"The driver is taking Stella? What about you?" Judging from the expression on Lucas' face, Melody figured he was not planning to leave. "Don't... Don't tell me you're planning to take the bus with me?"Lucas turned to look at her and nodded. "What? Am I not allowed to do so?""No, that wasn't what I meant." Melody glanced around and leaned in, lowering her voice. "It's just that you're the president of Rivera Group, so isn't taking the bus a bit beneath you?"Seeing her acting furtively, Lucas narrowed his eyes. "Is there a law saying that people of my status can't take the bus?""Of course not." Melody straightened herself and decided not to dwell on the fact that he was taking the bus.Melody was, however, secretly pleased. The fact that he was there at least proved that he was not that concerned about Stella.The bus arrived around 15 minutes later, and the two of them boarded.To Melody's surprise, there were many passengers on the bus. After all, it was not rush hour. The t
Undeniably, Melody was harboring expectations in her heart when she asked him that question. She wondered, 'Who am I exactly to him?'Lucas gazed at her silently for a while before sighing helplessly. "Although Stella and I grew up together, we're not childhood sweethearts. We're just ordinary friends," he explained.Melody's heart skipped a beat. Did his explanation imply that he cared deeply about her feelings?'Oh, sh*t!' she thought when she realized that.She was afraid she might develop feelings for Lucas if things continued at this rate. Unfortunately, that was simply impossible. She and Lucas were people from two different worlds—he a prince, and she a peasant. How could they have a future together?"Okay, I understand." Melody did not say much more. She just nodded in response to Lucas' words and walked ahead. "Let's go. Grandpa and Grandma must be waiting for us."Lucas was not entirely satisfied with her response.The only reason he was willing to explain to Melody wa
Melody spent a long time on the balcony before finally taking a shower. She immediately fell asleep the moment she got to bed, possibly due to the day's hectic activities.The next day, the family gathered for breakfast.Life went on as usual. Lucas left for the office after breakfast, and Melody turned on her computer to find a friend request from Shaun. She clicked 'accept' and immediately received a message from him.[Melody, I'll have my assistant bring the script to you. Please provide me with your address.]"Address?" Despite knowing that Lucas had talked to Shaun for her sake, Melody was unsure if Lucas had disclosed the details of their relationship and to what extent.'If Shaun doesn't know about my relationship with Lucas, then giving him the Riveras' address will expose everything,' she thought.After much hesitation, Melody finally replied to the message, [Mister Shaun, I happen to be going out today, so 'll come and pick up the script myself.][Okay. Just look for m
"Okay." Lucas laid down on the bed and drifted off to sleep. That night, he had an unusually good sleep.Melody waited until he fell asleep before lying down beside him, also drifting off not long after.Lucas had gone to the office by the time Melody woke up the next morning. She fell into deep contemplation as she looked at the empty space beside her.She freshened up and headed out. On that particular day, she was going to shoot the character stills for 'War Song'.The project had hired the best makeup team, and they had designed some of Melody's looks in advance. With the pre-production preparations, the process of shooting the character stills went effectively quick.Since shooting stills was static and did not require much emotional expression, Melody was able to do quite well.A week later, 'War Song' officially started filming.As the female lead, Melody woke up early on the first day of shooting, got ready, and appeared on set."I knew it! You're absolutely perfect to
Stella and her assistant brought a lot of coffee, delivering cup by cup to the crew and cast. "Great job, everyone! It's such a hot day, so I'm sure a nice cup of iced coffee will do wonders for you.""Oh Stella, you're so kind and beautiful!""As expected of an award-winning actress! Not only is she professional, but she's approachable too."Everyone, upon receiving the coffee, was very happy. They kept piling praises on Stella.Some of them turned to look at Melody and said, "Unlike some people who clearly can't act, yet still insist on taking the female lead role. Sigh! We would've wrapped up filming quickly if it weren't for her.""Yeah! She doesn't deserve the role at all!"Although their conversation did not explicitly mention the person they were talking about, those in the know knew.Melody felt a tightness in her chest when she saw how happy they were. She stood up and decided to take a break alone in the car."Melody."Stella grabbed a cup of coffee and walked over t
"It's no big deal," Stella said pretentiously.A domino effect began to take root. The surrounding staff started to praise Stella one after another. Stella was like the brightest star in the crowd, constantly receiving praise from those around her. As for Melody, it seemed like her only function was to serve as a contrast to Stella."Melody, let me see the script," Stella said, reaching out to take the script from Melody's hands.Melody hesitated for a moment, then placed the script down, avoiding her hand.Stella scoffed in her heart, feeling that Melody was unappreciative. However, she maintained a pleasant smile on her face and said, "Melody, are you not allowed to give the script to others to see? No problem. You can read it out to me, then!""Thank you, Miss Stella, for being willing to explain the film to me. However, I'd like to ponder over it myself a bit more, to see if I can bring out my own style in the performance," Melody politely expressed her gratitude and declined
Stella still could not understand why Shaun would choose Melody as the female lead. Melody had no acting experience at all, and she did not have any fan base. How could she handle the role of the female lead in a movie? Surely no one would go watch 'War Song' then?'Shaun must be regretting his decision now after all the commotion that happened today,' thought Stella. She was sure that Shaun would give her the role of the female lead if she came to the set another time to kick up a fuss.Melody performed poorly. Instead of regretting his decision, however, Shaun took the time to coach her in acting. This was something Stella had not expected.After all, when Stella acted in her first film, Shaun gave her an earful for every mistake she made. He never took the time to coach her himself.'Ugh! What exactly makes Melody so special?' thought Stella.Stella's eyes wandered, and she saw the makeup table next to her with 'Melody' written on it, and a bag placed on the chair.'That must
"Which makeup artist is so unprofessional?" came Shaun's displeased voice in the makeup room before he did. He angrily pushed the door open, saying, "Do you guys realize that we're all waiting for Melody? Does the entire crew have to wait for you to find this eyeshadow palette?"The makeup artist, already frustrated for not finding the item, became even more upset with Shaun's remarks. "But Mister Shaun, we used this eyeshadow palette for Melody's character still. The effect will be different if we use another eyeshadow palette.""So everyone has to wait just for you to find this eyeshadow palette?" Shaun became even angrier. "Do you know how much money this production costs every day?"Tears welled up in the makeup artist's eyes after being yelled out.Seeing that the argument was about to escalate between the two, Melody quickly stepped forward to comfort the makeup artist. "Mister Shaun is just too anxious. How about we go to the nearby mall to buy the same eyeshadow palette?"
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