Janessa was filled with resentment, her eyes rimmed red with unshed tears. In the end, she finally fell asleep, her heart heavy with resentment.

On the third day, Janessa washed up and left. She made herself a glass of milk and hailed a cab to school. As soon as she arrived at the school gate, she was abruptly stopped by a few thugs who sprang out of nowhere.

“Janessa, where are you going?” A group of thugs approached her intimidatingly.

Upon seeing a few of them, Janessa instinctively took a step back. “How did you all end up here?”

“What do you think?” At that moment, a slightly handsome thug let out a chuckle. “We’ve taken your money and dealt with your problem. We hit Christopher for you. We’ve fulfilled our part of the deal, so now it’s time for you to pay up.”

Clearly, they were there for money. Janessa felt somewhat restless, her gaze darting left and right. She silently felt fortunate that there was no one nearby. After all, this was right in front of the school. If other students happened to see them, all sorts of rumors would spread.

“This is the school entrance. It’s not appropriate to discuss this matter here. Follow me,” said Janessa. With that, she led them into a small alleyway next to the school.

“Where’s the money?” As soon as they entered the alley, the man spoke up again.

Naturally, Janessa recognized them. These were the same thugs she had personally hired the previous night. Her initial plan was to first injure Christopher, then have Madelyn visit him, thereby creating an even larger misunderstanding. Unfortunately, the plan was never put to use.

Thinking about this, Janessa was somewhat irritated. She said, “Our plan fell through last night, so I can only give you half of the promised money.”

“What did you say?” Upon hearing that, the thugs exchanged glances, their tempers flaring up instantly.

The handsome thug was seething with anger. “What’s the meaning of this? You asked us to hit Christopher and stage a fake car accident, and we did just that. Why are you only giving us half the money? You must give us every penny you owe!”

“Correct! Not a penny less.”

The thugs around them also joined in the commotion.

Taking a deep breath, she asserted firmly. “You get paid for what you’ve done. The plan last night didn’t go through, so giving you half the sum is already generous of me.”

After saying that, she promptly pulled out a stack of cash from her bag, unceremoniously tossed it over, and said, “Here’s thirty thousand. Is that enough?”

However, her action thoroughly irritated these thugs. Suddenly, a thug rushed forward. He pinned her against the wall, his grip tight around her neck. “Say that again?”

Janessa hadn’t anticipated they would resort to violence. Shocked, she shouted, “What are you doing?”

“It was you who summoned us here. We only followed your orders. Regardless of whether it’s a success or a failure, it has nothing to do with us. So, you must pay up, whether you like it or not! If you dare not to, I swear I’ll make you pay!” yelled the thug furiously.

Startled, Janessa shuddered all over. At that moment, the handsome thug calmly stated, “Of course, you can choose not to give us what we want, but you must be prepared. We’ll expose all the despicable things you’ve done. The choice is yours.”

“Exactly.”

“No, it won’t do!”

Upon hearing this, Janessa immediately backed down. This matter absolutely could not be leaked. If word got out, everything would be ruined! In the end, she had no choice but to reluctantly nod in agreement. “Fine, I’ll pay you the full amount. However, you must promise not to spread this matter around.”

After she finished speaking, Janessa promptly pulled out a check from her pocket. She swiftly wrote it out for several tens of thousands and handed it over to the thugs.

“That’s more like it.” Upon seeing the money, the thugs finally let her go with a nonchalant air. “Buddies, let’s bounce.”

After they had spoken, the group of thugs simply walked away.

As Janessa watched their figures recede, she let out a sigh of relief. However, she felt even more resentment.

I can’t believe Madelyn escaped scot-free last night! I spent the money for nothing. How annoying!

Given that the banquet had ended late the previous night, Madelyn had spent the night at the Lockhart manor. When she woke up in the morning, she hurriedly rushed down to the kitchen. Alongside the housekeepers, she personally prepared breakfast.

She wanted to surprise everyone early in the morning. Sure enough, when Agnes descended the stairs, she was somewhat taken aback by the sight of the lavish spread.

Agnes couldn’t help but feel surprised. “Madelyn, did you make everything on this table?”

“Yes. Grandma, try it while it’s still hot.” Madelyn nodded politely.

Naturally, Agnes was overjoyed. She sat at the table and casually picked up her fork to take a bite. She couldn’t help singing praises.

“Wow, your cooking is really impressive!”

Madelyn laughed heartily. Soon, Nigel and Marsha came downstairs. After tasting the sumptuous breakfast, they found it hard to believe that all of it was prepared by Madelyn.

Marsha asked with a hint of confusion, “When did you learn all this?”

“Whenever I had some free time at home, I would look at some recipes and learn how to cook some dishes,” replied Madelyn shyly.

“Is that really true?” Marsha simply couldn’t believe it.

Madelyn was the type who wouldn’t even dip her fingers in the simplest of tasks. It was even more unlikely that she would step foot into the kitchen on a regular basis. Yet, these dishes clearly indicated they were prepared by someone with exceptional culinary skills, not in the least inferior to the head chef back at home.

Marsha couldn’t help but feel suspicious. “Madelyn, you didn’t ask our family chef to cook this and then claim you cooked it yourself, did you?”

Upon hearing these words, Madelyn felt indignant. “I did all of this myself. If you’re not satisfied, you can ask the butler.”

The butler chimed in, “Madam, Mrs. Lockhart is absolutely right. I saw her bustling about in the kitchen early this morning.”

Marsha was suddenly at a loss for words.

“This is truly wonderful,” Agnes expressed her delight. “Madelyn, it seems your disposition has indeed undergone quite a change.”

Madelyn gave a shy, coy smile.

Originally, Nigel wasn’t too fond of his daughter-in-law. After all, she used to be quite wild in the past. However, after seeing her become so virtuous, he subtly began to change his opinion of her.