“Ding.”Melanie’s phone rang. She looked at the message that her bestie, Annie Snow, sent from the second floor. [Everything’s perfect. Don’t worry.]Although the Snows were not the best in doing business in Harbor City, all of the famous families were afraid of them because they were the best private detectives. Therefore, with Annie’s assistance, she was a lot more relieved. Melanie then kept her phone as she wanted to sit in a corner quietly and execute her plan after nightfall. However, the voices around her started to grow and she could not help but get distracted by them.“Melanie’s a cripple. Why did Bryan want to marry her?”“How can you not know about it? The Wests want to get involved in the medical field as well, of course, they’re using her!”Listening to the crowd badmouthing Melanie and seeing her pale face, Lena had never felt so happy before.Lena purposely asked her friends to set the pace by joining in. She hoped they could make nasty remarks about her!Melan
Melanie knew that if the deals between Jones Enterprise and the other partners collapsed tonight, everything would be on her.Lately, Lena’s father, Daniel Jones, who was also Melanie’s uncle, had joined forces with the board of directors and threatened her mother to resign from her CEO position several times. It appeared that Lena must have been working with her father to have their hands on those pictures.If Melanie were to allow that to happen, she would have failed her mother, who was still giving everything she had to Jones Enterprise.At this moment, Annie ran into the ballroom and stood beside her, out of breath. She said, “Melanie, I’ve sent my men to control the backstage. Once my men are there, they’ll cut off the screen.”“Let it be.”Melanie raised her eyes and stared into the screen calmly.Annie asked anxiously, “Are you sure?”Melanie nodded in agreement. She took out her phone calmly and logged into her personal email account to retrieve some data before sending
Listening to the crowd say that it was Melanie who had been the sole pillar to support Bryan’s media firm, his parents did not seem to be happy with it. However, they still had to put a smile on their faces.The directors of Jones Enterprise quickly took this opportunity to close the deals with the partners as they hung big smiles on their faces.Melanie quietly looked at the people’s faces and cheekily smiled at them.“A bet's a bet. Now let’s enjoy Lena’s performance.”Melanie’s sudden, sharp voice pierced through the clamor of the crowd. It was only when she pointed it out that they remembered Lena’s unfulfilled promise. She was an influencer, so the crowd playfully teased her, eagerly anticipating her singing. “My throat doesn’t feel good today.” Lena waved her hands as she gave an excuse.“You’re an influencer who has released several singles. Is it that hard to sing in front of everyone?”“Quit giving excuses. You still can sing even if your throat isn’t at its best. Wher
The man in the room was in a wheelchair. He was quite imposing, and even though he appeared unwell, his good looks still shone through. His disability could not suppress his powerful and compelling demeanor.Melanie narrowed her eyes. This man’s demeanor resembled the one she had slept with in the Paris Hotel. This man bore a stronger resemblance than Stephen!At this moment, a bodyguard came from another room and said, “President Morgan is waiting for you, Miss Jones.”President Morgan?Rumor had it that Jeffrey, the second master of the Morgans was in charge of the Morgan Group. It was said that he was ruthless because he had been living abroad for a long time. Besides, he was a cripple as well.Melanie was not curious why Jeffrey would appear in her room. After all, the entire Harbor City was his territory. What she was curious about was the man’s appearance.Jeffrey’s eyes appeared to conceal an unreachable vulnerability. Melanie tried to avert her gaze but she could not help
Again, Melanie stood in front of Jeffrey and rejected him.“I’m sorry, I don’t think I can accept your request.”Jeffrey did not raise his eyes as he did not care about her answer at all. He continued, “There was a man in here. Did you get yourself into some trouble?”“You don’t have to worry about me. I can handle it myself.” Melanie rejected him firmly.Jeffrey narrowed his eyes after hearing this. With her intelligence, she must have figured out that he was the man she slept with that night. Did she not want to marry him this badly?He then spoke in a strange tone, “But I can get another one in here anytime I want.”Melanie lowered her eyes. “Are you threatening me?”“I don’t want to.”Jeffrey continued calmly, “As long as you accept my request, the Morgan Group can provide you with unlimited support. Don’t you want to restore your family’s reputation? I can fix your leg, too.”His condescending tone disgusted Melanie. However, his words hit her in the right spot.Melanie
Melanie concealed the hostility in her eyes and pretended to ask, “What happened? Why are you guys here?”“I came here to wake you up! Today is your engagement ceremony. You need to wake up early to get your makeup done!”Lily squeezed past her as she rushed into her room. Her eyes darted around before fixing her gaze on the huge bed in her room. There were some messy clothes on her bed, and the blanket appeared puffed up.“Come on. Let’s clean this place up. The makeup artist will be here very soon,” Lily walked toward the bed as she spoke.Seeing this, Melanie followed closely behind her. “I’ll do it myself.”“Let me help you!”How could Lily give up this opportunity to expose her? She rushed to the bedside and lifted the blanket from the bed without hesitation!Melanie’s blanket was thrown to the floor. However, when Lily saw her bed, she was shocked.The bed was clean. There was no man on Melanie’s bed.Lily hunched up her shoulders and glanced at Daniel, who was also doub
"Hah!"The directors of Jones Enterprise left hurriedly, leaving behind a warning. "We will settle this score sooner rather than later!"Daniel was pale and dejected. Even Bryan's parents were sighing repeatedly.They knew the kind of man their son was. The moment they saw Bryan and Lena's reaction upon entering the room, they knew what had happened.What was Lena compared to Melanie? Lena was merely a girl from the Joneses' branch family. Hence, it was essential to console Melanie.Bryan understood the hint from his parents and hurriedly stepped forward to explain. "Mel, please believe me. We didn't do anything last night."Melanie pushed Bryan's hand away, crying as she attempted to leave. Bryan's mother held her back, saying, "Sweetie, we're about to hold the engagement ceremony. You can't leave now.""Bryan cheated on me, and he can't even explain it properly. Are you trying to force me to marry him?"Her determined gaze left Bryan's mother with no argument. She turned away
The next day was the pageant for the International Socialites Gala.Last night, Melanie had slept peacefully. Her skin was glowing this morning. She carefully applied her makeup and had breakfast with Eliza."Melanie, I've transferred half of my shares to you. You will be a board member of the Jones Enterprise from now on," her mother said, before pausing to inquire, "Which department do you plan to oversee when you join the company?""I’ll start from the weakest portfolio in Jones Enterprise—I'd like to take charge of the research and development for the new perfume line," Melanie replied. She presented the proposal she had been working on to Eliza. "Here's the new perfume product line I've been planning. I've gotten it looked over by professionals. What do you think?"Eliza skimmed through the proposal and her eyes lit up. "I trust you. With your abilities and talent, you can bring that portfolio back to life."With her mother's approval, Melanie smiled from the bottom of her
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.