Chapter 127: Chapter 127: Turning the Tables

Sylvia Lancaster slapped his hand away, feigning resistance. She pouted coquettishly. "Stop it. You’re engaged to Claire, but you’re still getting so handsy with me."

After the New Year, Flynn Adler and Clara Hayes had gotten engaged. It was an arrangement made by their families.

Clara Hayes didn’t like Flynn Adler but couldn’t defy her father. She had spent a long time complaining to Sylvia Lancaster about it.

Listening to Clara’s complaints left Sylvia with mixed feelings. After the natural disaster, the Lancaster Family had gone bankrupt, while the Hayes Family had become more prosperous than ever. When facing Clara, Sylvia couldn’t help but feel a surge of jealousy and resentment.

But ever since the Lancaster Family’s bankruptcy, most of Sylvia’s old friends had stopped contacting her. Many even took the opportunity to kick her while she was down. Only Clara Hayes had remained a good friend to her.

Now, fooling around with Clara’s fiancé, Sylvia couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling.

There was the secret thrill of victory, the satisfaction of evening the score, the fear of being exposed, and an inexplicable thread of guilt.

Her thoughts were in turmoil. She didn’t know how to face Clara, so she could only do her best to comfort her whenever she complained.

Flynn Adler scoffed at her words. He pinched Sylvia’s chin, roughly rubbing her lips as he replied in a suggestive tone, "I don’t even like that woman. She’s a total shrew. How could she compare to you? You’re so considerate and understanding."

After the natural disaster, Adler Enterprises had taken advantage of government support for desalination companies to embezzle state assets.

For some reason, this caught the attention of the higher-ups. Rumor had it that an investigation was underway, and several shareholders had already pulled their investments after hearing the news.

Now, the government was slowly nationalizing the industry.

Seeing that the desalination business was failing, the Adler Family returned to their old ways. With the Hayes Family as their powerful backer, they collaborated on some shady ventures.

To cling to the Hayes Family’s coattails, Kenneth Adler had pushed hard for the marriage between Flynn Adler and Clara Hayes. The Hayes Family was happy to oblige, so the two families had arranged for Flynn and Clara to get engaged a while back.

Flynn Adler loathed entitled women like Clara Hayes, but he knew what was best for the big picture. He had no choice but to hold his nose and placate her every day.

Clara was constantly bossing him around, either complaining that the dates he planned lacked taste or that the gifts he gave weren’t to her liking. Flynn was so frustrated he felt the urge to strangle her.

Fortunately, Sylvia Lancaster was gentle and charming, offering him some comfort. As a result, his dates with Sylvia became more and more frequent.

They were like dry tinder and a burning flame, igniting at the slightest touch. They immediately fell onto the bed and into each other’s arms, completely oblivious to the earthquake news being broadcast on the television...

*

"According to the National Seismological Network, multiple earthquakes have recently been detected near regions including Skyfire Volcano, Gryphon Volcano, The Five Calderas, Mount Mirovia, Vipera Volcano, and Northryde Volcano..."

"Data from the National Volcanic Monitoring Center shows a significant increase in the magnitude of associated seismic events, ground deformation, earthquake frequency, and greenhouse gas emissions at these volcanic sites..."

"The frequency of earthquakes at Skyfire Volcano, in particular, peaked at 8,000 occurrences this month. The height of the volcano’s northern slope, which typically rises by an average of 4 millimeters per year, has anomalously decreased, dropping by a sudden 50 millimeters..."

"Through joint inversion of precision-located volcanic seismic data and GS and leveling observation data, the National Earthquake Administration’s Volcanic Research Center has discovered that the shallow magma chamber causing the aforementioned disturbances is located approximately five kilometers beneath the crater. The preliminary assessment is that the volcano is in a periodic magma replenishment phase..."

"Experts from the National Earthquake Administration’s Volcanic Research Center believe there is a high probability of eruption at these volcanoes in the near future. Furthermore, it is highly likely that these will not be small or medium-sized eruptions, but rather a millennial-scale super-eruption..."

"The state is organizing the orderly evacuation of residents within the potential blast zones of the volcanoes..."

Melody Summers scrolled through the news with a grim expression. These days, reports of earthquakes were everywhere.

These earthquakes were precursors to an impending eruption. She knew that massive, worldwide volcanic eruptions were about to begin.

Cenozoic volcanoes were widely distributed across the country, and the government was expending vast amounts of manpower and resources to organize the emergency evacuation of nearby residents.

Melody Summers also hurried to renovate the two new high-rise apartments she had bought.

The construction company Tate from the sales office had recommended was reliable. The workers swiftly installed a hidden door between units 1605 and 1606, connecting the two apartments.

The security doors of both apartments were replaced, security bars were installed on every window, and surveillance cameras were mounted next to all doors and windows.

Melody Summers was trying to connect her phone to the newly installed security cameras when a call came in from an unknown number.

Melody answered it directly. It was Sylvia Lancaster’s voice on the other end.

Unlike her usual affected tone, Sylvia’s voice was calm and normal. "Melody Summers, are you free? Let’s meet. There’s something I need to talk to you about."

Melody thought for a moment, then replied, "Alright."

*

Sylvia Lancaster and Melody Summers arranged to meet at a teahouse in the city center that was still open.

It was rare for a teahouse to still be in business. As Melody entered, she took a look around. Most of the patrons were using the teahouse to discuss business partnerships. No wonder a single pot of tea here could cost tens of thousands.

Sylvia was already waiting at a table near a corner. When she saw Melody arrive, she looked up and quietly studied her.

Melody still wasn’t wearing a single luxury item, not even the most basic piece of jewelry. She wore a simple dress, her long, dark hair draped casually over her shoulders, making her skin look as white as snow.

Although Melody’s face was expressionless at the moment, the corners of her eyes and brows revealed an undeniable aura of happiness, suggesting she had been living well this past year.

’The family that adopted Melody Summers might be poor,’ Sylvia thought, ’but they must love her very much.’

At this, Sylvia lowered her gaze, hiding the intense bitterness in her heart.

Ever since the natural disaster, her life had been incredibly difficult. Not only did she have to face pressure from the Lancaster and Sutton Families, but she even had to debase herself for a man she once looked down on, all for a pitiful amount of spending money.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t control her jealousy toward Melody Summers. ’Why? Why is Melody’s luck always so good? It was one thing for her to be born into a wealthy family, but even after we switched places, why is she still happier than I am?’

’I can’t accept this! I really can’t!’

After taking a seat, Melody ordered a pot of tea. Then, she too quietly studied Sylvia.

Despite having taken great care with her appearance, Sylvia’s face still held an undeniable look of exhaustion. Her skin was a bit puffy, and her eyes were tinged with a world-weariness that came from experience.

This surprised Melody a little.

’In my last life, even during the apocalypse, Sylvia Lancaster was doted on and protected by her parents and brother. On top of that, she later obtained the Arcadia Space System, produced a cure for the pandemic, and was cherished by Flynn Adler.’

’In this life, without my interference, Sylvia got her wish and married Ethan Sutton, becoming Mrs. Sutton. Yet somehow, she looks even more haggard than she did in my last life.’

Sylvia was the first to break the silence. She looked at Melody and said, "I didn’t think you’d actually agree to meet me. I thought you wouldn’t come."

Sylvia’s tone lacked its usual affectation and feigned weakness. Melody realized she could actually speak normally—a rare event she hadn’t witnessed in two lifetimes.

This was their first time meeting alone in this lifetime. Perhaps because Melody hadn’t returned to the Lancaster Family and they hadn’t gotten entangled with each other, Sylvia was finally able to speak to her properly.

Melody thought of her own tragic death in her past life. She glanced around the room with an unreadable expression, feeling a pang of regret that the area was covered by security cameras.

Then she turned her head, fixed her gaze on Sylvia, and asked in a low voice, "So, what did you want to see me about?"

Sylvia bit her lip, avoiding Melody’s gaze as she got straight to the point. "That dispute you had with Xiao Yuan was reported to my brother’s company by someone with an agenda. Now, the company has demoted him and sidelined him."

Melody raised an eyebrow. ’A pleasant surprise,’ she thought. ’It seems the complaint I wrote actually worked.’

She had only intended to block Simon Lancaster’s promotion; she never expected him to get demoted.

Melody struggled to suppress the smile at the corners of her lips and nodded. "I see. Is there anything else?"

Sylvia was puzzled by Melody’s calm demeanor. She frowned and said, "Things are hard for the family now. We all depend on my brother’s job at Rhodes to support us. If he’s demoted, life will be even harder for Mom and Dad."

Melody simply nodded again and continued, "Mm-hm. And?"

Sylvia’s eyes widened in disbelief. "They’re your biological parents, after all. Do you really not care about them at all?"

Melody looked at Sylvia’s expression and couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter. "What? You know you’re not the Lancaster’s real daughter. Have you ever thought about looking for your own birth parents? You say I don’t care about my biological parents, but what about you? Miss Lancaster, do you care about *your* biological parents?"