That evening, Melanie glanced at the cane beside the chair. She hesitated for two seconds but didn't take it. Her left foot could now exert normal force. However, walking still felt unfamiliar as she was used to using a cane. Today, Melanie will be representing Jones Enterprise at the upper-class banquet. She decided to leave the cane behind and mark a new beginning for herself.Melanie went to the event accompanied by Annie. On the way, Melanie asked the well-informed Annie, "Bryan beat up Lena badly. What about her child?""How could the child be alive?" Annie replied. She added, "Even if Bryan didn't hit her, Lena wouldn't have kept the child."Seeing Melanie's cold expression, Annie couldn't help but ask, "Don't tell me you feel sorry for that woman. I heard she not only got out of the hospital yesterday but also attended a yacht party!"Melanie shook her head, "I just think the child was pitiful to be conceived by such parents."…Despite Michael being the host of the pa
Michael clung to Melanie like a hungry old fox, his eyes roaming over her.Despite disliking her arrogance, he was captivated by her outstanding beauty and couldn't wait to embrace her."Mr. Brooks, I came here today to discuss a collaboration on perfume development. Have you seen Jones Enterprise's proposal?" Melanie deftly avoided his hands."Huh?"Michael waved his hand dismissively in front of her face. "Forget about those boring things. Meeting again must be fate. Let's go upstairs!""Mr. Brooks, the invitation clearly states that we're here to discuss a collaboration," she emphasized.Unsatisfied, Michael furrowed his brow. "What's this talk about collaboration? The Jones family has fallen so low as to sell their daughter. If you satisfy me tonight, I can offer you more than you could imagine!"Melanie chuckled coldly. While she wanted to discuss collaboration, he only wanted to take advantage of her."Our paths are different. I think we can't work together." She turned t
Jeffrey sat in his wheelchair with Melanie sprawled across his lap. As Melanie collided with him at full speed, the wheelchair tilted, and their combined weight shifted onto William, who was supporting the wheelchair from behind.William wasn't sure whether he should watch or look away. The position of the two was undoubtedly awkward, and he feared for his life if he stared for too long.Melanie, realizing she had bumped into Jeffrey, attempted to stand up.At that moment, the sounds of Michael and the bodyguard chasing after them became audible."Stop!""You can't escape!"However, they were stopped by Jeffrey's security. "President Morgan is here, who dares to approach?"The security team looked over and saw Jeffrey reaching for his coat, discreetly covering the face of the woman between his legs. Anyone who saw the scene understood.Indeed, it was President Morgan. The man was always prepared to transform any place into a battlefield.With some difficulty, Michael approac
"Speak."Jeffrey's tone was impatient."I heard Michael's party is still going on, and his company has been bought. The original team is intact, except for Michael. Does President Morgan know about this?" Melanie asked casually, assessing Jeffrey's expression.Jeffrey's eyes showed no emotion, "What do you want to say?""I'm sure you know that Jones Enterprise is currently looking for a suitable manufacturing partner for the perfume line. I'd like to know who acquired Michael's factory." Melanie probed.Jeffrey looked up, his gaze intense. "Can't Jones Enterprise handle this on its own? I can't assist."Melanie pursed her lips, then changed the subject, "Do you know what brand of perfume you're using, President Morgan?"Jeffrey looked at her, his eyes showing increased impatience.Without waiting for his answer, she went on, "I caught scents like ambergris, bergamot, and cedarwood in your perfume. But pricier doesn't always mean better; it's crucial to pick one that suits you."
"Oh, right. Uncle Jeffrey," Melanie called out, subconsciously adjusting her robe to avoid any exposure.Jeffrey set aside his tablet and looked up at her. Was she fond of addressing him as Uncle Jeffrey? Well, he’ll let that slide.The woman a few steps away still had wet hair. Her face was bare. She seemed more charming than her daytime appearance with makeup, but he remained guarded.His Adam's apple moved sharply, and he pursed his lips. Jeffrey turned his wheelchair and manipulated something with his fingers on the armrest. There was a swish behind him.Melanie turned in surprise to see a door opening in the wall behind her."What's that?" she instinctively asked.But Jeffrey didn't answer. He controlled the wheelchair and disappeared behind the door, which promptly closed.Melanie opened her mouth but didn't get a response. She went out of the bedroom and looked at the adjacent room. Melanie asked the servant in the corridor, "What is this place?""Madam, that is th
Melanie worked on her computer, tweaking the perfume development plan. At some point, tiredness took over, and she dozed off on the sofa. The next morning, she woke up to hear that Jeffrey had already left for work after finishing breakfast.Melanie got ready quickly and checked the stock market, pleased to see a sea of red for West Corp. Though she had made it known that the engagement would be called off, Bryan had been too overwhelmed to try to appease her. That suited her well, allowing her to focus on the perfume development.Heading to Jones Enterprise, Melanie instructed Mr. Lincoln to gather the top executives for a meeting to discuss the revised plan. However, the meeting was interrupted by Daniel and Lena.Lena, with innocent, bare-faced makeup, entered the room and bowed deeply, her voice trembling with a feigned apology, "I'm here today to apologize to all of you. My actions had a negative impact on the company. I'm sorry-""You're overthinking it," Melanie coldly
"Who are you?"Daniel stood in front of Lena to protect his daughter but his arm was forcefully held by the bodyguards, causing him to wince in pain."We're sent by Mr. Brooks. Your daughter knows him," the sinister bodyguard declared."Michael Brooks?"Both Daniel and the shareholders present were stunned. Michael Brooks has been mentioned in multiple discussions in Jones Enterprise recently and Lena never mentioned knowing him. They wouldn't have gone through the trouble of seeking invitations to his party otherwise.Lena cowered in the background, her eyes filled with fear.Having subdued Daniel, the bodyguard behind him quickly advanced. He grabbed Lena and pulled her to the door. He stood in front of the shareholders in the conference room and the employees watching the commotion outside and shouted, "Lena disguised herself and infiltrated Mr. Brooks' party. She seduced Mr. Brooks first but attacked him at the party. How evil and detestable! Mr. Brooks has ordered us to ta
Melanie had a plan. When she returned to the dressing room, she found the gown and shoes labeled with her name and inspected the dress inside and out. However, she didn't find anything amiss.Melanie tried it on and felt nothing wrong, so she left.Only after seeing her in that dress did two women in the shadows breathe a sigh of relief and start talking."Do you think tampering with her dress was just loosening the shoulder straps or something?""I'm not that basic!"Another woman's voice, with a touch of arrogance, chuckled, "I stuck a nail in her shoe!""A nail? Won't she notice it quickly? What if she changes it before reaching the banquet hall?""I did it quite skillfully. I guarantee she'll feel the power of the nail bit by bit. It won't pierce the sole until it's time to dance. Then, let's see if Melanie can still be proud!" The woman triumphantly declared.Just as Jeffrey exited the elevator, he overheard the women's sinister plot. He narrowed his eyes, recalling th
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.