Chapter 18: Blood Ties

Melody Summers returned to her room, feeling melancholic. She picked up her phone and saw that the property management had invited her to the general community group chat and a separate one for villa owners.

The villa owners’ group was exclusively for residents of the villa area, and it was very quiet with few people posting.

The general community group included all the homeowners in The Metropolis Residences, from the apartment towers in the front to the villas in the back. It was much more active, with people organizing group purchases and chatting away.

Melody Summers thought for a moment before posting a message:

"B16 Summertime: I heard there’s going to be a major storm in two or three weeks. Everyone should probably reinforce their windows and bring in anything on their balconies that might get blown away."

After sending the message, Melody Summers went for a look around the kitchen. It was practically bare. Aside from a few seasonings she had brought with her when she moved, the cabinets were all empty.

Melody Summers thought for a moment, then took a large amount of food out of her space and filled the kitchen cabinets. Seeing the fully stocked cupboards, she felt a sense of security.

Once she was done, Melody Summers picked up her phone to check the community group chat again. Although The Metropolis Residences wasn’t in the direct path of the tornado’s hardest-hit area, strong gales would still pass through, making the high-rise buildings quite dangerous. She was counting on this place to be her sanctuary and hoped the community could maintain a basic level of order.

Just as she picked up her phone, Melody Summers noticed a friend request from an unknown number.

Assuming it was a neighbor, Melody accepted the request.

The moment she accepted, the person immediately sent a photo. Melody Summers opened it, puzzled, and saw a picture of a seaside villa.

Then, the new contact sent a message: "Sister, I really hope you’ll come home. I was willing to leave to make that happen. But right after I left the Lancaster Family, my big brother and Mom came running to find me. They said I’ll always be their daughter."

"I was so upset, so Big Brother gave me a seaside villa to comfort me. I hope you’re not angry, Sister."

Melody Summers: "..."

’What does this have to do with me?’ Melody Summers thought.

Suddenly, a thought struck Melody Summers. She took another close look at the picture of the villa Sylvia had sent and let out a snort of laughter.

No wonder the villa looked so familiar. Melody Summers recognized it as part of The Lancaster Group’s key investment project: the Trinhai Seaside Resort.

In two weeks, a tornado would hit inland while a typhoon and tsunami would devastate the coast. By then, not just this villa but the entire Trinhai Seaside Resort would be utterly destroyed.

This was the very project that would drag the Lancaster Group into a spiral of bankruptcy.

Melody Summers ignored her and clicked on the community group chat. She saw that a few residents had replied to her post:

"12-1803AAA Lawson’s Renovations: @B16 Summertime, for real? Guess I should call property management about reinforcing the windows then."

"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: Me too, me too! My husband smashed one of our windows a few days ago. It definitely won’t hold up if there’s a big storm."

"2-1908 Coco: We’ve been meaning to upgrade our windows for a while now. Guess we’ll get it done."

"4-2009 Nina: @B16 Summertime, is this for real? You’re not from some renovation company that snuck in here to drum up business, are you?"

"..."

Melody Summers breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that quite a few people believed her.

*

「The Sutton Villa.」

Elaine Hughes held Sylvia Lancaster, crying nonstop. "Sylvia, you scared me to death! How could you run away from home?"

"I’m sorry, Mom," Sylvia said, her voice choked with sobs. "But my sister said she’ll only agree to come home if I leave. I just can’t bear to see you so sad because you miss her. I want you to be happy."

"Silly child, you’ll always be the most important person to me." ’Since Melody can’t stand the sight of Sylvia right now,’ Elaine Hughes thought, ’I’ll have to postpone the plan to bring Melody home. I’m afraid of upsetting Sylvia again. Her running away this time really terrified me.’

Elaine Hughes dried her tears and gave Mrs. Sutton, who was sitting beside them, a helpless smile. "I’m so sorry for all the trouble we’ve caused the Sutton family. I’ll take Sylvia home now."

Mrs. Sutton smiled and shook her head. "Don’t be silly. I’ve watched Sylvia grow up, after all. The Sutton family will always welcome her."

Elaine Hughes smiled and nodded, preparing to lead Sylvia away.

But Sylvia looked over at the silent Ethan Sutton, her eyes filled with a mixture of hope and a silent plea for help.

"Wait, Auntie," Ethan Sutton said, clearing his throat. "Since you and my mother are both here today, I’d like to finalize my engagement to Sylvia."

Mrs. Sutton froze. For a split second, her expression became complicated, but it quickly returned to normal. She smiled and said, "It’s much too late for that. This isn’t something to discuss so late at night. Besides, Sylvia’s father and brothers must be worried sick about her. We should let her go home first."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Sylvia’s face. She bit her lip lightly, glanced at Ethan Sutton, and then left with Elaine Hughes.

After Elaine Hughes and Sylvia had gone, the smile vanished from Mrs. Sutton’s face. She frowned at Ethan. "What’s gotten into you today? Why were you so impulsive?"

Ethan replied, confused, "How was I impulsive? Sylvia and I already have a marriage agreement. Isn’t it perfectly normal to set a date and make it official?"

Mrs. Sutton sighed. "What your father means is that since Sylvia isn’t the Lancasters’ biological daughter, she’s no longer the intended party for this marriage contract."

At the mention of the Lancaster’s real daughter, an image of a frumpy, ill-tempered country woman who didn’t know how to dress surfaced in Ethan’s mind. A look of disgust crossed his face as he said, "I will not marry that woman who grew up in the countryside."

Ethan thought for a moment before adding, "Mom, Sylvia was raised in the Lancaster family. They cultivated her meticulously. She’s pure-hearted and gentle, accomplished in all the fine arts. Don’t you want her as your daughter-in-law?"

Mrs. Sutton sighed. "Your father’s position is that marriage alliances between powerful families are built on a belief in blood relations that goes back thousands of years. When two families are bound by blood, they’ll face hardships together. Without that bond, if our interests were ever at risk, what’s to stop the Lancaster family from casting aside a daughter with no blood ties?"

Ethan frowned and retorted, "They wouldn’t. You saw for yourself how much Mrs. Lancaster treasures Sylvia. The Lancasters poured their hearts into raising her; they wouldn’t abandon her so easily."

"Most importantly, Mom, I’m in love with Sylvia. Don’t you want me to be happy? Or would you rather I have an uncultured girl from the countryside for a wife?"

Mrs. Sutton rubbed her temples in frustration. She personally preferred Sylvia too, but in the Sutton family, Mr. Sutton made the final decisions. All she could say was, "Let’s arrange a dinner at the Lancaster’s another day. We’ll let your father meet both girls, and then we’ll see."

’If the Lancasters’ biological daughter is truly as unpresentable as Ethan claims,’ she thought, ’Mr. Sutton will probably change his mind.’