"Sister-in-law, that family elder has been dodging me with Tai Chi moves—it’s obvious he’s hiding something. Jared must have picked up on it too."

"I noticed that too. What I’m asking about is something else," Melody Thorne fixed her gaze on him. "I remember that hypnotists usually require a specific setting, right? But that day, he only lit an incense stick and started the hypnosis."

Leon Rivers twitched at the corner of his eye. "Then he was likely a fake hypnotist. He didn’t actually hypnotize Jared; it seemed more like he used hallucinogenic incense, just like dreaming without any awareness."

"Are you saying we were deceived?" Melody Thorne’s face turned grim.

She knew the Seymours wouldn’t be so straightforward.

"Don’t be upset," Jared Quinn poured her a glass of water, reminding her, "Be careful for the child."

Melody Thorne calmed the anger in her chest. It seemed like they needed to start with this family elder.

"Come on, let’s take a walk to clear your mind," Jared Quinn stood up and held her small hand,

now that she was pregnant, it was best to think less about these brain-draining matters.

Caleb walked in from outside, holding a big pile of documents, including video records and the entire cremation process.

"Caleb, you’re back. Are these all the documents?" Melody Thorne’s eyes sparkled with light.

Jared Quinn twitched at the corner of his eye, his large hand pulled her into his embrace. "Check it out when we get back."

"But..."

"No buts."

Caleb’s grip on the documents tightened, especially when he saw Jared Quinn holding Melody Thorne. His chest surged with a complex emotion, bringing back memories of the first time Melody Thorne had provoked him with her mischievous expression and fierce side.

It made him think, how could there be such a girl in the world? She was like a sprite, making him willingly fulfill the agreement with the Seymour Family.

His large hands unknowingly clenched tighter, his long fingers bent forcefully.

"Could it be you have a secret crush on my sister-in-law?" Leon Rivers crossed his arms, looking at him. As a man, he could see clearly that Caleb, leaving the Adler Family, stayed here willingly. If he wasn’t interested in Melody Thorne, then what was it?

Caleb let out a cold laugh. He admitted that he indeed had a certain feeling for Melody Thorne, a feeling he wanted to suppress but couldn’t. But he wasn’t foolish enough to make her feel repulsed like Hans Montrose did.

"No," he coldly denied, "I’m not interested in raising someone else’s child."

Leon Rivers was left speechless.

On the streets of Crestfall, Melody Thorne sat in the passenger seat, looking outside, occasionally dazing at the man beside her, watching his handsome profile, tracing over his high-bridged nose and thin lips.

Then to his hands elegantly gripping the steering wheel, looking somewhat reluctant to look away. Jared Quinn was flawless from head to toe.

Melody Thorne curled her lips into a smile, as if she couldn’t get enough of looking at him. The outside scenery was ignored, only the man before her mattered.

"Melody Thorne, stop casting those tempting looks," Jared Quinn said with a hint of humor in his eyes, as even just her gaze set his body aflame, stirring a desire to consume her completely.

His large hand undid two buttons of his shirt, the lazy masculine scent spreading throughout the cabin.

Amused, Melody Thorne shifted her gaze out the window, suddenly spotting a store. "Jared Quinn, stop the car. There’s a store up ahead with something Timmy loves. Let’s go buy some."