Chapter 377

As he watched the door to Thalia’s room close, Randall couldn't contain his concern. Although merely a guest, he had been staying at the Kelley residence for the past few days. He couldn't just stand by and watch Tiffany carry out some wild plan. So he called Charlie, who was still ill at the office.

To Randall’s surprise, Charlie didn’t object. Instead, he replied in a thoughtful tone, “I trust my daughter. Mr. Berger, you needn’t worry.”

“Alright,” Randall said, refraining from further interference.

Inside the room, Tiffany’s brow was furrowed in concentration. She had searched for a long time but hadn’t found the bloodbite parasite. She thought, “Could I have been wrong? No, that wouldn’t be right.”

Releasing a sigh, Tiffany looked to the top of Thalia’s head. There was only one spot she hadn’t checked. Taking a deep breath, she gritted her teeth and began to cut away the hair her mother had spent years growing.

Finally, at the crown of Thalia’s head, a tiny bump came into view. Tiffany had found it.

As the parasite lay dormant, Tiffany reached for the needle kit she’d prepared in advance. A few precise pricks later, the bloodbite was cornered, with no way to escape.

Just as Tiffany was about to remove it, Thalia’s eyes snapped open. She saw Tiffany with the needles and froze in horror, her scalp prickling. “What are you doing? What do you want from me? Get away…”

Before she could finish, Tiffany knocked her unconscious again. Silence returned.

To extract the bloodbite, Tiffany’s relentless use of the needles eventually forced it to emerge. It took over forty minutes to do so. Sensing danger, the bloodbite tried to flee from Thalia’s bleeding wound, only to be trapped under a glass jar.

Exhausted from the ordeal, Tiffany called Eric to help clean up the mess and then get some sleep. “Lucy can handle the rest,” she added.

When Eric entered, he looked around, stunned. “Tiffany, what have you done?” he asked.

“Don’t ask. Just tidy up a bit,” Tiffany said.

“Alright.” Eric followed her instructions, leaving Tiffany to step out of her mother’s bedroom, climb the stairs, and stand before Melody’s door. She slid the glass jar open, slipped the bloodbite through the door gap, and let it settle inside. The parasite wouldn’t control its creator, but it would have some mild, adverse effects. This was her wedding gift to Melody.

Chapter 377

The next morning, the Kelley family was festive, decorated with red “Double Happiness” banners and colorful streamers. The servants, all dressed in coordinated outfits, bustled around with joyful expressions, ensuring everything was clean and orderly.

The Kelley and Harper families’ union had made headlines, drawing the attention of passersby and the residents of neighboring estates. Several affluent locals, jogging nearby, laughed and chatted as they passed.

“I hear the eldest heiress of the Kelley family is quite the beauty. Maybe we’ll catch a glimpse of her at the engagement banquet.”

“That’s for sure. Tiffany is Lovell City’s top beauty; her sister can’t be far behind.”

“That’s true.”

As they continued on their way, an ear-piercing scream from the second floor of Cedar Ridge Villa shattered the morning calm. The shrill, agonized scream was loud enough to startle the sparrows from the treetops and cause the passersby to shudder.

“What on earth is that? That scream was enough to make my heart skip!”

“Geez, my ears are ringing. Let’s go, that was horrifying.”

Hurriedly, they left. Inside the villa, the startled servants rushed up the stairs. Lucy, the head housekeeper, feared something terrible had happened. She quickly knocked on Tiffany’s door, calling out, “Miss, are you alright?” Other servants checked on Eric, asking, “Sir, are you alright?” Finally, a maid knocked on Melody’s door. The door, which was slightly ajar, opened just a little further. The maid stepped inside, calling out, “Miss, are you alright? Was that you screaming just now?”

There was no response. Tentatively, the maid moved deeper into the room. There, in front of the ornate vanity, sat a woman with disheveled hair, her face reflected in the mirror, swollen and covered in red welts. The maid screamed in shock.

Melody, her face twisted in rage, glared at the maid. “If you scream again, I’ll rip your tongue out.” The maid fell silent immediately.

“Has my makeup artist arrived? Bring them to me,” Melody said.

“Yes, Miss,” Lucy said.

After leaving, the maid whispered to Lucy about what she’d seen. The staff finally realized that the earlier scream had come from Melody. It made sense. With the engagement that very day, the bride-to-be’s face was covered in a red rash. It was normal that she was distraught.

Chapter 377

Lucy sent all the staff away and rushed to greet the arriving makeup artist, escorting her to Melody’s room. Upon seeing Melody’s face, the makeup artist gasped, “Oh, dear, what happened to you? What are we going to do?”

“What do you mean? You’re the makeup artist—figure it out,” Melody said, fuming. “I don’t care what you have to do. I cannot go out looking like this.”

“But…” The makeup artist was at a loss. The sudden, severe rash was impossible to cover, no matter how much foundation she used.

Melody’s expression darkened. “Just get on with it.”

“I’ll start with a herbal mask; it should help reduce the swelling.”

“Hurry.”

With the engagement set for noon, time was running out. The makeup artist quickly got to work. As she massaged the mask onto Melody’s face, she couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, did you eat something that triggered an allergy? This reaction is severe…”

Melody’s lips curled in a bitter smile. It wasn’t an allergy. The rash was caused by her own bloodbite parasite. When she woke up that morning, she’d found the bloodbite lying beside her pillow. Alarmed, she’d looked in the mirror, only to find her face hideously marred. And it wasn’t just her face; her body was also covered in red welts. The dress she had chosen for the ceremony was backless. Now, she couldn’t wear it. In a fury, she had killed the bloodbite, but it was too late. Her face and body were ravaged. And there was only one person who could have done this—Tiffany. She had never expected Tiffany to not only remove the parasite but to turn it back against her.

When the makeup artist asked again about the rash, Melody clenched her jaw and hissed, “Why did I break out? You should ask my dear sister.”