CHAPTER 415: MARIANNE’S TROUBLES

"This... is this the man who has been taking care of you, Melody? The one you told me about—the one you said you want to be with? Mr Sint."

Melanie nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on the man sitting beside her. She had barely managed to convince Cadence to play along, to be part of this dangerous little act they had begun. Dam* it! This person was too tricky. Dr Jung was a masochist for falling for him.

It felt almost unreal, the way his demeanor had shifted in such a short span of time. Until only a couple of days ago, he had treated her as though she were made of glass and needed to be protected and hovered over every instant. Obsessive to the point of invading her room in the night! And now!

But today... today it was as if he saw her as the plague itself.. Getting too close might cause his death and she carried some infection he wanted no part of.

Melanie scoffed at that. Marianne already knew Cadence Sint’s identity and his obsession with Melody. As such, she would be aware of how possessive he was. And now, if Marianne was to notice that he was even unwilling to be near her, their problem would definitely increase.

So, if their plan was to work-if they were to keep up the charade and let Marianne believe that Cadence was dangerous, that he was the threat lurking too close to Melody—then he had no choice. He had to keep playing the part. He had to stay ’obsessed’ with her, had to look at her like he couldn’t stand the thought of letting her go. Even if, right now, the only thing keeping him there was Dr Elais Jung.

"So, Cadence, what do you do for a living?" Marianne asked in concern.

"I love and protect my beloved." Melanie almost coughed at the answer and then rolled her eyes as Cadence turned his head meaningfully to her side, only to stare at Elais Jung who was sitting there, observing Marianne and her body language.

Marianne seemed to be amused and she asked," Really? What do you mean by that?"

Cadence shrugged," I and my partner. We patented a few revolutionary medicines and formulas for chemicals so we get the royalty off that. This keeps me free to ’take care’ of my lover."

Marianne widened her eyes at the answer. He was serious! "You really do have a lot of time on your hands." She said the words slowly and consideringly, but it was not noticed by Cadence who simply smiled faintly and said, "Plenty. Enough to make sure she doesn’t take a single step without me knowing where she is. People call it possessive. I call it necessary. It is my way of showing I care."

Melanie stayed quiet, letting him run with it. This was exactly what they needed Marianne to see. A little off the hilter, Cadence.

He leaned forward slightly, his hand resting on the table, close enough to Melody’s arm to make it clear he had no intention of giving her space. "She attracts trouble," he said, his voice low, almost casual, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. She was kidnapped, wasn’t she? Men look at her because she is beautiful. People want to talk to her because she is so charming. And I don’t like it."

Marianne raised her brows. "So you keep an eye on her all the time?"

"Every second." His eyes didn’t leave Melody’s face, and there was something sharp in the way he said it. "Where she goes, who she talks to, what she does when I’m not there... I know it all. She doesn’t get to keep secrets from me. That way, I know every minute 1thing she might need."

Marianne blinked, taken aback. Well that was really not subtle. Like Cadence was waving the red flag in Marianne’s face.

Cadence tilted his head then, his gaze sweeping briefly to Dr. Jung before settling back on Melody. "It keeps her safe. And it keeps people from getting ideas."

The implication hung heavy in the air. Marianne didn’t miss it

She was actually pleased with the words and even nodded encouragingly with a smile," That is so good. Our Melody is really lucky that she fell for someone like you."

Even as anyone else might not agree with this, inside, Marianne was happy. Because, this was perfect. Possessive, obsessive, controlling—exactly the kind of man who could be used if she played this right. Melody she could easily control but Melanie was too smart. If she could get this man to make her disappear before her memory returned, it would be prefect.

But she needed to find a way. A plan. Something that would set the pieces in motion without leaving any trace back to her.

She was still considering it when Dr. Jung, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. His voice cut through the thick air.

"Cadence," he said sharply, his eyes on the man across from him. "Are you going to treat Melody like a prisoner? This is not what we talked about."

Cadence turned his head slowly, his gaze locking on the doctor. The faint smirk tugging at his lips did not reach his eyes. Cadence’s head turned slowly toward Dr. Jung, his eyes narrowing just a fraction. There was suspicion there now, sharp and unmistakable, as though he were turning over something unpleasant in his mind.

"I didn’t know you were so concerned about Melody, Doctor," he said at last, his voice quiet but laced with something that wasn’t quite polite. His gaze didn’t waver. "I’ll have to keep your concern in mind."

The words were delivered almost lazily, but there was no mistaking the undercurrent—a warning to keep is distance from Melody.

Marianne caught it instantly. Oh, this was even better than she had imagined. The jealousy was right there, simmering just under the surface. It wouldn’t take much to use it, to twist it until it worked in her favor. If she pushed the right buttons, this man would do exactly what she needed- without ever realizing he was playing her game.

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