Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Hospital Confrontation

Lately, Melody Summers had been quietly observing the Desert Vine shoots sprouting from the ground. So far, only a few scattered vines had appeared in the residential complex. Since everyone left early and returned late to avoid the sun, no one had really noticed them.

Today, Sophie Thorne was visiting Melody Summers’s home. As the two were chatting, Melody noticed Sophie frowning and staring at her own right hand from time to time.

Melody followed her gaze and saw that Sophie’s right hand was slightly swollen and had a faint purplish hue.

Drawing on the experience from her past life, Melody thought Sophie’s hand looked like it had been pricked by a Desert Vine. She asked anxiously, "Sophie, what happened to your right hand? Did you touch some unfamiliar plant before you came in?"

Sophie’s right hand was burning, a mixture of pain and numbness that made it difficult to bend her fingers.

She frowned in thought before answering, "Before I left, I was tidying up the succulents in my room. I think there was a vine I didn’t recognize growing in one of the pots. I figured a weed seed had fallen in, so I just pulled it out."

Sophie hadn’t felt anything at the time, but her hand started to go numb a little while ago. She thought it was just her imagination, but now it was getting more swollen, and the numb, painful sensation was intensifying.

Hearing Sophie’s explanation, Melody cursed inwardly. She stood up and said, "That vine is poisonous. It’s covered in tiny thorns. You must have been pricked. We need to go to the hospital right now."

Then Melody paused, adding with some difficulty, "But the public hospitals are probably all full..."

After months of extreme heat, medical equipment and medicine were in short supply, and hospitals were overwhelmed. Many had been pushed to a standstill, completely unable to admit new patients.

"It’s fine. We can go to a private hospital I know," Sophie said, pulling up the directions on her phone.

Sophie felt bad about troubling Melody and was going to have her bodyguards take her, but Melody was worried about her. Plus, she wanted to confirm if the hospital had the antidote yet.

Melody followed the navigation and drove to a private hospital.

The entrance was staffed by a large group of security guards who rigorously checked the information of everyone entering and exiting to prevent unauthorized entry.

A doctor hurried over and knew the cause as soon as he saw Sophie’s hand. "You must have touched that new vine that’s been growing recently, right? It’s covered in thorns, and the moment you touch it, they embed themselves in your skin. The thorns stay in there and cause localized paralysis and swelling. You’ll need an injection of a newly developed antidote called a ’Thorn-Dissolving Shot.’"

Recently, these vines had taken root in every corner of the globe. Many people, curious how such a plant could grow in this heat, had touched them without noticing the nearly transparent thorns and gotten pricked.

Once these small thorns entered the body, they couldn’t be removed. They remained in the skin like fiberglass, requiring a special injection to dissolve them.

While the doctor treated Sophie’s wound, Melody took the prescription slip to go pick up the medicine for her.

Just as she reached the pharmacy, someone behind her suddenly called out.

"Melody?"

Melody turned around and saw Elaine Hughes and Sylvia Lancaster.

Elaine looked somewhat surprised to see her and asked, "Melody, what are you doing here? Did you hear the news and come to visit your father?"

Robert Lancaster had been worrying day and night over matters concerning the Lancaster Group. It was already October, but there was still no sign of the temperature dropping.

In a moment of anxiety, Robert had collapsed. He was brought to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a cerebral thrombosis.

Melody said expressionlessly, "I don’t have a father. My mother raised me on her own. Please have some self-respect, Mrs. Lancaster."

Elaine’s face went pale. She stared at Melody, her eyes wide with disbelief. "W-what did you call me? I’m your biological mother!"

But Sylvia’s eyes darted around, and she spoke softly, feigning sadness. "Melody, you don’t know, but Father has been sick these past few days, bedridden. You’re his daughter, after all. You must be very sad to hear he’s ill. You haven’t been by his side to show your filial piety all these years, so why don’t you come home and take care of him for a few days?"

The Lancaster Family was short on funds recently, so Robert had gritted his teeth and laid off most of the villa’s staff, keeping only a single maid for cooking and cleaning, a driver, and a few bodyguards.

Elaine had to personally care for Robert, and accustomed as she was to a life of luxury, she found it exhausting. So, she had called Sylvia back home.

Sylvia hadn’t really wanted to come back. Although her situation at Ethan Sutton’s house was a little awkward, he had never mistreated her, and she had maids to tend to her every need.

Now that she was back at the Lancaster estate and had to personally care for Robert, Sylvia found it tiring too. If Melody came back, she could find an excuse to leave.

Hearing this, Elaine also frowned and said, "Melody, if you take good care of your father during this time, I’ll consider forgiving you for the absurd things you did the other day."

Melody almost laughed at their shamelessness. She clearly remembered how, just a few months ago, after she refused to attend Sylvia’s wedding or return to the Lancaster family, Elaine had accused her of being inconsiderate and told her to never come back for the rest of her life.

Melody promptly pulled out her phone, found the message Elaine had sent her, and read it aloud: "Melody Summers, I never expected you to be such an inconsiderate child. Your adoptive mother has completely corrupted you. You’re nothing like Sylvia. In that case, you are never to return to the Lancaster Family. I’ll just pretend I never gave birth to a daughter like you..."

A panicked look crossed Elaine’s face. She recognized it as the message she had sent Melody when she was angry.

But now that Melody was reading it out in public, she was suddenly overcome with embarrassment, anger, and frustration. In a fit of desperation, she reached out to snatch Melody’s phone.

Melody dodged while continuing to read: "You had a chance to come back to the Lancaster Family and be the young miss, but now you can forget about ever returning. And don’t you dare expect us to acknowledge you as our daughter..."

Elaine’s face was flushed red, whether from anger or shame, it was hard to tell. She immediately turned and yelled for her bodyguards to come restrain Melody.

Seeing this, Melody was about to pull out her stun gun, but several hospital security guards suddenly rushed forward. They formed a line, blocking the two bodyguards Elaine had brought.

A male voice came from behind them. "Ladies, please refrain from causing a scene in the hospital."

Melody turned to see a young-looking doctor in a white coat. She felt he looked familiar but couldn’t quite place him.

When Elaine saw him, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I’m sorry, Dr. Walsh. This is a family matter. My daughter here is being inconsiderate, completely ignoring her father, so I was just teaching her a lesson."

"Who’s your daughter? If you ask me, Mrs. Lancaster ought to head upstairs to the psychiatric department," Melody retorted, waving her phone.

At her words, Elaine was so angry she clutched her chest, speechless.

Sylvia, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "Melody, how can you talk to Mother like that? Aren’t you afraid of breaking her heart?"

Melody gave her a cold look and said coolly, "Sylvia Lancaster, you’re not trying to dump the trouble of caring for Robert Lancaster onto me, are you?"

Her true intentions exposed, Sylvia’s face flushed then paled. With tears welling in her eyes, she retorted, "Melody, how could you think that of me? I’m Father and Mother’s daughter. How could I possibly find it troublesome to fulfill my duty to Father?"

Elaine also frowned deeply, saying with displeasure, "Do you think Sylvia is an unfilial child like you? Sylvia is the most considerate one. She’s been by my side helping me care for your father these past few days. Melody, just look at yourself. How did you turn out like this?"

Melody rolled her eyes at her. "I’ve always been like this. I haven’t changed a bit. Mrs. Lancaster, can you please stop acting like we’re close? Aren’t you embarrassed, trying to force a connection with me in public?"

Elaine was about to scold Melody when Sylvia whispered something in her ear.

After listening to Sylvia, Elaine glanced at the surrounding security guards. Though her face was full of reluctance, she turned and left with Sylvia and the bodyguards.

"Thank you all," Melody said to the doctor and guards who had come over.

Yuri Walsh, who had been watching the drama unfold from the side, shook his head and said with a smile, "Long time no see. Has Miss Summers forgotten me?"

Melody thought hard for a moment, then suddenly remembered. This was one of the two men who had shielded her from Silas Lancaster at Zane Simmons’s party. Zane had even introduced them, but she had forgotten his name.

Melody felt a flash of embarrassment.