Chapter 348: I’ve Learned My Lesson, Please Spare Me!

Chapter 348: Chapter 348: I’ve Learned My Lesson, Please Spare Me!

Howard Gallagher never expected things to turn so sour so quickly. God knows he only wanted to stage an accident for a "chance" encounter to get close to Cassandra Lynch’s former cousin. How had he somehow caused his parents to be kicked out of the Gallagher Family and was now on the verge of losing his right to compete for the inheritance?

The immense blow to his own interests finally cleared his love-addled head for a moment, making him regret his actions more than ever.

You were doing just fine, so why did you have to provoke them? Well, great. It’s too late for regrets now.

With Mr. Wealth’s intervention, the aftermath was much simpler to handle. As she had initially promised, Melody Lynch helped pay Howard Gallagher’s medical bills and gave the agreed-upon 100,000 yuan in compensation to Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher.

This time, the pair didn’t dare say another word about the 100,000 yuan. Throughout the entire process, they were as quiet as a pair of timid quails.

After settling the matter, Mr. Wealth personally escorted Arabella Donovan and the others downstairs.

But just as they were about to exit the hospital, Arabella Donovan caught a glimpse of a strangely familiar figure in the distance, and she stopped in her tracks.

"What’s wrong?" Mrs. Donovan was the first to notice something was amiss and turned to give her a questioning look.

"It’s nothing. I just realized I might have left something upstairs. You guys go on ahead to the car and wait. I’ll go back up and look for it."

"Do you want us to come up and help you look?"

"No, no, it’s fine. Melody can come with me."

’I’m about to go tail someone. If everyone goes, we’ll be too big of a target and get noticed easily. Two people is just right.’

Tail someone? Who were they tailing? The two families were startled. They wanted to follow, but then they recalled Arabella Donovan’s concern and found themselves in a dilemma.

Unaware of the group’s inner conflict, Arabella Donovan strode forward, linked arms with Melody Lynch, and pulled her back the way they came.

Melody Lynch seized the opportunity to flash an "OK" sign to the others before hurrying to keep up with Arabella, her heart filled with the joy of impending drama.

Leading Melody at a light jog, Arabella returned to the door of Howard Gallagher’s room. They found that Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher, who had been standing guard inside, were gone. Besides Howard Gallagher, there was another person in the room.

Peering through the crack of the slightly ajar door, Arabella and Melody saw a long-haired woman in a black casual tracksuit and a black canvas hat standing by the hospital bed.

Even though she couldn’t see the woman’s face, Melody Lynch found the silhouette strangely familiar.

The moment the woman spoke, Melody immediately confirmed her identity.

"Howard, are you okay? I heard you were in a car accident and were seriously injured. I was so scared, I just rushed right over without thinking about anything else. I was worried your parents would be upset if they saw me, so I picked an outfit that wasn’t too eye-catching. I only dared to sneak in to see you after they left. You’re not mad at me, are you?"

Arabella had just leaned toward the door when she was so overwhelmed by the fragrant scent of ’green tea’ that she practically recoiled.

’Wow, listen to that fresh, overflowing aroma of tea. This has to be a pre-Qingming Longjing, aged for several years. I gotta say, for a little green tea bitch, you’re certainly well-informed. You only showed up half an hour after his own parents.

’It’s hard for me not to suspect you have people watching this idiot’s every move. How else could you rush over to the hospital so quickly and precisely to coo over one of the fish in your pond and check on the situation? Don’t tell me this is some kind of alternative code of conduct for Playboys and Player Queens?’

The more Arabella thought about it, the more convinced she was. To be a qualified Player Queen who never crashes and burns, besides leveraging your own assets, it’s essential to cast a wide net. You have to be a ’human central A/C’—warm to everyone—and promote a ’boundless love’ that ensures every person gets a little piece.

For all she knew, the woman really did have a surveillance network to monitor the status of every single fish in her pond, allowing her to care for and fuss over them anytime, anywhere.

Melody Lynch’s mouth twitched, but she had to admit that Arabella’s speculation wasn’t without merit.

How else could you explain how Cassandra Lynch found out about Howard Gallagher’s car accident so quickly? Or how she managed to find the hospital so fast, and even knew which room he was in!

’And another thing. First, you say you were so scared when you heard about the accident that you rushed to the hospital without a second thought. Then you say you were worried about upsetting that weirdo couple from the Gallagher family, so you deliberately changed into a low-key outfit. How is that ’not thinking about anything’? You clearly thought of everything. What, even at a time like this, you can’t forget to show off how gentle, considerate, and understanding you are?

’But you’re contradicting yourself. Which part was true and which was a lie? Or was it all lies, without a single true word? Only the shipwreck of a fish in front of you, with its seven-second memory, would believe everything you say without reservation. To this day, I still can’t figure out how an idiot like him managed to deceive my cousin.’

Melody Lynch: "..." ’Okay, okay, stop roasting him! I’ve learned my lesson, please, spare me!’

Compared to Arabella’s focus on all the "green tea" talk, Melody was more concerned about Cassandra Lynch’s comment about Howard’s parents being angry to see her.

It made sense, though. Cassandra Lynch had already been kicked out of the Lynch family and had her ties completely severed.

This meant she now occupied an awkward position in high society. She had a reasonably impressive network, but lacked the corresponding family background and backing.

As for Howard Gallagher, judging by his family’s current situation and the nature of his sanctimonious, snobbish parents, it was clear they desperately wanted him to become the future heir of the Gallagher Family.

But he had no ability, no brains, and wasn’t even a family favorite. His only advantages were being a descendant of the original wife and a male heir. With that, how could he possibly compete with the other potential heirs?

The best strategy was to find him a powerful family to marry into, relying on their support to contend with the other heirs. And Cassandra Lynch was clearly not on their list of candidates.

Just moments before, Howard Gallagher had been regretting the terrible consequences of his impulsive actions. He had even, for a rare moment, felt a bit of resentment toward Cassandra Lynch, the instigator.

But the moment he saw Cassandra Lynch, that resentment vanished like smoke, leaving only a faint sense of frustration and embarrassment.

"You came to see me. I’m overjoyed. How could I possibly blame you?"

"Oh, good. As long as you’re not mad at me, Howard, I’m relieved. So Howard, how is your leg? Is it bad? How long will it take to get better? How could you have gotten into a car accident all of a sudden?"

An awkward expression crossed Howard Gallagher’s face. He clearly didn’t want to elaborate on the topic.

But Cassandra Lynch wasn’t about to let him off the hook. She lowered her eyes, looking dejected. "Is there something you can’t tell me, Howard? It’s okay, I understand. Everyone has their own secrets. It was too forward of me. I’m sorry, I won’t ask again."

She said that, but her voice was filled with such grievance and sadness that it gave Arabella and Melody, listening outside the door, goosebumps.

But of course, the guy in the hospital bed was eating it right up.