On the day of the funeral, Shelia appeared in a black dress. Her belly was still flat, but she pushed it out to emphasize her pregnant state. She wanted everyone to know that she was carrying the heir to the Nichols family.Melody greeted the arriving guests with a dignified nod, but her gaze flicked anxiously around. Juan was conspicuously absent. She turned to Shelia, asking, "Where is Juan?"Shelia shook her head. "I don't know. I didn't see him this morning."Just then, Joe hurried over. "Mr. Nichols said he won't be coming today.""Not coming? That's not acceptable," Melody said unhappily.Since Juan and Debra hadn't divorced yet, they were still seen as a loving couple. It was inappropriate for him to be absent from his wife's burial.Melody ordered, "Go fetch him. Tell him it's my order. If he doesn't come today, he can forget about having me as his grandmother.""Understood." Joe quickly left.The guests whispered among themselves."Who is that woman with Melody?""
Melody furrowed her brow and chimed in, "Why didn't you come back if you were alive? Do you know how worried everyone was? And now you show up at the funeral. How thoughtless can you be?""You received the clothes retrieved by the rescue team and couldn't wait to hold the funeral. Naturally, I had to come and see for myself." Debra looked around the church, taking in the surroundings, and remarked, "It's a style I like, but unfortunately, I won't be able to enjoy it."She vividly remembered how she had tried so hard to please Melody in her past life. She had listened to Melody's every word and shown Melody with more respect than she had shown her parents.But Melody had seen her as nothing more than a tool to be used and discarded at will.When Melody found that Shelia could benefit Juan more, she welcomed Shelia into the family without a second thought, casting Debra aside like an old, unwanted toy.Like Juan, Melody had ice running through her veins.Debra turned her attention
The moment Debra stepped into the venue, camera flashlights flickered incessantly.This was more than just a news story; it was a sensation, a spectacle that would be splashed across every headline and trending on every platform. Some media outlets had even started live broadcasts. Debra surveyed the scene with cold detachment. This chaos was perfect for her purposes—a grand stage on which to blow the divorce news out of proportion.Joe sensed things were out of control and quickly pulled out his phone to alert Juan.By the time Juan arrived, the ambulance had already spirited Melody away, and Debra's people had efficiently cleared out most of the guests from the church.As Juan strode into the grand hall, his eyes immediately locked on Debra. A surge of joy propelled him forward, but before he could reach her, Shelia intercepted him."Juan, you can't go over there," Shelia exclaimed. "Melody just passed out because of her.""Move aside," he commanded, pushing past Shelia with
"Yes, madam."Ben swiftly summoned three bodyguards, who dragged the three bound kidnappers into the room, pushing them roughly in front of Juan.Juan recognized their faces, his expression turning as cold as ice. "You captured them?"Despite all his best efforts, he hadn't been able to find any trace of these kidnappers. He hadn't expected that Debra's people would have beaten him to it."I did," she replied, casting a sidelong glance at Shelia, who stood trembling, her face pale as a sheet. "Miss Miles, you're capable enough to find such skilled assassins to come after my life. I'm truly honored."Juan's gaze shifted to Shelia, his eyes filled with disbelief. "You did it?"No matter what, Shelia was a student he had sponsored. At best, she had been just a scheming girl who wouldn't have dared hire killers.Shelia quickly shook her head, her eyes wide with desperation. "No, it's not like that. Juan, let me explain.""It's her. She's the one who paid us to kill Mrs. Nichols." O
Shelia's face drained of color as the recording played. Juan's gaze sharpened, his eyes cold and accusatory as he turned to her.She trembled, rushing over to smash the recorder. She pointed at it and stammered, "This is fake. I never said any of this. Juan, don't be fooled. Debra is just jealous of me carrying your child. She's trying to drive a wedge between us."She attempted to step closer to Juan, but he held up a hand, stopping her in her tracks. His voice was filled with unprecedented disgust. "Two million dollars to kill Debra, using the baby in your womb to become Mrs. Nichols... I never knew you were such a woman.""Juan..." Shelia shook her head vehemently, tears welling up in her eyes. "They're framing me; this isn't true."Debra watched with cold detachment. She knew that nothing Shelia said would convince Juan now. "I'll leave the kidnappers and the recording to you. Take your time interrogating them. You can have the recording verified by experts. Since Shelia is p
That was a line Juan had once said to Debra in her past life.Now, the tables had turned, and it was his turn to face the consequences of his actions."Let's go," Debra said, putting away her smile.Marion simply raised his hand, and his men began to retreat. Juan, unwilling to concede, tried to chase after them, but Joe swiftly blocked his path."Sir, you can't chase them. That's Marion Houston.""In Seamar City, I am the one in charge. What is Marion to me?""Caleb has handed the Houston family over to Marion. We can't afford to mess with him.""Get out of the way!"He shoved Joe aside before his gaze fell on Shelia."Juan..."Daunted by his glare, she stepped back."Take these three back and interrogate them thoroughly.""And Miss Miles?""Take her back and lock her in the basement," Juan ordered. "If my grandmother asks, just say I've arranged for her to be elsewhere.""Yes, sir.""Juan, I'm carrying your child. You can't do this to me. Let me go!" Shelia struggled d
The basement was gloomy and airless. Shelia had been there for only three hours, but the damp, heavy atmosphere was already chipping away at her sanity."Let me out... Let me out!" she cried, her fists pounding against the solid door.Unfortunately, the thick walls swallowed her screams, rendering them useless.After a while, the door creaked open, a sliver of harsh light slicing into the darkness. Before Shelia could even feel relief, she saw her mother.Clarissa had been tortured for days and was teetering on the edge of a breakdown. Upon seeing the pitch-black room, she recoiled in fear."No, I don't want it," she whimpered, trying to back away. But her captors showed no mercy, throwing her into the room."Ah!" Shelia jumped back, startled, as Clarissa writhed towards her.Terror gripped Shelia, and she shouted, "What are you doing? I'm pregnant with Juan's child. You can't do this to me!"Just then, Juan walked in. His sudden appearance brought a glimmer of hope to Shelia.
"Keep this under wraps," Juan instructed sternly. "No leaks allowed.""I'm afraid it won't stay hidden for long," Joe said.Melody valued her descendants above all else. Now that a woman was finally pregnant with Juan's child, she certainly wasn't about to let go of the baby.But Juan wasn't in the mood to dwell on this complication."Go get the car. I'm going to the Frazier's.""Okay."Meanwhile, news of Debra's survival was abuzz.At the Frazier family home, Rosalie was fuming. She hurled the newspaper in her hand across the room, the pages fluttering before landing under a pair of red high heels."What is Debra up to? Why stage a fake death? And she didn't even bother to let us know she was alive. Is this some kind of sick joke?" she ranted.A soft, almost amused voice responded, "Aunt Rosalie, who are you talking about?"Rosalie jumped up with a start. She whirled around to see Debra standing there."Debra..." she gasped.Debra was dressed in a wine-red gown with a whit