Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 171, 172, 173, 174 and 175)

Chapter 171

Hearing Wilmot’s words, Melody was slightly stunned.

She thought, ‘Is Wilmot confessing to me? But that’s impossible, clearly haven’t restored my appearance yet. There’s no way he’d have feelings for me with such looks. In my previous life, I was back in Silverlake for two years, and apart from Ulric’s purposeful advances, no man confessed to me.”

She really did not know how to respond to such a confession.

After thinking about it, Melody bit her lower lip and said, “Wilmot, I’m really not worthy of you in my current looks, so I’m very sorry. But I’m willing to continue being a friend to you and Shane. I’m very sorry. I really… can’t reciprocate your feelings.

She had too much to do, and a lot of it was dangerous. She didn’t want to involve anyone who genuinely cared about her.

Besides, she had always treated Wilmot as a friend and had even used him. She had never considered romantic feelings between them.

She was touched, but feelings could not be forced, even if she really liked Shane.

Wilmot’s eyes darkened, and the last bit of light gradually dissipated.

But it all ended there. His feelings for Melody were merely fondness, not love. After all, they had only known each other for less than a month, and the number of times they had met was few and far between.

However, disappointment was inevitable.

“Okay, Wilmot said. Ending the conversation without further elaboration, he waved and said, “Goodbye, Melody.”

Although the way he addressed her had been reverted, the feeling was completely different now.

“Goodbye, Melody said.

She watched Wilmot get into the car. She only looked away when the car completely disappeared into the traffic.

As she turned around, she was surprised to see Ken standing at the door and looking at her.

She could not quite understand the meaning of his gaze. It seemed to carry a hint of puzzlement mixed with a sense of inquiry.

‘But what is he puzzled about? she thought. ‘And what is he trying to figure out?

Melody smirked and asked bluntly, “Mr. Swanson, it turns out that your hobby is listening in on other people’s conversations, huh?”

But Ken was not angry. He spread his hands and said, “Who said I was listening in on your conversations? I just came out to get some fresh air. If that’s considered listening, I was listening openly.”

He had a look of absolute denial.

Melody simply asked, “What did you hear?”

Ken did not hide anything and said truthfully, “I started listening in on your convo from the point he confessed to you.”

Mélody muttered inwardly, ‘So, that means he didn’t overhear Wilmot say he was jealous, right?”

After being conflicted for two seconds, she decided to forget what Wilmot had said. She said to Ken expressionlessly, “Call me after you finish your work in the afternoon. I’ll go with you to the Swanson family’s home.”

Just as she was about to leave after speaking, Ken called out to her to stop her from leaving and said arrogantly, “Give me your WhatsApp account.”

Melody gave him a puzzled look.

He met her puzzled gaze and said, “It’s too much trouble to call.

Melody did not overthink things. She quickly added Ken on WhatsApp. Then, she hailed a taxi and left.

Meanwhile, inside the restaurant, executives from Taynorma Capital exchanged glances around the table.

From the moment Ken entered, the presence he exuded was especially terrifying, especially after coming back from the restroom.

Those who didn’t know might have thought he had finished eating someone in the restroom.

Seeing Ken walk out of the restroom and head straight for the exit, several executives instinctively wanted to follow him, but they were stopped by Owen.

Several people asked in confusion, “Owen, he left just like that. We’re not going to chase after him, huh? He doesn’t take us seriously at all!”

Yes. He’s the same age as my son, but he’s even more arrogant than his dad!”

“Shut up, all of you!” Owen scolded coldly. “I don’t think he left just like that. He won’t be so disrespectful to us.”

“Why did he suddenly go out then…

“I don’t know either, but I figure he will definitely come back, Owen said. He sensed that Ken’s state today seemed to be related to the people at the table where he went to ask about the dishes.

He thought, “But whether it’s related to Wilmot or the ugly woman, I don’t know!

As he spoke, footsteps could be heard at the door.

Everyone quickly looked up.

It was Ken. He had returned.

“Mr. Swanson,” Owen said. He immediately put on a smile and stood up, clearly sensing that Ken’s cold demeanor had significantly softened.

He thought, “Wilmot and that woman went out earlier as well. Could it be that Ken’s mood really has something to do with them? I have to investigate this matter properly when I return.

He concealed his thoughts and asked with a smile, “Is the restaurant too stuffy, so you went out for some fresh air?”

“Mhm,” Ken replied. He then bent forward and returned to his seat.

As he sat down, the table immediately fell silent.

His gaze swept across the dining table, noticing that the table was filled with dishes that children loved, such as sundaes, fried eggs, and custard tarts. For a moment, he could not control the expression on his face.

“Ahem…” He covered his nose and coughed. “The weather is hot. No one seems to have much of an appetite. Since that’s the case… why don’t we move to a cafe to discuss things?”

The group of people had been staring at the children’s set meal on the table for a long time and could not sit still anymore. They agreed enthusiastically, saying. “Mr. Swanson is right. This place isn’t suitable for discussing serious matters. Let’s go to a nearby cafe.

Owen couldn’t wait to go to a quieter place. He immediately made a reservation at a nearby cafe and ordered snacks for everyone. It was past mealtime, and everyone was hungry. It was just that they were too embarrassed to dig into that “kids‘ meal” across from them.

Soon, the group of people moved to the cafe.

On the other side, Melody hailed a cab and headed toward Zacks’s house. While she was heading there, she sent a message to James, asking him to go straight to Zack’s house.

She had to quickly send the medicine over to Ford after his meal. She didn’t have that much time to waste.

On the way, a notification popped up on her phone.

She glanced at it and saw that it was a greeting message from Ken.

His WhatsApp name was simple. It was just his name, which was Ken Swanson. As for his profile picture, it was the default gray silhouette of a person’s head and shoulders. His WhatsApp status was innocuous. He had only reposted some industry news and nothing else.

He really just treated WhatsApp as a communication tool.

Melody turned off the screen of her phone, closed her eyes, and prepared to rest for a while.

However, her phone rang again.

She glanced downward and saw that it was a WhatsApp message from Ken.

[I have a brokerage meeting at three in the afternoon. After it ends, I’ll go to my own company to inspect. James will bring you over then. We’ll meet there and head to the Swanson family’s home to see Grandma.]

Ken’s message was quite lengthy. Melody took a moment to digest it. She felt that this was not about discussing the meeting time, but more like… a husband reporting his schedule to his wife.

She thought, Wait. What am I even overthinking about?

She reached out and knocked her head.

“We’re about to get a divorce soon after marriage, yet here I am thinking about us as a married couple, she thought. I’m truly out of my mind.”

It was all because of Wilmor’s words that her mind started to become chaotic.

She forced herself to focus and not let her imagination run wild. She briefly replied to Ken’s message. [Okay.] Then, she stopped looking at her phone, closed her eyes seriously, and took a nap.

But the more one wanted to fall asleep quickly, the harder it became to actually doze off.

She simply opened her eyes and started writing the prescription to treat Beverly’s stomach cancer on her phone.

Chapter 172

Although Melody had learned more about traditional medicine from her master, she preferred to treat cancer with modern medicine.

However. Beverly’s cancer was still in its early stages, so it was more appropriate to treat it with a combination of traditional medicine and modern medicine.

Just as she finished writing the prescription for treatment, the taxi arrived at Herbathrive. After picking up the medicine, she returned to the car and gave the driver Zack’s address.

About half an hour later, the car stopped again.

Melody put away the pen and paper and got out of the car. He bumped into James, who had just parked the car.

She took the initiative to greet him, saying, “Hey, you’re here.”

During this period of spending time with him. Melody sensed that James was a reliable person, albeit with an awkward personality.

He seemed to be quite appreciative of her, but he often put on an expression of disgust. “What exactly is he feeling awkward about?‘ she thought, still unable to figure out.

After greeting him, she saw James once again put on a look of strong dislike. With a grim expression, he questioned, “Miss Fox, what schemes are you plotting against Mr. Ken behind my back again?”

“Schemes?” Melody asked in puzzlement, “Why would you say that? I didn’t do anything to him. On the contrary, he almost caused me to lose a friend.”

James asked in disbelief, “You said you didn’t do anything. Why did Mr. Ken ask you to go to his company then?”

“What’s wrong with going to the company?” Melody said, feeling even more puzzled. “It’s not my first time going there. you forget the last time I went? Janet and you were both there that day.”

James looked at her in shock and said, “Are you talking about the Swanson Group’s headquarters?”

“Of course, duh,” Melody said.

Upon hearing this, James fell silent.

He thought, “The company that Mr. Ken wants me to bring Melody to is a branch in Silverlake of the tech company he secretly founded, but Melody seems genuinely unaware. Plus, she looks confused. She doesn’t seem like she’s pretending. He could not help but mutter inwardly. Could it be that I’ve misunderstood Melody?‘

“Forget it,” he said as he waved. “Important matters take priority. Let’s go to Zack’s house first.”

Melody looked baffled, but she did not overthink things. She just chalked it up to his ‘awkwardness acting up again, so she put this matter at the back of her mind and walked toward unit 415, carrying the medicine bag which was still warm.

Ford, who had always welcomed her at the entrance of the alley was not there. Melody found it a little strange, but she did not dwell on it. She walked to the door and knocked, saying, “Ford! It’s Melody. I’m here!*

However, the door was tightly shut, and no one came out to open it.

She couldn’t help but mutter, “That’s strange…

‘Ford has a bad back and walks slowly, but things aren’t so bad that he doesn’t even open the door after five minutes have passed, she thought.

“Could it be that he’s taking a nap!” she said.

She reached out and knocked on the door with her palm again.

This time, the door of the house next door opened, and an old man walked out with a handheld fan.

“Young lady, are you looking for Ford?” he asked.

Melody quickly nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m looking for Ford. Is he not at home?”

The old man shook his handheld fan and said, “He moved out yesterday. It seems like he won’t be coming back to stay for now.

Melody’s heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding rising with her,

She hurriedly walked forward and asked carefully, “Sir, can you tell me why Ford suddenly moved out?”

The old man said. “Um… I’m not entirely sure about it either. But I heard them arguing, saying something about liars… Ford was then forcefully taken away by his grandson. Even his luggage was parked this morning by some people they called over. Neither of them showed up.”

He rambled on. “That luggage took two trucks to transport! Those people took so much stuff. It’s uncertain when both of them will come back. Maybe they’ll never come back.”

His speech was somewhat incoherent. Melody managed to grasp it with some effort. She then bowed to thank him.

“Thank you,” she said. “We got it.” As she spoke, she took out a pen and paper from her handbag, quickly wrote down her cell phone number, and handed the paper along with a twenty–dollar bill to the old man.

“Sir, if they move back, can you give me a call?” she said. “My number is written on this piece of paper. Also, this 20 dollars is my reward for you.

“Ah, well…” The old man refused for a while, then nimbly accepted the money. I’ll definitely call you first thing once they move back”

Melody said. “Okay. Thank you, Sir,”

She said goodbye to the old man and turned to leave the alley.

The moment she walked out of the alley, she and James spoke almost simultaneously.

“Zack has found out,” she said.

“Zack has found out, James said.

The two of them were stunned for a moment. They quickly exchanged glances, confirming that Zack had found out about her secretly treating Ford.

Melody could not help but turn around anxiously. She asked while pondering. “Only a few of us know about this matter. Given Ford’s personality, there’s no way he would tell Zack. How exactly did Zack find out about this?”

“Yeah…” James was about to continue when he suddenly remembered that he had mentioned it to Janet two days ago at the Swanson Group’s headquarters.

He guessed inwardly, ‘Could it be… Miss Murphy?‘

But he quickly berated himself inwardly for overthinking things. There’s no way Miss Murphy would tell Zack about this,”

he thought. ‘Melody is trying to poach Zack for the sake of Mr. Ken. Miss Murphy always acts in the best interest of Mr. Ken, so there’s no way she would secretly tell Zack just because she doesn’t get along with Melody. But how exactly did Zack know?

James was deep in thought when he suddenly looked up and saw Melody staring straight at him.

His heart skipped a beat, feeling inexplicably guilty. He stammered, “Miss, Miss Fox, why are you looking at me? I didn’t tell Zack

“I know it’s not you,” Melody said as she squinted and said seriously. “Other than you, me, and Ford, is there anyone else who knows about me treating Zack’s grandpa?”

She did not even tell Ken about that matter because the plan had not been completed. There was no need to take credit in advance, so there was no need to explain in detail.

James swallowed his saliva and said, “Mr. Ken knows too.”

Melody was silent for a moment, thinking, ‘Ken really needs to poach Zack. He is not someone who would secretly sabotage: me just because he doesn’t like me. He’s not sneaky in his actions, and he won’t reveal it to Zack. Who’s the person that tells Zack then?”

Melody asked again, “Other than Ken, who else knows about it?”

James instinctively shook his head and said, “No one else.”

Melody said. “Then…”

“Miss Fox!” James interrupted Melody. “It serves no purpose in thinking about who revealed it. It doesn’t matter who revealed it. The most important thing now is what we should do next. Do you need me to use the power of the black market to find Zack’s current residence?”

“It’s okay,” Melody said, shaking her head and refusing I know Zack well. He moved out because he was guarding against me. If I go to his house rashly, it will only backfire.”

“What should we do then?” James asked.

Melody was silent for two seconds before saying, “Wait.”

Chapter 173

James asked in puzzlement, “Wait? What are waiting for?”

“Wait for Ford to come looking for me,” Melody said. T’ve been coming here every day recently, and I believe it hasn’t been in vain. It’s just that waiting is not the best way to solve the problem… After pausing for a moment, she added, “I’ll look for Zack directly tomorrow.”

James was shocked. “You’re going to look for him?” he said. “He probably won’t want to see you, right?”

“Not necessarily. Melody said with a faint smile. “Don’t underestimate a woman’s abilities.

“A woman’s abilities?” James said, involuntarily glancing at Melody up and down.

He thought. If it were Miss Murphy, Zack would probably fall for the honey trap. But if it’s Melody… forget it. Zack not being scared into having nightmares is considered a good outcome. There’s no denying that when it comes to looks, Miss Murphy completely outshines Miss Fox.

Melody could guess what James was thinking from his expression, but she couldn’t be bothered to explain. She immediately called James to drive off to Herbathrive.

The car soon arrived at the entrance of Herbathrive. She asked James to wait outside while she walked toward

As soon as Melody entered. David welcomed her enthusiastically like a puppy wagging its tail.

He said. “Miss Fox! Has the medicine been delivered?”

Melody nodded noncommittally and went straight to the backyard, where she found Beverly.

Beverly was in a much better mood than that day. She even smiled gently when she saw Melody. “Hey Melody, you’re here,” she said. “Colin just mentioned you earlier.”

Melody sat down opposite Beverly. After routinely taking Beverly’s pulse, she asked, “Mr. Herbert has been mentioning me. Where is he?”

“He went to buy groceries for me, saying he wants to nourish my stomach through diet first,” Beverly said.

As soon as she finished speaking, Colin returned.

Melody did not waste any words. She immediately handed the prescription she had written to Colin.

Colin hurriedly took it. After reading the prescription, his eyes seemed to glow as he looked at her.

He said. “Miss Fox, you, you’re amazing… Truly worthy of being the student whom Mr. Parker highly favors! This prescription of yours is not much different from the prescription I wrote myself, but the few extra medicinal herbs you wrote are simply the finishing touch! The efficacy of this prescription immediately improves!”

Colin’s tone was incredibly excited, his voice even trembling-

Beverly, who was beside them, did not know medicine, but hearing Colin say that made her happy too. After all, this prescription would be used to save her life.

“Miss Fox, I didn’t expect you to be so talented at such a young age,” Colin said. “I’m really not worthy of you calling me “Master If you don’t mind, I’ll call you “Master‘ from now on.”

Melody said helplessly. “Mr. Herbert, I’m going to be really bashful if you call me that. Besides, when I was by my master’s side in the past, I only learned theoretical knowledge. Most of the time, I watched him practice. My practical skills are not as good as yours. I hope you won’t be stingy with sharing and will teach me more in the future.”

Beverly liked Melody a lot, thinking. This young girl is very capable, yet she is good–tempered and humble.

She smiled at Colin and Melody, saying, “You two don’t have to insist on calling each other Master. Melody, from now on, you can call him ‘Colin‘, and he’ll call you ‘Melody. As for me, you can call me Bev. No one should be called ‘Master.

This form of address was very intimate. Melody couldn’t wait to get closer to her talent spotter in Silverlake during her previous life. She immediately agreed.

After chatting for a while. Beverly felt a little sleepy and went to rest.

Melody stopped smiling and said seriously, “After checking Bev’s pulse carefully this time, I found that her physical condition is very frail, prone to internal chills yet easily gets inflamed. According to traditional medicine, it’s a case of imbalance. If we rely solely on my prescription for treatment, it will work, but the effect will be very slow.

Colin quickly asked, “So based on what you said, how should we treat her?”

“I suggest that she drink my prescription while combining it with modern medicine treatment,” Melody said. “Her body can’t withstand chemotherapy, so I suggest that after I regulate her health for half a month, she should immediately undergo surgery. After the surgery, it will take at least a month and at most three months to recover completely.”

Colin was against modern medicine. He frowned and said, “Surgery is harmful to the body. It’s fast, but…

“Colin, if you trust me, it’s best to do as I say,” Melody said. “Traditional medicine is profound, but there’s a medicine that has developed so quickly. I hope you can acknowledge the capabilities of modern medicine in treating cancer.”

After Melody persuaded him for a while, Colin finally nodded out of love for Beverly.

Then let’s not use this prescription for her now,” Melody said. I’ll rewrite the prescription and let her regulate her health for half a month to build a good foundation. This way, her vitality won’t be overly weakened during the surgery.”

“Alright,” Colin said. “Let’s do as you say.”

After the two of them finished chatting, Melody’s phone dinged with a notification sound.

She glanced downward and saw that it was a message from James, urging her to set off to meet Ken.

Only then did Melody realize that it was already past four o’clock in the afternoon.

She quickly stood up and said goodbye to Colin.

Colin was still unsatisfied. “Time passes too quickly,” he said. “Melody, come over more often whenever you have time. There are still many things I’d like to learn from you. At most, I’ll pay you wages for the time you spend coming over in the future. How about that?”

Melody smiled and said, “Okay.”

Before leaving, Melody thought of her own medicinal herbs and stopped to ask, “Colin, I want to ask you. Other than the Taylor family in Insterimond, who else has the medicinal herb called Green Velvet?”

“Green Velvet?” Colin said. He thought for a moment before replying, “Someone in Silverlake may have it.”

“Who?” Melody asked.

“Ruby Taylor,” Colin said. “She’s married to the second son of the Taylor family. The Taylor family’s ancestral home is in Silverlake. It seems that they are expanding their business there ow. It just so happens that she has come here before for health treatments. If you need it, I’ll help you ask.”

“Alright!” Melody said, hurriedly nodding. “I appreciate your help. This medicinal herb is very important to me. I’ll think of a way to gather the money. As long as she has it, any amount of money is acceptable.”

“Sure,” Colin replied. He could not help but ask, “Is it for treating your face?”

Melody said, “Yeah…”

“Rest assured then, Colin said. “I’ll definitely help you ask as soon as possible. As the daughter–in–law of the Taylor family, it shouldn’t be a problem for her to get some Green Velvet.”

“Thank you, Colin,” Melody said. After thanking him, she turned around and left.

The Taylor family had also been practicing medicine for generations, but from this generation onward, they had already ventured into the financial industry.

The Taylor family’s Green Velvet was not considered a medicinal herb. It was a type of medicinal pill that was created by mixing many rare medicinal herbs in appropriate proportions.

That was a secret formula passed down by the Taylor family’s ancestors. It wasn’t readily sold and was basically auctioned off.

The Taylor family had always maintained a cooperative relationship with Ulric. In Melody’s previous life, she acquired Green Velvet with great difficulty. She only got it after she became Ulric’s right–hand woman.

But in this lifetime, she was not on Ulric’s side. Naturally, she couldn’t obtain Green Velvet through the Taylor family.

She could only pin her hopes on Ruby.

She had not had much interaction with Ruby, so she could only wait and see what Colin had to say.

Preoccupied with something that weighed on her mind, Melody walked out of Herbathrive. However, James did not notice. her expression and started complaining….

“Miss Fox, didn’t you make an appointment with Mr. Ken?” he said. “You stayed inside for so long. What were you doing? I hope you can be more punctual in the future.”

While James was complaining, he finally sensed that something was off and looked over at Melody.

Chapter 174

Melody smiled at him. Although she was smiling, there was no warmth in her eyes, which made people inexplicably fearful.

James could not help but think of Ken’s expression when Ken sent him to and his heart trembled uncontrollably.

Melody’s side. At that time, he felt the same way, James swallowed hard. Hurriedly restraining his complaints, he said, “Let’s get in the car first.”

Involuntarily, his tone softened quite a bit.

Only then did Melody look away. She bent forward and got into the car.

This situation made James berate himself for being useless.

He thought. It’s fine to be so timid in front of Mr. Ken, but why am I also so useless in front of Melody, a young girl who returns from the countryside?’

He slapped his head and got into the car in frustration.

Melody didn’t stay idle after getting into the car. She used her phone to check for information about Ruby,

Ruby graduated from Alfenia University, the top university in Halcyon. She was a native of Silverlake. Shortly after graduating, she got married to Mason Taylor, the second son of the Taylor family.

Mason doted on his wife a lot. He was worried that Ruby wouldn’t be used to living in Insterimond, so he had been living. with her in Silverlake after their marriage. He was now in charge of the import and export trade of the medical equipment produced by the Taylor family.

The information online was very limited, and that was all she could find out.

However, Melody’s attention was focused on the date when the two of them got married.

They are a loving couple that has been married for six years, yet they still have no children?‘ she thought.

She made a mental note of this information.

Just then, the car came to a stop.

Melody looked out of the car window and realized that their destination was not the headquarters of the Swanson Group, but a small office building that was also located in the CBD.

On the office building, prominently displayed were the golden words “Ximber Tech.”

“Kimber Tech?” Melody asked James in confusion. Why are we here? Aren’t we supposed to pick up Ken?”

After Melody asked, she saw James’s face darken at a speed visible to the naked eye through the rearview mirror.

He said in a muffled voice, “This is Mr. Ken’s property. Only a few trusted aides know about it. Even Margaret is unaware.”

Melody looked up in surprise and said, “Ximber Tech is Ken’s property?”

James looked at her in puzzlement and said, “Why? Miss Fox, you have only been back from the countryside for a month, right? Why do you sound like you’ve heard of our company…”

Melody cleared her throat and didn’t respond.

She thought, “Not only have I heard of it, but in my previous life I even wanted to help Ulric rope in Ximber Tech. But before the plan started, I died tragically on the operating table. But I truly didn’t know that Ken was the owner of Ximber Tech. Ximber Tech! In the future, they’ll dominate a large part of Halcyon’s business world. Almost everyone will have Ximber Tech’s products at home. Right now, though, Ximber Tech is still relatively unknown. But if I remember correctly, by the end of this year, the X–X-series products developed by Ximber Tech will stun the entire Halcyon. No. It should be said that they will stun the entire world.

Melody’s heart skipped a beat. She was glad that she had not had the chance to rope in the owner of Ximber Tech in her previous life.

Otherwise, I’d have helped Ulric to rope in Ken, she thought. “That’d be an incredibly audacious move.

Melody secretly managed her shock. Feigning nonchalance, she said, “I’m usually more interested in tech products, so I heard of Ximber Tech when I was in the countryside.”

When James heard this, smugness was written all over his face.

He let out a snort and raised his proud chin, saying, “Miss Fox, I didn’t expect you to be so forward-looking. I tell you what. The future will definitely be the world of technology, and the leader of future tech products will surely be our Ximber Tech.”

As James spoke, his tone involuntarily softened.

This was because Ken never allowed him to be too arrogant and ostentatious.

Just when James thought Melody would scoff, he saw Melody seriously nod in agreement. “You’re right,” she said. “The leader of future tech products will surely be Ximber Tech.”

Melody looked so certain. If James didn’t know Melody, he would have nearly believed that she knew what the future would look like.

Melody asked expectantly, “Can I take a tour of your company?”

“Sure, cough!” James cleared his throat and stopped boasting, leading her toward the front desk.

The receptionist was dressed very plainly and had a friendly smile, unlike the previous receptionist at the Swanson Group.

Upon seeing James, the receptionist smiled and said, “Mr. Deeds the leaders are having a meeting upstairs. It’ll probably take another ten minutes before it ends. Are you late or do you not intend to attend the meeting?”

James shrugged and said, “I’m just here to pick someone–up and show someone around for a casual tour.”

“Okay,” the receptionist said before looking at Melody and pointing in a direction, gesturing for her to take the elevator to go upstairs.

James pressed the elevator button for the second floor.

After getting out of the elevator, he explained to Melody as he led the way. “The first floor is the reception area, he said. “The second floor is the exhibition area, and the third floor houses the design department. There are very few people here, though. This is just our branch. The headquarters is much larger and it’s located at Insterimond. The fourth floor is for the marketing and sales departments, and the fifth floor is the office area, where meetings are held. I’ll take you to the exhibition area to take a look. The other parts are similar to regular companies.”

“Okay. Melody said. She then asked, “Which area does Miss Murphy oversee in your company?”

“Business and design, James said, frowning as he looked at her. “Why are you asking this?”

Melody waved and said, “It’s just a casual question. Why are you looking so serious? I’m just asking casually. Do you think I’ll harm her?”

James smirked and said, “Miss Murphy has had a long-standing working relationship with Mr. Ken. Ximber Tech has developed to a point where it has a presence in almost every city. She has contributed a lot to that. So, Mr. Ken values her a lot. A lot. She’s valued a lot.”

James said “a lot” three times in a row. The meaning behind his words could not be clearer.

She thought, ‘In Ken’s heart, my position is far inferior to Janet’s. But even with James telling me, I’m well aware of it. It’s precisely because I understand that Janet is Ken’s right–hand woman that I’ve been enduring it, never truly laying a hand on her. Even when she treated me like this today at the Lawrence family’s home, I didn’t expose her in front of everyone!

Soon, they arrived at the second floor..

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, Melody felt the futuristic technology vibe.

The second floor didn’t look like a single floor. It looked more like a hotel with multiple rooms.

Every room was installed with various products of Ximber Tech, such as smart butlers, a variety of complete smart home setups, and so on. One of the rooms was even renovated into a hospital ward. The products inside were all designed specifically for patient care.

“How is it?” James said. After showing Melody around all the rooms, he could not help but feel proud again.

But when he looked at Melody, he noticed that there was not much surprise on her face.

He said, “How come you seem not surprised at all….

“When I experienced the company’s products back then, I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep that night, he thought. ‘How come Melody is so calm?”

“Not bad,” Melody said. She wanted to show a surprised expression, but she simply couldn’t feel surprised.

This was because, in her past life, her room was later equipped with a full set of Ximber Tech’s smart home products, so instead of being shocked, she felt more of an indescribable sense of familiarity.

Chapter 175

If Melody hadn’t been reborn, she would definitely be screaming with joy right now.

So, it was not that the products weren’t impressive enough. It was just that she had experienced most of these things before. The only thing that surprised her was the ward,

With such a ward, doctors wouldn’t even need to do rounds anymore.

But Melody was still very surprised, not by the products, but by the fact that the owner of Ximber Tech was Ken.

Melody hadn’t fully processed this information, yet.

Melody was very much looking forward to seeing Ulric’s reaction when he found out that Ken was the owner of Ximber Tech.

That expression will surely be priceless.

After all, in two years, the market value of Ximber Tech would far exceed that of the Swanson Group.

In other words, Ken wouldn’t need to pay any attention to the current business giant, the Swanson Group.

No wonder whenever Ken mentioned Ulric, he was always indifferent, without a trace of jealousy.

He really didn’t need to be jealous of Ulric.

On the other side, James was carefully observing Melody’s changing expressions and couldn’t help but become more curious.

James asked, “Miss Fox, what are you thinking about? Are you paying attention to the tour?”

Melody snapped back to reality, just about to respond when her phone suddenly rang with a WhatsApp notification.

Ever since Ken added her on WhatsApp, he liked to contact her through it.

She pressed the answer button, and Ken’s cold voice came through: “Where are you?”

Melody said. “On the second–floor exhibition area.”

Ken said, “Come to the office floor to find me.”

With that, he ended the call without waiting for Melody’s response.

Melody conveyed Ken’s message to James, who couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous.

Ken had changed. He no longer contacted James first for anything

James couldn’t understand what was so special about Melody this made Ken value her so much.

James led the way silently with a stiff face.

Melody followed James and wondered, “What’s with his attitude now?‘

Melody realized she didn’t understand what young men were thinking nowadays.

They soon arrived at the office floor, and James led her to Ken’s office.

As the office door opened, Melody expected Ken to be alone inside, but instead, five or six people were standing in.

She immediately noticed Janet standing closest to Ken.

Janet was dressed in a black business suit, with meticulously applied makeup and her long hair held up with a hairpin, seemingly ready to fall at any moment. A blend of laziness and professionalism came together harmoniously in her appearance.

Undeniably, although she wasn’t as pretty as Mabel, Janet was more popular with men.

As Melody sized up Janet, Janet also noticed her.

The moment their eyes met, Janet’s expression turned to one of disdain, a flash of surprise and jealousy in her eyes. She clearly did not expect to see Melody here.

Melody averted her gaze to Ken, noticing that since they parted at the restaurant, he seemed to have intentionally dressed up, his hair neatly combed, his eyebrows trimmed, looking both sharp and dignified.

He didn’t notice Melody coming in, and his handsome face was expressionless as he lowered his head to write something on paper. He said coldly, “Redo this product. Our design principle is user comfort, not these flashy gimmicks!”

The people standing, including Janet, responded in unison, “Yes”

Melody felt it was inappropriate to disturb them.

Melody was about to leave when she accidentally stepped on James behind her.

“Ouch… James inhaled sharply in pain.

The sound caught Ken’s attention, making the high–ranking officials who hadn’t noticed her turn to look curiously,

Feeling awkward, Melody apologized, “Sorry for disturbing you. I’ll leave now…

She turned to go, but Ken said, “No need, sit on the sofa with James and wait”

“What?” She looked at Ken in surprise.

Ken frowned and repeated, “Sit and wait.”

The high–ranking officials‘ eyes grew more curious, seemingly asking. “Who is she?”

But, compelled by Ken’s tone, Melody could only sit on the sofa with a brave face.

James, however, didn’t dare to sit and obediently stood beside the sofa.

For a moment, only Melody and Ken were seated in the office, with everyone else standing as if awaiting a reprimand.

She felt Janet’s cold gaze once more before Janet looked away, frowning at some distant point

After the brief interruption, Ken’s focus returned to the documents, continuing the meeting.

He said, “Inform the headquarters‘ PR department not to disclose any product details or designs before they’re fully developed. Just make a concept video. Keep all product details confidential. And the marketing department…

As Melody listened, her eyes couldn’t help but fall on Ken again.

Ken, sitting against the light, made his already sharp facial features more prominent. His angular face exuded masculinity.

Those deep eyes carried seriousness and gravity, inexplicably appealing.

Perhaps knowing about Ken’s impressive alias made her look at Ken with a new perspective. Today, he seemed more handsome than ever before.

Even his Adam’s apple moving up and down while he spoke was attractive.

Melody swallowed, quickly averting her gaze, and said to herself inwardly, ‘We need to stay calm. This man is not someone I can or should desire.

After a while, she felt much calmer when looking at Ken.

Meanwhile, James, standing next to Melody, couldn’t help but think, ‘Why does Mr. Swanson’s voice sound more magnetic and husky than usual when he’s in a meeting today? Could it be because?

His gaze fell on Melody.

After a quick glance at Melody’s face, James quickly looked away dismissing his thoughts.

It must be because Ken had been in too many meetings and talked too much today, making his voice hoarse.

After about ten minutes, Ken finally said, “Let’s call it a day. Remember the key points I emphasized,”

“Yes!” Everyone responded in unison, both fearful and admiring of Ken.

As the executives were about to leave, Ken said again, “The HR Manager, Janet, you two stay behind.

“Yes, they said.

Janet’s gaze shifted to Melody, and then she asked Ken, “What about Miss Fox and James?”

She asked about both but clearly meant Melody, the “outsider.”

Melody instinctively stood up, but Ken said in a husky voice, “What I have to say involves her.”

Prev | Next 

Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 166, 167, 168, 169 and 170)

Chapter 166

However. Yolanda was not someone who could be easily defeated, so she quickly pulled herself together and reassured Mabel, Mabel, don’t worry. Fairlee may have great power, but there are some ways to solve the problem. I work my connections and spend some money to help you so you’ll still be able to participate in the Best Celebrity competition”

“But after what happened today, can I still win the Best Celebrity contest! I’ll just become the biggest joke in Silverlake,” Mabel said as she could imagine people calling her a thief now.

Never been associated with the word “their before, she felt like dying because she had never faced this kind of humiliation in her life

Yolanda said, “Are you stupid? Don’t you know how to explain yourself? Isn’t Pamela the most loyal to you? As for Barclay, you can just apologize and say something nice to him. Make good use of your beauty so that Barclay won’t resist you. Listen to me, go home to rest well tonight, and pull yourself together tomorrow to resolve this within your circle. Do you understand?”

Upon hearing Yolanda’s suggestion. Mabel sniffed and nodded vigorously.

The two of them supported each other as they walked out of the Lawrence residence’s gate and their mood had barely stabilized.

However, when they saw Melody standing there with a mocking smile, Yolanda’s anger flared instantly.

“You still have the nerve to wait here” Yolanda almost spat out through clenched teeth.

Melody’s lips curled into a smile as she answered, “Why wouldn’t I? You falsely accused me first, so what’s wrong with me waiting here to watch a good show?”

“You…” Yolanda’s face turned livid with rage while Mabel couldn’t stay calm either, taking two steps forward and raising her hand to slap Melody.

However, as soon as Mabel raised her hand, Melody firmly grabbed it and questioned. “Are you going to hit me? Do you have the right? You’re e just a thief.

“Batch!” Mabel was furious and tried to use her other hand to scratch Melody’s face.

However, Melody again caught Mabel’s other hand effortlessly and twisted her arm.

“Mum!”“” Mabel cried out in pain, Melody put her arms behind her back with a swift move, rendering Mabel unable to move.

Yolanda was heartbroken and afraid Melody would hurt Mabel, not daring to move recklessly and only standing there anxiously, saying. Let go of Mabel now.”

“Of course, I’ll let her go as hitting her will only dirt my hand,” Melody looked at Yolanda coldly and continued, “I just want you to understand one thing. You can come at me, but before you do, look in the mirror and see if you have the ability to do so. Don’t put on low–level acts like today as I find them pathetic.”

With that, Melody pushed Mabel towards Yolanda and turned around to walk away, leaving them with just her back.

Yolanda was trembling all over because this was the first time Melody had confronted her directly.

Melody’s imposing presence had scared Yolanda a little, making her feel that Melody was more formidable than she had imagined, hence she was determined not to let Melody off easily.

Mabel stomped her feet, gritting her teeth in frustration. “Mom, I can’t take it anymore, I want her dead now,”

“Shut up!” Yolanda glared at Mabel angrily. “If you had half her cunning, my life would be much easier”

Mabel fumed and was unwilling to accept defeat, grinding her teeth in frustration.

Seeing this, Yolanda softened her tone and said, “Alright, let’s learn from this. Although we couldn’t disgrace her at the party, don’t forget that your Dad is coming back today.”

Mabel’s eyes widened in panic when she asked, “If Dad finds out what happened at the Lawrence residence, will he be mad?”

“He won’t find out, don’t worry.” Yolanda raised her head slightly before continuing. “It’s a bit troublesome, but there is still enough time for me to suppress the news, not letting him know, You just need to act as if nothing happened and cooperate with me”

Mabel reminded. “But if I lose the eligibility to compete, Dad will find out eventually and we’ll lose everything.”

The thought of losing the eligibility to compete enraged Mabel, thinking that if it weren’t for Melody, she wouldn’t have to deal with this mess.

However, Yolanda calmed down completely and replied calmly, “Fairlee doesn’t have the power to directly disqualify you from participating in the competition. There’s nothing money can’t solve in this world, and I’ll take care of everything before your father finds out.”

Seeing Yolanda’s composed demeanor, Mabel’s anxiety finally decreased a bit.

Yolanda continued, “Also, the ultimate goal of winning the Best Celebrity contest is to marry you into the Swanson family. Even if you lose your eligibility to compete, as long as you capture Ulric’s heart, your Dad will still treasure you. Do you get what I mean!”

Mabel hesitated for a moment and nodded with a stiff expression. “I will try my best to create opportunities to approach Ulric

Yolanda nodded in satisfaction, but she suddenly thought of Wilmot, deciding to take action against him as he had become Melody’s backer now.

On the other side, after leaving the Lawrence residence, Melody got into James’s car and headed to Wilmot’s shop.

Not knowing what had happened to the Lawrence family, James asked in confusion, “Why did the birthday party end so quickly! Did something happen?

“Yes, quite a lot happened.” Melody looked out the car window with her bright eyes narrowing slightly, reflecting a cold light

She had thought that today was just an ambush set by Yolanda and Mabel, but she hadn’t expected Janet to be involved as well.

In her previous life, her confrontations with Janet had mainly been in the business world, not these kinds of household intrigue.

But this time, due to Janet’s involvement, Melody deeply sensed a looming threat, wondering if Janet would strike again.

What troubled Melody the most was that Janet was also one of Ken’s people, so she didn’t know how Ken would react if she confronted Janet.

Knowing that losing such a powerful ally would make her path of revenge even more difficult, Melody couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

She had to become stronger, otherwise, dealing with these trivial matters alone would drain her energy.

The car soon arrived at the mall’s parking lot and Melody asked James to wait in the car before going into Wilmot’s shop.

At that moment, Wilmot finished inspecting the shop and was about to head to his office when he stepped out of the elevator and ran into Melody, who was about to enter.

Their eyes met, and Wilmot smiled, “Looks like you have returned victorious.”

Melody shrugged before removing the brooch from her top and handing it back to Wilmot, “Yes, I’m here to return this weapon to you.”

Wilmot didn’t take it, waving his hand. “Once it’s given to you, it’s yours. The brooch suits you very well. I just wonder if you would do me the honor of joining me for a meal!”

Chapter 167

Melody gladly accepted Wilmot’s invitation, saying. I’ll treat you to a meal, just choose whatever you want to eat today. If it wasn’t for your brooch and hat saving the day, I might not even be here now as Yolanda wouldn’t have let things slide so easily. Thank you for doing me a big favor today. and I’ll always remember it. If you ever need anything. I’ll be there to help you.”

Melody’s sincerity was evident in her eyes, which touched Wilmot’s heart and he subconsciously joked, “I do have a need.”

Melody asked. “What is it?”

Wilmot replied. “My son needs a mother.”

Melody’s expression froze with her eyes widening in surprise, but after just two seconds, she quickly regained her composure and laughed at herself, Mr. Sherman, don’t joke with me. You’re a fashion stylist, always at the forefront of style, how could you have such a peculiar taste?”

Melody found herself stupid as she had thought Wilmot was serious for a moment.

Wilmot nodded and said with a natural expression, “Alright, I’m not joking anymore, but I’ll still treat you to dinner today because Shane insisted he has to treat you to a meal. If you don’t mind the trouble of having a kid around, can I bring him along!”

Melody agreed. “Of course, I can also check how well he’s recovering.”

“Good” Wilmot’s relaxed and natural demeanor made Melody quickly forget his earlier joke.

While Wilmot called the nanny, Melody sent a message to James.

After sending the message. Melody looked up to see Wilmot gazing at her, and Wilmot suddenly asked with a smile, “What’s this? Are you in a relationship? Reporting your whereabouts?”

Melody replied, “No, it’s just someone under my business partner,”

Wilmot nodded and made a gesture of invitation guiding her into the car before they headed to the kindergarten together.

Upon arrival, Melody glanced at the name of the kindergarten, realizing it was the most exclusive kindergarten in Silverlake, with annual tuition fees exceeding 40 thousand dollars.

As Mabel had attended this kindergarten back then, Melody had been left in the countryside to fend for herself, but Melody didn’t feel envious because the years she spent with Quentin were the most carefree times of her life.

However, she knew that ever since She boarded that ship to Silverlake, there was no going back.

While Melody was lost in thought, Wilmot returned to the car with Shane, who was very outgoing and shouting before he even saw her, “Angel, where are you?”

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Melody didn’t dare to turn around because she feared her face would shatter the child’s image of an angel, so she hesitated and was unsure how to respond.

Wilmot gently reprimanded Shane upon sensing Melody’s discomfort. “Shane, don’t be rude. She has a name, you can call her Melody”

Shane then lowered his voice to greet, Hi Melody, I’m Shane‘

Melody slowly turned around as she thought, ‘Shane called me angel, probably thinking I look as beautiful as an angel.”

But when she turned, she didn’t see fear or disappointment in Shane’s eyes, Instead, he looked at her with intense admiration and said, “Angel, I finally see you.”

Shane could say more, Wilmot lightly tapped his head. “I told you to call her Melody.”

“Ouch!” Shane rubbed his head before correcting himself. “Melody”

Melody couldn’t help but ask, “Shane, aren’t you afraid of me? I’m not very good–looking.”

Shane shook his head vigorously. “Not at all, I’ve never met an angel before, but my teacher said angels look different from us ordinary people. Melody, you look different, so you must be an angel, right?“”

Melody couldn’t help but laugh and looked at Wilmot, saying, “You’re going to have your hands full in the future. With Shane being so charming and sweet–talking, he’s bound to make a lot of girls cry due to complications.”

“That’s not true. I’m not sweet–talking but telling the truth Shane corrected her because she was indeed an angel to him.

Wilmot nodded in agreement. “You saved Shane, so you’re his guardian angel. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Melody felt a strange warmth in her heart and looked at Shane with newfound affection.

She had never liked children because her birth had indirectly caused her mother’s death, but Shane made her change her mind.

Then, Melody changed the topic, saying, “Shane, give me your hand, let me check your pulse.”

Shane obediently extended his hand, his eyes shining with excitement. “Melody, are you going to cast a spell on me?

Melody gently nodded. “Yes, so you need to stay still and cooperate with me.”

“Okay” Shane agreed and Melody seriously began to check his pulse, not noticing Wilmot watching them with a gentler gaze than usual.

A minute later, Melody released Shane’s hand and turned to Wilmot, informing. “Mr. Sherman, you can rest assured as Shane is completely healthy now, with no lingering effects.

Wilmot breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, the doctors from the hospital said the same that I could safely send him to kindergarten, but I was still worried and only let him attend half–a day. Hearing this from you, I can let him stay at school all day starting tomorrow,”

As they were talking, the driver stopped the car at the entrance of an upscale private restaurant.

Wilmot explained. “This is a place Shane loves to come to, and he insisted on bringing you here. The environment here is nice, and the food is varied, take a look and see what you’d like to eat.

Melody nodded before getting out of the car while Shane eagerly took her hand, and they walked into the restaurant together, choosing a table by the window.

Wilmot handed Melody the menu gentlemanly, and just as Melody was about to order, she noticed a call figure at the restaurant entrance.

The call and handsome guy, with deep eyes and sensuous yet cold lips, was dressed in a white shirt and trousers, the shirt collar was undone and the sleeves were rolled up, revealing his tanned skin.

Everything about him seemed to shine, standing out even among a crowd of suited individuals; but what was most striking was his powerful presence with a cold aura even when he was only standing there casually.

Realizing that it was Ken, Melody instinctively straightened her back, her mind flashing to their wedding photo, feeling a pang of guilt.

But then she couldn’t help but smile wryly, comforting herself that her wedding photo with Ken was just an unimportant piece of paper, so it wouldn’t matter even if she had something with Wilmot.

With that thought, Melody decided to ignore Ken and quickly looked away.

Chapter 168

It wasn’t that Melody deliberately ignored Ken, but seeing him surrounded by so many formally dressed people, she felt inappropriate to greet him hastily with her uncommon appearance.

Melody steadied her mind and pretended not to see Ken before moving the menu towards Shane and speaking softly. “Shane, what would you like To call You’ve just been discharged from the hospital, so you can’t have anything too oily for now.”

Hearing this. Shane pouted in disappointment but obediently agreed.

“Such a good boy Melody patted Shane’s head, thinking how adorable he was

On the other side, Ken originally planned to have a quick lunch at the office.

However, after several days of sending lawyers to Taynorma Capital for on-site research, a new acquisition contract with a very low quotation was drafted.

Hence, the old hands of Taynorma Capital were unable to sit still any longer and requested to have lunch with him, while the purpose of this meal was obvious.

Ken treated it as a normal meeting, not mentioning business during the ride.

After arriving at the restaurant and unexpectedly seeing Melody laughing and chatting with Wilmot and a child while ordering, Ken’s eyes flashed with surprise as this schedule hadn’t been reported to him by James.

Noticing Melody glancing his way but immediately looking away as if she hadn’t seen him, Ken pursed his lips into a thin line for a while before saying indifferently. “No need for a private room, we’ll eat here.”

Owen Nathan, the chairman of Taynorma Capital, was taken aback but didn’t dare to object, forcing a smile while asking, “Not going to the private room” Wouldn’t eating in the main hall disturb us? Moreover, we still need to discuss business.”

Ken chuckled deeply. “Mr. Nathan, discussing business during meals isn’t good for digestion, is it?”

Owen couldn’t fathom Ken’s intentions and could only awkwardly laugh. “You’re right, today we’ll just enjoy the meal and not talk business.

A group of about ten people sat at a long table in the main ball, while Ken was seated directly facing Melody’s table.

As the organizer of the dinner, Owen busied himself with handing the menu to Ken, trying to please him. “Mr. Swanson, I’ve pre-ordered a signature appetizer for each of you, please see which main course or side dishes you’d like to order”

Ken didn’t even glance at the menu, nodded toward Melody’s table, and said, I don’t like ordering, we can just get the same as what they’re having

Owen looked over at Melody’s table, noticing a girl with an extremely unattractive face, and upon recognizing Wilmot, he wondered if Ken and Wilmot were friends.

Without thinking too much, Owen agreed and walked over to Wilmot, who was listening to Melody’s sharing about her experiences in the countryside.

Melody told Shane, I was so young back then and didn’t know snakes were scary, so I grabbed one by the head and told an uncle that I’d caught a huge eel, scaring him so much that his face turned green.”

She told these interesting childhood stories to correct Shane’s image of her as an angel, wanting him to see that she was just an ordinary person.

However, after laughing, Shane looked at her with even more admiration and said, “Melody, as your childhood was so interesting, you’re different from us ordinary people. I want to go where you played when you were little, can you take me there?”

Melody helplessly looked at Wilmot and the latter immediately became serious, frowning at Shane. “No whining, Melody is very busy”

As soon as he finished speaking, a hoarse male voice sounded. “Excuse me,”

All three turned their attention to a middle-aged man in a suit and tie who spoke apologetically, “It’s our first time at this restaurant, could you recommend some dishes you ordered that you found tasty?”

Recognizing the man as someone who came in with Ken, Melody couldn’t help glancing at Ken again, but Ken was seriously looking at the menu, seeming unaware of them.

Despite finding it odd, Melody signaled Wilmot to help introduce the dishes.

Since Shane favored the food here and they visited here regularly, Wilmot enthusiastically recommended a few dishes to Chen before Owen thanked him gratefully and went to the order counter.

As it was just a small interruption, Melody and Wilmot continued their conversation.

Wilmot asked. “Miss Fox, may I call you Melody from now on? Calling you Miss Fox feels too formal”

Melody nodded. “Sure, I’ll call you by your name then. I’ve wanted to stop being called Miss Fox for a while, as you know, I can barely be considered the Fox family member.”

When Wilmot heard this, he couldn’t help but show a sympathetic expression upon thinking of Melody’s family background. “If you find living at home tough, I can lend you an apartment. Since I have several vacant ones, you can just pick any you like.”

Before Melody could respond. Shane cheered, “Yes, Melody is going to stay in our house!”

Wilmot scolded coldly, “Shane, we’re in the restaurant, not at home, no shouting.”

“Okay.” Shane was frightened and shrank closer to Melody.

Shane’s pitiful look made Melody’s heart soften, so she said to Wilmot, “He’s just a kid, no need to be so strict.

Wilmot shook his head. “Kids shouldn’t be spoiled.”

Melody shrugged. “I didn’t realize you were such a strict father?

She thought Wilmot would spoil Shane but now she understood that Wilmot’s teaching had influenced Shane to have a good temperament.

At this moment, the middle-aged man returned and introduced himself, “Sorry to bother you again. Mr. Sherman. I’m Owen Nathan from Taynorma Capital and we met at a business conference before.

Wilmot had heard of Taynorma Capital before, so he nodded politely and said, “Hello, Mr. Nathan. How can I help you?”

“It’s still about the dishes Owen felt awkward but, under Ken’s insistence on ordering the same dishes, had to press on. Tm hosting an important guest today and doesn’t want to order the wrong dishes. Could you come with me to the order counter?”

Wilmot could not help but feel a bit frustrated while Owen continued, “I know this request is a bit presumptuous, I’m sorry. Let me treat you to a meal another day.”

Since Owen was so courteous, Wilmot agreed as he knew the importance of networking in the business world, following Owen to the order counter after informing Melody.

However, Melody had a feeling that Owen was being forced into this, so she couldn’t help but glance at Ken again.

Chapter 169

“The only person who could make Owen brazenly come to bother us twice is probably Ken, right? Melody thought.

But when she looked over, she saw Ken talking to the man on his left. He did not even look covered from the corner of his eye.

She could not help but start to doubt her guess again.

She thought, ‘Could I have been wrong? That Owen came over purely because he was worried that he would not be able to serve Ken well?

Melody had many questions in her mind, but she could not ask in front of so many people. Besides, the little one was pulling her sleeve. She could only suppress her doubts and turned her gaze back to the child, asking. “Shane, what’s wrong!”

“Melody, I want to add you on WhatsApp, Shane said.

Melody asked in surprise. “You already have your own WhatsApp account at such a young age?”

“Of course!” Shane said as he puffed out his chest proudly. He then scratched his head and said, “But Melody, you can only send me voice messages. I can’t read many words yet.

With that said, his cheeks flushed.

Melody could not help but laugh.

She said, “Alright, I will add you”

The two of them added each other on WhatsApp. Coincidentally, Wilmot brought Owen back after ordering food.

The little one immediately boasted, Duddy. I added Melody on WhatsApp!”

Wilmot’s expression did not change. After sitting down, he calmly took out his phone and said, “Melody, let’s add each other on WhatsApp too. If anything happens in the shop in the future, I’ll just message you directly on WhatsApp instead of sending texts or calling every time,”

“Okay,” Melody replied and scanned Wilmot’s QR code.

Wilmot was successfully added to her WhatsApp contact list. His profile picture was a group photo of three people, which were Shane, Wilmot, and a gentle-looking woman.

She said. “That person in your profile picture…

Without waiting for Melody to finish asking, Wilmot said calmly, “That’s my wife. I’ve told you before. She passed away a long time ago.”

Melody nodded and said apologetically. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked

“It’s fine,” Wilmot said with a smile. Time can take away a lot of things. I’ve long gotten over it.”

Shane chimed in. “Melody, you don’t have to apologize. My mom just turned into a star in the sky. Of course, they might have also become an angel like you!

Melody could not help but caress Shane’s hair, feeling sorry for him.

“That’s right,” she said. “Your mom has become an angel and has been guarding you from a place you can’t see

“It’s my fault,” Wilmot said indifferently as he operated his phone. “She’s gone. I shouldn’t have made those who are still alive feel uncomfortable. I’ve already changed my profile picture.”

Melody was momentarily stunned. Right after that, she hurriedly said, “I didn’t feel uncomfortable…

Wilmot smiled as he said, “It has nothing to do with you. Many people have asked me about it, so I simply changed it. Regarding what I said just now about moving to my house, have you come to a decision?”

Melody could not help but widen her eyes.

She thought I hadn’t considered it at all, okay?

But considering Wilmot’s good intentions, she could only reject him tactfully, saying, “It’s okay, I still have my grandmother at home. She’s not in good health. I have to take care of her. Besides, she’s very kind to me…

Before she finished speaking, a text message suddenly popped up on her phone.

It was a message from Ken.

Come to the restroom.

The message comprised just four simple words, delivered with Ken’s characteristic cold and indifferent tone

Melody could not help but frown. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Ken walking in a certain direction of the restaurant.

She parsed her lips and said apologetically to Wilmot,

“I’m sorry. I’m going to the restroom.”

“Okay,” Wilmot said, not noticing that Ken, who was sitting at the other table, had also left. He merely thought Melody needed to ease herself, so he pointed in a direction and said. “The restroom is over there.”

Yeah, I’ll be back soon. Melody said.

She touched Shane’s head, got up, and walked toward the restroom.

The restaurant had a long corridor leading to the restroom. Melody caught a whiff of smoke as soon as she entered that corridor.

She hated the smell of smoke the most. When she caught a whiff of it, she couldn’t help but involuntarily hold her breath.

She quickened her pace and finally saw Ken standing at the end of the corridor with his back facing her.

He stood steadily, his feet spread apart, and his hack straight, just the view of his back alone could make people feel his oppressive sense of presence.

Melody, who had been reborn once, was fearless. However, for some reason, she couldn’t shake off a sense of oppression whenever she faced Ken, as if she was inferior to him.

She swallowed her saliva, her mind pondering why Ken called her to come to the restroom.

In the end, she decided not to think about it anymore. Just as she was about to call out to him, she saw Ken suddenly turn around. He swept his gaze, which carried a chilling sense of coldness, over her with his dark eyes.

She took a deep breath and asked. “K… Ken… why did you call me here?

Ken did not answer. Instead, he asked her, “You know I’ve entered this restaurant?

Although it was a question, she had the feeling that Ken was making a statement of certainty.

After hesitating for a moment, Melody nodded and said, “I saw you when you came in.”

“Why didn’t you say hello!” he asked as he moved closer to her.

Melody did not know why he asked this question. She answered truthfully. There are so many people around you. I figured it’s a meal with your business associates, so I didn’t go over to bother you.”

Ken stopped when he was just six feet away from her. He frowned slightly as if he was not satisfied with her answer.

“It’s true,” Melody said, furrowing her brow. “You wanted me to bother you, huh?”

Ken did not respond to her question. He just stared at her and said expressionlessly. “Are you going to stay at Wilmot’s placer

Melody was stunned for a moment. She asked in shock. “You’ve been paying attention to us the whole time?

“Us?” Ken said, his expression turning grim, as if a storm was brewing.

Melody did not know why Ken’s expression suddenly changed. She simply explained, “I’m very good friends with Wilmot, There’s no issue with using the word ‘us, right?”

“You’ve only known each other for a few days, yet you’ve already become very good friends with him, and you are going to stay at his place,” Ken said.

Melody said, “No_”

Before she could explain that matter, Ken immediately interrupted her and said. “Melody, have you forgotten your identity?“

Melody could not help but feel puzzled. She asked, “What is my identity!”

Ken’s expression turned even colder.

“Don’t forget that you’re my wife,” he said.

Melody suddenly remembered that she had registered her marriage with Ken. She could not help but laugh. “How can I be considered your wife?” she said. “You and I both know that the marriage certificate is just something that came by chance. It’s not binding. But Wilmot and I…”

Before she finished talking. Ken interrupted her again, saying, “Since you insist on being someone else’s stepmother, I won’t stop you. I’ll be back at the Swanson villa for dinner. Come over then, Let’s make things clear with Margaret. After that, we’ll get a divorce.”

Chapter 170

Melody also had a temper. She wasn’t the pushover she had been in her previous life.

She immediately decided against explaining to him. She nodded in agreement right away and said. “Alright. Send me a message after you get off work. I go to the Swanson family’s home and make things clear with Margaret.

With that said, she asked coldly, “Is there anything else? If there’s nothing else, I have to return and eat with the little one!

I just wanted to be allies and working partners with Ken, she thought. I’ve never thought of becoming his other half. If he wants to get a divorce, so be it I’ve got nothing to love. We haven’t gotten intimate anyway. If we divorce, it may even resolve that nuisance with Janet. It’s exactly what I want.

However, Ken’s expression became even more sour. Just as his thin lips parted, his gaze suddenly swept past Melody’s back.

Melody sensed that something was off and involuntarily turned around.

She saw Wilmot walking toward her from the corridor. The moment she tuned around. Wilmot saw her as well as Ken, who was standing behind her.

Wilmot instantly stopped in his tracks and looked at them in surprise.

But soon, his expression returned to calmness. He walked forward with a smile and said. I thought something happened to you after being in the restroom for so long. It turns out that you’ve met someone you are familiar with”

As he spoke, he gave Ren a polite bob of his head and said, “Mr. Swanson.”

Melody was about to continue what Wilmot had just said when she suddenly felt something weighing on her shoulder.

She looked sideways and saw Ken’s big hand on her shoulder. He then pulled her into his arms and said leisurely, “Mr. Sherman, you may be mistaken. I’m not someone Melody is familiar with. I’m her husband. We’re already married.”

Melody hurriedly wanted to interrupt Ken, but it was too late.

An immense sense of shock appeared on Wilmot’s face as he looked at them in disbelief

“Wilmot, we… Melody hurried to explain but was unsure of how to do so.

She thought, ‘I’ve indeed registered my marriage with Ken. Ken is right about this.”

She hesitated for two seconds. Wilmot then confirmed that what Ken said was true.

He was at a loss for a moment before he said with a complicated expression, “I really didn’t expect… Sorry, Miss Fox. Shane ate too much earlier. I’m taking him home now. I’ve already footed the bill. Take your time. I wish you both happiness…”

With that said, he turned around and left quickly without waiting for Melody’s response

“Wilmott” Melody called out to him.

She wanted to explain to Wilmot, but Ken grabbed her back like he was grabbing a little bird.

“Why?” Ken said. “You really have eyes for that Wilmot and want to be someone else’s stepmother, huh?” There seemed to be disdain in his eyes. That disdainful tone made Melody angry, and there was a bit of sadness deep down inside.

She did not know why she was sad. Perhaps it was because the feeling of being misunderstood was too unbearable.

She gritted her teeth and glared at Ken, saying, “Whether or not I have eyes on Wilmot doesn’t seem to have anything to do with you, right! 111. work it out with you and get it done as soon as possible. I hope you won’t interfere in my personal life.

With that said, Melody coldly shook off Ken’s hand and quickly chased after Wilmot.

As she ran over, she constantly felt a pair of eyes staring at her, but she didn’t look back. Instead, she quickened her pace.

She thought, Setting aside everything else, Ken’s temper is simply outrageous! Just because I didn’t greet him, does he need to retaliate like this and ruin the connection with Wilmot that I’ve worked so hard to build up? His temper as an entitled scion is ridiculous! I’m not going to let him act as he pleases!

Melody quickened her pace as she ran out, worried that Wilmot might have already left.

Fortunately, because Shane kept making a fuss about wanting to see her, Wilmot was still arguing with Shane at the entrance of the restaurant.

“How many times have I told you” Wilmot said. “Melody is very busy! Come back with me now!”

He pulled Shane hard. The rare outburst made Shane at a loss, Shane clung to a utility pole and cried loudly.

With a sour expression, Wilmot ordered the driver to forcefully drag Shane into the car.

Melody happened to see this scene and hurriedly ran forward to apologize.

“I’m sorry, Wilmot” she said. “It’s all my fault. I made Shane upset.”

She genuinely felt guilty for making Wilmot leave awkwardly in that situation.

But Wilmot revealed a distant smile and said “Miss Fox, why are you apologizing I’m the one who should be apologizing I didn’t know you were married. I even advised you to stay away from Mr. Swanson. If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have been so forward and treated you to a meal alone”

Wilmot’s words were filled with politeness. He also changed the way he addressed Melody back to “Miss Fox“, yet he showed no hint of resentment. It was as if he was merely annoyed at himself for being forward.

He was a very gentlemanly person, and Melody felt even more guilty. She could not help but explain, “Actually, I married Ken for some reason. We are just friends, not a real married couple in the true sense?

“Friend? Wilmot said as he lowered his eyes and smiled. “Miss Fox, you may consider Mr. Swanson a friend, but he may not necessarily see you as a friend. All I know is that a man, especially a proud man like him, will never register his marriage with a woman he doesn’t have feelings for. What’s more. Owen kept coming to our table today. Did you really not sense anything”

Melody asked in confusion, “What was the thing I should have sensed?”

Jealousy Wilmot said.

“Huh?” Melody was stunned.

Wilmot said bluntly. “Men are different from women. Their jealousy and envy aren’t expressed through words, but through actions. When I accidentally saw you two together, didn’t you notice Mr. Swanson’s expression? He was jealous.”

Melody was even more stunned.

She did not notice Ken’s expression. Throughout, she felt she was being retaliated against by Ken, so she naturally didn’t pay attention to his expression.

“But I’m certain that a person like Ken will never fall for an ugly person like me, she thought, ‘Jealousy is even more ridiculous!

She said, “Wilmot, you’ve really misunderstood. There’s no way I’d ever be with Ken

I never many into the Swanson family again, even if that person is Ken and not Ulric she thought. The Swanson family is already like a curse to me, making me not consider marrying into that family, I even want to destroy it!

Perhaps because she spoke seriously, Wilmot hesitated.

Two seconds later, Wilmot looked at her and said, “If you get a divorce, will you consider me?”

Melody widened her eyes in shock and blurted out in disbelief, “What did you say?“.

She suspected that she had misheard him.

Wilmot took a step forward, and Melody instinctively took a step back.

He suddenly lost the strength to say the words that he was about to blurt out.

Her action of taking a step back says it all, he thought.

But with his personality, he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight if he didn’t address certain matters.

He forced a chuckle and said, “Melody, you probably haven’t noticed at all that my feelings for you have changed from gratitude to fondness Seeing how happy you were with Shane today, I even wanted you to accompany us forever. But now that I think about it, I realize I’ve been overthinking things. You don’t have to take my words today to heart. Don’t feel any pressure either. I just ask that you don’t contact me again today. I’ll be fine tomorrow, and we can then still be friends.

Prev | Next 

Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 161, 162, 163, 164 and 165)

Chapter 161

Seeing Fairlee walking up to her, Mabel became extremely anxious as it was the time when guests were arriving, and they were all getting out of their cars at the entrance.

Mabel thought that if Fairlee kicked her out in front of everyone, it would be beyond humiliating.

However, Yolanda remained composed as she understood the importance of maintaining politeness, greeting, “Ms. Lawrence, happy birthday. We felt increasingly sorry about the incident last time after we got home. We’ve been wanting to come and apologize in person, but Maria fell ill, and we’ve been swamped with other matters. So, today, we came not only to wish you a happy birthday but also to apologize for the incident with Barclay.

Yolanda subtly signaled Mabel with her eyes while Mabel quickly added upon catching on, “Ms. Lawrence, I’m sorry about what happened. Please don’t hold it against me as it was an unintentional mistake.”

Fairlee nearly gritted her teeth when she heard the words “unintentional mistake” but suppressed her hatred upon thinking of her plan with Janet, only replying with a smile, “What’s past is past. Why bring it up again! Surely you don’t think I’m the type to hold a grudge, do you?”

“Of course not,” Mabel and Yolanda said in unison, heaving a sigh of relief while thinking that their plan for today could proceed smoothly as long as Fairlee wasn’t holding a grudge.

On the other hand, Janet was growing restless as she scanned the area but couldn’t spot Melody, subconsciously feeling anxious.

Janet had gone to great lengths to set everything up, not just to help Fairlee and Barclay get revenge.

Thinking that all her efforts would be wasted if Melody didn’t show up, Janet couldn’t help but ask Mabel. “Mabel, didn’t you say that you brought your sister along, Where is she?”

Only then did Mabel remember that Melody was still in the car and just as she was about to call her down; she heard a cool voice behind her.

It was Melody saying.

Miss Murphy, you’re in such a hurry to me. What’s wrong?”

Mabel frowned before she turned around and complained, “Melody, why are you arriving so late? We’ve already apologized to Ms. Lawrence on your behalf.

Ignoring Mabel, Melody’s gaze fixed on Janet with a barely-there smile.

Staring unblinkingly at Janet, her smile seemed plastered on, making those who saw it feel uneasy.

Janet felt a chill run down her spine as if all her secrets had been laid bare, but she quickly regained her composure, feigning surprise. “Miss Melody, it’s you.”

Then, Janet continued while slapping her thigh in mock realization, “Oh my, you and Mabel both have the surname Fox, but I never thought you might be sisters.”

Mabel and Yolanda exchanged puzzled looks, and then Mabel asked in shock, “Miss Murphy, you know Melody?”

Janet replied, “Yes, we’ve met a few times.”

Melody’s eyes twinkled as she said meaningfully, “Yes, we became friends after some misunderstanding.”

Upon hearing Melody’s words, Janet’s face stiffened, almost losing her composure.

Feeling ignored, Fairlee coughed to draw Melody’s attention to her.

Yolanda timely interjected. “Melody, today is Ms. Lawrence’s birthday”

Melody smiled and said slowly, “Happy birthday, Ms. Lawrence, I’m sorry for what happened last time. By the way, has Barclay been discharged from the hospital?”

Fairlee’s forehead veins throbbed violently, and she replied through gritted teeth, “Thanks to you, he has been discharged.”

At this moment, a few newly arrived guests came over to greet Fairlee.

One began, “Ms. Lawrence, happy birthday.”

Another said. “May you grow younger with each passing year.”

“Thank you,” Fairlee said, her expression softening as she led the group inside.

At that moment, Janet suddenly linked arms with Melody and said softly. “Miss Melody, we had an argument recently, but sometimes initial clashes can pave the way for deeper friendship. Ken told me you’re a nice person, so if you don’t mind, let’s forget about the past and start over!

Melody’s expression remained unchanged as she replied calmly, “Sure, the past is just a misunderstanding and it’s all clear now.”

“You’re indeed a nice person, I thought you might still hold a grudge over what happened at the Silverlake Building,” Janet said while hugging more intimately with Melody.

Melody smiled sweetly, but her eyes glanced fleetingly at Janet’s hand before quickly looking away.

Soon, they were inside the villa.

Fairlee’s villa was a hillside property; although it wasn’t very large, it was impeccably maintained.

Melody looked up at the guests and recognized that those present today were all top–tier figures from various industries in Silverlake, all of them prominent leaders.

Although the Lawrence family was not particularly wealthy, these prominent figures still treated Fairlee respectfully due to her unique profession.

In truth, everyone present held a higher social standing than Fairlee, but since she was in the political field, these people flattered her even though they were worth much more than her.

Fairlee didn’t forget about Janet either, introducing her to the guests one by one, and when people learned about Janet’s identity, their focus shifted to her.

For a moment, Janet was the center of attention while Melody’s appearance and background were insignificant, soon being edged away from Mabel.

Compared to Janet, Melody’s looks and background were not presentable. She was quickly squeezed out of Mabel’s side.

Yolanda and Mabel had wandered off somewhere, leaving Melody completely alone.

But Melody didn’t seem to mind, calmly sipping champagne as if waiting for something.

Then, a commotion erupted from where Mabel was, with Yolanda’s voice rising. “How could such an important item go missing?”

Melody looked up as she thought, Here it comes.

Yolanda’s outburst naturally caught Fairlee’s attention, so Fairlee led Janet to walk towards Mabel.

“Mabel, what happened? Fairlee asked with concern.

Mabel discreetly pinched her thigh, causing her eyes to well up with tears as she stammered, “I…”

Standing beside Manel, Yolanda said at the right time, “Miss Murphy, we apologize, the gift you gave Mabel has suddenly disappeared. She had it pinned to her outfit just now.”

Janet recalled that Mabel had never worn any brooch from the start, but she didn’t expose Mabel; instead, she asked, “Mabel, did you lose the brooch I gave you?

Mabel nodded with a guilty expression. “Yes, that brooch you gifted meant too much to me, but now it’s suddenly gone.

Chapter 162

Janet was just about to inquire carefully when someone suddenly pushed her aside and asked concernedly, “Mabel, what did you lose” Realizing that it was Melody. Mabel looked up and met Melody’s cold, deep gaze.

Melody’s gaze sent chills down Mabel’s spine but the coldness disappeared in the blink of an eye, replaced by an expression full of calm.

Mabel wondered if she saw it wrongly, but before she could take a closer look, Melody grabbed her hand and began earnestly helping her search. “What are you doing?” Mabel subconsciously frowned.

Melody let go of Mabel’s hand and said innocently. “You lost something, so I’m helping you look for it. Brooches are so small that they can easily fall off, maybe it fell somewhere on your clothes.

knowing that brooches didn’t fall off that easily. Mabel smirked coldly inside as she foresaw that Melody would be known as a thief soon.

After Mabel gave Yolanda a look, Yolanda immediately stepped forward to pull Melody aside, while Yolanda’s hand inadvertently knocked against Melody’s head, causing Melody’s beret to fall to the ground.

Yolanda was filled with excitement while she quickly apologized before bending down to pick up Melody’s hat, adding, “Melody, I was afraid you might tear Mabel’s clothes, I’m sorry.”

Mabel also looked at the hat with anticipation because although the hat itself seemed usual, its lining was printed with dog patterns.

Janet had warned Mabel not to have anything related to dogs at this event because Fairlee’s mother had died of rabies after being bitten by a dog.

Now, as long as they turned the hat inside out to reveal the dog patterns, Melody would be finished because wearing a hat with dog patterns to Fairlee’s fortieth birthday celebration would be seen as a blatant provocation, and everyone would think Melody was an ignorant and malicious country bumpkin.

After apologizing for knocking off the hat, Yolanda picked the hat up and naturally turned it inside out, handing it back to Melody with the lining facing up.

She didn’t look at Melody or the hat but instead stared directly at Fairlee, believing that Fairlee would explode in anger soon

However, a few seconds passed, and Fairlee’s expression remained unchanged.

Yolanda thought. How could this be? Ain’t Fairlee supposed to erupt in anger upon seeing the hat.

Yolanda’s mind went blank for a moment, then she quickly looked at the hat, realizing the original dog pattern lining had somehow changed to a cat pattern.

Upon recalling their visit to Wilmot’s shop for styling, Yolanda instantly understood the situation and inwardly scolded Wilmot, determined to teach him a lesson after this.

While Yolanda seethed with anger, Mabel openly expressed her disbelief, exclaiming. “How is this possible?“

Melody put her hat back on and asked Mabel with a faint smile, “Mabel, what do you mean by how is this possible?”

With their plan failed, Mabel was both shocked and furious as she blurted out, “Your hat isn’t..

Yolanda quickly tagged on Mabel’s sleeve and said, “Mabel, now is not the time to worry about whether Melody’s hat is straight, let’s find the brooch Miss Murphy gave you first.”

Yolanda smiled gently, and with just one sentence, she explained Mabel’s lapse due to her concern for Melody’s hat.

The crowd couldn’t help but look approvingly at Mabel, feeling that she was a girl with good character as she was still concerned about Melody’s appearance even when she had lost something.

Reminded by Yolanda, Mabel quickly regained her composure and masked all her emotions, comforting herself inwardly, ‘It’s fine, the hat trick failed, but there’s still the brooch. Thank goodness that Mom is smart enough to set up multiple traps:

Thinking this, Mabel pretended to help Melody adjust her hat and then looked at Melody’s chest, feeling fortunate that the brooch was still the same one she had pinned earlier.

Mabel heaved a sigh of relief as she thought, It’s just a coincidence earlier, Melody is so stupid, so how will she figure out our plan?

The next second, Mabel pretended to be surprised and pointed to Melody’s chest. “Melody, why is my brooch on you?”

Melody looked puzzled as she asked, “Mabel, what brooch are you talking about?”

Mabel was focused on her act and didn’t notice the fleeting cold glint in Melody’s eyes.

The brooch on your chest is the brooch that I lost,” Mabel said with an aggrieved and forbearing expression. “Melody, if you wanted something of mine, you could have just asked as I would give you anything. But this brooch was a gift from Miss Murphy, how could you take a gift given to me by someone else?”

Melody looked like an innocent deer, pointing to the brooch, saying, “Mabel you must be mistaken. This brooch was given to me by someone else, it’s not yours

Yolanda stepped forward at the right moment, her face stern. “Melody, why are you still lying at this point? I regret bringing you back from the countryside. When did you start this habit of stealing? You’re simply disgraceful.”

Despite Yolanda’s accusations, Melody’s expression remained unchanged as she continued to explain innocently. “This is my brooch and I didn’t take Mabel’s.”

Upon hearing this, Yolanda vaguely sensed something was wrong, wondering why Melody wasn’t even clarifying that the brooch had been pinned on her by Mabel earlier.

Chapter 163

If Melody were to say that the brooch was a gift from Mabel, then both Mabel and Yolanda could claim that Melody not only stole but also lied shamelessly.

However, since Melody merely explained that it was her brooch, could it be that the brooch, like the hat, was swapped by Melody!

Just as Yolanda was about to find an excuse to let the matter slide, Mabel had already pulled Janet over and said, “Miss Murphy, Melody insists that the brooch is hers, but it’s truly the one you gave me. Could you help us identify it?”

Janet had anticipated that Mabel would use this tactic against Melody, so she stepped forward without hesitation, glancing at the brooch on Melody’s chest before firmly declaring, “This is indeed the gift I gave to Mabel, Miss Melody, not only did you take the brooch, but you brazenly wore it yourself, that’s too much.”

Janet’s tone was calm, but her words were sharp, each one accusing Melody of stealing the brooch she had given to Mabel and shamelessly wearing

For a moment, the guests looked at Melody with disdain and began whispering among themselves.

A person remarked, “How shameless, not only did she steal, but she also wore it openly. I’ve never seen someone like that?

One softly commented, “The Fox sisters are like night and day, while Mabel is the Best Celebrity in Silverlake, Melody is a thief.

A guest said, “Everyone knew about Wilona’s impeccable character back then, how could she have a daughter like this? Maybe the Fox family made a mistake and Melody isn’t the biological daughter?

Another agreed. “I think so too, Wilona’s daughter couldn’t possibly be this dishonest.

The guest’s comments were loud enough for Melody to hear clearly, but she pretended not to hear them, only looking at Janet meaningfully.

“Miss Murphy, you only took a glance, how can you be so certain that this brooch is the one I stole from Mabel and not my own?” Melody’s expression was calm as she spoke, even smiling faintly.

Melody’s smile made Janet uneasy, and this uneasiness fueled Janet’s annoyance towards Melody even more, determined to claim Melody as the thief to make her understand the harsh realities of society.

Janet glanced towards Fairlee, who immediately understood and exclaimed. “My bracelet is missing too.

Janet widened her eyes in surprise and asked, “Ms. Lawrence, could it be the bracelet I gave you, worth over millions of dollars?”

Fairlee anxiously replied, “Yes, that’s the one.”

“How could this be?” Janet murmured before suddenly looking at Melody while the guests also followed her lead and turned their eyes towards Melody.

Feeling confused, Yolanda wondered if it was a coincidence or something else, but then she gritted her teeth, making up her mind to label Melody as a thief no matter what.

Hence, with this resolve, Yolanda stepped forward and accused, “Melody, did you not only steal Mabel’s brooch but also Ms. Lawrence’s bracelet? Do you have any shame left!

Yolanda’s face was red with anger as if she were truly reprimanding her unruly daughter.

Watching Yolanda scold Melody, Fairlee felt immensely satisfied and exchanged a glance with Janet, who gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Then, Fairlee sighed and said, “Forget it, although the bracelet is expensive, I can buy one more. It would be terrible to ruin the harmony between our families over this. Mrs. Fox, I forgive her, but please talk to her properly after the party as such petty theft habits should not be practiced in Silverlake.”

Melody hadn’t had a chance to speak, now that Fairlee spoke and Yolanda paused her scolding, it allowed Melody to finally say, “Ms. Lawrence, thank you for your generosity, but I must clarify that I did not take your bracelet, I don’t even know what it looks like, so I don’t need your forgiveness.”

Fairlee was about to speak when Janet lightly tapped her from behind, and this was their prearranged signal which meant not to speak.

Just as Fairlee wondered why she should miss such an opportunity, she heard Yolanda say in a high–pitched voice, “We’ve caught you red–handed with evidence, yet you still refuse to admit it? Melody, are you trying to drive me mad? If you don’t confess right now, I have no choice but to turn you over to the police and let them discipline you properly”

Inwardly. Mabel was ecstatic, thinking. “Turn her over to the police, immediately send liar to the police!

However, knowing that she couldn’t reveal her thoughts, Mabel lowered her head, looking deeply disappointed in Melody

Seeing this, Janet patted Mabel’s shoulder and comforted, “Mabel, don’t be sad; turning her over to the police is for her good.”

Mabel nodded sorrowfully, a tear falling just at the right moment.

Melody watched this with a cold smile, then indifferently said, “Evidence! Did you or Mabel see me stealing, or find the missing items on me?

Thinking that Melody must be so panicked that she wasn’t thinking straight. Yolanda then grabbed the brooch from Melody’s chest and said. “The brooch Mabel lost appeared on you and this is evidence. What else do you have to say!”

“I said, this brooch is mine, not the one Miss Murphy gave to Mabel Melody’s voice remained composed while her expression didn’t change much, only her faint smile deepened.

Upon hearing this. Yolanda couldn’t help but feel anxious as if she were hanging in the air.

Melody’s gaze bypassed Yolanda, landing on Janet. “Miss Murphy, as the original owner of the brooch, are you sure this is the one you gave to Mabel?

Janet hesitated for a moment, not immediately responding because she was smart enough to sense something was off

Reaching out to take the brooch from Yolanda, Jane examined it closely and found out that there were letters “LD” engraved on the smooth back of the brooch, but the one she gave to Mabel had no engravings.

A look of surprise involuntarily appeared on Janet’s face as she wondered what was going on, thinking. Isn’t Mabel supposed to use the brooch I gave her to frame Melody? Why this brooch isn’t the one I had given Mabel”

Noticing Janet’s unusual expression, Yolanda’s heart skipped a beat as she asked in a hoarse voice, “Miss Murphy, this brooch..”

Janet closed her eyes briefly, her mind racing with countless possible responses before finally opened her eyes.

Chapter 164

There was a hint of apology in Janet’s eyes as she said to Melody under Yolanda’s questioning gaze, “I apologize, Miss Melody, I didn’t look closely earlier. This brooch is the same style as the one I gave to Mabel, but it’s not the one I gave her. It was our mistake, Miss Melody”

Yolanda held her breath instantly as she thought. How could my second plan fail as well! How did Melody discover it? Did she guess my plan from the very beginning! No, that’s impossible, there’s no way Melody could be this clever.

Clinging to her last hope, Yolanda asked Janet. “Miss Murphy, are you sure this isn’t the brooch you gave Mabel?”

Janet maintained an apologetic smile and said. “Yes, I’m sure.”

Janet wished she could say it was the one she gave Mabel, but seeing how calmly Melody was handling things, she couldn’t be sure there wasn’t another trap waiting.

Instead of letting people suspect she was in cahoots with Mabel and Yolanda, Janet thought it was better to temporarily let Melody off the hook because her reputation was much more important than Melody’s.

With Janet’s response, Yolanda and Mabel’s faces turned very ugly.

They had already thought that Melody might not be easy to deal with, which was why they set up two traps but they didn’t expect Melody to avoid the first one and even swap out the brooch in advance.

Yolanda’s mind was already in chaos, but she managed to hold it together and forced a smile, saying, ‘Melody, I made a mistake, and I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. But it was all for your good as I fear you might have picked up some bad habits in the countryside. I believe you won’t blame me, right!

Melody responded meaningfully. “Yolanda, most people in the countryside are quite simple and honest, it’s the big cities where you find more pickpockets.”

Yolanda didn’t understand what Melody meant, but Melody couldn’t be bothered to explain and walked straight up to Mabel.

Mabel was not as good at hiding her emotions as Yolanda, so her feelings were displayed on her face, which was a mix of disbelief, unwillingness, anger, and confusion.

As Melody suddenly approached her. Mabel was startled and quickly tried to hide her expression when she heard Melody ask calmly. “Mabel, why do you seem so surprised that the brooch I’m wearing isn’t the one you lost?”

“I am not.” Mabel blushed with anxiety.

Yolanda frowned and stood up for Mabel, saying, “Melody, what are you trying to do? Mabel is just anxious because she can’t find the brooch.

“Really? You’re not feeling guilty, are you?” Melody asked Mabel again.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Yolanda’s face darkened.

Mabel also argued back. “Why would I feel guilty!”

Melody calmly said, “That’s something you should ask yourself. Why do you feel guilty, and why are you so surprised?”

Mabel replied loudly, “I’m not!”

“Are you not? Then I must have misunderstood. Sorry, Mabel. I think you wouldn’t mind my misunderstanding, just as I don’t mind Yolanda’s misunderstanding of me, right?” Melody smiled apologetically and linked arms with Mabel.

Mabel found Melody’s closeness very repulsive, but at this critical moment, she couldn’t show discord between them and could only force a smile, nodding. “Yes, I don’t mind.”

However, in the next moment, she felt Melody’s fingers press on a main point on her arm.

Then, Mabel gasped in pain, her hand lost strength, and the purse she was holding fell to the ground.

Just as she was about to question why Melody pinched her, she saw two shiny items slide out of the fallen purse; one was the brooch she had personally pinned on Melody’s cloth, and the other was a diamond bracelet.

Mabel’s eyes widened in shock as she didn’t have such a bracelet, and then an ominous feeling spread throughout her body, making her scalp tingle.

She instinctively wanted to step on it to hide it, but it was too late as Melody had already picked up the bracelet from the ground, holding it in her hand while examining it in confusion

Melody remarked, “Mabel, I don’t remember that you have such a bracelet. Could this bracelet be Ms. Lawrence?”

Fairlee was also shocked as she thought, “Didn’t Janet say she had put it on Melody? Why is the bracelet in Mabel’s purse?”

As everyone’s eyes were on Fairlee, she couldn’t exchange glances with Janet, only pretending to be angry while questioning. “Mabel, how did my lost bracelet end up in your purse??

Since both daughters of the Fox family were accomplices in Barclay’s injury and hospitalization, Fairlee felt that framing either one would be the best solution.

Fairlee naturally looked fierce, so when she frowned, her aggressive look seared Mabel so much that Mabel forgot to defend herself.

Not expecting Fairlee’s lost bracelet to be found on Mabel, Yolanda was shocked and quickly stepped in to defend Mabel, smiling apologetically. “Ms. Lawrence, there must be some misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?” Fairlee picked up the bracelet before asking Yolanda, “Is this what you call a misunderstanding? Did my bracelet grow wings and fly into your daughter’s purse?”

“Well Just as Yolanda was about to speak, Melody suddenly stepped in front of Mabel to face Fairlee. “Ms. Lawrence, Mabel is young and ignorant. please don’t send her to the police station. I believe this is her first time doing something like this and I hope you can forgive her just this once, please?

This dramatic plea made Melody secretly give herself a thumbs–up.

On the other hand, Mabel couldn’t stay calm anymore and burst out. “Melody, shut up. I didn’t take the bracelet.

Mabel hated Melody so much that she wanted to strangle her right now.

“Mabel!” Yolanda gave Mabel a warning look, then turned coldly to Melody.

In these few minutes, Yolanda had completely understood that the bracelet must have been placed in Mabel’s purse by Melody.

Yolanda and Mabel had planned to frame Melody, but instead, they were outwitted.

However, they had no evidence, and due to the brooch incident, they had already lost everyone’s trust.

Thinking that it would only make things worse and cause an even bigger joke if she accused Melody now, Yolanda had no choice but to endure it, trying to brush this off.

Feeling deeply troubled or anxious, Yolanda’s gaze was piercing as if it could cut like daggers, then she whispered to Melody so only the two of them could hear, “Bitch, you’ll pay for what you did today.”

Melody heard Yolanda’s threat and smirked coldly in her heart, thinking that if it weren’t for her to turn the tables and falsely accuse Mabel, Yolanda and Mabel would not have spared her.

Melody decided to not let them off the hook easily because she knew that if Yolanda and Mabel managed to frame her for stealing something earlier, her fate would be a thousand times worse than Mabel’s.

Melody was no longer the person she is, in her past life and would never be defeated by them so easily.

While this was just Melody’s small warning to Yolanda and Mabel, she would make them suffer severe consequences of framing her.

Chapter 165

As Yolanda and Melody met eyes, it felt like they had clashed countless times before, but to onlookers, it was merely a brief two-second stare “Yolanda, why are you looking at me like that?” Melody averted her eyes, tilting her head toward Fairlee, signaling Yolanda. “Yolanda, please help Mabel plead for mercy as the bracelet isn’t cheap. What if Ms. Lawrence sends her to the police station?”

Yolanda was so infuriated that her head buzzed, feeling as if her blood was flowing backward.

Gritting her teeth, Yolanda tried to ignore Melody and turned to Fairlee. “Ms. Lawrence, I apologize sincerely as we didn’t know the bracelet belonged to you when we found it accidentally. Not recognizing its value, we initially planned to hand it over to the butler after the birthday party, never expecting it to be yours. Although it’s just a misunderstanding, it is still our fault.”

Her words were so sincere that it almost seemed like they found the bracelet.

Beside her, Mabel was even more emotional, her tears flowing effortlessly out of genuine fear, worrying that her reputation might be destroyed.

However, no matter how earnest Yolanda and Mabel were, Fairlee remained unmoved.

Fairlee felt that if Mabel hadn’t seduced Barclay back then, Barclay wouldn’t have done such a stupid thing to Melody, hence, her eyes darkened as she mercilessly spoke. “Yolanda, don’t you think your explanation is too weak? Everyone initially thought Melody stole the bracelet, and I chose to forgive her because it was merely theft. But you! Your daughter stole something, and instead of correcting her, you tried to make Melody take the blame. Theft plus framing was something I won’t forgive easily

Yolanda tried to explain, “Ms. Lawrence.”

However, Fairlee raised her hand to cur Yolanda off. “No more explanations. From now on the Fox family is no longer welcome at the Lawrence residence. I won’t call the police this time but as a warning. I’ll inform the organizers of the Best Celebrity contest to reconsider Mabel’s eligibility.”

Hearing this, even Yolanda’s face turned pale and her legs trembled because she had been counting on Mabel to win this year’s Best Celebrity and marry into the Swanson family.

Knowing Mabel might lose her eligibility, Yolanda abandoned all pride and grabbed Fairlee’s arm while saying, “Ms. Lawrence, please listen to me”

At the same time, Yolanda signaled Mabel to plead with Janet because Janet was Fairlee’s guest of honor and her words would surely carry weight.

Mabel understood Yolanda’s intention and quickly approached Janet. “Miss Murphy, for the sake of our friendship, please help me to explain. I swear I didn’t steal the bracelet”

Janet brushed off Mabel’s hand coldly and said with a regretful expression. “Mabel, I thought since you won the Best Celebrity last year, you would be excelling in both character and academies, but you’ve deeply disappointed me. From now on, we are no longer friends”

Janet’s voice was always harsh, her words fell heavily, hitting Mabel straight in the heart.

Suddenly, Mabel thought of something and sharply turned to look at Janet, saying, “It’s you, this was all your plan, wasn’t it? What exactly are you trying to do? We have no grievances or grudges, but why are you trying to harm me?”

Janet narrowed her eyes her expression darkening as she turned to Fairlee. “Ms. Lawrence, since today’s party has been ruined by the Fox family. I see no reason to continue.”

Upon hearing Janet’s words, Fairlee nodded and apologetically sent off the guests.

As the guests couldn’t wait to share the gossip that Silverlake’s Best Celebrity was a thief, they dispersed on their own without needing further prompting from Fairlee.

Once the guests were gone, Fairlee’s expression turned cold as she addressed the three remaining guests. “How dare you stay here? Security, come and escort them out. From now on, if they show up, chase them away every time.”

Fairlee wanted them to understand the serious consequences of offending the Lawrence family.

“No need. I’ll leave on my own, Melody said softly, casting a deep glance at Janet before striding out.

Janet felt a chill as if she had been plunged into an ice cave because she was sure that Melody understood Mabel’s previous words.

Janet regretted underestimating Melody and allowing her to escape unscathed, hence she decided to devise a new plan to deal with Melody quickly.

Melody left, but Yolanda refused to go and clutched Fairlee’s sleeve, saying, “Ms. Lawrence, with no one around, I’ll be straightforward. We never noticed the bracelet, let alone stole it.”

Mabel nodded vigorously, “Yes, Ms. Lawrence, Melody framed me by slipping the bracelet into my purse when I wasn’t paying attention.”

Fairlee chuckled lowly. “Yolanda, do you think you’re the smartest person in the world!”

Yolanda was momentarily stunned before realizing the implication of Fairlee’s words, her vision darkened and if Mabel hadn’t quickly caught her,

she would have fainted and fallen on the floor.

Mabel asked, “Mom, are you okay?”

Yolanda shook her head and grabbed Mabel’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Mabel was confused. “Go? But…

“Go Yolanda’s tone hardened.

Mabel was shocked and did not dare to say anything else, only supporting Yolanda to leave.

After walking out of the villa, Mabel could not help but ask again, “Mom, we haven’t explained clearly yet, why are we leaving just like that?” Yolanda let out a bitter laugh. “Mabel, you’re still too young. Fairlee knows Melody planted the bracelet.”

“Then why did she..” Mabel began to understand halfway through her sentence. “So she’s colluding with Janet and taking revenge on us for what happened with Barclay.”

Yolanda lowered her eyes, biting her lip as she thought, I can’t accept this

Yolanda felt utterly defeated as she had come in with high hopes but was now leaving in disgrace due to being outsmarted by Janet, whom she had underestimated

“I was too hasty.” Yolanda said in frustration “Why did I rush? If I had waited until Maria died and brought down Wilmot, Melody would have been isolated with no one helping. Why did I act now! I’m foolish.”

Mabel felt terrible when she saw this, blaming herself while saying, “Mom, stop talking. It’s all my fault, making us fall into someone else’s trap.”

Yolanda shook her head and was too upset to speak, but she didn’t blame Mabel, only angry with herself for being too hasty

After this lesson, she would need to pull many strings to ensure Mabel could still participate in the Silverlake Best Celebrity contest.

Now, Yolanda finally experienced the pain of shooting herself in the foot.

Prev | Next 

Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 156, 157, 158, 159 and 160)

Chapter 156

Melody stepped inside to see Mabel sitting next to Yolanda, while across from them were Ryan and a middle-aged woman who bore a resemblance to Ryan.

It had to be Ryan’s mother, Hannah Fox.

Melody’s sharp eyes noticed the supplements on the coffee table, immediately recognizing them as cheap. The two items combined didn’t cost more than 20 dollars.

By the coffee table, Yolanda, masking her impatience with a fake smile, said, “Ryan, how could I not help you? When you joined this company, I spoke up for you. You know how Russell is, very rigid and by the book. Without my help, given your qualifications, you wouldn’t have gotten in so easily.

Ryan’s expression turned awkward.

Is she implying my credentials aren’t sufficient?’ he wondered.

While Ryan maintained his composure, Hannah’s reaction was immediate, her brows furrowing. “Yolanda, what do you mean by that? Ryan is an outstanding young man. Even going through the proper channels, he would have been accepted into your so-called company! You might not know, but in our village. Ryan is the only college graduate in years!!

Yolanda’s inner irritation grew, and just as she was about to ask them to leave, she noticed Melody entering the room.

Yolanda’s eyes brightened with an idea that could solve two problems at once.

“Hey… Yolanda sighed dramatically. “It’s not that I don’t want to help, but from what you’ve described, Melody needs to forgive you for this to be resolved. You really shouldn’t have gone through her drawers. But don’t worry. Melody is very understanding. She’ll surely forgive you.

As she finished speaking, Yolanda looked toward the door with feigned surprise. “Melody, you’re back?”

Both Hannah and Ryan turned to look at Melody.

Hannah, seeing Melody for the first time, found her even less attractive than Ryan had described. Her brows knit together in disdain.

How could someone so ugly dare to kick Ryan out of the company? This unattractive, scrawny woman, who looked unfit for childbirth, would only be suitable for marrying the blind man or the cripple. How dare she Hannah wondered.

Yolanda, observing Hannah’s expression, felt a bit better and stood up with a smile to introduce them. “Melody, Ryan, and Hannah are here. You know Ryan from the company. Come greet Hannah.””

Melody gave them a cold glance, nodded briefly, and then started to walk toward the backyard.

Seeing this, Hannah frowned and said, “Melody, do you have any manners! I am your aunt, and you don’t even greet me?”

“Hannah, don’t be upset Mabel interjected timely. “Melody just returned from the countryside, and we haven’t had time to teach her proper etiquette.”

Yolanda added with a firmer tone, “Melody, come over and greet Hannah properly!

Despite her words, Yolanda secretly hoped Melody would ignore the command

With Hannah’s big mouth, she would certainly spread the word of Melody’s lack of manners among Russell’s relatives.

Eventually, without any intervention, Russell would naturally learn just how ill-mannered Wilona’s daughter was.

However, Melody stopped in her tracks, then turned and sat down on the sofa with a faint, mocking smile. “Hannah, perhaps you didn’t see clearly due to your age. I greeted you just now, but you didn’t notice.

Hannah’s face darkened. “You…

Seeing Hannah about to explode, Ryan quickly reminded her. “Mom, focus on the important matter.”

Hannah swallowed her anger and commanded. “Melody, it’s not just me saying this, but how could you expel Ryan from the company over a misunderstanding? I’ll decide for you. Ryan will forgive you, and this matter will be resolved”

Melody’s lips twitched. “He’ll forgive me?”

“Yes,” Hannah replied in an authoritative tone, “Tomorrow, Ryan will return to work. We won’t mention this incident again, giving you a way out.”

A way out?” Melody looked at Hannah as if she were a fool.

This look made Hannah very uncomfortable, and she frowned. “What else do you want? Someone as talented as Ryan is in high demand wherever he goes. If the Fox family loses him, it will be a great loss!”

Even Yolanda’s expression soured at Hannah’s words. “Talent? It’s so funny!”

With just a college diploma, if not for Russell’s connections, Ryan wouldn’t even qualify to be a receptionist at that headhunting firm.

Despite these thoughts, Yolanda and Mabel held their tongues, choosing not to expose Hannah’s exaggerations. Instead, they chimed in to support Ryan and Hannah.

“Melody, since Ryan and Hannah are here, let’s just let this go. Don’t be so petty. Mabel said.

Indeed, Melody.” Yolanda sipped her coffee slowly. “Ryan only went through your drawers. You’re making a mountain out of a molehill…

She paused, nodded, and continued, “I shouldn’t be so petty, but Ryan probably didn’t explain things properly. He was kicked out not just for rummaging through my drawers but also for attempting to steal documents and making threats and defamatory statements. If not for our family ties, I would have called the police long ago.

Ryan’s face turned dark. “Melody! Don’t push your luck!”

Melody couldn’t help but laugh. Who’s pushing their luck here? What? Do you want me to call the police? Fine! I’ll do it right now.”

Melody pulled out her phone, ready to dial.

Ryan panicked and lunged to snatch the phone from her.

But Melody was quick, sidestepping gracefully. Ryan missed and fell flat on his face, yelping in pain. “Mom“”

Hannah, her temper flaring, pointed a finger at Melody and began to curse. “You country bumpkin, how dare you treat Ryan like this? Apologize immediately, or I’ll make sure you regret it!

Melody raised an eyebrow, about to bring up the surveillance footage to further embarrass Hannah and Ryan when an elderly voice interrupted. “Make her regret it? Tell me. How do you plan to make her regret it!!

Melody turned in surprise to see Hattie pushing Maria, who was seated in a wheelchair, toward them.

Seeing Maria has the energy to get out. Yolanda and Mabel exchanged shocked glances.

Hasn’t the increased dosage rendered Maria unable to get out of bed? How could she still command such presence? they wondered.

Hannah and Ryan were equally stunned to see Maria, supposedly too ill to receive visitors, suddenly appear.

Chapter 157

“My granddaughter is being bullied right at our doorstep. How can I not step in?” Maria’s tone was full of partiality

Hattie, standing behind her, gave Melody a knowing look. Melody immediately understood that Hattie had sensed something amiss and deliberately went to fetch reinforcements.

Even without Maria’s intervention, Melody had her ways to deal with Hannah and Ryan.

But with Maria present, Melody could now enjoy the show.

Maria frowned and coldly looked at Hannah “Why so silent? Go ahead, and tell me how you plan to deal with Melody,”

Hannah’s face showed a bit of embarrassment, but she quickly composed herself.

Hannah couldn’t believe that Maria would side with her country–bumpkin granddaughter over family relations

Emboldened by this thought. Hannah retaliated, “Mrs. Maria, it’s all a misunderstanding I was just angry and spouted nonsense. But honestly, Melody is so ill-mannered! I, an elder, was sitting here, and she didn’t even greet me before walking away. Worse still she complained about Ryan over some trivial matter to his boss, getting him fired! We’re family, yet she disregards our relationship. Isn’t she the one at fault here?”

“Ill-mannered?” Maria snorted, “Melody has been under my care since she came back. Are you suggesting I failed to teach her properly“”

Hannah was taken aback. She hadn’t expected that Maria herself had been looking after Melody

“Hasn’t Yolanda said Maria is gravely ill?‘ she wondered.

Realizing her blunder, Hannah quickly backtracked. “Slip of the tongue, Mrs. Maria. I’m not well–educated, and sometimes words just slip out. But I’m not wrong about Ryan Melody was relentless ever a minor issue, leading to Ryan’s dismissal. Isn’t that inappropriate? Don’t you think so?”

Mabel was about to support Hannah but hesitated, considering her recent streak of mistakes,

She looked to Yolanda for guidance, who subtly shook her head, signaling Mabel to remain silent.

Hannah, noticing the lack of support from Yolanda and Mabel, grew more agitated. “Yolanda, didn’t you say earlier that Melody’s actions were wrong!

Yolanda smiled slightly, her words perfectly calculated. “From what you’re side of the story, right Mrs. Maria, what do you think?”

does seem like Melody’s fault, but we can’t just listen to one

Maria’s gaze softened as she looked at Yolanda, then turned to Melody, “Melody, tell us what happened.”

Without wasting words, Melody connected her phone to the living room TV.

Ryan instinctively tried to stop her, but it was too late.

The TV screen displayed clear footage of Ryan going to the surveillance room to turn off the cameras, rummaging through Melody’s cabinet, and then trying to defame her when caught.

The recordings were complete, with both video and audio. Ryan was instantly rendered speechless, wishing he could disappear into the ground.

Hannah’s face darkened, but her shamelessness from years of low life made her persist. “It’s like I said, and so what? It wasn’t a big deal, but Melody blew it out of proportion. If she hadn’t made such a fuss, none of this would have happened!

“Enough!” Maria slapped the armrest of her wheelchair forcefully, her face dark with anger.

Hannah jumped, her body trembling as she tried to speak “Mrs. Maria, L…

“Don’t say another word!” Maria cut her off, her tone icy. “We gave Ryan a job, and instead of being grateful, he tries to defame Melody. Now you’re blaming us for your own wrongdoing? Have you no shame”“

Hannah hadn’t expected Maria to be so furious and was taken aback. “Mrs. Maria, we just…

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear another word from you ungrateful people! From now on, your family has no ties with the Fox family. Whatever happens to you, we won’t care.” Maria decisively severed all ties with Ryan’s family and instructed the butler to forcibly remove them from the premises.

Not only that, but Maria also had the butler throw out the gifts Hannah and Ryan had brought.

Hannah was left fuming at the door, stomping her feet in frustration.

“Fine! You guys don’t know what’s good for you. You’ll regret this later! If you won’t let Ryan go back to work, we don’t need your pity! Let me tell you. When our family makes it big you’ll be sorry!”

Ryan stood nearby, feeling utterly embarrassed. “Mom, please stop!”

“Don’t worry, Ryan. You’re the only college graduate from our village. Their small-minded ways don’t matter to us! Come on. Let’s go. Tomorrow. you’ll find an even better job and show them”

Hannah pulled Ryan away, leaving him feeling utterly hopeless. He regretted bringing his mother along today.

Without the Fox family’s support, how was a small–town guy like him with poor academic qualifications supposed to make it in the vast city of Silverlake!

His life was completely ruined.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Maria had just scolded Hannah and Ryan harshly. Now, she felt weak and sweaty.

Seeing this, Melody quickly asked Hattie to escort Maria back to her room.

As they headed toward the backyard. Melody caught a glimpse of Mabel, sensing that she was holding back her emotions

‘In my previous life, Mabel hasn’t matured this quickly. However, after rebirth, I taught Mabel many lessons in succession, causing her growth to accelerate. If Mabel becomes another Yolanda, it will only complicate matters further. I must think of a way to raise my status in Russell’s heart. I could not wait for Mabel to become smarter. Otherwise, it will only make Russell value Mabel more and make revenge more and more difficult. Melody determined inwardly.

Melody pondered her thoughts. Yolanda signaled to Mabel with her eyes that it was time to discuss the banquet

Mabel understood immediately, putting on a smile as she approached Melody. “Hey, Melody”

She smiled and spoke up. “We never expected Hannah to be so unreasonable. It was clearly Ryan’s fault, yet she acts like we owe him everything. Thank goodness we’re not blinded by her.”

Mabel’s sudden change in attitude made Melody suspicious.

“What is she up to do” she wondered.

Melody maintained her composure, returning the smile and saying, “Yeah, we should probably keep our distance from Ryan’s family in the future

Mabel nodded repeatedly, then added, “What happened just now made me realize something. Only family can be trusted. So, I want to apologize for my previous actions and hope we can get along better from now on.”

Chapter 158

Melody was even more puzzled inside, but she didn’t reveal anything, nodding calmly. “Since we’re all family, there’s no need to apologize. Let’s just get along from now on.”

Mabel’s smile widened as she quickly said. “Then let’s let bygones be bygones and never mention the past again, Mom, don’t you agree?

Yolanda nodded. “You are both my daughters, and I love you equally. From now on, let’s get along well”

“Yes..” Melody curved her lips into a sincere smile. “Thank you for speaking up for me today”

Seeing that the moment was right, Mabel took Melody’s hand and said, “We’re all family, so let’s not bring it up. Now that there are no misunderstandings between us, Melody, let’s get along from now on. In fact, my friend is having a party in a few days. Why don’t you come with Mabel?

Hearing this, Melody vaguely remembered Mabel inviting her to some party a few days ago.

So this mother-daughter duo was putting on a show for this.

It was clear that this would be a trap, and Mabel and Yolanda were plotting against her.

Thinking it was troublesome, Melody had initially refused without a second thought, but now it seemed like a perfect opportunity to turn the tables on Mabel

Yolanda added. “You’ve just come back from the countryside, and many people don’t know you. Use this chance to make some friends”

Her tone was gentle but carried a hint of undeniable authority.

“Well,” Melody pretended to hesitate for a couple of seconds, then nodded. “Alright, let me know in advance so I can prepare.”

“No problem!” Mabel made an OK gesture and said with feigned concern. “Melody, you should go check on Grandma. She didn’t look well earlier, and you know medicine, so you must take good care of her.”

“Sure, I go see her now Melody smiled warmly and turned toward the backyard.

As soon as Melody was out of sight. Mabel’s smile turned sinister and triumphant. “Mom, it seems like she was really moved by us speaking up for her today.”

Yolanda’s frown didn’t ease, and she said worriedly, “That’s what it seems, but I feel like things went a bit too smoothly. She’s not someone who’s easily fooled…”

“Who cares if she’s really fooled or not? We’re not actually going to reconcile with her. As long as she agrees to come to the party, our goal is achieved”

Yolanda thought carefully and nodded. “Yes, you’re right. I’ll make all the necessary preparations. When the time comes, follow my lead. Make sure everything goes perfectly without any unexpected incidents. Do you understand?”

Mabel nodded, then asked, “When is Dad coming back?”

“He’s coming back the night of the party Yolanda replied, her lips curling into a cold smile. “I’ll be the perfect time to show him that his other daughter is nothing but a disgrace and can’t offer him any benefit”

“Alright, Mom. Don’t worry. I’ll handle everything! Mabel promised

With that assurance, Yolanda felt somewhat relieved but was preoccupied with another matter.

She didn’t show it in front of Mabel. Instead, she went upstairs, took out her phone, and sent a message to the servant she had planted near Maria [Hello?]

Melody had just checked on Maria, ensuring there were no major issues, and was about to return to her room when she received Yolanda’s message.

She quickly replied, [Yes, Mrs. Fox. Do you have any instructions?]

Yolanda [What’s going on with Maria? According to the dosage, she shouldn’t even be able to get out of bed. How was she able to come to the living room today?]

Melody carefully chose her words before responding. [Mrs. Fox, I was about to report to you. The medicine you bought this time doesn’t seem very effective. Could it be that you were sold a dud‘]

After sending the message, it took a while for Yolanda to reply. [Got it. Keep an eye on Maria. Let her continue taking the medicine for a couple more days. If there’s no improvement, I’ll consult the seller.)

Melody: [Understood, Mrs. Fox.

After replying, Melody’s lips curled into a cold smile. –

She had expected Yolanda to be suspicious of Maria’s sudden appearance today:

And sure enough, Yolanda had immediately contacted this phone.

Melody snorted and then dialed James’s number,

James answered almost instantly, “Miss Fox, what’s going on?”

“Find out where Mabel is going for the party in a few days, Investigate the host’s household thoroughly. I want to know every detail, especially any taboos.

“Got it.” On the other end, James hung up and promptly reported the task to Ken

Ken remained unfazed. “Do as she says.”

“Yes, James replied, then tentatively asked, “Mr. Swanson, are you still busy? If so, I can.”

I’m not busy. Keep an eye on Melody for me,” Ken replied

James’s eyes darkened slightly, “Yes, sir.”

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Melody had enjoyed a rare couple of peaceful days, but this morning, she was awakened early by Mabel. “Melody, get up.”

Melody was a light sleeper and had already woken the moment Mabel pushed the door open.

But Melody pretended to be half–asleep, lazily asking “What is it?

Seeing Melody’s ugly face first thing in the morning made Mabel feel nauseous

But Mabel swallowed her disgust, smiling as she said. “Melody, did you forget? I mentioned attending a madam’s birthday party, and it’s today. Hurry up and get ready. We need to go early to get our hair and makeup done. The guests today are high society, so we must look our best.

“Oh..” Melody’s voice was languid. “Got it I’ll get up right away?”

“Alright, Melody, get up and wash up. I’ll wait for you outside. By the way, I’ve prepared your outfit and shoes for today. They’re on your bed. With that Mabel turned to leave Melody’s room.

But as she did, her eyes caught sight of a heap of luxury items piled in the corner of Melody’s room, and jealousy surged within her

Mabel recognized those gifts. Some were from Margaret’s birthday party, given by Ulric to Melody, and others were thanked–you gifts for Melody curing Margaret.

Although Mabel still didn’t believe Ulric had any real affection for Melody, those gifts were a constant irritant to her.

Suppressing her jealousy and anger, Mabel quickly exited the room, not noticing the change in Melody’s eyes. No longer lazy, her gaze followed Mabel’s back until she was completely out of sight.

Melody withdrew her gaze, a mocking smile curling her lips as she got up to wash.

After washing up, she opened the box containing the gifts.

The dress was exquisitely beautiful and incredibly expensive, with not a single flaw to be found.

Chapter 159

Mabel picked out a perfect gown for her.

Moreover, this gift was from a big brand’s spring show. It was worth millions.

She was so generous. It seemed like there was really going to be a tough battle today. Otherwise, the mother and daughter would not have spent so much money.

Melody immediately became cautious. After checking that the gown and shoes were right, she put them on.

Just as she was about to leave, she ran into Hattie.

Hattie noticed she was dressed very differently than usual and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Miss Fox, where are you going“”

“To the banquet, Melody replied.

Hattie nodded and did not ask further. She only said, “Maria Fox is in a much better condition today. She did not wet the bed last night.”

“It’s a good thing. You have to continue taking your medicine. When I come back, I take Grandma’s pulse again and see if you need to change your medicine”

“Alright, go ahead. I’Il brews the medicine for Mrs. Fox.

Melody said goodbye to Hattie. When she reached her house, she realized that Yolanda and Mabel were already waiting outside.

“As expected, clothes make the man.” Yolanda walked forward with a smile on her face. As she carefully arranged her clothes, she praised. “When I saw you just now, I almost didn’t recognize you. This outfit suits you very well. You have to pay more attention to your appearance in the future.”

Melody’s heart didn’t waver, but she smiled shyly and said, “It’s just a change of clothes. Why make such a big deal out of it.”

Yolanda’s eyes could not help but flash with disdain.

After all, she came back from the countryside and went to heaven with just a few words of praise.

With this ugly face, even if she wore the most expensive clothes in the world, she was still an ugly woman!

Yolanda thought so in her heart, but she said. “It’s true. I won’t lie. If you don’t believe me, ask Mabel”

Mabel stepped forward at the right time and said. “My mom never lies. Melody, you’re really beautiful today! However, there seems to be something missing…

As Mabel spoke, she looked Melody up and down, she suddenly took off the black beret from her head and carefully put it on Melody’s head.

Then, she clapped her hands and said. “That’s right! The black beret and the black shoes on your feet look even better together, don’t you think so.

Yolanda echoed, “Mabel, you’re indeed a design major. You look better with a hat.”

After Yolanda finished speaking, her gaze landed on Mabel.

“Don’t just focus on your sister. You already have enough accessories on you. The brooch on your chest looks too extra. Coincidentally, Melody doesn’t have much jewelry. Put it on her.”

“Alright… Mabel generously took off the brooch on her chest and carefully fastened it to Melody’s gown.

Melody looked at the two of them echoing each other, her calm eyes flashed with cold mockery,

“Alright, let’s go to the styling shop.” Yolanda looked at Melody and said, “Mr. Sherman doesn’t seem to know that our misunderstanding has been resolved. Let’s use this opportunity today to clear up the misunderstanding and let him style us. How about that, Melody?”

Melody agreed, “No problem“”

Yolanda sneered in her heart, but she hugged Melody’s arm affectionately and almost helped her into the car.

Soon, they arrived at Mr. Sherman’s styling shop.

Wilmot happened to be in the shop today. His jaw almost dropped when she saw Melody and Mabel enter hand in hand.

“Miss Melody, what’s going on! They “Wilmot asked.

“It’s all a misunderstanding,” Melody said with a smile. I used to have many misunderstandings with Yolanda and Mabel, but now they’ve all been resolved.”

Melody said to Yolanda and Mabel “Time is tight. You can go in first. I’ll talk to Mr. Sherman”

Yolanda and Mabel were in a hurry to get their hairstyles. They did not think too much about it and let go of her before walking into the shop.

Melody ensured the two of them had entered the shop before meeting Wilmot’s worried and suspicious gaze. She lowered her voice and said, “Don’t worry, it’s just a show”

Wilmot instantly understood what Melody meant. She could not help but ask, “Why are you acting in this show? How can I help you?

“I don’t have that much time to explain, but I do need your help with something. Melody lowered her voice and whispered to Wilmot.

Wilmot nodded and said. “It’s no big deal. Leave it to me?

Quickly, an hour had passed. Yolanda and her daughter were already done styling, but Wilmot Sherman was still fussing with her hair. She couldn’t help but feel a little impatient

“With her ugly appearance, no matter how she dresses up, she’s still an ugly freak!” said Mabel.

When Yolanda heard Mabel’s muttering, she frowned and gave her a warning look.

Mabel shrugged, indicating that she understood, she smiled and came behind Melody,

“Sister, are you almost done? It’s almost time to set off” asked Mabel.

“Right away” Melody looked at Wilmot Sherman in the mirror and said, “You don’t have to help me with my makeup. That’s fine.“

Wilmot paused and asked, “Aren’t you going to put on your foundation”

“No need.” Melody shook her head.

Once the red spots and sores on her face were covered, her true appearance would be seen by Yolanda and Mabel

At this time, she hadn’t yet established herself in Silverlake. She hadn’t built enough connections, so she could not easily reveal her true colors. Otherwise, Yolanda and Mabel would not be able to tolerate her for a moment.

Wilmot knew that Melody had her plans, so he did not insist. In the end, she fiddled with Melody’s hat and took a step back. “It’s done.“”

“Thank you” Melody stood up and greeted Mabel and Yolanda. “Tim done. Let’s go.”

Yolanda and Mabel looked at Melody at the same time and saw that she had barely changed

Yolanda could not help but feel disdain in her heart. Yolanda couldn’t help but feel disdain. As expected, no matter how skilled the stylist is, he needed a client with good features. Otherwise, no matter how carefully they worked on a lost cause, it would never turn into a masterpiece.

On the other hand, Mabel was wearing a snow–white custom–made gown, which made her originally snow-white skin look even more translucent. Coupled with the exquisite makeup on her originally perfect facial features, it matched the saying. “Her mouth is like a vermillion pill, her slender steps are exquisite and peerless.”

No man could refuse such a face.

Her daughter, Yolanda, was the most beautiful.

She was destined to marry into the top family of the Silverlake pyramid, the Swanson family!

Thinking of this. Yolanda took advantage of Melody to walk out. She lowered her voice and asked Mabel. “Has Ulric been looking for you recently?”

Mabel was stunned, she did not dare to tell Yolanda, and Ulric that even the dessert she made himself rejected him because of Melody.

She could only find an excuse. “I heard that he’s been looking for a doctor to treat his leg, so I didn’t dare to disturb him.”

Yolanda asked in surprise, “Can his leg be cured?”

“I think so. The last time we attended Margaret Swanson’s birthday party, from her tone, it sounded like there was a high possibility of a cure.

Yolanda was overjoyed. “That’s great! You to solidify your relationship with him before he recovers from his leg. Otherwise, Silverlake will have countless people fighting to marry him. At that time, it might not be our turn anymore, understand?”

Chapter 160

Mabel asked in shock. “But aren’t we the only ones who are engaged to the Swanson family?”

“You child… This betrothal is only verbal. It’s not written in black and white. If they meet someone better and insist on going back on their word, we won’t be able to do anything about the Swanson family. So, this year you must be selected as the number one socialite, understand?” Yolanda said earnestly. Mabel immediately felt a sense of danger.

She nodded vigorously and said. “I understand, Mom.”

“Alright.” Yolanda patted Melody’s shoulder and reminded him. “Let’s not worry about that today. The most important thing today is to rain Melody’s reputation.”

At the mention of this, Mabel immediately perked up. They quickened their pace and walked out of the door.

Melody was chatting with Wilmot. When she saw them approaching, Wilmot’s expression immediately turned cold.

Yolanda remembered that she had been blacklisted by a beauty salon under Wilmot a few days ago. She could not help but nod slightly at Wilmot and said, “Mr. Sherman, we had many misunderstandings before. I believe Melody has explained it to you clearly. From now on, can I enter your shop?”

Wilmot spread her hands apologetically and said. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Fox Our shop has an unwritten rule, which is that customers who are blacklisted can’t be pulled out anymore. So you can only go to the new shop when I open another new shop”

The smile on Yolanda’s face froze.

She could not help but frown as she looked at Melody,

Did this girl not make things clear to Wilmot?

Melody said innocently. “I was just telling Mr. Sherman about this. This is indeed a rule set by him. It’s not easy to change it.

Yolanda’s heart was filled with anger, but she could not show it. After all, she had already “let bygones be bygones” with Melody.

However, when she thought about how she would lose more opportunities to socialize if she stayed on the blacklist of Wilmot, she still felt terrible.

Wilmot, she must give him a punishment!

However, Yolanda did not forget about the important matter because of her anger. She quickly put on a smile and said, “Alright then, I’ll wait for Mr. Sherman to open a new shop. I’ll go over to support you then.”

After saying goodbye to Wilmot. Mabel contacted Janet. “Janet, I’ve already sent you the location.

Mabel was on the phone. Melody heard the word “Janet and could not help but be stunned. Janet…? Could it be the “Janet” she knew?

Before Melody could think further, a luxurious business car stopped in front of them.

Melody estimated the price of this car. It was over millions of dollars.

It was impossible for Russell to buy such a car.

The driver quickly got out of the car and opened the door for them.

“Dear three, please,” said Driver.

As an elder, Yolanda was the first to get into the car. However, Mabel was not in a hurry, she made a “please” gesture to Melody and smiled. “Elder Sister, get in the car first.”

She was planning to let Melody sit in the middle.

Melody did not have stage fright, she sat down gracefully.

Mabel looked at Melody’s back and sneered she thought to herself, “I’ll show you enough respect now. When the time comes, you’ll cry!”

After Melody sat down, Mabel bowed and got into the car.

The car looked big from the outside, but it was only a five-seater.

The three of them squeezed into the back. The space in the car was slightly cramped.

The car was silent for a moment. Then, Mabel’s enthusiastic voice sounded-

“Elder Sister, I know a very talented socialite, who is a young lady from Insterimond, she sent this car to pick us up. I’ll introduce you to her then, said Mable.

Melody nodded and deliberately leaned toward her. She asked in confusion, “So are we going to her house to attend the party!“

This.” The already small place was squeezed by Mable, and Melody was pushed into a corner.

Swallowing her discomfort, she answered, “It’s her aunt’s house.”

When Yolanda heard Mabel’s words, she could not help but ask in confusion. “Don’t you know whose birthday party it is?”

Mabel shook her head. “I don’t know,”

What did it matter whose family it was? Anyway, Janet had already told her the taboo in the other party’s family. It didn’t matter whose family it was.

However, when Yolanda heard this, she felt uneasy,

But this uneasiness was quickly replaced by anticipation.

She was looking forward to seeing Melody being scolded by everyone.

Along the way, Mabel straightened her back and barely managed to maintain her balance, she did not fall and half of her body was sore.

About half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a villa

As soon as the car stopped. Mabel couldn’t wait to get out.

Yolanda followed closely behind.

As soon as Yolanda got out of the car, her face turned pale.

Mabel immediately noticed that something was wrong with Yolanda, she quickly walked forward and asked softly, “Mom, what’s wrong! Are you feeling unwell?”

“Here.. Yolanda pointed at the retro carved door and said, “Do you know where this is”

Mabel looked in the direction Yolanda was pointing at and could not help but be stunned.

What this? Fairlee Lawrence’s house?” asked Mabel

A chill ran down her spine. She did not expect Janet’s auntie to be Fairlee!

Mabel grabbed Yolanda’s arm in a panic and said, “What should we do! Mom, I used Barclay at Mrs. Swanson’s birthday party and caused him to be hospitalized. Fairlee is Barclay’s biological aunt. She might not even let us in ”

Yolanda did not expect the party to be attended by the Fairlee families.

Just as Yolanda thought that all her preparations for the past two days would be in vain and was about to leave, a cold and graceful figure suddenly walked out from inside.

Mabel immediately recognized it as Janet.

Mabel quickly reminded Yolanda, “That’s Miss Murphy.

Yolanda immediately looked at Janet and subconsciously sized her up.

The lady from Insterimond was wearing a light green satin evening gown. Green was a color that easily revealed black, but it had a different flavor when worn by Janet.

She could not help but compare Janet to Mabel. She felt that although Janet’s appearance was not as stunning as her daughter’s and she was not the kind of beauty who would immediately stun people at first glance, her facial features were very good–looking.

However, Janet’s temperament was abnormally outstanding, so much so that it directly surpassed the almost perfect Mabel.

If Janet was compared to Mabel, then Mabel would be the rose that everyone would like, while Janet would be the peony of the king of flowers. I was impossible to ignore.

“Sure enough, she is from Instermond. It’s indeed different, Yolanda muttered to himself.

At this moment, Janet also noticed them, she smiled and waved. “Mabel”

Mabel subconsciously wanted to go forward and greet Janet, but the next second, she saw Fairlee following Janet.

She immediately felt timid and hesitated, not daring to go forward.

It was still Janet who led Fairlee forward. Mabel and Yolanda forced a smile.

Prev | Next 

Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 151, 152, 153, 154 and 155)  

Chapter 151

Zack stood facing his grandpa. Ford, who didn’t seem very happy with him. Ford furrowed his brows and said, “Look at you, you’ve almost worn out the clothes! I told you this isn’t something you can handle, but you insisted on taking over my work!” Though Ford was complaining, his eyes were full of satisfaction and affection for Zack.

Melody looked at Zack, unable to reconcile him with the “commanding Mr. Nelson” she remembered from the business world. His sudden appearance completely caught her off guard. She instinctively wanted to slip away, but it was too late.

Zack turned and saw Melody, frowning slightly. “Who are you?”

“I’m…” Before Melody could figure out how to explain, Ford coughed and smiled. “Melody, you’re here? This is my grandson, Zack. Isn’t he attractive”

Melody could not deny that Zack’s features were striking, so she nodded. “Yes. He did inherit your good genes.”

Ford Laughed heartily, ignoring Zack’s puzzled look, and lied through his teeth, saying, “This is Melody. She’s from the neighborhood committer. They have started a program to keep elderly folks company. She often comes by to chat and help me with chores.”

Melody hadn’t expected Ford to be such a good actor, so she played along. “True. I’m from the neighborhood committee.

Zack stood up, his eyes suspiciously fixed on Melody. “Neighborhood committee I’ve never heard of this program. Do you have any identification?”

“I didn’t bring it with me,” Melody replied.

*No paper ID? Then you must have a digital one?” Zack’s dark eyes bore into her, trying to catch any sign of deceit.

“I… Before Melody could respond, Ford began to scold Zack, “You brat, don’t scare my guest! Melody has been keeping me company and helping with chores every day. What are you suspicious about? Do you think I have something worth scamming If you keep this up, then go back to your company. I can manage just fine on my own without you worrying unnecessarily!”

Seeing that his grandpa was genuinely upset, Zack softened his tone. “Grandpa, don’t be angry. I’m just worried about you.”

I’m old, not a fool I know who is trustworthy. You don’t need to worry about that,” Ford said.

Zack showed no signs of annoyance in front of his grandpa and could only nod along “Alright, alright. It’s my fault. Don’t be upset. You’re on blood pressure medication”

Ford buffed and led Melody to the kitchen. “Melody, the neighbor next door made some cinnamon rolls today and sent over a couple. I saved one for you. It’s really good. Come and try it

Zack was confused, “Grandpa, why didn’t I know about these cinnamon rolls?

Ford snorted and said, “You’re always eating lavishly at those business dinners. A simple cinnamon roll wouldn’t appeal to you. I saved it for Melody, so don’t even think about taking it”

Zack gave a wry smile and looked at Melody with a slightly warmer gaze, thinking. It’s rare for Grandpa to treat someone better than me, so this woman probably isn’t from a headhunting or rival company, Grandpa might act like a child sometimes, but he’s sharp. He’d never let a stranger in. With that thought, he stopped worrying about the kitchen and went back to dutifully washing clothes.

Meanwhile, Melody was enjoying the cinnamon roll that Grandpa had kept warm for her. She handed him a packet of medicine from her pocket. “Here’s today’s medicine.”

“Sure” Grandpa quickly took the medicine in one gulp as if fearing anyone else would see, then carefully folded the packet and put it in his pocket. Only after he was sure everything was in order, he breathed a sigh of relief,

Melody couldn’t help but laugh, thinking. You’re going to great lengths to keep Zack from knowing you fell into the water

They chatted for a bit, and Ford invited Melody to stay for dinner. Normally, she would have declined, but today, with her target, Zack. unexpectedly at home, she didn’t refuse and nodded her agreement. “Sure, I’d love to try your cooking”

“Don’t worry, I’m a great cook! I’ll head to the market to get some ingredients now! With that. Ford grabbed a basket and went out, leaving Melody and Zack alone awkwardly at home,

Melody broke the silence first. “Why don’t you use a washing machine for the clothes?”

Zack didn’t even look at Melody and continued his work. Just when she thought he wouldn’t pay any attention to her, he suddenly spoke up in a calm tone, “Grandpa doesn’t trust those high–tech gadgets, even washing machines. He thinks hand washing is cleaner.

Melody thought for a moment and shook her head. “I don’t think that’s the real reason. Hearing her answer, Zack finally looked at her, his eyes. questioning.

Seeing his reaction, Melody knew that any conversation involving Ford would get Zack to engage. To bridge the distance with Zack, Melody quickly organized her thoughts and spoke logically. “I think there are two reasons. First, because he’s alone at home for so long, the only thing that keeps him occupied is doing chores. If high–tech gadgets take over, how would he pass the time waiting for you to come home?”

Zack’s eyes flickered slightly, but he quickly masked his expression. After a moment’s silence, he asked, “And what’s the other reason?”

“He needs to feel valued. By doing all the chores and keeping the house in order, he doesn’t feel like a burden to you, Melody continued.

Zack’s face darkened visibly. “Nonsense,” he muttered, turning away and showing an expression that he couldn’t be bothered to listen to her nonsense anymore.

Melody sensed that Zack agreed with her but didn’t want to admit that she cared more about his grandpa than he did. This was a good opportunity for her Choosing her words carefully, she approached Zack. “From what I’ve seen your grandpa seems cheerful, but he’s actually quite lonely. Mr. Nelson, work is important, but no matter how long your grandpa lives, he won’t have many years left. If you can, slow down a bit and spend more time with him Or

Zack looked at her expressionlessly. “Or what?”

Melody shrugged lightly. “Or, consider a less demanding job. A career is important, but not as important as family, right?” She left it at that, then added. “Oh, I remember the dishes in the kitchen still need washing. I’ll take care of that to save him the trouble when he gets back.” With that, she headed to the kitchen, feeling Zack’s gaze on her.

Chapter 152

Back in the kitchen, Melody’s lips curved slightly.

The poaching of Zack was just the beginning

However, she believed that Zack would be hers soon.

Things went smoothly. Even the dishes were dealt with very quickly.

After dinner, Ford ordered Zack, “Send Melody out and come back when she gets into the car. It’s not safe for a young lady like her to walk at night”

Melody laughed dryly and said, “Ford, it’s not even dark yet. It’s very safe for me to walk alone. Moreover, I can take a taxi.”

However, Zack stood up and said. “Let’s go. I’ll send you off.”

Melody was stunned. Zack had already walked out.

“Go!” Ford winked at her and said in a low voice, “My grandson has never been in a relationship. You can do it.”

Melody’s smile froze. She said helplessly, Ford, I don’t have that kind of feelings for him.”

“Oh, feelings are nurtured! How would you know if you don’t get along? He’s very rich! If you marry into our family, I can guarantee that there won’t be any conflict between you and his mother”

Melody sweated. Before she could explain, Zack was already urging her, saying. “Don’t dawdle”

Melody had no choice but to walk out quickly.

On the way. Zack said calmly. “Miss Fox, right?”

Melody nodded. “Yes, my name…”

Before she could say her name, Zack interrupted her and handed her his business card. “This is my business card. If you’re willing to come and accompany my grandfather often, I can give you a salary. You can name your price.”

That was not what Melody wanted.

She quickly said, “I think Ford needs you the most, Mr. Nelson. I can’t replace your position in Ford’s heart.”

Zack said expressionlessly. “You don’t have to reject me now. No matter how stable the job in the street office is, it can’t compare to the high salary I gave you. You can consider it first and answer me next week”

After saying that, Zack didn’t even bother to send her off and directly returned home.

Melody looked at Zack’s back and did not know whether to laugh or cry. She was the one who poached him, so how did it become the other party poaching him?

However, the current situation seemed to be a little troublesome. She had to think about what to do next.

At this moment, James’s voice sounded from behind.

“Miss Fox, Melody subconsciously turned around and saw James asking in surprise, “Zack actually gave you a business card?”

Melody waved the business card in her hand and said, “Yes, but there hasn’t been much progress.”

“Isn’t that much?” James explained, “It’s Zack’s business card. Miss Murphy tried for a long time but couldn’t get it. Could it be that you cured his grandfather’s illness?”

Melody shrugged and said, “That’s not the reason.

“And that is?” James asked.

“Don’t ask.” Melody paused and asked, “Where is Ken now!”

James blurted out, “Company”

As soon as he said that, James regretted it..

He was sent by Ken to monitor Melody’s whereabouts. How did it become me to report Mr. Swanson’s whereabouts to Melody?” he thought.

However, it was useless to be vexed. The words had already been said.

Melody said, “Go to the company. I have something to tell him.”

Half an hour later, they arrived at the Swanson Group.

James went to park the car, and Melody entered the headquarters first.

This building was located at the center of Silverlake CBD. It towered into the clouds. In her previous life, she had stepped into this building countless times and helped Ulric reach the highest position step by step.

She did not expect this to be the case when she returned.

In the hall, all the decorations were exactly the same as in her previous life, but everything had changed.

Melody sighed and walked straight to the elevator.

However, just as she was about to enter the elevator, the receptionist suddenly ran over and stopped her.

“I’m sorry, Miss. Not anyone is allowed in our company,” the receptionist said.

The receptionist had a standard smile on her face, but the impatience in her eyes could not be deceived.

She pretended to call for security, so Melody could only explain, I’m here to look for someone.”

Employee family the receptionist asked.

Melody paused for a moment and said, “I guess so.

At least legally, she was Ken’s wife.

The receptionist stopped smiling and said. “Even the family members of employees can’t go up casually. They have to make an appointment first and pass the review.”

Melody did not want to make a big deal out of it. Her marriage with Ken was just a coincidence. They could dissolve the marriage at any time, so it was not convenient for others to know,

Thinking of this, she nodded cooperatively and said. “Then I’ll get him to come down.”

After saying that, she called Ken and said concisely, Tm in the lobby of your company. Please come down and pick me up.

Ken was a man of few words. He just said “Okay” and hung up.

After the call ended, Melody put down her phone and met the suspicious gaze of the receptionist. “He’ll be down soon. I’ll stand here and wait”

The receptionist said with a half–smile, “Miss, standing here will affect our company’s image. If you want to wait for someone, you should go out and wall.

Melody could not help but frown. “Affect your company’s image! Is this your work attitude!”

The receptionist saw that Melody was dressed in ordinary clothes and looked ugly. She shrugged fearlessly and said, “My job is to serve the company’s employees and partners, not the employee’s family. Besides, how would I know that you’re really an employee’s family? I’ve seen many people with ill intentions coming to our place. Please get out quickly, or I’ll have to use force.

Their monthly salary was so high that ordinary people could not compare to it. How could they let their family members dress so poorly!

Moreover, she was so ugly. No one in their company would have such a bad taste.

The receptionist thought that Melody wanted to come to the company to meet a celebrity. After all, Swanson Entertainment was the largest media company in Halcyon.

Melody’s gaze slowly turned cold.

Most people judge others by their appearance. This seriously hindered her daily schedule. She needed to gather the medicinal herbs as soon as possible to recover her appearance.

However, she was not a pushover who could be despised by others.

Melody pursed her lips coldly and said, “If you chase me out now, I can guarantee that you will lose this job”

The receptionist laughed and said, “Little girl, who are you threatening! Are you some stupid fan girl! Since you’re unwilling to leave, I can only get the security guards to invite you out.”

The receptionist deliberately emphasized the word “invite“, and her words were full of threats. Melody calculated the time. Ken should be coming down soon.

Her brows shot up. “Sure, but don’t forget I gave you a chance.

When the receptionist saw Melody’s unafraid look, she could not help but become even angrier. She shouted, “Security! Chase this troublemaker out!

Chapter 153

As soon as the receptionist said this, all the white–collar workers in the hall looked at Melody.

The security guards quickly ran over and surrounded Melody aggressively.

Melody frowned deeply and said, “I’ve said it before. I’m here to look for someone, and the person I’m looking for will be here soon. If you dare to chase me out, don’t blame me for being rude!”

“Rude? I would like to see how you’re going to be rude! The receptionist ordered coldly. “Do it!”

Following the receptionist’s order, one of the security guards didn’t care if Melody was a lady and wanted to grab her collar.

Melody was about to suppress him when a large hand suddenly grabbed the security guard’s wrist. There was a cracking sound as the hand bones dislocated.

“Ouch!” The security guard immediately bowed and screamed in pain.

The receptionist did not see the attacker clearly because the man acted too fast.

She subconsciously shouted, “How dare you hit the security guard?”

However, just as she finished speaking, the receptionist finally saw the attacker’s face.

In the next moment, all the expressions on her face froze. It was as if something in her mind had shattered.

“Mr. Swanson…” She struggled to make a sound.

Abad premonition and speculation spread in her heart.

The receptionist thought, ‘Could this ugly woman be looking for Mr. Swanson?!

However, this guess was immediately denied by the receptionist.

Melody was dressed so shabbily and looked so ugly. Moreover, she had never seen Melody before. It was definitely impossible for her to be Ken’s friend.

It might just have been an accident, the receptionist thought.

At the thought of this, the receptionist finally found her voice and hurriedly explained, “Mr. Swanson, it’s not that the security guards want to hit her. It’s just that this woman is too much. Not only did she chase after celebrities to our headquarters, but she also lied and said that she was an employee’s family member. Not only did she speak rudely to us, but she also said that she wanted to attack us. That’s why I asked the security guards to chase her out.”

The security guards were afraid of Ken from the bottom of their hearts. They hurriedly nodded in agreement. “Yes. She was the one who caused trouble first.”

“Employee’s family!” Ken was slightly stunned. Then, he looked at Melody.

The moment Melody saw Ken appear, she knew that it was time for this farce to end.

She shrugged and asked vaguely, “Why am I not considered an employee’s family?”

Ken coughed dryly and looked a little uncomfortable.

He had not completely adapted to the fact that they were married, yet, but she adapted quickly.

Melody patted Ken’s left shoulder and said impatiently, “I’ll leave this place to you. I’ll go up and wait for you?

Ken nodded slightly.

At this moment, James parked his car and came over. Before he knew what had happened, he heard Ken order him, “Take her to my office.”

“Yes, James replied. He immediately led the way and pressed the elevator button for Melody.

The receptionist and security guards were completely stunned.

They didn’t know what was going on.

The receptionist’s expression turned even uglier. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

The receptionist stammered. “She, she…

The receptionist thought. That woman is here to look for Mr. Swanson? But how is this possible!

At this moment, the receptionist suddenly remembered the call from Melody. At that time, she thought that Melody was putting on an act. She did not expect that the person she was calling was Ken, whom everyone in the company feared.

She had offended Ken’s family.

Ken had only been in the company for a few days, but several higher–ups did not even dare to come to the company. How could a mere receptionist like her offend Ken.

The receptionist’s legs went weak, and she almost fell to the ground.

Her rationality allowed her to barely find her voice and say, “Mr. Swanson, I didn’t know she was your guest!”

The security guards quickly waved their hands and said. “Mr. Swanson, it’s all a misunderstanding.”

Ken raised his eyebrows as a cold light flashed in his eyes.

When the receptionist saw the expression on Ken’s face, she felt that something was wrong. Goosebumps appeared all over her.

In the next second, Ken said coldly. “There’s no misunderstanding. From today onwards, you don’t have to come to work anymore.

Soon, the HR department came over and fired everyone involved in stopping Melody, including the security guards.

The receptionist cried and begged for mercy. She remembered that Melody had said that she would give her one last chance.

However, begging for mercy was obviously useless. She was chased out of the Swanson Group in an even more embarrassing manner.

Chapter 154

The employees who had witnessed the entire incident couldn’t help but feel relieved that they hadn’t gotten involved and started whispering among themselves.

“Thankfully, I didn’t meddle in their business.

“Speaking of which, who was that ugly… lady? She said she was a family member of an employee, but the person who came down was Mr. Swanson. Could it be that they..”

“What are you thinking” Another employee immediately denied it and said, “With Mr. Swanson’s looks, he would only go for a top–tier celebrity. right? She might just be a relative of the Swanson family”

“But would a relative of the Swanson family dress so poorly? I bet her entire outfit doesn’t cost more than 40 dollars”

“Alright, alright, let’s not make wild guesses. Haven’t you heard the gossip about Mr. Swanson! He’s a real tough character! People like us can’t afford to mess with him!”

With this reminder, the gossiping employees quickly lost interest in chatting and dispersed.

Janet happened to visit the company today to see Ken. She also looked for her informant stationed at headquarters. The news that Ken had fired the receptionist and security guards for Melody quickly reached Janet’s ears.

Upon hearing this from her informant, Janet’s face turned grim. She had already guessed that Melody had come to see Ken.

However, she had not expected Ken to go to such lengths for Melody. She even wondered if Ken would have asked her to leave if she had been involved.

The more Janet thought about it, the worse she felt. Her informant, oblivious to her mood, whispered, “Miss Murphy, who is that woman to Mr. Swanson? Rumors are spreading around the company that Mr. Swanson has an unusual taste and a fetish for ugliness!”

Janet slammed the table in the meeting room hard, causing a loud bang. “Shut up”.

The informant was startled. Janet was usually stern, but she had never lost her temper like this. The informant began to stammer, “Sorry, Miss Murphy. I was just, just” ….

Janet quickly realized she had overreacted. She waved her hand and salt. “It’s nothing. I just don’t want to hear anyone slandering Ken. I know him well. He would never be interested in that woman. He’s doing this because she once helped treat his grandmother.

Janet added, “Don’t let those strange rumors spread.”

The informant, who had received many benefits from Janet, immediately understood, “Yes! I’ll go clear Mr. Swanson’s name right away?”

The informant turned and left the meeting room.

As the door opened and closed, Janet saw James leading Melody toward Ken’s office.

an appointment with Ken, who had asked her to wait in the meeting room. She thought. Why could Melody

Janet frowned instantly. She had made an appointment with Ken, who had asked her to wait in the meeting room. She thought, Why could Melody go directly to his office?

Barely able to contain her emotions, Janet continued to sit in the meeting room. But after just two seconds, she couldn’t stand it any longer. She stood up and left the meeting room, heading towards Ken’s office. She couldn’t allow Melody to have more privileges with Ken than she did!

Just as Janet reached the office door, she saw Ken walking towards her.

“Ken” Janet quickly stepped forward to meet him.

Ken stopped in his tracks, his brow slightly furrowed. “Didn’t I tell you to wait for me in the meeting room?”

Janet was already upset. She felt even more wronged by these words, her eyes turning wet “Ken, you asked me to wait in the meeting room, but you let Melody go to your office? We have known each other for many years, and you have only known her for less than a month. Does she mean more To you!”

Ken’s expression turned even grimmer at her words. “Watch your tone!”

Janet bit her lip in frustration, feeling her patience with Melody was nearing its limit.

At that moment, James came out of the office. Seeing Janet and Ken facing each other, he asked in surprise, “Miss Murphy, why are you here!”

Janet clenched her fists, forcing a stiff smile. “Yes, I have important matters to discuss.”

She turned to Ken again and asked. “Can I go in and talk?”

Ken gave Janet a look, recognizing that this wasn’t the place for such a conversation. Without saying anything, he turned and walked towards the office.

Janet knew this was his tacit approval. Feeling a bit relieved, she believed she still held some importance in Ken’s heart.

With this thought, she followed him inside. Once James closed the door, she said. “Ken, you’ve only been managing headquarters for a few days. Isn’t it a bit rash to fire so many people over a small matter? If the higher-ups use this as leverage to report you to Mr. Ramon, things could get out of hand.

Ken said expressionlessly, “I don’t think this is leverage. Having such a receptionist only tarnishes the company’s image.”

Janet added, “Bu……..”

“Enough” Ken interrupted Janet. He changed the topic and asked Melody, “What do you need to talk to me about?”

“It’s about Zack” Melody stepped forward and reported truthfully, “I saw him today, and for some time, I’ve been secretly interacting with his grandfather”

She had initially planned to discuss the possibility of an alliance with Ken, but with Janet present, she decided to talk about Zack first.

Ken nodded. He had already been briefed on these matters by James, so he remained expressionless. “Go on”

Melody recounted her interactions with Zack’s grandfather over the past few days and said, “When things progress further, I will arrange for him to meet you. At that time, I hope you can promise that the workday will not exceed eight hours and implement a two–day weekend. This way, he can spend more time with his grandfather.

Ken remained silent for two seconds before nodding “Okay

Melody sighed in relief and smiled. I thought you wouldn’t agree.”

Ken gave her a sidelong glance. “What do you take me for?

He thought, ‘Did she think I’m some kind of ruthless capitalist who exploited my employees mercilessly?

Melody shrugged “Since you agreed, there’s nothing more. I’ll be going now.”

As Melody turned to leave, Janet reached out to stop her, smiling slightly. “Miss Fox, you really are impressive. In just a few days, you’ve managed to figure out Zack’s weak spot

Melody looked at Janet impassively. “What are you trying to say?”

Janet spread her hands. “I just wanted to remind you. You mentioned that you’ve been visiting the Nelson family’s place without Zack’s knowledge However, as far as I know, Zack despises headhunters who approach his family. The finds out that you’re a headhunter and your approach to his grandfather has an ulterior motive, it might only make things worse. At that point…”

Chapter 155

Janet glanced at Ken before continuing. “You might end up not helping us at all and instead make Zack despise us.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll handle it,” Ken replied.

“I hope so! Otherwise.” Janet said.

“There is no otherwise!” Melody interrupted Janet bluntly and then walked out.

“You..” Janet clenched her teeth, aware that Ken was still there, and calmed herself before stepping up to him. “Ken, do you really believe she can get through to Zack! I think she just aggravates him, which is bad for us

Ken looked up at Janet slightly and asked, “Besides her, have you seen anyone else who understands Zack this well? I remember you also tried to get to Zack, and how much do you know about his grandfather?”

Janet was at a loss for words.

She had no idea Zack had a grandfather who was significant to him.

Unable to respond, Janet could only explain, “I didn’t know because I haven’t started investigating Zack yet.

“Enough” Ken stopped her. “Leave this to her.

“But what if she angers Zack?” Janet was unwilling.

At that, James couldn’t help but interject, “Miss Murphy, you can rest assured about that. Although Miss Fox is young, she is meticulous in her work. What she mentioned earlier was only part of it. I’ve been with her these past few days, so I know that Miss Fox not only gets along well with Zack’s grandfather but also helps treat his illness. Naturally, Zack is someone who finds it hard to trust others, so the treatment is happening in secret. She plans to reveal her identity only after Zack’s grandfather is cured. By then, Zack should at least be grateful enough for her curing his grandfather that he won’t turn against us.”

After speaking, James regretted it inwardly.

Aren’t I supposed to be on Miss Murphy’s side? Why did I instinctively defend Miss Fox, James wondered.

Janet found herself completely silenced by James‘ explanation.

She hadn’t expected that treating an illness would be part of the equation.

It must be because I really want Zack to join us, he

Regardless, it seemed Melody did have some medical skills. If she truly managed to cure Zack’s grandfather, there was a chance that things might indeed work out.

Biting her lip in frustration, Janet thought, “What a cunning woman! I can’t let Melody continue. Sometimes, it’s not the unlikely things but the inevitable ones that cause trouble. If Melody really does what I couldn’t and wins Zack over for Ken, her standing with him might surpass mine. That would make things even more uncontrollable.

Lost in her thoughts, Janet was brought back by Ken’s cold voice. “You said you needed to talk to me. Is something wrong with Insterimond?”

“Well…” Janet snapped back to reality and shook her head. “No, everything is fine with Interimond. I came to tell you that my house is fully renovated, and I wanted to invite you over after work to celebrate.”

Ken’s expression turned frosty. “Don’t come to the Swanson Group headquarters for personal matters again.

Janet hadn’t expected Ken to reject her invitation so bluntly, Her face went pale as she nodded. “I understand… I won’t disturb you anymore. I’ll go now.

Ken said nothing, returning to his work.

Seeing this, Janet felt even worse, pressing her lips together tightly as she left without another word.

James hesitated but held back from saying anything.

His position didn’t allow him to interfere in Ken’s personal life.

However, James sincerely hoped Janet and Ken could end up together.

With that thought, James bid Ken goodbye and hurried after Janet. “Hey, Miss Murphy!”

Janet paused slightly, forcing a pitiful smile. James, is there something you need!”

Seeing Janet’s pale face. James couldn’t help but speak. “Miss Murphy, Mr. Swanson’s marriage to Miss Fox was a complete accident. He only got the

marriage certificate because of Mrs. Swanson. Plus, he has no intention of making it public, which shows he doesn’t acknowledge this marriage in his heart. So, please don’t be too upset..

Janet managed a grateful smile. “Thank you, James. All these years, you’ve seen everything, and you’re the only one who understands my pain.”

James quickly shook his head. “No, it’s not just me. I believe Mr. Swanson knows too. But you understand. His priority right now is reclaiming Pearly Antiques. He doesn’t have the headspace for anything else at the moment. Have you seen any other women around Mr. Swanson all these years? I’m confident you two will overcome the obstacles and be together”

Hearing this, Janet felt a surge of relief.

She nodded slightly. “Thank you. James,”

James shook his head again. “No need. I’m just stating the facts.”

Janet smiled again. As they walked downstairs together, Janet asked casually. “It’s good that Melody is treating Ford’s illness. She could easily use this to win Zack’s favor, so why hide it from him?”

James explained Ford’s situation in detail and added, “Moreover, Miss Fox is very young. Even if we were in his place, we wouldn’t believe she had any medical skills, let alone Zack who finds it hard to trust others. Considering both Mr. Nelson’s and her own situation. Miss Fox decided to keep it from Zack for now”

Janet nodded, her eyes darkening with thought.

After parting ways with James, Janet immediately dialed a number. “Leak a message to Zack that a country woman with no medical skills is deceiving his grandfather and treating him improperly”

The person on the other end responded concisely, “Yes, Ms. Murphy.

Ending the call, Janet’s lips curled into a cold smile.

Having Zack would undoubtedly strengthen their Al technology company, but they could still operate without him.

However, without Melody, everything Janet desired would be much easier to achieve.

In comparison, losing the chance to win Zack’s cooperation was insignificant.

The driver glanced at the rearview mirror instinctively, and upon seeing Janet’s smile, it couldn’t help but give him chills despite her outward pleasantness.

By evening, Melody walked through the door and was immediately greeted by a familiar voice. “Yolanda, you have to stand up for me.

Hearing the voice, Melody felt a headache coming on.

It was none other than Ryan, the same person Melody had kicked out of the company.

So that was what his threat meant.

Melody had overestimated him, thinking he would take some actual steps to retaliate against her. Instead, he had run to Yolanda to wail and complain.

Prev Next 

Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 146, 147, 148, 149 and 150)  

Chapter 146

The man rubbed the spot where he was hit in pain. Anger rose from his heart and he turned to glare at Melody angrily. “What are you doing!”

Melody finally saw the man’s face. She shook her head expressionlessly. “Ryan, I remember that your desk is not here, right? What are you looking for in my cabinet? It’s not a good habit to steal

Ryan felt a little guilty at first, but when he saw Melody’s attitude, he simply gave up and scolded, “I am not stealing. Don’t fucking slander me!”

Melody frowned. Then may I ask why you went through my cabinet?

Coincidentally, the employees had finished eating and returned one after another. Seeing this, they started to help Melody.

An employee asked, “Mr. Fox, what did you take from Miss Fox! If you don’t hand it over, don’t blame us for calling the police.

Another person said. “I really didn’t expect… you to be such a person. No, we should have noticed this long ago!”

Everyone looked at Ryan as if he was a thief.

Ryan could no longer maintain his dignity. His cheeks were red as he growled, “Shut up! I didn’t steal anything don’t care about her things!”

Melody crossed her arms, determined to deal with Ryan. Then tell me, why were you rummaging through my cabinet? If you were not stealing, were you helping me clean the cabinet?”

Someone could not help but laugh.

A person urged, “Mr. Fox, don’t be stubborn now, Just hand it over obediently.”

Ryan glared at that person fiercely. That colleague could not help but look away in panic.

After all, Ryan was also related to their boss. If he really complained to the big boss, this employee might get fired.

When Ryan saw that the person was silent, he raised his chin and retorted, “You said that I rummaged through your cabinet. Do you have evidence? Did anyone else see it? You clearly wanted to chase me out of the company long ago, so you deliberately made up a lie. If the rest of you believe her, you’re fools!”

Ryan was very confident that when he went through the cabinet just now, only Melody saw it After all, it was a dishonorable thing to look through another’s cabinet, even if he did not find what he was looking for. As long as he refused to admit it, he felt that no one could say that he had searched Melody’s cabinet.

When Melody heard Ryan’s words, he could not help but laugh mockingly. He narrowed his eyes and reminded, “Ryan, don’t forget that there are surveillance cameras in the office area, Just because others don’t see it doesn’t mean that the surveillance cameras can’t see it. My desk is facing a surveillance camera. Think about it before you speak.”

However, to Melody’s surprise, Ryan’s expression did not change at all. “Alright, go check the surveillance cameras and let everyone see your true colors! As long as you’re not afraid that everyone will know that you’re slandering me, go and investigate!”

Melody could not help but feel suspicious.

She thought. Did Ryan tamper with the surveillance footage?

She tilted her head and was about to go to the surveillance room to investigate when a young lady who was usually ordered around by Ryan volunteered, “I’ll help you investigate!” Melody nodded. “Thank you”

The young lady did not say anything else and went to the surveillance room.

Not long after, the lady returned from the surveillance room. However, her expression was a little complicated.

She said, “Miss Fox, the archive of the surveillance footage has been closed at some point. We can’t read today’s surveillance footage.”

Melody had already guessed this outcome the moment she saw her expression. She turned to look at Ryan coldly. “I was wondering why you dared to ask me to check the surveillance footage.

Ryan shrugged and said fearlessly, “Congratulations, cousin. The surveillance camera happened to be broken. Your true colors will not be known by everyone for the time being. However, sooner or later, everyone will know that you’re not as innocent as you look.”

As Ryan spoke, he pointed out the people who had called him a thief just now. After glancing at them one by one, he said, “The few of you have slandered me. Just wait to be fired! Also, I am going to sue all of you. See you in court!”

As soon as he said this, the few people whose names were called trembled in fear.

Especially the young lady who had taken the initiative to help Melody check the surveillance cameras. She was so frightened that her eyes turned red as if she could cry in the next second.

Melody knew that the young lady had just graduated from university and could not withstand such a shock.

-Ryan was still threatening people. “I’m reminding you out of kindness that the crime of defamation is a serious offense! If you know what’s good for you, apologize to me immediately. I might even be kind enough to forgive you.”

The young lady who had just graduated shivered and subconsciously wanted to go forward and apologize to Ryan.

Seeing this, Melody grabbed her sleeve and said. “You don’t have to apologize to this kind of person

The little girl’s name was Ali Conner. She bit her lower lip aggrievedly and pushed Melody’s hand away. “Miss Fox, I’m different from you. My family is very poor. My mother is still waiting for me to take this month’s salary back to treat Dad. So… please don’t stop me.

As soon as Ali said this, the others could no longer Stand still. They all stepped forward and prepared to apologize to Ryan.

They were all ordinary people and could not afford to be sued for defamation. Some began to complain about themselves and doubt Melody.

A person said, “I’m really crazy. Why should I meddle in other people’s business? We end up being the ones sacrificed for the war between these two people.”

Another person said, “This matter is indeed strange. Ryan is also related to the big boss. He can’t be so poor that he needs to steal things. I think we might have trusted the wrong person. Perhaps Melody really put on a show and acted this out to chase him away.”

Someone else said, “That’s right. After all, none of us saw if Ryan really went through her cabinet.

A person said. “Forget it. Hurry up and apologize to Ryan. No matter what the truth is, it’s better to avoid trouble.”

While everyone was whispering, the little girl, Ali, had already walked up to Ryan.

She gritted her teeth, suppressed the humiliation in her heart, and said, “Mr. Fox…”

“No need to apologize to him!” Melody pulled Ali over again. Ali looked into Melody’s eyes and shook her head. “Miss Fox, I know you’re being kind, but I have to apologize to him. I really can’t lose my job, so please let go of me.”

“Trust me.” Melody looked at Ali and said seriously. “I have a way to make you not need to apologize.”

Ali looked at Melody’s serious expression and hesitated for a moment.

For some reason, she trusted Melody very much.

After hesitating for two seconds, Ali took a deep breath and suddenly nodded. “Alright, I believe you!”

When Ryan heard this conversation, he became even more arrogant. He glanced sideways at Ali and said, “Think about it carefully. Do you want to keep Melody as your friend or to keep this job? If Melody gets in trouble, she will at most be scolded by her father. If you offend me, you will lose everything!

Chapter 147

Ryan’s words were very threatening.

Melody had already lost her patience. Before Ali could say anything, Melody spoke first. “Ryan, I can say the same thing about you. If you apologize to me now, I can still give you a chance, but if you’re still stubborn, don’t blame me for taking action.”

Ryan sneered and said. “Alright, I’d like to see how you’re going to take action.”

Melody glanced at Ryan coldly. Then, she took out her phone and quickly operated it.

Ryan could not see what was on Melody’s phone. He frowned and said, “If you want your father to solve this problem, save it. I believe that not only will he not help you, but he will also scold you for causing trouble for him!”

He knew Melody’s status in the Fox family. She was the daughter who came back from the countryside and was far inferior to Mabel. Ryan felt that perhaps in Russell’s heart, Melody was not as important to him. Otherwise. Russell would not have let Melody come to this headhunting company with him. Instead, he should have sent Melody directly to the Justalion Group.

However, after Ryan finished speaking. Melody did not react at all.

He could not help but say unhappily, “Hey! I’m talking to you!”

Melody still did not respond. She lowered her head and quickly typed on her phone.

Just as Ryan was about to speak again, Melody’s eyes finally moved away from the phone and landed coldly on Ryan. Then, she suddenly smiled faintly,

This smile sent a chill down Ryan’s spine. “What are you laughing at?”

Melody suppressed her smile and turned to look behind him. She said calmly. Can someone please turn on the big screen in the office?”

Ali reacted the fastest and went straight to open the projector of the office.

Ryan could not help but mutter, “What are you doing? We’re talking about you slandering me. Why did you turn on the projector?”

Melody then looked at Ryan again and said. “Didn’t you want evidence? Don’t worry. I’ll give it to you now.

As she spoke, she used her phone to connect to the big screen.

Ryan could not help but feel uneasy.

He thought, ‘Could it be that this ugly woman really has evidence? But that is impossible. At that time, there were only Melody and me in the office. The others had come in later. In addition, I have already tampered with the surveillance camera. It is impossible for Melody to have any evidence!”

With that thought in mind, Ryan’s anxious heart calmed down a little. Then, he put on an expression as if he was not afraid. He wanted to see what Melody could do to him.

At this moment, the projection showed that the Bluetooth connection was successful. The next second, surveillance footage appeared on the big screen.

On the screen, Ryan entered the office and looked around. Then, he squatted down in front of Melody’s desk and began to rummage through the drawer. Later, Melody appeared on the screen. After the two of them argued, the others appeared one after another.

Everyone was shocked when they saw this scene. Then, they stared at Ryan. There was surprise and disdain in their eyes, but most of them were angry.

They thought, ‘Melody was clearly the victim, but Ryan actually accused her and even wanted to sue us for defamation? What kind of weirdo is this man?”

Ryan didn’t even bother to look at the big screen at first because he felt that Melody was putting on an act. It was only when he felt his colleagues looking at him with increasingly unfriendly gazes that he turned to look at the big screen.

When he saw the video displayed on the big screen, Ryan’s eyes widened in disbelief. His pupils shrank to a point. “How…. how is this possible”

Melody smiled coldly and asked, “Why not? Don’t you know that even if the surveillance footage is not saved, there is still a memory chip in the memory chip that can be read from it?”

Ryan’s brain seemed to have exploded. At the same time, he suddenly realized what Melody was doing with the phone. She was not asking Russell for help, but checking the surveillance records in the surveillance room.

He thought, “No wonder she said that she had evidence. All of this is not pretentious, but true!

Ryan’s lips turned pale. He looked at Melody as if he was looking at a ghost. “How do you know such things? Only hackers know this. You’re clearly… a country bumpkin who just returned to Silverlake from the countryside!”

Melody could not be bothered to respond to Ryan’s words. She met Ryan’s gaze expressionlessly and questioned. “The evidence has been presented. What else do you have to say?”

Ryan choked and did not know how to explain.

Melody suddenly clapped her hands and said, I almost forgot. There’s another piece of evidence

As she spoke, she started working on her phone again. A new scene appeared on the big screen. The scene on the screen was the surveillance room.

On the screen, Ryan tiptoed into the surveillance room and operated the main computer in the surveillance room.

Seeing this scene, Ali could not help but exclaim, “Ryan! So you were the one who turned off the automatic save of the surveillance footage!”

The colleagues who had been threatened by Ryan also spoke.

A person said. “Ryan, you’re really careless. Don’t you know that there are surveillance cameras in the surveillance room?”

Another person said, “I was wondering why Miss Fox would slander you for no reason. You’re relatives after all.”

Someone else said, “Miss Fox is the daughter of the big boss. If she wants to chase you away, she only needs to make a phone call. Is there a need to go through so much trouble? You rummaged through her drawer and still refused to admit it. How shameless!

A person said, “You’re a big man, yet you’re so petty that you want to slander a girl. You are not worthy to be a man!”

His colleagues had been used to being oppressed by Ryan for the past few days. Now that the evidence was right in front of them and they saw that Ryan was the perpetrator, their words were as unpleasant as they could be.

Ryan’s expression was very terrible. He was furious and embarrassed, but he could not refute the fact. He was very nervous. At this time, Kayla Simon came back from her lunch break.

When she saw the situation in the office, she couldn’t help but frown. “It’s already time for work. Why aren’t you returning to your desks? What are you doing! Don’t you want this job anymore?”

Usually, the person Ali feared the most was Kayla, But now, Ali mustered up her courage and walked up to Kayla. She explained to Kayla what had just happened in the simplest way possible.

In the end, she did not forget to say emotionally, “Kayla, Ryan even dared to wrong Miss Fox today. What about tomorrow? Will you be the next person to be slandered?”

Kayla frowned unhappily and glared at Ryan. “Is Ali telling the truth?”

Ryan subconsciously wanted to retort, but he knew that as long as he rebutted, he would be greeted with a new wave of humiliation…

At the thought of this, he said desperately, “Kayla, don’t listen to her one-sided story!”

Chapter 148

Ali didn’t know where Ryan got the courage to retort in front of Kayla. “What do you mean by one-sided? Is this one-sided? The surveillance footage has been found. Do you still want to deny it? You said that we’re guilty of defamation, but what about you? How do you account for the crime of defamation and threats?”

When Melody heard this, he did not say anything. She only silently replayed the surveillance footage. Kayla was not stupid. She immediately determined who was telling the truth.

Recently, she was quite satisfied with Melody’s performance, but this Ryan was simply very disappointing.

Kayla looked at the surveillance footage and asked Ryan in disgust. “I’ve seen the surveillance footage. Is this what you mean by a one-sided story!”

Ryan had already thought of an excuse and hurriedly said, “That’s not what I meant. I can admit that I did search Melody’s. drawer, but I was not stealing Melody’s things as they said: I was looking for work information that is shared with everyone. It’s fine for me to use the information to help the company poach candidates, right?”

Kayla pursed her lips. “What information?”

Ryan immediately pointed at Melody and said, “I’ve made it clear to Melody that we’ll be working on this project of Zack together. However, she doesn’t share any information with me at all. I’m afraid that her personal desires will affect this project, so I went to look for information.”

Melody sneered and said, “Information? How can you prove that you’re looking for information and not to see if there’s anything valuable inside?”

“You… Ryan gritted his teeth. “If you don’t believe me, you can search my body. I didn’t take anything from your

Melody said with a half–smile, “That’s because I came back in time and you didn’t have time to take anything. If you really wanted to search for work documents, why did you specifically run to the surveillance room to turn off the automatic archive of the surveillance? This isn’t something you need to do to take work documents, right?”

Ryan’s expression froze. That’s because….

After a long pause, Ryan could not find a reasonable reason. Because that reason was really despicable.

He turned off the surveillance archive because he did not want Melody to know that he had stolen her information. He wanted to know more about Zack than she did without Melody knowing.

When Melody saw that Ryan did not speak, she smiled coldly and turned to Kayla. “Kayla, you are the manager of the company. I need a fair and reasonable judgment for this matter

Kayla was silent for two seconds. She then nodded and turned to Ryan. “According to the company’s rules, please pack up and leave immediately. As for whether you are reported for theft… you can discuss it with Melody yourself”

Ryan’s face instantly turned as pale as a sheet of white paper.

He thought, I am fired?”

“No, no…” At this moment. Ryan had thrown his pride and dignity to the back of his mind and was about to beg Kayla for mercy

However, Kayla did not give Ryan any time to beg for mercy. She turned around and left the office without a care.

The company had always operated in an orderly manner. Ever since Melody and Ryan arrived, the company had become a mess. Kayla couldn’t wait to send them away. Anyway, when Russell asked, she would have a suitable reason to explain.

Ryan watched as Kayla disappeared from his sight. His last hope was destroyed.

However, he immediately realized that the only person who could resolve this matter was Melody.

Ryan struggled internally and could only throw away his dignity helplessly. He went forward and grabbed Melody’s hand to beg. “Melody, no matter what, I’m still your cousin. You can’t bear to see me fired, right?”

Melody raised her chin slightly and said coldly, “Ryan, it’s precisely because you’re my cousin that I gave you a chance. You didn’t want this opportunity. Have you forgotten?

Ryan was stunned. He remembered that Melody did give him a chance when she turned on the projection

However, he didn’t expect her to know how to hack since she came from the countryside.

If he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have rummaged through Melody’s drawer in the first place to look for that information. Ryan was filled with regret.

“Melody. Melody..” Ryan gritted his teeth and knelt before Melody. “Melody, you know about my family situation, right? I can’t lose this job. It’s all my fault. Melody, please forgive me. Help me tell Kayla that it’s all a misunderstanding, okay? I’m begging you!”

In fact, like Ali, he couldn’t lose this job. Although he was related to the Fox family, to be precise, he was Russell’s relative.

Before Russell married Wilona, he was just a poor kid who worked as a construction worker. Needless to say, his relatives were very ordinary. Especially Ryan who was his distant relative who lived in the countryside. It was not easy for him to get a chance to work in Silverlake. He could not lose it so easily. At this moment, he was even willing to accept a slap from Melody to keep this job.

Melody looked at Ryan who had become so humble, but there was no pity on her face. “Ryan, I gave you a chance, but you threw it away. And I will only give you one chance. So… don’t waste your energy”

As she spoke, she turned to look at the other employees. “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and chase this person who doesn’t belong to our company out.”

Following Melody’s command, those who had long disliked Ryan directly carried Ryan out.

Ryan finally understood that there was no turning back. He simply cursed. “Bitch! Remember this. I will never let you off!”

Melody nodded repeatedly. “Alright. I’ll be waiting.”

As she spoke, she gave her male colleagues a look. They immediately understood and quickened their pace to carry Ryan out. The moment the office door closed, the world finally fell silent.

She patted the hand that Ryan had touched just now as if she was brushing away some germs. At that moment, her phone rang.

She glanced at the screen and saw that it was Colin Herbert calling. Seeing that it was a call from Colin, she immediately answered the call and walked out while making the call. “Hello, Mr. Herbert.”

“Miss Fox!” Colin sounded very excited. “Are you free now?”

Melody asked, “Where are you?”

Colin answered, Hospital. I’m going back to Herbathrive now,”

She said, “Okay, let’s meet at Herbathrive.”

“Alright!” Colin did not waste any time and ended the call.

Melody quickly hailed the cab, and the cab sped toward Herbathrive.

Before long. Melody arrived at Herbathrive’s door. David Marrow stood at the door, seemingly welcoming her.

As expected, as soon as she got out of the car, David ran towards her. “Miss Fox! My master wants you to go to the backyard to talk to him immediately.”

Chapter 149

Melody nodded and walked in quickly with a calm expression.

On the way, David could not help but ask, “Miss Fox, what exactly happened? I saw that Mr. Herbert and Mrs. Herbert did not look good. The two of them seemed to have quarreled. The atmosphere was scary. I did not dare to ask him.”

Melody glanced at David. “You don’t dare to ask him but dare to ask me?”

David trembled under Melody’s gaze. He quickly waved his hand and said, “No, I’m sorry. I’m going to get busy. Call me if you need anything. Although my medical skills are not good, my eloquence is not bad. It’s not a problem to coax Mrs. Herbert.”

“Alright, cut the crap. Go back to your work,” said Melody.

“Alright.” David replied and quickly went back to the counter.

Melody came to the backyard alone and saw a door half open. The sound of two people arguing could be heard from inside.

“I already told you to go to the hospital for a physical examination, but you refused. Now that the physical examination has been done and the result is out, why are you so stubborn and unwilling to be hospitalized?” Colin asked.

Melody heard the extremely gentle Beverly, who never spoke loudly in the past, say in a high–pitched voice, “Why? Just tell me why? Why else could it be? This is cancer. Even if I were to be hospitalized, it would be impossible to cure it Instead of wasting money, it’s better to keep this money. You’re still young now, Wouldn’t it be better for you to find someone else

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Colin asked in frustration,

I’m not talking nonsense! I’ve been thinking about it ever since I got the checkup result. I can’t have children. I’ve been recuperating for so many years but can’t have children. Now that I have cancer, what do you want a wife like me for? With your current wealth, wouldn’t it be better for you to find a beautiful young woman who can have children? Why do you have to waste your time on me?” Beverly asked.

“Beverly!” Colin sounded so angry.

In order not to aggravate the dispute, Melody did not dare to stay any longer. She quickly walked to the door and knocked on it. “Mr. Herbert.”

As she spoke, the room instantly fell silent.

Colin walked out. When he saw her, he said awkwardly. I’m sorry. Miss Fox. You probably heard everything. I’ve embarrassed myself in front of you.”

Melody shook her head and said, “No. I just arrived. Did something happen”

Seeing that she did not seem to have heard anything, Colin could not help but sigh. Then, he bowed deeply to her gratefully and said. “Miss Fox. I have to thank you!”

Melody knew that the two of them must have gone to the hospital for a full–body checkup today and found out that Beverly had gastric cancer.

However, she could not tell anyone about her rebirth and ability to foresee the future, so she pretended to be confused and asked, “Thank me? For what?”

Colin sighed heavily again and pulled her into the courtyard. He lowered his voice and said, “Last time, you told me that my wife had gastrointestinal problems and asked me to bring her for a gastroscopy. For some reason, my wife was unwilling to the hospital. Today, I finally convinced her to go to the hospital. In the end, it was found that… it was stomach cancer.

When Colin said the words “stomach cancer, Melody felt endless pain.

She thought that she had come to look for Colin very early, and Beverly might not have had stomach cancer yet. She did not expect it to be a little late.

However, even if she came to Herbathrive as soon as she returned to Silverlake, the outcome should be the same.

Melody did not interrupt and waited patiently for Colin to finish

Colin continued, “Although it’s gastric cancer, we discovered it early, and it’s still in the early stages. I can only say that things aren’t the worst. But my wife, well, although she’s usually easygoing, she’s stubborn and refuses to cooperate with the hospital’s treatment. I, I don’t know what to do”

As Colin spoke, he shook his head and said. “Forget it. I won’t talk about this with you. I called you here today to fulfill my promise. Traditional medicine emphasizes finding the problems through observing and communicating with the patients. You can tell her illness just by looking at her, but I, the person living with her, can’t. It means that your medical skills might even be better than mine. You’re so young, yet you have such ability. Only Mr. Parker can have the ability to teach you, so I believe you’re his disciple. According to the agreement, I’ll get Deathtenaire for you now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Colin took a step and was about to walk into the storeroom.

Melody quickly stopped Colin. “Mr. Herbert, Deathtenaire is not urgent. I think Mrs. Herbert’s and I can hit off. Can I check her out, if you don’t mind?”

Colin was stunned before asking happily. “You’re willing to treat my wife? Mr. Parker doesn’t treat people easily. I thought you were also…”

Melody shrugged. “I don’t treat people easily, but you’re different. You gave me Deathtenaire. I can’t take something and not do anything, right?”

“But I’m just fulfilling my promise… Colin looked hesitant.

“Looks like you think my medical skills are not good enough to treat your wife. In that case, I’d better leave Melody pretended to leave. Colin quickly stopped her. Then, he didn’t stand on ceremony. He repeatedly said, “Don’t! Don’t go!”

Melody had no intention of leaving for real. When she heard this, she smiled and said, “Since you don’t mind, I’ll try. I should be able to treat the initial stage of stomach cancer. It’s just a matter of time.”

Colin nodded repeatedly, but then he said worriedly, I’m afraid not today. She’s in a bad mood today and refused to treat her illness. I’ve already completed the hospitalization procedures, but she still came back. Wait for me to convince her first before I call you over.”

Unknowingly, the tone in which Colin addressed Melody was no longer distant

Melody smiled and said, I’ll help you to the end. Let me help you persuade Mrs. Herbert too”

“You?” Colin said hesitantly, “She’s very stubborn. You might…

“How will you know if you don’t try?” Melody asked.

Colin saw Melody insisted, so he nodded and said. “Alright, let’s try it first. I’ll bring you in to see her.”

Wail Melody stopped Colin and said, “She’s not in a good mood now. If you follow me in, it might make her more: resistant. How about this? Please wait for me outside. I’ll go in myself”

Colin hesitated for a moment before replying. “Okay!”

Seeing that Colin agreed, Melody entered the room and closed the door. She knew Beverly At the same time, she was also a woman. She knew why Beverly refused to receive treatment.

Beverly was crying on the bed. When she heard the voice, she said without looking up. “Stop talking, Let’s get a divorce!”

Melody’s eyelids twitched.

Based on how much Colin cares about Beverly, he will explode when he hears this. Fortunately, I’ve blocked Colin outside! Melody thought.

Melody took a deep breath and said, “It’s me.”

When Beverly heard an unfamiliar voice, her body could not help but stiffen. She quickly raised her head and looked at Melody.

“You, you are…” Beverly’s mind raced. She quickly remembered that Melody was the person who came to buy rare medicinal herbs that day.

Chapter 150

When Beverly thought of who Melody was, she suddenly remembered tears were all over her face. She quickly turned her head away and tried to hide it. At the same time, she felt so embarrassed and annoyed.

“What’s wrong with Colin? Why did he suddenly call over a stranger he had only met once? Beverly thought unhappily.

She was angry but couldn’t flare up at strangers. She could only endure it and say, “I’m sorry, it’s not convenient for me to meet guests now. If you have something to say, go find Colin or others at Herbathrive.”

It was obvious that she was trying to chase Melody away.

However, Melody did not seem to understand. She went forward and sat by Beverly’s bed.

Before Beverly could react, Melody pulled her hand and checked her pulse.

This action was very natural for Melody. After all, Beverly was close to her in her previous life.

However, this action was too sudden for Beverly. She felt offended and could not help but frown and struggle. “Young lady, you…

“Shh, don’t speak, Melody said solemnly.

This made Beverly involuntarily stop struggling and look at Melody in shock.

Colin is not trying to let this young lady treat me, is he? Beverly thought.

On the way back from the hospital, she had already thought about it carefully. She knew she was just a burden to Colin.

We are very much in love, but so what? We are in love now, but what about in the future? Even if my cancer can be cured. five years later, or ten years later, if Colin wants a child, how can I a barren person, help him? The more Beverly thought about it, the more determined she became. She wanted to divorce Colin. She could not drag him down.

After making up her mind. Beverly wanted to pull her hand back.

However, Melody let go of her wrist before she could do anything.

Beverly retracted her hand and smiled gratefully at Melody. Then she said apologetically, “Colin told me that you are the disciple of a medical master…

Melody nodded.

Beverly continued. “But you don’t have to treat me anymore. I plan to divorce him. Regardless of whether my stomach cancer can be cured or not, I don’t plan to treat it anymore. Anyway, I have no parents. I have nothing to worry about even if I die.”

“Is that so?” Melody looked deeply at Beverly and said, “What if I say that not only can I cure your stomach cancer, but I can also cure your infertility and let you have your child?”

Beverly was stunned. Her eyes widened as she looked at Melody. “You. You’re telling the truth?”

Melody shrugged. “Whether it’s true or not, why don’t you try it I only need half a year. If you’re not pregnant after half a year it won’t be too late for you to ask for a divorce.”

Beverly was tempted. Her originally dim eyes lit up.

That was hope. Melody was not in a hurry to continue. She was waiting for Beverly to think it through.

However, not long after, Beverly suddenly held her hand and asked. “Young lady, what’s your name?”

“Melody Fox,” Melody replied.

“Miss Fox. Beverly took a deep breath and said. “Tm willing to try. Can you help me?”

“Of course, Melody replied immediately.

About two minutes later, Melody walked out of Beverly’s room.

Colin was about to ask when he saw Melody followed by Beverly

Beverly still didn’t look too good, but a noticeable change appeared in her eyes. They were no longer filled with despair.

Colin instantly understood that Melody had succeeded.

He walked over excitedly and held Beverly’s arm. He was about to ask when Beverly said, “I’ve already asked Melody to treat me.”

Colin looked at Melody in disbelief.

He was surprised to hear Beverly, slow to warm up, call Melody by her name in only a few minutes. ‘How did this girl convince Beverly? Colin wondered.

Mr. Herbert, Melody met Colin’s gaze. “I’ll give you the prescription tomorrow. I’ll need to trouble you to make it for Beverly on time.”

“Of course, of course!” Colin nodded repeatedly and asked gratefully, “Miss Fox, other than Deathtenaire, what else do you need? If you can cure her, I will give you anything you want!”

Melody smiled and said, “Deathtenaire is my consultation fee for treating Beverly. As for the other herbs, I don’t think it’s easy to get them here. I only hope that you can let me come to Herbathrive for consultation. Of course, I won’t take ordinary illnesses. Contact me if there are any difficult illnesses. When the time comes, the consultation fee…”

“I’ll give you all the consultation fees! Colin said without hesitation.

Melody was short of money. She did not stand on ceremony and nodded. “Alright, it’s a deal. I have other things to do. I’ll come again tomorrow.”

After saying goodbye, Melody put away the Deathtenaire that Colin had given her. Then, she went to get Zack’s grandfather’s medicine.

The medicine was directly made in Herbathrive. She took it and was about to leave when David stopped her. “Miss Fox. Mr. Herbert and Mrs. Herbert…”

“Don’t worry,” Melody gave David a reassuring look and said. “They’re fine.”

David immediately heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he saw the medicine in her hand and quickly reminded her. “Miss Fox, the medicine we made is sealed and packaged. It has a shelf life of a month. You can let them make it and take it away in one go. You don’t have to come and get one every day. So you don’t have to run around, which is troublesome.”

Melody shook her head. “I want trouble.”

“Huh?” David was confused.

However, Melody did not intend to explain. She waved her hand and left with the medicine bag

David was even more confused.

“What the hell is going on? Who would find trouble for themselves?” David muttered to himself for a while. Soon, David stopped struggling because he felt Melody was much more intelligent than him, although she was younger.

Melody must have her reasons for doing this. Thinking of this, David stopped asking for trouble and returned to the counter to sort out the new batch of medicinal herbs.

After Melody left Herbathrive, She took a taxi to South Alley.

Melody had been delivering medicine to Zack’s grandfather for several days.

Ford’s attitude toward her had changed after meeting her frequently for the past few days. He treated her like his granddaughter. He was enthusiastic and amiable to her.

Usually, when Melody arrived at South Alley, she could see Ford waiting for her at the alley’s entrance from afar.

Melody understood Ford’s mentality very well. He was old and did not have a wife. Zack left early and returned late. He did not even have anyone to talk to.

She was also a qualified listener, so Ford especially liked her.

However, on this day, when Melody got out of the car, she did not see Ford waiting for her at the alley’s entrance.

She was slightly surprised but didn’t think much about it. She walked straight to Number 435.

The door was ajar. Melody pushed the door open and entered as usual.

“Mr. Nelson Melody called out.

Then, Melody was shocked to see Zack sitting by the well, washing clothes with his hand.

He was wearing a white shirt with his sleeves half rolled up. His figure was thin, but he did not look weak. His expensive trousers were wet from the foam, making him look out of place.

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Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 141, 142, 143, 144 and 145)  

Chapter 141

Pamela continued with a look of disdain. “In that kind of countryside, you didn’t even pursue education after middle school, right? Do you actually believe that such a person knows medicine? I advise you to find a proper hospital to take a look at your skin disease. Don’t be fooled for no reason!”

The man looked even more surprised when he heard Pamela’s words. Then he slammed the table angrily. “Little bitch, how dare you lie to me?

Pamela looked at the man’s angry expression and felt extremely smug.

She had long wanted to help Mabel teach Melody a lesson, but she had never had the chance to meet Melody. Today, she bumped into her by chance and could help Mabel teach her a lesson.

Someone in the socialite group had already spread Melody’s photo through various channels. She thought that it was already ugly enough, but she did not expect that when she saw Melody in person today, she was even uglier than in the photo.

Pamela thought, “Not only is she ugly, but she also learned how to swindle others. I really don’t know why Mabel’s crush fell for such a monster.

*Speak!” The man pointed at Melody’s nose and questioned, “You lied to me. What do you want? Do you think I’m easy to mess with?”

Melody frowned. “I’m indeed not a medical student, but I can indeed treat your illness.”

Pamela sneered. “What a joke! You’ve already been exposed, yet you’re still stubborn? To think that Mabel keeps putting in a good word for you. She’s really blind to her good intentions!”

“Mabel!” Melody raised her eyebrows and finally confirmed the other party’s identity.

She was Mabel’s friend.

No wonder she had such an attitude.

“Miss Fox?” James, who was beside her, signaled her with his eyes if she needed his help.

Melody shook her head slightly and turned to the man. I know you don’t believe me now. This is indeed my fault, so I won’t explain anything. However, I’m sure of one thing. The medicine gave you can cure all poisons, but the effect won’t last long. You have to take it all the time.”

The man said, “Cut the crap! Compensate me immediately! Who knows if the pill you gave me will kill me?

Melody’s frown deepened.

If it weren’t for the fact that she was the one who poisoned this man and that this man was useful to her, she wouldn’t have cared if he was dead or alive.

Melody took a deep breath and said patiently. “If you still don’t believe me, you can go to Herbathrive and ask if your body.”
Before she could finish, Pamela suddenly called out in surprise, Mabel, You’re here?‘

As soon as Mabel–entered, she saw Pamela standing opposite Melody. The atmosphere between the two of them was very strange.

She subconsciously thought of the contribution that Pamela had made to her in the socialite circle recently. The corners of her lips curled up as she walked forward in surprise and asked Melody gently, “Melody, why are you here? I thought you weren’t used to coffee. If I had known that you like coffee, I would have brought you here today.” Melody sneered in her heart

Mabel meant that she was from the countryside and could not even drink coffee.

After all, she had been Mrs. Swanson for a period of time in her previous life. Drinking coffee and socializing was almost her daily routine.

Melody glanced at Mabel coldly and said expressionlessly. I’m not here for coffee. If you want coffee, bring your friend to drink it. Don’t disturb me here.”

Mabel pretended to be sad. “Melody, did I say something wrong again? Why do you always have to speak to me in such a tone?”

When Pamela saw this, she was furious. She pointed at Melody’s nose and scolded, “Little bitch, it’s true that Mabel has a good temper, but she’s not someone you can bully casually!”

Melody asked, “What do you mean?”

Pamela said, “People like you are naturally ugly from the countryside. It’s fine if you’re ugly, but you’re stupid and bad! You don’t know anything. You only know how to snatch your sister’s man. You’re simply shameless!” “Snatched her man!” Melody curled her lips and looked at Mabel with a faint smile. “Don’t tell me you think I’m going to snatch Ulric from you?”

Mabel was embarrassed that her thoughts had been exposed.

She thought of how Ulric had rejected her dessert over the phone because of Melody and felt even more anxious. However, when she thought of how Pamela was right beside her, she couldn’t flare up on the spot, so she continued to pretend to be aggrieved. “Melody, I know you like Ulric too, but I’m engaged to Ulric and we’re in love… However, if you really like him, I can give him to you. I just hope you won’t talk to me in this tone again. I’m really sad…

Melody rolled her eyes in her heart. ‘I don’t care if you’re sad or not, but Ulric… I’m really not interested. You can rest assured.”

She couldn’t wait for this scumbag and slut to be together for the rest of their lives.

However, Mabel did not believe Melody at all.

She thought, ‘If Melody was not interested in Ulric, would Ulric’s attitude towards me suddenly change so much? Melody must have said bad things about me to Ulric and seduced him!”

However, she was confident that Melody would never be able to snatch Ulric away and believed that Ulric belonged to her.

Mabel smiled bitterly and said, “Melody, you can lie to others, but you can’t lie to me. You really don’t have to do this… Just tell me the truth.”

“Mabel, don’t talk to her about these useless things. People like her have no heart. It’s useless no matter how well you treat her. She won’t recognize your kindness.” As Pamela spoke, she told Mabel what she had just seen and pointed out that Melody was swindling people in the coffee shop.

“Swindle?” Mabel immediately shook her head. That’s impossible. My sister isn’t that kind of person.”

Melody felt her stomach churning.

With Mabel’s acting skills, it was a pity that she did not go to the entertainment industry.

Melody only wanted to expose Mabel’s true colors immediately, but after looking at the time, she chose to remain silent.

Facts speak louder than words. The drug would soon take effect, Since Mabel loved acting so much, she would let her act to her heart’s content.

On the other end, Pamela said resentfully. “Mabel, why would you rather believe her than me! If you don’t believe me, can you ask the person involved and find out if I’m lying. She does not even know what medical skills are, yet she dares to say that she’s a medical student. She insists on giving people random medicine and says that she knows how to treat illnesses.

Of course, Mabel knew that Melody knew medicine. However, in order to consolidate Melody’s lowly image in Pamela’s heart, she pretended to hesitate as she looked at the man who was wearing a mask and whose face could not be seen. She asked, Sir, may I ask…. did my sister really tell you that she’s a medical student and knows medicine?

The stall owner from the black market was already very shaken. After hearing their conversation just now, He roughly knew that Mabel was Melody‘s sister.

Since even Mabel had said so, he was instantly certain that Melody did not know medicine at all. She was completely lying to him. He immediately took action.

Chapter 142

The man was furious “Bitch! How dare you be to me? You’re courting death!”

The man cursed and quickly reached out to strangle Melody’s neck.

Melody was about to move when James, who was beside her, was faster than her. He grabbed the man’s hand and pressed him against the table, unable to move.

Such a big movement caused a commotion in the shop. The customers left one after another. The waiters wanted to stop them, but they were afraid of being implicated. They only stood not far away and watched. Some secretly called the police.

However, James could not care less. Although he did not like Melody, his mission was to protect her and help her solve her problem.

If he could not even do such a small thing well. Ken would definitely not let him go back.

“Behave yourself” James increased the strength in his hand. He used one hand to clasp the man’s hands behind his back. and the other hand pressed down on the man’s head.

The man’s face was forced against the table as he shouted angrily, “Let go of me! Do you know who I am? You can’t afford to

When Mabel and Pamela saw this, they were both shocked. James’s movements were too fast. They could only see James’s afterimage. Then, they saw the man being pressed onto the dining table.

After Mabel recovered from her shock, she stared at James suspiciously and thought, “Who is this man? Why is he helping Melody! It is not easy for me to borrow someone to teach Melody a harsh lesson. Why did this man come out to help her?”

Mabel narrowed her eyes coldly. Then, she went forward and said to James, “Sir, don’t be rough… This is indeed my sister’s fault. If you hurt the victim again, you will only harm her…

God knew how much she wished that this masked man could strangle Melody to death.

However, James ignored Mabel’s words and only looked up at Melody, waiting for her next order.

Melody took two steps forward and stood in front of the man. “I told you, I lied to you. I’m not a medical student, but I can cure your poison.”

The man said. “You’re lying”

You’re a liar. How dare you lie to me?”

As soon as he finished speaking. James reached out and slapped the man. He reminded him coldly, “Speak to Miss Fox nicely.”

This slap was extremely heavy. The man only felt his ears buzz, and even his vision began to become blurry, but he finally fell silent

Melody looked at the man helplessly.

She had no choice but to watch him be slapped before he could shut up.

Melody observed the man and suddenly raised her hand at James “Let him go.”
James said hesitantly, “But he…”

“Let him go.” Melody repeated. “Don’t worry, he won’t do anything to me again.”

Only then did James let go, but he took two steps towards Melody. As long as the man moved, he could subdue him again The man who was pressed on the table regained his freedom. He glared at Melody indignantly, as if he were saying with his eyes, “If someone hadn’t protected you, you would have died now.”

Melody smirked and said. “Don’t be in a hurry to hate me. Look at yourself first.”

“What do you mean?” The man asked, but he also subconsciously looked at himself.

He would not have known if he had not seen it, but he was shocked when he saw that the terrifying red bumps on his body had actually faded a lot. The red bumps on his arms had almost disappeared.

“Well…” The man looked at Melody unexpectedly and said, “What happened?”

Melody shook the empty medicine bottle that the man had thrown on the table and said, “What else could it be? My medicine is working

“But… The man hesitated and said, “Didn’t you not even read a book?”

Melody smiled and said. “You’re not young anymore. Why are you still acting like a child? Do you believe everything others say?”

When she said this, Melody deliberately glanced at Pamela.

Rosie’s face was filled with disbelief. She couldn’t help but mutter. “How is this possible…?”

At this moment, the man also reacted to Melody’s words. He had misunderstood the miracle doctor who had saved his life because of a wretched girl’s words.

“Young divine doctor!” The man grabbed Melody’s hand and said, “I’m sorry! I was blind just now. It’s all my fault! Please don’t blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame that wretched girl! She misled me.”

As the man spoke, he pointed at Pamela and Mabel.

The two of them took a step back in fear.

Pamela, in particular, had turned a little pale around the lips.

It was obvious that this man was not a decent person. She did not bring her bodyguards out today. If he really attacked her. she would not be able to fight back.
However, she was more surprised about the fact that Melody knew medicine,

“Mabel… Pamela took a step to Mabel’s side and asked in a low voice, “What’s going on? Isn’t Melody swindling people?”

Mabel was also afraid of getting into trouble. She immediately revealed a proud expression and said to Pamela unhappily, “Pam, I told you long ago that my sister is not that kind of person. Why don’t you believe me? You’ve misunderstood her. Apologize to her quickly.”

Stunned, Rosie said in disbelief, “Mabel, I said that just now to avenge you. How can you make me apologize to her?”

The corners of Mabel’s mouth twitched twice. She did not know what to do either.

Pamela was a good chess piece that she often used, but the man in front of her seemed to be tough to deal with.

After some consideration, in order, to protect herself, Mabel said “Pam, my sister is actually very kind-hearted. As long as you apologize to her, I believe she won’t blame you…”

Pamela said, “You.. “Enough“” Melody interrupted the two of them and said. “I don’t care what you want to do. Now, get lost immediately.

Otherwise, She glanced at the man, who immediately took a step forward and said. “How dare you mislead me and almost let me hurt my savior.

If the two of you don’t get lost, don’t blame me for being rude!”

The two of them trembled in feat. Pamela did not care why Mabel did not speak up for her anymore. She quickly turned around and ran.

Seeing Pamela leave, Mabel glared at Melody indignantly. She gritted her teeth and said fiercely. “Melody, just you wait!”

“Yes, I’m waiting Melody nodded impatiently.

The man saw Melody’s impatience and went forward to slap Mabel hard. “Get out of here!”

Mabel sucked in a breath of cold air from the slap. Her tears flowed out in pain.

However, she was alone and could not resist at all. The man in front of her was staring at her as if he would slap her again at any moment.

Under such circumstances, she could only bite her lip and leave with a myriad of unwillingness and anger.

As soon as the two of them left, the man’s expression immediately changed. He said to Melody ingratiatingly, “Doctor, I was blind. Please forgive me.

Melody was very satisfied with the man’s actions. Mabel had sent assassins to kill her, but it was not convenient for her to affect Mabel for the time being. Now that the man had helped her hit Mabel it could be considered as helping her vent her anger.

Melody raised her eyebrows in satisfaction and said. “Don’t worry, I won’t take it to heart. However, my treatments are never free. You need to help me do something”

As Melody spoke, she took out the red card Ken had given her from her pocket.

Chapter 143

The moment the red card was taken out, the stall owner’s eyes widened. Something in his eyes shattered and broke out of the ground.

“This, this is…” His voice was trembling. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Everyone who worked in the black market recognized the red card, but very few people had actually seen it.

Now that he saw Melody take out a red card, he even suspected that this red card was fake. “This is this real or fake…

Before Melody could speak, the man denied it himself. “It can’t be fake. Those who know about the red card wouldn’t dare to forge a red card. Who… are you? Didn’t your sister say that you came from the countryside?”

He had worked in the black market for so many years, but he had never seen a red card with his own eyes, let alone a little girl from the countryside…

Therefore, he was certain that this young lady in front of him was definitely not from the countryside.

Melody said calmly, “Where I came from is not something you need to know.”

The man choked. Under the pressure of the red card and the fact that Melody could help him detoxify the poison, the man immediately nodded profusely. “Yes, yes. I don’t deserve to know where you came from. You just said that your treatment isn’t free… Name a price. Even if I go bankrupt, I’ll pay you back

Not to mention that this young lady was treating him, even if she couldn’t treat his illness, he would give her as much as she wanted. This was the authority of the red card:

Once he signed a contract with the black market, the person with the red card would be his master. He had to obey their orders.

Melody hooked her finger and gestured for the man to approach her.

The man quickly bowed and leaned forward, looking all ears.

Melody lowered her voice and whispered a few words.

When James saw this, he subconsciously wanted to go over and listen, but he forcefully held back.

The man’s expression changed from confusion to surprise. Then, he slapped his thigh and said, “So that’s it! Don’t worry, leave this to me!”

Melody nodded slightly and reminded her, “The antidote I gave you can only last for a week. It needs to be taken for eight consecutive weeks before you recover. As long as you do your job well. I will keep providing this medicine for you, but if you don’t do it well… I’m sorry, you might have to find another doctor. I can guarantee that I’m the only one in the world who can cure your poison. If you want your life, do your job well, understand?”

“Understood, understood!” The man nodded hurriedly, looking grateful.

Melody said, “Alright, you can leave. Come back next week. I’ll prescribe medicine for you every week.

Melody said, “Thank you, Miracle Doctor! From now on, you’re my parent. For the rest of my life…

Melody said, ‘Stop, I don’t want to hear this nonsense. Just do your job properly.”

“Yes!” The man saw the impatience in Melody’s eyes and did not dare to say anything else. He bowed deeply to Melody and prepared to leave.

At this moment, the shop assistant came over with a group of police officers. She pointed at Melody and said, “It’s them! They were causing trouble and even had a fight here!”

That shop assistant was already unhappy with Melody. She thought, ‘She is so scary–looking, yet she still came out to show off. How shameless!‘

The police officers frowned and thought, “Who dared to cause trouble in downtown?‘

However, in the next moment, the police officers saw James and their expressions changed.

When Melody saw this, the understood most of it. She reached out and patted James’s shoulder. I’ll leave it to you. I’ll leave first.”

James nodded and stepped forward.

When the shop assistant saw that Melody was about to leave, she hurriedly went forward to stop her. Troublemaker, don’t even think about running away! Hurry up and catch her!

The shop assistant saw the police officer’s expression darken and was overjoyed. “The police are here. Don’t even think about running away!”

“Oh? Is that so?” Melody raised her eyebrows with a half–smile..

The clerk frowned. “How can you still smile at a time like this?”

The next second, the police officer said with a smile, “It’s a misunderstanding, Mr. Deeds. It’s all a misunderstanding.

The shop assistant’s expression froze on her face. She thought, What happened?”

James could not be bothered to look at the shop assistant. He waved his hand and said, “You don’t have to give me a face. Just do your job. I will complete the acquisition of this shop by today Then, as the owner, I will ask you to withdraw the case. I won’t make things difficult for you.”

The police officer said, “Thank you, Mr. Deeds…”

The clerk’s eyes widened in horror. She seemed to have provoked the wrong person. Melody looked at the shop assistant faintly. “Can I leave now?”

The shop assistant nodded stiffly. Even when Melody went out, Her face was still filled with disbelief.

Soon, the police officers left. The shop assistant was about to heave a sigh of relief when she felt a shadow looming over her.

She subconsciously looked up and saw the man whom the police officers had just called Mr. Deeds staring at her expressionlessly.

She felt her back tighten. “Mr. Deeds…”

James asked, “Do you know what you did wrong?”

The clerk swallowed hard and said in a dry voice, Tm sorry! I shouldn’t have called the police…

James shook his head. “It seems that you still don’t know what you did wrong. You shouldn’t have judged a book by its cover. As a shop assistant, you actually don’t know that the customer is your everything. You even discussed the customer’s appearance behind their back and didn’t even know your mistake until now. In that case… From today onwards, you’re unemployed.

The shop assistant’s mind went blank and she subconsciously said. “Mr. Deeds?” James was no longer willing to pay attention to the shop assistant and followed Melody

The shop assistant quickly received a call from her boss.

The boss was furious “From today onwards, you are fired! The shops nearby won’t hire you anymore!”

“Boss!

The shot staff asked. “Bow Why?”

The boss said, “How dare you ask me what you’ve done? Also, I’m no longer your boss! Your new boss is the female customer you offended” With that, the call ended.

The shop assistant lay on the stool with a pale face. “How did this happen…”

On the other side, the stall owner had already disappeared the moment the police officers appeared. James quickly chased after him and only saw Melody standing by the roadside, waiting for a car.

He looked at Melody’s back and could not help but recall what he had just said to the shop assistant.

He seemed to treat Melody the same way as the shop assistant.

When he first saw Melody, he felt that she was too young to cure Margaret. Therefore, although he focused on keeping an eye on the medicine for her, he did not trust her.

Later on. Melody cured Margaret’s illness. He had just changed his opinion of Melody, but because Ken had registered his marriage with her and Miss Murphy’s situation, he started to dislike Melody again.

However, after interacting with Melody for a long time today, this disgust seemed to be shaken imperceptibly.

There seemed to be a magic in her that made people unable to hate her.

Chapter 144

James thought. “No! How can I betray Miss Murphy! My change of opinion of Melody is unfair to Miss Murphy. I cannot be bewitched by him so easily

James shook his head and quickly sorted out his messy thoughts. He walked forward and said expressionlessly, “Miss Fox, it’s been settled:

“Okay.” Melody turned around and met James’s gaze. “Do you have a lot of questions for me about that man? You can ask me now that I’m in a good mood.”

James choked and thought, ‘Is it that easy to tell?‘

Since Melody knew that he was going to ask, James did not beat around the bush and asked directly, “Who is that man? He knows the red card. He should be from the black market, right? What do you want him to do? How did you meet him?”

Melody shrugged and did not hide anything. She told him everything about Yolanda buying medicine at the black market.

James instantly understood. “You want him to cooperate with you to collect evidence of Yolanda poisoning Maria, right?”

“Yes, Melody nodded.

Upon hearing this, James could not help but say, “Then you don’t have to help him treat his illness at all. That red card can make him do whatever you want him to do.”

He thought, Why did she have to treat him? Wasn’t it a waste of time?

Of course, James did d not say these words.

Is out loud.

Having been by Ken’s side for so many years, he knew what to say and what not to say.

However, even though James did not say it directly, Melody understood what he meant.

She couldn’t help but frown. Then, she relaxed her brows and said, “For some people, it’s indeed enough to put pressure on them, but for people who are in the black market and can’t even go to the hospital directly, we can’t just put pressure on them. We have to use both punishment and reward.

She thought, ‘Even a cornered beast would fight back, let alone a stall owner who can’t even reveal his true identity. That person is a person who has been involved in shady business all his life. Perhaps he will play a trick on me and sell all my information to Yolanda at a high price before escaping. Therefore, other than the red card, I had to use the antidote to make him loyal to me.

Melody frowned again and said, “There can’t be any mistakes in Yolanda’s matter, so even if it’s unnecessary, I’m willing. If you

think it’s troublesome to help me, go back to Ken.”

As Melody spoke, she reached out to hail a taxi, opened the door, and got in.

When James saw this, he knew that what he had said just now was indeed not nice. He quickly got into the car.

However, after hesitating for a long time, he still could not apologize to Melody.

It was impossible for him to apologize to someone he disliked.

In the backseat, Melody did not notice the conflicted look on James’s face at all.

On the other side, after Mabel left the cafe, she was about to go to the hospital to see her swollen face when she saw Pamela getting into a car not far away.

Thinking about how she had no choice but to push Pamela out to protect herself just now, Mabel felt both frustrated and annoyed.

She accidentally touched her face and her eyes lit up. An idea popped up in her mind. She could not lose Pamela.

Mabel smiled and quickly caught up. “Pam!”

Pamela was about to get into the car when she suddenly heard Mabel’s voice. Her expression immediately turned cold. “Why are you still looking for me? I did those things for you, but you asked me to apologize to your sister. Do you even treat me as a friend?” Pamela turned around with a dark expression as she accused her.

Mabel’s face was swollen and her eyes were misty. She looked pitiful and aggrieved.

Stunned. Pamela subconsciously asked, “What happened to your face?”

Mabel sniffed and covered her face with one hand in a panic. She forced a smile and said, “No, nothing…”

Seeing this, Pamela reached out and pulled Mabel’s hand away from her face

That face was usually well–maintained. At this moment, there was a palm print on her face, and half of her face was shockingly swollen.

Pamela was even more surprised. “Who hit you?”

Mabel shook her head.

No one hit me. I was careless…” As soon as she finished speaking, tears fell at the right time.

Pamela quickly made a judgment. “It’s Melody, right?”

Mabel shook her head again. “She didn’t do it on purpose…

After confirming that it was indeed Melody who did it, Pamela widened her eyes in disbelief and said, “You even criticized me, your friend, for her, and she actually hit you?”

Mabel said, “She really didn’t do it on purpose…”

Pamela stomped her foot angrily. “Mabel I really don’t know what to say about you. You’re usually very smart, and your grades are the best among your friends. Why are you acting like a fool when you are around Melody? She’s already bullied you to this extent, yet you’re still defending her and speaking up for her? What’s in your head? Is it much?”

Mabel said, “I… she…

“Stop talking” Pamela pulled Mabel into the car and instructed the driver, “Go to the hospital!”

When Mabel heard this, she knew that her ruse had worked.

The comers of her lips curled up slightly, and she instantly returned to her pitiful appearance, Pam, we were indeed in the wrong today. Can you not blame my sister?”

Pamela opened her mouth but did not know how to persuade Mabel.

In the end, she sighed heavily. Although she agreed, she was thinking about how to avenge Mabel and make her realize this situation…

Soon, night fell. As soon as Melody entered the Fox residence, she saw Yolanda sitting on the sofa, carefully rubbing Mabel’s cheek with a piece of ice. She turned a blind eye and walked towards the backyard.

“Stop right there!” Yolanda’s voice came from behind.

Melody stopped in her tracks and turned around with a smile. “Yolanda, I’ve had dinner.”

When Yolanda saw Melody like this, she became even angrier, “Who asked if you had dinner? Come here! Explain why you hit Mabel.

“Oh?” Melody tilted her head and asked, “Didn’t my dear sister tell you the reason?”

Mabel’s face darkened. She only told Yolanda that Melody had hit her and nothing else.

Mabel was about to explain when Yolanda, who was beside her, spoke first. “Why are you acting this way after hitting someone? Where did your manners go?”

“I hit her? I have no manners?” Melody sneered and said. “Your precious daughter delayed me from treating someone. The patient hit her on impulse. Why is it my fault?”

Yolanda’s back stiffened. She turned her head and looked at Mabel questioningly

Mabel looked away guiltily. “Mom, it’s all a misunderstanding…”

Melody shrugged. “Since it’s a misunderstanding. I’ll go see Grandma. You can explain it to your mother yourself.”

As she spoke, she turned around and walked towards the backyard without stopping.

Chapter 145

Mabel was so angry that her face turned green. She subconsciously complained to Yolanda, “Mom, why don’t you do something about Melody? She’s simply….

“Follow me upstairs. Yolanda walked upstairs with an ugly expression. She did not say a word on the way. Mabel could only follow behind her nervously.

It wasn’t until they reached the room that Yolanda spoke. “Explain yourself. What’s going on?”

From Melody’s tone, Yolanda felt that things would not be as easy as Mabel said.

“What do you mean? The injury on my face is indeed because of Melody… Mabel looked away guiltily.

Yolanda clearly did not believe Mabel’s words. She frowned and said, “Melody would not be so stupid as to hit you for no reason. She urgently needs to perform well now. It’s impossible for her to beat you brazenly since she knew that I would tell your father. Tell me, what exactly is going on?”

Under Yolanda’s interrogation, Mabel knew that she could not hide it. She did not dare to hide it from Yolanda anymore and told the truth.

Yolanda was angry and hateful. “Pamela is stupid. You’re stupid toot

Then, Yolanda said thankfully, “Fortunately, Pamela is easy to fool. It didn’t affect your image in her heart. Otherwise, you are ruined.“”

Mabel covered her face with an aggrieved expression. However, she knew that she was too impulsive this time and did not consider the consequences. She did not learn from her mistakes.

“Who is she treating this time?” Yolanda asked curiously.

Mabel shook her head. “I don’t know that person’s identity. That person is wearing a mask that covers their face tightly. However, I don’t think it’s a rich person based on their outfit. Instead, that person looks like a hooligan.

“A hooligan?” Yolanda frowned. That’s strange. I think that girl has a purpose in doing things. She treated Margaret and Wilmot both to achieve her own goal. She won’t save a hooligan for no reason…

The more Yolanda spoke, the more she felt that something was wrong. A bad feeling welled up in her heart. “I have a feeling that the girl is planning something.

Mabel looked at Yolanda’s worried expression and said disapprovingly. “Morn, you’re thinking too much. I think she just wants to earn some money by treating people.”

Yolanda asked, “Is that really the case?”

“It must be! Think about it, what else can a hooligan give her other than some money?” Mabel suddenly remembered what Janet had mentioned to her. She quickly said, “By the way, Mom, I have a good plan to completely destroy Melody’s reputation”.

Yolanda did not think that Mabel, who was overprotected by her could come up with a good plan. She asked without much anticipation, “What plan?”

Mabel quickly told Yolanda about Janet’s invitation to the banquet and also mentioned the taboo of their family.

Then, she lowered her voice and said, “When the time comes, we can do this.”

After Mabel finished speaking. Yolanda glanced at her in surprise and could not help but praise, “After I’ve scolded you a few times, you’ve indeed improved a little. Let’s do as you say! If the plan goes smoothly, when your father comes back, I’ll tell him all Melody’s weaknesses and mistakes. At that time, I bet your prideful father will chase her out.”

The two of them hit it off and began to discuss the details.

At the same time, Melody arrived at Maria’s room. She immediately checked Maria’s situation.

Maria’s physical condition was no different from before, but her mental state was much better. She had been unconscious for much less time than before.

Hattie knew about Maria’s change the best. She looked at Melody and could not help but ask, “Miss Melody, how’s Maria?” Maria also looked at her expectantly.

Melody said with a mixture of truth and falsehood, “Her condition is much better, but she still needs to continue taking the medicine. She can’t stop having it.”

“Don’t

Ay, Hattie said confidently. I’ve always made sure that Maria takes her medicine on time. I will never make a mistake.

Melody nodded and left the room with Hattie. When the two of them reached Melody’s room, Melody asked, “How’s the progress on your son?”

Hattie answered, “You’re talking about the spy you found for Maria, right? She’s very stubborn. My son has never been able to pry her mouth open. It might take some time for her to agree to testify”

Melody nodded. There’s no hurry. As long as she’s a human, she will always have a weakness. Get your son to think of a way to find her weakness and use it to deal with her. Don’t worry that she won’t betray Yolanda.”

Hattie quickly asked, “Miss Melody, I heard that you went to the headhunting company to work?”

Melody asked, “Yes, what about it?”

“That company… Hattie hesitated. In the end, she grinned her teeth and said, “You’ve only been back for less than a month, so you might not know. That headhunting company is only one of the two companies owned by the Fox family. It’s almost abandoned. There’s no future for it. If you really want to make a name for yourself, you’d better think of a way to work in the Justalion Group.

Melody’s gaze softened when she saw Hattie’s concerned expression. Thank you for your reminder, Hattie. Don’t worry, I won’t let myself be at a disadvantage. I have my own plans for going to the headhunting company”

She wanted to help Ulric poach Zack and gain Ulric’s trust. When the time came, she would form an alliance with him to deal with Ken. However, she could not explain these things in detail to Hattie. She could only comfort her for the time being.

Fortunately, Hattie knew her limits. Hearing her say this, she nodded in relief. “You have your own plans. I’m just afraid that you don’t know the situation. Since you know what to do, I’m relieved.”

Melody nodded and told Hattie a few things to take care of Maria before watching Hattie leave.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye. For the past few days, Russell had been away from home on a business trip, and Yolanda and Mabel did not cause any trouble. Even the people who had followed Melody previously did not follow her anymore.

The days were unusually peaceful. Melody was happy to be free and went to work at the headhunting company every day.

After a few days of interacting with her colleagues, they all felt that Melody was an easy–going girl, so everyone was willing to get close to her and talk to her as if they were friends.

On the contrary, Ryan, who had entered the company with her, seemed to have become invisible. No one was willing to pay attention to him.

It was precisely because of this that Ryan had been putting on a sour face almost every day for the past few days. He treated. Melody is even worse. Melody did not care about Ryan’s attitude towards her as long as it did not affect her work.

However, one day. Melody had just returned to the company after lunch when she saw someone squatting in front of her desk and rummaging through her cabinet.

“What are you doing?” Melody asked coldly.

When that person heard the voice, he hurriedly stood up. However, his movements were too big, and his head accidentally hit the table. With a bang, the man gasped in pain.

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Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 136, 137, 138, 139 & 140) 

Chapter 136

However, after the voice sounded, no one opened the door for a long time.

Melody knew the reason, but she was not in a hurry. She just stood there patiently.

About three to four minutes later, a sound came from behind the door. With a creak, the wooden door was pulled open. Behind the door stood an old man with white hair and a walking stick.

The old man stared at Melody and asked in confusion, “Young lady, did you come to the wrong place?”

Melody greeted him politely and gently, “Hello, sir. I didn’t come to the wrong place. I’m here to see you.”

“See me?” The old man frowned. “Is it some hunter company looking for my grandson? Let me tell you, that child is very stubborn. Don’t even think about it”

“Hunter?” Melody quickly reacted and said with a smile, “You mean a headhunting company, right?”

It seemed like Zack had already told the old man that if these people came, he would reject them all.

The old man tilted his head and thought for a moment before saying, “Yes, yes, it’s a headhunter. No matter if it’s a hunter or a headhunter, it’s impossible. Go back.”

The old man was about to close the door.

Melody hurriedly went forward to block the door and said, “Sir, I’m not from a headhunting company. Have you heard of the Herbathrive! I’m an employee there.”

“Herbathrive?” The old man’s expression softened a little. He did not close the door but invited Melody in.

After entering the door, she saw a small courtyard that was very clean. There were many beautiful birds.

There was also a well in the courtyard, making the sultry air seem much cooler

The old man invited her to sit on a stone bench by the well and sat opposite her. He asked, “I know about the Herbathrive. I went there before to get checked, but I never recovered, so I stopped going Why did they ask you to come? I remember my grandson saying that he had already paid for my medical fees.

k through your medical records and realized

“It’s not about the medical fees, Melody smiled and said, “I happened to that the doctor’s prescription for your diagnosis at that time was not good. He missed a few medicines, so I came to give you a follow–up. I hope I can help you.

“You? Give me a follow–up” The old man looked incredulous. “The youngest doctor in your Herbathrive is your boss. You’re so young… and you actually are a doctor?”

“Don’t look down on me.” Melody raised her head and lied through her teeth. “My master is the boss of our Herbathrive. I learned medicine from him since I was young, and now I’ve graduated. My medical skills are not inferior to the doctor who treated you back then.”

The old man hesitated for a moment. In the end, he waved his hand and said. “There’s no need. Although my waist hurts, I’m already used to it. Instead of spending money for nothing, it’s better to suffer like this.”

“Don’t worry,” Melody said. “It was our Herbathrive’s mistake last time, so we won’t charge you a single cent for the diagnosis and medical fees this time. We’ll treat you for free.

Upon hearing the word “free“, the old man was finally willing to look her in the eye. “It’s really free? Not a single cent?”

Melody smiled and said, “It’s not like you haven’t been to Herbathrive before. We’re such a big place. Why would we cheat you of your money!”

“That’s true…” The old man nodded. After thinking for a while, he finally agreed. “Alright, treat me!”

Melody nodded and flipped open the diagnosis book she had printed at the headhunting company. “The last time you came to see a doctor, the doctor diagnosed you with arthritis, so most of the prescriptions were to help with that, right!”

As Melody finished speaking, the old man looked at her with more trust.

He nodded. “That’s right.”

Hearing this, Melody heaved a sigh of relief.

She had said all this based on her memories from her previous life. Just now, she was worried that she had remembered wrongly, but now, looking at the old man’s reaction, she should not have remembered wrongly.

She closed the diagnosis and took out some equipment. “Let me check your current body first.”

The old man stretched out his hand cooperatively.

At this moment, footsteps sounded at the door.

Melody thought it was Zack, but when she turned around, she realized that it was James. “Miss Fox, this is…

Melody gave James a look to signal him to stop talking. Then, she turned around and introduced him to the old man. “This is my colleague. He’s also from the Herbathrive. Alright, I’ll check your body.

The old man nodded and extended his hand again.

James, who was at the door, was confused. However, he was someone who worked with Ken after all. He quickly reacted and walked to Melody’s side.

After about a minute, Melody stopped the machine and said, “I roughly know, but I still need to verify it. Can you stand up straight?”

“This… The old man said awkwardly, “It’s not that I don’t want to cooperate with you, but my back hurts when I straighten

“Alright” Melody smiled and said, “You’ve already cooperated”

“What?” The old man looked puzzled. I haven’t stood up yet…”

“You don’t have to stand up, Melody explained. The reason why you can’t bend over is because of the arthritis. In your case, it’s because you can’t straighten your back. This isn’t caused by arthritis but by a cold.”

The man said, “Cold? I don’t have a cold…

Melody said I’m not talking about a cold. I’m talking about you being in a cold environment for too long. You must have caught a cold before your back hurt, right?”

“That’s strange!” The old man’s eyes lit up as he looked at her and said. “I didn’t tell anyone about this, but you actually know! Looks like you’ve really learned something from your boss! Looks like the skill of traditional medicine has nothing to do with age

Beside him, James also looked at Melody in surprise.

However, when he thought about how she was the one who cured Margaret’s illness, James was not too surprised. He was just puzzled as to who this old woman was. “Thank you.” Melody did not notice James’s expression and said to the old man calmly, “Can you tell me how you caught cold?”

The old man trusted Melody very much now. He looked behind the half-open door and retracted his gaze. “You must not tell my grandson!”

Melody nodded. I’ll keep it a secret.”

James nodded cooperatively.

Only then did the old man say. “Actually, one day, I was sweeping the fallen leaves by the well and accidentally dropped the jade pendant my grandson bought for me into the well. The kid didn’t mention the price, but I know it must be expensive. At that time, my body was still nimble. In addition, the well in the courtyard was not deep, so I followed the rope down the well to find the jade pendant. I didn’t expect that after finding the jade pendant, I wouldn’t have the strength to climb up. It was the people buying groceries in the alley who passed by and heard me shout, so they got someone to fish me out. After that, my waist started hurting, and I didn’t dare to tell my grandson.”

Melody had never heard of this in her previous life because Zack had been by her side when she had diagnosed the old man in her previous life.

In this life, she chose the time when Zack wasn’t around. She didn’t expect it to be like this.

She frowned and said, “No matter how expensive a jade pendant is, it’s not as important as your health. It’s just that you’re lucky that someone passed by and saved you. Think about it. What if no one finds out? You will be dead. Then your grandson will definitely be very sad.

When Melody heard the old man’s words, she subconsciously put herself in the shoes of Zach, so she could not help but feel emotional.

The old man coughed dryly and muttered, “Why are you more long-winded than my grandson…”

Melody heard it clearly and said helplessly, Tm not being long-winded. I’m just worried about you. If something like this happens again in the future, you can’t take the risk. No matter how expensive something is, it’s not as precious as life. Do you understand?

“That’s right. You can’t risk your life, James couldn’t help but remind him.

The old man sighed. “I know, I know. You young people are getting better at teaching your elders a lesson.”

Melody said, “…”

“Alright, alright.” The old man seemed to be afraid of being nagged. He waved his hand and said. I’ll remember it, I really will. Then tell me, how should I be treated in my situation?”

Melody said, “I will give you the prescription right now. If the diagnosis is right from the beginning, you’ll be fine after having the medicine for a week. However, it’s been a long time since your waist relapsed, so I will add more medicine to the prescription. You have to take it daily for a week. After that, I will give you a new prescription. I also have to give you physical therapy during this time. After half a month, you will recover.”

“Half a month? That fast?” the old man asked in surprise.

Melody nodded and said, “If you still don’t believe in my medical skills, can you cooperate with me for half a month?”

The old man said, “Why wouldn’t I believe you? You knew that I had caught a cold in a short period of time. Your medical skills must be very good…

Melody nodded and said, “There’s one more thing I need your cooperation with.”

The old man said, “Tell me,” Melody said, “Don’t tell your grandson before you cure your disease. He lost his trust in Herbathrive last time because we couldn’t cure you. I’ll let him know after you are recovered.”

Chapter 137

The old man agreed to Melody’s request without thinking. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him. That kid is always worried that I will be deceived. If I tell him about you, he might think that you’re a liar. So, in order, to make him nag at me less, I’ll definitely promise not to tell him!”

Melody could not help but laugh. “You….”

The old man was exactly the same as in her previous life. He was simply an old urchin.

The old man said, “By the way, young doctor, I still don’t know your name?”

Melody said. Just call me Melody

The old man said, “Okay, Melody, just call me Ford.”

Melody said, “Alright, Ford. I’ll prepare the medicine for you according to the prescription. From tomorrow onwards, I’ll prepare the medicine and send it over.”

Ford said, “Alright, alright. Thank you. The Hervathrive is really good. When my waist recovers, I’ll definitely work hard to advertise for you!”

The two of them chatted for a while before Melody brought James out.

After Ford closed the door, James asked anxiously, “Miss Fox, who is this old man?

Melody glanced at James and asked, “His name is Ford Nelson. Who do you think he is!”

James stopped in his tracks and asked in surprise, “He’s Zack’s grandfather?”

“Yes,” Melody did not keep him in suspense anymore. She nodded and said, “That’s right. I found out that he had a back injury. As you know, I have some medical skills, so I took this opportunity to make Zack owe me a favor first. When we talk about poaching him in the future, there will be room for negotiation. At least, for Ford’s sake, Zach has to treat me to a meal

James looked at Melody and was secretly shocked.

Melody seemed to be smarter than he had thought.

“Oh, right.” Melody looked at James and said. “Why did you suddenly come to look for me? Is there anything you need my help with from Ken?”

“No…” James coughed dryly. He did not say that he had been punished and only said, “Mr. Ken said that you’ve been in a lot of trouble recently. In addition, the company doesn’t need me for the time being, so he asked me to come and help you.

Melody nodded. “I do have a lot of things to do recently, and there might be more trouble. It’s good for you to help me.”

James nodded.

At this moment, Melody’s phone received a call. It was from the bodyguard hiding in the dark She raised her eyebrows in surprise. After picking up the call, she lowered her voice and asked, “What’s wrong?”

The bodyguard said, “Miss Fox, we realized that someone has been following you.”

Melody asked, “Who is it? When did it start?”

The bodyguard said, “We checked. It’s the butler of your house. He started when we left your house. At first, we thought that we were just going the same way, but we saw him sneakily following us to South Alley just now, so we’re sure that he’s here to follow you.”

A cold glint flashed across Melody’s eyes.

She thought. Yolanda sent the butler to follow me? I thought that Yolanda would not make a move until something happened to Maria. It seems that she is always looking for an opportunity.

She pursed her lips coldly and said, “I understand.”

The bodyguard asked on the other end of the line. “Do you need us to arrest him?”

Melody thought for two seconds and said, “There’s no need. Let him follow.”

The bodyguard immediately replied. “Yes!”

Melody hung up and told James the news softly.

James asked in surprise. “Then why don’t we just capture him?”

Melody smiled and said. “She wants something on me. Just give it to her. Why are you so petty? Let’s take a taxi and leave.”

James’s mind was filled with questions.

He felt that Miss Fox, like Mr. Ken, liked to do things that he did not understand,

However, James could not be bothered to really pour his heart and soul into Melody’s matter, so he let her be

However, after taking a taxi, he heard Melody say to the driver, Sir, let’s go to the most famous gambling place in Silverlake, the International Casino.”

James was drinking mineral water. When he heard this, he almost spat out the water. “Miss Fox, you…”

Before James could finish, Melody interrupted him and asked. “Have you been there?”

James lowered his voice and said in a voice that only they could hear. “Rather than saying that I’ve been there… Actually, Mr.

Ken owns some of the shares of that place.”

Melody nodded. “That’s good Driver, if you don’t know the way, he’ll point you out.”

“I know, I know,” the driver said. As he drove, he couldn’t help but persuade her. “Young lady, I think you’re young. It’s better to not go to this kind of place.”

“Thank you for your concern. Melody smiled and thanked him, but she did not change her mind. Seeing this, the driver could only step on the accelerator and drive towards the International Casino.

On the way. Melody asked James. “Are you in charge of the black market?”

James was unlucky. He happened to be drinking water, so when be heard the voice, he choked on the water again.

James coughed for a long time before recovering. He asked in shock, “How, how did you know… that’s our territory? There are less than three people in the world who know about this. Even Miss Murphy doesn’t know…”

Melody did not waste any time and took out the black market access card that Ken had given her.

James looked at the card and was even more shocked, “Mr. Ken actually gave you a red card?”

When Melody heard the words “red card“, her expression was a little blank. However, she could tell from James’s eyes that the red card was not ordinary.

Melody could not help but ask curiously, “What does the red card represent?”

James said with a complicated expression. “It represents power.

Melody asks, “Power? What do you mean?”

James said. “It means that merchants who have signed a contract with the black market, regardless of whether they are stall owners or mercenaries, have to listen to you with this card on you. It’s a high–level card from the black market. Other than Mr. Ken and me, only Mr. Ken’s two friends in Insterimond have it

Ken could trust these two friends with his life. It was normal for them to have a red card. Even Janet didn’t have a red car, however, Ken had given one to Melody. James could not understand and felt that it was unfair to Miss Murphy.

Melody could not help but be surprised when she heard James’s words.

She thought. It turns out that this card is so rare. Ken is too generous. Alright, since Ken is so generous, I will work harder to help him poach Zack‘

Melody wanted to ask more about the red card, but she could see the displeasure in James’s eyes. She guessed that he might not be satisfied with the red card Ken gave her, so she tactfully put it away.

On the way, Melody did not say anything else. Instead, she secretly thought about the use of this red card.

Since the red card was equivalent to having absolute power in the black market, it would be easy for her to deal with the matter of Yolanda buying mercury sulfide.

About half an hour later, the car stopped at the entrance of the International Casino

In her previous life, she had accompanied Ulric here. At that time, Ulric had kept losing money. He even lost when he had cards that were definitely going to win.

At that time, she thought that they were unlucky, but now, Melody understood everything

This was Ken’s territory. No matter how good Ulric’s cards were, he could not win.

After all, no matter what kind of Casino it was, there were more or less some high–tech tricks. If the owner didn’t want you to win, you could only lose.

Chapter 138

Before getting out of the car, Melody specially asked James, “Is there a back door here?”

James answered. “Yes, although the casino is very secretive, it’s a gray industry after all, so just in case, there are many secret doors here to go out.”

Melody nodded. “Then after we go in, bring me out through a secret door.”

James opened his mouth slightly in surprise. He was about to ask when he remembered that Melody had said that someone was following her.

James was not stupid. He immediately realized that Melody was trying to set the stalker up.

She had deliberately come to the casino so that the other party could return with fake news and get rid of the stalker.

It was a very smart move. Although it was not very brilliant, it was not like a girl from the countryside could think of a solution..

However, when he went to the countryside to investigate, he found out that Melody had indeed grown up in the countryside. Before coming to Silverlake, she had never even left her hometown.

James thought, “Is she naturally intelligent? Or have I not investigated thoroughly enough?”

“Did you hear that?” Melody asked again when she saw that James was lost in space.

James immediately came back to his senses and nodded. “Understood.”

She said, “Okay, go in.”

Entry to the International Casino was very strict. Ordinary people could not enter at all.

However, with James, the second–in–command leading the way, they almost didn’t need James to say anything. They passed through the first floor of the KTV on the surface and arrived at the International Casino on the second floor. Then, they left the International Casino through the secret door without stopping.

At the same time, opposite the main entrance, the butler quickly dialed Yolanda’s number.

Yolanda’s right eyelid kept twitching today. It was said that this meant that trouble was coming. Just as she thought of that, the butler had called.

Her heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously thought that the butler had been discovered. She couldn’t help but hesitate if

she should answer this call.

The butler was very smart. Even if he was caught, he would definitely think of an excuse. It was impossible for him to betray her.

At the thought of this, Yolanda did not hesitate and picked up the call.

“Mrs. Fox! Big news!” As soon as the call went through, the butler’s excited voice came through.

Yolanda asked in shock. “What big news?”

Because the butler was too happy, he was a little arrogant and deliberately kept her in suspense. “Mrs. Fox, guess what I found out?”

Yolanda asked, “What? The butler said, “She went in International Karaoke!

When she heard that Melody had only gone to the KTV. Yolanda could not help but pursed her lips. “What kind of big news is that? Don’t young people like to go to such places?”

This was not something that could be used against Melody.

The butler said, “I guess you don’t know.”

Yolanda asked, “Don’t know what?”

The butler said. “I also heard from others that there’s actually another floor below International Karaoke, but it’s not a KTV. It’s a casino. Moreover, this International Casino is the largest one in Silverlake. If Mr. Fox finds out that Miss Melody went to the casino, don’t you think he’ll be angry?”

Yolanda’s eyes instantly lit up. “Are you telling the truth?”

The butler said. “It’s absolutely true. I even took photos and left evidence! When Mr. Fox asks, if Miss Melody quibbles, we’ll go to the International Casino to verify it. She won’t have anything to say.”

Yolanda stood up happily. “Great job!”

The butler said, “Thank you for your praise. Mrs. Fox. It’s my honor to help you solve your problems.”

Yolanda felt even happier. “Alright, it’s enough that we have something on her. Come back now, lest she finds out. It won’t be worth it if she thinks of a countermeasure in advance”

The butler said, “Yes, Mrs. Fox. I’ll be right back

After the call ended, Yolanda was in a good mood.

It seemed that her right eyelid was twitching because she didn’t sleep well, not because something bad was about to happen.

She happily contacted a few of her rich friends for beauty treatments.

However, when they reached the beauty salon, they were stopped outside.

“You’re not letting us in? We’re your VIP customers! Don’t you want to work anymore?” Mrs. Mills questioned the shop staff who stopped them with an ugly expression.

Yolanda’s expression wasn’t any better.

Although the Fox family was on the decline and the Justalion Group was losing money. Now, they still had some foundation.

She had never been rejected by a beauty salon before.

The shop assistant had obviously received professional training. In the face of the customer’s aggressive attitude, she still had a smile on her face and said politely. This is our boss’s rule. As long as Mrs. Fox comes with someone, our shop will not provide any service. So… I’m sorry.”

Yolanda was the only one with the surname Fox. The other rich ladies immediately looked at Yolanda.

Because Mabel had become the top socialite in Silverlake last year. Yolanda had been in the limelight for the past year. This was the first time she had seen these friends look at her with such a questioning gaze.
She couldn’t hold it in anymore and could only frown at the shop assistant. “Are you mistaken! Although my surname is Fox, I’m also your VIP customer. I don’t even know your boss, let alone your boss will specially forbid me from entering.”

As Yolanda spoke, she raised her head and showed her VIP membership card. Seeing this, the shop assistant could not help but feel a little uncertain. “Wait a minute, let me check.”

Yolanda heaved a sigh of relief and put on a smile again. She said to the ladies. They must have made a mistake. Don’t be anxious”

Only then did the noble ladies restrain their expressions and remain silent.

After about two minutes, the shop assistant looked up at Yolanda again and confirmed. “You’re Yolanda Fox, the wife of the chairman of the Justalion Group, right?”

Yolanda nodded confidently. “It’s me. You did make a mistake, didn’t you?”

Before the shop assistant could speak. Yolanda continued, “Your service attitude today made me very unhappy. If you don’t apologize to me personally, you can wait to be fired!”

She believed that the shop assistant must have made a mistake.

Under such circumstances, her value as a VIP customer was much higher than that of a receptionist.

Just as Yolanda thought that the shop assistant would immediately bow and thank her, she saw the shop assistant say with a smile mixed with disdain. “If you’re really Mrs. Yolanda Fox, then I’m not mistaken. According to the rules, you can’t enter our shop. Also, if your friends came with you, they can’t enter either.”

These words were like a bolt from the blue, making Yolanda’s mind instantly go blank.

She felt that after the noble ladies heard the shop assistant’s words, they obviously deliberately took a few steps away and kept a certain distance from her. Her face instantly turned red. “Nonsense! Who is your boss? I’m your VIP. My annual expenditure is at least a million dollars. How can your boss not let me in?”

I’m very sorry. Mrs. Fox, but it’s the boss’s rule. We have no choice but to follow it.” The shop assistant bowed slightly Although she was well–trained, she could not help but show a hint of impatience on her face.

A friend of Yolanda asked. “Yolanda, what’s going on?”

I treat us?”

Another person said, “That’s right. You said you’d treat us to a beauty treatment. Is this how you treat us?

Chapter 139

A friend said. “Yolanda, I hope you can give us a reasonable explanation. Otherwise, we are no longer friends!”

A woman said. “Explain. Yolanda”

Faced with the questioning of the noble ladies, Yolanda was anxious and angry. Her entire face turned red. “I don’t know either…”

However. Yolanda only panicked for a moment before she quickly calmed down and said, “Ladies, I’ll definitely find out what’s going on as soon as possible. I’m really sorry about today, but I promise that I’ll definitely give you an explanation.”

The rich ladies couldn’t help but exchange glances. One of them said. “I’ll give you one day to figure out what’s going on. Otherwise, no matter what you do in the future, don’t call us again. We won’t come see you again.”

The others nodded in agreement.

This beauty salon was the most famous in Silverlake, and socialites loved to come here.

Therefore, they often came to this place not only to do beauty treatments but also to maintain relations with people among their ranks.-

If they had not heard from Yolanda that Mabel might marry into the Swanson family, they would not even want Yolanda’s explanation and would have cut ties with her.

However, Mabel was only able to marry into the Swanson family. If Yolanda was removed from this place, of course, they would not give up this good place for Yolanda.

The few of them did not stay any longer and left in their cars, leaving Yolanda standing there awkwardly.

Her mind raced.

She had never seen the boss of this beauty salon, let alone offended them and made them reject her.

But suddenly, a name popped up in Yolanda’s mind, Melody

She thought. This must be Melody’s doing. Ever since Melody returned, there has been no peace at home. It must be her.

Thinking of this. Yolanda’s expression became extremely ugly.

She glanced at the shop assistant who was still wearing a professional smile. She gritted her teeth, took off the jade bracelet on her hand, and stuffed it into the shop assistant’s hand. “Young lady. I sounded a little anxious just now. I might have made you unhappy. Don’t mind me ”

Although the shop assistant was just a receptionist, this beauty salon was very high–end. When the customers were in a good mood, they would often give her something, including some expensive luxury goods.

Therefore, when Yolanda stuffed a bracelet into her hand, the shop assistant immediately recognized that this jade bracelet was worth a lot
Why would I mind… The shop assistant did not refuse and naturally put the bracelet in her hand.

After feeling the jade, the smile on the shop assistant’s face became more sincere.

Before Yolanda could speak, the shop assistant cleverly said, “Madam, do you want to know why our boss doesn’t let you in?”

Yolanda said. “Yes! If you know anything, please tell me so that I can communicate with your boss.” The shop assistant deliberated for a moment before saying. “Actually, we don’t know the exact reason either, but your situation is different from when others were blacklisted by the boss in the past. In the past, if there were customers who were blacklisted, the boss would only inform us in the internal group chat. However, this time, the boss came personally and informed all of us, as well as all the branches. The boss informed us of your name. Think about it carefully again. Did you unintentionally have a conflict with our boss, but you forgot?*

“But… I’ve never even met your boss” Yolanda paused when she mentioned the boss of the beauty salon. Then, she asked “What’s your boss’s name? What does he look like?”

The shop staff said, “Our boss’s surname is Wilmot Sherman.”

“Wilmot!” Yolanda’s eyes widened.

She recalled how Wilmot had brought Melody home and publicly exposed her for snatching Melody’s contract.

Combined with today’s incident, Yolanda knew that her previous guess should have been 80% correct.

This matter had something to do with Melody.

That bitch! Yolanda cursed in her heart.

However, she was more patient than Mabel. She nodded at the shop assistant and said. Thank you for telling me this. I know the general reason now!

“It’s fine. It’s my duty. The shop assistant touched the jade bracelet on her wrist and smiled.

Yolanda thanked her and quickly turned to leave the beauty salon.

Coincidentally, the butler drove over to wait for her. When he saw Yolanda coming out so quickly, he asked in surprise, “Madam, you’re done so quickly today?” Under normal circumstances, Yolanda would definitely undergo a beauty treatment and a full–body spa service. It would take at least two to three hours to end. He didn’t know what was going on that day.

The butler’s intuition told him that something was wrong. Sure enough, Yolanda’s expression was ugly as she said, “Glory Salon’s boss blacklisted me.

The butler asked, “What? Why?”

Yolanda looked at the butler and said, “Do you know the name of the boss of Glory Salon?”

The butler said, “I don’t know about that…

Yolanda said, “It’s Wilmot.”

The butler asked, “It’s him?”

“That’s right.” Yolanda was also a little surprised and couldn’t help but sigh. “I thought that he would at most open a national chain of styling shops. I didn’t expect this famous national chain of beauty shops to also be his business. No wonder so many rich ladies have a good relationship with him. It turns out that it’s not only because he’s the most famous stylist in the country, but also because he’s actually the boss of Glory Salon.

The butler said in surprise, “In that case, Glory Beauty is also his business?”

That’s right.” Yolanda gritted her teeth and said, “Ever since Glory Beauty developed the excellent Glory cosmetic masks two years ago, it’s now one of the top pharmaceutical companies in the domestic beauty industry. Wilmot’s future is limitless. I really didn’t expect that little bitch, Melody, to actually hook up with Wilmot! I underestimated her!”

“Miss Melody?” The butler asked in surprise, “How did she get on Wilmot’s boat?”

Yolanda glanced at the Butler and said, Have you forgotten that Wilmot once gave Melody a styling shop?
The butler slapped his thigh. I remember now! She saved Wilmot’s son.

Yolanda closed her eyes in frustration. It’s my fault. I thought that offending a stylist wouldn’t have any consequences at all. After knowing that Melody saved Wilmot’s son, I didn’t pay attention to this matter at all. Now it seems that we have to think of measures in advance.

The housekeeper reminded her, Mrs. Fox, don’t forget that I have something on Ms. Melody today.

Yolanda pursed her lips. Russell is on a business trip. He will take at least a week to come back. Besides, I’m not sure how much he cares about Melody now. If he only scolds her or if Melody finds Margaret for help, this evidence won’t be enough to destroy her.

She had to think of a way.

Suddenly, Yolanda’s eyes lip up. The corners of her lips curled up as she said. I have it.“

Chapter 140

Yolanda smiled coldly. “That girl has many backers now. We have to get rid of them one by one. Then it’ll be much easier to deal with her. We don’t have to worry about Maria anymore. It’s only a matter of time. As for Margaret, we don’t have any solutions for the time being. Only this Wilmot Glory Beauty’s business has expanded to such a large extent. I’m not the only one who wants to deal with him.”

The butler said, “You mean…”

“Don’t go back yet. Let’s go to the Brewer family. Yolanda’s smile deepened.

“Yes!” The car turned around and headed for the Brewer family, who owned the leading pharmaceutical company in the country.

At the same time, Melody arrived at the entrance of a café called Forest Cafe.

As soon as she entered, she saw a slightly familiar person.

It was a middle-aged man who was wearing a mask and looked anxious. His exposed skin was covered in terrifying red bumps. In serious places, the red bumps even began to pus, as if they would break at any moment.

Melody’s lips curled up slightly. She thought He was indeed here.

“Miss, sir, would you like coffee or order food?” The waiter approached her and James with a professional smile.

Melody said, “We are meeting someone here.”

“Alright, you can scan the QR code on the table and order. The waiter nodded politely and turned to the counter.

Melody’s hearing was very good. She had just taken a few steps when she heard the waiter whisper to another waiter, “What’s going on with our cafe today? Not only did a customer wearing a mask look like he had an infectious disease, but an ugly monster also came… I’m really worried that the two of them will scare away the other customers.”

James’s hearing was also very good. When he heard this, he walked over,

It was true that he did not like Miss Fox, but he could not accept random people talking shit about her.

But James had only taken two steps when a hand grabbed the corner of his shirt.

He subconsciously turned his head and saw Melody shaking her head at him. “Ignore them, lest they delay my business.”

James frowned. “Miss Fox, I did it for you…”

Melody said, “I know. I’m very grateful to you. But I’ve been used to hearing such words since I was young. As long as they don’t interfere with me, there’s no need to bother with them.”

James looked at Melody in shock. He felt that she was really different from the socialites in Silverlake. If the socialites of Silverlake heard such words, they would definitely be angered. However, Melody did not seem to be -affected by those unsightly words at all.

James thought. ‘Mr. Ken is the same as Miss Fox in this aspect.

Everyone in Silverlake thought that Ken had crippled Ulric’s legs, but he knew that the truth was not like that. However, Ken did not defend himself or care. He continued to do what he wanted. From the looks of it, Melody and Ken had a lot in common.

While James was in a daze, Melody had already arrived in front of the man who the waiter said was “wearing a mask as if he had an infectious disease.”

“Hello, Melody said calmly.

The man was a little uncertain if Melody was the person he was waiting for. After all, when they met in their line of work, they would definitely be wearing masks. He had rarely seen anyone like this young lady who did not even wear any disguise.

However, when he saw Melody take the initiative to greet him and recognize her voice, the middle-aged man immediately confirmed that this was the young lady who had come to his stall to buy things.

“It’s really you.” The man quickly stood up and did not forget to flatter her. “As expected of a student taught by a medical professor. You can meet people openly, unlike someone like me, who can’t show my true face.”

Melody said, “Understood. Your profession is special.”

When James heard their conversation, he could not help but look at Melody in surprise.

He thought, ‘One moment ago, she was a doctor from Herbathrive, and the next moment, she is a student taught by some medical professor. How many fake identities does she have? Who is this man covered in red bumps?

However, it was not appropriate for James to ask now. He just stood beside her expressionlessly.

Melody pulled out a chair and sat down. She pretended to be surprised and said, “I was just passing by today. I didn’t expect you to really come.”

“That’s right! Miss, you’re really amazing! I was really poisoned Do you have any way to treat me? My identity is special, so I can’t go to the hospital to see a doctor. I can only rely on you… The man looked at Melody with eyes filled with desire, as if he were treating her as his savior.
Melody raised her eyebrows slightly. It would be strange if this roan was not poisoned. After all, she was the one who poisoned him.

“I need to check your situation.” Melody waved at the man.

The man immediately reached out his hand.

Seeing this, James could not help but frown and remind her, “Miss Fox, do you need to wear a glove? What if it’s contagious…

“Don’t worry, it won’t be contagious. Don’t you know my medical skills?” Melody said as she pulled the man’s hand.

It had been a long time since she had made poison. She did not know if the dosage was accurate.

About a minute later, Melody confirmed that she had used just the right amount of poison on this man. She retracted her hand and said, “Your poison is a little complicated. Although I can treat it, the treatment might take a long time.”

“It’s alright!” The man quickly said, “It doesn’t matter if it takes a long time. As long as you can help me detoxify the poison, money and time are not a problem!”

Melody nodded, took out a ceramic bottle from her pocket, and handed it to the man. “There’s a detoxifying pill inside. Take it first. Come back here in a week. I’ll concoct a new medicine for you.

The man hurriedly took the pill and poured it out without thinking. He raised his head and swallowed it.

However, in the next moment, a female voice sounded. “Hey! Is your name Melody Fox?” Melody subconsciously turned her head in the direction of the voice and saw a girl who was dressed exquisitely and about her age staring at her with an unfriendly expression.

Before Melody could speak, the girl laughed. “It’s really you.”

Melody stared at the girl for two seconds. After confirming that she did not know her, she asked in confusion, “You are?”

The girl snorted disdainfully and said, “You don’t deserve to know my name.”

Ever since Pamela Clark heard from Mabel that Melody was ugly and bad and that she had even snatched Mabel’s man, she had a natural disgust for Melody.

She even felt that telling Melody her name was tainting her identity.

As Pamela spoke, she said directly to the man who had just taken the pill, “You don’t really believe that she’s a student of some medical school professor, do you? I’m telling you out of kindness that she’s just a village girl who comes from the countryside and is useless. She only knows how to scheme and snatch her sister’s sweetheart!”

The man was stunned when he heard this. He looked at Melody in shock and said, “You’re not a student from the medical school?”

Melody was about to speak when she was interrupted by the girl again. “How is she a medical student? You might as well ask her if she has ever gone to school!

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Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 131, 132, 133, 134 & 135) 

Chapter 131

When Ulric heard Mabel’s nasal voice, he felt even more impatient than before.

He hated women who cried constantly.

“No, I just… Ulric was about to find an excuse to hang up when he suddenly looked up. He thought, ‘Mabel Fox, Melody. Fox

Ulric rolled his eyes and returned to his usual gentle tone. I’m not in a bad mood. It’s just that after lunch today, I had dessert with Melody and I feel a little sick of it now. So… I’m sorry. I appreciate your kindness?

“I see… Melody actually came over. I didn’t even know…” Mabel tried her best to maintain her voice and said calmly. “Then go ahead. I won’t disturb you anymore.”

“Okay, goodbye. Ulric hung up and sneered.

Melody made him very unhappy today. In that case, he wanted to make use of Mabel to disgust her.

He thought, ‘Mabel has a beautiful appearance but nothing in her mind. She is the best person to use.

On the other end of the phone, Mabel was so angry that she almost dropped the half–cooked cheese in her hand.

Bitch! Bitch! Her fingers gripped the table tightly, digging a long mark on it

With a loud snap, her nails broke.

Mabel gasped in pain, and the anger in her heart intensified.

She thought, “Melody, Melody! That bitch is everywhere! It was not enough for her to get close to Ken. It was not enough to let Ken speak up for her at the birthday banquet. Now, she wanted to curry favor with Ulric. Does she want to have both of them with her look? Why didn’t she take a look at herself in the mirror first?

Mabel was so angry that she was about to go crazy. At this moment, the socialite from the same training class opened the door of the bakery classroom.

Mabel was shocked and quickly regained her composure: She turned around and asked with a smile, “Pam? Isn’t class over? Why are you back?”

The socialite named Pamela Clark sighed and said, “My mother asked me to come back and practice more. Seriously, no matter how hard I work, it’s impossible for me to become the top socialite in Silverlake, okay? In my opinion, as long as you sign up this year, the top socialite will definitely be yours.”

Mabel enjoyed her words, but she still pretended to be humble on the surface. “How can you be so sure? As long as you work hard enough, you will have a chance. Everyone will have a chance.

“Forget it, I’m already over it. I’d better stay here and scroll through my phone.” As Pamela spoke, she asked suspiciously. “By the way, why are you still here after so long? Didn’t the teacher say that your half–cooked cheese is the most perfect during the baking class?”

Mabel lowered her eyes and said sadly, “I wanted to give my half–cooked cheese to the person I like, but just now… he rejected me on the phone: “What?” Pamela raised her voice and asked. “Who’s so blind as to reject our top socialite in Silverlake?”

Mabel shook her head, “He’s a perfect person. It’s normal for him to reject me. However, I’m sad that he rejected me because of my sister…”

Pamela said. “Your sister? The ugly one?”

Mabel pretended to be unhappy. Tam, please don’t talk about my sister like that. She’s actually quite a nice person.”

Pamela sneered and said, “She’s a good person? If she was a good person, would she snatch her younger sister’s man?”

Mabel shook her head and looked like she was unwilling to say anything else. She only said, “If my sister likes him too, then, then I’m willing to give up.”

Pamela felt even more indignant for Mabel “If you give up, you’re a fool! She’s inferior to you in every way. She’s the one who should give up! Mabel, you have to believe in yourself. Among all the socialites in Silverlake, you’re the most beautiful and charming!”

Mabel sighed and said, “Thank you for praising me. I’m not in the mood to talk about this anymore. Please help me keep it a secret. I’ll go back first.”

Pamela nodded and watched Mabel leave.

However, after Mabel left, she quickly scolded Melody in the group chat on her phone.

The socialite circle in Silverlake was not big. Soon, Melody became famous in the circle.

Someone commented in a group chat: [How dare that ugly girl from the countryside snatch Mabel’s man? Is she crazy?]

Another girl wrote: [That’s why country bumpkins are country bumpkins. They have no self–awareness at all.]

Another person texted: [She probably doesn’t even know how to write the words ‘self–awareness‘!]

All the socialites were ridiculing Melody. Mabel naturally saw it too, but she pretended not to see anything and let the matter ferment crazily.

At this moment, Mabel received a message from Ulric. [Mabel, are you free tomorrow afternoon? If you’re free, can you help me go to the Herbathrive to get the medicine? My mother went to find a doctor to treat my leg. I’m worried about letting others get it, so I can only ask you.]

Mabel’s eyes lit up when she saw the message. The gloominess from before was swept away.

She replied: [I’m free! I don’t have class tomorrow!]

At this moment, all the reservedness of a socialite was thrown out of Mabel’s mind.

On the other end of the phone, Ulric smiled in satisfaction.

He thought, ‘She is indeed an easy woman to control. She is overjoyed just by giving her a little hope. If only Melody is so easy to control.

In the next moment, Ulric’s expression turned ugly again. He thought, Why do I keep thinking about that ugly woman!”

Ulric closed the message page and called Wendell Hunter.

The call was quickly picked up and Wendell’s fawning voice could be heard. “My good nephew, why did you call me?”

Ulric pursed his lips impatiently and said, “My mother said that you have a way to find a traditional doctor who knows Nine-Line Acupuncture?” “Right” Upon hearing this, Wendell couldn’t help but say proudly, I know a forum that has experts from all walks of life. I put a bounty on it. If anyone knows the Nine–Line Acupuncture, they will accept that bounty. Let’s just wait patiently.”

Ulric asked, “Forum?”

Wendell said, “It’s the black market in Silverlake. Nephew, you should know it, right?”

Yes. Ulric replied.

He had long known about the existence of the black market. “I remember the place was very small a few years ago. It seems to have gotten bigger now?”

Wendell said, “That’s right! I wonder who the boss behind the black market is. If we can find out his identity, we can rope him in. He will definitely become a very powerful helper for us!

Ulric raised his eyebrows. “Don’t tell me you have a clear mind too? Think of a way to dig out the identity of the boss of the black market. No matter what conditions he offers, as long as he is willing to serve us, I can agree.”

“Understood!” After the call ended, Wendell immediately logged into the forum to check if anyone had accepted his bounty.

No one accepted the bounty, but there were many posts below.

Someone commented: [Nine–Line Acupuncture? What the hell is that?]

Another person replied: [The Nine–Line Acupuncture is an acupuncture technique. Legend has it that it can cure all poisons and illnesses. However, this is only a rumor. In any case, I’ve never heard of anyone who knows this.]

Just as Wendell was disappointed, he scrolled down and suddenly saw a post below.

Someone commented: [I’ve heard of this, and I know that there are indeed people in the world who know this.]

Chapter 132

This post was instantly replied to countless times.

Someone wrote: [Please enlighten me, big shot!]

Wendell immediately perked up and read the post carefully. The person who posted replied: [It’s the traditional medicine Master, Quentin Parker! But he has retired for many years. Perhaps he has already passed away.]

Someone wrote: [I’ve heard of Quentin. Not only is his medical skills impressive, but he’s also very famous in other industries. He’s an all-rounder. However, he disappeared for a long time. If he hadn’t passed away, it’s impossible for there to be no news of him for more than ten years.]

Someone else commented: [Is the Nine–Line Acupuncture so awesome? Why is the bounty only worth two hundred thousand dollars?]

Another person commented: [Judging from the level of the person who posted the bounty, it should be because his level is not high enough to post a higher amount.]

The posts at the back were all meaningless. Wendell couldn’t be bothered to read them anymore. The hope that had been ignited in his heart was extinguished again.

“Fuck!” He couldn’t help but curse. “It wasn’t easy for me to find some useful information, but that useless Quentin is already dead! What the hell.

Wendell didn’t have much patience. Soon, he was no longer in the mood to continue reading the forum. He added a sentence in the post: [If you provide any clues, you can get the bounty. I can’t put up a higher amount, so I can transfer it privately. After that, he changed his username

He changed the original string of irregular numbers to his real name.

Since Ulric wanted him to rope in the boss of the black market, he had to attract his attention first.

He believed that his name would quickly attract the attention of the boss of the black market.

After doing this, Wendell closed the page and continued his life of luxury.

Money made the world go round. He just had to log in to the forum every few days to take a look.

At the same time, when Melody took the car to the headhunting company, she also logged into the forum on her phone.

The forum server did a good job, and it was very smooth to log in.

She saw a private message notifying her that a bounty had been received.

This was the first bucket of gold she had dug up on the forum.

Melody could not help but be in a good mood. After withdrawing the bounty, she went to check the medical section.

Unintentionally, she caught a glimpse of a post with the words “Nine–Line Acupuncture” written on it.

Nine Line Acupuncture was what she had learned from her master.

Melody clicked on it with interest. When she saw that the bounty was only two hundred thousand dollars, she was disinterested and prepared to close the page.

The reason was that the Nine–Line Acupuncture consumed a lot of energy.

She would need to be bedridden for at least half a month to perform it. Just two hundred thousand dollars was not worth it.

Just as Melody was about to close the page, she suddenly noticed the username of the bounty hunter. Wendell Hunter. “Wendell?” She could not help but be stunned.

She thought, Isn’t Wendell Ulric’s uncle and Astrid’s brother? Is this a coincidence or a fake name?”

After all, almost no one on the forum would use their real name as a username.

However, after combining the contents of the bounty, Melody was almost certain that this person was the Wendell she knew.

If Ulric’s legs wanted to return to normal, he needed to be treated with nine–line acupuncture.

After realizing this. Melody smiled coldly.

She thought. This Wendell is really stupid. He actually announced his real name so openly

She clicked on Wendell’s homepage and sent him a private message after accepting the bounty

The forum showed that Wendell was not online now, so she did not wait for a reply on the forum and went offline.

Coincidentally, she had arrived at the headhunting company.

Melody opened the car door and got out. She saw a woman wearing black–framed glasses standing at the entrance of the company.

Melody had interacted with this woman in her previous life and knew that her name was Kayla Simon. She was the person in charge of this headhunting company, but Melody had not interacted much with her and did not know her temper.

As soon as Melody walked over, she put on a smile and greeted me. Hello, I’m…

Before Melody could finish introducing herself. Kayla interrupted her and said. “I know, Miss Fox.”

As Kayla spoke, she sized Melody up seriously and subtly.

She had seen Mabel before. Mabel had a willful temperament, but her appearance and temperament could be said to be peerless. She did not disgrace the title of the top socialite in Silverlake.

However, Kayla had never seen Melody before. This time, she could not help but be shocked.

Not only did Melody look hair–raising, but her clothes were also extremely ordinary.

If Melody was not Russell’s daughter, she would not even let her in.

However, even though Melody was her boss’s woman, Kayla did not take her seriously.

Since Melody was arranged to work there by the boss, she would just be a desk in the company. Kayla felt that Melody might leave soon. She had personally gone downstairs to welcome her today because Russell had called her personally. Otherwise, she would not have personally gone downstairs to welcome this young lady who had returned from the countryside.

Melody’s judgment was very accurate. She could tell at a glance that Kayla was not satisfied with her.

However, there was no malice in this dissatisfaction, so Melody directly ignored it.

She maintained her smile and asked, “Can we go up now?”

Just as Melody thought that Kayla would take her upstairs directly, she heard Kayla say, “Wait a little longer. There’s still an empty…._cough!”

Kayla almost said that another person arranged by her boss was coming over. She quickly covered up her mistake with a cough.

Melody did not care. She only asked curiously, “Who else?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a car stopped by the roadside and a man in a suit got out.

The man was about the same age as Melody and looked average.

When he saw Melody, his gaze revealed undisguised disgust as he said, “Why are you here?”

Melody did not recognize the man in front of her at first glance. It was not until the man spoke that she remembered who he was.

It was Ryan Fox. He was the son of a relative of Russel and could be considered Melody’s cousin.

Melody did not have a deep impression of him, but the other party’s tone and expression made her feel uncomfortable.

Melody put away the expression on her face and asked calmly. This is my family’s company. Is it strange for me to be here?”

Ryan could not help but choke and frown with an ugly expression.

“Alright, everyone is here. This is your work pass. I’ll arrange for someone to train you.” Kayla interrupted their conversation impatiently. After going upstairs, she casually called for a team leader and left the two of them behind. She went back to her work

The team leader didn’t know their identities, but when he heard their last name and that they had come to the company on short notice and were personally arranged by Kayla, he immediately understood that they didn’t join this company through official ways.

There was no company that did not have such a person, so the team leader introduced the company to the two of them. “Our company covers an area of over 2000 square feet. This is the conference room, and this is…

Melody followed behind casually. Ryan was in a similar situation, but his expression was arrogant as if he was the owner of this company.

Chapter 133

Melody looked at Ryan’s expression and roughly knew what kind of person he was,

She smiled and did not say anything. As she told Ken what she had found on the forum, she followed behind like Ryan’s sidekick.

Soon, the team leader finished introducing the company and brought them to a meeting room.

In the conference room, most of the company’s employees were present. The team leader had specially summoned them. “Everyone, welcome the two new employees, Melody Fox and Ryan Fox”

Upon hearing their last names the employees finally understood why they had to put down their work to welcome new employees

However, they wondered which of these two was closer to their Boss.

Everyone present was experienced in the workplace. They knew what was going on and sized up the two of them carefully.

“Alright, introduce yourselves,” the team leader said, giving Melody and Ryan time to talk.

Melody was about to speak when Ryan beat her to it. “Hello, everyone. My name is Ryan Fox. I’m very happy to be able to work with you in the future. I’m an easygoing person, but when it comes to work, I am very professional. Therefore, I hope that in the future, everyone can do their best to complete the task at hand…”

Melody almost laughed when she heard that.

She thought, “How is this an introduction? It is obvious that he is acting like the big boss coming to inspect the company and pressuring the employees.

After more than ten minutes, Ryan finally finished his introduction and reminded Melody considerately, “Melody, it’s your turn now.

He talked like he was talking to a subordinate.

The employees present exchanged glances. Some communicated with their eyes, while others whispered, “Looks like this is the one who’s closest to the boss,”

Another person said, “Yes, I’ll curry favor with him more in the future. Maybe I can work less.”

Melody took in the situation. She raised her eyebrows in amusement. Then, her gaze swept across the entire conference room and she said calmly, “Hello, everyone. My name is Melody Fox. Russell Fox is my father, and this is my cousin. Although we are here because of our family, we will work hard to keep up with you in the future. Please bear with us.”

As soon as she said this, the meeting room fell silent.

Ryan had spent a lot of effort to mislead everyone present, making them feel that he was closer to the boss.

Now that Melody had directly revealed their identities, his expression was even uglier than if he had eaten a pile of shit.

He thought, ‘Is this woman stupid? No one would point out that they joined the company through illegitimate ways” However, Melody did not even look at Ryan. She clapped her hands twice and said, “We’ve wasted everyone’s time just now. As compensation, I’ll buy everyone coffee today.”

As soon as she finished speaking, cheers immediately sounded in the conference room.

There were also some mischievous ones who directly shouted, “Long live Her Highness the Princess!”

Everyone completely ignored Ryan.

Ryan’s expression turned even uglier as he clenched his fists tightly.

He thought, If this continues, how am I going to survive in the company? Why didn’t Mom tell me that Melody, this country bumpkin, has also come to the company?

Ryan was furious. When everyone in the meeting room had finally dispersed, he took a few steps forward to stop Melody. who was about to leave. He glared at her and questioned, “Melody! What are you doing?”

Melody pretended to be confused and asked, “What are you doing?”

“You…” Ryan gritted his teeth. “You shouldn’t have said your identity directly. Don’t you think your actions will affect your father’s reputation?”

“My father’s reputation?” Melody looked at Ryan deeply and stopped smiling. “Cousin, are you afraid of affecting my father’s reputation, or are you afraid that your status in the company is inferior to mine!”

Now that his secret thoughts had been exposed, Ryan looked embarrassed.

Exasperated he denied it. “You’re talking nonsense! I didn’t even think that.”

“Is that so!” Melody took a step forward and said in a domineering manner, “I don’t care what you’re thinking, I just want to say that since you got in through connections, don’t think that you can still get everyone’s respect. If you really want to be respected, work hard or keep a low profile. You don’t have to put on airs the moment you come up. Those who don’t know might think that you’re the son of my father. As for what I say or do, it has nothing to do with you. Besides, it’s none of your business”

As Melody spoke, she pushed Ryan away with her shoulder and walked out.

In her previous life, she had worked hard for the Fox family. She was afraid that a single mistake would affect the Fox family’s reputation, so she was careful and forbearing.

In this life, she would never live like she did in her previous life.

As long as she was I’m unwilling, no one could make her suffer.

Ryan looked in the direction Melody had left, his eyes filled with confusion and shock,

He suddenly felt that this country bumpkin did not come from the countryside at all. Instead, she looked like a high-ranking person. He couldn’t refute a single word she said just now

He thought, ‘Damn it!

Ryan stomped his feet angrily, gritting his teeth.

After Melody left the meeting room, she went to the desk that her team leader had arranged for her.

The company did not occupy a large area, and because of the layout, there were not many offices that could be vacated.

However, she did not plan to stay here for a long time anyway. As long as there was a place to do things, she was fine.

Ryan was unwilling to be on equal footing with the employees, but the team leader said that Melody was working in the employee area, so he could not get an office at all and could only endure it and return to his desk to sit down…

He had nothing to do on his first day of work. He didn’t even know what a headhunter was, let alone take on a job directly

In his boredom, Ryan inadvertently glanced at Melody, who was sitting not far away.

She was typing on the keyboard, looking very busy.

He thought, What is she doing?

Out of curiosity and fear that Melody would steal his limelight, Ryan stood up and went behind Melody, his eyes fixed on Melody’s computer screen.

A few seconds later, his eyes widened in shock. “You’re going to poach Zack Nelson?”

Melody was writing an electronic contract for headhunting, and the person she wanted to poach was actually Zack.

Zack was an influential figure in their generation. Although he came from a poor family, he had become the upper echelons. of the world’s top 500 companies at a young age. Many companies wanted to poach him. Even Ryan was often mentioned by his father to be on par with Zack.

Now that he saw that Melody wanted to poach Zack on her first day in the company, she immediately felt that Melody was crazy. He was also angry that the company was too ridiculous to hand such a huge project to Melody.

If one could poach Zack, as a headhunter, the commission would be very considerable.

Melody had written this contract so that Ken would not regret it She had set the commission first and did not intend to hide it, so she did not turn off the computer when Ryan came behind her.

Hearing Ryan’s words, she turned around and asked, “Why? Can I poach him?”

Chapter 134

Ryan smiled disdainfully and said. “It’s not that you aren’t allowed to poach him, but it’s impossible to poach him.”

As Ryan spoke, he said to his team leader not far away. “What are you doing? It’s her first day on the job, and you’re handing Zack’s project to her? What if she messes it up?”

The team leader asked in shock, “Zack? Is it the Zack I know?”

Ryan said, “Nonsense! How many Zacks are there in Silverlake? You’re too stupid! This is not a small matter. It’s not a tool you can use to please her!”

The team leader was even more stunned. “No, no… We don’t have a project for Zack at all.”

The other team members also looked over and discussed in whispers.

One person said, “Zack? Our company is so small and has no influence at all. Who would look for our company to poach Zack?

Another person said. “No one is in charge of the project allocation. I didn’t receive any notice that someone wanted us to poach Zack

“If there’s really such a project, we really shouldn’t hand it over to Miss Shi. Although she’s the princess… once this project is completed, our company will definitely shock the world.”

Quiet! Ryan was like a big leader as he said accusingly to his team leader, “You can’t hand this project to him. You can redistribute it! If you can’t make the decision, I’ll go talk to Kayla

Before he came, his mother had already told him that although the boss of the company was Russell, he did not care much about the matters here. Therefore, Kayla was in charge of all the matters in the company.

The team leader said. “I didn’t give it to Miss Fox… To be precise I didn’t know about this project at all.”

Ryan’s attitude was too aggressive. The team leader looked at Melody for help in fear.

Melody frowned and said expressionlessly. “The company didn’t take on this project. I did.

“You” Ryan laughed as if he had heard a joke and said. It’s your first day at work today. Without the company, who will let you poach Zack?”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Melody said as she turned around to continue writing the contract.

Seeing this, Ryan did not believe Melody’s words even more. He went straight to Kayla and said, “Kayla, do you think Zack, such a big client, can be handed over to someone who doesn’t know anything.

Kayla originally didn’t want to care about Ryan and Melody, but she heard that it was related to Zack, so she came over.

She asked the person who was in charge of the project assignment to get the recent project form. After carefully checking it, she said, “Our company indeed doesn’t have a project for Zack. This project… should be taken on by Miss Fox.”

“What?” Ryan was surprised. “How is that possible? Who would be so stupid as to ask her to poach Zack?”

Melody had already finished writing the contract and sent it to Ken.

After she was done, she was in the mood to talk to Ryan. “Whether you believe it or not, that’s what happened.”

Ryan hated Melody’s tome the most as if she was talking to a fool.

At the same time, Ryan’s mind raced.

He thought, Melody seems to have taken on this project personally, but I can’t miss such a good opportunity to make a fortune.

Zack gritted his teeth and suddenly revealed a smile. “Cousin, you’ve just arrived in Silverlake and don’t know what kind of person Zack is. How about this? In order to ensure that your project is foolproof, I can help you poach Zack. However, after it’s done, we will split the commission into 30% and 70%. You know too little. I’m definitely the one who will contribute the most, so I’ll take 70% and you take 30%. How about that?”

He thought. She is a country bumpkin, so she must be short-sighted. If I offer to help her, even if it is 30%, Melody will definitely agree!

However, in the next second, Melody rejected him expressionlessly. “No need. I can do it alone.”

Ryan said. “You…

Melody said. “However, you can also join this project, but the final commission depends on your ability. If you can poach Zack. I’ll give you all the commission. I don’t want a single cent. How about that?”

Ryan was overjoyed. “Are you telling the truth?

“Of course it’s true.” Melody raised an eyebrow and said, “But if poach Zack, you need to leave the company immediately.”

Based on Ryan’s personality, he would definitely make this company a mess.

Melody had to count on this company many times in the future and did not want to be disturbed by Ryan.
“Sure!” Ryan said arrogantly. You won’t be able to poach Zack you can poach him, not only will I resign immediately, but I’ll also kneel to you and call you Boss on the day I leave

Melody’s lips curled up in amusement. “I didn’t expect you to have that kind of fetish. Alright, I promise you.”

Ryan snorted coldly from the tip of his nose. “It’s useless to talk nonsense. Just wait to give me all the commission!”

Ryan was very confident because he was in the same class as Zack in high school.

Although the two of them did not interact much, he believed that Zack would give him face. Then tell me the price that the other party’s company quoted to Zack, as well as the information about the other party’s company. I’ll go look for Zack now.”

Melody shrugged nonchalantly and said, “There’s no price. Zack can name any conditions. As for the other party’s company’s information… I can’t tell you because I don’t know either.”

Ryan said. “Are you kidding me?”

Melody stood up and said, “I’m telling the truth. Alright, I’m going out to work now. Best of luck

With that, she patted Ryan’s shoulder and said good luck before striding out of the company.

Ryan’s angry roar came from behind. “Melody, don’t got Tell me the truth!

Melody said, “I’m telling the truth.”

She was telling the truth because she didn’t know what Ken’s company was called. She only knew that it was related to Al Technology.

However, Ryan clearly did not believe her and continued to ask,

Melody closed the door with her foot and walked quickly to the elevator.

After leaving the company, she was at peace.

She took out her phone and saw Ken’s reply. [As long as you can poach Zack. I’ll give you 70% of the commission.]

The corners of Melody’s lips curled up as she replied with an “Okay” emoji.

She wanted 50% of Zack’s annual salary to be paid in one go. She did not expect Ken to be so rich to give her 70%.

Just as Melody was about to take a taxi to Zack’s house, Ken called again.

Puzzled, she answered the call and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you regretting giving me such a high commission?”

Ken asked, “I’ll keep my word about the commission. Let me ask you, how do you plan to resolve Wendell’s matter?”

Melody said. I’ve already accepted the bounty. It’s very simple and will provide him with an ineffective treatment plan.”

Ken’s voice fell silent. Two seconds later, he said, “So, you can actually cure his legs?”

Chapter 135

“Of course! Don’t you believe in my medical skills?” As Melody hailed a taxi, she held her phone and said, “However, I definitely won’t let his leg be cured”

Ken asked, “Why? If you treat Ulric’s legs, you can immediately get a huge sum of money to treat your face.”

Melody said, “You can think of it as me having a dark heart. I just don’t want to see someone I don’t like living well.”

Ken was silent for another two seconds before continuing, “Don’t reveal your true identity, or it will be troublesome.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not that stupid.” The call ended there. Melody said to the driver, “Sir, go to South Alley.”

The driver said, “Alright!”

At the same time, at the Swanson Group.

James Deed had heard their conversation. He could not help but say worriedly, “Mr. Ken, do you really believe Miss Melody? What if she changes her mind and treats Mr. Uric for money?”

“She won’t Ken’s expression was firm.

James asked in surprise, “Why are you so sure??

Ken did not answer immediately. After a long time, he said. “Intuition”

James was on the verge of vomiting blood. “Do you believe her just based on your intuition? If she really changes her mind and treats Mr. Ulric’s leg, it will only create an even greater obstacle for you to take back the Pearly Antiques.”

Ken glanced sideways at James. Then what do you think we should do now?”

James hesitated for a second and said boldly, “In my opinion… we should get rid of Miss Fox directly to prevent future. trouble. If Miss Fox can really treat Mr. Ulric’s leg, as long as she still exists, his leg will still have a chance to recover.”

After saying that, James realized that Ken’s gaze seemed to be getting colder and colder.

He was shocked and quickly lowered his head. I’m sorry. Mr. Ken. I went overboard…”

Ken stood up and approached James step by step.

He only stopped when he was a couple of feet away from James. How many years have you been with me?”

Cold sweat broke out on James’s forehead. He knew that Ken did not like people to go against his wishes and take matters into his own hands.

Hearing Ken’s question, he stammered, “Nine, nine years…”

Ken asked, “Nine years. I thought you’d know me well enough after more than nine years Have I ever been wrong in my judgment of people?”

“No!” James felt that something was wrong and immediately knelt down in front of Ken. “Mr. Ken, it’s all my fault. I was being a smartass. Please punish me!”

Ken stared at James and did not say anything. He was silent until James could not hold it in anymore. Then, he said, “You’ve been acting abnormally recently. You seem to be… very hostile to Melody. Tell me the reason.”

He was not a tyrant. He would not punish his subordinates for no reason.

James did not dare to say it at first, but after confirming that Ken really wanted to hear the truth, he chose his words carefully. “It’s true that I don’t like Miss Fox. There are two reasons. Firstly, I feel that you’re completely insulting your status by getting married to her. Secondly, it’s because… because…”

Ken said, “Say it.” James gulped and said, “Because I feel sorry for Miss Murphy!”

Ken frowned. “What does this have to do with her?”

James boldly raised his head and said, “Mr. Ken, can’t you tell? Miss Murphy has always liked you. She has sacrificed a lot for you… There are some things that you don’t know, but I know. Back then, Miss Murphy had acute gastroenteritis, and it happened to be the time when our company went public. For the sake of the company, she still worked on her computer during her hospitalization. As a girl, she took painkillers and dealt with documents… She only told me these things, but she never let me tell you.”

Ken raised his eyebrows. “Continue,”

James continued, “This is a private matter between you and Miss Murphy. I know that I don’t have the right to say those words. But for so many years, Miss Murphy has worked hard for you. I really can’t stand it… I think you should at least tell Miss Murphy why you registered your marriage with Miss Fox so that Miss Murphy can rest assured.

“Tell her not to worry?” Ken raised his chin slightly. “Why would I need her to worry about my personal matters?”

James was stunned. He could hear the determination in Ken’s tone.

He looked at Ken in shock and said, “Mr. Ken… don’t you like Miss Murphy at all?”

Ken’s eyes were dark as he said, “You’ve been with me for nine years, so you should know my style of doing things. If I had feelings for Janet, we would have been together long ago.”

James was stunned.

This was a situation that he had never expected. “I thought you were more or less in love with Miss Murphy…”

Ken interrupted James and said, “She and I are just colleagues, or to be precise, she is my subordinate. And it will always be this relationship.”

“Then… what about you and Miss Fox?” James knew that he had crossed the line today, so he simply asked.

Ken said, “She’s different. She’s my Grandma’s benefactor, and she’s my benefactor. She’s different from Janet

When James heard that Ken was not in love with Melody, he finally felt better.

If Ken did not like Miss Murphy but Miss Fox, he would really suspect that Ken had misjudged.

Ken’s tone turned cold again. “So, I don’t want to hear about getting rid of Melody again, understand?”

James quickly straightened his back and replied. Understood!”

Ken’s cold expression softened a little.

He would never allow himself to be involved in a romantic relationship.

That would only affect his career.

“Get up,” Ken said to James, who was kneeling on the ground.

James stood up and asked uncertainly, “Mr. Ken, aren’t you going to punish me?” Ken turned around and looked at the floor–to–ceiling window outside the window. “Melody has been in a lot of trouble recently. You need to protect her in secret and listen to her orders when she needs it. Help her deal with the miscellaneous matters.

James’s eyes widened in disbelief. You want to chase me away?”
Many people thought that he and Janet were Ken’s right–hand staff. One was in charge of the company, and the other was in charge of dealing with shady business.

However, James understood that Ken had basically relied on himself. Without him and Janet, Ken would still be the Ken of today.

James immediately panicked and knelt on the ground again. “Me Ken, I know that I was too unruly today, but no matter how you punish me, please don’t chase me away? I promise I won’t go overboard again in the future!”

Ken’s expression did not change as he said, Tm not chasing you away. I just want you to be in charge of Melody’s safety and trivial matters. I don’t need you here for the time being. Just treat it as a temporary change of work environment”

James said. “But…”

Ken cut him off. “If you don’t want to, then you can just go home and rest for a while. Or you can never come again.”

James was shocked and quickly agreed. I’m willing! I’ll protect Miss Fox!”

Only then did Ken turn around and look at James. “Report Melody’s whereabouts to me at any time. I need to know what kind of person my wife is.”

James nodded. “I understand!”

“Gol” Ken massaged his temples. When you go out, call your assistant in. I need to hold a meeting”

“Yes!” James did not dare to stay any longer for fear that Ken would change his mind and fire him.

After leaving the company, James called Melody directly. With a complicated expression, he held his phone and asked, “Miss Fox, where are you now?”

On the other end of the line. Melody suddenly received a call from James.

She knew that James was Ken’s staff and would not betray Ken, so she told him the address she was going to. “South Alley. No. 415

James answered. Alright, I’ll come and find you right away.”

Before Melody could ask James why he was looking for her, the call had already ended.

Confused, she put the phone back in her pocket.

Coincidentally, the taxi stopped. The driver turned around and said, “Miss, we’re here.”

Thank you!” Melody paid and got out of the car. She walked to the door of No. 115.

This was still the place in her memory. Back then, in order to help Ulric poach Zack, she had spent a lot of effort just to find -out Zack’s address. In the end, she had to follow Zack personally to find out about this place.

The benefit of being reborn was that she did not have to suffer the same losses again.

However, when she came here again, Melody could not help but sigh. The famous genius in the business world actually lived in such an inconspicuous alley. Melody looked at the time and knew that Zack was definitely not at home at this time, so she reached out and knocked on the door.

“Coming!” An old voice came from inside.

Hearing the voice, Melody could not help but put on a gentle smile.

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Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 126, 127, 128, 129 & 130) 

Chapter 126

As Russell spoke, he turned to ask Mabel, “Mabel, right?”

On the surface, he still had to take care of Melody. After all. Melody’s medical skills were extraordinary. There would be a time when he could use her.

Mabel had yet to recover from her shock.

However, when she saw Melody approaching her and saw that Russell had also seen Melody, she finally reacted that Melody was not a ghost. She was not dead

Mabel thought, How is that possible! I hired the most expensive assassins on the black market. When I placed the order, the person in charge of assigning the assassins advised me not to hire the most expensive one. They said that to deal with a young lady. I could just use the cheapest Black Team Using the Crimson Team was like using a sledgehammer to kill a chicken. In other words, the Crimson Team would never fail. However, Melody is indeed alive right now. What is going on

Mabel’s mind was in a mess.

“Mabel, is what Dad said true?” Melody deliberately walked forward and asked, “Why do you seem very surprised to see me? Do you think that I died in an accident and came back to life…

As soon as she finished speaking, Mabel’s face turned pale and she swayed.

She thought, Could it be that Melody… knew that I had hired an assassin

However, in the blink of an eye, Mabel rejected this possibility

The transactions in the black market were absolutely confidential to the outside world. It was impossible for her to be exposed, not to mention that she was employing the top Crimson Team

Mabel’s face finally regained a trace of color after she believed that this was a coincidence.

She smiled stiffly and said. “Melody, stop joking. I just happened to see a black cat passing by the roadside and was frightened It has nothing to do with you.”

“I see…” Melody nodded with a faint smile. “Then you have to be careful. When I was in the countryside, I often heard from the old people that seeing black cats was a very ominous sign. If you can avoid going out recently, it’s better to stay home. Nothing is more important than living safely.”

“Thank you for your concern. I’ll be fine.” Mabel’s lips twitched. Her smile was uglier than crying.

If Russell had not been by her side, she would have strangled Melody to death.

Mabel thought, ‘Black cats are an unlucky sign? No, you are!
Mabel clenched her fists tightly and tried her best to maintain her composure.

When Russell saw that the sisters were getting along well, he smiled in satisfaction and said. “The relationship between the two of you is getting better and better. Sisters should help each other like this. Alright, let’s go back and eat.

As Russell spoke, he led the way.

Mabel followed in a daze. A question kept repeating in her mind, “Why is Melody still alive?

Mabel lost her appetite during dinner because of that.

When dinner was finally over, she hurriedly found an excuse to leave. About two hours later, Mabel walked out of the black market in a daze.

She went to question the person in charge of the Crimson Team, but the other party did not give her any explanation and refused to return the money.

She threatened to call the police if the other party did not return the money, but the other party threatened her instead, saying that calling the police was equivalent to turning herself in

After the argument, she was almost beaten up by those people, so she could only give up and run home dejectedly.

She gritted her teeth in anger at the thought of all her money going down the drain.

In the living room, just as Yolanda was feeling anxious about the fact that Mabel was not back yet, Mabel came back. Yolanda quickly went forward and said angrily and worriedly. “Where did you go! Your father asked me just now. I was so frightened that I could only say that you were asked by another socialite to learn dance. If he finds out that you wandered around, you will be punished!”

Mabel wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she did not dare to tell Yolanda the truth. She only said, “I didn’t wander around. Didn’t you ask me to please that young lady from Insterimond? She invited me to one of her aunts‘ birthday banquet in a few days.”

When Yolanda heard this, her expression softened a little. “I see. If you had told me earlier, I wouldn’t have to worry. Alright, it’s getting late. Co and rest. You still have to go to the extracurricular class tomorrow morning.”

Mabel nodded. She was not in the mood to chat with Yolanda and hurried upstairs.

However, after washing up and lying in bed, Mabel tossed and turned. She could not understand why the Crimson Team did not succeed in taking Melody’s life.

She thought. “Could it be that Melody had a backer? However, she is just a country bumpkin. How can she have a backer?”

After thinking about it, Mabel could only conclude that the people in the black market were all liars and it was a lie that she could hire assassins at the black market. If she had known this would happen, she would not have gone to the black market in the first place.

At the thought that her 4 million dollars was gone just like that, Mabel’s heart ached even more and she hated Melody even more.

At this moment, she suddenly felt something cold under her pillow.

Puzzled, she took out the item and remembered that it was a brooch that Janet had given her.

This brooch was expensive and priceless. There were only 100 of them in the world.

Just as she was about to put the brooch back, a vicious plan suddenly appeared in her mind.

She pursed her lips coldly. After putting the brooch away, she lay back on the bed.

Since the black market could not take down Melody, she would do it herself.

At the same time, in order not to arouse Yolanda’s suspicion, Melody went to the place that Yolanda had mentioned after midnight and took away the herbs soaked in mercury sulfide. She then carefully hid them.

After doing this, her phone suddenly rang. It was a message from Men Swanson.

Melody thought that it was Ken’s payment for her. She clicked on her phone and realized that Ken had sent her a link.

Melody sent a question mark.

The next second, Ken called her.

She hesitated for a moment before getting up and closing the door and window before answering the call.

Ken’s voice came from the phone. “Can we talk now!”

Melody said, “Yes.”

Ken said, “You can log in and register an account through the link I gave you.”

Melody responded and clicked on the link. It was a forum, and the logo on the forum was a wolf’s head.

She asked in surprise, “I can do online trading on your black market?”

“Yes,” Ken said in a low and hoarse voice, “Don’t you want to earn money? You can register an account on it to take on jobs.”

Chapter 127

“Take on a job!” Melody raised her eyebrows, her interest piqued.

As long as it was related to making money, she was interested.

Melody quickly browsed the forum and realized that it was no different from an ordinary forum. However, it supported cash transactions and had a strict hierarchy. There were some sections that a tourist like her could not enter.

Ken continued. “You can study the use of it. There are all kinds of jobs on it. You can also treat patients online. But remember, don’t reveal any real information about you on the forum. It’s the same as the rules in the black market.”

“Understood. The more Melody scrolled through the forum, the more excited she became. She clicked on the post with a reward of ten thousand dollars and realized that the job was only to solve an advanced mathematics question.

In other words, as long as she solved this advanced mathematics question and sent it to the poster, she would be able to get the money.

There were three pages of comments below, but no one accepted this bounty. Everyone said that the questions were too difficult.

However, Melody only glanced at this advanced mathematics question and immediately solved it in her mind.

She thought, This is too easy!

Melody immediately registered an account and accepted the bounty. Then, she sent a private message to the person who posted it to explain the process.

As long as she waited for the person to log in and confirm that the answer was correct, she would be able to get the money.

There were a lot of bounties as simple as this one.

As Melody scrolled through the forum, she did not forget to thank Ken. “Thank you. I’ve never heard of this forum before!

Ken’s indifferent voice sounded. “There’s no need to thank me verbally. Remember to accompany my grandma. She’s been talking about you for a few days, but she’s afraid that you haven’t recovered, so she didn’t ask you to come for food.”

Melody understood.

She thought, “No wonder Ken gave me this opportunity to earn money. It was all for Margaret. However, it makes sense. If it wasn’t for Margaret, Ken wouldn’t care so much about whether I was injured.

Melody was a grateful person and immediately agreed to visit Margaret tomorrow morning.

Ken didn’t waste any more time talking to her and ended the call

After hanging up the phone, Melody scrolled through the forum again. She realized that her level was too low, and she was not qualified to accept many bounties. She could only accept bounties below two hundred thousand dollars.

Only by completing a certain number of bounties could her rank slowly rise and accept higher bounties,

However, at the very least, this was also a way to earn money. Melody cherished it very much and scrolled through the forums until midnight before preparing to sleep.

The next day. Melody was planning to visit Margaret in the Swanson family when she bumped into Russell, who was to go out to work.

She remembered that Ken wanted to poach Zack Nelson, so she took a few steps forward and greeted Russell. “Good morning, Dad.”

“Morning.” Russell was in a bad mood because of the company’s matters. When he saw Melody, he only nodded lightly and asked, “Why are you up so early?” It was only seven in the morning. If not for Russell’s business trip today, he would not have woken up so early.

Melody quickly went straight to the point. “I’ve mentioned the headhunting company to you before. I feel that my body has almost recovered, so I want to ask you when I can work at the headhunting company?”

When Russell heard this, he glanced at Melody in surprise.

He thought that Melody had long forgotten about this, but he did not expect her to take it seriously.

However, that headhunting company was really small, so it didn’t matter to him. After hesitating for two seconds, he nodded and said, “When they open today, I’ll call the HR manager. He’ll contact you to work there.”

“Okay, thank you, Daddy!” Melody put on an extremely grateful smile and said to Russell with admiration, “Daddy is really amazing. I feel that as long as you’re around, everything can be settled.”

Melody knew that Russell was a typical chauvinist and enjoyed the compliments from others, so she specifically praised Russell.

As expected, as soon as she finished speaking, Russell revealed a satisfied expression. His gaze was gentle as he said, “It’s fine if you don’t know anything after you go over there. I’ll tell the staff to take good care of you. Study hard. If anyone in the company bullies you, call me.”

“Okay, Daddy is amazing!” Melody was not stingy with her praise

However, after Russell left, Melody instantly put away the innocent smile on her face and walked out with cold eyes.

She was going to Margaret’s house today, but she was not in a hurry to go. Instead, she ran around the neighborhood a few times.

Ever since she met the two waves of killers yesterday, her sense of danger had become stronger than before, so she started training again.

After running a few laps, Melody was so hot that she was covered in sweat.

When she returned home, she happened to bump into Mabel, who was preparing to go out for class.

The moment their eyes met, Melody was the first to look away.

She did not want to ruin her good mood early by arguing with Mabel.

However, Mabel stopped her. “Melody, there’s a party in a few days. The people attending this party are all socialites and rich people. It’s a very high–end birthday party. I can introduce you to them. Do you want to come with me?”

Melody refused without even looking up. I’m not free!”

Mabel’s expression darkened. When she saw that Melody’s figure had already disappeared from her sight, she could not help but stomp her feet anxiously.

She thought, “If I can’t invite Melody, how am I going to set her up?

Mabel thought about it and decided to ask Yolanda for help after she came back.

Under her mother’s authority, she did not believe that Melody would not dare to go. At the same time, Melody took a shower and changed her clothes before taking a taxi to the sales center. According to her memories from her previous life, the prices for apartments would increase very soon. She had to sign the contract as soon as possible to prevent any accidents from happening.

Melody called a taxi on her phone and reminded Hattie Meyer to feed medicine to Maria Fox before leaving again.

The good thing about Russell not giving her a driver was that no one knew where she would go.

About an hour later, the car stopped at the entrance of the sales office of the Eastern Garden.

However, as soon as Melody got out of the car, she saw a graceful and luxuriously dressed figure..

She thought. Isn’t that Yolanda?’

Melody could not help but pursed her lips.

On the other side, a female salesperson at the door was warmly inviting Yolanda in. When she turned around and saw Melody walking over, her eyes quickly scanned Melody from head to toe.

When she saw Melody’s ordinary clothes and ugly appearance, she quickly determined that she might be a poor girl who was freeloading

The sales office was equipped with drinks and snacks. She often saw such people come to get free food.

The female salesperson’s standard smile immediately disappeared because she believed that it was impossible for Melody to buy a property.

She walked forward with a cold expression and stopped Melody “Young lady, this is the sales office, not a place for you to stroll around.

Yolanda also subconsciously turned to look at Melody.

Yolanda immediately frowned and asked with disgust.

“You followed me?”

The moment their eyes met, Melody glanced at Yolanda coldly and said indifferently, “Yolanda, you’re thinking too much. I’m here to sign the contract

“Sign a contract?” Yolanda instantly laughed. “Do you know where this is? How dare you say that you’re here to sign a contract!”

“Whatever.” Melody could not be bothered to bicker with Yolanda and was about to walk in.

However, the saleswoman reached out to stop her again. It was obvious that she did not believe what Melody said. She warned, “Young lady, lying is not a good habit. You’re so young, but you don’t learn well. Did your mother teach you any manners? I think your mother probably doesn’t have any either,

At the mention of her mom, Melody’s eyes instantly turned cold

She could ignore anyone who talked trash about her, but she wouldn’t allow anyone to say anything negative about her mother. This was her bottom line.

“Say that again?” She narrowed her eyes slightly, and a cold glint shot out from her eyes. It was like a sharp blade, making one’s back break out in cold sweat,

Chapter 128

The saleswoman was shocked by Melody’s gaze and could not help but swallow. For a moment, she did not dare to speak.

However, Yolanda believed that she knew Melody’s capabilities very well. She crossed her arms and asked mockingly. “Didn’t you say that you’re here to sign the contract? Alright, then tell me which salesperson you have talked to previously. As long as you can tell me their name, then I will believe you are not following me. Otherwise…”

Melody had found the salesperson on the official website, but she still knew the name.

She said impatiently, “Someone called Errol.

Hearing this, Yolanda glanced sideways at the saleswoman.

“Errol?” The saleswoman quickly searched for someone called Errol in her mind, but she couldn’t find one.

Yolanda looked at the saleswoman’s expression and knew that there was no such person. She sneered and said, “You can’t even lie. They don’t have a person with that name here. At home, Maria always covers for you. However, we are in the public right now. It’s not good for you to keep lying!”

Melody frowned. “That’s impossible…

“Why are you still lying at a time like this? Stop pretending!” Yolanda frowned impatiently. Then, she didn’t forget to remind me. her disdainfully, “You just came back from the countryside. Where did you get the money to buy a house! Do you know how much the property in Silverlake costs? It’s not like the countryside you come from.

The saleswoman looked down. After confirming that Melody could not afford to buy a house, she called the security guards to please Yolanda. “Come quickly! Chase this troublemaker away!

A security guard immediately stepped forward to chase Melody away.

Melody’s eyes were cold. “You can’t chase me away.

Yolanda could not help but laugh. “We can’t? Melody, don’t think that you can do whatever you want in Silverlake just because Maria is protecting you. I’ve already said that this is the public, not your home. It’s not a place you can enter as you please!”

The commotion outside finally attracted the sales manager to come out. “Why is it so noisy! Don’t you know there are clients inside?

As soon as he finished speaking, the manager saw Yolanda first. He couldn’t help but put away the anger on his face and greeted Yolanda politely, “Mrs. Fox.

Yolanda nodded slightly and said indifferently, “Can anyone enter your place now? Someone is causing trouble at the door. Aren’t you going to do anything about it?”

The manager frowned and asked the saleswoman, “What happened?”

The female salesperson immediately said, “Manager, this person clearly wanted to freeload, but she insisted that she was here to sign a contract. She even said that she was here to sign a contract with a person called Errol. You know, we don’t have a person called Errol here…”

As soon as he finished speaking, the manager’s expression changed.

He suddenly looked at Melody and asked in surprise, “Excuse me are you, Miss Fox?”

Melody could tell that the manager’s voice was very familiar. Now, she was completely sure that this manager was Errol Glover, the person she talked to on the phone previously. “I am.” Melody nodded “Are you, Errol?”

“Yes, yes, it’s me. I’m Errol!” The manager stepped forward and shook Melody’s hand warmly as if he had seen his family. “Miss Fox, you’re finally here! I originally planned to look for you with the contract yesterday, but you said that you wanted to come over yourself, so I could only wait for you here.”

Yolanda’s expression froze when she saw the manager fawning over Melody.

She thought. What is going on!‘

The saleswoman’s mind went blank.

She subconsciously looked at the name tag hanging on the manager’s chest and saw the words “Errol Glover” written in gold.

They usually called him manager or Mr. Glover, but no one dared to call him by his first name.

After a while, no one remembered the manager’s full name.

She realized that Melody was referring to her boss and was shocked.

On the other side, Errol apologized guiltily. At the same time, he did not forget to pull the female salesperson over. “Hurry up and apologize to Miss Fox”

There’s no need to apologize Melody couldn’t be bothered with the female salesperson and said directly, “Let’s go in and sign the contract. I have something else to do.”

Alright. Please come in!” Errol hurriedly made a respectful inviting gesture.

“Wait!” Yolanda regained her senses and quickly stopped Errol and Melody.

Errol couldn’t help but frown. “Miss Fox, what’s the matter?”

“Mr. Glover‘ Yolanda frowned and said, “I know this girl. I don’t know how she tricked you, but I’m sure that she doesn’t have the money to buy a house. Don’t be fooled by her”

When Errol heard this, he could not help but hesitate for a moment…

However, he quickly returned to normal and said expressionlessly, “Thank you for your concern, but there’s no need. I believe Miss Fox is not that kind of person.”

As the manager spoke, he gestured for Melody to enter.

Melody nodded slightly and followed Errol without looking at Yolanda.

When Yolanda saw that Errol would rather accompany Melody than believe her words, her face could not help but turn green.

She thought. In Errol’s eyes, am I actually inferior to that country bumpkin, Melody?‘

But then, she let out a cold sneer from the tip of her nose. She thought, You don’t believe me, right? You will soon!‘

Yolanda inadvertently turned her head and saw that the saleswoman’s face was a little pale.

She could tell that the saleswoman thought that she had really offended a big client. She could not help but smile faintly and say, “Don’t worry. I can guarantee that that wretched girl definitely doesn’t have any money. She’s just putting on an act now.

You don’t have to be afraid.” “Really?” the saleswoman asked in surprise.

“Of course, you can watch if you don’t believe me. She definitely doesn’t have the money to pay.” Yolanda’s gaze landed on Melody faintly. She saw the sales manager, Errol, bring her to the old building that had never been sold. The two of them said something, and the manager’s eyes were filled with smiles.

Yolanda also found it funny.

When they came to buy a house, they were all buying the ones in the new neighborhood, the Oriental District. The moment Melody arrived, she went to check out the old building that could not be sold no matter what. As expected, she was from the countryside and did not have any foresight.

However, Yolanda didn’t think that Melody would be able to afford a property even if it was in the Eastern Garden that could. not be sold.

At this moment. Errol brought Melody to pay.

Just wait and see.” “Yolanda crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking forward to Melody being chased out by the manager in a rage.

The female salesperson beside her was even more at ease. She also looked at the card reader. With a beep, the card reader sent out a receipt.

The smile on the sales manager’s face widened as he respectfully handed the receipt to Melody with both hands.

Yolanda’s eyes widened in shock. She thought, ‘How is that possible? Where did this wretched girl get the money to buy a house?

Yolanda was so angry that her fingers, which were holding her bag, were trembling. She almost lost her composure and rushed up to confirm if the card machine was broken.

The saleswoman’s expression was even uglier than Yolanda’s.

This meant that she had indeed stopped an important customer from coming in and doing business with them.

She couldn’t help but look at Yolanda “Mrs. Fox, didn’t you say that she didn’t have the money to buy a house?”

Yolanda’s heart choked. She had been so confident Just now, but how she felt so awkward.

Yolanda felt a little embarrassed and had no intention of buying a house. She ignored the saleswoman and left, leaving the saleswoman standing there regretfully.

After walking out of the real estate center, Yolanda coldly ordered the butler to secretly keep an eye on Melody. “Keep a close eye on that girl. You must report to me everything that she is doing”

The butler answered. “Yes!”

Chapter 129

At the same time, Melody’s gaze slowly landed on the female salesperson.

The saleswoman suddenly had an ominous feeling.

As expected, in the next moment, Melody said, “Your environment is not bad, but the quality of your sales staff needs to be improved. I originally wanted to buy more properties, but now it seems that ten is enough…”

Errol was stunned, but he quickly realized what Melody meant.

He stopped and pointed at the bewildered saleswoman. “You are fired!”

Although the female salesperson had guessed this outcome, she still widened her eyes in disbelief, “Manager, you want me to quit?”

“Didn’t I make myself clear? Why aren’t you leaving?” Errol gave the security guards a look. The security guards immediately stepped forward and took the saleswoman away.

The saleswoman became angry under immense despair. “Little bitch, don’t be smug! Why don’t you go downtown and buy a house there? You actually bought so many houses in a dilapidated building like the Eastern Garden that will definitely make you lose money. You’re really stupid. I’ll wait for you to lose everything. At that time, you’ll be even worse than me!”

Errol urged the security guard with an ugly expression, “Throw her out quickly!”

The saleswoman was thrown out directly, and the door cut off her voice.

Melody was about to continue signing the contract when she heard Errol say hesitantly, “Miss Fox, are you really sure you want to buy it? The value of this building in Eastern Carden… is falling. The location of this neighborhood is poor, and the surrounding facilities are not perfect. Indeed, many people don’t think highly of it. Do you need to wait and see?”

Upon hearing this, Melody could not help but look at Errol

As a sales manager, it was rare for him to persuade her to not purchase these properties instead of only caring about his sales numbers.

At the thought of this, Melody kindly reminded him, “I know about the situation in the Eastern Garden, but if you’re willing to believe me and have spare money on hand, it’s best for you to buy a property there too. I guarantee that you’ll earn money.”

Errol’s smile froze. It was obvious that he did not believe what she said. He only refused tactfully. Imm just a salesperson. How can I have so much money? You think too highly of me.”

Melody stopped. It was not convenient for her to reveal more, so she did not continue persuading him.

The contract was signed very smoothly. In addition, her guardian was currently not Russell, but Maria. So there was no need for her to care about Russell while buying properties.

After signing the contract, Melody used the money Mabel spent on the black market to buy two more houses. Errol looked at her as if he was looking at a rare animal in a zoo. Under Errol’s gaze, she took a car and headed in the direction of the Swanson family.

When she arrived at the Swanson family, it was already lunchtime.

Margaret knew that she was coming today and had been waiting at the door.

When she saw Melody, she immediately went up to her. “Melody, you’re finally here! I’ve been waiting for you for so long!” Melody liked Margaret very much. She smiled gently and said, I originally planned to come over early, but the traffic was too heavy.

The traffic in Silverlake is like this, Sometimes it’s faster to walk than to take a car! That’s why I asked you to move over. You don’t have to spend so much time on the road that way” Margaret found an opportunity to mention moving her over, so Melody could only refuse. Grandma’s health it too good. I’m worried about her if I move over.

When Margaret heard this she did not force her. She said regretfully. “Forget it, forget it. When your grandmother recovers, it won’t be too late for you to move over and accompany me for a while. I’ve recovered now, and I feel that I can live for another 10 years.

Melody smiled and nodded. Definitely.

Margaret was in a good mood and led her through the door.

When she reached the living room, Melody saw Ulric sitting in the wheelchair with his back facing her.

Since the person who killed her was right in front of her, hatred spread from her toes to her brain. At the same time, the suffocation and fear before death echoed clearly in her mind.

Melody tried her best to clench her fists and suppress her complicated emotions, but her hands could not stop trembling.

This was not the first time she had seen Ulric, but every time they met, her emotions would still fluctuate greatly.

Fortunately. Margaret did not notice her abnormality. She held her arm affectionately and said. I’ve asked the kitchen to make your favorite dishes. I don’t know if they suit your taste. Tell me what you like to eat later. Come another day. and I’ll get the kitchen to make them for you.”

Melody nodded and shook her head. I’ll eat anything, I’m not picky

What a good girl, Margaret liked Melody, so no matter what Melody did she found it pleasing.

Ulric heard the commotion and looked up at her. Then he revealed a warm smile “Miss Fox, welcome.

Melody really wanted to tear apart his disguise to avoid disgust.

She nodded expressionlessly as a greeting.

Ulric did not comment on Melody’s attitude.

However, he never understood why Melody looked at him coldly the first time they met. There seemed to be a hint of hatred mixed in that coldness.

He thought. Even though Melody is on Ken’s side, she shouldn’t hate me so much, right?

While Margaret went to have the medicine. Ulric couldn’t help but say “Miss Fox, is there a misunderstanding between us?

At this moment. Melody had already concealed her emotions very well.

She smiled and said. I don’t seem to be familiar with you. Where did this misunderstanding come from?”

But…Ulric wanted to ask more, but Margaret had finished her medicine at the coffee table and came over. He could only swallow his words.

Melody, why are you standing there? Sit down and eat” Margaret greeted her warmly

Melody noticed that Ramon Swanson and Astrid Swanson were not around. She pretended to ask casually. “Aren’t Ramon and Astrid coming for dinner?

Margaret sighed and said, “Don’t mention it. Ramon has been on a business trip for two days. As for Astrid… she went to find a doctor to treat Ulric’s leg”

At the mention of the doctor, Margaret’s eyes suddenly lit up. She asked Melody, “Melody, can you take a look at Ulric’s legs? Your medical skills are so good. Perhaps you can treat his legs!”

Ulric was her biological grandson after all. Even if he was not as considerate as Ken and Melody, she still sincerely hoped that Ulric’s legs would recover quickly.

When Ulric heard Margaret’s words, his heart skipped a beat. He looked up at Melody with hope in his eyes.

Although he did not think that Melody’s medical skills were superb, it was easy for people to have hope when they were in despair.

Melody felt Ulric’s gaze and sneered in her heart.

She thought, ‘In my previous life, Ulric’s legs were cured by me, want him to remain cripple for the rest of his life this time!

She pretended to be regretful and said, “Margaret, I want to help too, but unfortunately… I haven’t learned about orthopedics, so I’m afraid I can’t help much.”

Margaret nodded regretfully. “That’s true. If you could treat it, you would have mentioned it long ago.”

Ulric, who was sitting opposite her, pondered over Melody’s words and suddenly asked, “Who did you learn your medical skills from?”

Melody’s fork paused for a moment before she replied naturally “Most of my medical skills were self–learned, and some of them were learned from doctors in the countryside. The place used to live in was beautiful and there were often doctors coming to pick herbs, so I have many teachers, I wonder which one you are referring to?”

This answer was no different from not answering Ulric had completely lost hope for Melody.

He thought, “It was probably a coincidence that Melody could cure Margaret. Or perhaps, Grandma’s illness was suitable for traditional medicine. Any doctor in that area could cure it. Melody definitely didn’t have the ability to cure my legs. Of course, there is another possibility that Melody can treat my leg, but she is unwilling to. However, the possibility is slim. If Melody can do it, wouldn’t the famous doctors who treated me be a joke?

Thinking of this, Ulric lost interest and stopped asking. He lowered his head and ate.

However, for some reason, the woman in front of him was clearly extremely ugly, but he was inexplicably attracted to her. After eating a few mouthfuls, he subconsciously began to pay attention to her every move.

He even noticed that she didn’t like green peppers and ginger and would deliberately avoid them when eating.

When Ulric realized that he had paid too much attention to Melody, he felt a little frustrated.

He thought, ‘Melody is on Ken’s side. Perhaps I am paying attention to her because I want to take everything that belongs to Ken, including this ugly woman!

Chapter 130

It was not that Melody did not notice that Ulric had been paying attention to her.

However, she pretended not to notice anything and chatted and ate with Margaret with a normal expression.

She pretended to be concerned and asked Margaret, “Margaret, isn’t Ken coming back for dinner? I heard that he went to work at the Swanson Group’s headquarters. I wonder if he’ll be used to it…”

“He will be fine,” Margaret said firmly. “Ken has been outstanding since he was young. Whether it was his studies in school or his work after graduation, he has never disappointed me. I think he will do very well.”

Hearing this, Ulric narrowed his eyes coldly.

However, his expression disappeared in a flash and returned to his usual gentle appearance.

Melody clearly caught the cold expression on Ulric’s face from the corner of her eye.

She knew that she couldn’t be rash. She couldn’t sacrifice herself for revenge, so what she could do to Ulric now was to disgust him from time to time and expose his true colors bit by bit.

“He’s indeed an outstanding person.” Melody praised with a smile.

Half of her words were sincere, and the other half was deliberately said for Ulric to hear.

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Ulric’s expression turn ugly again.

She thought, ‘Good…‘

The lunch finally ended.

After the meal, Melody carefully took Margert’s pulse again and confirmed that she had completely recovered. Then, she prescribed some prescriptions for recuperation and reminded her. “Although you’ve recovered, you still have to take the prescription for recuperation on time. Don’t eat anything else. If I don’t say to change the medicine, the prescription can’t be changed. After about a month, I’ll change the prescription for you.”

Margaret held her forehead like a child. “I thought I wouldn’t have to drink medicine anymore after I recovered. Turns out b still have to.

Melody smiled and comforted her. “You can drink it for another half a year at most. Then you won’t have to take any more medicine.

Only then did Margaret feel a little better.

She instantly thought of something else and signaled the servant to close the door with her eyes. Then, she held Melody’s hand and said, “Melody, since you’ve already registered your marriage with Ken, I’ll tell you something directly.”

“Go ahead.” Melody nodded, curious about what Margaret wanted to say to her.

Margaret said with a complicated expression, “You’ve been back in Silverlake for a while. You should have heard about what happened to Ulric’s leg, right?”

She thought, ‘So that is what she wants to say Melody nodded. “I’ve heard a little

Margaret sighed heavily and said, “I’ve never asked Ken about that matter in detail. I admit that I have my own selfish motives. Even though I know that the two brothers don’t get along. I always turn a blind eye and lie to myself, telling myself that this family is still harmonious.”

Melody listened patiently and nodded from time to time, but she did not interrupt.

Margaret continued, “But I’ve always had my doubts about this matter. Even if the brothers didn’t get along, Ken wouldn’t have done such a thing. But at that time, there were witnesses and evidence. Ulric’s leg was indeed crippled… so I was confused. But there was always a voice in my mind telling me that this matter wasn’t that simple.”

Melody glanced at Margaret and asked in a low voice, “Are you telling me this because you want me to find out the truth?”

After a long silence, Margaret nodded. “Ken had a tough life. He lost his mother when he was young. His stepmother is different from his biological mother. This made him unwilling to say anything no matter what grievances he felt. However, if he was really wronged, I would never turn a blind eye to it. After thinking about it, you’re the most suitable person to investigate this matter. Are you willing to help Grandma again?

Melody nodded in agreement without any hesitation. “I’ll look into it!”

As long as this matter was found out, it could help Ken clear his name and expose Ulric and Astrid’s true colors.

Even if Margaret didn’t say it, she still had to do it.

Seeing how determined and sincere she was, Margaret felt a little relieved. “Don’t tell anyone about this except you and me. If you run into any obstacles and need my help, just let Grandma know.”

“Okay, Margaret. Melody nodded vigorously,

She would definitely get to the bottom of this matter.

As the two of them chatted, it was time for Margaret to take an afternoon nap. She had always had the habit of taking an afternoon nap, and when it was time, she could not open her eyes.

Melody happened to receive an inauguration call from the headhunting company, so she got up to say goodbye to Margaret.

When she walked out of the villa, she vaguely felt a cold gaze staring at her.

Melody stopped in her tracks and subconsciously turned to look at the second floor of the villa. At a window on the second floor, the curtains swayed slightly.

There was someone there just now.

Melody glanced at the window and quickly determined that it was Ulric’s room.

It seemed that Ulric had his eyes on her.

However, she was the one in the dark.

Melody’s lips curled up coldly. She turned around and left without looking back.

After Melody turned around, Ulric stood by the window again.

He looked deeply at Melody’s back and only retracted his gaze when he could no longer see her.

At that moment, his phone rang.

He took out his phone and looked at the caller ID, it was Melody

He thought, “Why would Melody call me?‘ While he was surprised, a trace of surprise that even he did not notice flashed across his heart.

In the next moment, Ulric quickly reached out and picked up the call. “Hello?”

“Mr. Ulric, I’m Mabel… Mabel’s voice came from the phone.

Ulric suddenly realized that previously, he had mixed up Melody and Mabel’s identities, so the caller ID he had left for Mabel was Melody.

Frustration rose in his heart. “Miss Fox, what’s the matter?”

Mabel did not realize that Ulric’s attitude towards her had changed for a moment. She said shyly. “The training school taught us to bake desserts today. I made a half–cooked cheese. Although it doesn’t look good, the taste should be fine. The last time you gave me a gift, I haven’t given you one. I wonder if I can offset it with this half–cooked cheese?”

“There’s no need.” Ulric held his phone coldly and said, “I don’t like sweet food.”

On the other end of the phone, Mabel was caught off guard. Her shy smile froze on her face.

Only then did she realize that when she contacted Ulric this time, his attitude was abnormally cold. It was completely different from the birthday banquet previously.

At that time, Ulric was clearly a gentle person.

“Mr. Ulric..” Mabel’s eyes reddened in grievance. “You… what’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood? Or did I disturb you?”

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