Melody Summers continued to ship out orders. As each one was sent, the massive pile of seafood on the deck gradually disappeared.
As she got to the last few orders, Melody Summers saw a name sheâd rather not have seenâin the recipient field was none other than "Kylie Walsh."
Seeing the name, Melody snorted and said to Albus, "The Walshs are really something. Zara Walsh just went to prison a couple of days ago, and theyâre still in the mood for seafood."
Because of Zara Walsh, Melody now felt disgusted just seeing the familyâs name. Recalling how Kylie Walsh had condescendingly criticized her at the hotel, Melody immediately canceled the order without a second thought!
She relisted the two seafood orders Kylie had purchased and sold them to someone else.
After sending out the final order, Melody stretched and let out a long sigh. "Finally done. That was exhausting."
She and Albus cleaned the deck, and then she casually scrolled through her messages. She found that many people, drawn by her shopâs reputation, were inquiring about her seafood harvesting methods:
[User xxx: What part of the sea do you catch this seafood in? Is that your own ice-breaking equipment? Weâre interested in seeking technical support from you. Could we add you as a contact to discuss this further?]
[User xxx: Are your delivery vehicles drones? Is that your own proprietary technology? Would you be interested in providing paid technical support? The price is negotiable.]
[User xxx: Shopkeeper... I could swear your delivery drone vanished into thin air! Is this some kind of optical camouflage black-ops tech?]
[User xxx: Hello, Iâm from the Nimbus Hotel. Can we place a standing order for seafood? Our hotel is looking to purchase a large quantity, and the price is negotiable.]
[...]
Melody didnât reply to the other messages; she wouldnât be able to explain things anyway. She opened the chat with the person claiming to be from the Nimbus Hotel and responded:
[Yes, what is your required quantity? Just so you know, I canât let you pick and choose the types of seafood. I send whatever I catch each day.]
âShipping orders one by one is a hassle,â Melody thought. âIf the Nimbus Hotel can take everything, that would be perfect...â
As soon as Melody sent her message, a reply came back almost instantly:
[I canât believe you actually replied! Thank you so much! Our hotel needs about 880 pounds of seafood per day!]
Melody thought about it. 880 pounds a day shouldnât be a problem. The two nets sheâd hauled in today alone totaled more than 1,100 pounds, so she readily agreed.
After some negotiation, Melody and the Nimbus Hotel agreed that The Arcadia Shop would supply 880 pounds of seafood daily for a price of 12 million, with payments settled at the end of each day.
Melody did a quick calculation in her head. With this partnership, she would have a guaranteed monthly income of 360 million. She could use that to trade at the Odyssey Station and get more S Level Far Sea Secret Medicine for her family!
Her mood lifted at the thought. Just as she was about to put her phone away and start the boat for the return trip, another message popped up:
[User-NorthernBelle: Why did you cancel my order?!]
Melody frowned slightly. Confused, she clicked on the userâs profile and discovered that "NorthernBelle" was none other than Kylie Walsh, whose order she had just canceled.
Kylie seemed absolutely furious. Before Melody even had a chance to reply, a flood of messages came pouring in from her:
[User-NorthernBelle: Do you have any idea who I am? Let me tell you, no one who does business in Anworth has ever dared to cancel my order. You owe me an explanation, today!]
[User-NorthernBelle: If you donât give me a good reason, you can forget about ever running your shop in Anworth again. I mean what I say.]
[User-NorthernBelle: Forget it, I donât want to hear your excuses. Listening to you is a waste of my precious time. Just send me the seafood I ordered!]
[User-NorthernBelle: I prefer abalone and king crab, so just send me those two. Donât send any of that worthless stuff. Do as I say, and Iâll be generous and let you off the hook.]
[User-NorthernBelle: I suggest you learn your place. People are born into different classes, and you and I are not on the same level. Donât even think about defying me.]
[User-NorthernBelle: Answer me! Stop playing dead!]
Reading the endless stream of messages, Melody felt a headache coming on.
The daughters of the Walsh family were all cut from the same clothâeach more arrogant than the last...
Melody replied directly:
[Youâre right, people are born into different classes. And people like youâarrogant and disrespectfulâare the lowest of the low! If youâre sick in the head, go take your medicine. Get the hell away from me and donât come back. I! WILL! NOT! SELL! TO! YOU!]
The moment the message was sent, before Kylie Walsh could fire back a retort, Melody quickly blocked her!
Seeing that it was getting late, Melody stretched and headed back to the marina.
******
Elsewhere, when Kylie Walsh saw Melodyâs message, she was so furious she nearly fell over backward.
She stared viciously at the text from Melody, her expression nothing short of terrifying.
âHow dare this shopkeeper curse at me?!â
âIâm the esteemed eldest daughter of the Walsh family!â
Kylieâs hands were trembling with rage. She took a few deep breaths, trying to steady them as she began typing on the screen:
[Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you speak to me like that? Have you no manners? Do you know how much Iâm worth? You could sell your worthless fish and shrimp for a lifetime and not even come close! I see now, youâre just jealous of me! Youâre hideous!]
After typing out the message, Kylie felt certain her counterattack would hit Melody right where it hurt. She took a deep breath and, with a trembling hand, tapped "send."
A second later, a notification appeared on the screen:
[Your message could not be sent as you have been blocked by the recipient.]
Seeing the line of text accompanied by a red exclamation mark, the anger Kylie had just managed to suppress surged back up with a vengeance.
She gripped her phone tightly, her eyes wide and her face flushed red. She seethed through gritted teeth, "...That bastard! How dare she block me!"
The other person had insulted her, yet she had no way to retaliate!
The thought made Kylie so furious that her head spun.
Her vision went black, and she couldnât catch her breath, nearly fainting on the spot.
Just then, the door to the suite opened, and Shane Walsh and Yuri Walsh walked in.
However, both of their faces were dark and gloomy.
Shane Walsh was frowning, his expression foul, while Yuri Walshâs lips were pressed into a tight line, his face a mask of frustration.
Kylie, still fuming, didnât notice their grim expressions. Seeing Shane, she immediately ran over, grabbed his arm, and cried, "Brother! I was trying to buy seafood online, and not only did the shop owner refuse to ship my order, but he also insulted me! You have to deal with him!"