Melody burst out laughing. "So, handsome boy, can I play with you?"

"No, I just want my sister to play with me." His sister was the most important person to him.

Tiffany gently pinched Eric's ear. "Is this how you treat our guest?"

The little boy readily apologized, "Sorry, I was wrong." His aggrieved gaze made him look like a little puppy. No matter how big his mistake, no one could bring themselves to scold him.

What could Tiffany do? She could only pamper her little brother. She patted his head, and he squinted his eyes in pleasure.

Observing the siblings' interaction, Melody's eyes flashed with a trace of mockery. After a while, she stood up. "Thank you for your hospitality. I'll go back now."

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Tiffany stood up as well.

"No, Kenneth is picking me up." Melody glanced at Tiffany, seemingly afraid of provoking her. However, she couldn't hide the smugness in her eyes.

Tiffany, unfazed, seemed to understand something and stopped urging Melody to stay. She immediately summoned a servant to see Melody off.

The servant politely escorted Melody to the gate.

Kenneth hadn't expected Melody's visit. Feeling awkward about entering the house, he waited in the car.

As Melody got in, he asked, "Why were you there? Did they bully you?"

"No," she smiled. "I'm just envious. I feel inferior to Tiffany. How can a firefly's light compete with the moon's brilliance?" She sighed, her beautiful face tinged with loneliness.

Kenneth frowned. "Who told you that? Tiffany? Mrs. Kelley?"

"No, no, they didn't say anything," Melody denied, yet affirmed it implicitly.

Kenneth's brow furrowed, his tone hardening with anger. "Don't go there again. You're not a firefly. As long as I'm around, no one will look down on the future Mrs. Hampton, understand?"

"But" Melody looked worried. "Your family"

"Don't worry. I've told my family about us. When Grandpa's better, I'll bring you to meet them." He gently held her hand. "No one will bully you, not even the Kelley family. If they dare, tell me."

Melody blushed under his protective words, nodding shyly. "Okay." Her girlish shyness was alluring.

A faint smile touched Kenneth's lips. As he drove away, glancing at the villa, he snorted coldly, his face filled with impatience and disgust. His engagement with Tiffany had been broken off six months prior by the Kelleys themselves; they had nothing to do with each other. He found their attempt to humiliate Melody petty and despicable.

Melody noticed his emotions. A faint smile played on her lips, but a flash of arrogance quickly crossed her eyes. This man was easily manipulated. She couldn't understand how Sandra had lost to Tiffany.

It was late summer in Lovell City, but snow fell in a small town 4,000 miles away.

Sandra slowly opened her eyes. A maid in a blue dress was feeding her medicine and giving her an injection. She knew she was alive.

She had no idea who saved her or where she was. Since waking up three days ago in a luxurious ancient castle, she'd received meticulous care. But any questions about her location were met with silence and the maids' unnerving smiles.

Initially panicked, Sandra calmed herself. She'd died once; what was there to fear? She waited.

Today, after her medicine and injection, a maid knelt, bowing respectfully. Sandra looked up to see a tall, handsome man entering the room. He was dressed in black, a strand of black hair falling onto his forehead, giving him a devilish look. The maids knelt deeper as he approached, filling the room with an oppressive atmosphere.

Sandra trembled but remained calm. If he'd saved her, she held some value. He wouldn't kill her yet.

He approached her bed, brushing her face with a pale, cold finger. She shivered. Before she could speak, he pinched her neck.

Shocked, she could only struggle. Her will to live intensified.

He whispered, "Very good. From today, you're mine. I'll heal your injuries, remove your scar, give you everything" His voice was mesmerizing.

Sandra, at a loss, nodded weakly. He released her.

Gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat, she looked at him. He was handsome and elegant, noble and illustrious, exuding captivating charm. And he'd just claimed her.

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