Chapter 328: Chapter 328: Complex Feelings

Ronan couldn’t help but ask, "Grandpa, why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?"

’Anyone who didn’t know better would think Grandpa was looking at an idiot,’ Ronan thought.

Mr. Rhodes was at a loss for words. After a long moment, he gently patted Ronan’s shoulder, sighed, and said, "Ah, Ronan. Even though your uncle raised you, when it comes to wits, you’ve inherited your father’s... cheerful naivete."

Hearing this, Ronan asked, confused, "Grandpa, what do you mean by that? You’re not unhappy with Melody, are you?... She may be young, but she has a really great personality, and she gets along great with my wife."

"I know it might be a mental hurdle for my wife to start calling her ’Aunt,’ but don’t worry, I’ll convince her!"

Mr. Rhodes quickly waved his hands. "No, no, no, don’t try to convince your wife... Ronan, you should listen to your wife more often. And with things at the company, if there’s anything you’re not sure about, you should ask her more often too..."

Mr. Rhodes was truly speechless. ’If Ronan can’t even figure out who his own uncle has his eye on, how can he possibly figure out what’s going on at the company?’

’The outside world always praised Ronan as mature, steady, and a promising young man with the same flair Roman had in his youth. But Mr. Rhodes always felt his grandson was a bit of an idiot...’

Then Mr. Rhodes sighed again. ’Then again, you couldn’t really blame Ronan for getting it wrong.’

’Who would have ever thought that the eldest son of the Rhodes family, Roman Rhodes, a man with a boundless future, would fall for a divorced woman from a common background, and one with a child at that?’

Mr. Rhodes’s emotions were a complicated mess...

He was thrilled that his eldest son was finally thinking of marriage. It was something he had been desperately hoping for for over twenty years.

In the dead of night, Mr. Rhodes would often repent and pray before his late wife’s memorial tablet. He hoped she could forgive him, that her spirit would watch over them and bless their eldest son with a partner, so he wouldn’t be left all alone, living a life of solitude after he himself was gone.

Seeing Roman, now in his forties, still show no interest in romance or marriage, he had nearly given up hope.

Now that a glimmer of hope had finally appeared, he’d been ecstatic for a long time, thinking his late wife had heard his prayers from the heavens.

But he never, ever imagined that the person Roman had finally taken an interest in would have... such circumstances.

Roman’s own qualifications were impeccable, from his status to his appearance. It would be his first marriage, and his romantic history was spotless.

It would be one thing if he didn’t choose a young lady from a family of equal standing, but why on earth did he have to pick a divorced woman with a child?

His traditional values were clashing with reality, and for a moment, Mr. Rhodes couldn’t quite put a name to the feeling in his heart.

’Was he satisfied with this prospective daughter-in-law?’

’Of course not.’

’Winnie Summers’s circumstances were a far cry from those of Kylie Walsh, who came from a prestigious medical family.’

’Mr. Rhodes had felt that even Kylie Walsh, a woman from a renowned family, wasn’t good enough for Roman, to say nothing of Winnie Summers, who came from a modest background, was divorced, and had a child.’

’If Roman married a woman with that kind of baggage, what would the outside world think of the Rhodes Family?’

’With Winnie Summers’s background and experience, could she really handle the responsibilities of being the matriarch of the Rhodes Family?’

’And what’s more, Winnie Summers had a grown daughter. Would Roman be able to get along with her?’

’If they really got married, would this daughter she brought with her, the one who wasn’t a Rhodes, have to call him Grandpa?’

’Being called ’Grandpa’ by a child with a different surname would feel strange... Would the girl even agree to change her surname to Rhodes?’

’Winnie Summers’s own daughter was already an adult. At her age, she would be a high-risk pregnancy. Would she be willing to risk her health to have another child for Roman?’

After analyzing all these practical problems, Mr. Rhodes was left with a throbbing headache.

The initial excitement of meeting his future daughter-in-law slowly faded. Under Ronan’s anxious gaze, Mr. Rhodes sank back into his chair and let out a silent sigh.

Seeing this, Ronan’s heart sank. ’Oh, no,’ he thought. ’Judging by Grandpa’s expression, he doesn’t approve of Melody Summers!’

’Is Grandpa going to pull out a checkbook next and tell Melody to leave my uncle?’ Ronan wondered.

Ronan was at a complete loss. He had just seen Melody Summers slap Zara Walsh today. Knowing Melody’s temper, if Mr. Rhodes actually pulled a stunt like that, wouldn’t she just slap him too?

The mere thought of it was enough to make Ronan break down.

When Mr. Rhodes wasn’t looking, he took out his phone, ready to give his uncle a heads-up!

...

While Ronan was agonizing over the situation, the auction on the other side of the room had already begun.

It was a charity auction. All proceeds from the sale would be donated to the upcoming blizzard disaster relief efforts.

The first item up was a handmade chair, said to be crafted by a folk bamboo artisan, which sold for 30,000.

After that came some antiques and jewelry, as well as calligraphy and paintings by famous artists.

One privately collected work of art from a master artist attracted a great deal of interest. Starting at a bid of 800,000, it was driven up by fierce bidding to an astonishing 18 million.

Miss Joanna Dunn had her eye on a Red Jade Peaceful Coin. She won it for 200,000 and planned to give it to the old matriarch of her family.

Melody leaned close to Winnie’s ear and whispered, "Mom, I have money. You can bid on anything you like!"

Winnie patted her daughter’s head and replied with a smile, "Okay."

Winnie didn’t question where her daughter got the money. After all, Melody had always been in charge of the Summers family finances. Especially after the natural disaster, Grace Sutton had even insisted on handing over both her and Colin Summers’s debit cards to Melody.

Over the past two years, Melody had been buying supplies, a house, and a car. Afraid her family would get suspicious, she had hinted that she’d learned to invest after the disaster and had made a lot of money. The Summers Family trusted her and didn’t ask any further questions.

The subsequent auction items were more eclectic. There were newly developed plant seeds from a tech company, said to have first-class cold resistance; two cases of liquor—the most ordinary kind from a small distillery, the kind you’d find in a supermarket—which somehow fetched a price of 100,000.

There was also an autographed photo of a celebrity who had passed away in the natural disaster. A few fans in the audience bid on it, and it was ultimately sold for 10,000.

The item that left the biggest impression on Melody Summers was a "Family-Size Survival Ration Kit." Canneries had long since shut down, so this was probably stock from two years ago.

Apparently, it had been developed and produced by a foreign company to cater to doomsday preppers abroad. Now, it was proving to be quite useful.

This "Family-Size Survival Ration Kit" had a shelf life of several decades and contained enough food for a family of six for ten years. It was finally sold for six million.

The item after the survival rations was three tons of coal, which was also very popular with bidders. With a blizzard on the way, everyone knew how precious energy was.

The sight of the coal reminded Melody Summers of the shipment Zara Walsh had impounded at The Metropolis Residences. Annoyed, she pulled out her phone and sent the audio evidence she had compiled to the government’s official tip-off email address, then sent another copy to the mayor’s office inbox.

’I need a backup plan,’ she thought. ’If I don’t see any sanctions against Zara Walsh within half a month, I’ll have to find a way to kill her. I can’t let her continue to abuse her power and run rampant.’

Lucy White watched Melody Summers typing on her phone, then bit her lip, leaned in close to Melody’s ear, and said, "Miss Summers, about that Zara Walsh... I know a few things about her."