Chapter 73: Chapter 73: The Marriage Scheme

Before Hugh Hayes left with his men that day, Silas Lancaster had asked him where he was going. The smile on Hugh’s face didn’t reach his eyes as he answered, "I’m going to teach that bitch we ran into at the banquet a lesson. Oh, right, your sister. You hate her too, don’t you? I’ll get revenge for you."

Silas Lancaster found it strange at the time. So many days had passed; digging up old grudges wasn’t Hugh Hayes’s style.

But Hugh Hayes shook his head and said, "I don’t know what that bitch did to piss off my sister, but my sister told me to take care of her. But this is good too. It’s a chance to settle all our scores, new and old, all at once."

Before he left, Hugh Hayes even grinned at Silas Lancaster and said he would film the whole thing, record a video, and bring it back for him to watch.

But Hugh Hayes left and never came back.

Hugh Hayes’s disappearance was too bizarre. Many people guessed that he had run into an enemy of the Hayes Family in a place without surveillance cameras. To get revenge on the Hayes Family, they kidnapped him.

Others speculated that the Hayes Family was involved in illicit business, attracting an investigation from the higher-ups, so the family faked Hugh’s disappearance while he had actually fled abroad with the family’s assets.

The rumors swirled, but Silas Lancaster had a nagging feeling that this might have something to do with Melody Summers.

This suspicion startled even Silas himself. ’I must be getting carried away,’ he thought. ’How could Melody Summers, an ordinary woman from an ordinary family, make Hugh Hayes and two bodyguards vanish into thin air?’

Silas mulled it over and over but couldn’t figure it out, and he just felt frustrated and bewildered.

Simon Lancaster, however, suddenly spoke up. "Dad, Mom, since Melody has Lancaster blood flowing through her veins, she has a duty to contribute to the family. The family’s situation has been really bad lately. I was thinking, why don’t we arrange a marriage for Melody? It could help the family out, at least a little."

Elaine Hughes frowned at his words, her expression hesitant. "Are you talking about that business with Melody and the Simmons family’s son? But I asked Mrs. Simmons, and she was very firm that Melody Summers has nothing to do with her son."

At her side, Sylvia Lancaster let out a quiet sigh of relief. Zane Simmons was a famous playboy, but he was young and handsome, and he was the Simmons family’s only son—the apple of their eye.

’If Melody Summers really managed to hook up with Zane Simmons and become his wife, where would that leave me in the Lancaster family?’ Sylvia would never allow Melody to marry better than she did.

But Simon Lancaster shook his head. "Mom, I’m not talking about the Simmons family. I’m talking about the Lawsons."

As Elaine Hughes watched him with a puzzled look, Simon continued, "Dad, Mom, the Lawson family has been trying to find a wife for their youngest son, but they haven’t found anyone suitable. The Lawsons are related to the Adler family by marriage. They’ve made a lot of money recently by following the Adlers into the seawater desalination business, so they’re flush with cash. If this marriage works out, it would be a huge help to our family."

Elaine Hughes froze for a moment. She thought about it, then said hesitantly, "The Lawsons’ youngest son? But I remember their youngest son is... an imbecile, isn’t he?"

The Lawson family had three sons. The eldest and second sons were already married, but the youngest, due to a congenital issue, had an intellectual disability and had never taken a wife.

In reality, the Lawsons were wealthy enough that it wouldn’t have been difficult to find a girl from a lower-class background to marry their intellectually disabled son. Especially during this time of natural disasters, with so many people dying daily from the extreme heat and drought, there were plenty of people willing to marry a fool just to survive.

After all, when you’re about to lose your life, who cares about love?

But the Lawson family’s standards were absurdly high. They looked down on girls from ordinary backgrounds and were dead set on finding a bride from a prominent, high-class family for their youngest son.

What prestigious family would be willing to marry their daughter to an idiot? The demand was pure fantasy, which was why the youngest son’s marriage prospects had been delayed until now.

Elaine Hughes thought for a moment more and said, "Speaking of the Adler family, I remember their only son, Flynn Adler, isn’t married yet. Why don’t we try introducing Melody to him first..."

"Mom!" Sylvia quickly cut her off. "Have you forgotten Melody’s temper? With a temper like that, if she married into the Adler family, she’d likely cause trouble. Not only would she be no help to the family, she might even bring us trouble."

’I really don’t want Melody Summers to marry well,’ Sylvia thought. ’Compared to marrying a sought-after heir like Flynn Adler, it would be best if she married a fool.’

Simon Lancaster also shook his head. "The Adler family is on the rise right now. I’m afraid they’re not a family we can easily latch onto."

There was another reason Simon didn’t mention: the Adlers were all difficult characters, their hands weren’t clean, and they had a foot in both the legal and illegal worlds.

’Even if Melody Summers married into their family, she wouldn’t be able to control them,’ he thought. ’It would just be like throwing meat buns to a dog—a total loss. Just like Sylvia’s marriage to Ethan Sutton, it wouldn’t help the Lancaster family at all. It would just be giving a daughter away for nothing.’

The Lawson family, on the other hand, was much easier to deal with. With the son being an imbecile, they would surely have to offer more financial compensation to keep her.

Robert Lancaster was a veteran of the business world, so of course he understood Simon’s thinking. He snorted and said, "An imbecile is fine. Besides an imbecile, no one else could tolerate her temper anyway."

Seeing that Elaine Hughes was still conflicted, Sylvia persuaded her in a soft voice, "Mom, think about it. Melody’s adoptive mother is a country woman. If she were the one to find Melody a husband later, the best she could do is an ordinary family. In Melody’s current situation, marrying into the Lawson family is a step up for her."

Seeing Elaine’s expression soften slightly, Sylvia continued, "The Lawson son is just mentally immature; it’s not like he’s missing an arm or a leg. He’s just like a child, but what man isn’t like a child in a marriage? As long as Melody gives the Lawsons a grandson after they’re married, they won’t treat her poorly. The Lawsons are well-off. Marrying into their family means she’ll be provided for. It’s much better than her adoptive mother marrying her off to some ordinary person later on."

Elaine Hughes was gradually convinced by Sylvia. She fell silent for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.

Silas Lancaster listened to their discussion in silence, feeling even more frustrated. He muttered quietly, "I don’t think Melody Summers will agree to marry into the Lawson family at all. What’s the point of you all discussing this among yourselves?"

Robert Lancaster shot Silas a glare. "How could she possibly refuse? The money that slips through the Lawsons’ fingers is more than her adoptive mother could earn in a lifetime. Stop spouting nonsense and get back to your room!"

In Robert Lancaster’s view, no woman from an ordinary background could refuse the chance to marry into a wealthy family. Melody Summers had grown up in the countryside with her adoptive mother; she would never turn down an opportunity to marry into high society.

Silas Lancaster rubbed his face in frustration and turned to head upstairs.

*

Once the Lancaster and Lawson families finalized their marriage plans, Elaine Hughes personally paid a visit to Mrs. Lawson to discuss the children’s wedding.

"Mrs. Lawson, please, take a look. This is a photo of our Melody. She just graduated from a prestigious university last year," Elaine Hughes said with a smile, handing the picture of Melody Summers to Mrs. Lawson.

Mrs. Lawson squinted, studying the photo from every angle. In the picture, Melody Summers had long black hair that accentuated her snow-white skin. Her smile was bright and full of youthful energy. She looked like a pure, sensible, and well-behaved young woman.

Mrs. Lawson was very satisfied. She was beautiful, from the Lancaster family, and a graduate of a top university. As a daughter-in-law, she was certainly someone to be proud of.

Mrs. Lawson nodded with a smile. Suddenly, Melody Summers’s name came to mind, and she spoke again, a little hesitantly. "It’s just... the girl’s surname is still Summers. It doesn’t sound like she’s a Lancaster."

Elaine Hughes smiled and replied, "We’ve already thought about that. Robert and I have discussed it. We’ll have her name changed to Melody Lancaster as soon as possible and publicly acknowledge her as our biological daughter. You have nothing to worry about."

Hearing this, Mrs. Lawson was finally put at ease. She smiled and patted Elaine Hughes’s hand warmly. "My dear, then let’s have our families settle this as soon as possible. We can skip the engagement ceremony. It’s so hot these days, let’s not trouble the guests. We’ll just go straight to the wedding."

Seeing Elaine Hughes nod in agreement, Mrs. Lawson added, "I had someone check the calendar. The first of next month is an auspicious day. Let’s schedule the wedding banquet for then."

Elaine Hughes was taken aback. "The first of next month? Isn’t that a bit too soon? I’m afraid we won’t have time to prepare everything."

But Mrs. Lawson waved her hand dismissively. "Don’t you worry. My family has already prepared everything that’s needed—the wedding dress, the diamond ring, all of it. Besides, with things like this, delays can lead to complications. The sooner they marry, the sooner the two kids can start building a relationship. Who knows, we might even be holding our grandson by next year!"

Seeing Elaine Hughes’s expression was still hesitant, Mrs. Lawson’s eyes darted, and she said in a low voice, "My dear, I heard the Lancaster Group isn’t doing too well lately. After the wedding, the Lawson family will inject capital into the Lancaster Group. The sooner the wedding, the sooner your family gets the money, wouldn’t you say?"

Those words struck a chord with Elaine Hughes. She smiled and nodded. "Alright. The wedding will be on the first of next month, then."

Mrs. Lawson smiled, satisfied, and personally poured Elaine another cup of tea.

Elaine Hughes took a sip of tea. Thinking of Melody’s temper, she said to Mrs. Lawson, a bit sheepishly, "You know, Melody... since she didn’t grow up with us, she’s picked up some bad habits from her adoptive mother. If she does anything wrong after she’s married into your family, I hope you’ll be patient with her."

Mrs. Lawson laughed and replied, "My dear, don’t you worry. As soon as your daughter walks through my door, I’ll treat her like my own. It just so happens I don’t have a daughter, so from now on, Melody will be my daughter."

Elaine Hughes breathed a sigh of relief, her mind at ease.

’I don’t care one bit what kind of habits Melody Summers has,’ Mrs. Lawson thought to herself. ’It’s just a matter of educating a daughter-in-law, and I have plenty of ways to do that. The moment Melody Summers steps into my house next month, I have a hundred ways to whip her into shape!’

*

To thank Melody Summers for taking her to the hospital so promptly last time, Sophie Thorne brought a lot of gifts to the Summers house today to express her gratitude.

Looking at the boxes overflowing with fruits and vegetables, as well as fresh beef, shrimp, and crab, Grandma said with a helpless sigh, "You’re such a dear child, but you’re too kind. You bring so many things every time you visit. This must have cost a fortune."

Sophie Thorne smiled and replied, "They didn’t cost anything. Besides, I can’t eat all this by myself, so just think of it as helping me out."

Miss Lowell and Grandma had Sophie Thorne sit down while they took the things to the kitchen to prepare a sumptuous lunch for her.

Melody Summers knew these were products from Rhodes. Thinking of Rhodes, she became curious about the progress of the sand vine cakes and asked, "Sophie, I heard the higher-ups are researching disaster relief food using Desert Vine. Has your boyfriend mentioned anything about it?"

Sophie Thorne sighed. "He’s been so busy with that for the past two months he hasn’t had time to come home. They say the first batches should reach the supply points by November at the earliest."

As the two were chatting, the doorbell rang again.

Grace Sutton heard the bell and went to check the security camera. Outside were two unfamiliar, middle-aged, wealthy-looking women.

Both women were holding ornate parasols and carrying two bags each.

"Can I help you? Who are you looking for?" Grace Sutton asked suspiciously.

"Hello, I’m looking for Melody Summers," one of the ladies replied with a smile.

Grace Sutton looked at her clothes and accessories, hesitated for a moment, then asked, "And you are?"

"I’m Melody’s mother."