Chapter 205

S21 35. The Real Plan

Frank and Kara glanced at each other, not knowing how to respond. Even the twins were stunned. Only Barbara frowned secretly. She knew that her mother couldn’t possibly change without a reason.

“Grandma cooked for us?” Emily sighed, blinking.

Melanie nodded with a small smile. “Yes. There’s a special chicken salad for you.”

Emily smiled broadly. After turning her head, she saw the same expression on Louis. “It seems Grandma has changed too,” she whispered excitedly.

Louis nodded. A second later, he looked at Melanie. “Thank you, Grandma. We are happy that Grandma wants to cook for us.”

“Yeah, me too. Thank you, Grandma.” Emily put her hands to her cheeks and tilted her head.

Melanie laughed warmly. “You’re welcome. Now, let’s clean up.”

She patted Frank’s shoulder and glanced at Kara. “You too. Get ready”

Kara smiled and nodded awkwardly. “Yes, Mom.”

Frank did it too. Then, while wondering, he and the others went towards the stairs. He didn’t notice that Melanie’s smile turned crooked behind their backs.

“What are you planning, Mom?” Barbara whispered as the others disappeared from the sight. Her face was not friendly at all.

However, Melanie misinterpreted it. Smiling, she took Barbara’s hand. “Come on to your room. I have something to tell you.”

Like it or not, Barbara followed Melanie. When they arrived in the

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room, Melanie immediately patted her cheek.

“You are so great, Barbara. I’m so proud of you.”

Barbara furrowed her eyebrows slightly. The words sounded sincere to her. Even so, her suspicions still remained. “Why did you praise me?

Stroking Barbara’s hair, Melanie took a deep breath. “I know, I went too far yesterday. I shouldn’t have slapped you. I failed to control my emotions. Because of that, you want to forgive me, right?”

Barbara’s heart sank a little. Her eyes now flashed with doubt. “Yes,” she said slowly.

“Thank you, My Dear. You are the best child in the world.” Melanie cupped Barbara’s cheek and kissed her forehead.

“Now,” she led Barbara to sit on the edge of the bed, “tell me. Where did you get such a brilliant idea? How can you do everything so easily? You secretly have some talent, hmm?”

Barbara’s mouth opened again. Her furrowed brows deepened. “Idea? What idea?”

Melanie patted the back of Barbara’s hand. Her laughter was fai

“You think I didn’t pay attention to you? I also watched that broadca Darling. I never knew that you were really good at acting. Good jo My Dear!”

Barbara was stunned. Still with her mouth open, she shook her head faintly. “Acting what? I’m not acting at all.”

Once again, Melanie let out a laugh. “It’s okay, My Dear. You don’t need to pretend. I do like surprises. But, I can’t possibly let you fight alone. So, let’s fight together.”

“Wait a minute. I really don’t understand, Mom. You seem to have

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misunderstood.”.

“No, I actually understand very well. You deliberately acted nice to gain their sympathy, right? I saw that your efforts were successful. You even went home with them, in that limousine.”

While Barbara sighed in disbelief, Melanie raised her finger. “Now, continue your struggle. I will also try to win their hearts. Once those people let their guard down, then we will break down their defenses. We can get everything we want, Barbara. They will go bankrupt, while we will get richer.”

Barbara could no longer hold back her annoyance. “Do you want to seize their property too?” Her tone started to rise.

Not expecting Barbara to speak so loudly, Melanie hushed her. “I know you’re very excited, but you have to be careful. Our plan can’t fail, Dear. We’re getting closer to our goal.”

With a quick sigh, Barbara got out of bed. “Don’t you realize that your intentions are going too far? You’re starting to get greedy.”

Witnessing her daughter’s anger, Melanie’s lips finally shrunk. Tilting her head, she whispered, “You call me greedy?” A second later, a quick sigh escaped her mouth.

“Did you forget? All the property they own is actually ours. It’s mine. I’m the real Mrs. Harper, not Kara, let alone that useless old woman.”

Barbara shook her head swiftly. “Come to your senses, Mom. You’re no longer Mrs. Harper. You’re Mrs. Harris. You should be grateful that you still have the opportunity to inherit Rowan Harper’s gold savings.”

“No,” Melanie rebuked firmly. “Gold alone is not enough. I must reclaim the rights I lost.”

“So, your goal is different now? You’re no longer trying to survive in this house for one month to be declared worthy of receiving an

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inheritance? But to have it all?”

Melanie’s eyebrows furrowed in displeasure. “Why do you say like it’s something disgusting? I’m doing this for our future, Dear. With that much wealth, we don’t have to worry about anything.”

Barbara snorted and looked down. Her disappointment was no longer contained. “You know what? This is the first time I feel really

embarrassed.”

Seeing Barbara’s wince, Melanie closed her mouth. She was suddenly afraid of what her daughter would say.

“While other people are struggling to achieve their dreams, we are busy looking for loopholes to steal profits.”

Suddenly, Barbara looked up. Her eyes were now so red and teary.

“Can’t we make our wishes come true the right way? I don’t want to be labeled a bad person anymore, Mom. I’m tired.”

“Barbara, do you realize what you’re talking about? Since when did you have such a weak heart? This isn’t you.”

“This is precisely who I am. Please stop, Mom. I don’t want to tak anything anymore. I don’t want to hide and pretend anymore. I wa to be free.”

Melanie laughed lightly. “How could you possibly be free with so little money? Come on, Darling. Don’t test my patience. Get back to our plan.”

“If your plan is just to get the gold, okay! I will help you, survive one month in this house. But….” Barbara put more emphasis. “If you aim for more, especially at the expense of other people, I disagree.”

Melanie sighed heavily. “What’s wrong with you? If you disagree, why did you let them use you?”

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“They didn’t use me, they helped me. Thanks to them, I started to develop. And thanks to them too, I felt the warmth of family again. They are good people, Mom.”

“Don’t be fooled, Barbara! They are good because they don’t want us to make enemies of them. That’s their sneaky way of not losing their

wealth.”

Suddenly, Barbara raised one hand. “Enough, Mom. Stop distorting the facts. I don’t want to hear it anymore.”

Melanie’s breath started to rumble. “You dare to argue with me? Your mind has been poisoned by them, huh?”

“I’m just trying to be mature, choose what is good and right.”

Melanie’s jaw throbbed. “Then, you want to defend them? Thwart my plan? Have you forgotten that what we are after can also save your dad?”

Barbara fell silent. Her expression gradually turned sad. “Is Rowan’s gold not enough to save Dad’s company?”

Melanie smiled crookedly. “Of course not. The company’s debt is too big. Therefore, you have to help me.””

Barbara looked down, her forehead furrowed. Her mind and heart both heavy. She didn’t know how to react.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Melanie’s eyes immediately turned alert. “Who is it?””

“Philip, Ma’am.”

Barbara’s face straightened again. She wondered whether the man heard their conversation or not. “What is it?” she asked in a shaky

voice.

“A guest wants to meet you.”

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Melanie and Barbara exchanged glances. Before they had time to ask, Philip stated the answer. “Paul Harris.”

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