Chapter 415
Janet quickly put on a forced smile and said, “Melody, this is probably your first time meeting our classmates, right? So, let me introduce you.”
She did not wait for Melody’s response and raised her voice to address everyone. “Hey, attention all, this is Melody Fox, Ken’s wife. She grew up in the countryside. If any of you are interested in visiting the mountains, I believe she can recommend some great spots, so just ask her.”
The crowd’s mood shifted noticeably. They exchanged skeptical looks, clearly unimpressed.
Not only was she unattractive, but Melody also came from a rural background.
They were all wondering what an outstanding guy like Ken doing with someone like her.
Then, a girl who had been close to Janet in college scoffed and said, “Miss Fox, you must have something special to catch Ken’s eye. But I can’t seem to see what it is. Can anyone else?”
Her voice was so soft, but the underlying sarcasm was crystal clear.
Hearing that, Melody just chuckled and shot back, “Maybe you are blind.”
“You!” The girl’s face twisted with annoyance.
Janet intervened smoothly. “Nana, that’s enough. Please give Ken some respect, will you? Let’s go inside. Don’t just stand here chatting.”
The girl who was called Nana finally held it back, but she still glared at Melody before following Janet inside.
Once they were in, she whispered to Janet, “Janet, what’s the deal? We haven’t seen each other for a few months, and now this ugly girl has taken Ken from you?”
Everyone knew Janet had a long-standing crush on Ken. They were very close back then, and everyone assumed Ken would eventually end up marrying Janet. The two were a perfect match in every aspect. So, Ken marrying someone like Melody was a shock.
Janet sighed, looking downcast as she said, “You know Ken is very devoted to his family, right? Melody saved his grandma’s life, and it’s impossible for him to go against his parents’ wishes.”
“Oh, that explains it all!” Nana quickly pieced together a dramatic story in her mind. “I knew it. There’s no way Ken would fall for someone ugly like her!”
“Shh!” Janet made a shushing motion. “Keep it down. She’s someone Ken’s grandma cares about a lot. If she hears you, it will cause problems for sure.”
When Nana heard this, she felt even more furious for Janet. “You and Ken are obviously meant to be together. Why is she even in the picture? Don’t worry, Janet. I’ll show that arrogant woman where her place is and how she does not deserve someone like Ken!”
Janet put on a worried look and said, “You better not. I’m afraid Ken will take it out on me.”
Nana patted Janet’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, even if she tattles on you, I won’t let you take the fall. Besides, Ken doesn’t have any feelings for her. He only married her because of his parents. If he sees me messing with her, he’ll definitely side with us, his old friends.”
Janet sighed, feigning concern as she said, “She is actually pretty nice. You don’t really have to do this.”
Nana looked at Janet sympathetically while responding, “Janet, you used to be so strong. What happened? It’s all because of her, right? Don’t worry, I’ll definitely help you put her in her place!”
Janet stopped talking, but there was a subtle, satisfied smirk on her beautiful face.
Now, she figured out that she didn’t have to lift a finger to deal with Melody. A few words were all it took to have others do the dirty work for her.
Meanwhile, Nana was already rallying a few close classmates to figure out how to embarrass Melody.
Seeing this, Janet’s lips curled into a sly smile. ‘Seems like this reunion is about to get interesting,’ she said to herself.
Back at the entrance area, Sid turned to Melody, looking apologetic, and said, “I’m sorry about them. They don’t usually act like this. I think they just don’t know you yet.”
Melody smiled calmly and said, “It’s fine, really. I expected this would happen before I even came here.”
She had been looked down upon and targeted more times than she could count, in both her past and present lives. It did not faze her anymore.
Sid watched her, feeling a strange mix of emotions. He used to be near pretty girls who were praised and admired by everyone, not someone like Melody who had faced so much adversity. It was a new experience for him, and it made him feel a bit uneasy.
He was not sure whether his feelings were just sympathy or something else, but Sid quickly pushed the thought aside as he said, “I’ll go in with you. There’s some cool stuff inside, like that new VR game.”
Melody, who had initially planned to wait for Ken outside, could not turn down his offer and said, “Alright.”
“Let’s go then!” Sid quickly returned to his usual carefree self, eagerly showing Melody around as if the Swanson villa was his own.
Sid had plenty of fans back in college. Inside, a few girls who had big crushes on him noticed his enthusiasm for Melody and shot her some pretty hostile looks.
“Who is she? What the hell is Sid thinking by bringing an ugly duckling like that to the reunion?”
Nana overheard them and immediately joined the gossip, eagerly spreading rumors about Melody.
Since then, everyone was treating Melody like she was up to no good.
“She is so ugly, there’s got to be something shady going on! Geez, I can’t believe Sid fell for her!”
Even if they were not interested in Sid, the girls were united in making Melody their public enemy.
At that moment, Melody felt the cold, dagger-like stares
and frowned. ‘I haven’t done anything to deserve this,’ she thought. ‘Janet must be behind it all, no doubt.’
So, she turned to Sid and said, “Why don’t you go mingle with your friends? I will just chill here on the sofa for a bit.”
Coincidentally, a few guys called Sid over for a drink, and he glanced at Melody on the sofa before nodding. “Okay, Ken should be here any minute now. I’ll go say hi to them.”
“Okay,” Melody replied, brushing off the cold looks. She settled onto the sofa and enjoyed some dessert without a care.
Just then…