Chapter 98

Melody Summers also hurried up and went outside. She saw that several people had already entered the yard—men and women, old and young.

Melody quickly shut the inner door of the villa and shouted at the people who had entered the yard, "This is a private residence! You can’t just barge in. Please leave!"

Colin Summers stood in front of Melody, a combat shovel in his hand, warily watching the group of people.

They were all dressed in rags, their faces dark with grime. Even from a distance, Melody could faintly smell a sour stench coming from them. She silently held her breath.

When the man in the lead saw Melody come out, he spoke tentatively, "My good daughter, don’t you recognize me? It’s me, your father!"

His voice was hoarse and his lips were chapped. His face was streaked with black mud.

Melody was stunned. She took a closer look at the group and realized—wasn’t this Adam Lawson’s family?!

The entire family was covered in dirt and grime, looking nothing like they used to. Melody and Colin hadn’t recognized them at first. It was clear they hadn’t washed properly in a very long time.

Adam Lawson was wearing only a tank top, which was so filthy its original color was impossible to tell. He had rolled it up to his chest.

His wife, Noelle Quillan, who stood beside him, looked as if she had aged twenty years. Her once smooth, black, shoulder-length hair had been cut short. It now looked greasy and damp, clinging tightly to her scalp.

Their daughter, Joelle Lawson, who had always been slender, was now as thin as a bamboo pole. Her clothes hung loosely on her frame, her cheeks were deeply sunken, and her eyes bulged unnervingly.

Their son, Joel Lawson, was the cleanest of the bunch, but he too had lost a lot of weight. His previously chubby belly was gone, as was his double chin. His plump, round face had thinned into an oval shape, which in turn made his eyes seem much larger.

Following behind them was an old man, Adam Lawson’s father. His back was severely hunched, and he wore a thin jacket so dirty its color was unrecognizable.

Colin Summers recognized Adam Lawson and immediately brandished his combat shovel. "So it’s you lot. Who let you in? Get out, now!"

Adam Lawson wanted to run to Melody, but with Colin blocking the way, he couldn’t get near them. He stopped and said to Colin, "Big Brother, it’s me, Adam! Your brother-in-law!"

Seeing Adam Lawson’s fawning smile, Colin Summers’s brow furrowed tightly. He roared, "Who are you calling Big Brother?! Stop trying to claim ties that don’t exist! What ’brother-in-law’? You divorced my sister a long time ago! Now get the hell out of here!"

Adam Lawson didn’t get angry. He just kept smiling shamelessly. "Big Brother, just let me in to see Winnie. I have something I want to say to her."

Colin said impatiently, "I already told you, I’m not your ’Big Brother,’ and my sister won’t see you. Take your wife and kids and get out!"

Seeing Colin’s unyielding attitude, Adam could only turn to Melody. He smiled at her and said, "My good daughter, let your father see your mother. Dad came here today because I want to remarry your mom. Don’t you want your mom and dad to get back together?"

Adam Lawson’s words nearly made Melody gag. She sneered and said, "Adam Lawson, are you drunk? What kind of pipe dream are you having?"

Hearing this, Colin became absolutely furious. He swung the combat shovel and struck Adam with it, yelling, "Bah! After how you treated my sister, you still have the nerve to talk about remarrying her? You even dare to bring your mistress to our door! You... you get the hell out!"

After hitting Adam, Colin turned to Melody and said, "Melody, call the police! Call Officer Tate!"

Melody had actually already called the police. The officers and the community security guards should be on their way now.

When Adam heard them mention the police, he grew anxious and suddenly dropped to his knees. He cried to Colin, "Big Brother, I know I made mistakes in the past, but I’ll definitely change! You’re a man, too. You can understand, right? Just let me see Winnie!"

Colin nearly fainted from rage at those words. ’He can understand? What is there to understand?’ He was so furious that he marched forward and kicked Adam squarely.

Adam took the kick, scrambled back to his feet, and started shouting at the inner door, "Winnie! Wife! Open the door, it’s me! It’s Adam!"

Inside the house, Winnie Summers was so angry she could barely stand it. She grabbed a kitchen knife and was about to rush out the door.

Grace Sutton and Miss Lowell quickly moved to stop her.

Her grandmother quickly advised, "Don’t go out. The police will be here soon. If you go out now, they might latch onto you and not let go."

Winnie said anxiously, "I’m worried they’ll hurt Melody."

Grace Sutton, afraid she would actually charge out, quickly reassured her, "Don’t worry, your big brother has a weapon. Besides, he just ate a full meal, so he has plenty of energy. Look at that bunch from the Lawson family—a group of old, weak, sick, and disabled people. All of them together aren’t a match for one swing of his shovel!"

Hearing her own husband call another woman "Wife," Noelle Quillan didn’t get angry at all. Instead, she and her children sat right down in the villa’s courtyard, greedily breathing in the cool air.

’It’s so hot outside. I haven’t felt this refreshed in a long time.’

Adam Lawson’s father also sat down on the ground. He squinted his small eyes, carefully sizing up the villa. ’This is far more impressive than our own shabby little apartment.’

’I have to make Adam and Winnie remarry,’ he decided, ’and then have my own grandson, Joel, inherit this villa.’

Adam kept shouting at the door, "Winnie! Open the door! Let’s get back together! I’ve already talked it over with Noelle. From now on, you’ll be the main wife, and she’ll be the minor one."

Sitting nearby, Noelle Quillan quickly chimed in, "That’s right, Big Sister! As long as you can accept Adam and my children, I’m willing to be the junior wife and serve you every day. Just open the door!"

Colin and Melody were dumbfounded. ’Have this couple hit their heads or something? The main wife and the minor one? Are these words that a normal human being would even say?’

Hearing Noelle’s words, Adam nodded vigorously, saying incessantly, "Yes, yes, a son! Winnie, we have a son now!"

Adam then turned to Joel Lawson and beckoned him over. "Joel, come here, quick! Call her ’Mom.’ Tell your mom that when she dies, you’ll be there to perform the funeral rites for her. Tell her she won’t be without an heir anymore. Come on!"

Joel opened his mouth and shouted as instructed, "Mom! Mom, please come out! If you remarry my dad, I’ll perform your last rites for you. Once you have me, no one will be able to laugh at you for not having a son."

Colin exploded with rage. "That’s bullshit! My sister has her own child, who are you to perform her last rites? What the hell do you think you are?! All of you, get the hell out of here now!"

Adam glanced at Melody, who was watching their performance with her arms crossed and a blank expression on her face. ’The police should be arriving soon,’ she thought, silently calculating the time.

Seeing no reaction from Melody, Adam took a deep breath and continued shouting at the house, "Winnie! Melody is just a child you picked up off the street! Joel is our real child, don’t you get it?! Are you really going to leave your property to an outsider instead of Joel?"

Enraged, Colin swung the combat shovel straight at Adam’s head, but Adam dodged it with a roll.

Seeing this, Noelle Quillan threw herself forward to grab Colin’s leg, crying, "Big Brother, don’t hit Adam! It was all my fault back then! If you’re going to blame someone, blame me!"

Colin retreated a few steps in disgust and cursed, "Who are you calling Big Brother! You’re a homewrecker, a mistress!"

Noelle then gave her daughter, Joelle Lawson, a hard shove, pushing her in front of Colin. "Go on, you useless girl!" she yelled. "Have you forgotten everything I taught you at home?!"

Like a marionette, Joelle was shoved in front of Colin. She stood there silently, her head bowed, in a daze.

Noelle wrung her hands and said to Colin, "Your Ian still doesn’t have a wife, right? Why don’t we let Joelle be his child bride? She’s young, but she’s very good at taking care of people! She can handle all the dirty and tiring chores around the house!"

Adam nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, Big Brother! Let the useless girl stay and be a little wife for Ian! Once Winnie and I remarry, our families will be joined by marriage on top of marriage! We’ll be even closer as one big family from now on!"

Colin was utterly astonished. His eyes went wide with disbelief. "Are you two even human?! You’d sell your own daughter?!"

Melody’s brow furrowed. She could practically hear the beads of their abacus clicking.

Just then, Officer Tate arrived with the community security guards.

Officer Tate frowned at the scene and said to the Lawson family, "We received a report of trespassing at a private residence. You’ll have to come with us."

Seeing the police, Adam and his family started acting out, throwing a tantrum and rolling on the ground like common ruffians, trying to stay in the Summers Villa by refusing to leave.

Adam even shouted, "The woman inside is my wife! I’m here to remarry my wife! On what grounds are you dragging me away?! Let me go!"

But the police and security guards these days had no patience for such antics. They simply dragged the family to their feet and started hauling them out.

Seeing the police and guards drag the family out the main gate, Winnie could hold back no longer. She charged into the yard, knife in hand, and screamed at them through the gate:

"Adam Lawson, don’t you ever let me see you again, and don’t you dare harass my family! If you ever come back, I swear I will kill you! Try me if you don’t believe it!"

When Adam Lawson saw Winnie emerge, for a moment he almost didn’t recognize her.

Winnie had always been beautiful, and after this period of resting and eating well, she was positively radiant. Her hair was jet-black, her cheeks were firm, and she actually looked younger than Noelle Quillan.

Adam looked at her, a flicker of panic in his heart. He suddenly felt too ashamed to speak and guiltily averted his gaze.

Seeing Winnie, Adam Lawson’s father, who was off to the side, struggled and piped up, "Daughter-in-law, don’t say things you don’t mean in a fit of anger. You’ve never remarried, were you not just waiting for my son?"

He watched Winnie’s expression and continued, "Look at you. You haven’t remarried after all these years. It just goes to show that without my son, you can’t find anyone to marry you. Now Adam is offering you a way out, so just take it. Why make things hard for yourself? A woman needs a man, after all."

"If you remarry Adam now, you’ll have a husband and a son. You can finally be a real woman. From now on, you and Noelle can take good care of Adam together. Your lives will surely be good."