The two of them returned to The Metropolis Residences. Sophie Thorne kept looking at Melody Summers, clearly wanting to say something but hesitating.
Just as they were about to get out of the car, she finally spoke up. "Melody, are you going to call the police? If what we suspect is true, then Lily Adler switched you and then abandoned you. That constitutes human trafficking."
But Melody Summers just shook her head. She had no intention of calling the police.
First, they were in an era of natural disasters. Robberies and kidnappings were rampant. Why waste police resources on a cold case from so long ago?
Second, Melody Summers found the current situation quite amusing. Clara Hayes was so fond of Sylvia Lancaster, always defending her and accusing Melody of stealing Sylvia’s family.
Now, Sylvia Lancaster had turned out to be Hector Hayes’s daughter and had also gotten involved with Clara Hayes’s fiancé, Flynn Adler. Melody wondered what kind of expression Clara would have when she found out Sylvia had stolen her family *and* her fiancé.
Hector Hayes, the triad boss; Lily Adler, the mistress who skipped town while pregnant; Clara Hayes, whose fiancé was stolen by her illegitimate half-sister; Sylvia Lancaster, who had been pregnant with her good friend’s fiancé’s child; Flynn Adler, who was playing both sisters; and Raymond Hayes, the legitimate son and heir...
With a group like that, all festering in the Hayes Family like vipers in a pit, Melody Summers was rather curious to see which one would be the last one standing.
She almost regretted killing Hugh Hayes so soon. With his talent for stirring up trouble, he could have really fanned the flames in that viper’s pit!
Since Melody put it that way, Sophie Thorne didn’t press the issue. She even thought that perhaps Melody didn’t hate Lily Adler. After all, compared to the freakshow that was the Lancaster Family, the Summers Family were clearly a much better family to have.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Sophie Thorne said, "Oh, right... I only heard this a while ago, but Sylvia Lancaster’s miscarriage... I’m afraid Ethan Sutton’s parents had something to do with it."
Melody Summers was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
Sophie Thorne answered, "The Sutton Family fired some of their maids, and the story came from them. They said that ever since Ethan Sutton’s younger brother, Elias Sutton, died, Ethan’s parents invited a charlatan into their home. He performed rituals over Sylvia Lancaster every day, trying to get Elias to reincarnate in her womb."
Seeing Melody’s shocked expression, Sophie Thorne added, "According to the Suttons’ maids, the charlatan claimed he could make a dead soul reincarnate. So they tormented Sylvia Lancaster day after day, even forcing her to drink Talismanic Water daily."
Melody Summers was so stunned she was speechless for a long moment. She mumbled in disbelief, "Have the Suttons gone completely mad...?"
The whole thing was so outrageous that Melody Summers almost felt a flicker of gratitude toward Lily Adler. ’If she hadn’t swapped me with Sylvia Lancaster, I might have been the one who married into the Sutton Family and endured that torture...’
After saying goodbye to Sophie Thorne, Melody Summers was about to head home when a notification sound echoed in her mind:
[Peach Blossom Value +1. Current Peach Blossom Value: 22.]
Melody Summers: "???"
Seeing no one around, Albus leaped out from the pocket dimension, landing lightly on Melody Summers’s shoulder.
Melody Summers scooped Albus up in her arms, asking in astonishment, "What was that for??"
’All I did was listen to some juicy gossip. Why did my Peach Blossom Value inexplicably increase by one?’
Albus tilted its head, looking at her. It didn’t know, either.
’Could it be because I found out about Hector Hayes and Lily Adler’s sordid affair?’
Melody Summers shuddered and immediately shook her head, dismissing the disgusting thought.
She thought about the day’s events...
’Was it because I used the Far Sea Secret Medicine to save Brianna White, and her condition has now stabilized, so my Peach Blossom Value went up?’
’Or was it because the specialized medicine for volcanic ash I helped develop was launched, so my Peach Blossom Value went up?’
Melody Summers was completely baffled. But either way, an increase in her Peach Blossom Value was a good thing. It meant she was one step closer to unlocking a new space.

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