Upon hearing Beatrice's words, Melody finally learned why Lucas wanted to marry her. After all, she did not believe that he was the type of guy who would feel responsible for her just because they had a one-night stand, nor did she think he lacked any potential marriage candidates.'No wonder Lucas rushed into this marriage proposal. It seems his family is really pressuring him, and he needed a quick solution,' thought Melody."Melody, I can tell you're a good girl. With you by his side, we can have a bit more peace of mind," said Beatrice.Facing Beatrice's goodwill, Melody felt a pang of guilt. Her marriage to Lucas was built on a lie, and she wondered how she would ever face Beatrice after the inevitable divorce from Lucas a year later.Beatrice shared some heartfelt advice during their stroll. She then had a servant take Melody to rest in Lucas' room.'Am I dreaming?' Melody could not help but marvel at the room much larger than her old one.Just a while ago, she had been liv
After preparing the pancakes and scrambled eggs, Melody decided to wrap up the cooking with a pot of oatmeal. As she did so, however, she felt a sudden discomfort in her stomach.Melody quickly turned to Chloe beside her and said, "Chloe, I need to use the restroom for a moment. The oatmeal isn't ready yet, so can you keep an eye on it for me?""Sure, Miss Melody," replied Chloe.The moment Melody left, however, a sinister smirk appeared on Chloe's face.…When Melody returned from the restroom, she found Chloe already serving the oatmeal."Is the oatmeal done?" "Yes." Chloe placed all the food on the table and said, "I'll go get Mister Cedric and Miss Beatrice down for breakfast now."Melody nodded with a smile and took a seat at the table. Oddly, she could not shake the feeling that Chloe's gaze held a hint of dislike toward her. However, she brushed it off, hoping it was just her imagination.After a while, Cedric and Beatrice arrived at the dining room.Beatrice smiled k
"Food poisoning?" Lucas turned to Mandy.Cedric and Beatrice had always been under Mandy's care, and she was responsible for their daily meals.Mandy quickly stood up, waving her hands in explanation. "Mister Lucas, I truly had no idea! I've always been cautious about your grandparents' health and never gave them anything from outside. How could this happen?"Mandy was anxious to defend herself. However, she lacked evidence to prove her innocence and could only gesture nervously.'Contaminated food? I made breakfast this morning. Is this happening because of me?' thought Melody suddenly.She glanced at Mandy, who looked visibly concerned. After a moment of hesitation, she stood up and timidly said, "Um... I prepared breakfast this morning, and I also cooked dinner last night. I don't think this has anything to do with Mandy."Lucas raised an eyebrow, silently gazing at her.In truth, he trusted Mandy. After all, she had been taking care of Beatrice for so many years, and their b
After snapping out of her shock, Melody was compelled to question Chloe.As Melody got closer, Chloe started stepping back and accidentally fell to the ground. "Miss Melody, I... I didn't mean to tattle on you, but since Mister Cedric and Miss Beatrice are this sick, I have no choice but to tell Mister Lucas what I've seen!"Melody looked at Chloe, who still was on the floor, with a frown on her face. "Just what are you trying to achieve by throwing baseless accusations at me?"Chloe looked away. She put on a frightened look of almost being on the verge of tears as she shuffled closer to Lucas.Lucas glared at Melody. "Speak! Why did you want to harm my grandparents?"It was then Melody understood that he had chosen to trust Chloe over her.It was understandable, considering one was a maid who had been part of their household for many years, while the other was a relatively unknown woman he had just met.It was clear whom Lucas would believe.In the past, Melody might have quie
However, Lucas chose to go along with Melody's plan and followed Chloe home.…The taxi stopped at the entrance of the Riveras' residence. Chloe hastily paid the fare and rushed into the yard.Melody never could afford further education after high school, so she reluctantly entered the workforce. Finally, she landed a position as a maid working for the Rivera family. The work was simple, but the pay was good.Nonetheless, what mattered most was meeting Lucas. She had a crush on him.Initially, she never dared to dream about being with such an unattainable man. She was content with just observing him from a distance for the rest of her life, but then Melody appeared.'If an unassuming woman like Melody can become Mister Lucas' wife, then I can, too!' thought Chloe.Little did she expect Melody to be quite cunning, figuring out a way to prove innocence by use of fingerprint verification. Thus, she needed to hurry home and wipe away all the evidence. That way, Melody would not have
Chloe panicked at the mention of being hauled to the police station. "Mister Lucas, please! I'm innocent... Miss Melody is lying about me!" she pleaded.Lucas scoffed. "Why would she lie about you? If you're not guilty, why did you rush back to wipe the pot of your fingerprints?"Tears welled up in Chloe's eyes as she struggled to find the right words. "I... I just..."Lucas lost his patience with her. "Edmund, take her away!""Yes, sir!" Edmund stepped forward and dragged Chloe out.Feeling her crime slowly being exposed, Chloe gritted her teeth and stared at Melody defiantly."Lucky you, Melody! Mister Lucas almost bought my story before you pulled this stunt. You're every bit of the scheming b*tch I know you are!"She became slightly hysterical as tears flowed freely down her face. "You're a wicked woman! You don't deserve Mister Lucas!"'If I'm going down, then I'm going to drag her down with me!' thought Chloe. She reached out to grab Melody.Before Melody could react, Lu
"Luckily, Chloe's guilty conscience kicked in, or I'd be the one heading to the police station right now!" As she spoke, Melody met Lucas's gaze.For some reason, Melody felt that there was something different from the way Lucas looked at her than before.Feeling a bit uneasy under his intense stare, Melody swiftly changed the subject. "Well, Lucas, don't you think you owe me an apology for thinking I'm guilty?"Lucas turned to look at Melody, who was indeed unique from the others. Apart from Corinne, no one had dared to ask for an apology from him. Nevertheless, he almost fell for Chloe's deceit and wronged Melody."Sorry," Lucas said impassively. He then turned and headed upstairs.It was not the most formal apology, but it was already a significant gesture for Lucas. Honestly, Melody had not expected him to apologize at all. With a slightly changed view of him, she thought Lucas must be hungry after rushing home, so she decided to cook him something.After Melody finished cook
From that day on, Melody made it a daily routine to bring meals to Cedric and Beatrice, trying to make up for her kitchen mishap.As Cedric and Beatrice's health improved, the doctor eventually allowed them to leave the hospital.Lucas took a break from his work to fetch Cedric and Beatrice from the hospital."Grandma, be careful!" Melody assisted Beatrice, helping her settle in the back seat before doing the same for Cedric.There was no driver, and Lucas took the wheel himself. With Cedric and Beatrice in the back seat, Melody had no choice but to sit in the front passenger seat.Beatrice observed Lucas and Melody's seemingly harmonious interaction and felt genuinely pleased."Have you both been enjoying your time at home these past few days?" she asked them.She had worried a lot about Lucas's marriage before, but everything went seemingly smoothly. In fact, Melody had been alone at home for most of the time as Lucas had stayed out for most of the time.Lucas seemed unintere
Sherman could not help but feel fearful when he recalled the incident.Rita gently smoothed his furrowed brow. "I knew you'd come to rescue me, just like all the times you did. I love you, Sherman."Previously, Rita confessed her love to him when she was groggy. At this moment, however, she was clearly awake, even sporting a faint smile on her face as she confessed.Sherman immediately blushed. "I love you, too."Rita did not stay long in the hospital; she quickly returned to the Parr family's mansion. Just as Sherman's grandparents had said, Rita did not have any major injuries, so there was no need for her to stay in the hospital that long. In fact, she might even recover faster emotionally under the care at home.Not once did Sherman bring up Rita's job, but she surprisingly resigned from New Capital Times on her own accord. It would be difficult for her to investigate cases with her current condition; not to mention Sherman had handed over the evidence to the police. The polic
"Sherman, I like you. I love you," Rita finally confessed.Sherman, deeply pained, pulled Rita into his arms. "This is all my fault. I should've looked for you quicker. I've never blamed you. All I want is to see you smile. It's enough for me as long as you're willing to let me stay by your side."You don't have to confess to me. I know it's hard for you to do that because of your family. I've seen the way they've treated you, and…"The bodyguards who had barged in with Sherman felt a bit awkward to see their company president in tears. However, the priority was to get Rita to the hospital for a check-up. Being tied up for hours could cause circulation issues, and it could be dangerous if her limbs did not regain feelings soon.In the end, they got the bravest among them to convince Sherman to let them take Rita to the hospital. Instead of letting them do it, Sherman wiped away his tears and, with ease, lifted Rita as if she was as light as a feather.Fortunately, after the hospit
With that, Karen left without looking back. She was carrying Vince's baby in her womb, so how could she pin all her hopes on Sadie? Since Sadie was obviously unruly, she would have to rely on her son.'Sadie can spend the rest of her life with Esmond since she likes him so much. God knows it had been exhausting enough to raise her. Plus, it's only fair for Esmond to take care of her since I've done my part taking care of her until now,' thought Karen.Meanwhile, the only consolation for Sherman was that Esmond did not try to put up a fight. It seemed that he still cared about his daughter Sadie.Sherman led his men to a dilapidated house. Esmond had been cautious enough to choose a rundown house situated at the end of a village.When Sherman barged in, he found Rita lying on the floor while Esmond's men ignored her. Esmond's men had followed his orders, and since he did not instruct them to do anything to Rita, they left her well alone.Before the men could react, they were surrou
Karen cried and silently knelt by Sadie's side without trying to defend herself. Sadie, on the other hand, feebly tried to explain herself. Alas. Vince refused to listen.There had been many occasions before when he had chosen to believe Karen and Sadie, but at this moment, he realized he had been terribly wrong to do that.Rita used to be so kind, understanding, and well-behaved. However, ever since Karen and Sadie moved in, Vince felt like his daughter had become manipulative, always trying to compete for attention, and stirring up jealousy in front of him.Unfortunately, it took Rita's disappearance to make Vince realize that Rita was not trying to compete for attention. All Rita wanted from him was to treat her the same as Sadie.Vince used to think that Rita should give in to Sadie more since Sadie was younger, too."Why don't you go live with your biological father since you prefer him so much? I never want to see you show your face around here anymore! As for your mother, s
Sadie was so anxious that she wanted to jump out. "Mom, don't tell me you fell for it! Why did you call Esmond? Now they all know where Rita is. You've ruined everything, again! What were you thinking?"Karen could not care less. She cried and slapped Sadie. "You nearly scared me to death! What would I do if something happened to you? I didn't raise you just to watch you die. I told you not to meet up with Esmond, so why did you secretly meet up with him? How can you ask him to get rid of Rita?"Are you out of your mind? All I want is for us to live out the rest of our lives peacefully, so why didn't you listen to me?!"Sadie was furious. Karen had stopped trying to get rid of Rita ever since she got pregnant, so how could Sadie not be angry? Rita was like a thorn in her side, and Sadie would never be happy unless Rita was dead."Don't you know I like Sherman? How could you ask me to do nothing when Rita has stolen him from me?! I was the one who liked him first. It's either Rita g
Karen wanted so badly to slap Esmond through the phone.'What good are his pompous words now? We wouldn't be in this mess now if he hadn't hit me back then! What's more, he's saying he's doing this for Sadie. But has he ever thought of what would happen to me and Sadie if he got rid of Rita? Rita's the heiress of the Russell family. Not to mention, she's married to Sherman, so that makes her owner of Parr Group too! What makes Esmond think he can get rid of Rita so easily?'Karen's breath was ragged as she said, "If you don't believe me, just listen to your daughter's screams. I can't save her now; you will literally decide her fate! Plus, I'm pregnant with Vince's baby, so even if I lose Sadie, I still have a kid—which is more than what I can say about you!"Sherman could not help but be impressed by Karen a little. Even in this dire situation, she did not forget to express her heartfelt feelings to Vince, letting him know that she was always on his side. It was certainly not an ea
"Sherman raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'm sure it's just a minor injury, maybe just a finger. There shouldn't be any major issues. A sprained joint takes only a hundred days to heal, and it might take her even less time to heal if you take very good care of her while she's recuperating."Karen's heart ached upon hearing that. She lunged toward Sherman, wanting to hit him, but the bodyguards stopped her before she could get close.Vince, still worried, held Karen tightly beside him. "Calm down. I'm sure Sadie will come out unharmed if Rita's kidnapping has nothing to do with her. But if it does, then you should know very well that…"Vince's voice dropped an octave. He could not believe his daughter's disappearance had anything to do with his stepdaughter. However, he was not utterly naive.He continued, "How could a girl like her take Rita away? Even the car window was smashed. Others must've been involved. Does her biological father have anything to do with it?"Sherman nodded
"Yes, it's true I met up with my biological father, but it was just a one-time thing. I don't want to go back to him at all! Otherwise, I would've done it ages ago. Dad, I'm really grateful to you for taking me in and looking after me all these years. That's why I feel like you're my real father, even more real than those who share the same blood."How could you unjustly accuse me and Mom like that? Sherman is the one spouting nonsense here. He's trying to push all the blame onto us. Dad, you have to wake up and see the truth!"Karen nodded along, but her heart was racing. 'When did Sadie meet Esmond? How did Sherman know when I don't even know? Seems like Sadie does have something to do with Rita's kidnapping. I have to settle things and get Sherman out of here.'Karen never had the thought of rekindling her relationship with Esmond. The only thing she wanted then was to peacefully give birth to her son. Everything in the Russell family would eventually go to her son, and she would
Sherman detested people pointing their fingers at him when they spoke. He stood up slowly, towering over Vince instantly."You claim to be Rita's father, yet if I were you, I'd choose to shut up and stand aside. I can't believe you're scolding me for threatening Sadie when she's not even your real daughter!"Look at her guilty expression; it's clear she's involved. If you don't believe me, use your brain a little. No wonder Russell Group is declining under your leadership. It's only a matter of time before the company goes completely bankrupt!"Sherman showed no mercy, causing Vince to retreat with every word. Vince clutched his chest, struggling for breath.Karen, despite her weakness, stepped forward to support him. "How could you speak to your father-in-law like this? What has Sadie done to offend you? She has nothing but admiration for you. Plus, she's just a child. How could you treat her like this?"She went on and on, but Sherman stood his ground. Meanwhile, the burly bodyg