Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker

Yolanda scowled in annoyancé. 

Yolanda’s face twisted into a scowl. Throwing the coat I gave her on the floor and trying to slap me in the face? That little bitch… Yolanda was fuming, just about to explode, when Maria’s astonished voice broke through the tension. “Melody, your 

hand! 

Yolanda’s eyes snapped up in suspicion, catching sight of blood droplets forming on the back of Melody’s hand. The stark red against her fair skin was vivid. 

“What the hell?” Yolanda was completely baffled, a chill of foreboding running down her spine. 

Before Yolanda could even process what was happening. Maria commanded in a stern tone, “Bring that coat here!” 

“Yes, ma’am.” The servant quickly obeyed, retrieving the fox fur coat from the floor and presenting it to Maria. 

As Maria probed the coat’s sleeve, she shockingly extracted two long needles hidden among the fur. 

could 

The servant couldn’t help but blurt out, “If those hit an artery… 

Maria’s expression darkened faster than a thundercloud. Yolanda, this is outrageous!” 

Even if Yolanda detested her stepdaughter, resorting to such dangerous tactics was unthinkable. This could have killed her! Maria thought in shock. 

Yolanda, finally realizing the gravity of the situation, hurriedly defended herself, “No, I swear I didn’t plant those! I have no idea how this happened…” 

Meanwhile, unnoticed, Melody stealthily pinched her thigh, causing tears to stream down her face. Yolanda Dropping the formalities, she reverted to calling her by her first name, which no one could fault under these circumstances. 

Sobbing, Melody implored, “If you hate me so much, why did you bring me back here?” 

Yolanda, usually so image–conscious, lost her composure in front of the guests and Maria. Pointing accusingly, she snapped, “Bullshit! You’re setting me up!” 

Quick to defend her mother, Mabel interjected, “My mon treats everyone well. She wouldn’t do something like this!” 

Melody bit her lip, pausing before she backtracked, “I must have misunderstood, Yolanda. It’s all just a big misunderstanding. 

This left Mabel speechless, looking to Yolanda for cues. 

Yolanda was seething. It was always her setting others up, not the other way around.. 

She raised her hand to slap Melody, but Maria quickly made a sign, and a servant stepped in to restrain her. “Mrs. Fox, we have guests. This is not the way.” 

Panicked, Yolanda turned to Maria, pleading, “Mom, it wasn’t me I might be many things, but I wouldn’t do this!” 

Maria’s frown deepened. If it hadn’t been for the Snowblossom incident, she might have doubted Melody, but now her trust in Melody had grown, overshadowing any faith in Yolanda. However, she knew staging such a scene in front of a crowd wasn’t Yolanda’s style. 

Maria took another look at Melody. She was tiny and frail, with tears welling up in her eyes that made her look more scared. than scheming. It was hard to imagine her plotting against Yolanda. 

1/2 

Seriously, how could a girl fresh off the boat from the sticks, just landed in Silverlake, pull off any elaborate plots? Maria mused. 

Maria’s suspicions about Yolanda grew. It looked like she was trying to drive a wedge between her and her beloved granddaughter. 

This realization pissed Maria off even more. Plotting against Melody is one thing, but dragging me into her shitty games too? Does Yolanda think I’m blind? 

Fed up. Maria pushed herself up from her wheelchair with a grunt and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, sorry you had to see this mess. I’ll sort out a little something by way of apology later. Let’s just try to forget any of this ever happened, alright?” 

After the guests had left with a few sharp words, Maria turned to Yolanda with a frosty warning, “I don’t want to see another circus like today. You and Mabel, get your asses back to your room and think about what you’ve done! Melody, you’re staying in the little house in the backyard with me 

It was clear she was shielding Melody. 

Melody couldn’t help but feel a surge of happiness. In her previous life, she’d never managed to win Maria’s affection and had died full of regrets. Now, thanks to Yolanda’s manipulations, she was finally seeing a silver lining. 

Outwardly, Melody kept up her innocent facade, winning Maria’s doting affection. Inwardly, she was secretly thrilled to see Yolanda and Mabel stomping upstairs, their anger and frustration clear as day. She thought, I’m goona make those bitches pay back everything they did to me and my mom, and then some‘ 

That night, Melody was too wired to sleep, her mind teeming with plans for revenge. 

She had dug up some dirt on Ulric using her computer. To the world, he was this gentle, disabled man oppressed by his ville brother. But Melody knew that was all bullshit. 

She remembered clearly meeting Ulric the day after her last birthday party. Her so–called fiance had shown up not for her, but to gift Mabel, hardly sparing Melody a glance. His attitude had flipped completely only after he heard she might be able to fix his leg 

Looking back, Melody cringed at her own naivety. She had been nothing more than a tool to Ulric. 

Although she couldn’t get close to Ulric yet, Yolanda and Mabel were within striking distance. To take them down, winning over Maria’s heart completely was her first strategic move. 

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