She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 558

Seeing the old man give a firm thumbs-up, Melanie lowered her eyes, her mind racing.

After chatting a bit longer, the old man finally wandered off with a reluctant wave.

Back in the car, Melanie noticed Everett's grim expression and couldn't help but ask.

"What's wrong? You seem upset."

Everett forced a bitter smile while buckling his seatbelt.

"No, I'm not upset. It's just... hearing him talk makes everything feel so incredibly unfair."

Melanie saw the redness rimming his eyes, knowing he was thinking about his father's tragic death.

"I always assumed Gregory learned to swim in the military, which was how he managed to save your dad..."

Everett let out a heavy, defeated sigh.

"But it turns out the guy who could only doggy-paddle survived and became the hero, while the award-winning swimmer drowned... It's just so sick and twisted."

The moment the emotional words left his mouth, Everett realized he had crossed a line.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said that... No matter what, Gregory saved your father's life..."

He was terrified his outburst had ruined Melanie's impression of him.

Melanie remained completely silent.

For the longest time, a jagged puzzle had been pieced together incorrectly in her mind, and she had never known how to fix it.

But now, she could finally smash those pieces apart and rebuild the picture...

She could see the truth for what it really was.

The car was deathly quiet.

Her silence made Everett panic.

"...Melanie... Melanie?"

It took him calling her name several times before she snapped out of her daze.

The moment Aria opened her mouth, she publicly threw Melanie under the bus.

"Aria, watch how you speak to your sister!"

Sabrina immediately chimed in, putting on a show of scolding her daughter.

"Her assistant already told us she was out with a friend. Look... she just got divorced, and now she's got a new man. Naturally, entertaining a man takes priority. You could learn a thing or two from her charm."

"What does a hospitalized father matter when there are men to keep happy?"

In front of the entire family and the company executives, Sabrina's snide remarks were a blatant attempt to paint Melanie as a boy-crazy degenerate who didn't care if her own flesh and blood lived or died.

The relatives immediately began whispering among themselves, casting judgmental glares in Melanie's direction.

"No wonder the Chairman collapsed at the office. She probably stressed him to the breaking point!"

"The project has been stalling, but the person in charge isn't worried at all. Just out on dates. Kids these days... tsk."

"The Chairman is blind. When it comes to competence and filial piety, she doesn't hold a candle to Aria!"