"I have something to do. I need to go, Albert," Melody remarked as she hung up the phone.On the other end, Albert began to recall what Christopher had just said. He was so enraged that he almost threw his phone.Darn it!His plan to lure Melody away from Christopher's house under the guise of work had failed. He pledged to protect her, but now he was unable to see her.Albert was visibly upset, his chest heaving with a mix of anger and distress."Chris! What did you just say?" Melody asked, clearly irritated and annoyed.Christopher pretended to be clueless and responded, "What do you mean? Why are you upset?"Melody instantly saw through his act, recognizing the mischievous glint in his eyes. It was obvious he had done it on purpose."I'm not in the mood to talk," she retorted, turning away in annoyance.Christopher did not mean to irritate her. He knew that angering her would undo all his efforts to regain Melody's affection.He slided an omelet toward her, attempting to a
A well-dressed but visibly exhausted couple emerged from a car. They showed wearied expressions on their faces. The sight of them caused Melody's pupils to constrict significantly.She wasted no time asking Christopher what was going on. Her full attention was drawn to her long-lost parents. She hurried to her parents and embraced them tightly.Melody exclaimed, "Mom! Dad!""Mel!"The family of three hugged each other tightly. With this embrace, all the years of missing and yearning for one another vanished.She tried to hold back her tears by pressing her lips together, but her eyes had turned red."Welcome back," Linette said, her voice tinged with denial. Tears sparkled in her misty eyes as she gazed at her family, who had just returned.The Nolans came together, exchanging stories of their long years apart and their shared anxieties.The wind ruffled Christopher's short hair as he gazed intently at Melody.Her delight and enthusiasm were unmistakable. It was an unusuall
Melody secretly made a decision in her heart as she observed her family members' relaxed expressions.Christopher smiled as he glanced at Melody, who had softened her stance instantly. In deep thought, his eyes twinkled.After the conversation with her parents, Melody excused herself, heading toward the hallway. She called Isaiah, instructing, "Prepare a private jet for me."Her resolve was firm. She wanted to travel to Goska Island and capture the person responsible for her parents' abduction to exact her revenge.A man interrupted from behind, "Planning to use a private jet? Where could you be heading?"Melody's heart thumped a little. She quickly ended the call and faced a mischievous-looking Christopher."I know." Christopher smirked and lifted his eyebrows teasingly, "You must be planning a secret trip to that island without informing your family.""Chris," Melody responded, her voice carrying a hint of warning.Christopher threatened with a tiny click of his tongue, "
Melody didn’t go to Christopher's house again in the next three days. Instead, as she took a tour of Bayridge with her parents. She returned home holding her parents' arms.John and Iris took a seat as soon as they got back."I'm old, I can't walk anymore." Iris touched her legs; she was complaining, but she looked happy."It's been a long time since we were imprisoned. I'm glad to be free again," John said casually, smiling.Suddenly, their expressions changed. John realized he shouldn’t say that, and quickly changed the topic. "Um, Bayridge has changed a lot."Melody smiled, and agreed with him. Though she looked calm, she was infuriated when she heard what her father said. She must find the culprit! He must bow to his parents and pay for what he did!"Mr. Nolan, Mrs. Nolan."Two people walked into the living room.They turned around and saw Albert and Philip approaching, with a few bags of gifts in their hands.Iris smiled, and stood up to greet them. "Al, Phil! You don't
"Aren't you going to get some materials from Modish Group? As your business partner, I should contribute to our project," Christopher said. The corners of his mouth were slightly raised. He wore a businesslike expression, and his words seemed reasonable.Melody's attitude was frosty. "Don't bother, Mr. Bolton. I can do it myself."How could this man not know the real reason why she went abroad?Christopher looked at her, and chuckled. "You said I could go with you when we were in the hospital, remember?"Melody remembered that. She promised Christopher because that was her original plan, but now, she had something else to do—a mission.She couldn’t let Christopher get involved again."This is my private jet. Mr. Bolton, you should stay in Bayridge and recuperate."With that said, Melody stretched out her hand to pull Christopher out. However, she was suppressed; Christopher pulled her wrist instead and grabbed her waist, bringing her to him.Suddenly, they were very close to
Not long after, the car arrived at the gate of the castle.The guards came forward for a routine inspection."We came here to trim and decorate the garden on Miss Alice's order," Melody said with a smile.The gardener told her that Alice would hold a birthday party in the castle tomorrow night, and the garden needed to be decorated.Just when she thought she could enter smoothly, the guard suddenly shouted, "Stop!"Melody frowned and looked at him."I've never seen you before. You're not the previous gardeners, right?" the guard asked doubtfully.Hearing that, Melody breathed a sigh of relief and calmly explained, "Yeah, we're new. We've just started serving the royal family."However, the guard was very cautious. He observed them up and down, and the suspicion in his eyes didn’t fade even after he scrutinized their uniforms."Wait here for a moment. I'm going to Miss Alice for confirmation."He was about to leave."The birthday party will start tomorrow night. We don't have
Every time Christopher took a step closer, Alice could feel her heart beating faster. She coughed a few times, pretended to be calm, and said, "I grant you permission to attend my birthday party with me tomorrow. "Although she liked Christopher, pride was engraved deep in her bones.Her servants were shocked by her words.A servant cautiously reminded her, "Your Highness, he's just a gardener. I am afraid he's not qualified to attend your birthday party."The folds between Christopher's eyebrows deepened a bit.Not qualified?He smirked, his eyes filled with disdain and ridicule. However, Alice found it ridiculously attractive. She had never seen such a wild, free man.Her heart beat faster.She pursed her lips and looked at the servant, dissatisfied. "It's my birthday party. It's my call. I'm doing this to make myself look approachable."The servants didn’t dare to speak anymore.Alice straightened her back proudly, raised her chin, and looked at Christopher. "How about com
"The garden is ahead," the guard said, then left.After Melody and Christopher confirmed that the guard was gone, they returned to Melody's room using the same route.After thinking for a while, Melody said, "No secret room. Maybe it's not the royal family."Christopher thought of the way Alice looked at him, and was disgusted. "Then we don't have to stay anymore. Let's leave tonight."Melody shook her head. "He must be someone powerful. Maybe he'll be there tomorrow night."Seeing her denial, Christopher sighed helplessly. "But you don't recognize him.""My parents said that he smelled like flowers. I'll find him through the smell."Melody's fingers on the table curled up subconsciously. Suddenly, a warm and big palm suddenly covered the back of her hand.She raised her gaze upward, and met Christopher's gloomy eyes."I'll stay with you," he said.The skin on the back of her hand was hot, as if it had been exposed to fire.Melody bit her lower lip. She withdrew her hand, an