Words of rejection were at the tip of Melanie’s tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to utter them. Her hands that were pushing against Jeffrey gradually stopped. She simply laid her hands softly on his chest, and felt his heart beating rapidly.She didn’t dare to meet his searing gaze and shrunk back instead, curling up in his arms and falling asleep. After a long while, Melanie found herself awakened by steady snoring sounds.She had never experienced what it was like to sleep in the same room as thirty other men. Some of their snores sounded like complaints, while others sounded like angry shouts. There was a mix of high and low-pitched snores that was so noisy, it chased away all sense of drowsiness in Melanie.She gently pried away Jeffrey’s arm, threw on a jacket, and headed outside.The weather on the mountain was so strange, it was shocking.After an entire day of strong winds and storms, the night was eerily quiet, without a trace of wind. She couldn’t hold herself ba
“Mmm.”Melanie was caught off guard by the kiss. She felt hot desire and confusion rising in her chest at the same time. Just then, she heard the hum of a car coming from afar, and pushed Jeffrey away firmly. “A car really is here!”Jeffrey looked up and in the direction of the sound before continuing with the kiss. “We still have a few more minutes to spare.”“They’ll wake up upon hearing the car…”Melanie seized the chance in between the kiss to take a step back. “It’s strange enough that you suddenly joined the rescue team today. If my colleagues were to see us like this, I’ll never be able to explain myself.”“Just don’t, then.”Jeffrey wanted to step forward and pull her back in his arms, but Melanie immediately removed the blanket wrapped around her and threw it in his arms. She dashed into the house and said, “I’ll wake them up right away!”Ten minutes later, the driver of Jones Enterprise was the first to arrive in his off-road vehicle. When he saw Melanie and Qu
With that, Jeffrey looked away from the cameras to the entrance of the base camp. There, he saw Melanie drying her hair with a towel.He pushed the crowd away and walked over, leaning in to her to ask, “These reporters are lying through their teeth. What do you plan on doing? Do you need me to step in?”Melanie looked up into Jeffrey’s solemn eyes, and said, “I have a plan in mind.”It was as Jeffrey had expected, yet he felt helpless about it.“We’ll be accompanying the bikers with minor injuries to the hospital later. Go off if you have something else to attend to,” Melanie said after looking around them.There were many reporters and cameras around. She didn’t want the media finding out about their relationship.Jeffrey nodded in agreement. He had long gotten used to Melanie’s heartlessness in casting him aside once she was done using him.After the accident on the mountain, various media outlets in Harbor City rushed to Mount Coloss to report on the situation and interview r
Everyone turned around, and saw Melanie approaching.She was wearing a jacket all covered in mud. Even the stray locks of hair hanging down the sides of her face had mud on it, which strangely accentuated her clean and bare face.She stood right in front of Nelson, and looked straight at him, saying, “Mr. Hans, what you said just now was outright nonsense. Does it not prick your conscience?”The reporters immediately surrounded, Melanie and bombarded her with questions.“Miss Melanie, is Jones Enterprise the one to blame this time? Why did you and your team drive up the mountain? Was it to see the racecourse for yourself and experience the thrill of extreme sports?”“Are you just going to believe his baseless claims?” Melanie asked calmly.“So tell us, who is at fault?” The reporter urged.“Of course it’s the organizer! The organizer insisted on achieving the same level of difficulty as that of races abroad, yet neglected to achieve the same level of comprehensiveness and thorou
“Don’t worry, all of you. I’ll upload these photos online once I’ve tidied them up,” Mr. Smith promised.“You should upload them online,” Melanie encouraged.She looked at Nelson, who had gone all silent, and said, “We’re not targeting anyone here, but this rare extreme weather that happens only once in 30 years is a reminder for us to wake up from our stupor. Safety issues in such extreme sports must be addressed thoroughly.”Just then, most of the bikers with minor injuries walked out. They were on their way to another larger hospital for further recuperation and rest. The bikers who were more severely injured were also pushed out in preparation to be transferred to another hospital facility for more professional treatment.The terrible states that the bikers were in made everyone present fall silent.John saw that all hopes of smearing Jones Enterprise’s reputation were lost, and seized the chance to flee in a hurry with his men, for fear that the reporters might recall what he
"Have you eaten yet?" Melanie raised her eyebrows and smiled, knowing that Cyrus was concerned about her. "On the way back, I thought about it and planned to use some of the coldest spices to create this fragrance. I've already decided on the main ingredients. The top notes include amber and blackcurrant, the middle notes use clary sage and geranium. For the base notes, I originally wanted to use cedar and fir, but I felt that cedar was too heavy. I want the final fragrance to give a sense of overcoming difficulties. Can you help me think of a substitute?" "Heh." A scoff came from the phone. "Are you trying to challenge me? Cold spices are rare. I’m old and my mind isn't as sharp, so I can't come up with anything!" "Don't say that, Master. You’re not old." Melanie thought of a different way to provoke him. "Do you know? This time, we went to the mountains to ask the mountain guardians for help. I accidentally discovered an old lady who makes dried flower sachets with wildfl
"Now?" Melanie asked with surprise. "Yes. If you're available now, our car is already below Jones Enterprise. Besides you, we also invited Mr. Quicksilver.” Melanie agreed. She quickly tidied up and went out. She saw Quincy coming out of the temporary office. The two of them got into the car driven by Luis Romero’s assistant together. Opening the door to a private room at the Imperial Restaurant, they saw Luis and a delicate girl by his side. The girl was adorned with jewels, and the heavy gold accessories made her seem a bit old. In fact, she was only about twenty years old. Melanie and Quincy exchanged glances, unsure if this girl was Luis’s daughter or his mistress... "Miss Melanie, Mr. Quicksilver. Please have a seat." Luis stood up, and Melanie and Quincy quickly asked him to sit as well. "You don’t have to stand on ceremony. We’re just having a meal today." Luis sat down first. Melanie and the others followed suit. Melanie didn’t want to play polite and asked,
Quincy spoke first. "President Morgan?" When Jeffrey entered and saw Melanie sitting by the table, he paused in his steps slightly. However, his gaze quickly moved away from her face without lingering. He nodded at Quincy and then raised his eyes, saying, "President Romero, sorry for the wait." "President Morgan, you’re a busy person. It's already a great honor for you to agree to have a meal with me!" Luis stood up and extended his hand. Jeffrey shook hands with him. One was tall and one was short; their interactions seemed a bit comical, but their auras were imposing. After Jeffrey took his seat, Luis looked at Melanie and Quincy and said, "Well! I said you all know each other, right? Not long ago, you worked together to overcome obstacles in the mountain bike race area." Quincy nodded. "That’s right." "Speaking of the mountain bike race, I just thanked Miss Melanie and Mr. Quicksilver. Now, I want to thank you in person, President Morgan. You are all benefactors of thos
Pleasantly surprised, Melanie turned around to see the man she had been looking for. She never stopped saying his name in her head. He stood right behind her.At that moment, she stopped thinking completely.Without even hesitating, she ran toward him and dove into his arms."Ughh."Jeffrey groaned in pain. He did not dare to press against her stomach. Instead, he arched his back to hold her."Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea how I…" She cried so much that she could not speak."Alright, alright. Good girl. Don't cry. I've come back."Jeffrey kept rubbing the back of her head. "Eagle was too neurotic. I've nearly gone mad from dealing with him. I finally got him to regain some of his sanity today… That's how I had the chance to find you…""How did you know where to find me?" Melanie asked."Today is the day of Nathan's trial. I know you'd definitely be in the courtroom," Jeffrey said confidently.Melanie finally calmed down a little. After letting go of him,
"We're not together…"Kenneth's facial expression changed as soon as he saw Melanie.Melanie noticed there was a hint of guilt in his eyes. This was an unsettling feeling for her. "Then where is he? What happened to you guys?"Noticing that she was shaking, Annie and Carson, who had accompanied her to court, rushed forward to assist her."Eagle had a prior arrangement with Nathan. Once Nathan and Leo's plan at the York family's residence was thwarted, Nathan would press a button. Eagle would then receive a code to detonate a bomb. He'd blow us all up," Kenneth explained."Jeffrey was the one who noticed Eagle wasn't in the right state of mind. That's why he informed me to leave with Mr. Oliver. He… Stayed behind to persuade Eagle…" He added."What happened then?" Melanie's voice was shaking."All I knew after that was that the hotel blew up. I waited for him to contact me but he never did. Mr. Oliver and I have been on the run from Nathan's shadowy pursuits. I only managed to sn
Three days later, the trial was officially in session.Leo's attorney was practically defenseless because the York family's allegations of him poisoning Joseph had been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Leo was directly sentenced to life in prison.Nathan's attorney, on the other hand, was clever. They tried everything they could to deflect Nathan's allegations.After the presiding judge evaluated the case, he looked up. "Does the plaintiff have any more evidence that the defendant, Nathan, intentionally killed someone?"Hank sat silently at the plaintiff's table.They could only provide evidence of the time when Nathan had tried to murder Hank. However, they had no evidence of Nathan being involved in the explosion on the island this time.Hank looked at Melanie in the audience. She was also frowningThe presiding judge's implication was well understood. Without more evidence, Nathan would not receive a life sentence…"The plaintiff simply does not have sufficient evidence to
Carson sighed. It was time to explain everything to Hank…Although Carson had spent a lot of time in Hank's hospital as Professor Marshall, and he would also tend to their men's wounds, as well as discuss a variety of topics with Hank, they had never acknowledged their relationship…Besides, Carson knew Hank hated him.Hank hated him for being heartless to his grandmother back then. That was why Hank changed his last name to Castillo instead of Yule…"Let's take Melanie back to rest. I'll explain the rest to you myself," Carson said. Hank had already figured out half of it."Grandpa, I'm not going back. I'll wait for the news here," Melanie said firmly.There was no sign of Jeffrey's corpse yet. She would wait until the rescue team confirmed that they could not find any corpse.She wanted a clear answer."Okay. I'll get the trailer ready for you. You can lie down inside. You can't afford to hurt your body anymore than you already have. I checked your pulse earlier. It's not loo
Buzz!Melanie's vision turned black. She began falling backward."Melanie! Melanie!"Carson propped her up and called the doctor over.However, Melanie opened her eyes after a few seconds and tried to stand up. "I'm fine… Grandpa, take me there… I want to go to the scene of the explosion…""You're in no state…""I'm fine. I can hold up," Melanie promised."If you don't let me go and see it with my own eyes, I'll be even more paranoid," she added.Carson knew his granddaughter too well. He sighed and frowned before requesting for a ride. He met up with Hank. The two of them accompanied Melanie to look for Jeffrey.Jeffrey, Kenneth, Mr. Oliver, and Eagle waited at the drop-off point near the York family's residence. Nathan had instructed them to not do anything rash.Mr. Oliver and Eagle were still useful to Nathan.Once Nathan acquired Joseph's signature, he would meet up with them.However, the small hotel they were waiting at was already in ruins. There was smoke everywher
'Chief… Frankie?'Leo turned around in surprise. Nathan did the same. They saw Chief Frankie and several Interpol agents walking out from behind a screen in Joseph's room.Melanie was a part of that group!"Aren't you… dead?" Leo pointed at Melanie in shock."Thanks to you, I'll live a long life." Melanie sneered.Chief Frankie waved his hand. The police behind him charged forward to put handcuffs on Leo and Nathan. Leo narrowed his eyes and quickly pressed a button on the remote in his hand."We'll all die together!" He shouted.However, no matter how hard he pressed, nothing happened in the room."What's going on here… Eagle?" Leo's voice was trembling.His hands were cuffed, and the remote control was confiscated by the police."Leo, you are suspected of poisoning Master York and attempting to murder Melanie and others on the island. We are arresting you for premeditated murder!" Chief Frankie uttered calmly."No… No…" Leo struggled but to no avail. He had no idea what wa
At the same time, Melanie and Carson were on a plane with Professor Turner. They soon arrived at Medonia.Carson contacted Hank ahead of time and asked him to pick them up with his men.After the exhausting journey, Melanie's face was pale. She seemed to be in very poor condition. "I've already contacted the maternity hospital for you. You can go there and wait for your delivery. Leave the rest to me.""No…"Melanie shook her head. "I have to go back."Jeffrey was still in Nathan's hands. She would not be able to wait peacefully if she went to the hospital.Carson knew his granddaughter well enough. "Let her go. Professor Turner and I will be with here. We'll be ready for anything."Carson was still disguised as Maximilian. Hank did not know he was Carson. Hank nodded in agreement.“Mr. Castillo, there's something I need to trouble you with.” Melanie said."I heard from Professor Marshall that you're on good terms with the chief of Medonia's Interpol. Can I trouble him to be a
"Wait a minute! Isn't Jefford actually Jeffrey?" Leo asked while running after Nathan.Nathan ignored him and continued to walk forward.Leo did not give up and followed Nathan closely. "Who exactly is Jeffrey to you?""Are you being unreasonable right now? Why are you still so unsure at this point?" Nathan glanced at Leo contemptuously."I'm dealing with serious business. Don't get in my way with your petty romantic affairs!"After saying that, he glared at Leo and exited the cabin.Leo felt chills in his heart, but he could not make Nathan stay…-Jeffrey was tied up on the deck all this time. His body was freezing, and his lips were turning purple from the cold."Hey, President Morgan, fancy seeing you like this!" Nathan laughed grimly when he saw the miserable state Jeffrey was in."Thanks to you, I've been more miserable than this on many occasions. This is nothing." Jeffrey made it sound like a walk in the park."Hehe." Nathan sneered."I know. You've had strong willp
Lynette seemed stunned. She could not help but stand up with the help of the railing on the speedboat. Her eyes turned red as looked at the island burning in the distance. There was a look of disbelief on her face…If they had not evacuated five minutes ago…By now…She would not have even been able to breathe and think…The explosion sent shockwaves across the ocean's surface. The ride became even more bumpy. With sea water splashing against them, they had all become wet."Are you alright?" Carson protected Melanie. He was worried she would not be able to take it.Her stomach did feel awful, but she braced herself and tried not to tense up. Her emotions would affect her baby.When Lynette heard the voices behind her, she turned around to look at Melanie. Her gaze had become much softer than before. "You're not going to give birth on the boat, are you? I'm a woman, but I don't know how to be a midwife!""I won't give birth now. There are still things left to do," Melanie said.