Chapter 135: Impure Thoughts

The Oceanus Hotel lived up to its name as one of the largest hotels in downtown Anworth. Situated on a prime piece of real estate, its interior was luxurious and grand, exuding an air of extravagant wealth.

Compared to the Nimbus Hotel across the street, the Oceanus Hotel’s layout was far more conventional.

The concierge and reception staff inside were highly professional, all dressed in standard suits and looking very proper. It was completely devoid of the debauched scenes Melody Summers had anticipated.

Melody Summers had previously reported the Oceanus Hotel’s dual pricing scheme and "special services" to Officer Pierce, but she hadn’t heard anything back since.

Presumably, the relevant authorities had investigated and found no issues.

Melody was inwardly puzzled. ’Thanks to the knowledge from my past life, I’m one hundred percent certain that Hector Hayes is a bad man.’

’But the Oceanus Hotel seems so normal right now. Is it because Hector Hayes hasn’t started his illicit activities yet, or are they taking place somewhere other than this hotel?’

For a moment, Melody couldn’t figure it out.

She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. ’It’s so hard for an ordinary person like me to go up against these tycoons. I have no connections, no ins. If I want to investigate further, I’ll have to find another way...’

Now that they had arrived at the tea house where she was meeting Holly Rhodes, Melody could only push her jumbled thoughts aside and walk in with Sophie Thorne.

Holly Rhodes had already been waiting in the restaurant for a while.

She lived in a luxury apartment in the city center, not far from the Oceanus Hotel, so it had only been a few minutes’ drive. She had come over to wait as soon as she hung up the phone.

The Metropolis Residences was quite far from downtown, and Holly Rhodes was growing impatient. She fumed inwardly, feeling more and more that Melody Summers was just as ill-mannered as Simon Lancaster had described. ’I’m her sister-in-law, for crying out loud, and she’s making me wait this long!’

If it weren’t for Simon Lancaster’s career, Holly wouldn’t have wanted to meet Melody Summers at all.

With Rhodes at its zenith, Holly Rhodes fancied herself a great heiress. She looked down on the now-fallen Lancasters, so naturally, she looked down even more on Melody Summers, who had been raised in the countryside.

According to Simon Lancaster, Melody Summers was nothing more than an uncouth girl raised by a villager. She had no manners, recognized no family ties, and had even attacked and injured her own biological brother.

Holly felt that a woman like that wasn’t even qualified to speak to her.

At this thought, she irritably picked up her phone to check the time, preparing to call and hurry them along.

Just then, two people walked over and sat down across from her.

Holly Rhodes looked up, startled. One of them was her cousin Ronan Rhodes’s fiancée, Sophie Thorne.

Holly quickly put on a smile and greeted Sophie, feigning pleasant surprise. "Sophie, what are you doing here? What a coincidence! Are you here for afternoon tea?"

Holly had always felt that Sophie Thorne held herself in high regard. Her attitude toward the family’s side branches like hers was always lukewarm, making her difficult to get along with. She was a bit flattered that Sophie would take the initiative to come and greet her.

She then turned to Melody Summers beside her. Assuming Melody was a friend of Sophie’s, she also put on a fawning smile and asked, "And which family’s young lady might this be?"

Melody Summers smiled. "Hello, Ms. Rhodes. I’m Melody Summers. You’re the one who called to ask me here."

Holly Rhodes froze, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Melody Summers was the complete opposite of the big, brawny, dark-skinned country bumpkin she had imagined. She was strikingly beautiful and carried herself with the air of someone who had received an excellent education.

Holly was momentarily at a loss. She had planned to put Melody Summers in her place from the start, but now she didn’t know how to begin.

’And why did Melody Summers arrive with Ronan Rhodes’s fiancée? What’s their relationship?’

As if sensing Holly’s confusion, Sophie Thorne spoke up. "Melody is a good friend of mine. I just came with her."

Holly was stunned silent for a moment, her eyes wide. The news was such a shock that she couldn’t immediately process it.

’Melody Summers and Sophie Thorne are friends?’

’How could a country girl like Melody Summers be connected to Sophie Thorne, the heiress of the Thorne Family?’

’What in the world is going on?’

Seeing Holly staring wide-eyed without saying a word, Melody couldn’t resist prompting her. "Ms. Rhodes, you asked me here. What was it you wanted to discuss?"

Holly snapped out of her shock. She glanced from Melody to Sophie, her mouth opening and closing, unsure of what to say.

Holly’s original plan had been to promise Melody Summers a janitorial job at Rhodes. The condition was that Melody would have to explain to the Rhodes internal investigation team that Silas Lancaster’s knife attack had been an act of self-defense and that she, Melody, had deliberately framed him.

Her plan was to wait until Simon Lancaster was reinstated and then find some random excuse to fire Melody.

After all, with unemployment skyrocketing and Rhodes offering excellent benefits, a janitorial position there was a job people would fight tooth and nail for.

But with Sophie Thorne sitting right there, Holly didn’t dare utter a single word of her prepared speech.

Everyone knew that Ronan Rhodes would one day take over the Rhodes Family business. Holly would have to be out of her mind to offend a friend of Sophie Thorne’s.

Not only that, but Holly suddenly remembered something her father had said: upper management had specifically ordered a strict investigation into Simon Lancaster’s case.

At the time, both her father and Simon had assumed that a competitor with powerful backing had gotten to upper management.

But looking at it now, who was to say it wasn’t because Sophie Thorne had stood up for her friend and whispered in Ronan Rhodes’s ear?

Seeing the two women across from her looking at her quizzically, Holly forced a smile and began tentatively, "Hello, Miss Summers. I’m the girlfriend of your older brother, Simon Lancaster."

But Melody Summers just shook her head. "Simon Lancaster is not my older brother, and I have nothing to do with the Lancasters. Ms. Rhodes, you should just get straight to the point."

At Melody’s words, Holly gave an awkward laugh and forced herself to continue. "Miss Summers, it’s like this... I heard you had a little misunderstanding with Simon’s younger brother, and now Simon has been demoted because of it. I was just thinking... since you’re all family, it would be best to clear things up."

She carefully watched Melody’s expression as she spoke. Seeing that it remained neutral, Holly breathed a sigh of relief and pressed on tentatively. "At the end of the day, this whole thing really has nothing to do with Simon. It was all his brother’s fault... So, how about you show a little mercy, Miss Summers, and give Simon another chance...?"

When Melody lowered her gaze and said nothing, Holly quickly added, "Don’t worry, Miss Summers, I’ll make sure Simon keeps his brother in line. He absolutely won’t dare to offend you again."

Then she turned to Sophie. "Sophie, Simon is really a very capable person. Wouldn’t it be better for the company to reinstate him and let him continue to generate profit, rather than having him do menial tasks?"

Melody looked at Holly’s nervous expression and let out a long sigh.

Holly clearly looked like someone who had been spoiled by her family her whole life. To see her humbling herself and begging them for Simon Lancaster’s sake... Melody suddenly felt it was a complete waste.

It would have been one thing if Simon Lancaster’s feelings for her were genuine, but Melody knew his heart belonged to Sylvia Lancaster.

Melody then looked at Holly and said with sincere earnestness, "Ms. Rhodes, the Lancaster Family is bankrupt. Why are you wasting your time on Simon Lancaster? Forgive me for being blunt, but I’m afraid he is not a good match for you. If you’re planning to give him your heart, it would be best... to be more cautious."

Holly hadn’t expected Melody to say something like that, and she was stunned.

Holly was actually very satisfied with Simon Lancaster.

In the time they had been together, she felt that Simon was both accepting and patient with her.

After Simon was demoted, Holly’s parents had urged her to break up with him and find someone else.

Holly understood her parents’ reasoning, but ever since she started dating Simon, she found that no one else measured up.

Other men either weren’t as handsome as Simon or weren’t as gentle. None of them had his Ivy League education, let alone his uniquely noble and refined air.

That was the kind of air that could only be cultivated through generations of accumulated wealth.

Holly suppressed her annoyance and said to Melody, "Miss Summers, I know you and your brother have your issues, but you don’t know anything about my relationship with Simon, so there’s no need for you to judge it. Simon... he’s very good to me!"

Melody sighed in resignation. She knew there was no getting through to a girl in love.

But Sophie Thorne spoke up. "Cousin, have you ever heard of a certain type of man? When he’s down on his luck, he’ll be incredibly good to the woman by his side, grateful that she’s sticking with him through thick and thin."

"But the moment he makes it big, the first thing he’ll do is dump her. Whether it’s by giving her the cold shoulder or through open hostility, he’ll use every trick in the book to force her to be the one to break up with him."

Holly was confused. She frowned, completely bewildered. "What... what are you two trying to say?"

Sophie and Melody exchanged a look, each seeing the resignation in the other’s eyes.

Then Sophie looked at Holly and said seriously, "It’s not really my place to say this, but you are Ronan’s cousin, so I have to warn you. Simon Lancaster’s feelings for you may not be genuine. He’s always had improper feelings for that switched-at-birth sister of his."