Melanie felt tears swarming to her nose. “Y-You’re right. Mommy has been careless… But I’ll be more careful next time,” she replied. “Millie kissed Mommy’s boo-boo, though, so I don’t feel pain anymore… Just a little tired. Can you sleep on your own later?”Melissa nodded docilely. “Okay! Millie is a big girl now! Don’t need bedtime stories. I will sleep, sure!”Melanie waited for the nanny to take Melissa away before she sank onto the rug-covered floor with her back against the bed, her eyes studying the contract. Fresh memories of the event just moments ago replayed in her mind.She exhaled a long breath. Her father and Miklan had stood up for her at the right time and came to her aid. It made her feel a little bit better. At the very least, not everyone in her family saw her as a contemptible enemy.At least, she still felt a small warmth of familial bonds from them…By the time Alejandro finished his shower, Melanie was still sitting on the floor.“Hey, hey. I told you to tid

Jackson brought a bowl of hot soup to Tiffany’s lip. “Alright, alright. Drink this while it’s still warm quickly, please; I gotta get to my office today. Anyway, Alejandro managed to return just in time to give those Larks a piece of his mind, so everything’s even. ‘Sides, he even capitalized on them showing up at his front door to make them sign the contract right there and then, so hey, not exactly a fruitless fiasco, is it?”Tiffany looked at the soup and felt her stomach churning in retaliation. “I. Don’t. Want. It,” she declared. “I’ve been drinking the same damn soup every day! I wasn’t even this chubby-lumpy when I was pregnant, but since this confinement happened, I’ve been adding thirty pounds to myself! Thanks to this soup, I need to trim all of this fat now. So, nope! Take this away, please. Oh, oh—and don’t let your mom see you do that, thanks. I just really don’t wanna drink it anymore—the taste just makes me siiiiick!”Jackson started on, helpless. “Bae, you know my mom

Mark narrowed his eyes into two scrutinizing spotlights that grazed her face. “Has Alejandro committed any act of infidelity? Has he committed domestic abuse? Or has he wronged her or committed any grave injustice toward her?”Arianne shook her head slowly. “No, I think? The only thing he’s done wrong is not having loved her back then…? That’s all; I don’t recall any notable conflict. Alejandro even bought her a limited edition sports car, you know—$300,000 and all! I think she finally sparked Alejandro’s affection. I mean, if animals could forge genuine, heartfelt bonds with other creatures they spend time with, then what more could we say about us humans? Melanie’s patience has carried her to this day when he finally loves her, only for her faith to crumble and give up. She’s put her foot down and made up her mind; she wouldn’t listen to me!”Mark stayed his ground. “Same suggestion: stay out of it. Alejandro is the type of wretch who remembers scores. He remembers every. Single. B

Mrs. Cox was the first to recover from the nasty shock. With a practiced smile, she approached Ursula and invited, “Ah, Sylvain’s mother! The wedding’s just started—your timing is impeccable. Let us sit together.”Before Mrs. Cox’s extended hand could touch Ursula, the latter slapped it away curtly. With the air of superiority she had summoned, Ursula declared, “Don’t touch me! I’m way too ‘inferior’ to your esteemed family, innit? If you people really gave a sh*t about your in-law, then you wouldn’t have started the wedding before I’m here, would you? Miss me with that disgusting, fake-a** nicey-nice act, if you be sooooo kind!”Ursula was loud and shrill. Almost everyone heard her, and already the first batch of susurrus joined the room.Mrs. Cox, at her core, was a thin-skinned woman who valued her face; it was the biggest impetus behind her fiery antagonism against Sylvain and Robin’s relationship, after all. To be denigrated in public like this, right now, made her lose her fac

Arianne was suddenly on alert. “What are you planning to do? Now that the milk is already spilled, we should clear up this mess first. Robin has already left—are you planning to let her look at your current state? I can understand what you’re going through; I’m also very confused at the moment. That’s why you should go back home, recollect your thoughts, and help Robin do a good job for her dad’s funeral. You're the Coxs’ son-in-law and also the only man in the family now, so you’ll have to do all of this yourself; their relatives will only be able to show up and not be of much use. As for the issue between you and your mom… Let’s talk about that after this is done. You should focus on driving safe, while I go to your house to see if there was any foul play involved. I’m positive that if this is all there was to it, Robin would not have died.”Although Sylvain did intend to end his own life, it was a good thing that he hadn’t actually done it and arrived home safely. Sylvain’s house