Chapter 314: My Teeth Are a Little Itchy
This could be considered one of Melody Lynch’s strengths—she had always been very clear about separating gratitude from love.
It was true that the young man from all those years ago had helped her, even saved her life.
But after so many years, things were different, and so were people. Who could say for certain if he had changed, or by how much?
Was she supposed to sacrifice her own feelings and her entire life to repay that past kindness, to fulfill the destiny of their encounter, even if he had become a depraved criminal?
That was out of the question!
So, after Howard Gallagher used the information Cassandra Lynch had leaked to him, along with some clumsy lies, to falsely claim the title of her savior, Melody Lynch felt absolutely no romantic feelings for him. In fact, she found that the young man she remembered had become arrogant and materialistic after all these years, which she found utterly repulsive.
Bound by the debt of gratitude, Melody Lynch forced herself to spend time with him despite her discomfort. She soon discovered they were simply not cut from the same cloth and decisively chose to repay the debt in other ways, like with money and gifts.
Although Howard Gallagher was a bit dense, he was exceptionally perceptive when it came to emotions. When he sensed that Melody Lynch was deliberately distancing herself, he grew contrarian.
With Cassandra Lynch deliberately fanning the flames, he acted on impulse and decided to drug Melody Lynch. He would force the issue, making it a done deal and leaving her with no way out.
Eloise Donovan: "!!!" ’That bastard! How dare he! When I get back, I’m talking to my cousin. We’ll figure out a way to confiscate his "tool of the trade" beforehand and eliminate the problem for good!’
’Drugging her was bad enough, but the fucking idiot was also a gutless coward! Right at the critical moment, his brain cleared for a second. He decided he wanted to "save himself" for his precious little Cassandra, so he just ditched Melody Lynch in the hotel room and ran off.’
A young, drugged woman, abandoned and alone in a completely unfamiliar hotel—one can only imagine what happened next.
The incident was a huge blow to Melody Lynch, but she knew it wasn’t her fault. She chalked it up to a moment of carelessness, like getting bitten by a dog.
Unfortunately, Cassandra Lynch was dead set on utterly destroying her. Before Melody could even react, Cassandra had plastered scandalous photos of her from that night at the hotel everywhere. As a result, the Lynch family and their companies were hit with a massive wave of public condemnation and took a major blow.
Melody Lynch broke down completely after this and disappeared not long after.
Her whereabouts were never explained by the end of the book, leaving it unknown whether she was alive or dead.
Eloise Donovan: "!!!" ’My knife? Where’s my knife?!’
As Arabella Donovan finished recalling the plotline concerning Melody Lynch, she snapped back to reality at the sound of a grinding noise next to her. Her first thought was, ’Why is there a mouse in the car?’
She turned toward the sound and was met with the inexplicably menacing expression on her fourth sister’s face.
"..." ’Good lord, that grinding noise was my sister gnashing her teeth!’
"Sis, did you see some infuriating news or something?"
"Nope. Just felt a sudden urge to grind my teeth. Probably growing a new one."
Arabella Donovan: "???" ’Seriously? Sis, at your age... growing a new tooth?!’
The look on Arabella Donovan’s face was so transparent that Eloise Donovan knew exactly what she was thinking without a word. Her eye twitched, but she quickly deflated, her shoulders slumping.
’Forget it. Let the world burn,’ she thought. ’Right now, I just want to drag those sons of bitches out and tear them limb from limb!’
Although she showed no outward change, everyone could practically feel sinister wisps of black smoke billowing out from behind Eloise Donovan.
The Donovan Family: "..." ’Oh no. Did she get pushed too far? Is this her villain origin story?’
Mrs. Donovan shivered, forcing her gaze away to look at her youngest daughter. "Serena, what do you think? Do you want to go?"
"Huh?" Arabella Donovan, who had still been focused on Eloise, was taken aback by her mother’s question.
"The Lynch family. Do you want to go? Or maybe we should just wait for them to visit us first."
"No, I’ll go. They’re Eloise’s elders, after all; it wouldn’t be right for them to come visit me first. When we head back, I’ll drop by their place with Eloise. We can just treat it as a New Year’s family visit."
’It’s been a while since I last saw the Lynch family,’ she mused. ’They are, after all, major cannon fodder (or villains) that take up a huge chunk of this "real-versus-fake-heiress" story. Even though I managed to nearly obliterate the female lead, Cassandra Lynch, right at the start, who’s to say the idiotic plot won’t suddenly go haywire and snap back to the original timeline?’
’Case in point: my dear older brother, who was just recently dragged through the narrative wringer.’
Justin Donovan: "..." ’That’s enough out of you!’
"If we’re visiting relatives, then let’s all go together," Mrs. Donovan chimed in. "This is Eloise’s first New Year since reuniting with us. It’s only proper that we pay the Lynch family a visit."
Mrs. Donovan’s words sounded perfectly reasonable and proper. At least, Arabella Donovan couldn’t find any flaw in her logic.
Eloise, however, had a strange look on her face, a flash of embarrassment in her eyes.
’Yeah, right. As if I can’t see through you all. You just want to come along to watch the drama unfold.’
’But whatever. I’m not the one at the center of this particular drama, so gossip away! Ha ha ha...’
And so, the visit to the Lynch family was settled. Things moved quickly on Aurora Donovan’s end as well. After going home and enduring a round of interrogation from her family, she called Elder Lyons, explained the situation, and expressed her wish to bring her younger sister for a visit.
It was clear the old man was quite fond of his new young apprentice. The moment he heard she wanted to bring her sister over, he agreed immediately.
The next day was a weekend. Arabella and Aurora cheerfully headed for Elder Lyons’s faculty apartment building, carrying gifts that Mr. and Mrs. Donovan had prepared in advance. A team of professional bodyguards followed discreetly behind them.
Elder Lyons’s apartment building was located just behind an academic building on the Brynn University campus. Since the semester hadn’t started yet, most of the faculty hadn’t returned, and the two sisters didn’t run into any other professors on their way up.
Elder Lyons lived with his wife. They had a son and a daughter, but both children had their own homes and only came to visit the elderly couple during the holidays.
With this in mind, the university had arranged a spacious three-bedroom suite for them, which was more than enough for the couple and could easily accommodate their children when they came to stay.
When the two sisters arrived, the elderly couple had just returned from their post-breakfast walk. Their faces lit up with delight upon seeing their guests, and they immediately welcomed them inside.
"You shouldn’t have! Your visit is gift enough," Lyons said, looking with surprise at the various bags they were carrying. "This is too much."
"Please don’t worry, it’s just some snacks like fruit and candied preserves—things you can eat," Aurora replied. "It’s the New Year, after all. We’d be embarrassed to show up empty-handed. Please, you and teacher can keep them and enjoy."
Lyons instinctively glanced at Elder Lyons, seeking his approval. He glanced at the bags, and only after confirming they contained nothing more than ordinary New Year’s goods did he nod for Lyons to accept them.
While the other three were talking, Arabella Donovan had already sized Elder Lyons up from head to toe, her gaze finally landing on his lower abdomen.
’So that’s how it is.’