Understanding something was one thing, but seeing Melody act on it was another. Lucas realized that they were inseparable. At that moment, he was certain that he had gained another person in his life who loved him so deeply."I'm fine with the arrangement, but won't you feel rushed in your work?" asked Lucas.Melody smiled and shook her head. "It won't be too rushed. I have a feeling that Grandma will wake up very soon. She loves you so much, so she wouldn't bear to see you sad."Melody's words acted as a powerful confidence boost; even Lucas felt certain that Beatrice would wake up soon.He drove Melody to the dance studio. "Let me know when you're done here, and I'll come to pick you up. Don't go back on your own, okay?"Despite the lack of evidence proving that Beatrice was pushed, Lucas remained deeply concerned about her. After the previous accidents in their family, he would not allow such a thing to happen again.After Melody agreed, he headed to his company. The news abou
"Never mind, you wouldn't get it," Leo said, patting Edmund's shoulder.Since he accepted the task, he would complete it well. He was already familiar with these chronically online folks, and it seemed that the example of Tasha Lynch had not deterred them enough. He did not mind using even stronger methods to show others the consequences of slandering Melody online.As Melody pushed open the door to the dance studio, she sensed that something was amiss with the atmosphere. Her teacher was leading her to the innermost room for their practice, which meant she would pass by other rooms. Usually, other students would warmly greet her, yet although some still greeted her that day, she felt their gazes were more scrutinizing than usual.That made Melody particularly uncomfortable, especially when she noticed that after scrutinizing her, they would gather and whisper among themselves. She could not understand how she had become the subject of gossip once again.Melody rubbed her arms unea
'Even now, Wendy can't stand to see me live a peaceful life even for a moment. She still wants to publicly spread those things about me online. I've long cut ties with the Sanders, so how could she still be so shameless?!' thought Melody.Out loud, she said, "Sorry, but Wendy isn't my sister. You've got the wrong person."Melody felt there was no need to explain Carmen anymore as it seemed like she was determined to use the online rumors to ostracize her. Besides, she would not be coming back to the dance studio anyway."Hey, what's with your attitude? So others aren't even allowed to point out your mistakes? No wonder your parents don't even like you. I don't understand how someone like Mister Lucas could fancy you. What tricks did you use?"While Carmen had a domineering personality and many students in the dance studio also disliked her, her words still struck a chord with everyone. What made Melody better than them? Why would such an outstanding man like Lucas Rivera of Rivera
"Don't accuse others falsely. We're talking about you here! Who cares if Mister Lucas is your husband?"Unfortunately, Carmen's words lacked credibility, and everyone noticed it. Every time Lucas appeared, her eyes would follow his every move. There had been several occasions where even the teacher had to remind her not to be too obvious about it.After all, Lucas was Melody's husband, and they were a legitimate couple. No matter how much a woman liked a married man, the woman should consider the feelings of the married man's wife.Carmen certainly knew what everyone was implying, and she knew they were probably mocking her behind her back, but so what? She dared to guarantee that every female student in the dance studio had fantasized about being with Lucas. She was just more obvious about it."There's no use denying it since you might just as well have your thoughts spoken out loud! But you know what? Let's put that aside for now. What I want to know is what have I done to you to
With so much to do at home, Melody did not have time to continue wasting with them. She would let her lawyer handle it if they refused to come to their senses. After all, they were just acquaintances to her, not particularly important friends. They might never see each other again after Melody left the dance studio. What they thought had nothing to do with her.At that moment, the teacher hurriedly emerged from the innermost classroom. "There you are, Melody. I was wondering why you haven't arrived yet after contacting me earlier. I see you're being held up by the other students."The teacher stood in front of Melody and turned to warn the other students, "You're all students of the dance studio, I warn you not to speak recklessly outside. Especially you, Carmen. You don't get to have everything you want, do you understand? You're all adults and should know what to do and what not to do. Instead of wasting your time like this, you should learn from Melody how to perfect your dance mo
Competing against someone who had trained for years was not a wise move for Melody. Even if she intended to use winning the competition to suppress them, it seemed a bit reckless.Dancing was Carmen's forte, and she arrogantly lifted her chin. "Let's use last week's dance routine. That way, you can't say I'm bullying you. We both do the dance at the same time, and everyone can judge for themselves who's the better dancer. It won't take much of your time, so what do you think, Miss Big Movie Star?"Melody nodded and began to warm up. She was already familiar with the dance she did the previous week. Since Carmen was not convinced, she was determined to dance until Carmen acknowledged her skill.The praises from various teachers echoed in her mind. She wondered what others' reactions would be when they saw her dance.Before the competition started, Melody told the teacher to ask Lucas not to worry as she might be home late that day."You don't have to take on this challenge. You kno
Someone would surely be secretly recording the dance off, and once it was uploaded online, it would likely cause another uproar. It would be fine if Melody won, but if she loses, then her reputation would be…The teacher was deeply worried, but Melody seemed oblivious."Come on, Carmen!"The other students were cheering for Carmen, and she proudly raised her head. "You can save yourself from humiliation if you admit defeat now, but once the competition starts, you won't be able to back out."Melody smiled nonchalantly. "It's still too early to say who'll win for sure, so how can you be so sure you'll win?"Carmen leaned in close, taunting in a low voice, "I might not win against you when it comes to men, but I'll definitely beat you in dancing. Whether it's dancing or your man, I'll take them one by one. Just you wait."Although Melody's expression did not change much, the teacher could keenly sense that she was getting angry. Even the smile on her face was not as gentle as usual
Everyone looked sympathetically in her direction, having noticed that something was amiss. She had suffered a humiliating loss, one that might be attributed to a lapse in focus. The issue could end there if she was in a good mood though.After all, she went to the dance studio to practice her dancing and prepare a routine for when she had a meet-and-greet with her fans. She did not think that her rival would be better than her when so few classes had been attended.Though she had been anticipating the dance instructor's announcement of her victory in the competition, it was Melody's hand that the instructor raised. She stared at the instructor in disbelief and said, "Ma'am! This must be a mistake. I'm on your left! You should be raising my hand!"The instructor blinked and lowered Melody's hand. She then announced, "The winner of the first round is—Melody!"Carmen was left rattled and in utter disbelief. "Even if you're biased, you can't show it so blatantly in front of everyone! W
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