Chapter 46

At that moment, the door lock clicked, and Christopher came home. He furrowed his brows and asked, "What are you two arguing about? I could hear it from outside."

Cynthia quickly stepped forward, her expression pitiful as she explained the situation. Then, she lowered her head in self-blame.

"Melody, it's just a worthless little trinket. Is it really worth making such a fuss over?" she snapped at Melody with a dark expression.

"Worthless? Well, nothing has any value in your eyes." Melody glanced at him, her body trembling with suppressed anger. It was Cynthia who had lost Melody's necklace, but Christopher was accusing her of being petty. His expression softened when he saw Melody looked about to cry.

"It's just a necklace. I'll buy you a replacement," he said, his tone softening.

"I don't care about your compensation. No amount of money can replace its value to me!" she said, her voice trembling with fury. Then, she bit her lip and walked away.

"Don't be ungrateful. I'm offering to replace it. What more do you want?" he asked angrily, raising his voice.

The door slammed shut in response, which only made him angrier. He had yet to scold her for her attitude these past few days, yet she had somehow managed to snap at him first when he arrived home.

"I'm sorry, Christopher. It's all my fault," Cynthia stepped forward, apologizing. "I was adopted once, but then I was mistreated and sent back to the orphanage. Maybe it got lost when we moved. I'm sorry for losing it," she continued, lowering her head.

"It's not your fault," Christopher comforted her. "What's the value of something like that from when you were a child? It's just a cheap plastic toy. Melody is just deliberately making things difficult for you. She's been causing trouble ever since she settled in."

"But Melody said that necklace meant a lot to her," she said apologetically.

He scoffed. "What nonsense. She's just saying that to make a scene. Besides, she gave it to you, not the other way around. Losing it is her own fault."

Cynthia felt reassured by Christopher's words. Since he was still angry with Melody, he immediately invited Cynthia to dinner.

In the guest room, Melody overheard their entire conversation. Tears welled up in her eyes as her thoughts returned to when she had first arrived at the orphanage. At first, no one had wanted to be friends with her, but Cynthia had approached her and later commented on how beautiful her necklace was. She had said they could be lifelong friends and promised to keep the necklace for her so that she wouldn't have to look at it and miss her mother every day.

Melody had trusted her and given it to her. She was only six years old at the time. How much better would it have been if she had known everything that would happen in the future? Christopher was right. She had given the necklace to Cynthia, so it was her fault now.

At the restaurant, despite his anger, Christopher couldn't stop thinking about Melody's face, on the verge of tears. Her eyes were red, like a little rabbit's, holding back tears as though she had been deeply wronged.

"What are you thinking about, Christopher? You've been zoning out for quite a while," Cynthia asked with a smile.

"I'm thinking about Melody," he replied. "Isn't she dramatic? It's just a little trinket, but she acts like everyone is bullying her."

As he said this, he didn't realize he was smiling slightly, his tone light. This made Cynthia tighten her grip on her fork and knife.

"Mel is...quite emotional," she managed a smile.

"Yes. She's not like you. That's why I'm planning to buy her a necklace so that she won't come running to you with more trouble later," Christopher said. Although he was doing it for his own peace of mind, he didn't want Cynthia to know.

"There's an auction at 8:00 pm. Why don't you come with me and see if there's anything suitable?" he suggested.

Cynthia's eyes nearly popped out when she heard this. She thought he would buy a cheap necklace for Melody, but now he was talking about going to an auction.