Chapter 302

– Not Speaking

No matter how hard Russell thought, he couldn’t imagine anyone else that Ander and Zoe could be looking for besides Mabel, and it was least possible they were looking for Melody.

However, the next second, Zoe said, “We’re here to see your daughter, Melody. Is she around?”

Russell and Mabel completely blocked Zoe and Ander’s line of sight, so they didn’t see that Melody was standing in the corner of the living room.

As soon as Zoe’s words fell, both Russell and Mabel widened their eyes in shock.

Mabel’s surprise quickly gave way to jealousy when she wondered why Zoe and Ander were here for Melody, finally thinking that her earlier excitement had turned into a complete joke.

Russell was stunned because this was the least likely scenario he expected, and then he thought, “How is it possible that they are here to look for Melody? Why will they overlook someone as outstanding as Mabel for someone worthless like Melody?”

At this moment, Yolanda, who entered with drinks and snacks was unaware of what had transpired and her face beamed with joy.

Since Mabel was born, Yolanda had hoped Mabel would become successful in the future, so now Yolanda was cheerful that Mabel didn’t disappoint her.

Having just searched online in the kitchen, Yolanda discovered Ander was a leading figure in the research field, also the head of the Halcyon Research Institute, whom even the wealthiest tycoons had to respect.

And now, Mabel had unexpectedly connected with such an influential figure, making Yolanda ecstatic as she thought;” Today is truly a good day. Not only did we succeed. remove Hattie from the Fox family, ensuring she’ll never return, but we also have Ander as a pleasant surprise.

The more Yolanda thought about it, the happier she became, and she was so immersed in her joy that she failed to notice the expressions on Russell and Mabel’s faces, only cheerfully greeting the Morgan couple, “Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, I’ve prepared some drinks and snacks for you. Please sit and chat with Mabel, she often mentions you, saying she wants to follow your lead. She is thrilled you could come, so please stay and chat for a while.”

The more Yolanda spoke, the more Russell and Mabel’s faces darkened. “Yolanda, stop,” Russell said with his face tightening in embarrassment, while Yolanda was confused, wondering if she had said something wrong.

Mabel finally could not take it anymore and said, “Mom, they’re here to look for Melody.”

Upon hearing this, the tray dropped from Yolanda’s hands, shattering the glasses and spilling water everywhere.

Russell had never felt so humiliated, suppressing his anger before saying, “Yolanda, hurry up and clean up this mess.” “Alright.” Jolted back to reality, Yolanda hurriedly instructed the servants to clean up, but her mind was still racing when she confirmed that Ander was the one called to ask for Melody.

Clenching her fists in frustration, Yolanda wondered why this was happening.

As they each stewed in their thoughts, Ander and Zoe sensed the strange atmosphere in the house but had no time to dwell on it.

When Zoe spotted Melody standing quietly in the corner, her eyes lit up as she greeted, “Melody, there you are, I was worried you had gone to bed.”

Seeing Melody merely smile without speaking, Zoe asked in confusion, “Melody, is your throat bothering you? Why aren’t you talking?”

Upon seeing Melody shaking her head but remaining silent, Ander grew concerned and asked Russell, “Mr. Fox, what’s wrong with Melody? Why isn’t she speaking?”

Knowing that Melody’s character was not lacking in manners, Ander and Zoe only felt that something was bothering her.

Russell didn’t react immediately and took a few steps toward Melody before saying with a scolding tone, “Mr. and Mrs. Morgan are speaking to you, why aren’t you responding at all?”

Melody raised an eyebrow but remained silent, while her gaze seemed meaningful and slightly mocking when she looked at Russell with a faint smile.

Russell found himself momentarily frozen under Melody’s intense gaze and suddenly, a memory of his past conversation with Melody flashed through his mind:

He recalled that he had previously asked Melody to keep quiet and warned her to whip her ten more times if she said any unnecessary words.

Russell shuddered as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks, making his face pale.

“Mr. Fox, what’s wrong with Melody? Don’t scare us,” Zoe said anxiously as she walked up to Melody and checked Melody for any signs of discomfort.

However, Russell’s mouth twitched, unable to respond to Zoe’s inquiry when he finally realized why Melody didn’t say a word throughout.

Knowing that it was impossible to reveal that Melody wasn’t speaking because he had forbidden her to do so, Russell felt a mix of regret and anger at this moment.

He regretted threatening Melody and resented her for not cooperating in front of the guests.

As Ander also approached to check on Melody, sweat poured down Russell’s face as he desperately signaled Melody to speak, but she ignored him and didn’t look at him at all.

Russell became even more anxious and paced around in frustration since he had never been at a loss in his life.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and then he quickly approached a servant and retrieved a whip hidden by the servant before tossing it into the trash, signaling to Melody that he wouldn’t hurt her anymore.

Upon seeing this, Melody raised an eyebrow and finally spoke, “Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, I’m fine.”

Russell let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat off his forehead, feeling extremely exhausted.

Ander and Zoe relieved when they finally heard Melody speak, relaxed their tense expressions. “Melody, I’m glad that you’re okay; why didn’t you speak earlier?” Zoe asked curiously.

Melody explained with a smile, “I was practicing a

traditional medicine technique to relieve fatigue, so I didn’t respond immediately, I apologize.”

Zoe waved off the apology. “It’s fine, we’re just glad everything is fine. It seems that my worry is unnecessary as with your medical skills, you wouldn’t feel unwell.”

Melody nodded, then asked under the envious and furious gazes of Yolanda and Mabel, “Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, what brings you here so late?”

Ander began, “It’s about Lucas; he suddenly had a seizure and the doctor told us to ask you about this situation, but we didn’t want to disturb you if you were asleep.

Coincidentally, we happened to pass by your house on the way to the hospital, so we wanted to come over to see if you were still awake.”

Melody nodded and said after thinking for a moment, “It’s a post-surgery complication and we need to observe him for a few more days, but it shouldn’t be too serious. I’ll go to the hospital tomorrow to perform acupuncture; combining traditional and modern medicine should help, and he’ll be fine soon.”

As the Morgan couple listened attentively, nodding occasionally like students before a teacher, this scene was particularly jarring to Yolanda and Mabel.