Chapter 574

As soon as James finished speaking, Ken shot him a cold glare, one so icy that it snapped James right out of his emotional outburst.

He shivered slightly, his face turning pale as he stammered, “Mr. Swanson, I…”

It suddenly dawned on him that his words had crossed a line. His face, which had been drained of color, now flushed bright red, his hands trembling with a mixture of shame and anxiety.

He was utterly uneasy, caught between guilt and nervousness.

“Apologize” Ken ordered, his voice even colder than his gaze, making it feel like the room temperature had dropped.

James quickly lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Miss Fox.”

“It’s fine,” Melody responded, her expression remaining largely unchanged.

She knew James wasn’t a bad person. He just tended to speak without thinking when he got worked up.

His attitude wasn’t something that bothered her.

James was suspicious by nature. He hadn’t said those things to mock her. She had long understood his personality and wouldn’t let his words affect her.

However, she was more curious about what Ken thought about the situation.

She turned her gaze to Ken, only to find him still glaring icily at James. “Your year-end bonus is withheld. Write a self-reflection tonight.”

For James, nothing was more dreadful than writing a self-reflection. The color on his face shifted from bright red to an almost sickly gloom, but he didn’t dare protest.

He simply gritted his teeth and muttered, “Yes.”

Melody bit her lip, unable to hold back any longer, and asked Ken, “James might not be thinking straight, but what about you? Do you also think I’m being petty and misunderstood Janet?”

Ken’s eyes flickered slightly, and his expression turned complex as he averted his gaze.

He didn’t believe in Janet for a second. The evidence against her was overwhelming, and he had known for a while that Janet was the traitor.

But now wasn’t the time to reveal any of this. No matter how much it pained him, he had to keep it hidden.

Ken clenched his fists, forcing himself to lie. “Melody, Janet really does have a close relationship with Sid…”

“Enough. You don’t need to explain. I know what you’re thinking,” Melody interrupted Ken before he could finish.

She already understood that Ken, like James, thought she was simply mistaken about Janet.

Since they trusted Janet so much, it was pointless to argue until she found solid evidence proving Janet was the spy.

A sharp pang of bitterness surged within her, bringing a stinging sensation to her nose.

However, Melody was never one to be swayed by emotions. No matter how terrible she felt, she never lost sight of what truly mattered.

Taking a deep breath, she swallowed the bitterness that had risen in her throat.

Then, with a calm, expressionless face, she said, “It doesn’t matter to me what you think. I’ve already given you my warning.”

“Melody, I…” Ken felt like he had a lump in his throat, unable to explain further.

He was playing a complex game involving Janet, and until everything fell into place, he had no intention of revealing to anyone that he already knew Janet’s true colors.

Seeing Ken hesitate halfway through his sentence, Melody assumed he was still torn between her and Janet.

She waved her hand dismissively, saying, “Enough. The most urgent matter is that Sid must not be taken to Insterimond. I wasn’t just trying to scare Sebastian with what I said.

“If they actually leave Silverlake tomorrow, Ulric won’t even need to send people to try to kill Sid again. Sid won’t survive the journey. It’s a long trip, at least fifteen or sixteen hours on the highway to reach Insterimond. If Sid’s condition worsens, there’s no way he’ll get timely medical attention. To put it bluntly, if Sid sets out for Insterimond, it’s a death sentence.”

Ken pondered for a moment, then looked at her and said, “Sebastian is a man of his word. If we want to stop him, we’ll have to get tough. Luckily, he didn’t bring many people to Silverlake. We could just detain him here.”

“No.” Melody shook her head. “Sebastian already said Ulric arranged for a special ambulance. That means Ulric won’t let us detain him.”

Ken’s expression darkened. “But there’s no other way. If we can ensure Sid’s safety, does it matter if we ruin our relationship with Sebastian?”

“Let’s not go there unless absolutely necessary. Besides, how can you be sure that confronting him will stop Sebastian? He’s not just anyone. Your father might get involved too,” she said.

Ken sensed something and asked, “Do you have another plan?”

“Yes.” Melody nodded. “There’s someone who can stop him.”

“Who?” Ken and James asked in unison.

“Sid,” she smiled.

James looked confused. “But Sid is still unconscious.”

“I know a special acupuncture technique, Resurrecting the Dead. It’s as effective as it sounds and can bring someone back to consciousness, even if they’re near death. However, it does have some side effects,” she added.

Ken didn’t hesitate. “Do it. Otherwise, he really might not make it.”

Melody hesitated, her expression growing complicated. “Aren’t you curious about the side effects?”

“What is it? Will it be fatal?” Ken asked, following her lead.

“It won’t be fatal, but it might be worse than death,” Melody replied.

Hearing this, Ken’s expression turned serious. “What’s the side effect?”

A faint blush crept across Melody’s cheeks as she lightly coughed into her hand. “The side effect is… there’s a chance he might lose his sexual function.”

Ken’s face froze at the words.

For someone like Sid, who frequently had new girlfriends, losing sexual function might indeed seem worse than death.

James, standing nearby, chimed in, “What’s the big deal about that? Miss Fox’s medical skills are top-notch. Once Sid recovers, I’m sure she can cure him in no time, right?”

Ken shot James a sharp glare in response.

Melody was, after all, a young woman, and some things were simply inappropriate to discuss in front of her. James’ lack of tact was truly concerning.

James, clueless as to what he’d said wrong, thought to himself, ‘I was complimenting Melody. Why is Mr. Swanson glaring at me?’

Feeling utterly baffled, James decided it was best to stay quiet, fearing that saying more would only lead to more mistakes.

Melody cleared her throat again and continued, “There’s a chance, not a certainty. But a decreased interest is almost guaranteed. Still, as I said before, the most important thing right now is to save his life. If you have no objections, arrange for me to access the ICU and perform the acupuncture. If Sid himself says he doesn’t want to go to Insterimond, I’m sure Sebastian will listen.”

“That’s actually a solid plan. As soon as Sebastian goes to rest, I’ll make the arrangements for you to go in,” he said.

“Alright.” Melody nodded, and the group immediately began planning how to discreetly get her into Sid’s ICU room.

Fortunately, Sebastian had only brought fewer than ten bodyguards, with a few staying close to him and a couple stationed at the hospital’s main entrances, leaving only two guarding the ICU floor.

Their numbers didn’t even come close to matching the forces Ken had positioned nearby, who were essentially death warriors.

However, just as everything was set, and Melody was about to head to the ICU, an unexpected complication arose.