CHAPTER 427: CHAPTER 427: PROVOCATION

She had a beautiful laugh.

Melody Shepherd usually had a gentle and graceful smile, but that smile was different from this unrestrained laughter.

It was like a flock of quiet, feeding white cranes suddenly taking flight on the calm green lake, forming a line in the sky. The scene might not be shocking, but it had a majestic beauty.

Melody Shepherd laughed for a while before stopping. Seeing Quinn Lockwood’s expressionless face, she gently shook her head and patted Quinn’s hand in comfort.

"Sorry, Savannah, I really couldn’t help it. Just thinking about Elias Sinclair arguing with someone makes me want to laugh." Melody’s mouth had returned to a normal curve, but the laughter in her eyes hadn’t faded.

"I didn’t mean anything by it; I don’t even know why, I just went along with the conversation and said those things. Please don’t overthink it." Melody suddenly put on a nervous look, her eyes blinking unnaturally, as if afraid she would make Quinn unhappy.

Quinn raised an eyebrow, looking completely indifferent, as if Melody’s words were about someone irrelevant.

"Don’t worry, I’m not that petty."

"It’s just a pity you never argued with Elias Sinclair."

"You don’t even know how funny he is. At first, I thought he’d be hard to appease when he’s angry, but I didn’t expect him to be the one to soften up and make amends. That anxious and careful look is just adorable."

Quinn’s voice was extremely light and quick, filled with an undeniable smile, as she rested her elbow on the table with her chin in her hand, looking like she was lost in a sweet memory.

However, the way her smiling lips almost reached her ears and her eyes nearly squinted closed seemed to tell Melody that even if she argued with Elias, their arguments were delightfully sweet and happy.

From the very start, when Melody first mentioned Elias to Quinn, she sensed that this woman was provoking her.

Don’t be fooled by her gentle voice; her words seemed so generous and poised that you couldn’t find any fault.

But each and every word felt like a fine silver needle pricking into the flesh, causing intense pain without leaving a scar.

Quinn disliked such people the most.

She hadn’t intended to say much to Melody, just making some polite responses to keep things civil, but she hadn’t expected Melody’s provocation to be relentless.

"Oh, really? That’s something I haven’t seen..." Upon hearing Quinn’s words, Melody’s smile froze for a moment.

She had completely miscalculated.

According to a woman’s tendency for jealousy, upon hearing Melody talk about her past with Elias, Quinn should be angry and chase her out, or be overwhelmed with sadness and jealousy.

But there was no way her reaction would be so calm!

"Elias is genuinely gentle at heart, marrying him is truly a happy thing." As Quinn spoke, a faint blush appeared on her face, as if she couldn’t handle the overwhelming happiness.

Melody’s composure faltered.

Even for someone so skilled at disguising and controlling emotions, her smiling facade couldn’t hold up.

"Well, exactly."

"I just remembered that I have a meeting to attend soon, so I’ll leave for now. I’ll come see you next time." Melody forcibly suppressed the fire of jealousy raging within her.

At this moment, she was like a mottled, calm sea, her serene surface belied the small ripples beneath. Just below the waves lurked a massive, impending storm that could engulf her at any moment.

She had to leave; she feared that if she stayed any longer, she might not be able to resist strangling the woman in front of her.

"Okay, see you next time." Quinn put on a standard smile showing eight teeth and waved at Melody, as if she hadn’t noticed her strangeness at all.

After Melody left, Quinn immediately withdrew her smile and collapsed back onto the bed, feeling as if all her strength had been drained.

In reality, her emotions were close to breaking point.

Quinn knew Elias and Melody had known each other for a long time, but she hadn’t imagined it had been almost ten years.

She also hadn’t expected that they got along so well without any unpleasantness.

Unlike herself, who would upset Elias every few days, it’s no wonder he might find her annoying.

Maybe Elias had some tricky matters to deal with, as it was quite a while before he returned, carrying a laptop and some documents, clearly just having been delivered.

Upon returning to the room, he found Quinn lying on the bed, already asleep.

For the next few days, Elias handled work mostly in the hospital room, attentive to Quinn as always.

He didn’t know what Melody had said to Quinn.

As for Quinn, she became increasingly convinced that Elias’s kindness was just an act for the elders or to keep her placated, so that he could eventually be with Melody.

This routine lasted only a few days before Quinn was announced fit to be discharged from the hospital.

On the day of discharge, Elias had an important cross-border cooperation meeting to attend and asked Quinn to wait for him to return in the afternoon.

Quinn hadn’t planned to follow Elias’s instructions. She packed up her things from the hospital room but found she couldn’t carry them back on her own.

Kevin practically moved Quinn’s entire home over; if it weren’t for the large VIP room, these bottles and jars might have ended up on the floor.

Sigh, never mind, better go complete the discharge procedures first.

Quinn looked at the bed full of packages and sighed deeply.

She took her paperwork and stepped out of the hospital room, barely leaving the ward when she saw an elder, nearing fifty, dressed in a black suit, exuding an air of authority yet also kind and approachable.

This person was... her father.

Quinn’s heart was instantly in turmoil, and she hurried to catch up, only to find Mr. Lockwood’s steps were somewhat unsteady, his shoulders slightly hunched, appearing uncomfortable.

Could it be that her father’s heart condition was acting up again?

Something in Quinn’s heart was instantly seized with tension. She quickened her pace, intent on asking about Mr. Lockwood’s condition, only to see a hurried figure rushing toward them, so fast it seemed he might collide with someone at any moment.

"Make way, I have an urgent matter." The person charged down the hallway, pushing aside anyone who might block his path.

Just as that person’s hand was about to push Mr. Lockwood, Quinn pulled him aside.