Chapter 569

Hayden Jennings seemed even more confused. He frowned slightly and asked uncertainly, "...My wife?..."

Thinking of Cindy Hughes’s timid, frail, and submissive demeanor, Hayden Jennings simply couldn’t imagine how she could possibly be connected to a formidable woman like Melody Summers.

"That’s right!" Shane Walsh’s face lit up with excitement. He raised an eyebrow and said, "There used to be a family in our city, the Lancasters, who were in the tourism industry. I wonder if Professor Jennings has heard of them?"

"The Lancaster Family was quite something. Before they went bankrupt, a huge scandal broke out—it was said their daughter had been switched at birth! And this Melody Summers is the biological daughter who was switched!"

"In other words, Melody Summers’s biological mother is Robert Lancaster’s wife, Elaine Hughes—your wife’s older sister!"

The case of the Lancaster Group’s real and fake heiresses had once been the talk of Anworth’s elite circles after dinner. Everyone loves gossip, so Shane Walsh had naturally heard about it.

Although the Lancaster Family was now ruined and its members gone, quite a few people still remembered the incident.

If you went by blood relations, Melody Summers was the biological niece of Hayden Jennings’s wife, Cindy Hughes.

Hayden Jennings was also a little surprised after hearing Shane Walsh’s explanation. He murmured, "...To think it’s such a coincidence..."

"Isn’t it! It’s too much of a coincidence!" Brandon Walsh slapped his thigh and said to Hayden Jennings, "Jennings, if you really suspect she has some new kind of knockout drug, you should just have your wife get friendly with the Summerses and ask her to find out what’s going on!"

Hayden Jennings gave a noncommittal response.

In truth, the mere thought of letting Cindy Hughes contact someone else made a surge of uncontrollable rage well up in his chest. But he couldn’t very well lash out in front of the Walshs, so he could only lower his gaze to hide the flash of coldness in his eyes.

A moment later, he looked up and said with a faint smile, "I’d rather not. As you know, my wife’s health is very poor. She’s been bedridden for years, so it’s probably not convenient for her to see people... Besides, as they say, if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. There’s no need to rush."

******

Perhaps it was because of the shock she’d experienced at The Serene Leaf Teahouse, or maybe she had caught a chill from the rain, but Nina Summers developed a low fever after returning home.

Melody Summers called in sick for Nina, telling her to rest at home for a few days. Recalling everything that had happened at The Serene Leaf Teahouse, and thinking of Yuri Walsh’s words, she couldn’t decide whether to call the police.

This situation was different from the incident at The Crestview Hotel. This time, Melody didn’t know who the real boss behind The Serene Leaf Teahouse was. On the contrary, she had run into Yuri Walsh on her way out and had even been warned by him.

She was out in the open while her enemy was in the shadows. If she rashly reported it to the police, there was a high probability she would bring trouble upon herself.

But if she ignored the matter, what would happen to the victims trapped in The Serene Leaf Teahouse?

’Joelle Lawson’s situation couldn’t be an isolated case. There had to be many other victims like her enduring the same abuse. Am I really going to stand by and do nothing?’

Melody mulled it over for a few days but couldn’t make up her mind. She decided to first visit Joanne White in the residential area, so she picked some oranges and snow pears from her space, and also brought two bags of bread, two boxes of chocolate, and two roasted chickens.

If Joanne White hadn’t tipped her off and helped gather information, Melody wouldn’t have been able to figure out the cause and effect so quickly and pinpoint the Walsh family as the main culprit.

It was only right that she give Joanne White something to show her gratitude.

But to her surprise, before she even reached Joanne White’s home, she saw two people at the entrance of the apartment building whom she never wanted to see again in her life.

"Cousin?!"

Hearing the voice, Melody subconsciously turned around and saw her third uncle, Caleb Summers, and her cousin, Clark Summers, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

Caleb and Clark Summers had changed so much since she’d last seen them that it took Melody a long moment to recognize them.

During the snow disaster last year, the two had looked rough, but their complexions had been decent, and their faces and bodies had been clean.

But now—

Caleb Summers was emaciated to the point of being unrecognizable, and Clark Summers was so thin he was just a bag of bones. The clothes on their backs were tattered and soaked with rain, clinging stickily to their bodies. Their faces and bare arms were filthy, as if they had rolled around in the mud.

Melody: "..."

Seeing this father and son duo again, Melody felt it was just bad luck. She pretended not to see them and turned to leave.

But how could Caleb and Clark Summers possibly let her leave so easily? The two of them hurried forward to block Melody’s path, shouting anxiously:

"Hey! Niece! Wait a minute!!"

"Cousin! Don’t go!!"

Looking at the father and son who had her cornered, Melody suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She frowned and said, "Who are you calling niece? And who’s your cousin? We cut ties a long time ago! Now move, don’t block the way!"

The moment Melody saw the father and son, she was reminded of the rice and coal they had swindled from her. She had considered their childhood kinship and wanted to give them a chance to change their ways, but she had overestimated a gambler’s integrity. It was the biggest mistake she had made since her rebirth.

Thinking of that thick stack of IOUs, her anger flared up and she couldn’t suppress it. If it weren’t for the people coming and going outside the building, with everyone watching, she really would have pinned them down and given them a good beating right then and there!

Seeing the fury in Melody’s eyes, Clark Summers didn’t shrink back. Instead, he acted as if he hadn’t noticed it at all. He put on an ingratiating smile and said, "Cousin, it’s been so long. Are you still angry? ...Sigh, everything that happened before was my fault. I was young and foolish. Please, just forgive me!"

Clark claimed he was young, but his face no longer held the timid, submissive expression from their last meeting. It was as if, in less than a year, he had transformed from a shy teenager into a cynical, worldly-wise hustler.

Caleb Summers also chimed in, wringing his hands. "That’s right, niece. We were in the wrong before. We know we made a mistake, so don’t be angry anymore."

Listening to the father and son’s chorus of apologies, Melody just found them noisy. Not even wanting to look at the two people in front of her, she said coldly, "What’s the point of spouting all this nonsense at me? Didn’t I tell you? We’ve severed ties! We have no relationship! Now hurry up and get out of my way!"

Clark gritted his teeth in secret but knew this wasn’t the time to turn hostile. His eyes darted around, and a hurt expression appeared on his face. "Cousin, how can you say that? We’re family. Talking about severing ties is too hurtful..."

Melody sneered, retorting mockingly, "Family? I don’t have gambling addicts for family!"

"You cheated me out of so much food and coal, gambled it all away, and then just packed up and ran back to your hometown, even leading your creditors to my door! I haven’t even settled the score with you for that! And you have the nerve to talk to me about family?!"

’The more Melody thought about it, the angrier she got. How dare this father and son duo show up at my door?!’

Hearing Melody bring all this up, Clark knew he couldn’t argue. He could only force a smile and say, "Cousin, I know what happened before was all my fault. I’m the one who hurt you. I... I’m a bastard! I’m not human! I was possessed! I never should have gambled!"

"But Cousin, I’ve really changed now! I swear I’ll never touch gambling again for the rest of my life. I’m begging you, please, just forgive me this once!"