Zane Simmons’s face turned deathly pale at her words. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He wanted to explain that he and his father weren’t alike. He wanted to say that the very reason he chose not to marry was his fear of betraying the commitment, just as his father had done.

But the words caught in his throat, and he couldn’t say a thing.

Looking into his mother’s eyes, which were filled with sorrow and hate, Zane Simmons lowered his head, turned, and silently walked away.

...

When Melody Summers rushed over, she arrived just in time to see Elaine Hughes being flanked by several security guards, about to be forced into an elevator.

The moment their eyes met, Melody Summers saw the clear despair in Elaine Hughes’s gaze.

It was the same despair she had felt in her past life, when she was drugged into unconsciousness by Elaine Hughes and Robert Lancaster.

Elaine Hughes looked at Melody Summers and, for some reason, suddenly recalled what had happened during the New Year celebration last year.

Back then, she and Robert Lancaster had brought over some groceries, intending to celebrate the New Year with Melody Summers and use it as an opportunity to move into the Summers family villa.

At the time, Melody Summers had said to her, "For the sake of the Lancaster Group, you were willing to sell off Sylvia Lancaster, and you were willing to sell me... Mrs. Lancaster, do you ever wonder if one day, you’ll be the one who gets sold?"

Do you ever wonder if one day, you’ll be the one who gets sold?

Do you ever wonder if one day, you’ll be the one who gets sold?

As the thought struck Elaine Hughes, her head swam.

’Payback... This is all payback...’

Melody Summers had already pieced everything together on her way over. She knew Robert Lancaster had used Elaine Hughes as a bargaining chip.

The two of them—mother and daughter—stared at each other in silence for a dozen seconds. Seeing Elaine Hughes’s pathetic state, Melody Summers felt no surprise, no scorn, and no pity. Only silence remained.

She watched Elaine Hughes with a blank expression, feeling nothing at all.

Soon, the elevator doors opened, and the guards began dragging Elaine Hughes inside.

Just then, Elaine Hughes, who had been as still as a corpse, suddenly began to struggle.

Her eyes, fixed on Melody Summers, filled with sorrow and pleading. "My daughter, save me," she begged while struggling, "Save your mother..."

Melody Summers responded with yet more silence.

’In my past life, when Elaine Hughes and Robert Lancaster drugged me with their own hands,’ Melody thought, ’did I beg for help like this?’

’I can’t remember.’

’Probably not. By then, I had already lost all hope in my parents.’

’So why hasn’t Elaine Hughes lost hope? Maybe it’s because I’ve been too gentle with her—not even a tenth as cruel as they were to me in my past life.’

Melody Summers silently turned her head, refusing to look at Elaine Hughes any longer.

She didn’t notice that as the elevator doors slid shut, a thunderstruck expression crossed Elaine Hughes’s face before she went stiff and collapsed, fainting dead away...

The elevator doors had just closed when Zane Simmons walked out of the room, his head lowered.

Melody Summers didn’t have time to leave and ran right into him.

The thought that their respective parents had just hooked up made the air between Melody Summers and Zane Simmons thick with awkwardness.

They stared at each other wordlessly. After a suffocating silence, Zane Simmons cautiously broke it. "I’m sorry..."

From the looks of it, Elaine Hughes had clearly been drugged, which meant Bernard Simmons was unequivocally in the wrong.

Melody Summers quickly waved her hands. "No, no, don’t say that. The Lancaster family and I parted ways a long time ago! Just think of me as a bystander who happened to be walking by."

Zane Simmons couldn’t help but crack a smile at her words, and the tension immediately dissipated.

Melody Summers thought for a moment before asking with some concern, "...Is Miss Walsh all right?"

At the mention of her, Zane Simmons’s expression darkened.

He paused for a moment before answering, "She’s fine... It’s just, the whole situation is a bit strange. Security just sent me some surveillance footage. They said they saw Joanne White in the lobby... apparently, she’s the one who brought her in. I’m having it investigated."

After speaking, Zane Simmons rubbed his temples in frustration.

He had brought Joanne White along because she seemed gentle and considerate, and on top of that, she was pregnant.

But if Joanne White was truly involved in this, there was no way Zane Simmons could let her stay.

Setting aside everything else, Paige Walsh’s allergic reaction was already highly suspicious. Paige herself is a doctor; she’s always very careful and would never touch anything she’s allergic to. It was highly probable that someone had tampered with her food.

If this was connected to Joanne White... Zane Simmons didn’t dare to even consider the possibility.

Melody Summers nodded, listening to what Zane Simmons said.

She thought for a moment, then added tentatively, "Even if Joanne White might be involved in this... Lucy White is innocent..."

Melody Summers didn’t know what the relationship between Zane Simmons and Lucy White was, but she thought, ’If Zane takes his anger out on Lucy tonight over this, if he tries to punish her or kick her out, then I might as well just take her with me...’

’I just bought a few properties, after all. I can easily set one aside for Lucy to live in.’

When Melody Summers mentioned Lucy White, Zane Simmons recalled what had happened at the gala earlier.

A thought occurred to him, and he replied, "I know. Lucy White is nothing like her sister. I won’t take this out on her because of what her sister did. Don’t worry."

...

After saying goodbye to Zane Simmons, Melody Summers quietly went downstairs and returned to the auction reception room.

Just then, Winnie Summers returned, holding a gift box.

Miss Joanna Dunn was astonished when she saw the Jade Pendant inside the box.

She carefully stroked the peony motif on the pendant, asking the nearby auctioneer in an amazed voice, "Good heavens, this has to be glass-grade jadeite, doesn’t it? And the color is so flawless... This... this is the complimentary gift from your auction?"

The auctioneer standing nearby smiled and replied politely, "...Yes... It is a complimentary gift."

Miss Joanna Dunn stared at the auctioneer in disbelief. ’A complimentary gift? You have to be kidding!’

’The value of all the items from tonight’s charity auction combined doesn’t even come close to this Jade Pendant!’

Winnie Summers chimed in, "An elderly gentleman donated it. I could tell just by looking at it that it was valuable... I didn’t dare accept it at first, but he insisted, and I couldn’t refuse, so I brought it back."

Joanna Dunn was even more astounded. Her mouth formed an exaggerated "O" as she looked at Winnie Summers. "Donated? This thing could be traded for a sprawling, river-view penthouse in the most expensive downtown complex! What tycoon is so generous they’d just give it away?"

Hearing Joanna Dunn’s assessment, Winnie Summers was shocked as well. She quickly placed the jadeite back in its box and stood up. "It’s that valuable? Then I absolutely can’t accept it. I have to give it back!"

As she spoke, Winnie Summers started walking toward the VIP room she’d been in earlier, intending to return the Jade Pendant to the elderly gentleman.

Seeing this, the auctioneer was alarmed and quickly moved to block her path.

With a polite, practiced smile, the auctioneer said to Winnie Summers, "Ma’am, the elderly gentleman from before has already left the hotel."

Winnie Summers immediately handed the box to the auctioneer. "Then... could I trouble you to return this Jade Pendant to him? It’s far too valuable. I really can’t accept it!"

A troubled expression washed over the auctioneer’s face.

Mr. Rhodes had given specific instructions about this. How could he possibly dare to take it back?

The auctioneer could only try to persuade her. "The gentleman said that you are the one it was meant for... Please, just accept it."

Miss Joanna Dunn also grabbed Winnie Summers’s arm. "That’s right, just keep it! He insisted on giving it to you, which means it’s fated to be yours!"

Faced with this, Winnie Summers, though feeling uneasy, had no choice but to keep the jadeite.

’I’ll just keep it safe for now,’ she thought. ’The next time I have the chance to see that elderly gentleman, I’ll return this jadeite to him.’

Melody Summers remained silent through it all, standing quietly to the side, lost in thought.

’Lucy White said before that Joanne White was being threatened,’ she mused, ’and that’s why she set up Bernard Simmons.’

’But... how did Joanne White get tangled up with the Lancasters?’