On the way back, Melody Summers told Sophie Thorne about the Oceanus Hotel’s dual pricing for different customers, as well as the "special services" the front desk had mentioned. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

After she finished speaking, Melody Summers asked Sophie Thorne, "I have a feeling there’s something wrong with the Oceanus Hotel. Sophie, you’re from a wealthy family. Do you know much about the Hayes Family?"

Sophie Thorne frowned in thought before shaking her head. "My family doesn’t have much contact with the Hayes Family," she answered. "I just know they started in the criminal underworld and only went legit a few years ago, so a lot of people avoid them."

Sophie Thorne continued, "However, I did hear one story... The Hayes Family’s eldest son, Raymond Hayes, was raised as the family heir. He’s cruel and vicious. In his younger years, he was incredibly arrogant and loved to play a dog-eat-dog game, often backing his rivals into a corner with no way out."

"One time, he drove a rival to complete ruin, leaving him with nothing. The man, with nowhere left to turn, kidnapped Raymond’s wife and child. He killed them, cut them into pieces, and mailed them to him. I heard Raymond’s wife’s skull was even cleaved open... her entire head split in two..."

"The incident caused a huge sensation at the time. Raymond was devastated—his wife had been his first love... He felt responsible for her death, so he personally disfigured his own face and has never remarried."

"As for Hugh and Clara Hayes, they were always marginalized and kept away from the family business. I don’t know much about them."

"Unlike Clara, after Raymond refused to remarry and have more children, the Hayes Family pinned their hopes of carrying on the family line on Hugh. Both Hector and Raymond Hayes doted on him."

"But Hugh has been missing for a long time... The Hayes Family searched everywhere for him... but they’ve stopped looking now. They’ve probably accepted that he’s dead."

"And you know about Clara. She’s engaged to Flynn Adler. The Adler Family isn’t exactly clean either, so I guess in a way, they’re a perfect match for each other."

Melody Summers listened silently. She hadn’t realized Flynn Adler and Clara Hayes were already engaged.

She and Sophie Thorne had caught Flynn Adler with Sylvia Lancaster during the full moon banquet. They both knew Sylvia was now pregnant with Flynn’s child, and had no idea how this three-way mess would resolve itself.

Then, Melody Summers asked hesitantly, "So, do you think there are illicit dealings going on inside the Oceanus Hotel?"

Sophie Thorne understood what Melody meant. She let out a soft sigh and replied, "Melody, you have to understand, this kind of thing was common even before the apocalypse, let alone now. You might think it’s all coercion and force, but most of it is actually consensual."

"Melody, I know you’re an idealist and can’t stand to see this stuff, but you have to admit that even if you’re not okay with it, plenty of other people are—men and women both. Remember that full moon banquet for Zane Simmons’s son we went to? That was all about transactions. How is this any different?"

"The world is so chaotic right now. Wouldn’t it be better to just live a peaceful life with your family? Why do you have to wade into these muddy waters? It’s too dangerous for you. Melody, look at the sky. It’s nothing but dark clouds. You need to be cautious..."

Sophie Thorne came from a rich family. Her father was a total scoundrel who changed female partners like he changed clothes, and he’d even had male lovers.

She had grown up seeing these kinds of deals. Even if there were transactions happening at the Oceanus Hotel, it was just people getting what they wanted from each other. It was all consensual.

She truly didn’t want Melody to get swept up into danger because of a moment of righteous indignation.

Melody Summers listened in silence. She knew Sophie meant well, but there was a fine line between being ’willing’ and being ’made to be willing.’

’Maybe some people really are willing, but there are definitely those who aren’t. Just like me in my past life—I would have rather died taking one of them down with me.’

’It’s just that they weren’t as lucky as me. They couldn’t hide that blade, so all they could do was endure and wait for their chance.’

’Besides, I feel like what’s happening at the Oceanus Hotel is about more than just sex and money.’

’In my past life, the Hayes Family colluded with foreign powers, trafficked people and organs, and stole national resources... These are all established facts.’

’And on top of that, the Hayes Family already owes me a life. I have to collect that debt from Hector Hayes!’

Seeing the concern in Sophie Thorne’s eyes, Melody Summers could only manage a reluctant nod. "Don’t worry," she said. "I’ll be careful."

Sophie Thorne could tell from her expression that she was still fixated on the matter. She was worried but didn’t feel it was her place to say anything more.

The atmosphere in the car turned silent. Neither of them spoke for the rest of the drive back to The Metropolis Residences.

*

After dropping Sophie home, Melody Summers took some leftover pastries and snacks from the restaurant and headed to Crystal Mart.

But when she reached the commercial district, she was surprised to find a crowd gathered in front of Crystal Mart, shouting.

Melody’s heart lurched, and she rushed forward to check on the situation.

A crowd had formed a circle in front of the supermarket. In the center stood a little girl, about ten years old, sobbing into her hands.

A woman in a red shirt, who appeared to be the girl’s mother, stood beside her. Her clothes were disheveled, and her tied-up hair was a mess. She was holding the little girl, trying to comfort her.

Opposite them, a man in a yellow shirt was being pinned to the ground by Officer Tristan Tanner.

The man in the yellow shirt could be heard crying out, "OW! OW!" while yelling, "It’s a misunderstanding! All a misunderstanding! I just accidentally bumped into her! I swear I didn’t grope her!"

Melody Summers spotted Crystal Lynch in the crowd. She quickly pulled her aside, handed her the paper bag of pastries, and whispered, "Crystal, what’s going on?"

Crystal Lynch looked surprised to see Melody. She took the paper bag and whispered angrily in Melody’s ear, "It’s that guy in yellow. He used the dark as cover to grope that little girl’s butt! Her mom saw him do it and, without a moment’s hesitation, slapped him right across the face."

As Melody stared in shock, Crystal continued, "He flew into a rage after being slapped, grabbed the mother, and punched her a few times. Then Officer Tate took control of him."

Melody frowned at the story.

The little girl’s mother roared at the man in yellow, "What misunderstanding?! I saw you grope my daughter’s butt with my own eyes! You animal! You bastard! My daughter is still in elementary school! She’s only nine years old! You belong in jail!"

Hearing this, the man in yellow shouted, "I didn’t grope her! It was too dark, I couldn’t see, so I just bumped into her! Don’t you two go framing an innocent person!"

Seeing the onlookers start to murmur, the man in yellow yelled again, "Everyone, don’t believe these two! They’re framing me! I’m an honest man! I haven’t even held a woman’s hand in all my life!"

Then he yelled at the mother and daughter, "Hey, little girl, how did you learn to slander people at such a young age? When did I ever touch you? If you’ve got the guts, pull down your pants and let everyone see if there are any of my handprints on your ass!"

The little girl’s mother flew into a rage, rushing forward to attack him. "You! You beast! I’ll kill you!" she screamed, hitting him.

The man in yellow, restrained by Officer Tristan Tanner, couldn’t fight back. He could only yell to the crowd, "OW! OW! You all saw that, right? This woman’s a psycho! She just attacked me for no reason! I’m an honest man! You all have to stand up for me!"

Officer Sean Pierce quickly pulled the mother back. "Ma’am, please calm down," he said soothingly.

He then turned to the man in yellow. "The surveillance footage clearly shows you reaching out to grope this little girl. Consider this a warning. If it happens again, we will revoke your eligibility to collect from the supply point."