Chapter 535

That was one billion dollars. Melody would never let that kind of money fall into Hester's hands. The Vargas family wasn't even a big player in the business world. Any value they possessed stemmed solely from their fortunate encounter with her.

"Yes, Mrs. Nichols Sr.," Sophie responded.

She sighed and called Debra, who waited in the hospital corridor for Juan's surgery to conclude.

"Madam, how is Mr. Nichols?"

"The surgery isn't over yet. Why?"

"Well, the Vargas family came to cause trouble earlier," Sophie said, glancing at Melody, who lounged on a nearby couch. "Mrs. Nichols Sr. wants him to call her once he wakes up."

Debra spoke calmly. "Juan isn't waking up today. If Mrs. Nichols Sr. has a problem, she'll have to solve it herself."

"But the deadline…"

"Sophie, whose name is on that contract?"

"It's Mrs. Nichols Sr.'s."

"Since she signed it, she can pay for it herself. One billion dollars is hardly anything, right? I'm sure it's just a drop in the bucket compared to all the savings she's stashed away over her lifetime."

Debra's voice dripped with sarcasm. With that, she hung up.

In her past life, during her family's collapse, she sought Juan's help, but he refused to see her. Desperate, she turned to the old lady, but by then, Melody had already taken a liking to Sheila, a woman she once despised.

One billion dollars would be enough to keep the Frazier family afloat. Melody, however, didn't care about her five years of loyal service. Instead, she dismissed her and gave that money to Sheila as a wedding gift. For Melody, one billion dollars was merely a token of goodwill, something she could easily afford to give away.

Joe didn't dare make a sound. He'd never expected Debra to be so cold. Her demeanor resembled Juan's.

Sophie relayed Debra's words to Melody, who lost her temper and knocked her teacup from the table.

"She's doing this on purpose. She lords it over me just because she's got her claws in Juan. If I let her stay as the hostess of this house, she'll end up walking all over me."

Sophie stood beside her, silent.

"It's just one billion dollars. Does she think I can't afford it?"

Melody stormed to her bedroom and retrieved a large leather suitcase from under her bed. The suitcase looked old, worn from years of use. Sophie's eyes widened as she followed Melody inside.

"Mrs. Nichols Sr., that's your private stash."

Melody didn't pause. She punched in the passcode and opened the suitcase. Inside, gold bars and bricks were neatly stacked and numbered. Old coins from decades past gleamed alongside them. Several jewelry boxes lay at the bottom, each filled with intricately crafted gold necklaces and bracelets.

Melody glanced at the treasure with a satisfied smirk. "The Vargas family has probably never even seen real wealth before."