Chapter 537

Melody became alert, fearing that Lucas might reveal her true identity.

Though she knew she would eventually have to tell Owen who she really was, now was definitely not the right time. She quickly shot Lucas a look, hoping he’d understand.

Luckily, Lucas was quick on the uptake and almost immediately got her message. He said, “Why ask for Melody? Her mentor is already here.”

“Melody’s mentor? What do you mean by that?” Owen asked, puzzled.

Lucas gestured toward Melody with a nod of his chin. “This is her mentor. Even though Melody was the one who performed the surgery on me, it was her mentor who guided her through it!”

Albert’s eyes lit up. “Is that true?”

“I never lie,” Lucas said confidently. “You can ask Mr. Nathan if you don’t believe me.”

Owen quickly explained Lucas’s identity to Albert, making him look at Melody with a more complex expression.

Sensing the tension, Owen decided to smooth things over. “Dad, you mistook trash for treasure earlier, but now that the real gem is right in front of you. You should take the chance to apologize to Dr. Knowles.”

Melody graciously gave Albert an out. “It was just a misunderstanding between Mr. Albert and me. Now that Cason has been taken away, the misunderstanding is cleared up, so there’s no need for an apology. Let’s focus on treating Miss Nathan.”

Albert, being no fool, took the opportunity Melody offered and quickly agreed. “Yes, treating Shindy is the priority. She’s in her room.”

Laura chimed in, “I’ll make some coffee for the three of you. With summer almost over, the weather is getting drier, and a warm drink will do us all good.”

Melody nodded and then turned to Lucas. “You’re still recovering, so don’t stay out too long. Let me have someone take you back.”

But Lucas insisted. “I finally got a chance to get some fresh air, Winola. Let me stay a bit longer. Besides, I want to see how Shindy is doing. We used to sit next to each other in class.”

Melody sighed. “Alright, but stay close and don’t cause any trouble.”

“I know.” Lucas nodded obediently.

Melody then looked at Owen. “Mr. Nathan, shall we go in?”

Owen nodded and opened the bedroom door.

As the door swung open, the room was eerily quiet. With the curtains drawn and no lights on, Melody almost thought the room was empty.

Just then, the room lights suddenly came on. Melody immediately noticed Shindy lying in bed, her eyes tightly shut.

Shindy looked even more ordinary in person than in the photos Melody had seen. From the bags and cosmetics scattered around the room, it was clear that Shindy wasn’t someone who liked to show off. The bags on the shelves were all modestly priced, nowhere near the extravagant spending habits of other socialites in Silverlake.

A person like her would easily blend into a crowd, attracting no attention at all.

What angered Melody the most was that Ulric. In his relentless pursuit of his goals, he had targeted such an ordinary person. The fire at the youth center had already made her want to tear Ulric to pieces.

Suppressing her anger, Melody walked to Shindy’s bedside after getting permission from the Nathan family.

She said, “Miss Nathan, hello. My name is Wilona Knowles, and I’m here to help you…”

“I’m not sick!” Shindy frowned, pulling the blanket over her head as if trying to block out the outside world.

Melody froze, surprised by Shindy’s refusal to cooperate. She could only turn to Owen for help.

Owen quickly stepped forward and said, “Shindy, this is the doctor l hired. Let her take a look at you, and maybe you won’t feel like staying in bed all day anymore.”

Shindy didn’t respond. Instead, she pulled the blanket tighter around herself.

Melody sensed something unusual in Owen’s words and asked, “What do you mean by ‘staying in bed all day’? What exactly are Miss Nathan’s symptoms?”

Owen sighed and explained, “It started about two months ago. She just wants to sleep all the time. She barely leaves her bed, except to use the bathroom. One time, she even slept for two straight days, which scared us so much that we took her to the emergency room.”

He continued, “But the doctors said she was just asleep, not sick, and they refused to treat her. We went to several hospitals, and they all said she wasn’t ill. So, we had no choice but to bring her back home.”

“Sleeplessness…” Melody murmured to herself. This wasn’t a serious illness, but if left untreated, it could lead to physical deterioration, especially in her joints. It was something that needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.

However, if Shindy wouldn’t cooperate, there would be no way for Melody to begin treatment.

As Melody pondered how to get Shindy to agree to treatment, Lucas, who had been standing by the door, walked over and said, “Shindy, do you remember me? We used to sit next to each other in class. I’m Lucas.”

At these words, Shindy’s body visibly tensed.

Melody immediately noticed this and said to Lucas, “Lucas, I think Shindy has been lying down for so long that she can’t get up by herself. Why don’t you come over and help me lift her?”

Lucas was quick to obey. He nodded and reached out to pull the blanket off Shindy.

But just as he was about to touch her, Shindy suddenly threw the blanket off herself and sat up, stammering, “N-no need to help me. I can get up on my own.”

Shindy’s reaction confirmed Melody’s suspicion. She liked Lucas. Only in front of someone they like would a person want to maintain their appearance.

Seeing that her goal was achieved, Melody turned to Lucas and asked him to leave the room.

“Why are you kicking me out?” Lucas asked, confused.

Melody sighed. It seemed Lucas was as clueless as ever. She said, “Just go, and don’t argue. Or I’ll have someone take you back to the hospital right now.”

Startled, Lucas quickly left the room.

As soon as he was gone, Shindy’s tension faded, and sleepiness began to overtake her again. She yawned and was about to lie back down.

But this time, Melody quickly grabbed Shindy’s hand and began checking her pulse.

Shindy instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but thinking about Lucas outside the door, she forced herself to stay still and let Melody check.

After about half a minute, Melody released Shindy’s hand.

Owen immediately stepped forward, asking anxiously, “Dr. Knowles, did you find anything? Is my daughter sick?”

Albert added, “What kind of strange illness does she have?”