On the other end of the line, Melody Summers was completely baffled by what she just heard.

’What debt? Is this some kind of phone scam?’

’And what’s this about serving someone?’

Melody Summers instinctively felt the person must have dialed the wrong number.

So, she asked tentatively, "And you are?"

Ethan Sutton froze for a moment upon hearing that. Then, he let out a disdainful scoff and said in his deep, sexy vocal fry, "Melody Summers, don’t play hard to get with me. I refuse to believe you can’t recognize my voice."

Ethan Sutton was a man of supreme confidence, always the most prominent young master in any crowd. He refused to believe Melody Summers couldn’t recognize his voice and figured she was just playing hard to get.

He thought with some disdain, ’Women like her just love these little hard-to-get games.’

But to his surprise, Melody Summers on the other end of the line simply replied, "Psycho."

Then, the line went dead.

Ethan Sutton stared at his phone in disbelief—Melody Summers had actually hung up on him!

Ethan Sutton’s face instantly turned bright red. He couldn’t tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. He immediately called back.

When the call connected, Melody Summers’s impatient voice came through, "Are you a psycho? Stop calling me!"

Before Melody Summers could hang up, Ethan Sutton quickly identified himself: "It’s me, Ethan Sutton!"

Melody Summers paused. ’Ethan Sutton?’

She frowned and asked, "What do you want?"

Ethan Sutton sneered and said in a low voice, "Melody Summers, your parents now owe the Sutton Family a sum of money they can’t repay. What do you think should be done about this?"

Melody Summers was even more confused hearing this. She replied impatiently, "A debt? Then sue them. What’s the point of calling me? I’m definitely not helping them pay it back."

Hearing Melody Summers’s nonchalant tone, Ethan Sutton assumed she was just pretending to be calm. He continued with a sneer, "Melody Summers, stop playing dumb! The Lancasters owe money and won’t pay up. You’d better believe I’ll go to your brother’s company and cause a scene."

It finally dawned on Melody Summers. It was her own fault for being so busy lately; she’d completely forgotten about the whole mess between the Sutton and Lancaster families.

She recalled the recent paternity test the Sutton Family had done on the baby Sylvia Lancaster miscarried. ’The Suttons probably think the child was Simon Lancaster’s. The daughter-in-law they’d welcomed into their family was pregnant with her own brother’s child—how could the Suttons possibly swallow that insult?’

’So Ethan Sutton is calling me now. The two families must have had a massive falling out over this, and the Suttons are settling the score with Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes!’

’The Lancaster Family is broke right now. They’re calling me because they’ve probably decided to target me.’

At this thought, Melody Summers couldn’t help but sneer. ’How are the Lancasters so incapable of learning their lesson? It seems the past few beatings weren’t enough for them...’

Seeing Melody Summers go silent, Ethan Sutton assumed he had scared her. He thought she was afraid he’d actually go to Simon Lancaster’s company, cause a scene, and make Simon lose his job.

Thinking of this, a triumphant smile spread across Ethan Sutton’s face. ’I knew it. They’re her biological parents, after all. Blood is thicker than water. How could Melody Summers truly not care if her parents live or die?’

But to his surprise, Melody Summers said, "Ethan Sutton, what exactly are you going to cause a scene about at Simon Lancaster’s company? That your own brother-in-law, Simon Lancaster, cuckolded you? Or that your wife was pregnant with another man’s child?"

Ethan Sutton’s hand holding the phone tightened instantly. The triumphant smile vanished from his face, and his eyes turned ice-cold.

Melody Summers continued, "Go ahead. You should make a big enough scene for the whole world to know. Tell everyone how your dear wife cheated on you. If you feel you can’t make a big enough spectacle on your own, I can pay for popular bloggers and online trolls to support you. I’ll guarantee everyone in Anworth knows that Simon Lancaster cuckolded you."

Ethan Sutton’s phone was on speaker, and now everyone in the large hall had heard Melody Summers’s voice.

Ethan Sutton was both shocked and furious. ’How does Melody Summers know all this? Could it be...’

Ethan Sutton shot a vicious glare at Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes. He was sure they were the ones who told Melody Summers!

’The entire Lancaster family knew Sylvia was pregnant with Simon’s child, and only my family was kept in the dark!’

Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes, however, exchanged a confused glance. They couldn’t believe it either. How did Melody Summers find out?

Ethan Sutton couldn’t hold back any longer. He yelled into the phone, "Melody Summers! Stop playing games with me! You know what state the Lancasters are in. If your brother loses his job, your parents will starve to death! Don’t think I’m joking!"

With that, Ethan Sutton handed the phone to Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes, signaling them with his eyes to help persuade Melody Summers.

Ethan Sutton thought, ’I refuse to believe Melody Summers can ignore the pleas of her own biological parents!’

Seeing her chance, Elaine Hughes quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, Melody, my good daughter! Mommy really knows she was wrong this time. Everything in the past was my fault! I shouldn’t have favored Sylvia. I promise it will never happen again. You’re Mommy’s only daughter! Please, just help the family. Your brother really can’t lose his job!"

Robert Lancaster added, "Daughter, Sylvia did something wrong, and we’ve already kicked her out of the house. From now on, your mother and I only recognize you as our daughter. Now, as your father, I’m begging you, just help the family this one time!"

Listening to Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes, Melody Summers felt a little sick. In her past life, the two phrases this couple said most often were "I really regret having a daughter like you" and "You’re such a disappointment to us"...

Now that they needed something from her, they were pulling this act again. It was truly laughable.

Before Melody Summers could speak, Ethan Sutton cut in again, "So? You believe me now, don’t you?"

Melody Summers thought for a moment, then asked in a calm tone, "Oh? Then what do you want me to do?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Hearing this, Ethan Sutton thought Melody Summers was giving in. He said smugly, "If you want me to let your parents off the hook, you’ll come back with me to the Sutton estate. From now on, you belong to the Sutton Family, and you will obey my every command."

Ethan Sutton pictured Melody Summers’s beautiful face, and a lecherous smile crept onto his lips.

He continued in a low voice, "As long as you behave and please me from now on, once I’m satisfied, your parents’ debt will be wiped clean. I also won’t go to Simon Lancaster’s company to cause trouble for him. How about it?"

Melody Summers almost laughed out loud at his words. She asked, "So I have to obey your every command? And what if I don’t?"

Ethan Sutton sneered. "Then I’ll sell you to the Crestview Hotel! I’ll let the people at the Crestview Hotel discipline you properly!"

Hearing Ethan Sutton say this, the two Crestview Hotel security guards standing next to him couldn’t help but frown. ’This client has no filter,’ they thought. ’Isn’t he just making trouble for us?!’

Melody Summers, however, froze when she heard the name "The Crestview Hotel."

She silently committed the name to memory.