The boy furrowed his brows, thinking hard for a while before saying with hesitation, “That…that…pretty! Lady!”Melanie heaved a sigh of relief.She had been so anxious she forgot that the boy had the mental age of a three to four-year-old child. She rephrased her question, and asked, “How does the pretty lady look? Does she have long hair?”“Yes!”The boy reached out, and gently combed her fringe to one side. “Just like this! Pretty lady! Huge eyes!”Linda Yancey! Linda’s face instinctively popped up in Melanie’s mind. She always wore her hair in such a fashion.In other words, when this boy used to stay in Harlow’s house, Linda used to secretly visit him…There were no doubts about it: Linda was the boy’s biological mother. Why did she not take him with her after so many years? She clearly knew that Harlow was abusing him…“Someone’s here!” Jefford whispered anxiously from outside.Melanie knew she could no longer delay her departure. She stood up, and said in a hurry, “I’v
Jeffrey couldn’t bear to reject Melanie, especially with the tears in her eyes, even though she was clearly acting rashly.“Come with me!” He turned around and walked in another direction, while Melanie brisk-walked behind him.Along the way, he asked, “What exactly happened? Tell me. For all you know, I might just be able to help.”Melanie swallowed past her constricted throat.This was the Yanceys’ residence, where Jefford was more familiar with. What’s more, Jefford didn’t have any motivation to hurt Gabriel. He was expecting her and the owner of Windborough Estate to support him.With that thought in mind, Melanie no longer needed to struggle with her decision. She immediately told him about Gabriel’s disappearance“Where do you think that person will lead Gabriel to? Which corner is the most secretive?” Melanie panted as she continued brisk-walking.“I know there’s a small building in Grandma’s backyard where the gardener used to stay in. It has been left empty recently,
“I choose Gabriel!” Melanie screamed, just when Harlow yelled out the final number.“Ha, ha, ha!” Harlow smiled wickedly. “Turns out that he’s your new lover!”Melanie was in great pain. She bit her tongue when she yelled out her answer. The taste of blood spread in her mouth, but she wasn’t sure if the pain she was feeling came from her tongue or her heart.She pursed her lips, trying to keep her emotions under control. She started negotiating with Harlow, “Keep your word, and let Gabriel go!”“Of course, I will! Let him go!”Harlow instructed his bodyguards, and two of them who were restraining Gabriel released him. Gabriel immediately turned and headed downstairs. The Frost bodyguards rushed over to where the flames weren’t so intense, and escorted Gabriel out.Harlow waved his gun before his face, and sneered, “Mr. Yancey, to think that I managed to witness your failure! Your failure in winning over a woman!”He turned to look at Melanie, and said mockingly, “Since you’ve ma
Harlow paused for a moment before sneering, “I almost fell for your trap! He’s the son of the Yancey family, while you are someone I have plenty of opportunities to deal with in the future!”Melanie’s brows furrowed.It seemed more and more that Harlow wasn’t just going crazy and killing people to vent his anger. Jefford’s status mattered to him, but was he doing this to help Linda or cause her trouble? Melanie couldn’t figure it out just yet.Harlow signaled for his bodyguards to take Jefford away with a wave of his hand.Seeing that her efforts had been in vain thus far, Melanie decided to take a step back and try again, “I’ll go with him!”Harlow’s eyes widened as he looked at Jefford with feigned surprise, “Tsk, tsk. So he’s your new lover instead!”Melanie ignored his mocking remark. “My choice hurt him, so I have to bear the responsibility of whatever happens to him. I want to go with him!”Melanie continued walking cautiously in small steps toward them as she spoke.Harl
Melanie didn’t see how Jeffrey managed to tie the rope ladder on his waist with just one hand. Jeffrey pushed Harlow to the ground the moment he brought her flying up. He grabbed the rope ladder hanging from the helicopter with one hand, and used the other to grab Melanie’s waist tight. The helicopter accelerated, and brought them up in an instant.Bam!Bam! Bam! Bam!Harlow finally realized what was happening. Together with his bodyguards, he aimed to the sky and started shooting at the helicopter. The shots from the guns could be heard everywhere.Jeffrey dodged the bullets easily and both of them started swinging on the ladder in midair.“Ahh!” Melanie shrieked.The rope ladder from the helicopter was already swaying a lot. Jeffrey’s movement from dodging the bullets made the ladder sway even more. Melanie’s entire body felt weak, and Jeffrey felt like the only lifeline she had in this world. She had to grab hold of tightly.She grabbed his waist as tightly as she could.
Bang!The burning building collapsed.The men that Linda had arranged rushed to the back gate, but realized that Gabriel had already left in the car. They quickly reported anxiously, “Miss... Gabriel escaped. Melanie and Master Jefford seem to have been taken away by Harlow York...”“Harlow York?”Linda exclaimed in shock. “Why was he there?!”“I’m not sure... We thought that they had left from the back gate a long time ago... but...” The bodyguard hesitated and said, “We found the corpse of a woman in that building...”“A woman?”Linda narrowed her eyes. She probably realized that too.Harlow... What an incompetent fool!She didn’t expect that he would let it all off on a woman after being upset by their failed negotiation!“Check and see if there are any maids that are missing!” she ordered.“Understood...”“You’re all fools as well!” Linda yelled again. “Doesn’t matter whether it’s Jefford, Melanie or Gabriel... Find them! If you can’t find them, don’t come back!”Linda
“He... Might be Jeffrey?!” Melanie asked in a stutter.Professor Turner raised his hand, signaling for her to calm down as he quickly asked his assistant to come in. Then, he said, “Take his hair and run a DNA test.”The professor quickly left, and Professor Turner then turned to Melanie. “I retained his complete profile from when I first treated him. We’ll know if it’s him with a comparison.Melanie pursed her pale lips as she nodded heavily.“But!” The professor emphasized the ‘but’ before leaving. “Don’t have too much hope.”“I know.” She nodded again.Only then did the professor leave. “Let’s go and visit Gabriel.”Melanie looked down and said, “You should go on ahead.”“You’re not coming?”“I’ll go over in a while.”After Melanie finished that, she then walked to Jefford’s side and quietly stood there.The professor wanted to say something else, but when he saw that Melanie didn’t want to say anything, he left without disturbing her.Melanie’s eyes were becoming sore a
Melanie looked down and realized she was still wearing a black tight outfit and sports shoes...She didn’t want to tell Gabriel at the beginning because she didn’t want him to worry, but since she couldn’t hide it anymore, she had to tell him. “To be honest, Jefford and I have kept in touch privately...” she stuttered.Then, Melanie told Gabriel about her partnership with Jefford, and Gabriel’s frown became deeper and deeper. “So... You two have met in secret so many times...’“I’m so sorry. I just didn’t want all of you to worry, so I didn’t tell you and Annie about it,” Melanie explained regretfully.Gabriel couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile. “There’s nothing to apologize about.”Then the two said nothing.After the moment of awkwardness, Melanie stood up and said, “Rest your throat and speak less. I’m going now.”“Are you going to visit Jefford?” Gabriel suddenly asked.Melanie turned around in shock as she pursed her lips. “The professor said he needs to remain under
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.