The Lancaster residence.

After Melody Summers left, the atmosphere in the Lancaster home was suffocating.

Mr. Sutton was so furious his hands were trembling. No man could tolerate having his child’s paternity questioned in public. It was tantamount to a public declaration that his wife had cheated on him!

Mrs. Sutton was both furious and frantic after hearing what Melody said. It was like Melody was announcing to everyone that she’d had an affair. She glanced at Mr. Sutton’s face, wanting nothing more than to jump up and curse Melody out, but she had to maintain the decorum of a wealthy matriarch, so she could only grit her teeth and bear it.

Ethan Sutton was also mortified. He had been worried Melody would try to cling to him and had prepared a long list of excuses to reject her. He had even mentally rehearsed the touching details of his relationship with Sylvia Lancaster, ready to tell Melody and make her back off. But to his surprise, Melody hadn’t even given him a second glance!

After a suffocating silence, Mr. Sutton was the first to stand and announce their departure.

After the three Suttons left, the Lancasters remained in the living room, staring at each other in bewilderment.

The only sound in the room was Elaine Hughes’s choked sobs. "Why? Melody was perfectly fine when she came home before. How could she speak like that today? I’m her biological mother..."

Half of Silas Lancaster’s body was still numb and aching. He sucked in a breath and muttered, "She’s just playing hard to get. I’ve seen her place; it was a total dump. Why wouldn’t she want to come back to our family? She’s just trying to use this tactic to drive Sylvia out. Mom, Dad, you can’t fall for her trick."

Sylvia Lancaster hadn’t expected this outcome either and, for a moment, didn’t know whether to be happy or worried. Her original plan had been to use Ethan Sutton’s favoritism to provoke Melody and make her back down.

’It would have been best if Melody had done something drastic out of humiliation from Ethan’s rejection. Then the Lancasters and the Suttons would have seen her as uncultured and realized that I am the one truly suited to be the Suttons’ daughter-in-law.’

But Melody’s actions tonight had completely disrupted her plans.

Sylvia felt she had won, yet she was deeply unsettled. She was terrified that Melody’s attitude would provoke Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster. Her thoughts were a mess; she couldn’t think straight.

Having been publicly humiliated by Melody, Robert Lancaster’s face had been ashen. After a long while, he finally let out a breath. "Forget it. She wasn’t raised by the Lancaster family, after all. She’s been utterly ruined by that birth mother of hers. She’s a lost cause."

Simon Lancaster said comfortingly, "Mom, Dad, Melody just got that 6.4 million. She thinks she’s rich now, so she doesn’t want to come home. But money runs out eventually. Once she gets used to a lavish lifestyle and has no money left, she’ll want to come back."

Elaine Hughes nodded gently. She also hoped that Melody would eventually come to her senses.

"What good would it do for her to come back with that kind of temper! After the scene she made today, do you really think the Suttons would still accept her as a daughter-in-law? Did you hear the nonsense she was spouting! Talking back to her elders! Utterly uncultured!" The more Robert thought about it, the angrier he became. Melody’s words today had brought immense shame upon both the Lancaster and Sutton families.

What Robert wanted was a daughter who could bring benefits to the Lancaster family. He needed Melody to be obedient and sensible, to prioritize the family’s interests, and to willingly take on the responsibility of the marriage alliance.

But it was only tonight that he discovered Melody’s temper was not so easily controlled.

At this thought, Robert decided that Sylvia was, after all, a more suitable child for the Lancaster family. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked up at her. "Sylvia, spend more time with Ethan over the next few days. Try to persuade him to set a date for your wedding soon."

"There have been rumors in our social circle about your parentage. Dad will release a statement saying that you are the true Lancaster daughter, and that Melody is just an illegitimate child the family raised in the countryside. That way, the Suttons shouldn’t have any issue with your status, so don’t feel pressured."

As for why he wouldn’t just deny the rumors outright, Robert believed that Melody would have to return to the Lancaster family eventually. He would never accept his own bloodline remaining outside the family.

The anxiety that had been weighing on Sylvia’s heart finally lifted. "Okay, Dad. Don’t you worry."

Simon Lancaster’s eyes darkened, and he subtly furrowed his brow. For the past few days, there had been much discussion about "Sylvia not being the real Lancaster daughter" and "the real Lancaster daughter is about to return home." He was the one who had secretly spread these rumors.

’I thought switching the engagement to Melody was a sure thing, but I never expected her to be so uncooperative.’

’I don’t want to just hand Sylvia over to Ethan Sutton. Looks like I’ll have to come up with another plan.’

Hearing Robert’s plan, Elaine Hughes hesitated. In wealthy circles, illegitimate children were heavily ostracized, and she felt this would be too unfair to Melody. But then she looked at Sylvia. It was like choosing between the palm and the back of her hand. In the end, she just sighed softly and said nothing more.

Each of the Lancasters was lost in their own schemes, with only Silas seething in pure frustration. He had no idea what Melody had used to zap him earlier, but his arm had been numb and aching for a full thirty minutes before it finally returned to normal.

*

The Sutton residence.

"Mom, Dad, wasn’t I right? That girl from the countryside is no match for Sylvia at all," Ethan Sutton said to his parents.

But Mr. Sutton just frowned and replied, "We never should have announced the engagement between the Suttons and Lancasters so early. There are plenty of good women out there. Why are you so determined to hang yourself from this one tree?"

"Dad, don’t be like that. Sylvia and I have had a stable relationship for years. I’m not interested in any other women."

Mr. Sutton snorted and turned to leave for his study. In his opinion, "feelings" were the least important part of a marriage between powerful families. It didn’t matter whether they existed or not.

Mr. Sutton sat in his study for a long time, thinking it over and over. Finally, he called his assistant. "Hello? Arrange two paternity tests for me. Rush order!"

Melody’s words today were like a thorn lodged in his heart. He wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully until it was removed!

*

After finishing her noodles, Melody Summers went upstairs and entered the space. The chili peppers and cabbages were almost ready to be harvested, and the cucumber and green bean vines had covered the trellises. At this growth rate, it seemed her family wouldn’t have to worry about vegetables during the apocalypse.

’The seed seller wasn’t lying. With a yield this high, I’ll have more than enough for my family—I could even sell the surplus.’

Melody harvested a few cabbages, moved two sacks of soybeans and corn, and then laboriously processed a large batch of animal feed, which she stacked in the space’s warehouse for later use.

The pigs, cattle, and sheep consumed a lot of feed, so Melody planned to go out and stockpile more grain to make more.

Albus walked up to Melody and said:

[Host, the cows and ewes are pregnant. You should give them some extra feed.]

"That’s great!" Melody was overjoyed. She grabbed another sack of feed from the warehouse, intending to give the pregnant cows and ewes an extra meal.

She had read several books on animal husbandry over the past few days and was surprised to discover just how many risks were involved in raising livestock, from dealing with various bacteria to preventing diseases.

Fortunately, the space had informed her that the Arcadian Space was a massive purification system. Any animal or plant that entered it would be immune to illness. Otherwise, Melody really wouldn’t have been able to handle it.