Chapter 545
“You bitch! Shut up! I swear I’ll kill you!” Pauline’s face twisted into a horrifying expression that sent chills down the spine.
But Melody remained unflinching and smiled coldly, Pauline wanted to lash out after her secret was exposed. How foolish.
To Melody, Pauline’s movements seemed to play out in slow motion. She didn’t rush to dodge, calmly waiting until Pauline was right in front of her before reacting.
Just as Pauline’s hands were about to claw at her face, Melody sidestepped, avoiding the attack with ease. In the blink of an eye, she was behind Pauline, delivering a sharp kick to the back of her leg.
With a dull thud, Pauline crashed to her knees. The sound indicated how painful the fall was.
Pauline winced in pain, hissing through her teeth, but Melody showed no mercy. She pressed her foot down on Pauline’s back, forcing her flat against the floor, completely immobilized.
“Let go of me!” Pauline’s eyes were bloodshot with rage and fear.
Melody was about to respond when she caught sight of a figure that shouldn’t have been there.
Pausing for a moment, she had a sly smile and asked, “You used poppy juice to make Miss Nathan dependent on you. Do you truly feel no guilt at all? From what I know, she regards you as a second mother, and the entire Nathan family considers you one of their own.”
“Second mother? One of their own? Ridiculous!” Pauline let out a bitter, mocking laugh.
She continued, “I went to all this trouble to stay with the Nathan family for their money. The only reason they kept me around was because Shindy couldn’t quit breast milk. If she did quit, they would have kicked me out long ago. How could they see me as one of their own? We’re all just using each other!”
Melody raised an eyebrow slightly. “So, you’ve never had genuine affection for the Nathan family?”
“Of course not! To them, I’m nothing more than a milk cow. Why should I care about them? They don’t care about me either!”
Pauline suddenly changed her tone, struggling to turn her head to look at Melody, who was still pinning her down.
She said, “Dr. Knowles, I’ve made quite a bit of money over the years working for the Nathan family. If you keep this a secret, I’ll give you half of my savings! How about it? You can earn money by keeping a secret.”
Melody scoffed. “I’m afraid I can’t take your money.”
“What do you mean by that? We don’t talk about it, and no one will ever know that I’ve been using poppy juice to keep Shindy from quitting breast milk.”
Melody’s smile widened, and she suddenly glanced towards the doorway.
Pauline, noticing Melody’s shift in gaze, felt a sudden pang of dread. She followed Melody’s line of sight, only to see Shindy, who should have been resting in bed, standing at the door. Behind Shindy were Albert and Laura. Their faces were grim, their eyes filled with an intense fury that seemed ready to tear her apart.
Pauline shuddered violently and, overwhelmed by fear, fainted on the spot.
Melody lifted her foot from Pauline’s back, brushing off her pants as if dusting away something unpleasant, and then looked up at the three members of the Nathan family.
Melody said, “You all heard what she said. How you choose to deal with this is up to you. Once I leave this room, I won’t know a thing.”
“Dr. Knowles, I sincerely apologize for my previous rudeness, and thank you for everything you’ve done for the Nathan family.” Albert bowed to her, his sincerity evident.
Laura looked at Melody with equal gratitude, her eyes filled with appreciation.
Melody waved her hand dismissively, her gaze shifting to Shindy.
She said, “Miss Nathan, your father might not have had the chance to tell you yet. Besides the poppy juice, there’s also a chronic poison in your system, which you got because of Pauline. I’ll work on an antidote for the poison, but it will require your determination to break free from the dependency.”
Shindy wanted to speak but couldn’t utter a word. From Shindy’s reaction, Melody could tell that her feelings for Pauline were genuine, which made her sigh inwardly.
Melody knew all too well the pain of having one’s trust shattered, having experienced it herself.
With this in mind, Melody softened her tone. “It’s not as difficult as it seems. I know of a remedy that can help break the dependency faster. Once I’ve perfected the formula, I’ll bring it to you.”
“Thank you…” Shindy finally forced out the words, her cracked.
Melody nodded. “How do you plan to deal with her?”
“I want to wait until she wakes up before deciding,” Shindy replied in a hoarse voice. She took a step forward, but suddenly her legs gave out, and she started to fall.
Fortunately, Melody was quick to react and caught her before she hit the ground.
“Thank you…” Shindy managed to say, her eyes red with unshed tears.
“Don’t worry,” Melody said, releasing Shindy’s arm as her grandparents rushed forward to support her.
“Shindy, she isn’t worth your tears. Don’t be sad over a woman like that!”
“That’s right, my dear. If you’re feeling lonely, we’ll stay with you here in Silverlake. There’s no need to go back to Insterimond!”
Melody listened to their comforting words, knowing full well that such reassurances wouldn’t ease Shindy’s pain. It reminded her of her own experiences, and she quietly left with a heavy heart.
As she walked away from the Nathan family’s residence, Melody’s thoughts grew increasingly uneasy.
She realized that despite all the years she had spent with Ulric in her previous life, she had only scratched the surface of understanding him.
He was ruthless, patient, and masterful at deception. To handle someone as insignificant as Owen, he had orchestrated everything with meticulous precision… ‘What about the things that matter to him even more?’
If it hadn’t been for Ken at the youth center, she might already be dead. The next encounter would be more dangerous.
After her rebirth, Melody was confident in her ability to take revenge on Ulric. But as time went on, that confidence began to waver.
‘Can I achieve vengeance on my own?’ For the first time, Melody doubted herself. Just then, her phone rang in her pocket. It was Ken.
Melody took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before answering. “Hello?”
Ken asked, “Where are you?”
“Outside the Nathan family’s residence.”
“Stay where you are. I’ll come pick you up,”
Before Melody could respond, Ken had already hung up, leaving her no chance to refuse.
Melody sighed. Whether she succeeded or not, giving up halfway wasn’t her style. Having been given a second chance at life, she wasn’t going to let it go to waste.
Melody tightened her grip on her phone.
Not long after, a luxury car pulled up in front of her. But when the window rolled down, it wasn’t Ken inside.