Melody Summers stared at Joanne White in surprise. Why had Joanne just called Zane Simmons "husband"? ’Could it mean what I think it means?’

It was a lot to take in, and the scorching heat only made Melody Summers feel more dazed.

The moment Joanne White saw Melody Summers, her face turned deathly pale. From inside the car, she hadn’t gotten a clear look at Melody’s face and had assumed she was some little vixen. She was just about to get out and assert her claim, but she never expected it to be Melody Summers.

When Zane Simmons saw Joanne White approach, he said dismissively, "Oh, she’s a high school classmate of mine. We’re just going to chat for a bit. You can head back first."

Joanne White’s mind was a complete mess, and she didn’t dare stay. She managed a flustered "Okay" before turning and stumbling away.

Zane Simmons didn’t notice Joanne’s panic. His attention was entirely on Melody Summers. He scratched his head and said with a helpless sigh, "This damn weather is too hot. Let’s get in the car and talk. One more second out here and I’m going to get heatstroke!"

Melody Summers was feeling the heat too, so she got into the car with Zane. The AC was blasting, and Melody finally recovered from her earlier shock. She asked hesitantly, "That girl just now... is she your girlfriend?"

Zane Simmons paused for a moment, then a knowing smile spread across his face. "Yep," he replied with a grin, "A girlfriend. One of them."

’So, a mistress.’

Zane continued with a smile, "She’s pregnant with my child. Said she wants to keep it, so I just brought her along."

Melody was shocked all over again. She repeated his words mechanically, "She’s pregnant with your child?"

"Haha, surprising, right? I was surprised too. I’m actually going to be a dad this soon," Zane said, still grinning.

In truth, Zane had almost forgotten a person like Joanne White existed. He had many girlfriends, and the arrangements were always mutually beneficial. It wasn’t until he returned to the country a few days ago and got a call from her that he learned she was pregnant.

Melody tried to hold her tongue but couldn’t help asking, her expression complicated, "How are you so sure it’s your child?"

Zane shrugged. "Amniocentesis and a DNA test, of course. I’m not about to raise someone else’s kid."

To be cautious, he had the test done at three different hospitals. Only after it was completely confirmed to be his child did he bring Joanne White over.

Melody felt her entire worldview being shaken to its core.

’Isn’t Joanne White’s baby Austin Hale’s? Weren’t they just about to get married after buying a home in a good school district? The lives of the rich are just too messy!’ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

But Zane didn’t want to talk about Joanne White anymore. He changed the subject. "What about you? When did you move here? I remember your family used to live in the mountains."

"I just moved here a few months ago. I’m living with my family," Melody Summers replied.

"Looks like you’ve done well for yourself over the years, moving from the mountains to a villa," Zane remarked. "Speaking of which, my family actually had a stake in this development when it was first being built. Who would’ve thought we’d end up losing a fortune on it."

After he spoke, Zane looked at Melody again, a hint of melancholy in his voice. "It’s been what, six or seven years since we last saw each other? Time really flies. Thinking back to high school... those were the most carefree days of my life."

Melody couldn’t help but smile at that. ’When has this young master’s life ever *not* been carefree?’ she thought. ’Everyone else is struggling in this heat, and he’s still driving around in a luxury car.’

But Melody didn’t say anything out loud, only replying, "Are you saying you want to be seventeen forever? That’s a bit of a fantasy."

Zane laughed at her response. He then took out his phone to add her as a contact. "I’ll be staying around here for a while. Let’s exchange numbers so we can get together when we have time!"

Melody thought for a moment, then nodded and they exchanged phone numbers.

*

Joanne White walked back to Zane Simmons’s villa in a daze. Her heart was in turmoil, so much so that she didn’t even notice the housekeeper greeting her.

She was terrified of what Melody Summers might say to Zane.

Joanne had hooked up with Zane at an art exhibition. Both of them had clear goals—one was after money, the other after looks. It was a simple, mutually beneficial arrangement.

Joanne White wasn’t stupid. She knew she couldn’t easily marry into a family like Zane’s. If she stuck with him, she would inevitably be cast aside and kicked out once he grew tired of her. That’s why she was fully aware that her relationship with Zane was just a fling. The man she intended to marry was Austin Hale.

So, when she discovered she was pregnant, Joanne had decisively taken Austin to buy a house and prepare for their wedding.

Austin didn’t have much money, but he could offer Joanne a proper marriage. Moreover, he was a graduate of a prestigious university and had landed a job at a major company. His future looked very promising.

That was Joanne’s plan before the disaster.

But after the disaster, everything changed.

Austin Hale lost his job. The résumés he sent out vanished without a trace. He just stayed at home every day, completely demoralized.

At the Hale family’s home, Joanne lived a miserable life with no end in sight:

Mrs. Hale wouldn’t let her turn on the AC, saying electricity was too expensive. She wouldn’t let her take a shower, saying water was too expensive. Every day, she was only allowed to eat plain noodles or pickled vegetables with rice, because groceries were too expensive.

Joanne White was absolutely sick of this kind of life.

It was right around then that she heard Zane Simmons had returned to the country. With the mindset of someone making a desperate gamble, she decided to risk it all.

After the DNA test, Joanne knew her gamble had paid off.

Joanne White was perfectly aware that by staying with Zane, she could only ever be his mistress.

But Zane could give her a villa to live in!

Now, she could take a comfortable bath in a bathtub every day. She could enjoy the cool air conditioning while eating all kinds of fresh fruit. The housekeeper prepared delicious meals suitable for her pregnancy three times a day, with plenty of fresh vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy.

Zane had other girlfriends, but they were all sensible and had a tacit understanding not to interfere with one another.

Joanne really didn’t want to lose the life she had now.

But she could tell that Zane’s relationship with Melody Summers was anything but simple. She was terrified Melody would say something to Zane that would put her at a disadvantage. At this thought, Joanne caressed her slightly showing belly, her heart wracked with anxiety...

*

In reality, Joanne White was worrying for nothing. Melody Summers had no intention of saying anything. After her rebirth, she had developed a profound respect for letting others’ destinies play out and had no desire to get involved in the drama of the wealthy. Besides, in her eyes, those two were a pretty good match for each other.

Melody’s mind wasn’t on those two. She had been constantly monitoring the news online. Incidents of home invasions were cropping up endlessly, along with news of supermarkets being looted.

Today, several high-end shopping malls downtown were smashed and looted in broad daylight. The security guards were completely unable to control the situation, and in the end, the malls all announced they were closing down.

Fortunately, Crystal Mart was protected by the property’s security guards. Plus, there weren’t many people in The Metropolis Residences area, so it had remained relatively safe so far.

Melody was just about to go into her space to harvest some fruit to eat when she received a message:

"Hello, Miss Summers. Due to the recent mall closures, our brand has launched an online shopping service. If you’re interested, you can place orders online, and the company will arrange for delivery to your door."

The message was from the young sales associate at the luxury store Melody and Sophie Thorne had visited the other day.

Melody clicked the link she sent and found it led to an online sales platform.

The platform seemed to be newly established, featuring many brands and companies. Unlike the usual delivery apps, the goods here were unbelievably expensive. They sold everything from fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy to luxury goods, and even state-controlled resources like gasoline and diesel. The prices were just ridiculously high, far beyond what an ordinary person could afford.

Melody casually clicked on a shop selling gasoline and diesel and saw that it even had customer reviews.

"User xxx: Not bad. Energy resources are so tightly controlled on the market right now that you can’t buy them anywhere. I can’t believe I can still buy them here."

"User xxx: The company’s team is very professional. The security is top-notch, with a full escort during delivery, and the shipping was very timely."

It seemed to be an app for the super-rich, involving some gray market dealings.

Melody then clicked on a shop selling fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat. It was likely run by a company specializing in indoor farming. They had all sorts of fresh produce: a bag of chili peppers for 4,000, a bag of celtuce for 3,000, a bag of oranges for 5,000, a whole chicken for 6,000...

Melody shot up in bed.