"Delite, you lucky bitch! My family only has daughters and my brother is only seven years old," Dilettia exclaimed, a playful pout on her face. Delite grinned, radiating an effortless charm. She gracefully hooked her arm around Melody's shoulders, pulling her closer.
"Melody will be my future sisterinlaw," Delite declared, her voice brimming with playful confidence.
Melody rolled her eyes dramatically, a small smile playing on her lips despite herself. The idea of being Delite's sisterinlaw was absurd, yet strangely amusing.
{Why is that name familiar? Rohan… Mmm, forget it. I don't care,} Melody thought, a fleeting sense of recognition brushing against the edges of her consciousness before she quickly dismissed it.
"Melody, marry me!" Dilettia declared playfully, a mischievous glint in her hazelgreen eyes. The three of them burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the hospital room, a vibrant contrast to the sterile environment.
For the next four days, Delite and Dilettia were constant fixtures at Melody's bedside. They brought lavish gifts – designer clothes, rare books, and exotic flowers – but more importantly, they brought laughter and companionship. They filled the hours with gossip, jokes, and elaborate plans for the upcoming party, ensuring that Melody felt surrounded by love and support.
Rosemary, on the other hand, remained largely isolated. Aside from a few pitying visits from her less influential friends – those who felt obligated to offer sympathy but lacked the power or influence to truly connect with her – she was left to stew in her resentment and bitterness.
When Melody returned to the Montgomery estate, she was immediately struck by a sense of unease. Something felt wrong, subtly out of place. As she made her way to her private garden, the feeling intensified. And then she saw it.
Her favorite Udumbara flowers – delicate, ethereal blossoms that resembled tiny white bells – were crushed and destroyed, their petals scattered across the manicured lawn like fallen snow. A wave of icy anger washed over her. These weren't just any flowers; they were Udumbara blossoms – incredibly rare, blooming only once every 3,000 years. She had been fortunate enough to acquire a single specimen, and it held a special significance for her.
A servant rushed over, her face etched with worry. This servant's name was Ria, a young woman with kind eyes and a quiet demeanor.
"Lady Melody, this…"
"Lady Melody, this is… terrible," Ria stammered, her voice trembling slightly.
Melody's eyes narrowed, her composure hardening into a mask of controlled fury. The casual destruction of something so precious, so rare… it was a deliberate act of malice.
"Who did it?" Melody demanded, her voice dangerously low. Ria looked away, shuffling her feet and shuddering visibly. She clearly struggled with what she was about to say.
"Rosemary," Ria finally whispered, her voice barely audible.
"She said… she said that these flowers were ugly."
Melody walked inside, her anger simmering beneath the surface. She immediately spotted her seventh brother, Elijah, who was six months older than her. He rushed over, his face lighting up with concern as he embraced her in a quick hug.
{Seventh Brother, poor guy his esport will be sabotaged, and guess what? It was that girlfriend of his,} Melody thought, a flicker of sympathy crossing her mind.
Elijah stepped backwards, a confused expression on his face. He looked around the room, searching for the source of the voice only he seemed to hear.
{Seventh Brother is so handsome, but that girlfriend of hers, Sia, is a twofaced bitch! Plus, brother doesn't know it yet but he's gay,} Melody continued to think to herself.
Diego, Audrey, and Jasper simultaneously spat out their water in shock at Melody's seemingly random outburst. Elijah, however, froze, his face paling as he registered the implications of her silent thoughts. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he fought to maintain his composure.
{When big bro finds my future brotherinlaw, I will be happy, but that girlfriend, Sia Black, she's actually from a rival team and will have all their ideas,} Melody continued thinking to herself.
"Brother, Rosemary deserted my garden," Melody said, bringing the conversation back to the immediate issue, though her mind was still swirling with observations about her family.
"Who is that?" Elijah asked, genuinely puzzled.
"Illegitimate daughter," Melody replied curtly.
Elijah was visibly shocked by the revelation.
Elijah was visibly shocked by the revelation. He gently picked up his sister and settled her onto a plush velvet couch, his movements surprisingly tender.
"Never cheated on your mum, if that's what you're wondering," Jasper interjected quickly, his voice laced with a defensive edge. Audrey patted her husband's back reassuringly with a sigh.
"Let me explain," Audrey said, her tone measured and deliberate as she addressed the bewildered expressions on their faces.
"Okay, explain," Elijah said, his gaze fixed intently on his mother, eager to understand the situation. He could feel a strange tension in the air, a sense of secrets and unspoken truths that he couldn't quite grasp.
"It's when a woman doesn't have to have sex," Audrey continued, her voice calm and matteroffact.
"Since none of you have ever met your greatgrandfather. But worried your dad will be single, he took his sperm and well… Jasper didn't know."
She paused, letting the weight of her words sink in.
"Over time, everyone forgot about it," she concluded, as if recounting a mundane detail rather than revealing a family secret that spanned generations. The casualness of her delivery only amplified the shock on their faces.
Elijah burst out laughing, a booming, unrestrained sound that filled the room.
"Hahahaha! Your sperm was stolen!" he shouted, clutching his stomach as tears streamed down his face. The absurdity of the situation—his father's sperm being "stolen"—was simply too much to bear.
Jasper, his face a mask of exasperation and embarrassment, grabbed a nearby broom and began chasing after his son, who was now laughing like a crazy person, weaving through the furniture and dodging attempts to be apprehended. The scene was chaotic and surreal, a stark contrast to the previously tense atmosphere.
"Mum, my garden was destroyed," Melody said, letting out a long, weary sigh. The laughter and chaos of the previous moment seemed to fade as she brought the conversation back to the immediate issue.
{Rosemary is so petty, destroying my garden? Fine game on, bitch,} Melody thought with a simmering anger, her mind already formulating a plan for retribution.
Suddenly, a highpitched voice cut through the air.
"Host host! There is a mission!" TangYuan exclaimed excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Melody frowned, her expression darkening slightly. TangYuan was her AI assistant—a sophisticated program designed to manage her affairs and provide strategic guidance—but she often had a tendency to be overly enthusiastic and prone to launching unexpected "missions."
{What mission? That's annoying!}