Chapter 36

"See, I told you I have insomnia, but you wouldn't believe me. Want to stay and keep me company?" Melissa deliberately moved a chair for Joseph to sit. "That's enough, Melissa!" Joseph is simply speechless with this woman. Although Melissa is naturally frivolous, she is at least a pretty woman. She didn't expect her to be utterly rotten. "Huh, why are you so nervous?" Melissa revealed a wicked smile "Mr. Clarkson, there's a saying 'homophobia indicates deep closet tendencies', what do you think?" "You're really tedious!" He strode away from the room in dismay. Melissa craned her neck, gleefully yelling behind him, "It's because I'm bored that's why I want to watch. Ugh, a typical straight guy, finally found a way to fix you." With Joseph gone, Melissa couldn't help but be amused "He was so mad just now, could it be because he was shy?" Having cleaned up traces and shut down the computer, Melissa recalled a crucial piece of information – this was the room of Joseph's elder brother. Having been classmates with Nancy for three years, Melissa had never heard Nancy mention anything about her elder and second brothers. The relationships between these three siblings were truly perplexing. ........ Around four in the morning, when it was getting bright, Melissa was still in her dreams when someone gently nudged her shoulder "Mommy, I need to pee." Alvina sat halfway up, her little hand resting on her mother's shoulder. Melissa immediately opened her eyes and sat up. "Let's go, mommy will go with you!" Melissa put on slippers for Alvina and led her to the restroom. But, there was barely any toilet paper left, so she had to search the cupboard under the sink, accidentally she discovered a hairdryer. It reminded her of an important matter she hadn't done yet. "Mommy, did you find the paper?" Alvina sat on the toilet, swinging her little legs and poking her head to ask. "Here you go, Alvina." Melissa folded the toilet paper and handed it to her. "Thank you, Mommy." Alvina jumped off the toilet and squatted on the floor to carefully wipe herself, and she then tilted her head to ask Melissa. "Mommy, where were you yesterday?" "Mommy went out to get some things back from someone," Melissa tried to withhold the idea of revenge from the young children, her return to the country was to claim a debt from those who deserved to be punished. "Alvina baby, why do you suddenly ask this?" "Oh, yesterday, Daddy— no, no, that bad Uncle— told us to watch over Mommy closely and said that there are many bad people outside and that she shouldn't be wandering around aimlessly…" Alvina was recalling some of the words Joseph had told the siblings yesterday and repeating them to Melissa. That bastard Joseph! How dare he accuse her of going out for idling? And while she was absent, he even filled her children's minds with wrongful ideas. Such a disdainful man! "Alvina, I assure you and your brother that Mommy knows how to differentiate the good people from the bad ones. Mommy will never let anyone bully us. You have to trust Mommy, Okay?" Melissa gazed into Alvina's eyes with a firm and sincere glance. "Okay, I trust Mommy" Alvina nodded with a look of assurance at Melissa. "One more thing, Alvina, never believe anything that the bad uncle tells you and your brother, okay? Remember this." After this time, Melissa would never again allow anyone to brainwash her children maliciously. She decided to instruct Alvin as well when he wakes up. This man was so audacious to target her children, despite being an adult. The Clarkson family usually had breakfast around seven or eight, allowing the children more sleep. After coaxing her daughter to sleep, Melissa pulled out her phone from her bag. She dried it with a hairdryer and then charged it, miraculously it was functioning again. Melissa opened the video posted online the previous day and the comments under it were blowing up— "Mrs. Humphrey ignoring her image and attacking others, it had a notably bad impact on the industry. Mr. Humphrey has wasted his life marrying an undeserving wife." "Nancy, using her family status to be spoiled and arrogant, even dared to violently attack a defenseless woman. What a disgrace to the family…” "There are suspicions that the couple Mr and Mrs Humphrey from the Humphrey Group are not getting along, facing an emotional crisis, and their marriage may be on the verge of breakdown!" Upon reading these comments, Melissa was so excited that she was on the verge of tears. She was really overjoyed! Six years ago, Nancy was the first to harm others, but she never expected that it would backfire on her. Her long-maintained good reputation was also questioned. But this was not enough, far from enough! Just as Melissa was about to put down her phone, an alert for a new message sounded instantaneously. The message read, "Melissa, I know you might be sleeping at this time. I'm likely to arrive at the S city airport around noon today. Is it possible to find a suitable time to meet up?" Melissa sent a string of text "Sure. Call me when you arrive!" After the message was sent successfully, the reply came in almost immediately "Okay." Melissa's lips curled up into a smile. She was about to share this first round of success with Peter! ........ In the morning, Joseph left the old Clarkson residence without having breakfast, and before leaving, he shot a warning glanced at Melissa. Melissa knew his intention was not wanting her to “loaf around,” but she would do exactly the opposite. No one could stop her from doing what she wanted to do. After breakfast, Melissa let Uncle John took the children to the toy room to play. She had volunteered to brew a pot of fruit tea for Granny Julia. "Grandma, I notice you always eat so little. Therefore, I added some hawthorn slices to the fruit tea, which can help with digestion, promote bowel movements, and increase your appetite." "Melissa, you're thoughtful” Grandma Julia sipped her fruit tea and praised warmly "Oh, this is quite tasty!" "I’m glad you like it, grandma." Melissa determined to show her best side to the old lady and win her favor and trust in the shortest time. After all, in this family, the only person who could support Melissa was Grandma Julia. "Melissa, did you have a disagreement with Joseph last night?" Grandma Julia gazed at Melissa with a gentle look in her eyes, her tone calm and not at all angry. Could it be that the old lady saw the spectacle between her and Joseph at the computer desk last night? That time, the old lady was clearly asleep, did she wake up in the middle of the night? Thinking about it, Melissa, feeling awkward: "Ah?" She then slowly muttered, "Granny, do you already know?" "Of course, Granny's eyes aren't blind. Joseph has been sullen since this morning, didn’t say a word to you before leaving, I’m sure you two had a quarrel last night, right?” Grandma Julia spoke in a soft tone to Melissa. She still loved to see the sweet interactions between the two children, like the scene of them serving dishes the other day. "Nothing like that. I guess he might be upset because I was stuck in traffic yesterday and came home late. He's mad that I didn't accompany him, and went straight to bed with Alvin and Alvina." Melissa made up an excuse. Grandma Julia, shaking her head with a smile: "Melissa, he might not care about whether you had the time to accompany him or not, but whether you told him who you were going out with, hence his jealousy." "Why would he be jealous of my best girl friend? He has friends who he can drink and play games with." Melissa blurred out the first thing that came to mind, anyhow, the truth of it doesn't matter. Grandma Julia asked Melissa to sit closer, and patted her knee, saying "A couple should always communicate more, no misunderstanding is not solvable." A couple? This word made Melissa very uncomfortable. Who is his wife! Considering it, she only knew him for about a week! She is indeed a very old-fashioned lady, but she has a good heart. Melissa felt it was funny, but she said very sincerely, "Granny, I will remember. I will spend more time with him in the future, and have a calm conversation with him." "That's right" Grandma Julia smiled contentedly, and finished her fruit tea. Since she's going to meet Peter, better strike while the iron is hot, it's better to speak openly. "Granny, I have to go out today to meet a former supervisor. He has always mentored me. Today he just returned to the country, and I feel it’s not right if I don't visit him." Melissa candidly admitted that she had gone to meet Peter that afternoon. Actually, there was no need for her to report to anyone, but informing the old lady in advance might increase her trust in Melissa. "Your boss is a man, isn't he?" Grandma Julia guessed that this must be someone of the opposite sex from the way Melissa carefully narrated everything. "Yes, Granny. Joseph doesn't like me interacting with any men, in most cases, he confines me at home." Melissa decided to make the situation sound a bit more dramatic, to stop Joseph from interfering in her freedom and spreading rumors in front of their child. "But Granny, I really have no feelings for others! That's a bit too much of Joseph, he has always been possessive since young." "No worries, Granny will speak up for you when the time comes." Fawningly coaxing Melissa’s hand, Grandma Julia portrayed trust in her and was willing to help. In the afternoon, when Melissa was about to go out, Grandma Julia gave her a car key. The old house of the Clarkson family was located in a somewhat remote area. Driving herself was always more convenient than taking a cab and gave her more of the feel of being the granddaughter-in-law of the Clarkson family. Melissa and Peter agreed to meet at a Midsummer Night's Dream-themed Western restaurant. When Melissa saw Peter, already seated and waiting for her, she waved and quickened her steps "Peter!" "Melissa, how have you been since returning home?" Peter asked with a gentlemanly smile, sounding genuinely concerned. The man sitting in front of her was well-dressed, handsome, and dashing. One can say that in terms of looks and stature, he was no lesser than Joseph. Joseph usually comes across as cold and aloof. But Peter was significantly different, being considerate, understanding, and gentle. In Melissa's eyes, Joseph and Peter were completely opposite individuals. And Peter's personality was the kind that she liked. Although Peter had pursued her for so many years, Melissa has yet to accept him. But she doesn't dislike him; maybe she just needs a little more time to accept him. "Not bad. I have some good news to share with you in a bit." Melissa was eager to share the joy in her heart with Peter. She glanced at the menu on the table "Have you ordered?" "Ordered a few dishes, do you want to look at the menu again and see if there's anything else you'd like here?" Peter's voice was gentle and amicable, his personality magnetic and charismatic, making him an extremely charming man. Also, he was a man with high emotional intelligence. "No need, I've been overeating at the Clarkson family these last few days. Besides, I know you will order the dishes that fit my taste." Melissa spoke directly to Peter; the two were close friends and knew each other well. "The Clarkson family? Which Clarkson family are you referring to?" An intuition told Peter that Melissa had made more progress than he imagined in the things she had been dealing with these last few days he hadn’t been in contact with her. "Of course, I'm talking about Nancy's family." Melissa blurted out. "Nancy?" Peter perceived that there was more to the situation than it originally appeared. It could involve a lot of people, and not just a simple retaliation between Melissa's ex-husband and a close friend. "Yes, besides Nancy, there are also her two brothers. But I'm staying at the Clarkson family's ancestral house, which is Nancy's grandmother’s home." Melissa realized that she previously knew little about Nancy's family.