgust. Some even shouted to chase her out.

At this moment, Melody stood up expressionlessly and said, “I don’t think I said I wouldn’t save her.”

A dark glint flashed across Cadence’s eyes. This moment finally came and Melody was about to fall into the trap.

Chapter 562

Cadence tried her best to hide the ecstasy in her eyes. She pretended to be anxious and said, “So come up with me right now! Nothing matters more than life. Time can’t be delayed!”

“Got it.” Melody was still expressionless as she walked towards the spiral staircase.

Ruby subconsciously wanted to follow. Melody seemed to have sensed something and turned to look at Ruby. “Wait for me downstairs and call an ambulance.”

“But you-” Ruby was still worried about her.

“I can do it myself. You just got pregnant, so it’s not convenient for you to see that kind of scene.” Melody held her shoulder.

Cadence hurriedly said, “So Mrs. Taylor, you’re pregnant. Then don’t go up. It won’t be good if it’s an infectious disease.”

Hearing the words “infectious disease”, Ruby immediately stopped in her tracks.

During that moment of hesitation, Melody had already walked towards the stairs. Ruby gritted her teeth and could only stay where she was and call the ambulance.

After that, Ruby paused for a moment. Considering that there were so many people present, if something really happened to Mabel, they might think that Melody did not do her job well as a doctor.

At the thought of this, she gritted her teeth and walked to the corner to call Mason. “Hey, hubby. Miss Fox and Ken seem to be friends, right?”

“No, they are not friends.” Although Mason did not know why Ruby asked this, he still answered truthfully, “A friend of mine went to Naymar Manor a few days ago to attend Ford Nelson’s birthday banquet. He heard that Ken said that he and Melody had registered their marriage. So they are a couple.”

Ruby’s eyes widened in shock. “So they…”

“Why are you asking about this?” Mason was confused.

Ruby suddenly recovered from her shock and said, “Don’t worry about this. Do you have Ken’s number? Miss Fox is in trouble. If he can do something, the problem can definitely be resolved.”

“I don’t have his contact information, but I do have the number of a friend of his. I’ll send the number to you. Oh, right, her name is Janet Murphy.”

“Alright, give it to me as soon as possible.” Ruby was quite anxious.

About two minutes later, Janet, who had just woken up from the tranquilizer, suddenly received a call. After hearing what the other party said, she pursed her lips coldly and looked at James, who was guarding the door. She lowered her voice. “Alright, I’ll tell Ken now and ask him to go there.”

*****

The second floor of that Floassian restaurant was more like a star hotel with grand decorations. There were even specific areas for coffee, massage, and some other leisure activities.

Melody followed Cadence all the way through the leisure area and arrived at the door of a room.

“She’s in there.” Cadence opened the door and led the way in.

Melody took a hesitant step into the room. As expected, Mabel was lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth, her two feet kicking the air desperately as if there was an invisible hand holding her throat tightly, making her unable to breathe.

Surprise flashed across Melody’s eyes when she saw this scene. Before she got there, she thought that this might be a cover and Mabel might not have any problems at all. But the scene before made her doubt her suspicion.

However, Melody quickly adjusted her mind. She strode over to Mabel and squatted down, reaching out to check her pulse, tongue, and eyelids.

“What happened to Mabel? Why did she suddenly become like this? What illness does she have?” Cadence threw out a series of questions.

Melody did not look at her. She calmly took out the kit and said, “Poisoned.”

“What? Poisoned?” Cadence was shocked, “What kind of poison? Is it contagious?”

“No, it’s just an ordinary poison, which can be solved very quickly,” Melody said confidently.

“That’s good…” Cadence let out a sigh of relief as she glanced at the servant following behind her, who nodded and quietly left.

Melody did not notice the change in the person behind her back as she was focused on treating Mabel. If Mabel died, she would be the first person to clap her hands in joy. However, Mabel could not die now, let alone in front of her because she would undoubtedly be the biggest suspect. Those “rats” in the darkness would be the first to jump out and push the blame for Mabel’s death onto her.

After all, everything just happened so coincidental. They had a meal in the same restaurant and had just quarreled, not to mention their previous animosities.

Fortunately, this poison was an ordinary type and could be expelled from Mabel’s body quickly.

Melody’s mind was racing. At the same time, her hands did not stop operating, not even for a second. In less than a minute, the needles had already pierced into all the acupoints on Mabel’s body and made her look like a hedgehog.

Cadence put away the cold smile on her lips and squatted beside Melody. “How many minutes will it take?”

“Ten minutes.” Melody was staring at Mabel.

“Wow? So fast? She’ll recover in ten minutes?” Cadence exclaimed.

“Yes, remove the needle in ten minutes,” Melody patiently explained to Cadence as she placed her right hand on the acupoint on her wrist.

“You’re not a good person, but your medical skills are not bad.” Cadence did not notice Melody’s actions and

continued to talk to her. “Although we had a conflict before, I admit that I was the one who let Lucky bite you first…”

As time passed, Cadence was still talking in a seemingly friendly tone as if she wanted to make peace with Melody. About five minutes later, Cadence suddenly stopped rambling. Then she stood up and stared at Melody with a weird look.

Melody revealed a puzzled expression and asked, “Why are you looking at me?”

The corners of Cadence’s lips curled up slyly. “What do you think? So stupid.”

“What do you mean?” Melody stood up. Suddenly, her footsteps swayed, and she felt like she could not stand steadily. She seemed to realize something and abruptly looked at Cadence. “You…” As soon as the word “you” left her mouth, she leaned back and fell heavily to the ground. She tried to get up, but she couldn’t muster any strength in her limbs.

“What did you do to me?” Even her voice was weak and hoarse as if she had run out of all her energy.

Seeing this, Cadence laughed complacently. “Bitch! You’ve finally got into it! It’s never too late to take revenge! Back then, you actually dared to let Ken send me to an asylum. You should have known that I would fight back!”

Melody gritted her teeth. “You… poisoned my food…”

“Food? Idiot! It’s not the food at all, nor the bottle of wine. The problem is the glass the attendant gave you!” Cadence revealed an arrogant smile. If she poisoned food or wine, Ruby would also be hurt. Cadence would never be so stupid to plot against Ruby because that meant offending the Taylor family.

“You didn’t expect this, right? What an idiot! You won’t be able to feel anything soon. Then, guess what I’m going to do to you? I’ll get a man here and show your slutty appearance in front of everyone! Then… let him kill you! So when you die, everyone will spit on your grave! You’re just a shameless bitch!” Cadence threw her head back and laughed wildly.

Melody opened her mouth and wanted to curse back, but her eyelids trembled and she fainted immediately.

Chapter 563

Although Melody was motionless on the ground, Cadence was still guarded. She walked a few steps to Melody and kicked her in the stomach. Seeing that Melody was still unconscious and seemed to have completely fainted, she revealed a relieved smile. “It works. Call him in!”

Immediately, a bald man with a round belly and a pockmarked face was brought in. This middle-aged man’s face was unnaturally red as if his whole body was filled with the flames of desire.

When he saw Mabel lying on the ground, he immediately widened his eyes and revealed a greedy expression.

However, he had just taken two steps towards Mabel when he was coldly stopped by Cadence.

“Idiot, this is not your target. It’s another one!” She pointed at the unconscious Melody.

Although the man’s desire for women was magnified by the drug, he subconsciously revealed a disgusted expression when he saw Melody’s face, which was filled with red spots and bumps.

Cadence smiled coldly and said, “This is not the time for you to be picky. Don’t forget our deal!”

The man gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep sober. “I won’t forget! I’ll help you destroy this woman and kill her. And you will think of a way to reduce my sentence. When I come out in five years, you’ll help my company make a comeback and send the adulterous couple who cheated on me to me to chop. You, you won’t go back on your word, right? I’ve risked everything!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. I don’t want to be exposed. But the drug isn’t strong enough now. I’m afraid you still can’t do anything to that ugly woman, so…” Cadence snapped her fingers and the attendant who delivered the wine to Ruby immediately handed him a green pill.

This fat man had already eaten one. He knew that after eating another pill, he would completely lose his mind like a beast pouncing onto its prey when facing women.

However, when he thought of his company which was on the verge of bankruptcy, and how he had been betrayed by his wife, he finally took the pill and swallowed it without hesitation.

Cadence raised her eyebrows and looked at the camera installed in the room in advance. Then she walked out with a smug and cold smile.

The man looked at Mabel on the ground and asked, “What about this one?”

Cadence glanced at Mabel indifferently. Thinking that this woman actually occupied Ulric’s heart, she pursed her lips coldly. “This is my gift to you before you go to prison. You should be able to deal with the two of them together, right?” The man’s eyes lit up. Of course, he had no problem to handle such a beautiful woman. Just the thought of it was enough to make his heart bounce. “No problem!” There was something warm surging in his heart as he dragged the two women to the bed.

Cadence curled her lips and was about to walk out of the room when her phone suddenly rang.

It was a call from Ulric.

Her eyelids twitched, but she answered. “Hello, Ulric…”

“I know what you’re doing. Bring Mabel out.” A cold voice came from the other end.

Cadence’s heart tightened. “Ulric, Mabel isn’t as perfect as you think. She’s petty and vicious just like Melody. She…”

“Shut up! Take her out, or you’ll end up like you.” Ulric warned fierecely.

Cadence’s body trembled. She gritted her teeth and forced a word out. “Okay.”

After the call ended, Cadence closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she turned to look at the bald man. “Stop right there. Put that woman down.”

The bald man knew who Cadence was referring to. Although he was reluctant, he could only bear to hand over Mabel when he thought of the deal between the two of them.

Just as Cadence’s men were holding Mabel’s body, she suddenly woke up. When she saw the bald man and the unconscious Melody, she immediately realized her situation and resisted violently. “Cadence, let go of me!” However, to her surprise, Cadence really made the order to let her go.

“Keep your voice down. I know you want Melody dead as well,” Cadence said coldly. “Get the hell out here!”

Mabel was not stupid and roughly understood what was going on. Although she did not know why Cadence let her go, she did not dare to ask at all and hurriedly followed Cadence to the door of the room.

After walking out and confirming that Cadence would not send her in again, Mabel said timidly, “Cadence, what is this..

Before she could finish speaking, Cadence threw a remote control into her hand. “This show is about to reach its most exciting part. You can push it to the climax.”

Then she explained her plan in the shortest possible terms while Mabel’s eyes grew brighter as she listened.

Melody’s reputation was about to be destroyed, and then she would get killed by that bald man.

Mabel’s chest heaved violently. She was so excited that she wanted to scream, to shout, and to celebrate that Melody, the thorn in her eye, was finally going to disappear forever!

She looked at Cadence and tried her best to suppress the excitement in her heart. After calming down a little, she roughly understood why Cadence would let her go. Ulric must have said something. That was why Cadence had no choice but to give up on killing her together. ‘Bitch, you even plotted against me. You should be the one to die!’

However, compared to taking revenge on Cadence, killing Melody was the most important thing now. They couldn’t let go of such a rare opportunity.

Thinking of this, Mabel deliberately played dumb. She held the remote in her hand tightly and said, “Thank you,

Cadence. I really didn’t expect you to do this to help me. Don’t worry, I will definitely follow your plan. I’ll go downstairs now.”

“I got it. We are friends, right? It’s only right for me to deal with her for you.” Cadence held back her disgust for Mabel and smiled hypocritically. She felt extremely regretful that she could not get rid of Mabel together with Melody.

After all, her Ulric should only belong to her. When Melody was over, the next one was Mabel. Then Ulric was hers alone.

Looking at Mabel walking towards the staircase, Cadence’s eyes were filled with coldness. When Mabel turned her head back, she revealed that fake smile again.

The two women were scheming against each other, but they both revealed gentle smiles. But the attendant was drenched in cold sweat now that he had seen that women were simply the most terrifying creatures in the world!

Mabel smiled at Cadence before quickly walking down the stairs.

There were already people waiting for her downstairs. When they saw her go downstairs, the curtains in the dining room were opened and a movie automatically started playing.

Mabel was not in a hurry. She waited for Cadence’s order before pressing the button to shift it to the surveillance camera in that room, but not yet, because Melody hadn’t been killed.

Chapter 564

Mabel suppressed the excitement in her heart. As she pulled out the needles on her body, she went around to look for a corner to wait for the best opportunity. When she raised her head, Ruby came forward in surprise and asked, ” Mabel, are you alright?”

Mabel panicked, but she knew that she could not screw up at this critical moment, so she quickly regained her composure. She nodded and showed the needles on her body that had not been completely removed. “Melody did this to me. I’m fine now.”

“That’s good…” Ruby let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, she laughed at herself for being so nervous. After all, Melody’s medical skills were so good that she must be able to cure Mabel. But she had even specially called Miss Murphy and asked her to contact Ken for help.

Ruby shrugged and looked at the staircase. Seeing that there was no one on the stairs, she could not help but ask, Where’s Melody? Why isn’t she down yet?”

Mabel had already thought of an excuse in her mind. “I got food poisoning. There’s someone upstairs who has the same symptoms, so she’s helping treat them at this time. We’ll just wait for her downstairs. Don’t affect her.”

“Food poisoning? This has never happened in our restaurant before…” Ruby found it strange, but at least this was not a rare topic on the news. So she did not think too much about it and waited downstairs in peace. But she did not notice Mabel’s eerie gaze at the staircase.

Mabel and her mother had planned to destroy Melody’s chastity as early as the first time Melody went to the Swanson family. Unfortunately, Melody was too lucky at that time. Not only did they not succeed, but they also shot themselves in the foot.

However, it was different this time. Nobody could be lucky forever and today must be the ending of Melody’s life.

At the same time, in the room on the second floor, that bald man spent a lot of effort to move Melody to the bed.

The effect of the pills made his limbs go weak and he was sweating profusely. When he looked at Melody on the bed, there was no longer any disgust in his eyes. Before an extremely hungry hunter, it did not matter whether the prey was pretty or not as long as it could quench his thirst.

His eyes seemed to be on fire as he stared greedily at Melody’s slender neck. He could no longer suppress the desire in his heart and reached out to grab Melody’s chest. However, his hand was grabbed tightly. The bald man froze and looked at the owner of the hand in surprise.

Melody suddenly opened her eyes at this moment, so deep and bright, emitting a cold and sharp light that made his hair stand on end.

Seeing the woman who should have been unconscious suddenly open her eyes and looked so calm, the bald man was so frightened that cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. “You, how could you…”

Before he finished his words, this man had already recovered from his shock. His overreaction was too ridiculous. He had almost been frightened by just a woman, who would soon be conquered under his body. There was no point in being afraid of someone about to die.

At the thought of this, the man could not be bothered to waste his breath on Melody. He tried his best to pull his hand back. However, what surprised him was that the seemingly slender hand was terrifyingly strong. He tried to pull it out several times, but he couldn’t break free.

Then this woman tightened her grip.

He felt so painful as if his bones were about to get broken. The bald man’s face was livid as the veins on his neck bulged. His expression changed from doubt to shock, at last, to horror.

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and shouted, “It hurts! It hurts! Let go of me! Bitch!”

The man cursed and tried to strangle Melody with his other hand, but just as he raised his hand, Melody was one step ahead of him. She arched her feet and mercilessly kicked his crotch.

“Ah!” This man’s ear-splitting cry startled the birds that landed outside the window.

At the same time, Cadence was waiting quietly at the door and also heard the commotion inside. She could tell that the shrill cry came from the man, not from Melody.

Then she quickly looked at the surveillance footage on the phone and found that the man’s face was pale as he curled up on the ground while Melody was kicking his stomach ruthlessly.

“Damn it!” Cadence cursed and ordered to open the door. After the door opened, she rushed in impatiently. However, as soon as she stepped in before she could check the situation inside, she saw Melody holding a large vase facing her.

Her heart instantly tightened. Just as she was about to dodge, Melody did not give her any time to react and directly smashed the vase at her head.

Cadence’s vision went dark and she instantly fell to the ground.

When the attendant saw this, he immediately raised his leg to hit Melody. He was not a servant. Instead, he was the Hunter family’s bodyguard and never be afraid of such a thin and weak woman like Melody.

However, just as he was about to kick Melody’s head, Melody easily caught his feet in the air.

“W-What?” He widened his eyes in disbelief.

Before the bodyguard could react, Melody stabbed a needle into a spot on his hand.

In the next moment, the man felt his feet went weak and slumped to the ground. He tried to stand up but found that his feet were completely out of his control. “How could this be possible? My legs! Ah!”

As a well-trained bodyguard, if he could not even stand up, his life would be completely over.

“Help! Somebody! Help!” He screamed with a pale face.

However, this floor had long been secretly sealed off by Cadence’s men downstairs so no one could come up. This room was located at the end of this floor. No matter how loud he shouted, by the time the sound reached downstairs, it would have long dissipated in the wind. When the man realized that there was no way he could be rescued, he looked at Melody in extreme fear.

Melody smirked coldly and squatted down beside him. Listen, if you still want your legs, answer me honestly.” The man subconsciously pursed his lips, but Melody continued coldly, “Think about it carefully. Will you sacrifice your legs for Cadence, or will you betray her and leave this place safely? Make a choice.”

The man gritted his teeth and said, “I-I’ll answer your question.”

Melody smiled. “Very good. Cadence said that she would show my slutty appearance to everyone. What does that mean?”

The man’s eyelids trembled and he instinctively looked at a certain spot on the ceiling of the room.

Melody followed the man’s gaze and happened to see the camera installed on the chandelier, which was exactly aimed at the bed.

Chapter 565

That tiny camera was hidden in the middle of the chandelier. If he had not looked over, Melody would not have noticed it.

At the same time, the bodyguard said, “The camera is connected to the computer in the dining room downstairs. If we give the order, the screen there will broadcast the scene in the room, and everyone will see you are insulted and killed by that guy.”

“What order?” Melody asked.

“Whistle…” The man’s gaze fell on his pocket.

It was really unexpected but reasonable. Cadence really hated her to the core. That was why she wanted to use such a vicious plan to crush Melody’s reputation and life.

Unfortunately, Melody was not at the mercy of anyone. Instead, she was the scaffold while Cadence was the one under it.

As early as when she saw Mabel being poisoned, Melody had already taken her pulse. When discovering that she was also poisoned, she performed acupuncture on herself when Cadence was chatting and failed to notice it.

She had really fainted. However, after that bald man pulled her onto the bed, it was exactly the time when the poison’s effect was detoxified.

Melody narrowed her eyes coldly and looked down at the man in the attendant’s uniform, who said in a trembling voice, “I’ve already told you everything I know. Please recover my leg!”

Melody bowed and removed the silver needle from the man’s leg.

The uncontrollable feeling disappeared immediately. The man’s eyes instantly lit up. In the next second, he suddenly took out a dagger from his pocket and stabbed it towards Melody’s neck. “Go to hell!”

Melody sidestepped and dodged the man’s attack. In a flash, her right hand hit the back of the man’s neck like a shaft of lightning.

Before the ruthless expression on the man’s face could change, he fainted and fell to the ground.

“You’re really loyal. But it’s you who choose to give up the chance to live. So don’t regret it.” Melody said to him and regretted that she shouldn’t have been soft-hearted from the start.

She stepped over two bodies and arrived in front of the bald man who was curled up on the ground and trembling all over from her beating.

Melody checked his condition. His pulse was in a mess, and his head was red and hot. It was obvious that he had taken some pills.

She raised her eyebrows slightly and pressed hard on a few acupoints on his body.

The man suddenly stopped trembling, as if he could not feel any pain. He stared at her madly again, as if he was staring at a prey. But now, the identities of hunter and prey had been exchanged.

Melody stood up indifferently and left the room.

Bang! The door automatically locked.

She held the whistle tightly in her hand, but she didn’t bother to blow it. Instead, she turned on her phone.

Downstairs, one of Cadence’s men opened the curtains of the restaurant and said loudly, “Everyone, our restaurant is about to welcome its first anniversary, so we’ve prepared a video to celebrate it. After the meal, we’ll give you a 20% discount.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the screen began to play the anniversary video, which was an interview of the chef.

However, not many people looked up at the video. Discounts were not attractive to anyone who was able to spend money in this restaurant.

There were just a few bored customers who barely raised their heads to take a look.

Mabel was not in the mood to watch any videos at this moment. She picked up her watch and kept looking at the time. She had already been waiting for more than ten minutes, but that bald man hadn’t done it.

Suddenly, a faint whistle sounded and her eyes suddenly lit up. ‘Finally!’

The room was too far away, so the whistle sound was not clear enough, but she still caught it accurately. ‘It’s time.’

As Cadence instructed, Mabel took out the remote control and pressed it hard.

Then, the celebration video that was originally playing on the screen suddenly disappeared and was replaced by another scene that should not have been shown in public.

The camera was facing a large bed, and the bald man on the bed was pressing down on a woman.

The woman’s face was blocked by the man’s fat body, but it was enough to see that both of them were naked. Some people were so frightened that they immediately covered the kids’ eyes.

The man’s loud exhalation spread to every corner of the restaurant.

Some people stared at the screen gossipily and even started recording. Some stood up and cursed. Most people realized that the room in the video was right on the second floor of the restaurant.

“What’s going on? Is this what young people like these days?”

“What young people? That fat guy is at least 40 years old, right? But the woman looks quite young.”

“How embarrassing…”

“Turn it off! What the hell is going on?”

“No, I have to livestream it for my fans.”

Various voices sounded from all directions in the restaurant.

Mabel smiled smugly. ‘Melody, how are you feeling now? Oh no, you’re still unconscious. You can’t feel anything, can you? What a pity. Cadence should have been more ruthless. She should have let you keep your head sober, but your body unable to resist.’

At this moment, a figure slowly walked down the stairs.

Mabel subconsciously looked up. She thought that it would be Cadence or her subordinates. Unexpectedly, she met

Melody’s sharp eyes.

Mabel’s heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened in disbelief. “How could this be…”

“The video is live, right? If Melody is here, then who is the woman on the bed?’ Mabel felt extremely shocked and confused and immediately looked back at the screen.

Coincidentally, at this moment, the man’s body leaned slightly to the side, revealing the woman’s clear face. It was none other than the mastermind of the plan, Cadence!

“It’s a very exciting scene, isn’t it? My good sister.” Melody’s bright eyes were filled with coldness.

“It’s you…” Mabel took a step back in fear. Although she did not know why Cadence was there, the problem must be the bitch Melody.

“Turn it off! Quick!” Cadence’s subordinates on the first floor shouted.

Mabel’s hand subconsciously moved in an attempt to turn off the screen with the remote, but she felt Melody’s terrifying gaze on her. She was afraid that Melody would use the remote as evidence and slander her as the one who had planned everything to destroy Cadence. It was a good thing that Cadence was suffering, but she did not want to get involved in this mess at all.

由

SEND GIFT

COMMENT

Subscribed

♡
Prev | Next 

Chapter 556

“Miss Fox?” The female voice behind her was filled with uncertainty.

Melody subconsciously turned around and met Ruby’s gaze.

Ever since Ruby successfully got pregnant with her help, the two of them had not seen each other. Now that they met again, Ruby was a little fatter than before. However, her stomach was still flat and she did not show it.

Today, Mason did not accompany Ruby, but there were two tall bodyguards behind her.

“Ms. Wilson.” Melody stood up and greeted. Seventeen, who was sitting on the ground behind her, immediately stood up as well.

Ruby’s expression was filled with surprise when looking at Melody’s face. “Miss Fox, you’ve become…”

Melody touched her face with makeup and smiled, “Ugly girls also love beauty.”

“No, no…” Ruby stuttered. She finally calmed down and praised sincerely, “You’re really beautiful! I thought I recognized the wrong person just now, but looking at the way you treated him, I believed it was indeed you.”

Melody smiled. ‘Do I look beautiful now?’ When she got the last herb of the Taylor family and cured her face, Ruby would probably be even more shocked.

“You’re really beautiful! You should put on more makeup in the future. I didn’t expect…” Ruby was still babbling praises when she suddenly covered her mouth and explained, “I didn’t mean that you didn’t look good in the past…” Ruby felt awkward and stopped abruptly because she realized she was worsening the explanation.

Melody’s smile deepened. “You don’t have to explain. I know you don’t mean any harm.”

Ruby heaved a sigh of relief and emphasized, “You should have put on more makeup.”

“I’ll try my best. But you know, I’m a doctor and usually very busy, so I don’t have the time. By the way, let me take your pulse.” As Melody spoke, she grabbed Ruby’s hand.

This was her occupational habit. Moreover, only when the baby in Ruby’s stomach was safe would her husband pay more attention to that one last herb.

“Alright.” Ruby cooperated and pulled up her sleeves.

A minute later, Melody released her grip and said, “There is no problem. You can rest assured.”

“That’s great.” Ruby revealed a relieved expression and said, “Actually, I just went to Central Hospital for a checkup this morning. The doctor also said that everything was fine, but I still felt worried somehow. I thought that I was too concerned about the baby. I was just waiting for you to say so. Only when having your answer will I feel relieved.”

“Thank you for your trust.” Melody looked at the two bodyguards brought by Ruby and asked, “Why are you in such a place? Don’t you have taboos at home?”

According to the custom of Silverlake, pregnant people should avoid coming to the cemetery.

Ruby shrugged and said, “I’m not afraid of these things. I came here today to tell my mother that her daughter is about to become a mother.”

“Your mother?” Melody tilted her head.

“She died three years ago, in a car accident.” Ruby lowered her head.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Melody patted her shoulder.

“I’m fine.” Ruby shook her head. “It’s been three years. I’m not that sad anymore. It’s just that I still want to tell her about this joyful occasion. At the same time, I hope she could protect the child in my stomach.”

Melody nodded. “Why isn’t Mason with you?”

“Let me tell you…” Ruby said as he looked at Seventeen behind Melody.

“It’s okay. Just say it. He’s my bodyguard.” Melody nodded. Ruby then continued, “Both of us are concerned about you.

As soon as he was done with his work, he set off back to Insterimond for the Green Velvet. Before he left, Mason told me that his father was already preparing for the next auction of Green Velvet. This trip is to help you get the details of the auction in advance.”

“Thank you,” Melody said sincerely.

“We should be the ones thanking you.” Ruby checked the time and said, “It’s almost time for dinner. Shall I treat you to a meal?”

Melody was stunned for a moment before realizing that she had been kneeling for more than three hours. “Alright.” She hesitated for a moment but did not refuse. She wanted to know more about the Taylor family and Jennie.

“Then let’s go.” Ruby held her arm as Melody took one last look back at the tombstones of the Blevins family. ‘Averi, Mr. and Mrs. Blevins, I will take revenge on the murderer. This is what I owe you!

About half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a Floassian restaurant.

“This is the restaurant Mason opened up for me. I’ve wanted to bring you here for a long time. I like all the dishes here. I hope the food here will suit your taste.”

Ruby smiled brightly. After bringing Melody in and sitting down, she did not sit down with her. Instead, she said, “I’|| go to the kitchen and let the chef make a creative dish for you.”

Melody waved her hand. “Thank you so much, but there’s no need to treat me so well.”

Ruby insisted on letting Melody taste the best Floassian cuisine. She got up and went to the kitchen right away.

Melody had no choice but to sit and wait. At this moment, her phone screen suddenly lit up. It was a message from Ken. [You went to see Averi?]

Melody’s eyelids twitched. She looked up at Seventeen, who was standing not far away to protect her. He felt strange that Melody was looking at him and lowered his head guiltily.

Melody retracted her gaze helplessly. When James was not around, she thought she could gain some freedom.

However, she forgot that Seventeen was also Ken’s man. It was convenient to have someone working for her, but she had also lost her privacy.

Melody started to speculate the reason for Ken’s message. Was it because she didn’t report it to him in advance? But was there a need to report such things to him? If that was the case, Ken was too dominant.

Just as she was thinking about it, Ken sent another message. [Remember to tell me the next time you go there. I owe her an apology too.]

Melody’s pupils trembled. So he wasn’t trying to control her. Instead, he also wanted to apologize to Averi. When she thought of her dissatisfaction and blame for Ken just now, guilt overwhelmed her bit by bit.

With Moon’s words lingering in her head, Melody’s grip on the phone tightened. Seconds later, she replied: [Okay, I’ll let you know the next time.]

After sending the message, Melody hesitated for a moment and sent an emoji of sorry. She never had the habit of sending emojis, but today she subconsciously did

SO…..

On the other end of the phone, Ken’s expression froze slightly when he saw that cute pattern. A rare look of surprise appeared on his handsome face.

At the same time, at the entrance of the Floassian restaurant. “Mabel, this is the restaurant I eat often. I believe you’d like it.”

Chapter 557

Looking at the extremely high-end Floassian restaurant, Mabel felt both excited and puzzled somehow.

The excitement came from the fact that this restaurant was too popular to book a seat. Considering the Fox family’s status, she was not qualified to have a meal here while all the other customers were top in wealth and power.

Last year, she was lucky enough to go in for a meal, but that day was the day she successfully defeated countless socialites and won the Best Celebrity of Silverlake last year. The organizer of the event gave her a pass to this restaurant as a reward. It was only that one time that she successfully went in for a meal, and triggered envy and admiration from her friends from similar backgrounds.

However, Mabel was also puzzled as to why Cadence invited her to this restaurant for dinner. Before Cadence went abroad to further her studies, they were once classmates. However, at that time, Cadence had already made a name for herself in the entertainment and fashion industry and was also related to the Swanson family. Although they were friends, Cadence had always looked at her with disdain and never taken the initiative to ask her out. However, in the blink of an eye, Mabel remembered that Cadence was Ulric’s cousin. He might have mentioned to Cadence that they were in a relationship. So she was also likely to be relatives with Cadence in the future. Then it was normal for Cadence to change her indifferent attitude and curry favor with her.

Thinking of this, the doubts in Mabel’s heart instantly dissipated. She suppressed the smugness and joy in her heart and pretended to be calm. “Thank you. I do like Floassian cuisine. I even came here once last year.”

Cadence clenched her fists tightly in her sleeves when looking at Mabel’s gentle smile. She had to admit that Mabel’s face was indeed beautiful. Most of the boys in the university liked her, which made Cadence so irritated and jealous. Now, even Ulric was with Mabel and this made her hate Mabel even more.

But Cadence believed that she had plenty of ways to deal with such a silly pretty girl like Mabel. However, she was here on a mission today, the primary target of which was Melody, not Mabel.

Cadence had already communicated with Wendell in advance. She did not believe that Ulric would really kill her father, but she still volunteered to help Wendell destroy Melody. It was for no other reason than to avenge Melody for sending her to a psychiatric hospital. Mabel was the best tool for dealing with Melody. Perhaps she could even kill two birds with one stone and push these two Fox sisters into the abyss together.

“Glad to hear that you like it. Let’s go in then.” Cadence hugged Mabel’s hand intimately, concealing her disgust for her.

The two of them had just walked up the steps when the attendant at the door came up to stop them. “Good evening, ladies. Do you have an appointment?”

Cadence rolled her eyes coldly. “Are you blind? Do I need an appointment?”

The servant did not understand what was going on. Just as he was about to speak, another servant hurriedly came forward in fear and said, “I’m sorry, Miss Hunter. He’s new here. Please come in.” He glared at that young freshman. and scolded, “Idiot, this is Miss Hunter, Mr. Swanson’s cousin!”

“Ah… I-I’m sorry, Miss Hunter. Please forgive my mistake.” This young man flustered and took a bow.

Cadence waved her hand impatiently. “Alright, cut the crap. Don’t waste our time.”

“Yes…” The two servants did not dare to say anything else and hurriedly led the two of them in.

As soon as Cadence entered, her gaze quickly searched the restaurant. However, she did not see anything about Melody. After scanning a few times, her gaze could not help but freeze. ‘Where is she?’

Her subordinate reported to her that Melody entered this restaurant. If there was a mistake with the information, this would be a wasted trip.

While Mabel was looking at the menu, Cadence secretly sent a message to her subordinate. A moment later, she looked at the woman sitting by the window in disbelief. That woman was dressed in ordinary clothes, but her temperament was outstanding. Her eyes were attractive and intoxicating. Unfortunately, the lower half of her face was covered in red spots, ruining the beauty of the upper half. But even so, her elegant and friendly aura still made people unable to shift their attention.

Cadence’s eyes suddenly widened. From the moment she entered, she had actually noticed that woman by the window and got distracted by her stunning eyes. However, she never expected her to be Melody, that ugly freak Melody, who had just put on a little makeup, but looked so beautiful and hard to recognize.

Cadence couldn’t bear to imagine how awesome it would be like if Melody’s whole face was covered in makeup. The more she thought about it, the more furious she became, even though she did not understand what she was angry about.

“Cadence? Cadence!” Mabel’s voice sounded.

Only then did Cadence suddenly come back to her senses. She cursed herself in her mind that she had stared at Melody for so long that she almost forgot the purpose today.

“Sorry, I was absent-minded just now.” Cadence quickly adjusted her emotions.

Mabel did not think too much about it. She smiled and said, “I’ve ordered. What about you?”

“Just what I usually eat,” Cadence snapped her fingers to call the waiter over and spoke fluently to him in Floassinch.

The waiters in this restaurant were all well-educated and proficient in Floassinch. After hearing what Cadence said, this waiter nodded and said in Floassinch, “Okay, Miss Hunter.”

Mabel was green with envy. She didn’t know this language, so she couldn’t order without looking at the menu. But it didn’t matter. When she married Ulric, she could come to this restaurant whenever she wanted. After all, Cadence frequently came to this place all because of her fiancé-to- be. Thinking of this, Mabel was not envious at all. She even despised Cadence in her heart.

However, what Mabel did not know was that Cadence was not ordering the dishes to the waiter, who was specially placed in this restaurant in advance.

After the menu was taken away, Cadence smiled at Mabel and said, “Mabel, I saw that you didn’t order drinks, so I ordered a glass of wine for you.”

“That’s fine. I can drink. My alcohol tolerance is not bad.” Mabel nodded with a naive expression.

Cadence’s smile deepened. “Don’t worry; the lounge is upstairs. You can go upstairs to rest if drunk.”

Mabel’s eyes widened in shock. “There’s a lounge here?”

“Yeah, I guess you don’t know. The upstairs decor is more luxurious. If you’re interested, I’ll show you upstairs after dinner.”

“Sure!” Mabel immediately agreed. She was excited that after leaving the restaurant tonight, these would become the entry into the circles of those rich ladies.

Ever since Yolanda went to jail, the socialites who used to be intimate with her started to keep a distance. She had to get closer to them before the new celebrity event.

Soon, some food was served.

The expensive wine made Mabel feel an urge to take photos, but she endured it. She picked up her fork and was about to take a bite of the appetizer when she heard

Cadence says in surprise, “Isn’t that Melody? She’s changed so much with makeup.”

Chapter 558

When Mabel heard this, her hand that was holding the fork suddenly froze and she reflexively followed Cadence’s gaze, only to see a slender woman sitting opposite her. The woman’s eyebrows were very similar to Melody’s, but she was much prettier. Mabel even felt that if the woman wore full makeup, her appearance might be comparable to hers. Mabel, who had always thought that she had peerless beauty, disdained the feeling of being compared. So she just looked at that woman for two seconds before looking away. “Cadence, you’re mistaken.”

‘Melody couldn’t be so beautiful. You must be joking.’ But she didn’t express her jealousy.

“But…” Cadence’s tone was very certain. “Her expression, that eating posture… I’m very sure it’s her. I ate with her in the Swanson family before. Mabel, can’t you even recognize your own sister?”

Mabel turned around and looked in that direction again. Melody had been wearing makeup for the entire day. At this moment, she suddenly wiped the sweat off her forehead and more than half of her foundation was removed.

Mabel’s eyes suddenly widened. ‘It’s really Melody! Does she look like that with makeup? What?’ For a moment, she could not tell what she was feeling. However, something called fear suddenly crawled out from under her feet.

Ever since Melody returned to Silverlake, Mabel had been humiliated too many times. She had also lost her mother’s support, and it could be said to be a heavy loss. However, Mabel still did not feel afraid from the bottom of her heart, because no matter how powerful Melody was, she would still be defeated by her unmatched appearance. But now, this self-confidence which had been persisting until now seemed to be gradually crumbling.

Just as Mabel was immersed in her complicated emotions, Cadence spoke again, “Let’s go. She seems to have seen us too. We should go to say hello.”

“There’s no need for that, right?” Mabel really did not want to have any contact with Melody right now.

First, Melody’s appearance before removing her makeup made her panic. Second, when she met Melody during the day, Ken was so protective of Melody. These two things made her extremely uncomfortable.

Seeing this, Cadence revealed a puzzled expression. “I heard that although your sister is always causing trouble, you’re still very protective of her. Now that you have finally seen her true colors, why do you act like you don’t want to be sisters with her? But anyway, you’re right to be like this. We don’t bother to approach an abject person, Right?”

Mabel’s expression froze on her face. If she didn’t go and greet Melody, the nice image that she had been maintaining all this time would collapse. Nobody was sure that Cadence wouldn’t gossip about her in front of others after separating from her tonight.

At the thought of this, Mabel could only force a smile and said, “She, she’s my sister after all. For my sake, don’t say that about her. How about this? I’ll go to say hi. And you just stay here.”

“Alright.” Cadence’s goal had been achieved, to let Melody know of Mabel’s existence.

She waved her hand and gestured for Mabel to greet Melody, so Mabel had no choice but to stand up.

Mabel took a few steps towards Melody and realized that the person eating with Melody was Ruby, whose husband ran a bank. The year before last, Russell needed a loan and even brought her along to grovel and treat them a great meal. However, this rich lady, who even she had to curry favor with, was eating with a bastard like Melody.

‘How did they meet? Because Melody has used Ken as her backer? Damn it, why is Ken with her? Did she bewitch him?’ The more Mabel thought about it, the angrier he became. When she came to Melody, she could not control her emotions and said, “Melody, why are you here?”

Melody had already seen the two of them when they entered, but she could not be bothered with them. Now that Mabel had taken the initiative to greet her, she pursed her lips impatiently and said, “Can’t you see that? I’m eating.”

When Ruby saw Melody’s displeasure, she also revealed a dissatisfied expression towards this girl who had suddenly appeared. “Young lady, what’s the matter?” Her tone was unwelcoming.

Only then did Mabel realize that she had given Ruby a bad impression of being too emotional. She quickly restrained her sulk and revealed what she thought was the most appropriate smile. “Ruby, so you’re here too? I’m sorry, I didn’t see you just now.”

Ruby tilted her head and asked in confusion, “You are?”

“I’m Mabel. I had dinner with you last year. My father is Russell Fox.”

“Mabel…” Ruby combined Mabel’s peerless appearance and tried her best to search for the memories in her mind. Finally, she remembered who Mabel was. “Oh… last year’s Best Celebrity.”

Mabel’s lips curved. “You finally remember me…”

However, Ruby still did not give Mabel a nice look. She repeated himself and asked, “What’s the matter?” In other words, don’t disturb their meal if there’s nothing serious.

Mabel felt a little embarrassed. At the same time, the resentment in her heart towards Melody had almost reached its peak.

She couldn’t take it anymore and said, “Ruby, you might not know about it, right? She’s my half-sister.”

Ruby was stunned and looked at Melody in shock. Seeing that Melody had no intention of denying it, she was even more surprised. “You… are sisters?”

Melody did not say anything as she silently observed Mabel’s expression. She was quite curious about what Mabel was doing here.

“That’s right.” Mabel nodded and said, “Didn’t you ask me what’s the matter? I’m here to look for Melody and ask her to apologize to Dad.”

“Apologize?” People were gossipy. Out of curiosity, Ruby subconsciously followed Mabel’s words and asked, “For what?”

Mabel looked at Melody and said with a pained expression, “I shouldn’t expose our family matters in front of outsiders. But, Ruby, I appreciate you so much and know that you won’t spread it outside, so… I might as well say it in front of you.”

Mabel said a lot before getting to the point. “Melody hired someone to beat me and my father up.”

“What?” Ruby exclaimed in surprise. No matter who it was, they would be shocked to hear that someone had beaten up their father and sister.

However, in the next moment, Ruby felt that something was wrong. She was not familiar with Mabel, but she was very familiar with Melody. With Melody’s character, she would never do such a thing.

Ruby took a deep breath and spoke up for Melody, “There must be some misunderstanding. Melody is not that kind of person.”

Mabel originally thought that she could ruin Melody’s image easily, but she did not expect Ruby to still trust Melody so much.

Ruby’s eyes were telling that she thought Mabel was slandering Melody.

Chapter 559

Mabel felt even more indignant. Not only were the men biased in favor of Melody, but even a rich lady like Ruby believed in Melody’s character.

She clenched her fists tightly in anger, but she looked very sad on the surface. “I also don’t believe that my sister would do such a thing, but this is the truth. If you don’t believe me, you can ask her yourself if she asked anyone to hit me and my father.” Mabel paused for a moment and said, “Forget it, she definitely won’t admit it. You can just call my father and ask him. He can’t frame his daughter, right?”

Mabel directly mentioned Russell, who was not present. Then anyone would believe what she said.

Ruby was puzzled. She looked at Melody and said, “Melody, is this a misunderstanding?”

Melody took a slow sip of the soup as if the people around her had nothing to do with her. Suddenly, like casually discussing the weather, she said, “It wasn’t a misunderstanding. I did hit them.”

Mabel’s eyes widened in joy. ‘Melody, you idiot! You admitted it! Then Ruby should be starting to disgust you now.’

Mabel’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Ruby, do you believe what I said now? She admitted it herself. She did get someone to hit me and Dad.”

Ruby frowned slightly, but she found it even stranger. Even if Melody really did something wrong, it made no sense that she admitted it in public. This was too unreasonable. Mabel had thought that Ruby would immediately turn hostile towards Melody. At the very least, she should have scolded Melody. However, Ruby revealed an even more puzzled expression. She did not even look at her. Instead, she turned to ask Melody. “Melody, what’s going on? Did they bully you first, so you fought back?”

Melody knew that there was a high chance that Ruby would trust her, but she felt still kind of uncertain. After all, nobody could predict the human heart.

Therefore, although she seemed to be tasting the soup, her other hand had already secretly pulled up surveillance footage, which was enough to prove her innocence.

However, looking at Ruby’s expression now, she suddenly felt that there was no need for her to use this evidence. Those who truly trusted you would stand on your side without hesitation even if there was no evidence.

Melody put the phone back into her pocket and looked up to meet Ruby’s gaze. “Yes, I’m just giving them a taste of their own medicine.”

“I knew it.” Ruby nodded in understanding. When she looked at Mabel again, her eyes were filled with coldness.

Mabel was so angry that her entire body was trembling. She quickly explained, “No! What do you mean? Ruby, she was just spouting nonsense!”

As she spoke, she was afraid that Ruby still did not believe her and tried her best to slander Melody. “Ruby might not know yet, right? Melody had health problems and was raised in the countryside by my father since she was young. It might be because of this reason that she thought that we had abandoned her. So as soon as she returned to Silverlake, she kept causing trouble for our family. She even… sent my mother to prison!

“Also, she forced Dad to share the company’s shares with her. When Dad didn’t agree, she called someone to beat us up! Do you know about the black market? She hired assassins there! My father and I had almost died at her hands! Don’t believe such a vicious person!” Mabel was hysterical.

Ruby looked at Mabel with an even colder gaze. “Vicious? If you say another bad word about Melody, do you believe that I’ll chase you out here?”

Mabel was shocked. It was a small matter to be chased out, but she noticed that there were socialites in the restaurant who knew her. If word got out, wouldn’t they laugh their heads off? These rich women loved to see people make a fool of themselves, especially those who once stood at the top.

However, if she just shut up, it was equivalent to confirming Melody’s words. Mabel forced herself to say, “You can chase me out of the restaurant, but I can swear that everything I said is true!” Her eyes seemed to be burning with fire.

Melody’s patience had been completely worn down. She took out her phone, which she had already put back into her pocket, and clicked that video. “Everyone knows that swearing is useless. We’ll know the truth when we see it.”

Ruby subconsciously looked at Melody’s phone screen. Mabel did not understand and followed Ruby’s gaze. In the next moment, her heart clenched.

It was the living room of the Fox family! The surveillance footage showed the scene of Russell ordering the people hired in the black market to attack Melody.

‘How does she get it? Damn it!’ Mabel cursed in her heart and instinctively tried to snatch Melody’s phone.

However, when Melody reached out with her long arms, Mabel missed and almost fell onto the dining table.

“Mabel,” Melody said expressionlessly. “There is a limit to my patience. Do you think you can still maintain your image as Best Celebrity if I post this video online? I’m afraid you will lose the right to participate in this year’s event again, right?”

Immediately, Ruby stood up in disgust. “Security! Get her out!”

Mason was one of the shareholders of this restaurant. As his wife, Ruby naturally had the right to chase anyone out as she wished.

“No…” Mabel took two steps back in panic. She regretted being controlled by her emotions just now and saying those stupid words. If she had held back from mentioning the beating back then, or if she had not come over to greet Melody from the beginning, how could she have fallen into such a pathetic situation?

But it was all Melody’s fault. This bitch had been hiding the surveillance footage. She was indeed a scheming bumpkin!

Mabel hated Melody into her bones, but there was nothing she could do now. She took two steps back in fear. “Don’t get me out…’

However, the two attendants had already arrived in front of her.

At this moment, Cadence’s voice suddenly sounded. ” Nobody can kick my friend out.”

Seeing that it was Cadence, the two attendants were stunned. For a moment, they did not know if they should listen to Cadence or Ruby. Both of them were family members of the investors of this restaurant. They could not afford to offend either of them!

When Mabel saw Cadence speaking up for her, she instantly found her backbone and hugged Cadence’s arm. Cadence, you invited me here. You can’t let them chase me out!”

“Don’t worry. With me around, no one can touch you.”

Cadence gave Mabel a reassuring look and turned to look at Ruby.

Chapter 560

“Miss Hunter?” Ruby was a little surprised. She knew Cadence and the two of them belonged to the same class and were considered acquaintances.

Cadence smiled and said, “Mrs. Taylor, long time no see. Although I don’t know what happened between you and my friend, I still hope that you can let it go.”

Ruby frowned. She did not expect Mabel to be invited here by Cadence.

No one wanted to fall out with Cadence. After all, the Swanson family was her strong back, which was not something that the Taylor family could fight against.

However, when Ruby thought of Mabel’s insults to Melody and the video, she still could not suppress her dissatisfaction. “Miss Hunter, I respect you, but your friend…

“Ruby, forget it.” Melody interrupted and pulled her hand. We’re here to eat. There’s no need to ruin our mood for that kind of person.”

Melody seemed to be persuading Ruby, but she was observing Cadence from the corner of her eye. But she found something strange. Cadence should hate her even more than Mabel. After all, as a young rich lady who had always been high and mighty, Cadence had almost been bitten to death by her own carefully trained hound because of Melody. How could Cadence swallow this anger?

However, at this moment, Cadence did not even look at her and even acted like a peacemaker. There must be something wrong. However, Melody had yet to figure out what Cadence was up to. But she didn’t feel nervous at all. If Cadence really wanted to do something, he would expose herself sooner or later. Now, she only needed to wait and see. “I’m really fine. Just sit down and eat.” When Ruby saw that there was no anger in Melody’s eyes, she calmed down a little and took a deep breath. “Miss Hunter, now that you and Melody are here, I can let it go, but I don’t want her to disturb us again.”

“Don’t worry, we’re just here to eat, not to cause trouble.” As Cadence spoke, she hugged Mabel’s hand and said, “Let’s go, Mabel.”

Mabel felt indignant. “Cadence, they…”

“That’s enough!” Cadence’s lips curved downwards, revealing a hint of anger. “Didn’t you notice that everyone is looking at us? Do you really want to make it even worse in front of so many people?”

Mabel clenched her fists and lowered her head in silence.

Seeing that Mabel finally stopped talking, Cadence nodded slightly at Ruby and Melody and pulled Mabel back to their table.

After the two of them left, Ruby heaved a sigh of relief. She looked up at Melody with guilt and anxiety. “I’m sorry, Melody. She’s with the Swanson family. I can’t fall out with her directly. I’m just so useless. Did I let you down?”

“What? No! I’m happy that you trust me and stand by me.” A sincere smile appeared on Melody’s face.

Ruby was relieved but somehow grew more upset. She should have been tougher and chased out the woman who cursed Melody. The Taylor and Swanson families couldn’t really fall out over such a small matter. Maybe she just had too many scruples.

After this incident, Ruby swore to herself that she would stand on Melody’s side to protect her no matter what the price was. This was what she and Mason and the child in her stomach owed Melody.

Without Melody, she would probably have been forced to divorce Mason by the elders in Insterimond because she was infertile. Although Ruby had always been gentle, once. she made up her mind about something, she would never waver.

Melody vaguely felt that the way Ruby looked at her was a little different, but she did not think too much about it. She only thought that the surveillance video made Ruby pity her. And compared to Ruby, she had someone she needed to pay more attention to.

At the same time, Cadence and Mabel returned to their seats.

With the delicious food in front of her, at this moment, Mabel no longer had the appetite to taste it.

Cadence observed Mabel’s expression and the corners of her lips curled up slightly. She might be a genius. Although her father had told her not to act rashly, the plan was going perfectly now.

“Mabel.” Cadence stopped smiling and held Mabel’s hand across the table. “I know you’re unhappy. She’s your sister, but she’s treating you with such a rude attitude. She’s even colluding with other people to embarrass you. I want to help you, but you know Ruby’s identity. Her husband has also invested in this restaurant. I can’t fall out with her. Cadence’s tone was filled with guilt and helplessness, making Mabel feel even more uncomfortable. After all, Cadence was such a high and mighty person, but now, even she had to be afraid of Melody.

‘Damn Melody, how do you bewitch Ruby!’ Mabel cursed in her mind.

“Don’t think about that, Mabel. Come, drink some wine. You’ Il feel better.” Cadence raised the goblet in her hand and gestured for Mabel to clink glasses with her.

Mabel was depressed. She picked up the goblet and clinked it with hers. Then, she raised her head and drank it in one gulp, unaware that there was some white powder left in the cup that had yet to completely dissolve.

“That’s great.” Cadence’s smile deepened. As she continued to pour wine for Mabel to disperse the powder, she deliberately said, “Your sister has long been raised in the countryside. If I had known this, I wouldn’t have suggested that you go to greet her. You should have less contact with her in the future!” She seemed to be speaking earnestly and was completely on Mabel’s side.

These words did make Mabel feel a little better. Finally, there was someone like her who hated the disgusting Melody.

Mabel smirked and drank the red wine in one gulp again.

However, in less than two minutes, she felt a headache.

Mabel held her forehead and Cadence’s face started to be blurry in her vision.

“Mabel? Are you alright?” Cadence asked in surprise, “Don’t you often drink? You’ve only had two glasses.”

Mabel pressed her temples and forced herself to say, “My alcohol tolerance should be alright. But maybe the liquor is too intense.”

Cadence stood up helplessly and said, “Forget it. I’ll help you to the lounge on the second floor. If you lose your composure here, they will all know tomorrow and might even mock me. Let’s go up.”

Cadence supported Mabel and pulled her up from her seat with difficulty.

由

SEND GIFT

COMMENT

Subscribed

♡
Prev | Next 

Chapter 551

Melody was not an outgoing person who felt natural when talking to unfamiliar people, especially when facing Moon, who had a completely opposite personality. She stiffly withdrew her hand from Moon’s arms and said truthfully, “I really don’t love a certain type of man, and I probably won’t have one in the future.”

Moon was stunned and asked, “Why? So how are you going to date or have a relationship? Or are you just aimlessly following your heart?”

Melody lowered her eyes. “No. I don’t have any plans to fall in love, and I won’t for a long time.”

“I see.” Moon looked at Ken sympathetically.

Ken ignored her pitiful look and suddenly stood up to pull Moon’s hand.

Melody looked up at the two of them in shock, and then she heard Ken say, “I forgot it. So let me introduce her again. She is Blue Moon Lounge’s boss, and also my aunt.”

Melody’s eyes widened in shock speechlessly. The scene from before surged into her mind again when Ken did not express any disgust at Moon’s hand on his shoulder. When Moon held Ken’s hand and walked out, he did not reject her either.

She thought that Moon was Ken’s ideal type or that there was something between the two of them, but it turned out that she had misunderstood.

Melody’s lips twitched. The surprise in her heart turned into embarrassment. Fortunately, she quickly tried her best to calm down and stood up to greet Moon. “Hello…”

“Huh?” Moon looked at Melody and asked with a puzzled expression, “So you didn’t know it before?”

Melody shook her head and cursed Ken for not telling the truth in advance.

Ken seemed to read her mind and said, “I didn’t have time to say it.”

“Alright, alright. You don’t have to treat me like an elder. Although I’m older, I’ve never had a gap with you young people.” Moon blinked at Melody and said, “I’m very curious. Why don’t you want to date? Have you been hurt by a man before?”

Since he was an elder, Melody had no choice but to answer. She could only vaguely say, “I guess so…”

The love of her previous life had killed her. She had not just been heartbroken. Her heart had also been dug out by that man. However, she naturally would not tell Moon this.

Moon grew even more curious. “Who hurt you? How? Cheating? Violence?”

“Both, I guess…” Melody turned her head away slightly.

Moon’s mouth widened in surprise.

Meanwhile, Ken’s expression darkened. At that time, James had investigated Melody very carefully. In the past over 20 years, Melody had never been in a relationship at all. She had not even approached any men before. But Melody was not a person who would lie.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered something. When Melody was drunk that day, she asked him a question. “Do you believe that there are people in this world who died and got reborn back to a few years before?”

He did not take Melody’s words seriously at that time, but combined with the various deeds that happened to her, everything seemed to point to this question. Ken narrowed his eyes and slowly clenched his fists.

Melody did not notice the change in Ken’s expression. She did not want to continue talking about this topic at all. “It’s about time to eat. Could we stop talking about these things?”

“Alright, alright.” Moon hurriedly nodded.

Coincidentally, the waiter came in to serve the dishes. Moon stood up and said, “I’ll go downstairs. If you need anything, call me anytime.”

“Okay.” Melody nodded and watched Moon leave. However, when she turned her head, her gaze met with Ken’s dark eyes. His eyes were usually filled with pressure but now had a new emotion, heartache.

Melody just treated him as a friend who felt sorry for her. “You don’t have to do this. It’s already over.”

“You…” Ken’s thin lips parted slightly, but he realized that his voice had become hoarse. He covered his nose and coughed to get his voice back to normal. “How come you never told me this before?”

Melody shrugged. “You never asked me. Why would I bring up something so pathetic?”

“That’s true…” Ken paused and asked, “Did he really hit you?”

Melody lowered her eyes. She didn’t know if giving the order to dig out her heart counted as hitting. She remembered that when she found out that she was tricked by Ulric into the hospital and refused to give her heart to Mabel, Ulric did slap her.

Thinking of this, Melody nodded and agreed. The moment her voice fell, she could clearly see Ken’s eyes instantly darken, as if a hurricane had stirred up in the depths of his eyes. “What’s his name?”

Melody was shocked. She did not intend to say that she had been reborn. “Can we not talk about this again? I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“I understand.” Ken’s voice was low and hoarse. However, he vaguely thought of someone. ‘Ulric.’ He always felt that Melody seemed to have a strange hatred against Ulric.

Melody changed the topic and continued what she asked before. “Don’t forget about the divorce. Call me when you have time.”

Ken clenched his fists tightly on his lap. He did not want to progress so quickly, not to scare Melody. He hoped that they would be together naturally. In fact, he could even agree to a divorce first.

However, after hearing about those things today, he did not want to let go at all. He could not rest assured if he handed Melody over to any other man. Thinking of this, Ken directly refused, “I don’t agree to divorce.”

Melody was stunned and asked in shock, “Why?”

“No why. Anyway, I don’t agree to divorce.” Ken was serious.

‘What?’ Melody’s head was filled with confusion. She was about to ask again when her phone suddenly rang.

She had no choice but to take out her phone from her pocket. It was an unfamiliar number.

“Hello?” She picked up the call hesitantly and heard an old voice on the other end of the line. “Is this Morin Palmer?”

Melody was stunned. She asked in shock, “Mr. Chapman?” “Yes!” A joyful tone came from the other side.

“What can I do for you?” She asked.

“Thanks to your prescription, I’ve recovered. To express my gratitude, I want to invite you to River Hotel for dinner.”

Melody thought that there was nothing much to do tonight, so she nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll definitely be there.”

“That’s great!” He said happily on the other end of the phone. “I’ll get my grandson to pick you up. Where are you staying?”

“Just let him come to Herbathrive.”

“Okay, okay…” He hung up the phone after another round of gratitude.

Melody put down her phone and met Ken’s gaze. “Do you remember the illness of Mr. Chapman’s eyes?”

“You cured him?” Although it was a question, Ken was not surprised at all.

Melody nodded. “Yes, he said he would treat me to dinner tonight.”

“Tonight? Where?” Ken also found it unexpected.

“River Hotel,” Melody said.

Ken hesitated for a moment and said, “I have to go back to the hospital after the meeting in the afternoon to strengthen the manpower arrangements so that they won’t have the chance to attack Sid again. I’ll look for you after I’m done.”

Chapter 552

“There’s no need. Just do your own thing. Don’t worry about me. Mr. Chapman has sent someone to pick me up,” Melody rejected.

Ken did not say anything. He picked up a chicken

drumstick and placed it in her bowl. “You’re too skinny. Eat more.”

Melody looked at the food that Ken picked up in shock. She felt that ever since the conversation with Moon, he had become different from before. Ken possessed the same expression and tone, but she just felt that something had changed, but she couldn’t tell exactly what it was.

“H-I can do it myself.” As she spoke, she lowered her head and quickly ate, trying her best to finish this meal as soon as possible.

Then she hurriedly brought up that topic again. “You just said you didn’t agree to a divorce. What the hell does that mean?”

Ken put down his fork and looked at her with a deep gaze. “What do you think?”

“Me?” Melody pointed at her nose, but she completely had no idea why.

“You’ll know it.” Ken took a tissue and wiped the corners of his mouth slowly like a noble. Then, he stood up and said, “I’m going to a meeting. You can sit here for a while. The driver will be here soon.”

“Wait…” Melody quickly stood up, but Ken was even faster than her. In the blink of an eye, he had already walked out.

Melody was about to chase after him when Moon happened to walk in at this moment.

“Melody…” Moon naturally changed the way she addressed Melody from “Miss Fox” to “Melody”. She acted as if it was only natural for them to be closer.

Melody had no choice but to temporarily give up chasing after Ken. She forced a smile and asked Moon, “What’s the matter?”

After Moon gestured for her to sit down and said, “I heard that… you know medicine, in both traditional and modern, right?”

“How did you know? Did Ken tell you?” Melody asked.

Moon paused. “It could be said so.”

Obviously, she was lying. When Moon knew that Ken had finally found a woman, she immediately made a full investigation into Melody’s background.

She didn’t like to pry into other people’s privacy, nor did she feel disdainful that Melody was ugly. It was just that she was very curious. She wondered without the bonus point. of appearance, what charm Melody had to defeat the other beautiful women in Halcyon and attract her nephew, who had an extremely picky taste.

Melody did not know what Moon was thinking. She just nodded and asked, “I did learn something about medicine. Why are you asking this?”

“Oh…” Moon stretched out her hand and said, “Can you take my pulse and see how long I can live?”

Melody was stunned. Then, she thought that Moon just wanted to know her lifespan. She politely smiled and said, “I’m a doctor, not a fortune-teller. But I think you can live for at least a hundred years.”

Everyone knew how to speak sweet words, and almost everyone liked to listen to them. However, Moon smiled bitterly and revealed a desolate expression that was completely different from before. “Melody, I’m not joking with you. I’m sick and might not live for long.”

The smile on Melody’s face froze. She said with a serious expression, “Let me check your pulse first.”

“Alright.” Moon nodded. However, just as she reached out her hand, she immediately pulled it back.

Melody gave her a puzzled expression. Moon smiled bitterly again and said, “Forget it. If I really know how long I can live, I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep every night. At that time, I won’t be able to hide it from Ken.”

Melody frowned. “You can’t avoid it. I see that your face is very rosy and healthy. You don’t look like you don’t have much time left. And there’s a chance that the hospital may misdiagnose you.”

Moon’s back stiffened. She smiled and said, “That’s because I put on makeup. If I take off my makeup, my face will be so pale that it will scare people to death.”

“All the more reason to see a doctor. Medical progress is faster than you think. Tell me what illness you have first. Perhaps I can treat it?” Melody’s eyes flickered with bright sincerity.

Melody was not good at bragging, but for Moon’s health, she still braced herself and said, “My medical skills are better than you think. I also have a way of treating terminal illness in the eyes of most people. One of my aunts is called Beverly. She has gastric cancer, but after I operated on her, she is about to be discharged from the hospital now.”

Moon’s eyelashes fluttered as she said, “My illness is different from cancer. It’s a genetic disease, which can’t be cured at all. Don’t waste your effort.”

“Genetic disease?” Melody was indeed unable to treat this type of illness.

Moon met Melody’s gaze and held her hand. “Good girl, don’t blame yourself. I’m actually prepared. I already feel very lucky to have lived for so many years. However, the only thing I’m worried about is that after I die, Ken will be left alone. You also know that the Swanson family is a horrible place. There aren’t many people who really want him to be well. I heard that you’ve already been a legal couple, right? Can you promise me that you will take good care of him?”

“I…” Melody hesitated and said, “I married Ken to fulfill Margaret’s wish, but she has recovered now. There’s no need for us to continue this fake marriage. We might get a divorce soon.

“I know. I shouldn’t have pushed you. If you don’t agree, just forget it…” Moon’s eyes were filled with tears.

Seeing this, Melody could not reject a seriously ill person. She could only grit her teeth and say, “I didn’t say that I wouldn’t agree to it. I’ve owed Ken a lot. I’m afraid I won’t be able to repay them in a short period of time. But I’ll do my best to take care of him.”

“That’s good. Thank you, Melody.” Moon said with an extremely grateful expression, “So I don’t have to worry about him after I die. He’s cold on the surface but warm inside. He’s a really good man.”

“I know… he’s indeed a very good person.” Melody lowered her head.

Moon smiled and wiped her tears. “Alright, sorry to disturb your time. Please come to visit me with Ken when you’re free. But remember not to tell him about this. I’m afraid he won’t be able to take it.”

“… Okay.” Melody stood up and said goodbye with a heavy heart.

Just as Moon had said, there were only a handful of people in this world who truly cared about Ken and not his special identity. Melody wanted to stay away from Ken from now on, but it seemed that she could not leave until she got rid of their common enemy. However, this time, she would not just treat Ken as an ally and a helper for revenge. She would treat him as a friend.

But what she did not know was that the moment she left Blue Moon Lounge, Moon, who was originally dejected, revealed a smug smile.

Chapter 553

“Young girl, too naive.” Moon shook her head with a satisfactory expression.

After it was done, Ken had to thank her. After all, she had paid a huge price for cursing herself. Thinking of this, Moon took out her phone and sent a message to Ken. [If the two of you really get together in the future, you have to thank your beautiful aunt.]

Ken, who was on his way to the meeting, replied with a question mark in confusion but there was no reply.

Ken did not think too much about it. Moon had always been so incomprehensible and always been doing strange things and saying weird words.

Just as he was about to put down his phone, James suddenly made a call to him. Ken immediately tensed up and quickly picked up the call. “What’s going on?”

James replied concisely, “Mr. Swanson, Miss Murphy is awake. Her surgery was successful, but her emotions were not stable. She kept making a fuss. The doctors had no choice but to inject her with a tranquilizer. Are you coming here to take a look?”

“I’ll be there later. I have a meeting at Ximber Tech now,” Ken said calmly.

“Yes, I understand. But… did you find anything about the chat logs and the airport surveillance footage?” James asked tentatively.

“No,” Ken said expressionlessly. “She didn’t betray us. Take good care of her. Don’t let her have the chance to harm herself again.”

“Alright, or it would be really hard for me to trust the people around me.” James let out a long sigh of relief. Suddenly, he remembered something. With a complicated expression, he gripped his phone tightly and said, “But there’s one more thing I have to tell you.”

“Say it,” Ken replied immediately.

“Miss Fox made a bet with me previously. The bet was to arrange a full-body checkup for Miss Murphy without her knowing. After I lost it, I couldn’t find a suitable opportunity, so I took advantage of her cutting her own wrist to give her a checkup. Now that the results of the checkup are out, I’m going to give them to her. But I thought that I should tell you in advance. I’m afraid that Miss Fox would have some other motives to make me do this,” James explained.

Ken narrowed his eyes. “What motives?”

“Yeah…” James did not see Ken’s expression on the other end of the phone. Naturally, he did not know that his eyes were filled with displeasure. “The incident at the airport made me more guarded. Among the few of us, Miss Fox has known us for the shortest time, so I think we should more or less be wary of her. After all, who would set up a bet to let another person go for a checkup? This is too strange.”

Ken opened his mouth, but in the end, he held back his words. James was a one-track-minded person, so it was useless to refute him. He just asked, “When did you make the bet?”

“It’s been over a month,” James answered.

“Over a month…” Ken’s gaze drifted away. He remembered that it was the time when Janet was diagnosed to be infertile. “You don’t have to mention this to Melody, and you don’t have to tell anyone else. When I come over tonight, give me the medical report.”

“Yes!” James nodded.

Seeing that he had arrived at the Ximber Tech’s building, Ken hung up the phone.

Today was the first week of Zack’s work here. He had come this time to inspect his performance. He had to see if Zack was worth it for them to spend so much effort to poach.

*****

At the same time, in a private manor, a heavy slap landed on Wendell’s face. He felt a sharp pain on his cheek. Then, the taste of blood quickly spread in his mouth. He subconsciously reached out to hold something with his hand, and a tooth fell into his palm.

Wendell suddenly widened his eyes as anger replaced fear. He could not take it anymore and glared at Ulric. “Ulric, I’m your uncle!”

As soon as he finished speaking, another slap landed on his face, followed by a bloodthirsty aura.

Wendell was shocked. To his horror, he saw Ulric take out a silver revolver from his suit and aim it at him without hesitation.

“No, no-” He was so frightened that his legs went weak and he fell to the ground.

Ulric stared at Wendell expressionlessly. Suddenly, his gaze landed on something and he curled his lips slyly. “Uncle? Your pants seem to be wet.”

Wendell peed his pants. He subconsciously tightened his legs, but the next second, the gun was aimed at his forehead. Goosebumps rose all over his body in an instant. His entire body was stiff and he did not dare to move. His legs trembled as he begged for mercy. “I was wrong. Mr. Swanson, don’t, don’t kill me…”

“Then tell me, what’s the point of me keeping you? You’ve already been fired and have no value anymore. You also caused me to be reprimanded by Ramon. My image has almost been ruined. Tell me, what other reason do you have to live?” Ulric stared down at Wendell with a formidable gaze.

Wendell’s entire body was trembling. He was trying his best to think quickly when he suddenly thought of an idea. “I-I’m still useful. Didn’t I find a doctor who can treat your legs?” Ulric shook his head. “That doctor came to you on their own accord. I’ll give you another ten seconds. If you still can’t think of your use, I’ll have to put justice before family.”

“I-” Wendell’s voice was shaking.

Ulric directly interrupted Wendell. As he controlled his wheelchair to circle around him, he began the countdown. Ten, nine…”

Wendell’s face was ashen. He knew that Ulric was a ruthless person and would definitely do what he said, not just threaten.

When Ulric counted to two, Wendell quickly shouted, “I got it! I got it!”

Ulric stopped and walked up to him with a fake smile. “Oh? Tell me about it.”

Wendell took a deep breath and said, “That damned Owen must have betrayed us because of that doctor called Melody. She is a huge threat to you. I will think of a way to get rid of her!”

The expression on Ulric’s face froze slightly. The smile on his lips deepened, but he still looked so cold. “Have you come up with a plan, then? I don’t want empty words.” Wendell’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. ‘H haven’t thought of it yet, but give me some time. I’ll definitely ruin her reputation and kill her!”

Ulric did not say anything. He just looked at Wendell coldly.

However, Wendell was even more afraid and said repeatedly, “I swear, I will really kill her! Give me a month!”

Ulric raised his eyebrows. “A month…”

The next second, the revolver was aimed at Wendell’s forehead again.

Wendell gritted his teeth and said, “Two weeks! Give me two weeks!”

Ulric let out a cold smile. “A week. If nothing happens to her after a week, you’ll be the one in trouble.”

Chapter 554

“One week…” Wendell’s face was ashen. How was he going to kill Melody in a week?

“What? You can’t do it?” Ulric raised his eyebrows.

Wendell knew very well that he had no other choice and gritted his teeth. “I-I can do it.”

“Good.” Ulric moved the gun from Wendell’s forehead to his chin. “Before you go back to the company tomorrow, take the money you embezzled from Owen to that old man. You know what you should say.”

Owen did not mention that he was also involved in manipulating the data. He only said that to increase Taynorma Capital’s value, he bribed Wendell.

However, Ramon was suspicious. While scolding Wendell, he also glanced at him with an extremely cold gaze. If he couldn’t whitewash himself in this matter, his image in Ramon’s heart would plummet. This was also one of the reasons why he wanted to kill Wendell immediately.

“I-I know.” Wendell nodded repeatedly. He did not dare to put himself in the position of an elder anymore. In front of a heartless person like Ulric, not to mention him, even if the person who did something wrong was his mother, he would probably still bear to kill her.

“Get out!” Ulric shouted.

Upon hearing that he could leave, Wendell immediately scrambled out of the room and ran away from the manor as if the devil was chasing after him.

Sitting in the wheelchair before the window, Ulric saw Wendell’s pathetic fleeing away with disgust in his eyes. At this moment, a female voice suddenly sounded from behind him. “Mr. Swanson, since you hate that trash so much, why didn’t you kill him just now? It’s of no point to keep him anyway.” The woman paused and reminded Ulric,” The manor is so big, the gunshots can’t reach outside.” Ulric turned his head expressionlessly and looked at the charming middle-aged woman in front of him, Jennie.

“Dr. Taylor, you consider that the gunshots couldn’t reach outside, why don’t you know who that old man will suspect first if Wendell is really dead?”

Naturally, Jennie knew that the old man was referring to Ramon. Her expression stiffened slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. “You’re right. I was too careless. Mr. Swanson, you are indeed a smart person. I’m very relieved to work for you. But… what if that guy can’t do what he promised after a week?”

Ulric lowered his eyes and smiled, but the laugh made her back turn cold. “You don’t think that trash really can do something Melody, do you?” Even he couldn’t hit Melody in one shot, not to mention that useless Wendell.

Jennie was stunned again. Her mind was racing. About two minutes later, her lips suddenly curled up. “Got it. You didn’t plan to use Wendell to get rid of Melody. You said that to Wendell so that he could go after Melody. Then after this week, you kill him and frame Melody for his death. At that time, the prime suspect won’t be you, but her.”

Ulric’s lips were also curved. “Dr. Taylor, you’re also very smart. I’m also very relieved to work with you.”

Jennie shrugged and took out a small glass bottle containing a transparent liquid from her pocket. “Actually… there’s no need for you to go to such lengths to deal with a little girl. I’ve recently developed a new thing. It’s colorless and odorless. It will automatically evaporate in half an hour and won’t leave any traces. Wouldn’t it be best to use her as our lab rat to test its effect?”

Using this new material on Melody, not only could Jennie save a lot of manpower and resources, but she could also verify its effects.

Ulric took the bottle and played with it thoughtfully. After a moment, he shook his head and said, “If you had taken this out a month ago, I might have used it on her. But now… forget it.”

“Why?” Jennie asked.

Ulric raised his eyebrows and said, “Other than Ken, she’s the only one worthy of being my opponent. I can use her to practice.”

“Practice?” She was confused.

“Yes. If I can’t even deal with her, how can I deal with Ken?” Ulric was still confident in his methods. Of course, there was another reason. He would feel better watching his opponent struggle in pain than directly poisoning her to death.

Seeing this, Jennie stopped recommending and said, “In that case, I’ll listen to you. Today’s acupuncture is over. I’ll go.”

“Wait.” Ulric stopped her and asked, “You’ve dealt with Melody twice. Who do you think is better between you and her, in medical skills?”

Jennie snorted disdainfully and said, “I admit that her acupuncture technique is superb, like an old friend of mine. But anyway, she’s just a little girl. Are you comparing me to her because you don’t trust your own judgment?”

Ulric smiled. “I like your confidence.”

“Thank you. Goodbye.” Jennie bowed slightly and left.

Sitting in the car leaving the manor, she received a call from her daughter, Regina. “Mom, you asked me to pretend to be that doctor called Wilona Knowles and work in First Hospital, right? Now that the director wants me to perform a very challenging surgery tomorrow, I… – I can’t do it. What should I do?”

Jennie’s eyes were filled with frustration, but after all, this girl was still her daughter, so she just asked patiently,” What surgery?”

“Hip replacement,” Regina replied.

Jennie’s expression instantly darkened. “It’s so easy. Do you find it difficult?”

On the other end of the line, Regina’s expression changed slightly, and her voice carried a hint of grievance. “But I used to study from malicious doctors, and I tried modern medicine for only two years. Why did you insist on placing me in this hospital?

“Heh, if you don’t go there, are you going to spend the rest of your life in a small traditional clinic and let people find out that you’re a malicious doctor? Or are you planning to stay at home and be a useless person? You know that I never raise useless people, even if you’re my daughter.” Jennie scolded.

“I-” Regina tried to defend herself but got interrupted immediately.

“Cut the crap! Go home after work. I’ll teach you how to perform hip replacement surgery!” Jennie was running out of patience.

“Got it…” Regina was shocked and quickly agreed.

At this moment, footsteps sounded at the office door. Regina hurriedly hung up the phone and pretended to be reading the medical record seriously.

The next second, there was a knock on the door. It was Oliver. “Dr. Knowles…”

Regina, who had changed her name to Wilona Knowles, smiled to greet the director. “Mr. Wallrich, anything?”

Oliver nodded, walked in, and said, “How’s the preparation for tomorrow’s surgery?”

“I’m preparing. It shouldn’t be a problem.” Regina tried to maintain a confident expression.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Oliver heaved a sigh of relief and said, “The hip surgery is not difficult. Other doctors used to be in charge of it. But this time the patient is my wife. I don’t want anything to go wrong, so leave this to you. Thanks.”

Regina’s back was covered in sweat. She tried her best to maintain the smile on her face and said, “Nothing, it’s my duty.”

“Well, so keep doing your work, then. I’m leaving.” Oliver turned his back.

“Okay…” Regina watched Oliver leave. When the door closed, she collapsed on the chair in despair.

Chapter 555

Regina was devastated. ‘What should I do?’

The patient was Oliver’s wife. If she made any mistake, Oliver would definitely suspect her identity. At that time, she would probably get ruined as the imposter. Regina grabbed her hair hard. She could only hope that her mother would teach her this surgery tonight.

*****

After Melody left Blue Moon Lounge, she coincidentally met with the death warrior who had just returned from sending Lucas off. James was now staying with Sid, so in addition to being her driver, this death warrior also took over James’s job. He didn’t even have a name and people called him with a code, 1017. Melody just directly called him Seventeen.

After getting into the car, she instructed concisely, Seventeen, investigate a person…” She paused for a moment and said, “She should have passed away. Her name is Averi Blevins. Please find out where she’s currently buried.”

“Yes!” Seventeen was as efficient as James and quickly found an address. “She’s buried in the Cemetery of Silverlake.”

Melody nodded. “Let’s go there.”

“Got it.” Seventeen stepped on the accelerator and left Blue Moon Lounge.

When the car passed by a flower shop, Melody asked him to stop the car and got out to buy four bouquets of flowers. About half an hour later, she handed the three bouquets to Seventeen. “You go find Averi’s grave. I’ll go to another place to see someone.”

“Yes.” Seventeen did not suspect anything and quickly went to locate Averi’s tomb.

Seeing Seventeen leave, Melody carried a bouquet and walked to a tombstone with ease. She had been to this place many times in her previous life, but she had never been here in this life. So this was the first time the tomb owner had seen this visitor.

Her gaze was quiet and complicated as she looked at the photo on the tombstone. It was a woman with stunning looks. Her age was forever frozen at 26, the most beautiful age of her life. The name under the photo was Wilona Fox. After looking at the photo for a while, Melody said in a low voice, “Mom… I don’t know if you can still recognize me. I’m your daughter. Today I’m coming here to see you. You were killed by Yolanda not long after I was born. You must be indignant, right?

“I’ve experienced this kind of thing before, but I was quite lucky. God gave me a chance to be reborn, and I grabbed it tightly. Yolanda is already in prison. Mabel and Russell are still alive, but there’s still a long way to go. One day, I’ll make Russell kneel before your grave and repent!”

After standing for a while, Melody spoke again, “I’m leaving. Revenge is a hard thing and there is a lot to do. I might not have the time to visit you often in the future. But the promise I made today must be fulfilled one day!”

As soon as she finished speaking, a black butterfly suddenly landed on her finger. Melody was shocked as she looked at the butterfly that did not seem to be afraid of humans. “Is this you?”

The butterfly was frightened and flapped its wings to fly away.

“Miss Fox, I’ve finally found you…” Seventeen’s voice came from behind.

Melody quickly came back to her senses and laughed self-deprecatingly. ‘What’s wrong with myself? I even thought that this butterfly was Mom.’

She took a deep breath and placed the bouquet in front of the tombstone. She turned to look at Seventeen and said, ” Take me there.”

“Yes!” Seventeen replied, but out of curiosity, he glanced at the tombstone and a stunned look flashed across his eyes. The woman in the photo was too pretty. He swore that he had never seen such a beautiful woman.

“Seventeen?” Melody’s voice sounded.

Seventeen instantly realized that he was in a daze. “Sorry, Miss Fox.” He had been strictly trained since he was young. Under normal circumstances, he would not be lost in thought. This was enough to prove how beautiful the woman in the photo was.

Melody shook her head. “Let’s go.”

She took the lead and walked to the front. Seventeen quickly followed and happened to see Melody’s back. She walked against the light with a long shadow as her long black hair fluttered in the wind. She had a slender figure, but she looked so tall and solid.

For some reason, Seventeen actually felt that the girl in front of him was somewhat similar to the beautiful woman on the tombstone. But soon, Seventeen shook his head and threw those messy thoughts away. That was so ridiculous. He had seen Melody without makeup. How could he associate her with the peerless beauty on the tombstone? He completely cleared his mind of distracting thoughts and quickened his pace. In less than five minutes, Seventeen stopped and pointed to the right. “This is the place you’re looking for.”

Melody turned around and saw Averi’s photo on the tombstone. No one would have thought that this girl would stay at such a young age forever, so even her last photo was a student.

Melody’s eyes suddenly turned red. If it wasn’t for her, if she had stopped the airport plan, Averi would not have died on the plane.

There were too many ifs. There were thousands of words, but in the end, they only turned into a simple apology. “I’m sorry.”

Melody stood up straight and suddenly bent her knees, kneeling towards the tombstone. She knew that this matter was not entirely her fault, but she was still a crucial part of it. Because in her previous life, Averi would never have experienced something like the fire in the youth center.

Beside her, Seventeen was shocked by Melody’s actions. In his hesitation, he gritted his teeth and knelt down together. Time passed minute by minute. No one knew how long they had been kneeling for. Even the well-trained Seventeen felt that his knees were extremely sore and he could not hold on any longer.

“Miss Fox…” Seventeen reminded her with a pale face.” Your health matters. Why don’t you get up first? No matter why you’re doing this, you’ve been kneeling for so long. It should be enough.”

His knee was injured during training. If he couldn’t end it soon, he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to get his feet back on the ground.

However, Melody shook her head. ‘Enough? No. It’s far from enough.’

However, from the corner of her eye, she saw Seventeen kneeling with her. Her instinct as a doctor made her realize that something was wrong with him, and she suddenly frowned. The next second, she quickly got up and reached out to pull Seventeen up.

“Miss Fox, don’t worry about me. I’m fine…” He sounded weak.

However, Melody acted as if she did not hear anything. After Seventeen stood up straight, she squatted down in front of him and reached out to press his knees.

“Hiss!” Seventeen frowned and stepped back.

“Your knees are injured. Why are you kneeling with me?” Melody glared at Seventeen and ordered, “Sit down.” Seventeen did not understand, but he still obeyed the order. Melody straightened his legs and let him pull up his pants. Then she took out the needles and inserted them into a few acupoints on Seventeen’s legs.

The sour and numb feeling immediately swept through Seventeen’s legs.

Ten minutes later, he was surprised to find that his knees, which were sore all year round, miraculously no longer felt uncomfortable. “Miss Fox, you’re amazing…”

Melody was about to speak when a familiar voice came from behind.

由

SEND GIFT

COMMENT

Subscribed

♡
Prev | Next 

Chapter 546

The car’s rear window rolled down, revealing Mabel’s delicate face. Melody caught sight of Russell sitting on the other side of the back seat.

“Melody, what are you doing here?” Mabel asked, her tone full of surprise.

Mabel still feigned affection at this point. Melody grudgingly admired her dedication. When it came to the art of deception, Mabel and Ulric were quite the match.

Melody couldn’t be bothered to deal with Mabel, so she turned her face away, ignoring her.

Mabel was seething with anger, but with Russell beside her, she had to suppress her frustration. “Melody, I’m talking to you. Didn’t you hear me? And Dad’s in the car too. Are you going to ignore him?”

Russell deliberately cleared his throat, making his presence known.

Previously, he had arranged for people from the black market to teach Melody a lesson, only for them to turn on him and give him a beating instead. Since then, his feelings towards her had grown complicated.

On one hand, he harbored a deep resentment, wishing he could strangle her. On the other, he was curious about where she had obtained such a high-level black market card. There was even a part of him that secretly hoped Melody was struggling outside and would come crawling back to him.

But after all this time, Melody never returned to the Fox family. This only fueled his curiosity about where she had been and how she had managed to survive in Silverlake.

So, when Russell unexpectedly ran into Melody today, his feelings were more excitement than curiosity.

Melody hadn’t planned on acknowledging the father and daughter duo, but then she remembered that she hadn’t yet taken back the Justalion Group. With that in mind, she finally turned her gaze toward the back seat.

She said, “Mr. Fox, you’re here too? I was planning to find you. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Russell immediately frowned. “Mr. Fox?”

Melody smiled. “What? Did I call you wrong? Surely you haven’t forgotten that we signed an agreement severing our father-daughter relationship?”

Russell’s face darkened, and he spat out angrily, “You wretch! I’m your father. No matter what we signed, I’ll always be your old man!”

Mabel chimed in, trying to stoke the flames. “That’s right, Melody. Without Dad, you wouldn’t be here. Stop being so stubborn. Just apologize to him and come home.”

Melody shot Mabel a cold look. “I’m talking to him. Why are you butting in?”

“What the hell…”

“Shut up! Or I’ll make sure you never open it again!”

Mabel was shocked as she saw the menace in Melody’s eyes. A chill ran down her spine, and she suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, too frightened to utter another word.

Melody shot a cold glare at Mabel before turning her attention back to Russell.

She said, “Since you cheated on Mom, you’ve ceased to be my father. I’m here just to remind you that the agreement states you owe me shares of the Justalion Group. I suggest you comply within a week, or you’ll find me less forgiving.”

Russell’s eyes narrowed, fury blazing within them. “How dare you demand shares after everything you’ve done? No way!”

Not wanting Melody to take any shares, Mabel quickly brought up past grievances.

Mable chimed in, “Melody, you’re going too far. The agreement does specify shares for you, but blood ties aren’t easily severed. Plus, you’ve never contributed anything to the Fox family. How dare you claim shares? Don’t forget, you even incited others to beat Dad and me!”

Mabel had initially hesitated to mention the assault, finding it too humiliating and likely to be laughed at. However, seeing Melody’s determination to claim shares, Melody felt she had no choice but to provoke Russell further.

Russell’s face darkened as he recalled the embarrassing details. He flung open the car door, marched up to Melody, and glared at her.

He warned, “As long as I am alive, you will never take a cent from me!! was going to give you a chance to admit your mistakes and return to the Fox family, but I’ve changed my mind. You will no longer be associated with me! Even if you die, I won’t come to claim your body!”

Hearing Russell’s words, Mabel couldn’t help but smile. It seemed she had worried for nothing. Russell, being so stingy, would never part with his shares.

Russell valued his reputation. He was furious at Melody for having people threaten and beat him, something he couldn’t tolerate.

As their relationship was now completely ruptured, Mabel was prepared

to reap the benefits. She looked at Melody, expecting her to be dismayed, but Melody merely let out a cold laugh.

She said, “Russell, do you think I can’t get what I’m entitled to if you don’t give it? We’ll see. I will claim the shares specified in the agreement, and the entire Justalion Group will be mine because it rightfully belongs to me, not you.”

Russell’s face twisted with rage. “You bitch! Don’t think that just because Ken is protecting you, you can be so arrogant. I’ll tell you, he only treats you as a pet. Soon, your sister will marry into the Swanson family, and you’ll see if Ken still cares about you!”

As Melody was about to respond, a deep voice suddenly cut in. “A pet? It sounds like you know me better than I know myself?”

Hearing the voice, Russell froze.

He quickly looked toward the source and saw Ken striding confidently from across the street. With each step, his trench coat billowed. His imposing presence seemed to pressure Russell and Mabel, making them stiffen and instinctively avoid meeting his gaze.

Mabel was terrified and didn’t dare leave the car. After a brief moment of panic, Russell forced himself to regain composure.

“Mr. Swanson, I didn’t expect to run into you here…” Russell attempted to remain calm.

However, Ken completely ignored Russell. He walked to Melody and draped his trench coat over her shoulders.

“It’s autumn now. You should wear more layers,” he said with a tone of irritation, but his expression was filled with affection.

The scent of Ken’s coat enveloped Melody, and her heart raced involuntarily as she felt the warmth of his gesture.

Chapter 547

However, Melody knew very well that Ken was just putting on this act to help her embarrass Russell. However, even though she knew that it was a show, her heart was still racing somehow. She took a deep breath and pressed on an acupoint without batting an eyelid. Only then did she manage to stabilize her heartbeat.

No one naturally noticed Melody’s slight movement, but Ken saw it all. The corners of his lips subconsciously curled up into a smile. His right hand wrapped around Melody’s shoulder as he turned to look at Russell. The moment his gaze landed, the gentleness in his eyes instantly disappeared, replaced by a cold aura.

Russell’s back stiffened when he was staring at Ken’s hand hugging Melody’s waist in disbelief. ‘Why are they so intimate? So is it not just because he is grateful to Melody for saving Maria’s life? But how is that possible? A man as high and mighty as Ken would only fall for an ugly woman like Melody when he is blind.’

Before Russell could ask, Ken spoke first, “I remember that I reminded you before to treat Melody better. It seems that you really ignored my words. On account that you’re her father, I’ll tell you one last time. Not only will I protect her, but I’ll also protect her for the rest of my life. As long as I’m alive, the entire Halcyon has to show her respect, including you, Russell Fox!”

Russell was stunned and Mabel’s heart was also in turmoil. She subconsciously thought of Ulric’s attitude towards her at Naymar Manor and deeply felt the pathetic difference. She was very sure that Ulric liked her, but what he had done was far inferior to Ken’s protection of Melody.

Clenching her fists tightly, Mabel was so jealous that her nails dug into her flesh. She couldn’t accept all this crazy stuff. Melody was just an ugly girl from the countryside, but Ken always doted on her and took on her side no matter what happened.

Mabel thought to herself that Ken must be blind or bewitched. But no matter what, she would never believe that Ken had fallen in love with Melody.

Ken didn’t bother to waste his time on the Fox family people. He hugged Melody’s waist tightly and said to her, “Let’s go.” Then, he led Melody across the road.

When Melody passed by Russell, she stopped in her tracks and said coldly, “Be prepared. The Justalion Group will be returned to its original owner soon!”

Russell gritted his teeth and glared at Melody. He wanted to curse, but when he saw Ken’s cold gaze from the corner of his eye, he was so frightened that he quickly lowered his head. It was not until the car drove away that Russell dared to look up. His eyes were trembling as he looked in the direction where the car had left as if he had just come back from hell.

“Dad!” Mabel waited for the car to drive away before jumping out. She said indignantly, “Melody is too much. She was so rude to you and even brought Ken to threaten us. She doesn’t respect you at all. But it makes sense. She didn’t grow up by your side, so it’s normal for her to be so heartless.”

“That’s enough!” The veins on Russell’s forehead bulged. “Don’t ever mention the black market again. We’ll just treat her as dead!”

“Yes, Dad.” Mabel nodded obediently, but after a moment, she added worriedly, “But what if she really uses Ken’s power to snatch the shares?”

“Hmph! No matter how powerful Ken is, the company is still mine.

Without my permission, no one can rob any shares from me!” Although Russell said so on the surface, he still felt a little uneasy in his heart. He was extremely regretful that he had taken Melody back from the countryside.

At this moment, a car stopped in front of the Nathan family. The door opened and Owen got off.

Seeing this, Mabel quickly reminded Russell, “Dad, Mr. Nathan is here.”

Russell remembered his purpose for coming here. He quickly put aside those distracting thoughts and went up to Owen politely. “Mr. Nathan, glad to see you!”

Owen had been brought to the Swanson Group headquarters by Ken, which almost took his life. At this moment, he was depressed and dispirited. When he saw Russell, he forced himself to perk up and asked, “Mr. Fox, why are you here?”

“I wish to have a collaboration with you, so I came here personally to express my sincerity. Sorry that I did not inform you in advance. Please don’t take offense.” Russell observed Owen’s expression and asked, “Mr. Nathan, are you feeling unwell today? Why do you look so pale?”

“No…” Owen covered his nose and coughed. “I just have a cold. It’s fine. Since the two of you are here, come in.”

Russell nodded. As he followed Owen in, he introduced Mabel to him. “This is my daughter, Mabel. Last year, she won the Best Celebrity of Silverlake.”

Mabel revealed a polite smile and greeted Owen. “Hello, Mr. Nathan. Do you remember me? Shindy and I used to be classmates in school.”

At the mention of Shindy’s name, Owen looked up and smiled unnaturally. “So you’re Shindy’s friend. I’m too old and my memory isn’t good. Sorry for that.”

“No…” Mabel’s smile was stiff. No man could forget her when they saw her. It seemed like he was really old.

She forced a smile and asked, “Is Shindy at home? I haven’t seen her for a long time. I want to have a chat with her.”

“She-” As was looking for a reason to reject Mabel, Shindy’s voice suddenly sounded. “Mabel?”

Owen quickly looked in the direction of the voice. When he saw that Shindy had recovered, his eyes revealed a surprised expression. It seemed that Dr. Knowles’s method actually took effect so quickly. If she could completely cure Shindy, the nightmare he had experienced today was really worth it.

Shindy also noticed Owen’s gaze. She followed the servant’s instructions and regained her consciousness after drinking herbal soup. As for her wet nurse, she had personally slapped her in the face and got her imprisoned. She gave his father a reassuring look and walked to Mabel. “Long time no see, Mabel.”

“Hi.” Mabel took the initiative to hold Shindy’s hand and said, “We haven’t contacted each other in a long time. Let’s have a chat.”

“Okay.” Shindy hadn’t liked socializing before, but from today on, she intended to walk out of her comfort zone and start her life again.

Owen was slightly relieved when he saw that the two girls were chatting well. He turned to look at Russell and said, “Mr. Fox, shall we talk in the study?”

“Alright, alright, alright!” Russell quickly nodded and gave Mabel a satisfied look. Although he had given birth to an evil creature like Melody,

it was a comfort that he had an obedient and smart daughter like Mabel.

Chapter 548

Mabel noticed Russell’s satisfied gaze, but she was sneering in her heart. ‘Do you really think that I’m so stupid and will be at your disposal forever? You have even given up on Mom so easily. She has been in prison for so long, but you have never even mentioned saving her. No way!’

Whether it was her, her mother, or Melody who had already left the Fox family, in Russell’s eyes, they were just tools that he could give up at any time. She determined not to be used by such a selfish and weak man for the rest of her life. When she married the Swanson family and owned the Justalion Group, she must push Russell to that helpless cliff.

Mabel thought so in her heart, but on the surface, she hid the coldness in her eyes.

“Mabel, what are you looking at?” Shindy noticed Mabel’s pause.

When Mabel heard Shindy’s words, she suddenly came back to her senses. She retracted her gaze from Russell’s back and turned to smile at her friend. “I’m thinking that the two of us might meet often in the future.”

“Em?” Shindy tilted her head.

Mabel’s smile widened. “My father is here to work with your father. He wants to use your father’s idle factory to expand production.”

“I see.” Mabel nodded and said, “Let’s stop talking about their middle-aged stuff. I want to hear more about you. We haven’t seen each other for quite a few years. How are you doing? Are you with the boy you used to have a crush on?”

Shindy was low-key in school and was almost invisible among their classmates. Mabel could not remember who Shindy’s crush was, but she vaguely remembered that there was such a boy sitting next to her.

As expected, two pink spots immediately appeared on Shindy’s cheeks when she heard this question. “No… I haven’t contacted him in a long time. But I saw him today.”

Mabel was very happy that her memory was correct. Then she said hypocritically, “Really? That means that the two of you are destined to be together! What did he say? Did he show that he liked you or something like that?”

Shindy’s cheeks turned even more blushed. “No…”

Mabel knew that Shindy was interested in this topic, so she immediately insisted on it. “Then tell me what kind of person he is. It’s been so long that I’ve forgotten his name.”

“His name is Lucas Morgan. He’s… sunny.” Shindy sounded shy and lowered her head.

Mabel looked up. “Lucas Morgan? Professor Ander Morgan’s son?”

“Yes.” Shindy nodded. “I don’t think his family will accept me.”

“Nonsense! You have such a good personality and you’re so good-looking, Why would they not like you?” Mabel put her arm around Shindy’s shoulder as if they were very familiar with each other. Then, she sighed and said, “But I have the same troubles as you now.”

“Really?” Shindy revealed a surprised expression.

“Ulric Swanson, do you know?” Mabel asked.

“Of course, there’s no second person with this name in Silverlake,”

Shindy answered immediately.

“I’m with him now.” Mabel was calm when saying this.

“What?” Shindy was shocked for a while before she digested this shocking news. “But you’ve been the campus belle since junior high school. It’s normal for him to like you. You’re so outstanding, so you shouldn’t have such troubles like me.”

“Perhaps…” Mabel sighed and said, “Actually, my family has also changed drastically during this period of time. I have a sister who lives in the countryside. She has returned and her name is Melody. She also likes Ulric.”

Shindy frowned and said, “But as your sister, how could she steal your man? And you two are already together. Why is she still snatching your love?”

Mabel sighed again and began embellishing the facts and slandering Melody.

Shindy did not know that Wilona was Melody and immediately felt even more indignant about Mabel’s suffering.

At the same time, in the study, Russell was expressing his intention to cooperate with Owen. “I heard that Taynorma Capital is about to be acquired by the Swanson Group, but there are a few factories that are not within the purchasing range. I wonder if you can rent these factories to me? I’ll directly share some of the profits with you, how do you like that?”

Hearing acquisitions, Owen recalled the recent allegations against Ulric and Wendell. Ulric’s gaze from afar made his legs and stomach tremble even now. He dared not to get involved with the Swanson Group anymore, not to mention staying in Silverlake, afraid of Ulric taking revenge. That sense of oppression and the fear that rose from the bottom of his heart were etched in his heart and he definitely did not want to feel them again.

On the way back from the Swanson Group, Owen had already thought it through. He would immediately sell all the assets in Silverlake and then take his family somewhere else to start over. As for those he could not deal with for the time being, he would entrust someone else to handle them.

Thinking of this, Owen said with a pale face, “I also want to sell those factories. Since you need them, I might as well sell them to you.”

Russell only felt that Owen’s expression was a little strange, but he did not think too much about it. Maybe Owen had just been troubled by a cold as he had said just now. He rubbed his hands together and said tentatively, “Mr. Nathan, I actually wish to give you a commission because I don’t have much cash. I’m afraid I won’t be able to pay this amount.”

“If you don’t have enough money, you can take a loan. I can recommend the bank that I work with all year round,” Owen replied.

Russell looked troubled. He wanted to take advantage of the situation, but once he took out a loan, the risk would be on him alone.

“Mr. Fox, think about it carefully. My factories are worth 40 million dollars. I can sell them to you at a low price of 20 million dollars.” Owen provided a tempering deal.

“20 million dollars?” Russell could not help but waver. He thought that once he officially collaborated with the Swanson Group, the number of orders would surge and he would be able to make his money back quickly. He gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, I’ll go apply for a loan now and get the lawyer to draft the contract.”

“No problem. I’ll call the bank right now.” Owen agreed gladly.

After Melody got into Ken’s car, she asked in confusion, “Why didn’t Owen come back with you? Have you guys finished it?”

Ken looked at her and said, “It’s done.”

Melody was stunned and asked, “What do you mean?”

Ken waved the work pass in his hand and said, “From tomorrow onwards,

I will return to the headquarters and officially take over all of Wendell’s work.”

Melody suddenly widened her eyes and understood what Ken meant. “You… brought him directly to your father?”

Ken raised his eyebrows and said confidently, “Although there were no Ulric’s men around here; if I didn’t bring him to my father quickly, he would find out sooner or later that I haven’t given up on Owen. I was afraid that he would target Owen again, so I decided to go all out and immediately brought Owen to meet my father. Anyway, you’ve already exposed the person who poisoned Shindy as Ulric. You’ve also promised to treat Shindy. Owen must have chosen to stand on my side and tell me that Ulric and Wendell joined forces with him to fake the data.”

Chapter 549

Melody closed her shocked jaw. Bringing Owen over abruptly was indeed the most appropriate way and caught him off guard. However, to him, it was kind of too cruel.

“Then Ulric won’t take revenge on him, right?” she asked.

“I’m not sure.” Ken paused for a moment and said, “I’ve asked him to settle all his assets as soon as possible and leave Silverlake. No matter how capable Ulric is, he’s crippled so it’s too far for him to move outside Silverlake, and many things won’t be so easy for him. Although Owen did something wrong, he doesn’t deserve to die. When he decides where to go, I’ll get the people nearby to take care of him.”

“That’s right,” Melody agreed.

Ulric was disabled, so almost all his connections were gathered in Silverlake. Although he had some connections outside, they were not as reliable as Silverlake’s.

But Melody had a vague feeling that malicious doctors kept by Ulric’s side might really be able to treat his legs. By then, he would only become more difficult to deal with.

Just as she was feeling melancholic, the car suddenly stopped in front of a high-class restaurant.

She gave Ken a questioning look and Ken simply said, “Get out of the car.”

“What?” She looked confused.

“It’s all thanks to you that I’m able to return to the headquarters. So I have to treat you to a great meal.” His thin lips curled up, and his cold face became much gentler at this moment.

The feeling of her heart beating faster came again. Melody subconsciously pressed a certain acupoint to make herself calm down.

It just so happened that Ken knew that spot. His gaze unobtrusively shifted away from Melody’s hands. The smile on his lips deepened as he said, “Let’s go. We’ll talk about your promotion while eating.”

Melody was stunned. “Promotion?”

However, Ken did not answer her and opened the car door. Melody hurriedly followed closely behind.

This restaurant was called Blue Moon Lounge and its decoration was extremely luxurious.

Blue Moon Lounge was exactly the place where Ken asked her to look for him when they first met on the cruise ship. At that time, she thought that the two of them would not meet again. She did not expect that life went around and she was still finally there right now.

Melody walked in with heavy steps. It was mealtime now, and the seats were almost full.

Just as she was looking for an empty table, a graceful woman came with a smile. “Ken, why didn’t you tell me that you were coming? I wouldn’t have accepted other guests today.”

As the woman spoke, she placed her hand on Ken’s shoulder affectionately. She looked not young anymore, but she had a charm that made people ignore her age.

Melody was surprised to see that Ken did not shake off the woman’s hand.

What was more, he also seemed to be used to it. He turned to Melody and introduced, “This is Blue Moon Lounge’s boss. Her name is Moon.”

Melody suppressed the complicated emotions in her heart and nodded slightly at this woman. “Hello, my name is Melody Fox.”

“Hello.” The woman’s voice seemed to have an attractive hook as she looked at Melody. Suddenly, she reached out and poked her waist. “Wow, your waist is so…”

Melody froze and subconsciously took a step back. Seeing this, Moon covered her mouth and laughed.

“That’s enough.” Ken frowned and interrupted. “Arrange for a private room.”

“Got it.” Moon stopped laughing and led the two of them upstairs to a charming room that was facing the busy traffic outside and enjoyed a good view.

“Miss Fox, what would you like to eat?” As Moon poured water for Melody, she said proudly, “We have all the best cuisines here.”

“I’m fine with anything.” Melody smiled faintly.

“Anything is fine. But that is difficult for me.” Moon’s gaze landed on Ken. She suddenly pulled his sleeve and said, “Come with me to order. It’s her first time to eat here. I have to treat my customers well.”

Ken hesitated for a moment before turning to Melody. “Wait here for a moment. I’ll go to order.”

“Alright.” Looking at the two of them standing side by side, Melody could not tell what she was feeling at the moment, but anyway, she was not happy. She had always felt that Ken was a person with a distance of 3/6 women. ‘So it’s not that he doesn’t get close to women, but that he prefers mature women?’

As soon as the door closed, Ken said bluntly, “Just say it if you have something.” The soundproofing door made him confident that Melody couldn’t hear their talk outside.

Moon retracted her enchanting aura and pursed her lips in displeasure. “Hey, how could you speak to your elders like this?”

Ken frowned. “If you don’t tell me, I’m going back.”

Moon saw that Ken was about to return to the private room and quickly pulled him back. “Look at your bad temper! My sister wasn’t so impatient in the past.”

“Just tell me, now.” Ken rolled his eyes.

Moon shrugged and said, “Alright, your eyes are always so sharp. Tell me honestly, what’s your relationship with that young girl?”

“What do you mean?” Ken turned his back.

Moon glared at him and said, “Don’t think you can fool me. Your gaze at her makes me feel that something is wrong. It’s just that I don’t understand. There are a lot of beautiful girls outside. Why did you choose…”

“Who I like has nothing to do with how she looks.” Ken interrupted with his head up.

Moon burst out laughing. “So you do like her!”

Only then did Ken realize that he had been tricked, but he did not want to deny it.

Seeing that Ken didn’t say anything, Moon was completely certain of her guess. “Tell me honestly, what’s your relationship right now?”

Ken looked up at her. “We’re married.”

Moon’s expression froze. “Wh-what?”

“You didn’t hear wrongly. We’ve already registered our marriage, but she… doesn’t have any feelings for me. We did it just because Grandma accidentally forced us together.” Ken made an explanation.

Moon’s eyes widened in shock. “So you two are a legal couple but have never slept together.”

Ken fell into silence.

“What?” Moon cursed in exasperation. “Why are you so useless? You are smart and well-educated, right? Why can’t you handle a girl? You’ve already been married, but there’s no progress at all! Can your thing down there work?”

Ken glared at her with a livid expression. “You’d better stop here.”

Moon was shocked by Ken’s gaze. She asked in confusion, “No, no way? You really can’t do it in that aspect? When did it start? Have you seen a doctor?”

The veins on Ken’s forehead bulged. He took a deep breath and told himself that this woman was his aunt and the only family member who truly cared about him other than his grandmother. If he lost her, he would have one less family member.

With this hint, he suppressed his anger and said as calmly as possible, “Don’t worry, I’m very capable in that aspect! I don’t touch her because I respect her.”

Chapter 550

“Are you sure you don’t have any problems in that area?” Moon was skeptical as her gaze swept across Ken’s lower body.

Ken’s face darkened. He could not take it anymore and interrupted Moon. “That’s enough!”

Moon coughed and said, “Alright, alright. I’m asking this for your own good, right? Just hurry up! You’re already an adult. Don’t talk about stupid things like respect. If even sex can’t attract her, you’re most likely useless.”

Ken didn’t bother to answer Moon’s words. She could sleep with someone without the foundation of love, but he was the opposite. Without love, he could not do that, nor did he want to force her to do it.

Moon’s words every day were “enjoy the present”, while he cared more about the long term. This was also why he did not say it out even though he knew how he felt about Melody. He liked to take things step by step instead of scaring Melody abruptly. “Don’t worry about this. I know what I’m doing. Just pretend you don’t know.”

“Alright, as long as you know it. If you’re sick, go to see a doctor and treat your illness. If you’re not, make hay while the sun shines. I’ll go and keep an eye on the kitchen for you. I guarantee that my nephew’s wife will never forget our taste!” Moon left as she raised her head.

Ken massaged his temples with a headache. He indeed regretted talking to Moon about this. He should have denied that he liked Melody from the start. Then he sighed and returned to the room.

Melody was on the phone. He did not know what the person on the other end of the line said, but her eyes curved into a smile as she said, “Congratulations.”

It was obvious that she was genuinely happy for that person. For some reason, Ken’s heart ached.

After Melody hung up the phone, he asked expressionlessly, “Who is it?”

Only then did Melody notice that Ken had returned. Her smile faded a little as she said, “Zaza, Zara Wentworth. She told me that she had signed the contract for Artist’s Wardrobe Season 2.”

“Oh.” Knowing that it was a woman, the jealousy in Ken’s heart dissipated. “Although I’m going back to the headquarters, I’ll still be in charge of Swanson Universal Entertainment. I’ll take good care of her for you.”

Melody frowned and corrected him. “Not taking care of her for me. It’s for yourself and Sid. Let me put it this way. If she hadn’t come over to give Sid a blood transfusion, Sid might have been gone by now.”

Ken’s eyes flashed like a child who had said something wrong. “Sorry, that was a slip of the tongue.”

“It’s fine…” Melody shook her head. “I was too conflicted with the words. No matter what the reason is, just take good care of her.”

Ken opened his mouth but did not know what to say. He felt that ever since he entered Blue Moon Lounge, Melody seemed to have become cold to him again.

‘But… why?’ Ken racked his brain to recall if he had done or said anything offensive.

However, everything was normal. so he changed the topic.

“Regarding what I said in the car about giving you a promotion, I want to hear your opinion. Previously, you made a bet with Jane. As long as you can let Zack work here, you can enter the HR department. Now that Zack has been accepted for almost a week, it’s time to fulfill the bet at that time. But now I feel that it’s a waste of talent to let you stay in the HR department alone.”

Melody lowered her eyes and tightened her grip on the cup. She originally planned to stop contacting Ken again after settling the matter with Owen and returning the favor she owed. However, now that Sid was in trouble and the Blevins family had died at the airport, the aftermath of the Children’s Palace incident was extended. She had no idea what to do next.

However, she was very sure that she could not stay so close to Ken anymore. Although she wasn’t quick in mind when it came to relationships, she had realized something now. Every time she saw Ken, her heart started to bounce. It was a sign that she had fallen for him. She definitely did not want to experience the tragic ending of being used and finally killed like in her previous life.

Although based on her understanding of Ken, he was completely different from Ulric and would not be that kind of person, she was really afraid of relationships and tried to keep a distance. Even if it was unrequited love, she still found it terrifying. So as soon as this thought appeared, she had to cut it off.

With that in mind, Melody took a deep breath and said, “I think there’s another more important thing to do first. It has been delayed for a long time.”

Ken had a bad feeling, but he still asked, “What is it?”

“To divorce.” Melody looked straight at Ken and said, “We were going to do it last time, but there’s a problem with equipment in the city hall. It’s been a long time, and it must have been repaired. Why don’t we go to divorce after this meal? You don’t have any plans later, right?”

Ken was silent for a while before saying, “I have a meeting later. I’m not sure if I have time.”

“Tomorrow, then. Tomorrow, see when you’re free. I’ll come find you and then we’ll go over together.”

Ken looked at her with his clear eyes. “Why are you in such a hurry? Not many people know that we’re married anyway. And aren’t we still acting to my father?”

Melody shrugged and said with a natural expression, “Then find a new one for your show. There are so many beauties around you. It’s not good for me to occupy this valuable title but do nothing. It’s better to leave it to those who need it.”

Ken’s expression froze. He suddenly realized something and curled his lips playfully. “You think that woman just now is beautiful?”

Melody did not know why Ken asked this question. She replied somewhat unhappily, “She’s very beautiful and has a temperament. Although she looks a little old, she might be a good choice.”

The smile on Ken’s lips deepened. He nodded and said, “Yes, I also think she’s very beautiful and elegant.”

Melody’s grip on the cup tightened again, and she even felt breathless in her chest as the corners of her lips twitched stiffly. “Right. It’s just that I didn’t expect your type of dreamlover to be…”

Before she could finish speaking, Moon came over with a tray.

She placed the dishes on the table and asked gossipily, “What are you guys talking about? Why did I hear the words ‘type of dreamlover’ just now? Miss Fox, what’s kind of you man you like?”

Melody shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t have any particular type.”

“Really? At your age, don’t you usually fancy a type of man?” Moon sat beside Melody and held her arm. “Just tell me. I’m really curious.”

由

SEND GIFT

COMMENT

Subscribed

♡
Prev | Next 

Chapter 541

When she asked the question, the two servants exchanged glances, as if hesitating to speak.

Melody frowned and feigned sternness. “If you don’t say anything, I’ll assume Miss Nathan has no allergies. But if anything goes wrong with this prescription, it won’t be my responsibility.”

Startled, the two servants responded, “Pauline has known Miss Nathan since she was a child. We’ll go get her.”

Melody raised an eyebrow. “Go ahead.”

Soon, the wet nurse, Pauline Landry, was brought in by the two servants.

In front of Melody, an outsider, Pauline dropped her usual arrogance and put on a flattering smile. Obviously, she was used to lording over the other servants in the Nathan family, bullying them, and hiding things from her superiors, making her adept at switching her demeanor.

She asked, “Dr. Knowles, they told me you wanted to ask about what Miss Shindy might be allergic to?”

“That’s right.” Melody nodded and gestured to the chair opposite. “Have a seat. Let’s talk.”

“Alright…” Pauline sat and said, “Miss Shindy isn’t allergic to anything. She doesn’t react to cephalosporins or penicillin, but she seems to have a slight alcohol allergy. Though I suppose there’s no alcohol in traditional medicine, right?”

“Indeed, only some medicines contain alcohol.” Melody pretended to be grateful. “Alright, I understand now. You may go.”

Pauline felt relieved, but as she took a few steps, Melody suddenly called out, “Wait.”

Pauline turned back in confusion, only to hear Melody calmly ask, “Have you been feeling your heart race recently, having trouble sleeping at night, and experiencing dizziness and ringing in your ears when you wake up in the morning?”

Pauline’s eyes widened in shock. “How did you know that…?”

Melody replied, “Traditional medicine relies on observation and inquiry. I noticed it from your complexion, but to be sure, I’d need to check your pulse to see if there’s an underlying condition.”

Hearing this, Pauline immediately approached Melody and asked, “Dr. Knowles, could you please check my pulse?”

“Sure. Since Mr. Nathan hasn’t returned yet, I’m free anyway,” Melody said as she gestured for Pauline to extend her wrist.

Pauline quickly offered her hand for Melody to take her pulse.

After about a minute, Melody’s eyelid twitched slightly. Her suspicion was correct. Pauline had indeed been drinking Three Steps Wine.

Judging by her pulse, she had been drinking it regularly for some time.

The question was whether Pauline had consumed it unknowingly or if she had a deal with Ulric, drinking it intentionally.

However, given how foolish she seemed, it seemed she was not qualified to collaborate with Ulric.

Melody didn’t show any sign of her thoughts and made up a diagnosis. “This condition is usually triggered by drinking strong tonic wines. Have you been drinking a lot lately?”

Pauline averted her eyes, feeling guilty. “N-no, I rarely drink.”

“Is that so?” Melody gave Pauline a meaningful look. Pretending to be puzzled, she said, “That’s strange. If you rarely drink, you shouldn’t have developed such a severe illness.”

“Severe illness?” Pauline was terrified and quickly asked, “Is my condition serious? Could I die?”

Melody shook her head, then nodded. “If it’s caught early and treated promptly, it won’t be life-threatening. However, it could be problematic if treatment is delayed. Moreover, this disease is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. You’re lucky that I detected it in the early stages.”

“Then… does that mean… you can cure me?”

“Of course.” Melody raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and said, “But it might also be a misdiagnosis on my part. This illness is only caused by alcohol, but you don’t drink much…”

Pauline’s expression changed. After a moment of hesitation, she said, “Dr. Knowles, I misspoke earlier. I usually don’t drink much, but in the past two months, I’ve been having a little every day…”

“That explains it.” Melody clapped her hands and said, “Come on, take me to see what kind of alcohol it is.”

Pauline asked in surprise, “Aren’t you supposed to be diagnosing me? Why do you need to see the alcohol?”

Melody smoothly made something up. “Have you ever heard we should treat the disease by addressing its cause?”

Pauline nodded, still a bit confused. “I have.”

“Exactly. I need to see what’s in the alcohol you’re drinking so I can prescribe the right treatment.”

Hearing this, Pauline became more concerned about her health than anything else. She led Melody to her room.

As Melody entered, she could tell Pauline had a privileged position in the household. Most servant quarters were cramped with multiple people sharing a room, but Pauline had a spacious room all to herself. Considering Shindy’s situation, Melody could understand why.

A woman in her twenties who had never weaned, with her mother long deceased, would naturally be especially close to her wet nurse.

“These are the two jars of wine.” Pauline pointed to a couple of jars in the corner. “I’ve already drunk some, but these two jars are still full.”

Melody nodded and opened one of the jars. She dipped her finger in to get a few drops, which she then sniffed.

It was indeed the scent of Three Steps Wine, though… it seemed to contain a few additional herbs.

Melody dipped her finger again and placed a drop on her lips, tasting it carefully. Her taste buds confirmed that these two jars were indeed Three Steps Wine that contained some kind of slow-acting poison.

Once the remaining wine was consumed, Pauline would likely meet her end. And Shindy’s fate would be the same.

The danger of the slow-acting poison in the wine was that it could be passed through the milk.

The poison wouldn’t be detectable through pulse checking or facial observation until it started to take effect.

No wonder Shindy was constantly drowsy and bedridden, with a flushed face but a cold body. It must have been the combined effects of the Three Steps Wine and the poison.

What puzzled Melody was that Pauline’s symptoms should have been more severe than Shindy’s, yet she only displayed mild symptoms.

Melody asked, “Besides drinking wine, have you been consuming anything else recently?”

Now convinced she was gravely ill, Pauline answered truthfully, “Aside from the wine, I’ve also been drinking some herbal soup. Oh, right, the herbal soup was a gift from a traditional medicine doctor I met.”

“Traditional medicine doctor?” Melody’s eyelid twitched as she asked, “Where’s the herbal soup?”

“Right here.” Pauline retrieved a bottle of herbal soup from a shelf and handed it to Melody. “This soup has been good for my health. Sometimes when I feel a bit tipsy, I’ll drink it, and it seems to help with the hangover.”

Melody opened the bottle, and a flash of realization crossed her eyes.

This wasn’t just herbal soup. It was dried arrowroot flowers mixed with other detoxifying herbs.

The only thing that could counteract the effects of Three Steps Wine was the arrowroot flower, and it worked remarkably well.

It was no wonder Pauline’s symptoms were lighter than Shindy’s…

“Do you remember what the person who gave you this looked like?”

Melody asked.

Chapter 542

“I don’t remember.” Pauline shook her head and said, “And she was wearing a mask at the time, so even if I had a good memory, I wouldn’t know what she looked like.”

Melody was both amused and exasperated. “You’re quite trusting. You didn’t even see what she looked like, yet you consumed what she gave you without a second thought. Aren’t you worried it could be poisoned?”

Pauline waved her hand dismissively. “Who would bother trying to poison me?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Pauline suddenly realized something was wrong. Her eyes widened, and she asked, “Are you saying this soup is poisonous?”

Melody crossed her arms and let out a wry laugh. “No, quite the opposite. This actually helped you. I guess fortune favors fools…”

In her mind, Melody was now certain that Pauline couldn’t possibly be collaborating with Ulric. Pauline was just an unwitting pawn, unaware of her role in the scheme.

If Lucas hadn’t come by today, she wouldn’t have discovered any of this, let alone been able to treat Shindy’s illness. She wasn’t sure if it was Shindy’s luck or her own.

However, Pauline was clueless about what Melody meant. “Dr. Knowles, what do you mean by saying this soup helped me?”

Having confirmed that Pauline was completely in the dark, Melody decided there was no point in continuing the act. She replied bluntly, “The wine you’ve been drinking is poisoned, and the reason Miss Nathan is bedridden is because you’ve passed the poison on to her.”

“W-what?” Pauline’s eyes widened in shock. Her face was filled with terror. “That’s impossible… I’m fine, so how could Miss Nathan be in trouble?”

Melody tossed the bottle of soup in front of Pauline and said, “Because someone didn’t want you to die just yet!”

“W-what do you mean by that?” Pauline couldn’t grasp the full meaning of Melody’s words, but her instincts told her that she might have caused a serious problem. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

At that moment, Owen returned from work. Seeing Pauline sitting on the floor with a shocked face, a sense of foreboding gripped his heart.

He asked, “Dr. Knowles, what is going on here?”

“I’ve discovered the cause of Miss Nathan’s illness,” Melody replied, pointing to the wine in Pauline’s room. “Those two jars of wine are poisoned.”

Owen’s eyes widened in shock. “Poisoned?”

Pauline recoiled instinctively, blurting out, “I didn’t know the wine was poisoned! I swear I had no idea! I swear!”

Owen frowned, turning to Melody. “Dr. Knowles, even if the wine is poisoned, my daughter doesn’t drink alcohol. How could the poison possibly affect her?”

“That’s a question for you to answer,” Melody replied calmly. “Miss Nathan is known for being low-key and reserved, unlike those flamboyant socialites. People might think it’s because of your good upbringing, but if you raised her well, why would you allow her to still be nursing in her twenties?”

Owen snapped his gaze toward Melody. “Dr. Knowles, how… how did you know that?”

Pauline was well-paid for her services in the Nathan family and would never have revealed such a secret.

Melody responded coolly, “How I know is irrelevant. Are you saying your pride is more important than Miss Nathan’s safety?”

“Of course not…” Owen took a deep breath and asked, “Why do you say my daughter’s illness is caused by the poison in the wine?”

Melody raised an eyebrow and said, “Surely you’re aware that some illnesses can be transmitted through breast milk? Poison and alcohol are no different. There are records where a wet nurse, who was fond of drinking, would nurse a child after consuming alcohol, causing the child to become intoxicated.”

She continued, “Miss Nathan’s long-term sleepiness is due to Pauline drinking a strong liquor called ‘Three Steps Wine,’ while Miss Nathan herself has a poor tolerance for alcohol. As a result, she is constantly in a state of intoxication. Additionally, the chronic poison in the wine has been slowly accumulating in her body. If this continues, she will never be able to get out of bed again.”

With every word Melody spoke, Owen’s face grew increasingly tense. By the time she finished, his face was hardened with rage.

“Poison… it was poison…” Owen slowly clenched his fists, his gaze turning icy as he glared at Pauline.

Pauline, trembling in fear, immediately pleaded, “Mr. Nathan, I didn’t know the wine was poisoned! If I had known, why would I drink it? I would never harm Miss Nathan, even if it meant risking my own life! Please, you must believe me!”

Owen ground his teeth, nearly driven to strangle Pauline in his rage, but he managed to keep his composure.

His rational mind reminded him that Pauline had been with the family for years and was even closer to Shindy than he was. She would never have knowingly drunk the poisoned wine. Yet, the fact remained that it was Pauline’s actions that had caused Shindy’s poisoning.

“Then answer me honestly. Where did those two jars of wine come from?” Owen struggled to keep his anger in check as he questioned her.

“I-I bought them…” Pauline stammered, instinctively lowering her gaze as she spoke.

Melody immediately caught the subtle change in Pauline’s expression. With a low chuckle, she asked, “You bought them? Do you have any idea how much those jars are worth?”

“They’re just a few jars… how much could they possibly be worth?” Pauline replied dismissively.

Melody smirked. “A few jars? You truly don’t know these are expensive jars. Let me put it this way. Just one jar could buy this entire Nathan family estate.”

Pauline’s eyes shot up in disbelief. “That’s impossible…”

Melody’s expression turned cold. “Still not telling the truth? Don’t you realize that poisoning someone is far more serious than whatever it is you’re trying to hide? This could land you in prison, and it’s not just a matter of compensation!”

Owen had lost all patience. No longer holding back, he snapped at the long-time servant with no trace of his kindness. “Tell me the truth, or I’ll call the police right now!”

Pauline’s hands trembled uncontrollably as the fear she had been suppressing finally overwhelmed her. She stammered, “I-I took the wine without permission…”

“What do you mean?” Owen pressed her with a frown, while Melody remained unperturbed, having already deduced the truth.

As she expected, Pauline’s story matched her suspicions exactly.

Shindy lost her mother at a young age, and although Pauline was a servant, Shindy saw her as a mother figure. Pauline had indeed raised Shindy, continuing to nurse her even into adulthood.

This abnormal dependency gave Pauline increasing influence within the Nathan household, to the point where even the family’s steward had to defer to her.

This was why Pauline could boss around the kitchen staff as she pleased. But with power came greed.

Despite Taynorma Capital facing a takeover by the Swanson Group, the Nathan family still had considerable assets, attracting those who wanted to curry favor. However, Owen often rejected gifts.

Seeing a profitable opportunity, Pauline volunteered to “return” these gifts.

On the surface, she appeared to return them, but in reality, she kept them for herself. The jars of wine were among the items she had taken in this way.

Chapter 543

Upon hearing Pauline’s words, Owen was furious, directing his anger both at her and at himself.

He said, “I must have been blind, raising a parasite in my own home, and I only discovered it today! Tell me the truth right now! Who sent that wine?”

Pauline’s lips trembled as she replied, “I don’t know… I really don’t remember. I didn’t recognize the people who brought it…”

Her evasiveness only fueled Owen’s anger. “You wretched old woman! I’ll beat you to death!”

As Owen moved to strike Pauline, Melody hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.

She grabbed his hand and urged, “Mr. Nathan! Now is not the time to punish her. The priority right now is Miss Nathan’s health.”

Owen took a deep breath, regaining some composure. “Dr. Knowles, can you cure my daughter?”

“There is a way, but it will be a bit complicated.”

Owen’s eyes lit up, his anger momentarily forgotten. “Dr. Knowles, as long as you can save my daughter, just name your price. I won’t haggle over a single cent!”

Melody didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she glanced at Pauline.

Understanding her unspoken request, Owen quickly ordered his servants to take Pauline away. “Lock her up, and don’t let her escape!”

After issuing the order, Owen returned to Melody. His tone was much softer. “Dr. Knowles, what do you need to do to save my daughter? I promised my late wife that I would take good care of Shindy. I can’t let anything happen to her!”

Seeing the middle-aged man on the verge of tears moved Melody. She had never experienced a father’s love, but Owen showed her what it meant.

If Russell had cared for her half as much as Owen did for Shindy, she wouldn’t have ended up at odds with the Fox family.

But Melody quickly reminded herself of her original purpose. She calmed herself before speaking. “This wine, ‘Three Steps Wine,’ is extremely potent and the main cause of Miss Nathan’s long-term lethargy. The symptoms of intoxication and drowsiness can be easily treated, and the antidote is already here.”

She weighed the bottle of herbal soup Pauline had left behind and tossed it to Owen.

Owen asked, “This is the antidote? How did it end up here?”

Melody explained, “The person who targeted your daughter set up a plan to ensure Pauline, the ‘host,’ would last longer. The soup contains arrowroot flowers. After quitting breast milk, Miss Nathan should drink it twice a day. In two to three days, her condition will improve.”

Owen awkwardly clutched the bottle. The Nathan family’s secret, hidden for over twenty years, had been casually exposed by Melody.

But then Owen realized that Melody had only given him part of the information. He quickly asked, “What about the poison in the wine?”

“The poison… I’ll need some time to think of a proper antidote,” she replied.

Owen asked in confusion, “Is this poison very difficult to neutralize?”

Melody gave him a meaningful look. “Do you know who might have poisoned your daughter?”

“I don’t know… I have many business rivals. I can’t be certain which one of them would go this far…”

Melody held up her hand to stop him. “I’m not talking about the poison right now. Let’s discuss the wine first. Three Steps Wine. Did you know it is a banned liquor?”

“Banned? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“So let me explain. It’s banned because… it was created by malicious doctors and is highly addictive.”

At the mention of “malicious doctors,” Owen’s eyes widened, and his pupils constricted. “Malicious doctors?”

Melody nodded. “Mr. Nathan, think about it. Even if your business rivals hated you, would they risk their careers just to harm your daughter? Who among your enemies knows you and the Nathan family so well and has the means to involve malicious doctors without fearing the

consequences? Or better yet, who in all of Silverlake has the power to shield malicious doctors?”

Owen felt his body stiffen. The mere thought of malicious doctors, a matter of grave concern to the authorities, chilled him. In all of Silverlake, only one family was influenced to harbor such figures…

“The Swanson family… It must be either Ulric or Ken…” The moment he spoke, Owen realized he had inadvertently voiced his suspicions and quickly covered his mouth.

But when he saw that Melody wasn’t surprised and had a knowing smile, he understood immediately. He asked sternly, “Who are you?”

Melody spread her hands. “No need to be alarmed. I’m a doctor who can cure your daughter. You don’t have to doubt that.”

Owen wasn’t a fool. He was now certain of her true identity. “You’re one of Ken’s people! He sent you here to blackmail me with the antidote!”

Melody didn’t deny it. “I wouldn’t call it blackmail. Let’s say it’s a fair trade. As I mentioned earlier, for me to cure Shindy, you’ll need to agree to one condition. And by now, I think you know what that condition is.”

Owen clenched his fists, his emotions in turmoil. “You want me to return to Ken’s side, betray Ulric, and help Ken regain his position at the Swanson Group’s headquarters.”

Melody smiled. “You’re a smart man, Mr. Nathan. And because of that, you should realize that the person truly trying to harm you isn’t Ken.”

Sweat formed on Owen’s forehead.

It was true. If Ken wanted to threaten him using Shindy’s life, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths.

He could have chosen a simpler method to ensure Owen knew he was being coerced, without hiding it for so long. Moreover, during Shindy’s illness, it was Ulric’s people, not Ken’s, who frequently visited his home.

Seeing the change in Owen’s expression, Melody knew it was time for Ken to speak with him directly. She said, “I have a friend waiting for you. Would you like to come with me?”

Owen knew exactly who she meant by “friend.”

He was not one to waver. He had already betrayed Ken once, and switching sides again would make him an outcast in both camps. But the thought of Shindy’s condition made his head throb.

Melody said calmly, “I’ll give you three minutes to decide. Your reputation or your daughter’s life. And don’t blame us for pushing you. It was your greed that led you to betray us and side with Ulric. If not for that, none of this would be happening. Take your time. I’ll wait.”

She patted Owen on the shoulder and walked to the door, waiting patiently for him to make his decision.

Meanwhile, James finally managed to trace the call records from the SIM card Janet had purchased at the airport, thanks to his connections in the black market.

Chapter 544

The moment James received the call records, he wasted no time. He forwarded them directly to Ken’s email without glancing at them.

At that moment, Ken was waiting in his car for Melody to bring Owen over.

As soon as he saw the email from James, Ken’s brows furrowed, and he opened it. The second his eyes landed on the string of numbers in the call records, his expression darkened, and the temperature inside the car seemed to plummet.

He found it unbelievable.

His eyes revealed intense rage, like a tornado that swept away the last shred of trust he had left for Janet.

Just then, the car door suddenly swung open.

Ken turned his cold gaze to see who it was and found himself staring into a pair of clear eyes. It was Melody’s eyes.

Ken lowered his gaze, and when he looked back at Melody, the coldness in his eyes had completely vanished.

“You’re here?” His tone was as calm as ever, showing no sign of what he had just learned.

However, Melody had already remembered his gaze just now.

In all the time she had known Ken, she had never seen him look like that. Not even when dealing with Ulric, or when they first met.

His gaze was piercing and extremely intimidating, sending a chill down her spine.

Ignoring Ken’s words, Melody frowned and asked, “What happened?”

Ken smiled slightly. “What do you mean?”

“You just-” Melody started to press him for answers when Owen’s cough interrupted her. She remembered the matter at hand and said, “I’ve brought Mr. Nathan. You two talk, I’ll head back to the Nathan family’s place to handle something.”

“Alright.” Ken nodded, his gaze shifting to Owen, who stood behind Melody.

Owen’s nerves were nowhere near as steely as Melody’s. Even though Ken had reined in his intimidating aura, just one look from him made Owen’s heart tighten with fear. Instinctively, he avoided meeting Ken’s eyes.

Without emotion, Ken reminded him, “Mr. Nathan, do you want everyone to know you’ve reconnected with me?”

Startled back to his senses, Owen quickly bowed his head and climbed into the car, ignoring the powerful presence beside him.

As soon as the door closed, Ken’s deep voice broke the silence. “Let’s go.”

“Go… go…?” Owen stammered, mustering the courage to ask, “Where are we going?”

Ken glanced at him with a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes. “To the Swanson Group headquarters, of course, where you’ll explain those falsified accounts and the dirty deals you made with Ulric.”

“Wha-what? Right now? Mr. Swanson, there must be some mistake! We haven’t even started negotiations yet… I-I haven’t agreed to anything!”

“Oh? So you’re choosing your career over your daughter’s life. That’s fine, too. Stop the car…”

“Wait!” Owen was on edge. “Mr. Swanson! Please, listen to me. I don’t want to sacrifice my daughter. She’s my most precious thing. I just haven’t had time to prepare myself!”

Ken chuckled coldly, though his eyes remained hard. “I’m not asking you to spin a story, just to tell the truth. There’s no preparation needed. All you have to do is be honest about what you’ve done and what you know.”

“N-no… Mr. Swanson, I’m really not ready yet. This is too sudden! You can’t just drag me to meet the chairman without giving me a moment to collect myself!”

“Fine.” Ken nodded. “I’ll give you time to prepare your thoughts…”

Owen finally breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could fully exhale, he heard Ken instruct the driver, “Slow down a bit. Give Mr. Nathan more time to prepare.”

The driver obediently replied, “Yes.” The car indeed slowed down, but only by ten miles per hour.

Owen felt irritated. It was as if Ken was toying with him like an animal in a zoo, and he was the helpless creature being mocked.

The man known as the devil of Silverlake truly lived up to his reputation. And here he was, after betraying the devil, making deals with him again.

Regret washed over Owen, but there was no turning back now…

Ken’s ruthless efficiency caught Owen by surprise, and naturally, it shocked the rest of the Swanson family as well. It wasn’t until Ulric was wheeled into the Swanson Group headquarters by Ramon that he realized how dire the situation had become.

Meanwhile, after returning to the Nathan family’s place, Melody didn’t immediately seek out Shindy. Instead, she went to Pauline’s room to continue her investigation.

Her efforts soon paid off, revealing something that suddenly made a lot of sense to her.

“So that’s it…” Melody murmured, her eyes narrowing as she had a servant take her to the locked-up Pauline.

Pauline, already in a state of panic, began crying and pleading the moment she saw Melody. “Dr. Knowles, I swear, I didn’t know there was poison in that wine! If I had known, I wouldn’t have dared to harm Miss Nathan!”

Melody remained calm, pulling out a chair to sit down. “When did you start drinking?”

Pauline averted her eyes, replying nervously, “Drinking? I only started drinking a little every day after I got those barrels of wine.”

Melody sneered. “Still not telling the truth?”

“I-I am telling the truth! Miss Nathan never had that sleeping problem before I started drinking those wines!”

Seeing that Pauline was sticking to her story, Melody’s patience wore thin, and the smile vanished from her face. “You’re still lying? Take a look at this.”

As she spoke, Melody pulled out a small bottle from her pocket. The liquid inside was a pale white, sealed with a cork, seemingly ordinary but enough to drain the color from Pauline’s face.

Pauline asked, “H-how did you find that…?”

Melody shook the bottle gently, her expression indifferent. “When you first arrived here, you were already an alcoholic, gambling away your money and drowning in debt.”

She continued, “Seeing that Shindy was about to be weaned, you were about to lose your job. So you resorted to this, ensuring Shindy would remain dependent on you. And you succeeded. To this day, she still hasn’t been weaned. Your wicked deeds have gone unnoticed, until now!”

“You… you…” Pauline was so terrified that her pupils contracted, and she was unable to form a coherent sentence.

Melody smirked coldly. “You thought no one would ever find out? Shindy and the entire Nathan family have been deceived by you for years. How does your conscience handle that? I’m genuinely curious. Have you never felt guilty, never had a single nightmare?”

With the last barrier of her deceit torn down, Pauline’s expression shifted from terror to rage.

“Shut up! Shut up!” Completely unhinged, Pauline screamed and lunged at Melody in a fit of desperation.

Chapter 545

“You bitch! Shut up! I swear I’ll kill you!” Pauline’s face twisted into a horrifying expression that sent chills down the spine.

But Melody remained unflinching and smiled coldly, Pauline wanted to lash out after her secret was exposed. How foolish.

To Melody, Pauline’s movements seemed to play out in slow motion. She didn’t rush to dodge, calmly waiting until Pauline was right in front of her before reacting.

Just as Pauline’s hands were about to claw at her face, Melody sidestepped, avoiding the attack with ease. In the blink of an eye, she was behind Pauline, delivering a sharp kick to the back of her leg.

With a dull thud, Pauline crashed to her knees. The sound indicated how painful the fall was.

Pauline winced in pain, hissing through her teeth, but Melody showed no mercy. She pressed her foot down on Pauline’s back, forcing her flat against the floor, completely immobilized.

“Let go of me!” Pauline’s eyes were bloodshot with rage and fear.

Melody was about to respond when she caught sight of a figure that shouldn’t have been there.

Pausing for a moment, she had a sly smile and asked, “You used poppy juice to make Miss Nathan dependent on you. Do you truly feel no guilt at all? From what I know, she regards you as a second mother, and the entire Nathan family considers you one of their own.”

“Second mother? One of their own? Ridiculous!” Pauline let out a bitter, mocking laugh.

She continued, “I went to all this trouble to stay with the Nathan family for their money. The only reason they kept me around was because Shindy couldn’t quit breast milk. If she did quit, they would have kicked me out long ago. How could they see me as one of their own? We’re all just using each other!”

Melody raised an eyebrow slightly. “So, you’ve never had genuine affection for the Nathan family?”

“Of course not! To them, I’m nothing more than a milk cow. Why should I care about them? They don’t care about me either!”

Pauline suddenly changed her tone, struggling to turn her head to look at Melody, who was still pinning her down.

She said, “Dr. Knowles, I’ve made quite a bit of money over the years working for the Nathan family. If you keep this a secret, I’ll give you half of my savings! How about it? You can earn money by keeping a secret.”

Melody scoffed. “I’m afraid I can’t take your money.”

“What do you mean by that? We don’t talk about it, and no one will ever know that I’ve been using poppy juice to keep Shindy from quitting breast milk.”

Melody’s smile widened, and she suddenly glanced towards the doorway.

Pauline, noticing Melody’s shift in gaze, felt a sudden pang of dread. She followed Melody’s line of sight, only to see Shindy, who should have been resting in bed, standing at the door. Behind Shindy were Albert and Laura. Their faces were grim, their eyes filled with an intense fury that seemed ready to tear her apart.

Pauline shuddered violently and, overwhelmed by fear, fainted on the spot.

Melody lifted her foot from Pauline’s back, brushing off her pants as if dusting away something unpleasant, and then looked up at the three members of the Nathan family.

Melody said, “You all heard what she said. How you choose to deal with this is up to you. Once I leave this room, I won’t know a thing.”

“Dr. Knowles, I sincerely apologize for my previous rudeness, and thank you for everything you’ve done for the Nathan family.” Albert bowed to her, his sincerity evident.

Laura looked at Melody with equal gratitude, her eyes filled with appreciation.

Melody waved her hand dismissively, her gaze shifting to Shindy.

She said, “Miss Nathan, your father might not have had the chance to tell you yet. Besides the poppy juice, there’s also a chronic poison in your system, which you got because of Pauline. I’ll work on an antidote for the poison, but it will require your determination to break free from the dependency.”

Shindy wanted to speak but couldn’t utter a word. From Shindy’s reaction, Melody could tell that her feelings for Pauline were genuine, which made her sigh inwardly.

Melody knew all too well the pain of having one’s trust shattered, having experienced it herself.

With this in mind, Melody softened her tone. “It’s not as difficult as it seems. I know of a remedy that can help break the dependency faster. Once I’ve perfected the formula, I’ll bring it to you.”

“Thank you…” Shindy finally forced out the words, her cracked.

Melody nodded. “How do you plan to deal with her?”

“I want to wait until she wakes up before deciding,” Shindy replied in a hoarse voice. She took a step forward, but suddenly her legs gave out, and she started to fall.

Fortunately, Melody was quick to react and caught her before she hit the ground.

“Thank you…” Shindy managed to say, her eyes red with unshed tears.

“Don’t worry,” Melody said, releasing Shindy’s arm as her grandparents rushed forward to support her.

“Shindy, she isn’t worth your tears. Don’t be sad over a woman like that!”

“That’s right, my dear. If you’re feeling lonely, we’ll stay with you here in Silverlake. There’s no need to go back to Insterimond!”

Melody listened to their comforting words, knowing full well that such reassurances wouldn’t ease Shindy’s pain. It reminded her of her own experiences, and she quietly left with a heavy heart.

As she walked away from the Nathan family’s residence, Melody’s thoughts grew increasingly uneasy.

She realized that despite all the years she had spent with Ulric in her previous life, she had only scratched the surface of understanding him.

He was ruthless, patient, and masterful at deception. To handle someone as insignificant as Owen, he had orchestrated everything with meticulous precision… ‘What about the things that matter to him even more?’

If it hadn’t been for Ken at the youth center, she might already be dead. The next encounter would be more dangerous.

After her rebirth, Melody was confident in her ability to take revenge on Ulric. But as time went on, that confidence began to waver.

‘Can I achieve vengeance on my own?’ For the first time, Melody doubted herself. Just then, her phone rang in her pocket. It was Ken.

Melody took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before answering. “Hello?”

Ken asked, “Where are you?”

“Outside the Nathan family’s residence.”

“Stay where you are. I’ll come pick you up,”

Before Melody could respond, Ken had already hung up, leaving her no chance to refuse.

Melody sighed. Whether she succeeded or not, giving up halfway wasn’t her style. Having been given a second chance at life, she wasn’t going to let it go to waste.

Melody tightened her grip on her phone.

Not long after, a luxury car pulled up in front of her. But when the window rolled down, it wasn’t Ken inside.

由

SEND GIFT

COMMENT

Subscribed

♡
Prev | Next 

Chapter 536

The voice came from…

Melody turned in shock, meeting Lucas’s gaze. Lucas was wearing a hospital gown with a jacket over it, and he looked quite energetic.

Melody instinctively furrowed her brows and asked, “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be in the hospital?”

Lucas walked over a few steps and said in a tone only the two of them could hear, “Dr. Stanton was doing my rounds and mentioned your situation. I decided to come on his behalf.”

“Does Dr. Stanton know?”

“He knows. He suggested I get some fresh air, but my parents don’t know.”

“You really…” Melody sighed but said nothing more.

She had been on the verge of being kicked out by Albert. To expose Cason’s true nature and treat Shindy as quickly as possible, she contacted Rodney secretly.

She hadn’t expected Lucas to come in person. Since he was already here, she couldn’t just send him away.

Melody reluctantly introduced Lucas to the Nathan family, saying, “Mr. Nathan, this is…”

“Lucas?” Owen recognized Lucas first and stepped forward in surprise, asking, “You’re feeling better?”

Lucas replied, “Hello, Mr. Nathan. Thanks for your concern. I should be able to be discharged within half a month.”

Melody looked at them and asked, “Do you know each other?”

Owen nodded and said, “Lucas’s father, Professor Ander Morgan, has helped me in my career. I visit the Morgan family every year during the New Year to express my gratitude. Also, Lucas and my daughter Shindy were high school classmates.”

“I see.” Melody nodded and turned to look at Cason. “Dr. Baxter, do you… recognize him?”

Seeing Lucas, Cason was utterly shocked. He instinctively said, “You… you… how are you still alive…”

The last time, Cason was supposed to perform Lucas’s surgery, but when he discovered that Lucas had a brain tumor, he backed out. He thought the surgery had no chance of success, but now… Lucas was alive.

When Rodney and Ander mentioned it, he’d been halfway convinced that Melody might have the skills to perform Lucas’s surgery. But seeing Lucas standing here in the flesh was a completely different experience from just hearing about it.

Melody actually managed to pull off a surgery he couldn’t even attempt. Her skills were astonishing.

This realization hit Cason hard. Mixing feelings of defeat, jealousy, anger, and panic, made his hands tremble.

“Still alive… What does that mean?” Owen asked in confusion.

Before Cason could respond, Lucas had already spoken up, briefly explaining Cason’s actions at the hospital and how Melody intervened just in time.

The Nathan family members became more displeased as they listened.

Albert was seething in anger. He pointed at Cason and said furiously, “A renowned doctor? How dare you call yourself that? You’re nothing but a fraud!”

Cason replied, “No… I’m not… I’m truly a famous doctor, both here and abroad!”

Lucas sneered. “After I woke up, my aunt told me everything about you. You are indeed famous, but only for your deceit.”

Cason stammered, “You…”

Lucas didn’t give Cason a chance to argue, immediately cutting him off again. “You have hardly any clinical experience, only gaining fame through publishing papers. And from what I heard, many of those papers were plagiarized from your interns! You’ve become infamous abroad, which is why you came back here to treat the wealthy and powerful.”

Cason was upset and clenched his fists, retorting, “You’re lying!”

“Lying? Alright, I’ll pull up the news about your plagiarism right now,” Lucas said, pretending to search for the news on his phone.

Panicking, Cason swung his fist toward Lucas’s face.

Lucas, still recovering with bandages on his head, knew that if he were hit, he might end up back in the ICU. He was startled but had no time to dodge.

At that moment, a figure appeared in front of him immediately. With a swift move, Melody had Cason pinned to the ground using a grappling technique.

Cason screamed in pain as his arm was twisted behind his back.

Everyone around stared wide-eyed at Melody, who had effortlessly subdued the much larger Cason. Even the death warrior assigned to protect Melody showed a rare expression of shock on his usually stoic face.

‘That speed…’ He was certain that Melody’s combat skills were superior to his own!

However, he had trained for over twenty years as a death warrior, while Melody was just an ordinary woman. He was shocked. ‘How did she do it?’

The death warrior was so shaken that it took him a while to recover. However, the others, not understanding combat, only thought Melody’s reflexes were incredibly fast.

Owen was the first to snap out of it. He quickly called for the bodyguards to tie up Cason.

He ordered, “Take him straight to the police. Tell them he was causing trouble and trying to deceive people with his so-called medical skills!”

“Yes, sir!” The bodyguards, suspecting nothing, quickly began dragging Cason out.

Desperate, Cason saw Albert as his last hope. He clung to Albert’s clothes, pleading, “Mr. Albert! You have to believe me! I really am a famous doctor!”

Albert coldly shook him off. “Yes, you’re famous for being a fraud!”

Realizing that even Albert didn’t believe him anymore, Cason frantically said, “Even if my medical skills aren’t as extraordinary as Quentin’s, this woman is definitely not as skilled as I am! If you kick me out, you’re putting Miss Nathan’s life at risk!”

Melody found this laughable.

It was fine that the Nathan family did not know her identity, but the fact that Cason still hadn’t figured it out showed how dim-witted he truly was.

Albert urged the bodyguards, “Hurry up and get him out of here!”

“Yes!”

Within ten seconds, Cason was removed from the Nathan family residence.

Like a child who had just won an award, Lucas winked at Melody. He was expecting some praise.

Melody smiled wryly and said, “Thanks to you, everyone can now see Cason for who he really is.”

Lucas scratched his head, suddenly feeling a bit bashful.

Meanwhile, after Cason was taken away, Albert started to think about Melody.

He quickly stepped forward and asked Lucas, “That miracle doctor you mentioned, her name is… Melody Fox? Yes! Melody. Can you bring her here?”

Chapter 537

Melody became alert, fearing that Lucas might reveal her true identity.

Though she knew she would eventually have to tell Owen who she really was, now was definitely not the right time. She quickly shot Lucas a look, hoping he’d understand.

Luckily, Lucas was quick on the uptake and almost immediately got her message. He said, “Why ask for Melody? Her mentor is already here.”

“Melody’s mentor? What do you mean by that?” Owen asked, puzzled.

Lucas gestured toward Melody with a nod of his chin. “This is her mentor. Even though Melody was the one who performed the surgery on me, it was her mentor who guided her through it!”

Albert’s eyes lit up. “Is that true?”

“I never lie,” Lucas said confidently. “You can ask Mr. Nathan if you don’t believe me.”

Owen quickly explained Lucas’s identity to Albert, making him look at Melody with a more complex expression.

Sensing the tension, Owen decided to smooth things over. “Dad, you mistook trash for treasure earlier, but now that the real gem is right in front of you. You should take the chance to apologize to Dr. Knowles.”

Melody graciously gave Albert an out. “It was just a misunderstanding between Mr. Albert and me. Now that Cason has been taken away, the misunderstanding is cleared up, so there’s no need for an apology. Let’s focus on treating Miss Nathan.”

Albert, being no fool, took the opportunity Melody offered and quickly agreed. “Yes, treating Shindy is the priority. She’s in her room.”

Laura chimed in, “I’ll make some coffee for the three of you. With summer almost over, the weather is getting drier, and a warm drink will do us all good.”

Melody nodded and then turned to Lucas. “You’re still recovering, so don’t stay out too long. Let me have someone take you back.”

But Lucas insisted. “I finally got a chance to get some fresh air, Winola. Let me stay a bit longer. Besides, I want to see how Shindy is doing. We used to sit next to each other in class.”

Melody sighed. “Alright, but stay close and don’t cause any trouble.”

“I know.” Lucas nodded obediently.

Melody then looked at Owen. “Mr. Nathan, shall we go in?”

Owen nodded and opened the bedroom door.

As the door swung open, the room was eerily quiet. With the curtains drawn and no lights on, Melody almost thought the room was empty.

Just then, the room lights suddenly came on. Melody immediately noticed Shindy lying in bed, her eyes tightly shut.

Shindy looked even more ordinary in person than in the photos Melody had seen. From the bags and cosmetics scattered around the room, it was clear that Shindy wasn’t someone who liked to show off. The bags on the shelves were all modestly priced, nowhere near the extravagant spending habits of other socialites in Silverlake.

A person like her would easily blend into a crowd, attracting no attention at all.

What angered Melody the most was that Ulric. In his relentless pursuit of his goals, he had targeted such an ordinary person. The fire at the youth center had already made her want to tear Ulric to pieces.

Suppressing her anger, Melody walked to Shindy’s bedside after getting permission from the Nathan family.

She said, “Miss Nathan, hello. My name is Wilona Knowles, and I’m here to help you…”

“I’m not sick!” Shindy frowned, pulling the blanket over her head as if trying to block out the outside world.

Melody froze, surprised by Shindy’s refusal to cooperate. She could only turn to Owen for help.

Owen quickly stepped forward and said, “Shindy, this is the doctor l hired. Let her take a look at you, and maybe you won’t feel like staying in bed all day anymore.”

Shindy didn’t respond. Instead, she pulled the blanket tighter around herself.

Melody sensed something unusual in Owen’s words and asked, “What do you mean by ‘staying in bed all day’? What exactly are Miss Nathan’s symptoms?”

Owen sighed and explained, “It started about two months ago. She just wants to sleep all the time. She barely leaves her bed, except to use the bathroom. One time, she even slept for two straight days, which scared us so much that we took her to the emergency room.”

He continued, “But the doctors said she was just asleep, not sick, and they refused to treat her. We went to several hospitals, and they all said she wasn’t ill. So, we had no choice but to bring her back home.”

“Sleeplessness…” Melody murmured to herself. This wasn’t a serious illness, but if left untreated, it could lead to physical deterioration, especially in her joints. It was something that needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.

However, if Shindy wouldn’t cooperate, there would be no way for Melody to begin treatment.

As Melody pondered how to get Shindy to agree to treatment, Lucas, who had been standing by the door, walked over and said, “Shindy, do you remember me? We used to sit next to each other in class. I’m Lucas.”

At these words, Shindy’s body visibly tensed.

Melody immediately noticed this and said to Lucas, “Lucas, I think Shindy has been lying down for so long that she can’t get up by herself. Why don’t you come over and help me lift her?”

Lucas was quick to obey. He nodded and reached out to pull the blanket off Shindy.

But just as he was about to touch her, Shindy suddenly threw the blanket off herself and sat up, stammering, “N-no need to help me. I can get up on my own.”

Shindy’s reaction confirmed Melody’s suspicion. She liked Lucas. Only in front of someone they like would a person want to maintain their appearance.

Seeing that her goal was achieved, Melody turned to Lucas and asked him to leave the room.

“Why are you kicking me out?” Lucas asked, confused.

Melody sighed. It seemed Lucas was as clueless as ever. She said, “Just go, and don’t argue. Or I’ll have someone take you back to the hospital right now.”

Startled, Lucas quickly left the room.

As soon as he was gone, Shindy’s tension faded, and sleepiness began to overtake her again. She yawned and was about to lie back down.

But this time, Melody quickly grabbed Shindy’s hand and began checking her pulse.

Shindy instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but thinking about Lucas outside the door, she forced herself to stay still and let Melody check.

After about half a minute, Melody released Shindy’s hand.

Owen immediately stepped forward, asking anxiously, “Dr. Knowles, did you find anything? Is my daughter sick?”

Albert added, “What kind of strange illness does she have?”

Chapter 538

Melody didn’t rush to respond but instead took another moment to observe Shindy’s condition.

Shindy still appeared drowsy and lacked any vitality. Her lips were pale, yet her cheeks were unnaturally flushed. Melody checked her temperature, but there were no signs of a fever.

“Strange…” Melody murmured. This was indeed a condition she hadn’t encountered before.

Shindy wasn’t pregnant or ill, yet she was constantly sleepy. There was no smell of alcohol, but her symptoms resembled those of someone who was intoxicated.

Owen’s expression turned somber. “Miss Knowles, are you unable to determine what illness my daughter has?”

Melody hesitated for a moment before answering, “Miss Nathan’s condition is indeed unusual. She has no trace of alcohol on her, but her pulse and complexion suggest symptoms similar to someone who is intoxicated or has food stagnation. The pulse is sometimes rapid but overall steady. I suspect she may have ingested something that caused this condition.”

Owen didn’t fully understand Melody’s explanation, but he did catch the word “intoxicated.”

He quickly responded, “But Shindy never drinks because she and her mother have a very low tolerance. She only drinks when necessary. Besides, this condition has persisted for quite some time. Even if she had been drunk, she shouldn’t still be like this after a month or two.”

“That’s the problem,” Melody said with a frown. “Who has been responsible for Miss Nathan’s meals during this time? Has she been eating anything new lately?”

Owen’s face darkened as he lowered his voice. “Miss Knowles, are you suggesting… my daughter might have been poisoned?”

“That’s what it seems like based on her condition. Otherwise, her symptoms don’t make sense. I believe that rather than focusing on treating the illness directly, we should first identify the cause of her condition and address it.”

Owen clenched his fists in anger. “Damn it! Who could have done this to Shindy…”

As soon as he said that, a name suddenly popped into his mind. His eyes darkened, and he gritted his teeth. It was Ulric.

Ulric had coerced him into cooperating against Ken. He promised that once it was done, he would find a renowned doctor to cure Shindy.

But over these past weeks, there had been no sign of any doctor, not even a single lead. It was laughable that Owen had foolishly believed Ulric would help once Ken was out of the picture.

Now, he realized Shindy’s condition had started at a suspiciously convenient time. It was highly likely that Ulric had orchestrated this situation.

Ulric could have deliberately poisoned Shindy and given Owen a deadline. Owen, desperate to save his daughter, wouldn’t dare betray him. Once that deadline passed, the Nathan family would lose all value to Ulric. At that point, Ulric wouldn’t care whether they lived or died.

Fortunately, Owen had grown impatient and continued searching for doctors, leading him to call in “Wilona” today. Eventually, he realized he had been fooled all along.

“Mr. Nathan? Mr. Nathan?”

Melody’s voice pulled Owen back to reality from his thoughts of anger and suspicion. He regained his composure and apologized, “I’m sorry, I was just thinking about something…”

Melody could guess that Owen was beginning to suspect Ulric, but she pretended not to notice and continued, “Mr. Nathan, if you don’t mind, I’d like to stay and help you investigate what might be causing Miss Nathan’s unusual drowsiness.”

Owen said, “Of course, I can’t thank you enough for helping me…”

“Alright then. Let’s get started. Where is your kitchen located?”

“It’s in the backyard,” Owen said, leading the way. As they walked, he explained, “I have tonsillitis. I can’t stand strong smells, so I moved the kitchen to the backyard.”

Melody nodded, and in less than three minutes, they reached the backyard.

“This is the kitchen,” Owen said, pointing to a small detached building. “There are five people assigned to the kitchen. Besides the head chef and assistants, some handle the daily purchasing of food and some other tasks.”

Melody asked, “How long have they all been working here?”

Owen answered, “For many years. They’ve practically watched Shindy grow up, so I don’t think they’d harm her…”

Melody gave Owen a pointed look and said, “Never underestimate human nature.”

Owen paused in his steps. “You’re right. I’ve lived this long and still haven’t grasped that as well as you have.”

Melody shrugged. She had learned the hard way about the dangers of trusting people too easily. This was why she always kept her guard up.

Even with someone as pure as Zara, she hadn’t opened up completely right from the start.

Before long, they arrived at the kitchen door. But just as they were about to enter, Owen’s phone rang.

“It’s a call from the office…” Owen said with a hint of frustration, “The company is about to go through an acquisition process, and I have a lot of documents to sign. I’ll need to leave for a bit.”

Melody replied, “Go ahead. I’ll look around on my own.”

Owen nodded, instructed the staff to cooperate with Melody’s investigation, and quickly left.

The head chef soon received the message. With some trepidation, he began showing Melody around the kitchen.

“This is the vegetable section, and over there is the freezer section… We’ve always maintained high standards of hygiene. The ingredients are either airlifted from overseas or bought fresh on the day. There’s no way anything here could have caused Miss Nathan to fall ill…”

Melody’s gaze swept over the kitchen staff, noting each of their expressions.

After a brief observation, she was convinced that none of the five could have been responsible for poisoning Shindy.

They seemed too simple and timid, their thoughts transparent and easy

to read. There was no way they could hide such a thing.

Melody retracted her gaze and said calmly, “Don’t be nervous. I’m just following standard procedures, not accusing anyone.”

However, her words only made the five more anxious.

“Dr. Knowles, please believe us!”

“We’ve watched Miss Nathan grow up. We could never harm her!”

Seeing their distress, Melody sighed and decided to let them leave the kitchen while she continued to search for suspicious items.

But just as the kitchen staff were about to exit, a middle-aged woman pushed the door open. The moment the door swung open, Melody’s sharp senses detected the scent of alcohol in the air.

Her eyes immediately focused on the woman.

The woman, however, seemed oblivious to the presence of Melody, Lucas, and the others. With an air of superiority, she asked, “Where’s my lamb stew? Why haven’t you started cooking it yet? If my milk supply runs low, you’re done for!”

The head chef subtly motioned towards the woman, signaling that outsiders were in the kitchen.

Chapter 539

The middle-aged woman finally noticed Melody standing in the corner, and she was startled.

“Who… who is this?” she stammered.

“I’m the doctor Mr. Nathan asked to come and treat Miss Nathan,” Melody replied as she stepped forward, introducing herself before asking, “And you are?”

The woman seemed distracted as she responded, “I’m just a servant of the Nathan family. Sorry to disturb you. I’ll leave now.”

With that, the woman quickly walked out. Melody watched her leave with a thoughtful look, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Once only Melody, Lucas, and the death warrior were left in the kitchen, Melody spoke to the death warrior. “That woman is suspicious. Go find out exactly who she is.”

“Yes!” The death warrior responded and was about to leave when Lucas interrupted. “No need to investigate. I think I know who she is.”

Melody raised her eyebrows at Lucas, signaling him to continue.

Lucas gestured to the death warrior to stand guard at the door, ensuring no one could eavesdrop. After that, he continued, “If I’m not mistaken, that woman is Shindy’s wet nurse.”

“Wet nurse?” Melody was surprised, but recalling the woman’s earlier mention of “milk,” it made sense.

In wealthy families, it was common for mothers to hire wet nurses instead of breastfeeding themselves. However, Shindy was already of legal marriage age, so her wet nurse should have stopped nursing at least twenty years ago.

Before Melody could ask, Lucas answered her unspoken question.

“When I was in school, there was a rumor…” Lucas hesitated. He was unsure if he should share but decided it might help Shindy. “The rumor was that Shindy continued to drink her wet nurse’s milk well into high school…”

Melody’s eyes twitched at the revelation. She recalled the smell of alcohol on the woman when she entered the kitchen and connected it with Shindy’s current symptoms. Suddenly, all the confusing pieces began to fall into place.

“Lucas, you’ve done a great job!” Melody praised, giving Lucas a pat on the shoulder.

But before Lucas could bask in the praise, Melody added, “You’re done here. Go back to the hospital and get some rest.”

Lucas felt a pang of disappointment. “No way, Melody, you can’t just use me and toss me aside…”

Melody felt like she was being accused of acting like a heartbreaker, discarding Lucas like a used toy.

“Ahem!” She cleared her throat and playfully flicked Lucas on the forehead. “Stop being dramatic and get back to the hospital, or I’ll call Zoe right now.”

At the mention of Zoe’s name, Lucas shuddered. “Alright, alright. I’m going back. But please don’t tell my mom I left the hospital.”

Melody replied, “Don’t worry, as long as you head back now, I won’t say a word.”

With that assurance, Lucas straightened up and hurriedly left the kitchen.

“Wait,” Melody called out to him, then looked at the death warrior and said, “You take him back to the hospital and then return here.”

“Miss Fox…” The death warrior hesitated, saying, “My task is to protect you.”

Melody’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What?”

The death warrior felt a chill down his spine. He had faced countless dangerous people and situations. But for some reason, he found it difficult to withstand Melody’s gaze.

Melody coldly stated, “Your task is to obey my orders. Otherwise, you can go back to Ken now.”

The death warrior knew that if he returned to Ken, his fate would be even worse than he could imagine.

With that in mind, he dared not say another word and immediately took Lucas away.

Melody watched their departing figures and finally felt a bit of relief.

The reason was simple. The strange scent of alcohol on that wet nurse was too unusual. The smell… strongly resembled a type of liquor brewed by malicious doctors called “Three Steps Wine.”

The name “Three Steps Wine” came from the first person who drank it. That person had only taken three steps after drinking the wine before collapsing from intoxication, showing how potent it was.

Additionally, Three Steps Wine was highly addictive. Almost anyone who tried it even once found it impossible to quit, making it as dangerous as any drug. These wines had been destroyed when the authorities wiped out the malicious doctors.

Melody wasn’t entirely sure if she had smelled it correctly. But if she was right, this situation involving the Nathan family could be connected to malicious doctors.

Melody thought for a moment and found a quiet place to call Ken. She briefly explained her suspicions to him. As soon as she finished, both of them immediately thought of the same person.

“That…”

“Last time…”

They spoke at the same time and fell silent simultaneously.

Ken was the first to speak. “You go ahead.”

“Well…” Melody got straight to the point, saying, “Last time, you mentioned a woman who appeared around Ulric, and that she might be helping him with his leg condition… I suspect that the woman could be the one targeting the Nathan family. If I’m not mistaken, she is likely a malicious doctor.”

“I’m thinking the same thing.” On the other end of the line, Ken was turning a pen in his hand while staring at his computer screen. “We should first confirm whether this situation with the Nathan family is really the work of a malicious doctor. If it is… well, that would be interesting.”

Ulric having a malicious doctor under his wing might bring him many advantages. However, such a person is a ticking time bomb, one that could blow Ulric to pieces at any moment.

“Agreed.” Melody nodded and said, “Owen has gone to a meeting at the company, but he should be back soon. Once we’ve gathered the evidence and confirmed Shindy’s illness, it might be necessary for you two to have a personal conversation.”

“Alright, I’ll finish my work here and head over. It will take me about an hour to get near the Nathan family’s place.”

“That sounds about right.”

“I’ll send you a message when I get close.”

“Okay.”

After ending the call, Ken’s eyes returned to the computer screen.

Displayed on the screen was surveillance footage set up by James at the airport.

The footage recorded how the people they arranged blocked the view of Averi’s parents while Janet took Averi away.

But no matter how many times Ken watched, he couldn’t find the “two suspicious figures” that Janet had described as tailing her.

On the contrary, the footage showed her decisively leading Averi in the opposite direction from the planned route. It was obvious that Janet was lying.

Ken clenched the pen in his hand. The pen broke with a snap, spilling ink onto the cuff of his white shirt.

Normally fastidious about cleanliness, Ken didn’t even notice the stain this time.

He still didn’t want to believe it. Even if Janet had a thousand reasons to betray him, she couldn’t possibly have gone so far as to try and kill Sid.

They had grown up together, practically like siblings.

He thought he might have misjudged Janet, and she was truly capable of such a cold-hearted act. Or, it was just a misunderstanding,

He had to investigate this immediately!

Chapter 540

Ken immediately dialed James’s number. Before James could speak, Ken ordered, “Pull up Janet’s call records for the past month, now.”

“Yes…” James had barely uttered a word when Ken suddenly noticed that he had accidentally rewound the surveillance footage.

Just as he was about to close his computer, something caught his eye. Janet was standing at an airport service desk.

She was at a service desk for purchasing SIM cards. Ken narrowed his eyes and checked the time of the surveillance.

It was about twenty minutes before Averi and her family arrived at the airport. Generally, airport SIM card services catered to tourists or business travelers, not to locals like Janet.

Tightening his grip on his phone, Ken said to James, “Forget about that. Look into the call records for the SIM card she bought at the airport.”

“The airport?” James hesitated for a moment but quickly complied without further questions.

Since the Swanson Group was the largest shareholder of Silverlake Airport, they couldn’t let anyone in the family know about this. James had to rely on black-market connections to get the records.

This process would take at least an hour.

At that moment, a senior executive from Swanson Universal Entertainment knocked on the open door and walked in. “Mr. Swanson…”

Ken turned off the computer screen and said expressionlessly, “Speak.”

The executive handed a document to Ken. He said with a hint of eagerness, “You asked me to keep an eye on Zara. I managed to get her a spot as a regular guest on the second season of ‘Artist’s Wardrobe.””

Hearing it was about Zara, Ken nodded patiently. “And?”

Since Ken hadn’t shut him up or told him to leave, the executive felt encouraged. He thought he’d guessed right about Ken and Zara’s relationship. He quickly continued, “According to the format of the first season, regular guests must bring a significant figure to the first episode for a makeover…”

Ken tapped his fingers on the desk. “Get to the point.”

“Yes…” The executive swallowed nervously, focusing on the important part. “The other guests have already lined up their participants, but Zara hasn’t decided yet. I was wondering if you could be her mystery guest for the first episode?”

“A show recording?” Ken’s brows immediately furrowed.

His first instinct was to refuse, but he hesitated. He remembered Melody’s support for Zara and how Zara had saved Sid’s life with her blood. He couldn’t refuse and say, “Alright.”

Zara had saved Sid’s life, so this small sacrifice seemed necessary.

The executive’s eyes lit up as Ken agreed.

He said, “Alright! I’ll make the arrangements now. I’ll keep your participation confidential until the show airs. It’ll be a hit!”

Ken replied, “Remind me of the time and place a few days before the recording so I can adjust my schedule.”

“Yes!” The executive nodded enthusiastically.

He had approached Ken with a “nothing to lose” attitude, never expecting Ken to agree.

After all, Ken usually avoided public appearances. But this time, he agreed to a show recording. It was clear just how different Zara was to him.

The executive left, more determined than ever to stay on Zara’s good side. He was delighted as he exited the room.

Ken was confused by the executive’s reaction. However, Janet’s matter weighed heavily on his mind, leaving him no interest in Swanson Universal Entertainment or Zara’s affairs.

After the executive left, he went straight to Zara’s current agent, Thomas.

The executive said, “No need to worry about Zara’s mystery guest. She’s already found one on her own.”

Thomas was taken aback and blurted out, “With her current standing, who could she possibly find that’s important enough to be a guest?”

The executive frowned. “What do you mean by ‘her current standing’? The company has high hopes for her. Just focus on managing her properly, and leave the guest situation alone. Less chatter, more action.”

Thomas quickly lowered his head in compliance.

Once the executive left, Thomas raised his head and glanced toward the curtains behind the sofa.

He said, “Stop hiding. Come out.” Then, Yana slowly stepped out from behind the curtains.

Her eyes were filled with discontent as she watched the executive leave. but she quickly replaced it with a seductive smile. She sauntered over and sat on Thomas’s lap.

“Thomas…” she purred while unbuttoning his shirt. “How can that bitch invite a big shot? Impossible.”

Enjoying Yana’s touch, Thomas closed his eyes and replied. “There are only a few big names she can invite who are willing to appear on the show. And those who were on the first season can’t come back again. Most of the good options have already been snapped up by the other regular guests. That leaves almost no one…

Yana frowned slightly. Her voice was soft and sweet. “Thomas, you’re not telling me anything useful”

Thomas opened his eyes, irritation flashing in them, and Yana immediately felt a jolt of fear.

Since her socialite status had been exposed by Melody on set, Yana’s position in the company had become precarious. The only thing she could still rely on was Thomas’s favor. If he abandoned her, she knew she’d have no chance of surviving in the industry.

Realizing this, Yana quickly adjusted her demeanor, suppressing her disgust as she kissed Thomas’s earlobe. She said teasingly. “Thomas don’t be mad. I’m just upset. She steals my movie and takes my spot on the show too. I don’t like she has an easy time in this industry. It’s not fair.”

Thomas felt a surge of heat through his body.

He tightened his grip around Yana’s waist, breathing heavily as he said, “Don’t worry. As long as you make me happy today, I guarantee she won’t find any big shot for the show. Also, I got you a spot on the first episode… Though it’s just as a guest for one episode, if your performance is better than hers, the company will reconsider who they want to keep.”

Yana’s eyes lit up with excitement, and she hugged Thomas tightly.

They became intimate in the room. On the other side of town, at the Nathan family home.

After hanging up the phone, Melody picked up a pen from the desk.

She had requested a private room from the Nathan family’s staff, pretending to need space to think about a prescription. After the call, she still needed to maintain the pretense.

Melody casually jotted down a few herbs on a paper, then called for one of the Nathan family’s servants.

A servant quickly approached and asked, “Dr. Knowles, is there anything you need?”

“Yes.” Melody nodded slightly. “Mr. Nathan isn’t here, and I need to clarify some things about allergies. Who in the household knows Miss Nathan best?”

由

SEND GIFT

COMMENT

Subscribed

♡
Prev | Next