Harlan's words certainly caught Melody off guard—if Harlan exposed her right then, every effort she made to disguise her identity would all go to waste!Moreover, Christopher appeared to be all ears. He was actually interested in finding out who Melody really was and was capable of turning into a completely different person after their divorce!As such, Melody promptly shot a look at Luna, who instantly deciphered her best friend's distress signal thanks to the years spent with each other.Just then, Harlan slowly began, "Mr. Bolton, the lady you see her is Nolan Enterprise's—""Bleurgh-ahem-ahem!!!" Luna was suddenly clutching her throat and hacking violently, cutting Harlan short.While he leveled a look of annoyance at his granddaughter, Luna cleared her throat and smiled at him. "Ahem, ahem… Sorry, something just got stuck in my throat. Anyway, I can do the introductions, Gramps—Mel's my bestie, after all."Then, turning toward Christopher, she put on a solemn look and said,
As the lights in the hall illuminated Christopher's handsome visage, it was clear he was glowering at Melody.But why was he looking at her? Did he suspect her identity?Melody rolled her eyes and turned away coolly—there was no point in suspecting, not when none of his people were at the level of unraveling her true identity!She headed over to a quiet corner to text Luna, who told her she was going to fix her makeup in the ladies' room.However, Luna was nowhere to be seen since.And unbeknownst to Melody, Christopher promptly excused himself from Harlan after seeing Luna leave. "I happen to be planning a collaboration project with Ms. Nolan. Since Melody is her assistant, I could discuss it with her."Then, when Melody finished sending her text, he already caught her wrist. "Come with me."He was so close that he could smell the expensive woody perfume he was wearing. He reached out to push Christopher, but he was like a wall—unbudging.Frowning, she demanded, "What are yo
Melody also saw that Christopher's rage was not feigned, and an outrageous thought suddenly struck her.Could he be talking about the gift she had thrown away the other day? That was the Seascape Painting?!No way…Melody was suddenly a lot less confident when she remembered the box she threw into the trash can, and she was also avoiding Christopher's gaze.Her sudden silence only left his brow furrowing deeper. "Nothing? Feeling guilty, are we?"As Melody stayed silent and continued avoiding his gaze, Christopher was left scowling as an idea occurred to him. "You threw it away?!"The situation was simply so outrageous he could get a stroke right then. His handsome visage was left contorting as he glared at her with the rage of a storm. "Well done, Melody! Took everything personally, didn't you—""I-I'm sorry! Help, please!!!"Christopher, however, was cut off, his face falling as he noticed something with the corner of his eye—a waiter was just turning around the corner wh
Olivia was sitting on the couch in Bolton Manor, fuming.Everything about the painting only became more suspicious the more she thought about it, but she could not quite put her finger on it… until she had her tea.'Damn it! Melody must have had a hand in this!'Naturally, Talia found her in a sullen mood when she arrived at Bolton Manor. "Mrs. Bolton?" she called out sweetly just then.Olivia looked up, cheering up a little just then. "Oh, hello. Come here and sit with me."Even as she beckoned at Talia, her eyes were already fixed on the presents Talia brought, which Talia could see as bright as day.A few presents were enough to control her already? Her soon-to-be mother-in-law was as shallow as she was dull."Chris told me that Nat would be out for a couple days, so I came to keep you company since you might get lonely here," she said, handing Olivia the nutritional supplements and branded beauty products. "I saw these along the way here, and I bought them since I thought
Melody was in the parking lot, which was so brightly lit it was almost blinding.She was unaware that she was now being targeted, though she would not be afraid anyway.However, her mind was still on the painting as she forked out her car keys from her handbag.Seeing that she was distracted, Jensen called out softly, "Ms. Nolan?"Melody turned, her gaze as cool as ice beneath the lights. Despite that, Jensen extended his hand to take her handbag. "Where to, Ms. Nolan? I can take you there.""It's fine—you can head home. I'd like to take a stroll alone," Melody replied. She would rather keep Jensen in the dark, since he would not be helpful even if he knew anyway. Jensen remained hesitant but quickly turned away when Melody shot him a cool look, her sense of superiority seemingly projected into the air around them."Yes, Ms. Nolan—I'll head home now. Just call me anytime you need me," he said.After sending Jensen away, Melody thought she should verify if Christopher was tel
Irwin blinked. "What is it?"Melody was focused on driving, however, and did not respond. Even as the beautiful night view passed fleetingly, none of it seemed to interest Irwin—if anything, his annoyance only grew as he could not help ranting, "Honestly, how do the minds of the Boltons work? Olivia Bailey is so stupid she can't even steal a painting… How did she even marry into their family?!"While they were paid damages, did Melody even need the money?! Even her shoes were worth millions!It was such a pity that they could not find the painting, let alone obtain it.And that was all Christopher's fault!Fuming, Irwin suddenly had an idea and turned toward Melody with a blazing gaze. "Actually, why don't you just paint another if we can't retrieve it?"He had seen her paint, and her art was breathtaking to say the least! In fact, one of her works had gained the favor of the Queen of Stabion, and she even invited Melody to a banquet at her palace. Still, Melody rejected the in
The moon's glow spilled through the window and into the hallway, illuminating Melody's visage within a tender halation.Upon a closer look, it was a look of wistfulness.Irwin certainly could tell—now that the Seascape Painting was found, his boss was definitely missing her father.Despite her tough, valiant exterior, she was as tender as she was affectionate on the inside. From the meticulously preserved greenhouse to the incidents revolving around the Seascape Painting, her strong desire to honor her late parents was obvious.Feeling pained from just seeing that, Irwin spoke quietly to comfort her, "Well, your hard work paid off, and the painting's back. Their remembrance day will be perfect, ma'am!"Irwin was right—Melody's mother loved her flowers, and her father had a passion for art. Given that his favorite painting was this painting, he would certainly be delighted wherever he was now.Melody was relieved too, and there was just one loose end yet to be tied up.After all,
Luke was watching Christopher's reaction through the rearview mirror.After so many outbursts, he finally realized that Christopher would visibly scowl whenever Melody was mentioned but insisted on talking about her anyway.Luke certainly wanted to point out that he cared a little too much for his ex-wife, even though they were already divorced.Still, he was only human and valued his life!On the other hand, Christopher could tell that he wanted to say something. "Something on your mind?"Luke promptly shook his head. "N-Nothing."Christopher snorted, not bothered to press the issue as he snapped, "Have someone keep an eye on my mom. Make sure she's staying home and not doing anything stupid again!"Melody was devious. He would never let her get another chance!"Yes, sir. No worries, sir," Luke assured him. "Are we heading home now?"Christopher was rubbing between his brows, annoyed at the thought that his mother would inevitably start crying and complaining about the painti