Chapter 37

Nancy rarely spoke of her two elder brothers and mentioned her parents even less. During their school years, all she seemed to do was laugh and joke around, never bringing up her family matters. "How did you end up living in the Clarkson family mansion? Don't tell me it was your 'debt of gratitude' to Nancy that landed you there" Peter said, finding the notion personally unlikely. "How could it be?" scoffed Melissa. As a server brought their meals to the table, she shifted aside. "It's all because of that unlucky encounter I had with Joseph, Nancy's second elder brother, at the party." "Oh, I heard about that, I read the news. There are rumors that he's the father of Alvin and Alvina." Peter was earnestly observing Melissa's expressions, as he was still skeptical about all of this. If such news were circulating, there could only be two possibilities: either it was the truth, or Melissa was using it as an excuse to get close to the Clarkson family. "Peter, you know, I have no idea who the father of Alvin and Alvina is, and I don't want to know." Melissa sighed, clearly not eager to bring up the past and the man who had wronged her six years ago. "I know you don't want to know. But, would you agree if I said I was willing to act as their father?" Peter had asked this question more than once before in a half-joking tone. This time, though, he didn't seem to be joking at all. "Peter, you've got to stop teasing me. I'm not in the mood for this while I still have vengeance to seek." Melissa believed Peter was a decent man, and she was willing to be friends with him. However, she had no romantic feelings for him; their relationship was based on friendship, not love. Melissa didn't want to mislead him and had joked plenty of times for him to find a girlfriend soon and invite her for dinner. "Alright, let's set that aside for now. I'm genuinely curious about who started the rumor that Joseph is the father of your children?" He handed Melissa a set of clean utensils, motioning her to start eating. "Well, because..." Melissa began to recount the unforeseen incident at the party to Peter truthfully. She also spoke about how Joseph had sought out her kids in order to cheer up his grandmother. Her honesty was a testament to her trust in Peter. "Oh!" Peter exclaimed in comprehension, raising his wineglass to clink lightly against Melissa's. "Then you should thank your adorable children for creating opportunities for you. But what are you planning to do next?" "Next, I'm still waiting, waiting for any movement from Nancy." Melissa said firmly, pulling out her mobile phone from her bag "Let me show you a video, this is the good news I want to tell you." Peter took the phone. He watched the less than two-minute-long video carefully and browsed through the comments below. Sure enough, it had made quite a sensation. "Melissa, I suddenly feel so lucky to see you here. This woman really went all out, didn't she?" "Heh," Melissa sneered "She thought I was still the doormat I was six years ago, but I'm not that same Melissa anymore." Melissa paused and her expression softened a bit as she carefully cut a piece of steak, "I gave her a lesson, and now she should hate me quite a bit..." Just as she spoke, Nancy's call came through "There you go, as expected." Peter nodded, indicating her to take the call. "Hello?" Melissa intentionally played dumb to the number, asking in a leisurely manner. "Melissa! Was that video your doing?" Nancy's voice from the other end of the line was highly strident, clearly showing her extreme agitation. "Video? What video?" Melissa continued to feign ignorance "Was it from when we went out together?" "Don't play dumb! I remember everything now! That day, Amy left the coffee shop in the middle, this video must have been filmed by her under your instigation, you two set a plot to trap me!" Nancy's voice trembled with fury, she was currently having a tantrum at home. Ever since leaving the coffee house yesterday afternoon, Nancy had been extremely mad. As soon as she returned home, she had a fight with Liam, even accusing him of lying to her, and questioning whether he had cheated on her with Melissa? Nancy had even made Liam sleep on the couch in the living room without any blankets. Liam was also reaching his limit with this woman. "What can I do if you were so impulsive then and hit someone out of nowhere? There were so many people surrounding us at that time, who knows who filmed the video?" Melissa was not afraid to admit to it, but she didn't want to implicate Amy. "If it was a passerby who shot it, why does it only show me taking action and not you?" Nancy asked again and again, she already had suspicions in her mind. "How would I know?" Melissa said, aggrieved. "You were behaving so strangely back then. Knowing your nature, you would have fought back immediately. This video must have been a plotted scheme between you and Amy! Too bad I didn't react soon enough and fell into your trap. Melissa, you just wait!" Nancy was about to explode, she had never seen her this furious before. Melissa let out a cold laugh "Now you finally know how it feels to be misunderstood, huh?" Six years ago, Melissa was framed by these two and got a divorce. She endured many strange looks and hardships. She gave birth and raised her children on her own, the experiences of a single mother were beyond Nancy's imagination. "So, you admit it was you!" Nancy gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She won't let this woman get away with it easily. She will fight against Melissa to maintain everything she has gained through great efforts. "It was me" Melissa's tone was very relaxed, as if she didn't care at all. "And in the future, I am going to do even more to bring about your downfall." "I won't give you the chance, Melissa!" Nancy whispered loudly, her pupils filled with resentment. "You're wrong, I have plenty of opportunities. Now you are in the light and I am in the dark, my advantages far exceed yours and to be honest, I am really looking forward to our next meeting." Melissa wanted to pressure Nancy psychologically, make her uncomfortable even in her sleep. Melissa hung up the phone and gave a smile to Peter. "Bro, thanks for the food, let's continue eating." "Melissa, you are like two extremes." Peter took a sip of his wine, half praising, half skeptical. "The you when plotting something versus the you when you're fighting, it's like you're two completely different people, a Maria and a Lilith." "What, bro, you're getting tired of me?" Melissa joked and cut a piece of steak and put it into her mouth, savoring it. "What can I do if I am tired of you, I still have to invite you to dinner, right?" Peter was comfortable enough with Melissa to joke and speak his mind. They didn’t know exactly when their friendship started. Perhaps over time, they really became like old friends. Peter was with Melissa in her most embarrassing and helpless times, even if they couldn't be lovers in this life, they were still the best of friends.