Melody Summers was taken aback. ’Joanne White gave birth?’ It was only December, but the baby was already a month old? ’Doesn’t that mean she delivered in November?’

As if guessing her thoughts, Zane Simmons sighed on the other end of the line. "It wasn’t a full-term birth. The baby was premature."

It might have been the stress of moving twice during the wildfire at The Metropolis Residences. Or perhaps it was her persistent anxiety. In any case, Joanne White went into labor just two days after moving back.

Fortunately, the villa was equipped with professional medical equipment and a dedicated team, so both mother and son were safe.

Melody Summers thought for a moment before replying, "Alright, I’ll go. Zane Simmons, congratulations!"

Zane Simmons chuckled. "Great. I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow at seven p.m. in the banquet hall on the 40th floor of The Nimbus Hotel."

After hanging up, Melody took a piece of gold she had previously dug up from The Arcadian Mines. Using the newly unlocked "Jewelry Processing" machine in her workshop, she crafted a pair of heavy small gold bracelets and a longevity lock. She placed them in a gift box, planning to bring them as a one-month celebration gift.

Melody looked at the gift box and found it somewhat amusing. A few months ago, she never would have imagined she’d be giving a one-month celebration gift to Joanne White’s child.

Sophie Thorne had also received an invitation. When evening arrived, she and Melody Summers went to The Nimbus Hotel together.

The two made their way to the 40th-floor banquet hall. It was bustling with guests. When Zane Simmons saw Melody Summers and Sophie Thorne enter, he walked over with a smile to greet them.

"Miss Thorne, Student Summers, thank you both for gracing us with your presence."

Melody Summers and Sophie Thorne congratulated him in return. "Congratulations! A father at such a young age."

Just then, a few more guests arrived. Zane Simmons told them to find a seat wherever they liked and hurried off to greet the newcomers.

Melody and Sophie grabbed a couple of drinks and stood chatting by the observation deck, overhearing some guests whispering nearby.

"So which family’s daughter is the child’s mother? How come we haven’t seen her?"

"What daughter? She’s just a little mistress. Humble background, no official title."

"She gave him a son and still doesn’t get a title? That’s just tragic."

"The Simmons Family is a prestigious house. How could they let a mistress rise through the ranks so easily? It’s good enough that they’re even hosting this celebration. At least this means they’re officially acknowledging the child."

"I heard this Mr. Simmons isn’t even married yet, and he’s already got an illegitimate son? What family’s daughter would be willing to marry into this for an alliance?"

"The Simmons Family is huge and powerful. Are they really worried about finding marriage partners? Didn’t you see how many people showed up today? A lot of them are just trying to curry favor. Besides, even if the future wife minds, they can just send the illegitimate son abroad to be raised. Isn’t that what everyone does these days?"

"Look at the state of things lately. It’s December, and the daily high is hitting forty or fifty degrees. Does this seem normal to you? They say heaven is trying to wipe out humanity. If I were Mr. Simmons, I’d also take this chance to have an heir. Who knows if you’ll get another chance if you don’t do it now."

"Now that you mention it, I should get my wife to start trying for a baby too. Don’t want the world to end before I even have a kid, haha."

"If the world is really ending, what’s the point of having kids? They’d just be born to suffer, wouldn’t they?"

"It doesn’t matter if we can raise them to adulthood. My family line can’t die out. We have to have one."

"..."

Joanne White sat in a corner of the banquet hall, quietly listening to it all.

It had only been a month since she gave birth, and her body was still a little weak. She had eaten many of the restorative medicinal meals the nanny prepared, but she still hadn’t recovered to her pre-pregnancy state.

Zane Simmons hadn’t wanted her to attend the celebration. It was only after she promised over and over again to sit quietly to the side without a word that he agreed to bring her.

Even though she hadn’t secured a title after having his child, Joanne White had no regrets.

If she hadn’t been living in Zane Simmons’s villa, if it weren’t for the private doctor on staff there, she wouldn’t have even survived the birth.

When she was bored, she would browse the group chat for residents of The Metropolis Residences. She had seen that two pregnant women, unable to afford expensive private hospitals, had chosen to give birth at home. One lost her baby due to the high temperatures; the other resulted in the deaths of both mother and child.

Her own birth had been difficult and premature. Every time she thought about those other cases, she broke out in a cold sweat.

Joanne White closed her eyes and sighed softly. Suddenly, she felt a faint discomfort in her abdomen—a lingering side effect from childbirth. She stood up, intending to go to the restroom.

But as soon as she stood, she bumped into Melody Summers, who was walking over arm-in-arm with Sophie Thorne.

Joanne White panicked for a moment, quickly lowered her head, and hurried away.

’It’s her own child’s one-month celebration, yet she has to sit here and listen to everyone’s unkind gossip.’ Watching Joanne’s hasty retreat, Melody suddenly felt that she didn’t have it easy either.

Seeing Melody staring blankly at Joanne’s back, Sophie grew curious. She leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Who’s that? Do you know her?"

Melody nodded instinctively, then shook her head, seeming hesitant to speak.

Under Sophie Thorne’s persistent questioning, Melody, with a complicated expression, briefly explained her history with Joanne White and Austin Hale, as well as the situation between Joanne and Zane Simmons.

Finally, Melody sighed and concluded, "Anyway, that’s all I know. Every time Joanne White sees me, it’s like she’s seen a ghost, like I’m going to eat her alive or something. I’m really not planning on doing anything to her..."

Sophie was stunned by this huge piece of gossip. Then, she said to Melody with some regret, "So you went through online bullying in college... Melody, I really regret not being there to help you back then."

Sophie Thorne and Melody Summers were on different campuses, and she didn’t pay much attention to school news. This was the first time she’d ever heard about it.

Melody was a little surprised to hear that. She shook her head and said to Sophie, "Why are you saying something so formal? Besides, we didn’t know each other well back then."

Sophie Thorne smiled but didn’t say anything. When she first started college, her classmates would gossip behind her back that she was pretentious and aloof because she didn’t like attending class gatherings, and they subtly ostracized her. In four years, she had made almost no friends. Melody Summers had been one of the kindest people to her.

Sophie thought for a moment and said, "Joanne White is afraid because she has a guilty conscience. She’s scared you’ll tell Zane Simmons about how she was the other woman and how she orchestrated the online bullying. If you did, how could she ever hope to rise from her position as a canary?"

Melody shook her head at that, replying helplessly, "I really don’t plan on saying anything. That was all years ago. Besides, Zane Simmons and Joanne White are living their lives now. Why would I go and stir up trouble?"

’I’ve lived two lives,’ Melody thought. ’If we’re talking about hatred, I should hate the Lancasters, the Suttons, Flynn Adler, Hector Hayes, Clara and Hugh Hayes, and even Adam Lawson’s family...’

There were too many people for her to hate. She had limited energy and didn’t seem to have any left over to direct at Joanne White. Besides, their feud was, in the end, all over a man—a scumbag, at that. It really wasn’t worth it.

What Melody Summers didn’t know was that Ethan Sutton and Mr. Sutton, who were on her hate list, had also come to the celebration.

As an elder, Mr. Sutton personally tried to cozy up to Zane Simmons, but unfortunately, Zane paid him little attention.

The Sutton Group was now hanging by a thread, and Mr. Sutton was consumed with anxiety. He had been overconfident before and hadn’t cut his losses in time. Now, he could only wait for the government’s axe to fall, with no idea how much flesh it would slice off.

Mr. Sutton wanted to latch onto the great tree that was the Simmons Family, but it seemed they had no intention of giving him the chance.

Mr. Sutton was in a foul mood, but Ethan Sutton’s mood had been even worse lately.

He had painfully bid 420 million for the Pink Diamond to give to Zara Walsh, hoping she would accept his pursuit. To his surprise, Zara didn’t accept it at all. Instead, she tactfully told Ethan Sutton to take it back and give it to his own fiancée.

Zara Walsh was a player to begin with. She enjoyed the drama of a down-on-his-luck young master groveling for resources, but she had no desire to get any more involved with him. Simply put, she was just playing around and had no intention of taking him on for real.

In the last few days, Zara had found a new target and had completely lost interest in Ethan Sutton. She blocked his number and flew to Icelia for a vacation with her new flame.

Ethan Sutton wanted to sell the 420-million-dollar Pink Diamond for cash, but he found that he couldn’t trade it. Because the Sutton Group had significant debts, most of Ethan’s assets, as a member of the group’s management, were frozen pending an audit in January. The Pink Diamond was among them.

Ethan Sutton was fuming when he suddenly saw a familiar figure standing by the observation deck—

It was Melody Summers.

Although Ethan Sutton and Melody Summers had only met once, he recognized her immediately. It had to be said that her face truly fit his aesthetic perfectly.

Ethan Sutton was momentarily confused. Why was Melody Summers at this banquet?

’Could it be...’

’Could it be that the Lancaster Family knew I would be here and sent Melody Summers to get close to me?’

Ethan Sutton sized Melody up. Even though he knew the Lancaster Family was beyond saving, Melody’s face was undeniably attractive to him. He had just been rejected by Zara Walsh and needed a woman to actively pursue him to save face. He didn’t mind playing along with Melody for a while.

Ethan Sutton subtly unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt, strolled up behind Melody Summers with a glass of red wine, and asked in a low voice, "Melody Summers, what are you doing here?"

Melody was chatting with Sophie Thorne and turned around in confusion when she heard the voice.

When she saw that the speaker was Ethan Sutton, the smile on Melody’s face vanished instantly.

’What bad luck.’

Seeing that Melody didn’t say anything, Ethan Sutton frowned. He then let his gaze sweep brazenly up and down her body and asked suggestively, "Melody Summers, did you follow me all the way here? Are you looking for me?"

Ethan’s leering gaze made Melody feel a little nauseous. She frowned and asked, "I’m sorry, who are you?"

Ethan Sutton was stunned. He looked at Melody in disbelief and said, "Are you playing hard to get with me? I’d advise you not to try that. It won’t work on me. Besides, if you’re not here for me, then who are you here for? Could it be... Did the Lancaster Family send you here to seduce someone else?"

As this thought crossed Ethan’s mind, a strong wave of indignation and anger surged within him, though even he couldn’t understand where the feeling came from.