Chapter 172

Chapter 172

Joshua found himself in a dilemma as he shifted his gaze from Melanie to Simon. After pondering for a while, he finally came up with an excuse and said to Melanie, “Since you don’t feel like eating, how about I take you inside to see some paintings? I’ve mentioned them before. I think you’ll like them.”

Although Melanie was still somewhat uncomfortable, considering it was Joshua’s birthday, she

nodded slightly and went inside with him.

As they passed by Eugene, Melanie could feel his icy gazè scanning her. However, she did not spare a single glance at him.

The paintings in Joshua’s house were all the work of a contemporary artist. Melanie had seen

information about this artist from Xander before.

Joshua rubbed his hands awkwardly. “Melanie, Simon is just like that. Don’t take it to heart.”

Melanie did not respond. She knew Simon better than anyone else.

Joshua realized he should not apologize on Simon’s behalf. Hesitating, he was just about to attempt to change the topic when he heard his phone ring. He checked his phone and noticed that it was a call from his company.

Glancing at Melanie, he hesitated before saying, “I’ve some business to attend to. I’ll take the call

outside.”

Melanie nodded, engrossing herself in the paintings.

Worried that Melanie might be bored, Joshua said, “Stephen went out for a bit. I’ll ask him to come and keep you company.”

With that, he scurried away.

Melanie did not mind it. She had no intention of going out and running into Simon again. Instead, she

focused on admiring one of the paintings.

The muffled voices outside occasionally reached her ears, but they were indistinct.

Suddenly, footsteps approached her. Melanie thought it was Stephen. She took out her phone, snapped a photo, sent it to Xander, and asked Stephen, “Did Xander confirm when he’ll be returning to Jepton?”

She recalled Xander mentioning that the artist’s upcoming exhibition would be coming to Jepton

when he made the introduction to her. When she did not hear Stephen reply to her after some time, Melanie turned around. However, instead of the man she was expecting, she saw Eugene.

His dark eyes were fixed on her, and his tone was casual. “You seem to be in a good mood. Is it because Xander is coming back to Jepton?”

The calm expression on Melanie’s face turned a bit chilly as she countered, “And if it is? What’s it to

Chapter 172

you?”

Eugene’s eyes narrowed. He glanced at her casually for a moment before replying, “Doesn’t matter much.”

The frustration in Melanie’s heart surged again. Keeping any emotion from entering her voice, she said to Eugene, “Since it doesn’t matter much, kindly ask your friend to mind his own business.”

That was a reference to Simon.

Eugene’s brows twitched slightly. He was about to say something when a loud thunderclap rang outside, followed by Simon’s displeased voice. “Damn, it’s raining!”

Summers in Jepton were rainy, and sometimes, it would storm all of a sudden.

Large raindrops began to fall at the end of Simon’s cursing. The people outside rushed into the house in a panic. They did not care about Melanie and Eugene, who were inside, as they were too busy seeking shelter from the rain.

Although Melanie and Eugene were not initially standing that close, the crowd moved them a few steps closer. She could now smell the cedar scent on Eugene.

As she stepped back a couple of paces, Melanie suddenly heard a loud thud from outside, followed by Viola’s yelp.

Chapter 173