Chapter 331: Chapter 331 You Are Really Cruel

Melora’s figure was hidden under the bedsheets. Her body was full of red marks left behind by him.

She was in tears, a mixture of sorrow and apprehension overwhelming her.

Alfred covered his swollen eyes. It took him some time before he could speak again. “Leave after lunch. Don’t come here anymore. Melora, listen carefully. I don’t want you anymore.”

Her sobs weakened.

Just like that, she curled her body up again.

She adamantly declined to go downstairs for lunch. The thought of it was too humiliating, and she had no desire to face anyone if A long while later, she finally sat up and got dressed.

Her hands were trembling, but she slowly put on her clothes and got out of bed..

Alfred followed suit.

He gently touched her arm and said in a hoarse voice, “Go have something to eat. I’ll arrange for someone to take you to the airport after that.”

She slapped his hand away and replied softly, “It’s fine. I can walk there by myself.”

Alfred’s hand hung in midair before eventually dropping back to his side. He had contemplated saying something but ultimately chose not to.

It’s good that she’s willing to leave!

There’s no use in trying to salvage the situation. Giving her a ride won’t change anything.

A heavy silence enveloped them. Melora gripped the doorknob, fully aware that after leaving him this time, their relationship would be irreparably severed, and she would never again address him as “Mr. Alfred.” It was the conclusive end of their relationship.

To him, it was just a casual relationship, but she had developed feelings for him.

At this very moment, Melora was certain that she had no regrets about falling in love with him. The memories of him showering affection upon her were genuine, and that was sufficient for her.

As she opened the door, she saw Lucia standing outside.

Lucia smiled gently. “Why are you crying? Alfred, keep in mind that Melora is significantly younger than you. You should cherish her. Why did you mistreat her instead?”

She took her hand and led her to the dining room.

Melora couldn’t find it in her heart to push away the compassionate elderly woman. She said tearfully. “I’m going home.”

Lucia looked at her son for a while before responding. “Even if you want to go home, you should leave after having lunch. I’ll have Alfred’s driver give you a ride.”

In the end, the three of them had a meal together in silence.

Melora’s tears kept rolling down her cheeks. Alfred didn’t have an appetite. He walked over to the window and lit up a cigarette.

After she was done with her meal, he told his driver to drive her to the airport.

Melora got into the car and left.

As the black MPV drove away, Alfred stood there quietly for a long while.

His heart was numb with pain.

Next to him, Lucia fell intes tears. “Why did you upset her and make her leave when you finally wanted to settle down?”

It was clear to Lucia that he was acting against his own desires. She opted not to meddle but sympathized with him and felt sorry for Melora. She had questions in her mind but she chose to remain silent.

Leslie soon arrived to pick him up.

The tense atmosphere made him ask a few questions and he immediately knew what had happened.

He frowned and reported in a low voice, “Miss Cook is in the car. When I came over to pick you up, she said she wanted to hitch a ride. I couldn’t say no.”

Alfred’s expression changed.

Caylie was Alfred’s junior, and she majored in engineering just like him. She had also been his first love.

After he took over the project, Caylie came parachuting in. Their past romantic involvement naturally led him to treat her differently. However, this didn’t deter him from conducting an investigation.

After completing her university education, Caylie worked abroad for three years.

Although he couldn’t tell where she came from, he had already concluded that she had been secretly sent by a foreign company.

Alfred’s heart leaped to his throat.

He was about to instruct Leslie to do something when Caylie came over. As Alfred’s former girlfriend, she had met Lucia before.

If it was in the past, Lucia would have been delighted to see her. However, she was aware that Alfred’s heart now belonged to Melora, so she didn’t greet Caylie as warmly as before.

She didn’t even offer Caylie any drink.

However, Caylie didn’t seem to mind. She said softly. “Mr. Lodge, sorry for the trouble.”

Despite his inner shock. Alfred maintained a composed look and offered her a brief nod He shot Leslie a look, and the latter instantly understood what he wanted.

Leslie felt both nervous and impressed. Mr. Lodge is the only one who can see through everything and make firm decisions regardless of the circumstances.

They were certain that Melora had been kidnapped and that Caylie was the spy.

As the enemy had someone from their side in their grasp, Leslie immediately went out and texted an order: Kidnap Caylie Cook!

After sending the text, he went back and offered a calm smile as though nothing had happened. “Mr. Lodge, Miss Cook, it’s almost time.”

Alfred nodded.

Caylie followed him into the car.

The atmosphere inside the car was tense. No one uttered a word as if they were engaged in a silent competition.

When the car came to a halt at the research center, Alfred’s phone rang. It was a call from an unknown” number, and the caller’s voice was altered. “Hello, Mr. Lodge!”

Alfred clutched his phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Nevertheless, he asked with a smile, “What do you want?”

The person at the other end of the line chuckled out loud and ended the call.

A photo was immediately sent to Alfred, and it was enough to shatter his heart.

In the photo, Melora could be seen tied to a chair with her lips sealed, and below her was the Lodge family driver. They were both in an abandoned warehouse, The person called him yet again.

“Mr. Lodge, I trust you haven’t forgotten how Noel Lodge and his wife met their end. They were quite stubborn, and Noel didn’t seem to care much for his wife. She was truly stunning. What a shame.”

Alfred held his phone in a death grip.

After a brief pause, he responded in a cold tone, “You’re using a young lady to threaten me for information? Dream on! Do whatever you want to her!”

With that, he ended the call.

The person on the other end of the line was a tanned and tall man.

He appeared visibly surprised that Alfred had ended the call without hesitation and shot a glance at Melora.

According to Caylie’s information, she’s Alfred’s lover. I can’t believe he doesn’t care if she lives or dies. Dmn it! People in his position are truly heartless.

He was determined to proceed with causing harm, but someone next to him promptly stopped him. “Are you out of your mind?

She’s from the Miller family!”

Gritting his teeth, the man headed out to catch a wild rooster. He chopped the rooster’s head off and put it into a plastic bag.

“Send this to Allred!”

At that moment, his subordinate approached him with a phone and whispered, “Our superior wants us to capture Cayle Cook.

She’s Alfred’s first love, so he’s sure to hand over the information!”

Caylie Cook?

The man was dumbfounded. “Isn’t she one of us?”

His subordinate scratched his head. “It’s an order from above!”

The man’s jaw tightened, and he sneered, “So, she’s been playing us for fools. I had no idea she used to date Alfred. Maybe she’s on his side given their past relationship!”

He then ordered his subordinates to abduct Caylic.

Following that, he turned Melora and kicked her twice in anger. “Your lover is quite something, isn’t he?

He has lovers all over the place! Can he take care of so many women?”

Melora was in a daze.

She had heard everything clearly.

A while ago, Alfred had said, “You’re using a young lady to threaten me for information? Dream on! Do whatever you want to her!”

She could guess that the information was really important, but she couldn’t believe he was abandoning.

Did he really just hang up like that? And is Miss Cook his lover as well?

She was so dumbfounded that she did not even cry.

Time ticked by.

At four in the afternoon, an alluring lady with a black cloth covering her head was brought in.

She looked stunning, dressed in a blue coat with her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

While she might not be as beautiful as Ingrid, she exuded a distinct grace.

Melora’s lips trembled as she stared at the newcomer. So she’s Alfred’s first love! How many women does he have?

Caylie had initially maintained a facade, but when the thugs started handling her roughly, she couldn’t contain her anger and delivered their leader a sharp slap. “You scoundrel! Why did you kidnap me?”

In response, the man swiftly retaliated with a slap of his own, causing Caylie’s ears to ring from the force of the blow.

She exploded, “What are you doing?”

The man stepped forward and gave her a forceful kick “What are we doing? F*ck! Why didn’t you tell us you used to date Alfred?

If you had been honest with us, we wouldn’t have needed to kidnap this young lady. We could’ve just kidnapped you to save the trouble!”

Caylie grinted her teeth in fury. “Who gave you the orders?”

“My superior!”

“Which superior?”

“What’s with all the questions? Tie her up along with that young one. She might be more valuable than the brat!”

Hearing that, the men flashed lecherous smiles.

Caylie knew Alfred better than these men.

Slowly, she calmed down and broke into a cold sweat.

The so-called superior must be Alfred! Alfred ordered them to abduct me so that he could rescue me and also save Melora.

The realization almost made her scream out loud, but she held herself back, well aware of Alfred’s capabilities.

While others might not be fully aware of Alfred’s ruthlessness, she knew it all too well. The fact that he could have her kidnapped meant that he had already gained control over her family. If anything were to happen to Melora, he would ensure that her family paid the price..

Jealousy overwhelmed her.

Alfred, an emotionally detached man, had never fallen for anyone, so she found it hard to believe he could be in love with a young woman. When they broke up, he had told her that he wasn’t suited for relationships.

Because of what he had told her, she had decided to defy him.

She had climbed the ranks in a foreign company, aiming to reach the same level as him so that he would regret his decision.

However, he had used her life as a bargaining chip in exchange for Melora’s safety.

Only Alfred was capable of doing that.

Late at night, Alfred sat alone in his office, his body leaning forward as he stared intently at his phone.

He was waiting for updates.

He had been up for over twenty-four hours, but that didn’t faze him. His expression remained grim.

Beside him, Leslie said, “Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll stay up.”

Alfred didn’t say anything.

Leslie began to worry. “Would Caylie-”

“She wouldn’t dare!”

By doing this, Alfred had already fallen out with her. If she hadn’t gone crazy, she wouldn’t say a word to her abductors.

Leshe nodded and resumed waiting in silence.

At nine in the evening, the same person called once more. “Mr. Lodge, your old flame, Miss Cook, is in our hands. You’re quite fortunate to have beautiful women in your life, aren’t you?”

Alfred responded darkly, “Don’t you dare touch her!”

The man chuckled sinisterly and deliberately reached out to touch Caylie. “If you want your old flame to emerge from this unharmed, you’ll need to make a sacrifice. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee she won’t meet the same fate as Noel Lodge’s wife.”

“Where are you? How do you want to carry this out?”

After ending the call, the man groped Caylie.

He even shot Melora a disgusted look. “It looks like Alfred prefers this woman over you.”

Melora froze.

She refused to believe the man’s words as something told her that Alfred had agreed to come just to save her.

Late at night, Alfred finally showed up.

The driver parked the car outside together and waited with the bodyguard and Leslie. Alfred entered the warehouse alone, carrying the chip himself. As he stepped inside, he immediately began coughing due to the dust in the air.

He glanced around and spotted Melora bound to a chair. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and she was looking at him with unwavering trust.

What a fool. She still trusts me even now!

Alfred’s heart was burdened with bitterness and anguish. However, he didn’t even spare Melora a glance and instead shot Caylie a worried and concerned look.

The man came over, playing with a knife in his hand.

Around eight men also closed in on him with vicious gazes.

Alfred was dressed in black attire, and with his striking appearance, he appeared exceptionally handsome despite the surroundings.

“Mr. Lodge, you’re indeed a womanizer.” The man grabbed Caylie’s hand and threw her forward. “Let’s complete the deal!”

Alfred revealed the chip in his palm.

“This is the complete information of the project.” The man did not believe him, so Alfred tossed the chip to him. “You can check it first!”

The man caught the chip.

However, that object wasn’t a chip but a tiny detonator. When the man touched it, it detonated, propelling both him and Caylie backward from the force of the explosion.

Everyone was stunned by how vicious Alfred was.

Caylie lay in a pool of blood, one of her hands a gruesome mess from the explosion. Despite her grave injuries, she glared at Alfred, unwilling to accept that he could be this heartless.

He did not hesitate to put her in grave danger just to save the woman he loved.

At the same time, the bodyguards rushed in along with some police officers.

Alfred and Melora locked eyes in silence.

She had expected him to approach her with a comforting embrace and help her out of the ropes, but. instead, he went to Caylie and gently lifted her, saying, “Caylie, I’ll take you to the hospital now!”

Caylie had almost fainted from the intense pain, but she forced herself to stay awake and stare at the man in front of her.

“Alfred, you’re really cruel Alfred leaned in closer. “You shouldn’t have laid your hands on her!” he said harshly although he looked as if he was whispering sweet words into her ear.

Caylie closed her eyes slightly.

She had lost to Melora, the socialite unfamiliar with the ways of the world. Moreover, she had been outmaneuvered by Alfred in terms of strategy. Alfred had long since infiltrated her company, and he proved to be far more capable than Noel.

Caylie was displeased. “Why didn’t you accept the mission back then?”

Back then?

Alfred lowered his head in remorse. He had intended to provide Melora with a family, but instead, his actions had led to Noel and his wife’s tragic demise.

Caylie, on the other hand; had lost one arm as a punishment for her role in Noel and his wife’s death. However, that wasn’t sufficient. He was determined to see the project succeed and use the technology in the aviation industry.

With Caylie in his arms, Alfred strode out of the warehouse.

Behind him, Melora’s soft voice rang out. “Mr. Alfred.”,