Chapter 461: Chapter 461: Written Off
At this, Joanne White glanced sheepishly at Melody Summers and said in a low voice, "...I wanted to torture them for a while longer, too. I just didn’t expect their family to be so impulsive..."
Joanne White truly hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.
Joanne White had once seen a photograph in a hidden compartment of Sean Sutton’s wallet. The photo had yellowed with age, and the people in it were faintly recognizable as a young Sean Sutton and Margaret Adler.
In the photo, the two of them gazed quietly at each other, their eyes sincere and bright, as if they would only have each other for their entire lives. On the back was a line of text: "You will always be the most precious pearl in my heart."
Who would have thought that this very couple, in a moment of impulse, would turn on each other with lethal force? They showed no mercy, killing each other without a moment’s hesitation...
At this thought, Joanne was not only shocked but also felt a pang of guilt. She had promised Melody Summers she would slowly torture the Suttons and make their lives a living hell, but she never imagined they would all be wiped out so quickly!
Joanne peeked at Melody Summers from the corner of her eye, worried about whether she would be satisfied with this outcome.
Melody Summers listened to Joanne’s account in silence, her heart a whirlwind of emotions. She, too, had never expected the Suttons to die by slaughtering one another—to fall at the hands of their own.
’After all, the Suttons had been remarkably united when they dealt with me in my past life.’
Thinking of her past life, Melody Summers sighed softly. She realized those events already felt so distant. By the spring of the third year of the cataclysm, aside from the Lancasters, everyone who had framed and bullied her in her past life was dead.
Melody came back to her senses and said to Joanne, "If they’re dead, they’re dead. The police will probably come by to investigate after a while. I remember there’s a security camera in the Suttons’ living room, so prepare your story ahead of time. Don’t get dragged into it. As for everything else... starting today, the score between us is settled."
Hearing Melody say this, Joanne was stunned for a moment. Then, she asked cautiously, "...Really? ...You won’t hold the rumors and cyberbullying against me anymore? And what about me stealing your boyfriend? You’re letting that go, too?"
Joanne had witnessed what Melody was capable of and knew she had connections in Anworth’s high society. She was terrified that Melody would retaliate against her.
Melody just shook her head dismissively. "It’s been so long; let’s not dredge up the past. Besides, for taking a scumbag like Austin Hale off my hands, I ought to thank you... Anyway, he’s probably dead by now. There’s no point in even mentioning him."
Ever since Flynn Adler and Kenneth Adler died, the police had been hunting for Austin Hale, but they had never managed to find him.
’We’re in the middle of a cataclysm. The environment is harsh, food is scarce, and terrorists are taking advantage of the chaos to loot and pillage. With Austin on the run for so long,’ Melody thought, ’he’s probably dead in some godforsaken corner by now!’
"Austin?" Hearing Melody’s remark, Joanne was taken aback. She quickly said, "Austin isn’t dead! He’s been with Mr. Caelus this whole time, working for him. He even made Mr. Caelus his godfather!"
Hearing Joanne’s words, Melody’s eyes flew wide in shock.
’Austin Hale? Mr. Caelus?’
’How in the world did those two get mixed up with each other?!’
’And... what is the deal with Austin? Why is he so obsessed with collecting godfathers?!’
’First he was Kenneth Adler’s godson, and now he’s Mr. Caelus’s...’
’Is he that desperate for a father figure?’
Melody’s brow furrowed. She lowered her voice and asked Joanne, "Why didn’t you say this before?! What exactly do you know about what’s going on with Mr. Caelus? Don’t hide anything. Tell me everything."
Joanne bit her lower lip and said softly, "...You had a knife to my throat back then. I was afraid if I brought him up, you’d remember what happened in college, so I didn’t dare say anything..."
Melody almost laughed in exasperation. She gave Joanne a pointed look and said in a mocking tone, "Hmph. So you *do* know what a guilty conscience feels like."
Joanne lowered her head in embarrassment and continued, "I only know that Austin stumbled upon the Advent Sect by chance while he was a fugitive. And as you know, Austin is good-looking and pretty sharp, so he quickly stood out from the other disciples. That’s how Mr. Caelus noticed him..."
"Mr. Caelus thought Austin would make a good public face for the sect, so he put him in charge of things like liaising with the faithful and collecting incense money. Plus, Austin is a master at kissing up, so Mr. Caelus ended up making him his godson..."
"Austin was probably involved in all the illegal and criminal things Mr. Caelus has done. As for the rest, I’m not sure. I was only with them for two days before I came to the Suttons with Margaret Adler..."
Melody nodded pensively. "I see."
’It’s true what they say: the devil looks after his own,’ she thought. ’Who would’ve thought Austin Hale would be so resilient, that he’d manage to survive this long.’
’But it doesn’t matter. Since Austin is with Mr. Caelus, when the police move to arrest the master, they can catch that slippery fish Austin in the same net.’
Melody picked up the kettle of herbal medicine and said to Joanne, "All right, you get some rest. I’m leaving now."
With that, she stood up to leave.
Seeing this, Joanne blurted out, "Wait! Melody, don’t go yet!"
Melody looked at her, puzzled. "Is there something else?"
Joanne looked up at Melody, opening her mouth as if to say something. But after a moment of silence, the words wouldn’t come out.
Seeing the complicated expression on Joanne’s face and the uncertainty in her eyes, Melody understood. She took the initiative and asked, "You want to ask about your child, don’t you?"
Joanne bit her lower lip and slowly nodded.
Melody replied, "You don’t have to worry about him. I heard that Zane Simmons’s mother, Paige Walsh, has adopted your cousin, Lucy White, as her goddaughter. Paige treats Lucy very well. With her there as his aunt, she’ll look after your child."
Melody had been quite surprised herself when she first heard the news—
She had only left a message for Paige Walsh asking her to look after Lucy White; she never imagined Paige would go so far as to adopt Lucy as her goddaughter.
Lucy had been keeping in touch with Melody, occasionally sharing details about her daily life. From what she said, Melody could tell that Paige Walsh was treating Lucy very well, truly like her own daughter.
Paige had even held a large adoption ceremony for Lucy at The Nimbus Hotel, publicly acknowledging her new status within high society.
Paige Walsh and Bernard Simmons’s divorce was finalized. It was unclear how they negotiated it, but they had agreed that the child Joanne gave birth to would be raised by Paige. With Lucy there, she would at least be able to help look after her own nephew.
The moment Melody finished speaking, Joanne froze, her face a mask of pure shock, as if she’d been struck by lightning.
Shock, disbelief, incredulity, envy, resentment... A storm of emotions flashed across her face before finally settling into a look of utter bewilderment.
After a long moment, Joanne mumbled, "Oh... Good, good... That’s a good thing... I see..."
Seeing her like this, Melody knew she was taking it hard. She asked casually, "So, what are your plans for the future? Are you going to go stay with Lucy?"
