Chapter 527

Juan’s gaze sharpened. Debra couldn’t identify the question that triggered his defensiveness, but his eyes told her he knew something. Before she could press further, a breathless maid rushed up. “Sir, Miss Vargas just took off with your car!”

Debra said, “I only wanted her to find Melody for clarification. Now she’s distraught. Let’s hope nothing serious happens.”

“Let’s go,” Juan said, leading her away. He quickly started his spare car, speeding toward the new home.

Meanwhile, Hester pounded on the front gate. Sophie opened the door, confused, her bewilderment growing at the sight of Hester, wild and almost hysterical.

“Miss Vargas?”

“Where is Mrs. Nichols Sr.? Where is she?”

“She…”

Before Sophie could finish, Hester produced a knife, the blade glinting. Sophie’s face paled, her voice trembling.

“What are you doing with that?”

“I need to see Mrs. Nichols Sr. Take me to her!”

Sophie didn’t hesitate. “Okay, calm down. I’ll go get her right now.”

Sophie hadn’t gone far when Melody strolled from her room, her expression languid. “What’s all this noise?”

Stepping into the hall, she finally saw Hester and the knife. Her brows furrowed.

“Hester? What are you doing here?”

“You lied to me. You tricked me. It wasn’t Juan in my room that night, was it?”

Just then, Debra and Juan arrived. Witnessing the chaos, Debra was struck by a vivid memory from her past life. In that life, Melody had deceived her, just as she had Hester, tricking Debra into drugging Juan, resulting in his lifelong hatred. To Debra’s bitter realization, Melody hadn't changed; she still used vile, underhanded schemes to achieve her goals.

Melody’s expression remained cool. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. How would I know who went into your room?” Clearly, she wanted to protect her image as an elder. Her voice dripping with condescension, she continued, “You wanted to become Mrs. Nichols, and I gave you a way. But you’re so stupid, you couldn’t even recognize who was in your room. Now that you’ve lost your chastity, our door is no longer open to you.”

Melody’s cold, sarcastic words stung Hester, but Debra broke the tension with a clap of her hands.

“Well said. I’ve never seen anyone wash their hands of responsibility so cleanly.”

Melody’s brow arched. “What are you trying to say?”

Debra replied smoothly, “Is the old house the kind of place where any random man can just stroll in? And not only that, he happened to go straight to Miss Vargas’s room, as if he knew what would happen. If no one told him where to go, I’d say that’s hard to believe.”