When the security guard in black saw Zara Walsh and Supervisor Walsh arrive, he immediately put on a fawning smile.

He took a few quick steps to Supervisor Walsh’s side, lowered his head to his ear, and whispered, "Mr. Walsh, don’t worry. I’ve deleted the video from her phone!"

Hearing this, Supervisor Walsh finally let out a sigh of relief.

The security guard in black bowed and scraped before Zara Walsh and Supervisor Walsh, saying obsequiously, "Miss Walsh, Mr. Walsh, please calm down. I’ll get these two to leave right now!"

Then, he turned to Melody Summers and Lucy White, his face hardening as he said, "Neither of you has an invitation. How did you sneak into this banquet? And you even had the audacity to run into Miss Walsh!"

"Apologize to Miss Walsh and Mr. Walsh right now. Admit you were wrong and that you shouldn’t have slandered anyone. If Miss Walsh forgives you, I’ll let you go. Otherwise... you’ll regret it!"

After speaking, the guard also took out his phone, preparing to record a video of Melody Summers and Lucy White’s apology. That way, it would be useless even if they tried to argue their case later.

Melody Summers glanced at the guard but said nothing. The scene fell quiet for a moment, the only sounds being Ivan Warren’s desperately suppressed whimpers and groans. The pepper spray was potent; his entire face was now aching and swollen, his eyes were sealed shut, and tears and snot streamed uncontrollably down his face.

Zara Walsh glared daggers at Melody Summers. If not for the fact that this was a Rhodes banquet and it wouldn’t do to make a scene—plus she had to maintain the decorum of a high-society lady and couldn’t do anything unseemly—she would have lunged forward and clawed Melody Summers’s face to shreds right then and there!

Melody Summers’s gaze swept over everyone present before her eyes landed on the face of the security guard in black.

The guard started to sweat profusely under her stare. Just as he was about to press them, he heard Melody Summers suddenly let out a laugh and say, "You think deleting the video solves the problem?"

The guard’s eyelid twitched. "Wh-what do you mean?" he asked, unnerved. "Did you back up the video?"

Melody Summers shook her head. "No, I didn’t..."

She hadn’t expected the hotel’s security to know Zara Walsh and Supervisor Walsh. Plus, her previous impression of the security at the Nimbus Hotel had been quite good, so she hadn’t been on her guard against him.

The guard had acted so quickly that she really hadn’t had time to back it up.

Hearing this, everyone present let out a collective sigh of relief.

But in the next second, Melody Summers spoke again, "But I’m also wearing a micro-camera. It recorded everything."

At her words, the guard’s face instantly turned pale.

Seeing his reaction, Melody Summers smiled and added, "Including you snatching my phone to delete the video just now... that was recorded, too."

This time, the guard completely lost his composure. He turned and looked helplessly at Zara Walsh, his eyes pleading for help.

If the hotel found out he’d snatched a phone and deleted a video, he’d lose his job for sure!

’I can’t lose this job!’

’My whole family depends on this job to survive. Without it, I don’t know how I’ll go on.’

Upon hearing this, Zara Walsh and Supervisor Walsh’s expressions turned sour as well.

The atmosphere was tense for a few seconds. Then, Zara Walsh gritted her teeth, pointed at Melody Summers and Lucy White, and ordered the guard, "Lock them up and strip-search them! Whether you find a camera, a recording pen, or any other suspicious jewelry, destroy it all!"

The guard froze. ’Strip-search them?!’

’That’s illegal!’

The guard scratched his head and stammered, "Miss Walsh, th-that’s not appropriate, is it..."

Zara Walsh shot him a glare and said sharply, "What are you afraid of! Let me tell you something. My brother is on a blind date with your hotel’s young lady, Joy Jennings, right now. Once they’re married, we’ll be family. You really think I can’t protect you?" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Then, Zara Walsh turned back to Melody Summers and said through gritted teeth, "You little bitch, so what if you recorded all this nonsense? You think you can threaten me with these childish games? Dream on!"

"In our upper-class circles, we exchange favors and stick together. A bottom-feeder like you could never break in! Even if you take your recordings and report me, no one will pay you any attention!"

Melody Summers watched the sneer forced onto Zara Walsh’s face and couldn’t help but smile back.

Then she asked slowly, "Is that so? Zara Walsh, if you’re really as powerful as you claim, then why are you in such a hurry to make me delete the video?"

At her words, the corner of Zara Walsh’s mouth twitched, and the smile on her face slowly faltered.

Melody Summers continued, "Zara Walsh, the truth is you’re terrified of this evidence, aren’t you... I know a certain type of so-called ’high-society’ person. They look glamorous, rich, and powerful, but in reality, once they step outside their own little bubble, no one gives them the time of day."

"Their family businesses are starting to go downhill, they lack the ability to adapt, so they exhaust every means to marry off their children, hoping to expand their network through in-laws."

"They pull every string to get their children respectable jobs, but they can’t actually let their kids run wild at the workplace, much less let them ignore all the rules and do whatever they want."

"If these children keep their heads down, they might be able to slowly climb the ladder using their family connections. But if they’re the slightest bit careless and make a misstep, their family won’t necessarily be able to save them."

Melody Summers smiled at Zara Walsh and said softly, "Zara Walsh, tell me, do you happen to fall into that category?"

With every word Melody Summers spoke, Zara Walsh’s expression grew a shade uglier.

By the time Melody Summers finished her last sentence, Zara Walsh looked as if she’d swallowed a hundred flies.

Seeing Zara Walsh’s expression, Melody Summers’s smile widened.

She knew it. If Zara Walsh were really as powerful as she claimed, she wouldn’t care about the video at all, nor would she have kept insisting that it be deleted.

Melody Summers had seen truly powerful people in her past life, the kind who could cover the sky with one hand—people who genuinely didn’t care if you filed a complaint against them with evidence in hand.

Someone like Zara Walsh was clearly all bark and no bite.

Although the Walsh Hospital had made a lot of money after the Calamity, that was the extent of it. They had no real medical technology to speak of.

When Melody Summers had worked with the government to develop specialty drugs, she had seen the list of collaborating research institutions. There were several private and public hospitals on it, but Walsh Hospital was not among them. This showed that the higher-ups didn’t have a very high opinion of Walsh Hospital.

It made sense. There were many private hospitals in Anworth. After the Calamity, many of them had reserved spots to treat ordinary people at low prices, doing what they could within their means.

But the Walsh Family had not reserved any such spots.

They were only concerned with making money, unwilling to shoulder even a shred of social responsibility. It would be strange if the higher-ups liked the Walsh Family. This also spoke volumes about the capabilities of the Walsh Family’s current head.

One moment, Zara Walsh was talking about her aunt marrying into the Rhodes Family; the next, her brother marrying into the Jennings Family. And she herself wanted to marry into the Simmons Family.

She had nothing of her own to show off, so all she could do was flaunt her marriage connections. Relying on marriages to stay afloat—wasn’t that exactly what the Lancaster Family did before they went bankrupt?

Melody Summers was all too familiar with this playbook!

Zara Walsh’s eyes were bloodshot. She pointed a finger at Melody Summers and shrieked hysterically at the security guard in black, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and grab her! Lock her up!"

Seeing the guard still hesitating, Zara Walsh yelled, "Get to it! I’ll take responsibility for whatever happens!"

Hearing her say this, the security guard in black gritted his teeth and reached out to grab Melody Summers.

Melody Summers didn’t dodge. She pulled Lucy White directly behind her, clutching a taser in her hand, ready to zap the guard on the forehead the moment he got close!

This was a modified taser; with direct skin contact, it could take down a full-grown pig, no problem.

But before the guard could even get near Melody Summers, he was shoved aside by a powerful force!