Noelle Quillan was momentarily stunned by Melody Summers’s words.

She stared blankly at Melody Summers, asking in a hoarse voice, "You... you... how did you know..."

Melody Summers raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking how I know the two kids you had aren’t Adam Lawson’s? Because during the heatwave last year, Adam Lawson brought Joel Lawson to find us. At the time, he was calling Joel a ’bastard’..."

Hearing this, Noelle Quillan’s face grew even paler.

Melody Summers continued, "My guess is, he found out that Joel and Joelle weren’t his children... so that’s why he sold you and Joelle."

Noelle Quillan’s eyes flickered. She murmured, "So... so Adam Lawson went to your mother to try and get back together with her?"

Melody Summers wanted to roll her eyes into the back of her head.

’Get back together? Dream on!’

’Who the hell did Adam Lawson think he was? What gave him the right to even think about getting back together with Winnie Summers?’

’It’s not like Winnie Summers goes around picking up trash!’

Before Melody Summers could retort, Noelle Quillan pressed, "Then... what about Joel? Where is Joel now? Is he at your house?"

Instead of answering, Melody Summers frowned and shot back, "First, you tell me. Whose children are Joel and Joelle, really?"

’If Noelle Quillan was really forced into this by her uncle and aunt with no other choice, like she claimed, then how could she have been cheating with someone else while she was with Adam Lawson? Why didn’t she choose to be with the children’s biological father?’

Noelle Quillan bit her lower lip, her expression conflicted. After a moment, she finally gritted out, "It... It was my uncle..."

Melody Summers’s eyes widened in shock. "What did you say?!"

Noelle Quillan lowered her eyes, a desolate, bitter smile twisting her lips. "Back then, my uncle and aunt arranged for Adam Lawson to keep me. We lived together, but... who would have known... Adam Lawson was impotent. Two or three years went by, and I never got pregnant..."

"When Adam Lawson saw I still wasn’t pregnant, he decided he didn’t want me anymore. He was going to send me back to my uncle and aunt. When they found out, they got very anxious. They were afraid Adam Lawson would stop giving them money, so..."

At this, Noelle Quillan’s voice trembled uncontrollably. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself before continuing, "Then I got pregnant. Adam Lawson and his parents were thrilled. Adam told me he loved me very much, and that once I safely delivered the baby, he would divorce his wife and marry me..."

"But unfortunately, my first child was a daughter. Adam Lawson went back on his word about divorcing his wife and marrying me. He said a daughter was useless, that she couldn’t inherit the family business. The Lawson family needed a son to carry on the family line, so..."

"Later, I got pregnant again and gave birth to Joel. You know what happened after that... Adam Lawson took me to his home to confront your mother. He divorced her and married me..."

At this, Noelle Quillan gave a tragic smile. "You’ll probably laugh at me for saying this, but back then, I thought I had finally made it. I thought my miserable days were finally over, and that I’d live a good life from then on... But who could have imagined that after just a few good years, this disaster would strike..."

After listening to all this, Melody Summers looked at Noelle Quillan with a complicated expression.

She couldn’t quite put a finger on what she was feeling.

Noelle Quillan was the one who acted as a mistress and destroyed another’s family, but she was also the one disdained by her own. Noelle Quillan was the one who tried to take over The Summers Villa during the heatwave, but she was also the one persecuted by the Advent Sect, sold into prostitution, and forced to have a miscarriage...

It truly was as the saying goes: pitiful people have their detestable aspects, and detestable people may have their pitiful ones.

After she finished, Noelle Quillan looked up at Melody Summers and asked in a hoarse voice, "...Did Adam Lawson go to your mother to get back together with her? Is Joel at your house, too?" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Melody Summers was silent for a moment. Then, she slowly began to speak, recounting the incident from last year’s heatwave when Adam Lawson had brought Joel over to cause trouble.

"...And that’s what happened. Adam Lawson kidnapped and murdered Joel Lawson, and then my mother killed Adam Lawson. The police took both of their bodies away."

After hearing Melody’s words, all the color drained from Noelle Quillan’s face. She looked as if she’d been struck by lightning, unable to snap out of her stupor for a long time.

Seeing her state, Melody Summers averted her gaze slightly and added, "Even though Adam Lawson and Joel Lawson are both dead, Joelle Lawson might still be alive... She committed a crime and was taken to a detention center by the police. She’s probably still being held there."

’In truth, Melody had no idea how the police had handled Joelle Lawson. Joelle was under sixteen when she committed her crime. If she hadn’t been executed, she was most likely still in custody.’

’In this day and age, an orphan girl like Joelle being in police custody gave her a much better chance of survival than being out on the streets.’

Hearing Melody say this, Noelle Quillan seemed to snap out of her daze. Her eyes flickered as she stared blankly at Melody, then she gave a silent nod.

After a moment of silence, Noelle Quillan looked at Melody Summers and pleaded again, "...I know I did a lot of terrible things in the past... I had a few good days living as a mistress, and it all went to my head. I was jealous that your mother had a loving family and the ability to make her own money, so I used the fact that I’d given birth to a son and couldn’t resist flaunting it in her face..."

"I was shameless. I was despicable. I’ve wronged you and your mother, but I’m paying for it now... Can you please save me...? I want to see my daughter again... I don’t want to die..."

Melody Summers glanced down at her. After a moment’s thought, she asked, "Do you know who else is in this house besides you, Gene Young, and Yvonne York?"

Noelle Quillan shook her head. "No one. It’s just the three of us living here."

Melody was puzzled. "How can it be just the three of you? Don’t Gene Young and Yvonne York have children? Do their kids not live here?"

Noelle Quillan shook her head again. "I overheard Gene Young and Yvonne York talking once. They used to live here as a family of four, but ever since I and the other prostitutes were moved into The Metropolis Residences, they sent their two children to live with their elders... They said they were afraid we prostitutes would be a bad influence on their children..."

Melody scoffed inwardly. ’So, Gene Young and Yvonne York care so much about their own children, yet they can be so cruel to the children of others...’

Now that she had a clearer picture, a plan suddenly began to form in Melody Summers’s mind.

Melody Summers looked at Noelle Quillan and said in a cold voice, "Noelle Quillan, I wasn’t going to save you. After everything you’ve done, there’s no way I could forgive you on my mother’s behalf... However, I can give you a chance to survive. But you have to do exactly as I say!"

Hearing this, a sliver of hope ignited in Noelle Quillan’s despairing eyes. She looked at Melody Summers and said, "Okay! As long as you let me live, I’ll do anything!"

Melody stared into her eyes and said in a low, serious voice, "I need you to imprison that couple, Gene Young and Yvonne York. Don’t let them escape, and don’t let them die. Keep them here until the police arrive."