Chapter 588: A Shocking Confession

But the moment Yuri Walsh’s right hand touched Melody Summers’s wrist, a sharp CRACKLE echoed through the air—

The next second, a pain like a thousand needles shot from Yuri Walsh’s right arm all the way to his chest!

The electric jolt shot through the entire right side of his body. The agony made him lose his footing, and he collapsed to his knees, letting out an uncontrollable groan. "Ah!... Ah!"

Melody Summers calmly put away the stun gun. Staring at Yuri Walsh’s face, now pale with pain, she snorted. "Yuri Walsh, I’m not interested in you," she said coldly. "What you just said offended me. If you dare to spew that kind of bullshit again... don’t blame me for getting rough."

The stun gun in Melody Summers’s hand had been modified; its highest setting could take down a wild boar weighing several hundred pounds. Although she had only used the low setting on Yuri Walsh, the pain was more than enough to make him suffer for a good while.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on Yuri Walsh’s forehead from the pain. He clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to cry out, and stared at Melody Summers in disbelief. "...You!... I like you. I’m sincerely confessing my feelings. Why would you do this?!"

Seeing the shock and hurt in Yuri’s eyes, Melody Summers scoffed. "What do you mean, ’why’?" she retorted mockingly. "You have the nerve to ask? Was that supposed to be a confession? You were asking me to be your mistress!"

Melody’s anger flared at the very thought. She wanted nothing more than to give him a few hard kicks, but then she decided he wasn’t even worth getting her shoes dirty.

"Yuri Walsh, who the hell do you think you are? What gives you the right to say something like that to me? Was I too polite to you in the past? Did that somehow make you think you were actually somebody?!"

"You dare ask me to be your mistress? Let me tell you something. For a guy like you, I wouldn’t even want you as my grandson! You’d better get the hell out of my sight and stay there. Don’t ever let me see you again!"

Yuri Walsh’s expression soured a little more with every sentence Melody uttered—

He came from a prestigious medical family. His background, looks, and education were all top-tier. In the eyes of others, he was an unattainable prize. He’d been adored by countless people since childhood. He never, ever imagined that the first time he confessed his feelings to a woman, he would be berated so viciously.

Only when Melody seemed to have tired herself out from yelling did he slowly release a breath. "...You’ve misunderstood," he said in a low voice. "That’s not what I meant..."

Looking into her eyes, which burned especially bright with fury, he struggled to explain. "I’m not asking you to be my mistress. I told you, you’re the only one I like. Joy Jennings and I are just..."

Yuri trailed off, suddenly unsure how to continue.

’For the sake of the partnership with the Jennings Family, I have to marry Joy Jennings. That’s not going to change. So, if Melody and I really did get together... we could, in fact, only have an affair for the time being.’

At this thought, Yuri suddenly felt a pang of regret for his impulsiveness tonight. He could only try to justify himself. "...Melody, I... I’ve never pursued anyone before. I don’t know how. If you felt offended, that was truly not my intention..."

"Don’t give me that crap!" Melody cut him off, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Let me guess, you’re going to tell me you’re just a clueless guy? Too thoughtless? Didn’t consider the details? It’s all just because you like me so much you couldn’t control yourself, so you acted on impulse? Is that it?"

Seeing the flicker of embarrassment in Yuri’s eyes, Melody sneered and pressed on. "Be honest, Yuri Walsh. If I wasn’t from an ordinary family, but was instead the daughter of a wealthy family on par with your own, would you still have the guts to come to me and say all this?!"

"Or let’s put it this way... suppose your sister, Zara Walsh, were still alive. What if some rich, married old man took a liking to her and asked her to be his mistress? Would your family agree? Wouldn’t you feel that the Walsh Family’s dignity had been offended?"

Yuri frowned at her words and instinctively retorted, "How is that the same thing?!"

"How is it different?" Melody stared at him coldly, fighting the urge to beat him to a pulp. "It’s because I’m a commoner and you’re all from a powerful, wealthy family," she said through clenched teeth. "There’s a gap in our status, so you think it’s different. Right?"

"Because I’m a commoner, I deserve to be humiliated by you? I deserve to be asked to be your mistress? And because you’re rich, you think asking me to be your mistress is some kind of blessing you’re bestowing upon me? You think I should just be grateful and agree, is that it?"

Faced with Melody’s aggressive questioning, Yuri pressed his lips together, unsure how to respond.

’After all, in a way, her words were harsh, but she wasn’t wrong...’

Yuri felt that while he personally didn’t mind Melody’s origins, the gap in their social status was undeniable.

The Walsh Family had been a prestigious medical dynasty since before the founding of the nation. For generations, their ancestors had served as imperial court physicians. After the nation’s founding, they had produced several pioneers who laid the groundwork for the country’s modern medical field.

The Summers Family, on the other hand, came from a line of ordinary farmers. Although Winnie Summers had become the director of the reconstruction department, her foundation was shallow. The family had no industries, no capital to speak of.

The torrential rain was finally starting to subside. According to expert forecasts, the three-year-long natural disaster was coming to an end. Barring any surprises, society, life, and industry would soon return to normal. When that happened, what real influence would Winnie Summers’s position even hold?

At the end of the day, the centuries-old foundation of a great family was something the Summers Family could never hope to catch up to.

Yuri didn’t say a word, but his expression was a clear admission.

Seeing this, Melody couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. She shook her head. "Oh, Yuri, Yuri. You and Zara Walsh are truly siblings, aren’t you? The two of you think in the exact same way..."

’Zara Walsh looked down on the poor. She believed people should be divided into classes and that those at the bottom deserved to struggle without a shred of dignity. As her brother, I’d originally thought Yuri was a normal person, but now I see he’s just better at hiding his true nature. He’s just a good actor.’

’It makes sense, I suppose. How different can two children raised in the same household truly be?’

Melody let out another cold laugh. "...Your sister looked down on the lower class," she said slowly, "and so she died at the hands of the very people she despised. By that same logic, you deserve to die, too..."

The night street was exceptionally quiet. Melody’s low, soft words were like a curse, drilling into Yuri’s ears one by one.

The sincerity and love in Yuri’s eyes slowly faded, replaced by a single-minded obsession.

By now, the pain from the electric shock had faded considerably. Bracing a hand against the wall, he slowly pushed himself to his feet.

Under Melody’s wary gaze, Yuri stared at her face and said in a low, heavy voice, "...Melody, I didn’t mean to offend you. But... I still hope you will accept my confession."

Melody stared at Yuri as if he were a lunatic. Her eyes widened. "Are you dreaming? Was I not clear enough, or are you incapable of understanding plain English? I already told you I wouldn’t want you as my grandson, and you’re still asking me to be your mistress?"

Yuri ignored her taunts. He took a deep breath and said slowly, "What about before... at The Serene Leaf Teahouse? Don’t you remember?"