"Is she trying to keep me as her toy?" Wade quipped with a smirk, adjusting his green hat.His manager, taking a sip of water, nearly choked. "Even though Linda's been unmarried all these years... I've never heard of her being into this...""Hmph," Wade sneered. "Let's get going."Linda hosted Wade and his manager at her home.After a hearty lunch, Linda warmly asked, "Wade, I noticed you didn't eat much. Did my cooking not agree with you?""I had a late breakfast," Wade replied honestly.Brushing aside whether it was an excuse, Linda smiled. "You're so young, and you're in great shape. Eat more of what you like now; in ten years, you'll be dieting to stay fit.""Heh," Wade couldn't hide his indifference.Seeing Wade's lack of enthusiasm, Linda got straight to the point. "I'd like you to do me a favor.""Miss Yancey, you mentioned it on the phone, and we're both curious: what can Wade do for you?" The manager smiled from the side."Go meet a friend."Linda nodded, motioning
"You just said... you don’t want to waste energy on this."Fiona, the manager, twiddled her fingers, asking Wade."That was just now; I've changed my mind now."Wade tucked the photo into his pocket, closed his eyes, and grinned. "For this weekend's GT Gala, help me coordinate with the crew so that I can attend.""Are you trying to engineer a chance encounter?"Glancing at Melanie's schedule, the manager nodded knowingly. "You thought she'd be an older woman. You didn't expect she'd be a pretty young lady, did you?""I thought she'd be a fat woman," Wade smirked."Whether fat or pretty, remember you're just doing Miss Yancey a favor; we can't mix business with pleasure... Now that you're in a relationship, your girlfriend and career fans will go crazy..." The manager hurriedly reminded.-Weekend.Melanie was getting ready for the GT Gala.In the dressing room, Annie helped her pick a dress and couldn't help but remark, "Speaking of which, even the maternity wear prepared fo
"Ugh! Ugh!"Melanie held her hand tightly over her mouth, afraid she might vomit on her dress. There was no time to change into a new one.The driver, a staff member at the research base, quickly handed her a bottle of water. "Dr. Jones, are you okay?"Melanie took the water and managed to suppress her dry heaves after a few sips."Thank you, I'm fine. Sorry to keep you waiting."She took a deep breath, composed herself, and lifted her gown as she stepped out of the car.After handing over the invitation, Melanie entered the banquet hall. As soon as she stepped inside, someone approached her and greeted her warmly: "Melanie? We meet again."Melanie turned and faced the youthful and reckless face of "Jeffrey."She squinted her eyes and smiled. "You investigated me?""Didn't you say I was pleading you take responsibility for me? Naturally, I had to investigate!"Wade deliberately leaned closer, scrutinizing her up and down. "Miss, you're so beautiful. How come you don't have a
Seeing Yvette's disdainful expression and the wine glass in her hand, Melanie purposely refrained from reaching out to take it.After a few seconds of cooling silence, Melanie spoke calmly, "You must have heard as well, the reason I was dumped by the Frost family is due to my health. So, recently I've been on medicine and can't drink alcohol."Yvette hesitated for a moment, seemingly surprised by Melanie's self-deprecating tone, yet she also refrained from drinking.Sensing the tension, several fashion elites approached, greeting Melanie one by one.Turning to Yvette, one of them inquired, "How should we address you, miss?""Just call me Yvette. I'm Master Jefford's companion!" Yvette proudly emphasized "Jefford.""So, you're Master Jefford's companion. No wonder I just saw you two together."The most talkative among the elites chuckled, "But... I've never seen you before. We were just discussing when Master Jefford would finally flaunt his treasure to everyone..."The conversa
After making a public spectacle of herself, Yvette's face turned a mixture of red and purple. She shot a furtive glance at Linda, who wore a furious expression. With no face left to stay there, Yvette quickly found an excuse and made her exit.With Linda present, the other socialites refrained from initiating any conversation and patiently waited for Linda to speak first.Linda swiftly adjusted her demeanor and inquired warmly and elegantly about their earlier discussion.The socialites briefly explained that they were "concerned" about Melanie's perfume…"Is that so?"Linda's eyes brightened. "It seems we're on the same wavelength here. I'm also interested in Melanie's perfume, but my interest lies in her upcoming fragrances."The socialites didn't quite grasp it. Linda turned to Melanie and said, "The York family is gearing up for their anniversary. In a recent media interview, the head of Angle Perfumes mentioned that they are launching new fragrances soon. I assume you're inv
Melanie furrowed her brow.Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Linda staring not far away. Jefford's manner of speaking suggested he was likely putting on a show for Linda.Even if Linda could see them, as long as they controlled their expressions and kept their voices low, Linda wouldn't overhear anything. The private detective had confirmed—there were no listening devices or cameras here.With this in mind, Melanie adopted an indifferent expression, adjusted her posture, pretended to pick up her glass, and leaned closer to Jefford's shoulder, quietly mouthing:"There are no bugs here."After saying that, her heart raced.She awaited his explanation, having waited for it a long time.Jefford was also shaken!He understood she was reminding him it was safe to speak here, that she wanted to hear his explanation…He had hurt her deeply before, yet she still believed he had reasons…Today, many claimed she couldn't bear children, causing the Frost family to call off the engage
Melanie was at a loss for words.She had sought Jefford out for an explanation, but before she could receive one, his response only added to her frustration. She wanted to figure out which side of Jefford was the real one!She also wanted to ask him about Julia's pregnancy and miscarriage—did he know? She needed to gauge whether she should reveal that she was carrying his children…If Jefford was indeed involved in Julia's situation, as a mother, she had to protect the two babies in her belly. She couldn't allow a beast of a father to harm them!But at this critical moment, Wade approached and started gossiping!As if things weren't chaotic enough!Then, even more chaotic events unfolded one after another!Linda also walked over toward them.With a flirtatious blink of her eye, Linda greeted the three people she knew and asked, "Did I hear correctly just now? Wade, what's going on between you and Melanie?""Heh... Ha..."Wade awkwardly chuckled with his hands in his pockets,
Melanie didn't pause for breath, delivering these words before turning on her heel and walking away.Wade hurried to catch up, and this time Melanie didn't resist, walking alongside him.Behind them, Linda burst into unrestrained laughter.It wasn't hard to imagine how sour Jefford's face must have been.But he had nearly depleted her trust. Tormenting him? Strangely, she found the idea rather comfortable!"Miss, by the way, I'm free tonight. How about coming to my room?" Wade followed Melanie, saying.Melanie's mind was elsewhere moments ago. Startled by such a direct "invitation," she paused to look at him. "What did you just say?""You know, with my status, scandals are a hassle. So, I'm forced to ask you to come see me." Wade continued shamelessly."You're young and carefree indeed, seeing that you’re speaking so bluntly." Melanie wasn't sure how to talk to someone so young."Young people don't have many hidden agendas. We say what we think!" Wade winked. "Weren't you sati
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.