The situation needed to escte. If N wasn''t pushed to her limits, she wouldn''t willingly stay by his side.


    Gabriel''s smile deepened. He was confident that soon he would be with N.


    ...


    Melody cried bitterly in the taxi on her way home. She hadn''t expected that the first man she ever liked would use her to scheme against N, and worse... N was his sister. When she got home, she cried again.


    It took several hours for her emotions to settle. Just as she was about to call N to tell her what she had discovered, a news alert popped up on her phone screen.


    [Prospectus Technology''s experimental data leaked. The culprit is a researcher with a personal vendetta against Prospectus Technology''s CEO. Was this done out of revenge or for profit?]


    Melody clicked on the link and found a sensationalist article. Not only did it use N of leaking the data, but it also exposed N''s past rtionship with Damon.


    The article implied that N had leaked the data out of spite after being dumped by Damon, seeking revenge.


    Fuming with anger, Melody saw that mostments were attacking N. She couldn''t hold back and started arguing with thementers.


    When she encountered some calmer ones, she tried to exin, but with everyone so quick to judge, no one believed her.


    After all, people were more interested in the drama than the truth.


    Taking a deep breath, Melody stopped replying and was about to call N when she received a call from home.


    "Melody,e home quickly. Your dad''s had an ident!"


    ...


    Meanwhile, Gabriel received a call as well.


    "Mr. Hackett, the matter has been taken care of," the caller informed.


    Gabriel smirked. "Did you convey the messages I asked?"


    "Yes," the man answered.


    "Good," Gabriel replied.


    He hung up, still smiling, but his eyes were cold. He wouldn''t let anyone derail his ns. He hoped Melody would understand her ce. Otherwise, next time, her father''s injury might be more severe than


    just a broken leg.


    Soon after, Melody called him. "Gabriel, you''ve caused my dad to break his leg. N will never like someone as malicious as you!" Gabriel''s smile turned icy. "Say that again?"


    His voice carried a chilling coldness that pierced through the phone. Melody felt a shiver run down her spine.


    She trembled involuntarily, and her voice wavered. "Did I say something wrong? You''re just selfish and cruel!"


    "Melody, you''ll soon find out the cost of angering me." With that, Gabriel ended the call.


    In the hospital, Melody regretted her words as soon as she hung up. She knew Gabriel was dangerous. So why had she called him in a fit of rage?


    Holding her phone, she hesitated


    over whether to tell N that Gabriel


    was behind the data leak. However, she remembered her mother''s


    earlier warning, and her hesitation grew.


    Her family was ordinary, and her parents had struggled to raise her. She could disregard her safety but couldn''t disregard her parents''.


    As Melody hesitated, her mother emerged from the ward with a stack of bills. "Melody, here''s the bill. We need to pay a deposit of 4,000 dors..."


    Her parents had just spent their


    savings to buy her a small


    apartment on the edge of Saintornia. They didn''t even have 1,000 dors left, let alone 4,000 dors.