Chapter 314: Pressing Melinda

"Isabella," Melinda greeted her, suppressing the uneasy feeling in her heart.

Isabella nodded slightly. "Please sit down, Sister."

She gestured toward the chair opposite her, and Melinda quickly took a seat.

After that, Isabella poured her some tea and handed her the cup.

"So, what do you need from me?" She asked calmly, looking at Melinda with a hint of curiosity.

Their relationship couldn’t be described as good or bad—it was simply neutral.

Of course, since Melinda had married Ragan first, she was technically Isabella’s older sister.

Melinda took a small sip of tea before speaking. "I came to see Nolan. Can you tell me where he is?"

"Nolan?" Isabella was momentarily stunned. Her brows furrowed slightly as she asked, "What do you need from him?"

As far as she could remember, there was no connection between her lazy son and Melinda.

Hearing the question, Melinda froze for a moment. She couldn’t possibly tell her that she planned to sue Nolan over the Red Obsidian Trading House, could she?

If she did, things would only get worse. Besides, she had no idea how Nolan would react.

The young man hid his strength so well that no one knew how powerful he truly was. If that information leaked, it wouldn’t be surprising if Nolan decided to retaliate against her and Zarak.

She steadied her racing heartbeat and replied casually, "Actually, it’s nothing serious. Your son once mentioned a good restaurant in town, and I happened to want to go there. I just forgot the name, so I wanted to ask him again."

Isabella’s expression remained calm and unchanged, as if she saw through Melinda’s lie.

However, she wasn’t the type to meddle in other people’s affairs, not even her son’s. Since Melinda seemed eager to see him, Isabella had no intention of stopping her.

"All right," she replied calmly. "I’ll call him. But if he’s not here, you’ll have to give up."

Melinda let out a quiet sigh of relief. At first, she thought Isabella would try to stop her no matter what, but fortunately, that didn’t happen.

She nodded slightly, forcing a weak smile. "Thank you..."

Isabella simply nodded back and ordered Miya to call Nolan to her compound.

While waiting for him to arrive, the two exchanged small talk that wasn’t particularly meaningful.

As mentioned before, their relationship wasn’t good or bad—they simply didn’t interact much.

Still, both women were smart enough to keep the conversation light and natural, as if they’d known each other for years.

Five minutes later, Miya returned with Nolan following behind her.

"I brought the Prince, Lady Isabella," Miya said respectfully.

Isabella smiled and nodded slightly. "Thank you, Miya."

Her gaze shifted to Nolan, who looked lazy and half-asleep.

"Sister Melinda wants to see you, dear. I don’t know what you two want to talk about, but settle it here. Understand?" Her eyes narrowed, and Nolan immediately felt goosebumps.

"Ahem! I understand, Mother," he replied weakly.

Isabella smiled contentedly, stood up, and walked away with Miya. Only Nolan and Melinda remained, and the atmosphere immediately turned awkward.

"So," Nolan began indifferently, "what do you need from me?"

He walked over to where Isabella had been sitting and sat down, crossing one leg over the other with an air of arrogance.

Even if the person before him was his father, he would have acted the same way—let alone toward a concubine like Melinda.

Seeing his careless and arrogant attitude, Melinda felt irritated. But she reminded herself that the young man in front of her was the one who had toyed with her and her father. He was not someone to be underestimated.

Taking a deep breath, she put on a serious expression and asked, "Was the bankruptcy of the Red Obsidian Trading House your doing?"

Nolan looked genuinely surprised and pointed at himself. "My doing? What are you talking about?"

Melinda’s face flushed slightly as she snapped, "Don’t joke with me! Red Obsidian just announced their bankruptcy! You’re the owner of that trading house! So it must be you!"

She deliberately didn’t mention Claire’s name or the ten percent ownership Nolan had obtained from his father. But she had underestimated him.

Instead of being alarmed by her outburst, Nolan only looked more puzzled as he scratched his head.

"Concubine Melinda, are you stupid?"

The question struck Melinda like a heavy blow to the head. Rage flared within her, but before she could respond, Nolan cut her off.

"You deliberately pretended to be stupid in front of me and accused me of bankrupting Red Obsidian. Tell me, are you stupid or just brainless?" Nolan sneered coldly. "Your father only gave me ten percent ownership of that trading house, and I don’t even have full control over it. So how can you accuse me of being the culprit? Why don’t you accuse the ones who own the remaining ninety percent?"

Badump!

Melinda’s heart pounded rapidly. She stared at his meaningful smile and felt as if he were stripping her bare with his gaze, like he could read every thought in her mind.

He’s really... dangerous.

That was the only thought that crossed her mind. Forcing herself to stay calm, she furrowed her brow.

"What do you mean? I don’t understand."

"Still playing dumb?" Nolan chuckled softly. "If that’s the case, then our conversation ends here."

With that, he stood up and turned to leave, but Melinda quickly stopped him.

"Wait! Don’t go!"

Nolan paused and looked back at her with a faint smile.

"What now? You just said you don’t know anything, so what’s the point of continuing this?"

Melinda choked on his rude words. She clenched her teeth and snapped, "Nolan Lorian, watch your attitude toward me! I am your father’s wife, and my position is even higher than your mother’s. So—"

Before she could finish, Nolan’s eyes turned cold, and he cut her off sharply.

"Are you trying to use your senior status to pressure me? Unfortunately, it’s useless. Don’t forget, Melinda Horven, you’re nothing now."

The former title

"Concubine Melinda"

had been dropped in favor of a direct address—a clear sign that he no longer intended to show her any courtesy.

Melinda was taken aback, but Nolan’s tone remained cold and unyielding.

"Your father, Belfor Horven, is a criminal wanted by the Empire. The Red Obsidian Trading House—your so-called background—has been declared bankrupt. In reality, you are a woman without any standing. Compared to my mother, you’re far worse. At least my mother didn’t have a criminal for a parent."

His words cut like a sword straight into Melinda’s chest.

Without waiting for her response, Nolan turned to leave. His steps paused briefly as if recalling something, and he glanced back over his shoulder.

"By the way, I’ll let you in on a secret. I know you’ve realized your sister is in my hands. I’ll give you a chance—if you can convince her, I’ll revoke the bankruptcy of the Red Obsidian Trading House. But if you fail..."

A cold, mocking glint flashed in his eyes. "Then forget about the Red Obsidian Trading House. Focus instead on protecting yourself and your son from the schemes of the other princes and concubines... Hehehe..."