Chapter 4

Before anyone in the living room could react, footsteps came from upstairs.

Caleb's mother, Lucy Miller, hurried down.

She was nearly fifty, but her figure was still in great shape, and she looked like she was in her thirties.

She only had a red shawl wrapped around her, not bothered at all by the coldness outside as she went out to greet the person.

The blinding headlights went out, and Melody finally saw Caleb get out of the car, with Wendy beside him.

Lucy, who had always been reserved and proper, let Wendy link her arm through hers.

Caleb had a faint smile on his face. He walked to the trunk, took out several shopping bags, and waited as they chatted.

The scene stung.

Melody looked away, suddenly unable to sit still.

Caleb had brought his current girlfriend home.

What was Melody doing here?

But it was too late to leave now, so she had no choice but to face them.

"Did Caleb not take good care of you? Why have you lost weight?"

Lucy's voice grew closer. "If he's been mistreating you, how am I supposed to explain that to your family?"

The sound of high heels echoed as Wendy laughed softly.

"My mom only worries about whether I'm affecting Caleb's work. She wouldn't care if I lost weight. Sometimes I think we got switched at birth. You both care more about each other's kids than your own."

Lucy laughed and lightly patted the back of Wendy's hand.

Their cheerful conversation stopped the moment they entered the living room.

Caleb followed behind them with the shopping bags. When he saw Melody, he paused and frowned.

Their arrival broke the cheerful atmosphere in the living room, and the only one who disrupted their closeness was Melody.

"Oh, do we have a guest?" Wendy said, immediately recognizing Melody.

She was even more beautiful than Wendy had expected. She was just sitting there, but she gave other women a sense of threat and jealousy.

No wonder Caleb had married her.

Lucy didn't show whether she had noticed Melody earlier or simply pretended not to.

The smile on her face disappeared, her tone turning cold. "Why are you here?"

"I invited her over," Yvette said, standing up and placing the fruit plate on the table. "What? I can't bring a friend home?"

Lucy shot her a look before turning away. "She brings just anyone into the house."

She pulled Wendy over to sit down.

Caleb looked at Melody for a few seconds, his eyes deep and unreadable. Then, he placed the shopping bags on the coffee table.

"You guys carry on. I'll head upstairs and take care of some work."

He turned and went upstairs.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I just came back from Montavia with Caleb. I brought you some gifts!"

Wendy stood up and gathered the shopping bags, handing out the gifts one by one to everyone in the Hunt family.

Yvette wasn't fond of her. She took the gift, said a quick "thanks," and tossed it aside.

Edward and Dorothy were still her elders, and Wendy was practically their future granddaughter-in-law. So, they exchanged a few polite greetings.

"I knew Grandpa and Grandma would like these," Wendy said with a bright smile. "Looks like I chose right. I'll be traveling abroad with Caleb more often, so I'll bring you other things next time."

She handed the extra shopping bag to Lucy. "This one is for Stefan. Please keep it for him."

Stefan Hunt was Lucy's husband, and she beamed after hearing Wendy's words. "You're so thoughtful. Caleb never remembers to bring us anything when he travels."

Yvette let out a quiet scoff and leaned closer to Melody.

"When you used to bring her gifts, she never smiled like that."

Melody's grip tightened around the hem of her clothes.

Wendy came from a good family, was beautiful, and knew how to talk. Most importantly, she was Caleb's first love. It made sense that Lucy liked her.

On the other hand, Melody didn't know how to say the right things, and her background wasn't impressive either.

She forced her emotions down and gave Yvette a small smile. She looked calm, but she felt completely out of place on the inside.

The moment she found an opening, she spoke.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Ms. Miller, Ms. Carter, I'll take my leave now. I won't disturb you any longer."

She picked up her bag and stood.

Dorothy's face showed a hint of reluctance. "Weren't you staying for dinner?"

"No, I still have things to take care of."

Melody gave a small nod to the elderly couple. "Happy New Year in advance. I hope you stay healthy and that everything goes well."

In her heart, she added a quiet goodbye.

Dorothy didn't want her to leave. But Caleb was home, and she knew Melody would feel uncomfortable, so she didn't insist.

"Yvette, walk her out."

Yvette nodded and got up to follow Melody.

"You don't have to," Melody said, noticing Lucy's expression darken.

She quickened her pace. But just as she changed into her shoes, Caleb's voice came from the stair landing.

"Melody."

The entire first floor fell silent.

Melody stiffened and looked up.

He stood at the top of the stairs, his black shirt slightly open at the collar. He looked relaxed, but there was still a quiet authority about him.

Wendy rose from the sofa, biting her lip lightly as she looked between Melody and Caleb.

"Work overtime tonight. I need you to handle the meeting minutes."

Melody frowned. "Mr. Hunt, I haven't been involved with headquarters work for a while. I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up."

The second floor lights were off. The man stood in the dim light, his expression hard to read.

He seemed a little impatient. "Stop talking nonsense. Come upstairs."

Then, he simply turned and went back to the study.

Melody pursed her lips. She could feel the displeased looks from the living room on her back, and she hesitated.

"Mel, go!" Yvette grabbed her arm and pulled her upstairs. "If you don't, my brother will drag me in to do it, and then complain the whole time that I did a terrible job."

Whenever Caleb worked from home, Yvette was often the one he called in to help. She had no choice but to do it. And if she didn't do it well, she would get scolded.

Yvette treated Melody like a lifesaver. She pushed her straight into Caleb's study and shut the door with a loud bang.

The sound made Caleb lift his head slightly and look over.

Melody was wearing a loose black down jacket and a fluffy white hat. On her feet were flat shoes.

In the past, she always wore the same kind of outfit, high heels with workwear. Even in cold weather, she would only add a wool coat. She always looked like she belonged in a boardroom.

Caleb thought back for a moment. In their two years of marriage, he had never seen her wear flat shoes or a down jacket when she was off work.

"Didn't you go to work today?"