Free Web NovelChapter 482: Chapter 482: A Mutually Destructive Plan
Nina Summers didn’t dare look at Melody Summers. She lowered her head, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, and answered in a small voice, "I... I couldn’t find a trash can. I had to search outside for a long time before I found one... I’m sorry, cousin. I made you worry."
Melody Summers waved her hand dismissively. "It’s fine. As long as you’re okay. We just opened a few cans of yellow peaches. Go have some!"
Nina Summers nodded and walked into the living room. Her grandmother, wiping flour from her hands, smiled at her and said, "Nina, dear. Grandma remembers you love Coca-Cola chicken wings. I just took a pack of wings out to thaw. I’ll make them for you tonight!"
Nina’s eyes flickered. Her fingers dug into her palms until her knuckles turned white. She lowered her head and replied in a small voice, "Thank you, Grandma..."
Her grandma smiled and turned back to the kitchen.
Melody Summers walked into the living room holding Albus. She saw Nina Summers sitting dazedly on the sofa, a troubled look on her face. Melody approached her and asked with some confusion, "...What’s wrong with you?"
At the sound of Melody’s voice, Nina’s body gave a slight, almost imperceptible shudder. At that moment, her palms were slick with nervous sweat.
After a moment, she looked up at Melody and said quietly, "It’s nothing... Cousin, I just feel a little bad... I’m freeloading here every day and can’t even do anything to help out..."
Melody smiled, sat down next to Nina, and gently pinched her cheek. "Don’t worry about it. We can afford it."
Although the temperature was now rising, national production hadn’t recovered yet. Droves of able-bodied young men couldn’t find work, which meant job opportunities for women were even scarcer.
It wouldn’t be too late for Nina to look for a job once reconstruction work began in the city proper.
That evening, Winnie Summers and Colin Summers returned. Nina took the initiative to greet them. "Aunt Winnie, Uncle Colin, I’ll be staying here for a few days. I hope I won’t be too much trouble."
Winnie and Colin had learned the previous day that Nina had been kicked out by Caleb Summers. Now, seeing the well-behaved and sensible girl, they couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for her.
Winnie patted Nina’s head and comforted her, "It’s no trouble at all. You poor child, you’ve been through a lot."
Just then, Grace Sutton brought over a pot of hot tea and said to Winnie and Colin, "Why have you two been coming home so late these past few days? Did something happen again?"
Colin took a sip of tea and replied, "Grant and the others said the city is planning to establish a reconstruction zone right here in our area! They’ve been discussing how to start construction on the back mountain. I heard those large-scale indoor farming and breeding facilities are all lining up to move in!"
Grace was taken aback. "The back mountain?" she asked, confused. "Why on earth would they move to the back mountain?"
Colin replied, "Haven’t you been watching the news? The rain hasn’t stopped. The east side of the city is already flooded. If this keeps up, the south side won’t be safe for long either. The government said this rain is going to last for a long time. Our area has the highest elevation, so it’s the safest!"
Just then, Grandma came over and announced to everyone, "Dinner’s ready. Let’s eat!"
It was a magnificent dinner. Besides the Coca-Cola chicken wings Nina loved, there was also pickled cabbage with pork and glass noodles, sour soup lamb, and a medley of rehydrated tribute vegetable, kelp, tofu skin, and wood ear mushrooms, all blanched in a hot pot base. The aroma filled the entire dining room.
But for some reason, despite the delicious spread, Nina seemed to have no appetite.
Melody, puzzled, couldn’t help but ask, "What is with you today? You’ve been so out of it. What exactly happened?"
Before Nina could speak, the wail of police sirens suddenly sounded from outside.
Hearing the sound, everyone in the room froze. Grace Sutton muttered in confusion, "What’s going on? Why are the police here?"
Colin felt a little uneasy and was about to get up to check on the situation, but unexpectedly, Nina suddenly shot to her feet!
Nina grabbed Colin’s arm and said urgently, "Don’t go! Uncle, none of us should go outside today!"
Colin was startled by Nina’s sudden action. Seeing her anxious expression, he said, though confused, "...Alright. We won’t go out. None of us will."
Grace nodded in agreement. "Nina’s right. The police showing up this late at night can’t be good. Maybe there are robbers or something. We shouldn’t get involved. Best to avoid trouble!"
So the family sat back down at the table and continued eating.
Watching Nina’s strange behavior, Melody’s suspicion soared to its peak.
Unable to bear it any longer, she pulled Nina into the living room and said in a low voice, "Nina Summers, what is really going on with you?"
Nina knew she couldn’t hide it anymore. She hesitated for a moment, then confessed everything about Zara Walsh approaching her.
Seeing the color drain from Melody’s face, Nina quickly explained, "Cousin, don’t worry, I only pretended to agree with her! She said she has a cousin-uncle who’s the deputy director at my dad’s workplace. I plan to use her to take my dad down!"
"She thinks I care about my dad, so she’s using that to threaten me. I’ll pretend to go along with her plan, then double-cross her at the last minute and keep her ring. Not only will her scheme fail, but she’ll also lose a ring. She’ll definitely retaliate viciously against my dad. Maybe his position won’t be safe anymore!"
Listening to Nina’s plan and seeing the familiar Pink Diamond Ring in her hand, Melody couldn’t help but gasp!
’If I remember correctly, this ring was auctioned for hundreds of millions! A piece of jewelry that expensive being stolen isn’t some petty case. The thief would get a sentence of several decades at least!’
Melody couldn’t take it anymore. She hissed at Nina, "Are you insane? You want to keep the ring? Do you have any idea that ring is worth hundreds of millions? If the police catch you, you can expect to rot in prison for the rest of your life!"
Nina bit her lip tightly and said nothing.
Of course, she knew how serious this was. If the police discovered the truth, she would be the one to end up behind bars.
She also knew Zara Walsh would never let her off the hook. To get the ring back, Zara might even kidnap her and torture her.
She had agonized over it for a long time, considering all the possible consequences. But for the sake of getting revenge on Caleb Summers, she no longer cared.
Seeing her silence, Melody continued, "You’re being too naive! If she has security cameras at her house, you’ll be completely exposed, don’t you get it?"
Nina shook her head and said quietly, "She won’t have cameras running... According to the plan she told me, the first thing the police will do when they show up is check the security footage. If they see me on camera, my accusation will look too suspicious... She’s not that stupid..."
It was precisely because she had thought this through that Nina had decided to risk it all. Only by making Zara swallow this bitter pill and lose a diamond ring could she provoke Zara’s fury to the maximum and make her retaliate fiercely against Caleb Summers!
Melody almost laughed in anger at Nina’s words. She sneered, "I really underestimated you. You’re actually willing to play the mutual destruction card, aren’t you? Tell me, what do you get out of this...?"
Before Melody could finish, Nina suddenly spoke—
"Because I hate him."
Melody was slightly stunned. Nina lifted her head, her reddened eyes burning with endless fury. "Cousin, I really hate him. I wish he would just die!"
