Chapter 67

"You hurt my sister, what do you propose we do about it?" Joseph's teeth gritted as each word was forced out of his mouth. Melissa felt chills creeping up her spine as she dodged his gaze. Managing to move the hand he was holding onto, her voice came out so low it was barely audible. "I was also scratched by her. We’re even…" Joseph noticed the fresh scratches on the back of Melissa's hand that slowly seeped out blood. Joseph stared at Melissa expressionlessly, not loosening the grip he held. Just then, the sound of a door opening echoed in their ears. The source of the noise was from the slanted direction behind them, Grandma Julia's room! No, this was absolutely not the time for a squabble. It was suspicious enough that Melissa and Nancy spoke upstairs late in the evening. Nancy had ran out of the Clarkson household in a hurry without even having dinner. Melissa cannot risk revealing the altercation she had with Nancy. If Granny was to see Joseph questioning her about how she bullied his sister, it would complicate all her plans. What can she do? What steps should she take to break the current deadlock? Forget it. She might as well just kiss him. Melissa tip-toed, resting her slender arm on Joseph's neck, slightly lifting her jaw, taking him by surprise as she pressed her lips against Joseph's cool ones. Joseph froze up, caught off guard by Melissa's bold action. When Grandma Julia pushed open her door and stepped onto the corridor, she just happened to see the intimate scene between Melissa and Joseph. "Grandma..." Upon seeing her grandmother come out, Melissa pretended to panic, lightly pushing against Joseph's chest, her eyes downcast as she alerted him. Joseph turned around, pretending to be calm, and said. "Grandmother, didn't you go to bed? Is there something you need?" "Oh, I just heard some noise in the hall and came out to see. Never mind, the two of you can continue." Grandma Julia was initially surprised when she saw them, but later felt happy for her grandson and granddaughter-in-law's sweet relationship. Grandma Julia shooed them with a kindly wave of her hand, quickly retreating into her room and closing the door. Seeing that her grandmother had already entered the room, Melissa wiped her mouth, attempting to wriggle her wrist free from Joseph's grip. However, the next second, a cold breeze swept over, causing the back of Melissa's head to hit the wall, and her arms being pinned to the wall by her ears. There was slight dizziness... A soft yet forceful heat intruded into her lips, rudely prying open her teeth and touching the tip of her soft tongue. Joseph's kiss carries a sort of mocking aggression, which annoyed Melissa greatly. "Mmm—" Melissa struggled with her wrists trying to push Joseph away. But he only leaned further into Melissa, pressuring her against the wall. His kiss was filled with strong revenge and humiliation, tightly entwining Melissa's tongue. She felt as if the air was being sucked out of her lungs. In the urgency, taking advantage of a brief moment he took a breath, Melissa gave a harsh bite to Joseph. Joseph hissed in anguish, his brow wrinkling slightly as he let go of Melissa. He resumed his usual cold visage, lightly touched the lip that Melissa had just bitten, his fingertips tinged with a dab of red. "You dared to bite me?" Joseph said incredulously, propping one hand on his waist as he looked at Melissa. This was the first time in his life that a woman had bitten him hard enough to break skin. The sting of the wound on his lip was still persisting, his gaze hawk-like as he lingered on the awkward figure of Melissa, the silence in the hallway was deafening, except for the pounding of his heart. Incensed to the point where her face had turned cherry red, Melissa strode away quickly towards Alvin and Alvina's bedroom. "Hold on!" Joseph followed her swiftly, grabbing one of Melissa's arms to turn her around to face him. "You're not going anywhere until you explain yourself about Nancy." "Ouch! Honestly, you siblings are ridiculous!" Melissa raised her voice, shaking free of Joseph's grip, her face twisted in anger. "Nancy is always suspecting others, she kept accusing me of having secret contact with Liam, she acts like a madwoman whenever she sees me, I can't just let her walk all over me, right?" Watching Melissa's indignant face, Joseph seemed to be half-skeptical "Is all you're saying true?" "Of course, in my eyes, Liam is history. It's not like I'm without suitors now, there are plenty of handsome young men after me, all calling out 'big sister, big sister' affectionately." Melissa made up a believable story on the spot, her brain working fast "When Nancy to slander me like this, of course, I must retaliate!" Joseph had never seen a woman talk back to him with such fury and say so much at once. She sure is talkative, let's hope she doesn't wake up grandmother as well. "So, this means I had misunderstood you?" Joseph seemed surprisingly convinced by her words. He saw the gleam of unshed tears in Melissa's eyes and started regretting his earlier actions of nearly interrogating her in his impulse. Melissa, gaze askew as she looked at Joseph, absent-mindedly rubbed her wrist that was still aching from his earlier harsh grip. Her eyes were filled with hounded frustration and simmering hatred. "Yes, both of you siblings are insane! It's clear that the two of you are ganging up on me, yet you're falsely accusing me. Don't let me see you in the coming days!" Melissa threw a fit, glaring fiercely at Joseph before storming into Alvin and Alvina's room, promptly slamming the door shut. Joseph stood alone in the corridor, staring at the closed door in a daze. He turned to see his grandmother's room still quiet and peaceful. He calmly climbed the stairs. His mind was filled with the sight of Melissa puffing in anger. For a moment, he struggled to determine who was at fault. He initially wanted to stand up for his sister, yet Melissa accused him of colluding with his sister to bully her. This was clearly not Joseph's intention when he approached Melissa! Now hidden in Alvin and Alvina's room, only when Melissa heard the fading footsteps did she heave a sigh of relief. Regardless, this episode allowed Melissa to bluff her way through with a string of tall tales. Sure enough, over the next two days, both Melissa and Joseph had little direct communication. Joseph shifted his attention to feign interest in the matters of Alvin and Alvina. On this deep night, Melissa had just put Alvina to sleep. She was about to doze off herself when her phone by the pillow vibrated. Melissa hurriedly picked it up, the caller ID read "Sanitation Worker." Melissa hesitated to answer the call. After more than twenty seconds, she quietly got out of bed, walked out of the children's bedroom, and swiped the answer button. Melissa softly walked down the long corridor, lowering her voice to say. "Murphy?" "It's me. I've been waiting for you for two days. Have you finished your stuff?" Murphy's voice was still hoarse, and he sounded utterly listless, giving off a melancholy, dispirited vibe. Melissa descended the staircase, reaching the expansive first-floor hall. Although no one was around, the wide space caused her voice to echo slightly when she made the call within the quietness of the depth.