Nina Summers had always been very compliant with Winston Sheffield. But this time, after hearing his words, she didn’t immediately stand up to leave with him. Instead, she subconsciously looked toward Melody Summers.

Seeing this, Melody Summers spoke up. "Don’t look at me. It’s your decision whether or not you go with him."

Melody Summers had originally planned to take Nina Summers home herself, so Nina wouldn’t have to put up with Winston Sheffield’s attitude.

But now, seeing that Nina Summers only had eyes for Winston Sheffield... Melody Summers really didn’t want to get involved in other people’s romantic entanglements.

Nina Summers hesitated for a moment, then finally stood up and said her goodbyes to Melody Summers. "Well... I’m full... I’ll get going then. Goodbye, cousin."

Melody Summers gave a slightly helpless wave. "Alright, go on."

Winston Sheffield, who was nearby, suddenly stopped in his tracks when he heard the word "cousin." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

He spun around, scrutinizing Melody Summers, and then asked, "You’re Nina’s cousin? The woman they were supposed to introduce to my uncle?"

Melody Summers looked up at Winston Sheffield and answered, confused, "Introducing me to your uncle? What are you talking about?"

Winston Sheffield frowned. "What are you playing at?" he said, clearly displeased. "During the heatwave last year, Caleb Summers and his wife said they would play matchmaker for my uncle and set him up with Nina’s cousin. Weren’t they talking about you?"

Back then, Mindy Walsh had sworn to Winston Sheffield’s grandmother that she would introduce a graduate from a prestigious university to be his uncle’s wife.

But later, when The Sheffield Family asked when the two could meet, Caleb Summers and Mindy Walsh backed out of the agreement.

Thinking of this, Winston Sheffield said resentfully, "Do you have any idea? My mother was already making preparations to host you, but you actually dared to stand us up!"

Hearing Winston Sheffield’s words, Melody Summers searched her memory. She then recalled that during the heatwave last year, when Caleb Summers’s family of three had come over for dinner, they had indeed wanted to introduce her to a blind date named "Sheffield"...

Winston Sheffield continued, "You agreed to the blind date and then backed out. How could you do that? I heard from Caleb Summers and his wife that you’re just a recent college graduate with no job and a poor family. Women with your background are a dime a dozen. They’re all scrambling to marry my uncle, so what right do you have to look down on him?"

Seeing the situation, Nina Summers quickly grabbed Winston Sheffield’s arm. "Stop arguing, Winston," she pleaded. "You’ve misunderstood. The matchmaking was my parents’ idea. My cousin didn’t even know about it!"

But Winston Sheffield just shook Nina Summers off. He frowned and looked Melody Summers up and down, his gaze filled with disgust. "Are you just counting on being young and pretty, thinking you can hook a rich man here, so now you think you’re too good for my uncle? Women like you are so materialistic and hypocritical!"

Melody Summers watched him coldly. "Shut your mouth and get lost," she said in an icy tone. "If you feel so bad that your uncle is lonely, why don’t you make a little sacrifice yourself? You’ve got a pretty face. Clean yourself up, and you’ll do in a pinch."

Winston Sheffield was enraged. "You can’t possibly think any of the rich men here would actually be interested in you, do you? Even if a woman like you did manage to hook one, you’d just be his plaything!"

Melody Summers scoffed. "You seem to know a lot about that. Is it because you were begging to be someone’s plaything tonight and got no takers?"

"You!" Winston Sheffield’s face flushed beet red. He clenched his fists and glared at Melody Summers, looking like he was about to lunge at her and start a fight.

Melody Summers, however, just smiled nonchalantly. "Losing your cool? Did I strike a nerve?"

Seeing the veins bulging on Winston Sheffield’s forehead, Sophie Thorne spoke up with a warning. "If you continue to harass her, we’re calling security."

Hearing this, some of Winston Sheffield’s reason returned.

He really couldn’t afford to fight here. Everyone present was a big shot, and he was afraid that causing a scene would impact his future prospects.

Unable to win the argument and not daring to fight, he could only shoot Melody Summers one last venomous glare. Then, without even looking at Nina Summers, he turned and strode away.

Nina Summers hastily bid Melody Summers farewell and jogged after him.

After the scene caused by Zara Walsh and Winston Sheffield, Melody Summers had lost her appetite. She and Sophie Thorne said their goodbyes to Zane Simmons and left the event early.

Watching Melody Summers’s departing figure, Lily Adler took out her phone and sent a message to one of her subordinates...

******

After leaving The Nimbus Hotel, Melody Summers and Sophie Thorne were sitting in their car. The bodyguard had just pulled onto the main road and was about to accelerate when something unexpected happened.

A white shadow flashed in front of the car, and the bodyguard quickly slammed on the brakes.

Once the car had stopped, Melody Summers frowned and looked ahead to see a woman lying on the road in front of them.

The bodyguard cautiously scanned the area. Fortunately, the nearby streetlights were on. After confirming there were no other vehicles around, he dared to lower the window and call out to the woman on the ground, "Are you okay? Could you please move aside?"

But the woman on the ground didn’t get up. Instead, she shouted toward the car, "I’m pregnant! I accidentally twisted my ankle! Please, help me!"

The bodyguards inside the car exchanged glances, not planning to get out. Roadside robberies and kidnappings still happened from time to time; it was better to avoid trouble than to court it.

The driver raised the window and was about to drive around the woman when Melody Summers suddenly said, "I’ll go take a look."

Melody Summers knew this was a trap. But they were near the Oceanus Hotel. If the pregnant woman outside was part of a human trafficking ring, then she was very likely connected to Hector Hayes and his people.

’A clue that falls right into your lap shouldn’t be ignored.’ Melody wanted to gather more evidence to take down Hector Hayes and his entire group in one fell swoop, ensuring they never had a chance to recover.

As Melody Summers prepared to get out, Sophie Thorne and the bodyguards quickly tried to stop her.

Sophie Thorne grabbed Melody Summers’s arm. "No! Don’t go out there."

The bodyguard in the driver’s seat also chimed in. "Miss Summers, please don’t get out. It’s obvious this woman is running a scam. The road is this wide, and she just happens to fall right in front of our car. It’s clearly intentional. You can’t fall for it!"

The bodyguard in the passenger seat added anxiously, "That’s right, Miss Summers! This isn’t the time to be a bleeding heart. Human traffickers prey on the compassion of women like you. That’s exactly why they set these kinds of traps!"

But Melody Summers just patted Sophie Thorne’s hand, reassuring them all. "Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. None of you get out. Just wait for me in the car."

With that said, ignoring their protests, Melody Summers opened the car door and stepped out.

She walked over to the fallen woman and saw that she was, in fact, pregnant. Even through her loose, thick clothing, her prominent belly was visible.

The pregnant woman’s eyes lit up when she saw Melody Summers get out of the car. She quickly grabbed the hem of Melody’s dress and pleaded, "Miss, I’ve twisted my ankle. Can you help me get home?"

Before Melody Summers could speak, Sophie Thorne and the bodyguards got out of the car as well.

One of the bodyguards answered before she could. "You’ve twisted your ankle, so it wouldn’t be easy for her to help you. How about I carry you home?"

Before Melody Summers could speak, the pregnant woman quickly shook her head. "N-no, I can’t. My husband has a terrible temper. If he saw a man bringing me home, he’d beat me."

The bodyguard snorted. "Then how about we contact your family to come pick you up? Or we can call the police for you?"

Melody Summers carefully observed the pregnant woman’s reaction. She saw the woman’s expression shift subtly at the bodyguard’s words, but she still held tightly to the hem of Melody’s dress, not letting go.

Melody Summers gave a faint smile. She bent down to help the pregnant woman up and said, "Alright. I’ll take you home."