Chapter 350: I’m Just Young, Not Stupid

Chapter 350: Chapter 350: I’m Just Young, Not Stupid

Melody Lynch was still fuming about Cassandra Lynch deliberately smearing their family’s name, but she couldn’t help but laugh at this.

Cassandra Lynch’s expression stiffened, infuriated by the backstabbing from her own teammate. But perhaps she was used to it, or perhaps she simply didn’t want to waste time on an idiot. After dancing around the subject, she finally got to the point.

"Howard, what do you mean by that? Don’t tell me you went to bother my uncle and aunt, and my cousins?"

Cassandra Lynch’s voice was laced with concern. Anyone who didn’t know the truth might have actually believed she cared about her so-called former family.

At least, that’s what Howard Gallagher thought.

His expression tensed, and he looked away guiltily. "I just couldn’t stand how they treated you," he said, his tone stiff. "I heard your cousin got back before the new year. By my count, it’s been over half a month."

The more Howard spoke, the angrier he became, his voice rising. "After all, she lived under the same roof as you for so long! You grow attached to a cat or a dog, let alone a living, breathing person. But since she got back, she hasn’t even tried to find you or see you once. It’s infuriating how cold and heartless she is."

"So, you went looking for her?"

Howard grew awkward again. "Well, I remembered you mentioned offhand that your cousin was kidnapped a few years ago. She was lucky enough to be saved by a kind stranger while escaping, which is how she managed to get away safely and return home."

"You... you weren’t thinking of posing as my cousin’s savior to get close to her, were you? How could you do something like that?"

Arabella Donovan’s eyes lit up. What an unexpected bonus!

Originally, she figured that since Cassandra had shown up, bringing Melody along would at least allow Melody to discover the relationship between the two.

That way, even if Howard tried to approach Melody later and claim to be her savior, Melody would remember the connection between him and Cassandra. She would definitely be suspicious. She wouldn’t be like her character in the original story, who easily fell for his lies and let down her guard.

But this was even better. The two of them probably never imagined someone would double back to eavesdrop at the door. They had just outed themselves completely.

’Hahahahaha! This is perfect. The two of you are in there, loudly conspiring, while the target of your plot is outside listening to every single word. Even a fool knows to avoid obvious risks and steer clear of a scam, and my dear cousin is no fool.’

Melody Lynch: "..." ’Something about that doesn’t sound right.’

"If she can treat you that way, then I can give her a taste of her own medicine."

Cassandra sucked in a sharp breath, looking completely devastated. "So... my cousin... did she believe you?"

"Er... well, I’m lying in a hospital bed, aren’t I?"

"What do you mean?"

"My original plan was to stage a little accident to meet her, but I never expected..."

Howard touched his still-numb leg. Recalling the day’s events, he said indignantly, "She did it on purpose! I had it all calculated. Even though it was a blind spot, she was still so far away after making the turn. There was more than enough time to react and stop the car easily."

"All I had to do was fall to the ground and act like I was startled by her car suddenly lunging forward. She would have had to get out to see what was going on. Then, as long as I was big about it, I knew I could get her contact info..."

His next step would have been to "casually" reveal the story about the rescue a few years ago, leading Melody to believe he was her savior.

Howard had been certain his plan was flawless. He’d calculated everything, but he never imagined he’d stumble on the very first step and get run over by Melody, ending up in this pathetic state.

The corner of Cassandra’s mouth twitched. She knew Howard was an idiot, but she never thought he was *this* much of an idiot!

’She never should have placed any hope in this moron. What a waste of time.’

If it weren’t for his status as a young master of the Gallagher Family, Cassandra would have stormed out already.

But remembering he might still be useful later, Cassandra had no choice but to keep playing along.

Arabella knew not to get too greedy when eavesdropping; that’s how things go wrong.

Since their objective was achieved, she waved Melody over, signaling a temporary retreat.

Melody was still reeling from what she’d just heard Cassandra and Howard say. She knew this wasn’t the right time to confront them, so she didn’t object, retreating alongside Arabella.

Once they were off Howard’s floor entirely, both of them let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Melody seemed to recall something and suddenly turned to her. "You heard everything they were just saying, right?"

Arabella froze, momentarily confused. "What part?"

"The things they said about how our family treated Cassandra."

"Yeah, I heard."

"So, do you believe any of it?"

"Of course..." Arabella paused dramatically, trying to build suspense. "Of course not! I’m young, not stupid! I probably know what kind of people they are better than your whole family does."

Melody felt a little awkward. It was true. This kid basically had the script; she knew the truth about Cassandra and the others better than they did.

’Without her, we would have all been completely fooled!’

Seeing Melody’s expression soften, Arabella’s smile widened. "So, you see? I know exactly what kind of people you all are, and what kind of people *they* are. I know better than anyone. Why would I ever doubt you, or your parents, just because of what they said?"

"Besides, these two eyes in my head aren’t just for show. After your family took her in, my whole family saw how well you treated her. The idea that you abused or bullied her? I don’t believe a single word of it. I’d sooner believe pigs can fly than believe she suffered some great injustice in your home."

"Pfft..." Melody couldn’t help but laugh at Arabella’s words, and much of the gloom weighing on her heart lifted.

"I never knew she was like that in private. I can’t believe she would say those things about us to other people."

Come to think of it, there had been rumors for years—rumors that their family was deliberately mistreating Cassandra, trying to ruin her so they could seize her parents’ inheritance. It’s just that her parents and she never took them seriously.

For one, they believed the truth would speak for itself. They figured that once Cassandra came of age and they handed over everything her parents left her, the rumors would naturally die down.

For another, they felt that malicious people will see malice in everything. Just because they had no such intentions didn’t mean others didn’t. In that kind of situation, explaining would be useless. It might even make them look like they had a guilty conscience and were just making excuses.

They thought of everything, except for one thing: that the person intentionally spreading these rumors was Cassandra herself—the very girl their family had doted on.

All those years of their family’s care were ultimately wasted on a dog—no, on an ungrateful traitor!