Melody closed her eyes in anguish. She did not want to go back to that place."If it doesn't matter where I live, then why can't I stay in the dormitory? I like it here. Please, Lucas, let me decide where I live. My life belongs to me...""I've said what I said. If you keep getting thinner, I'll come and take you back. Have you forgotten what the doctor said? You need to get proper care. Do you want to end up in the hospital again?" asked Lucas.Melody closed her eyes in pain. She did not want to go back to the hospital, nor did she want to return to the Riveras."Alright. You have my word I won't get any thinner."Lucas finally seemed satisfied at Melody's reply. "From now on, send me pictures of your three meals every day. I want to confirm personally that you're eating well. If your diet is not up to standard, I'll have Lynette prepare and send meals to you."Melody immediately rejected his proposal. She came to the dormitory to distance herself from everything related to the
"Alright, since there's a morning scene to shoot, hurry up and go. Don't keep the cast waiting," Lucas said, urging Shaun to leave.Of course, everyone had been in the business for so long, so they understood that Lucas did not want Melody to wait.Once Shaun had left, Lucas could not stand the presence of the remaining people either. He dismissed them and then laid down on Melody's sofa. It was a place Melody often frequented, and he could still catch a whiff of her pleasant scent in the air.Lucas' brow relaxed slightly, but the recent argument with Melody weighed on his mind. He could not help but wonder when Melody had started thinking about leaving him. However, there was a voice in his heart that was crystal clear; he absolutely would not allow her to leave him.He did not know what to do next. He shifted his body, curling up his long legs on the narrow sofa. He did not mind the crampness of the sofa as long as he could smell Melody's scent on it. Unaware, he drifted off to s
Thalia called just to confirm whether Beatrice had said anything she should not have to Lucas. She had left early in the morning, fearing that Beatrice might stop her and ask what had happened last night.Although she had brushed off Beatrice's inquiries at the time, Lucas was not sober then. She was afraid he would realize what had happened if he had been present.However, to Thalia's relief, Lucas' voice sounded normal over the phone."Lucas, where are you? I came to the library this morning because there are a few books I want to read that I couldn't find at home. Can you pick me up when you go back?"Lucas hesitated, his brows furrowing. He did not know when Melody would be off work, yet Thalia needed to go back."When are you planning to return? Didn't you have the driver take you this morning?" asked Lucas.The Riveras' mansion was located in the suburbs, chosen with Beatrice and Cedric in mind. It was a bit far from the bustling city center, so they often relied on taking
'He's right. To him, my current exhaustion is also self-inflicted. I could've found an easier job if I didn't insist on pursuing an acting career. But why am I so tired? Was it because I didn't sleep at all last night due to him? And yet he dares to criticize my life choice?' thought Melody.Not only did Melody feel physically tired, but she was also emotionally drained because she still owed Lucas a lot of money, which left her feeling trapped.She certainly wished, if possible, that she did not owe him anything so that she could openly pursue her own desires without fear instead of feeling timid and constrained in everything she did."Is this really what you think? Do you believe this is my fault? If you think all this exhaustion is deserved on my part, then please, just stay away from me. I'm just a small-time actress. I'm not worth you wasting so much time on me, nor do I want to argue with you anymore."Melody picked up the crutches leaning against the sofa and leaned on it as
At least in the future, Melody would not have to worry about her family dumping their messes on her again. Sometimes, she wondered if they were really her parents, but rather found her by the dumpster. Why else would they despise her so much?Her mother even treated Wendy better than herself. The only time her parents ever thought of Melody was when there was a mess to clean up. Otherwise, they were blissfully unaware of their second daughter.Melody's face darkened, and her mood turned sour at the thought of her family. Having left that family did not mean she could completely forget everything that happened in the past. After all, she grew up and lived there for twenty years.Just as the atmosphere between Melody and Lucas became tense, there was a sudden knock on the door. Lucas looked displeased, wondering who could be so oblivious as to knock while they were alone.'Couldn't it have waited?'Melody, oblivious to Lucas's mood, let the person outside in only to find it was Sher
"Here, have a seat. It's been a while. How have you been?" asked Melody.After Sherman greeted Lucas, he answered Melody with a smile, "Things are going well. Remember the deal I told you about last time that was a little hard to get? Well, we managed to secure it."Melody was genuinely happy to hear Sherman's good news. "That's fantastic! That deal was really tough. I always say you have a strong team with you, and with you involved, how could the client not hire your company!"Sherman's eyes crinkled with his smile as he reached out to ruffle Melody's hair, leaving both Melody and Lucas momentarily stunned. Melody immediately recoiled, feeling uncomfortable with the sudden, intimate gesture. Adding Lucas's presence to the scene made it even more peculiar."Um, thanks, Sherman. I just finished filming, and I completely forgot my hair was a mess..." Melody said, trying to diffuse the situation.Sherman remained smiling, offering no explanation for his actions. Meanwhile, Lucas sto
Lucas was looking down at his phone, flipping through files. He never expected Sherman and Melody to have so much to talk about. They were deep in conversation when Thalia knocked on the door to Melody's room.Melody looked somewhat curious toward the door. 'Why are so many people coming to see me today?'However, her smile faltered when she saw who it was."Hi there, Melody. Sorry to bother you again. I hope my presence here won't cause you too much trouble. Lucas is taking me back, so I figured I'd just come here."Melody kept her smile, though it had faded. "Ah, I see. Of course, it's no trouble at all. My scene is already over. You two can head back first if you want," said Melody.Thalia looked at Lucas coquettishly, but there was also a hint of impatience in her eyes as well.However, Sherman showed no intention of leaving, so how could Lucas even think about leaving?"I'm not in a hurry. It's almost lunchtime, anyway. Let's grab a meal together," Lucas suggested, glancing
"Hey, hey, Lucas, why the rush? Your cousin is here too, right? You should also consider what Melody wants. Maybe she wants to stay?" Thalia interjected. Lucas maintained a cold expression. "She already said she's tired."In other words, there was no need to consider what Melody wanted since the only right thing to do was for her to go back to rest.Melody was well aware of what Thalia was trying to do. She did not want to bring them back to her dormitory either; it was her sanctuary, after all."Well, if Miss Thalia is insisting on having lunch together, let's go eat outside the studio. I can rest after the meal," Melody suggested.Both men seemed somewhat reluctant, but Thalia applauded enthusiastically."That's a good idea. You still need to eat some proper food even if you're tired. That way, your leg can heal faster!" Thalia exclaimed.With that settled, they all prepared to leave. Lucas and Sherman walked beside Melody while Thalia went ahead alone."What are you all doi
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