Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker

Chapter 31 

“Who told you to frame me?” It was Melody’s voice. 

“Mabel. It was Mabel.” Barclay’s voice came. 

“Mabel? She’s my sister,” said Melody. “Barclay, don’t slander her. Why would Mabel do this to me? You’re not telling the truth.” 

“Everything I said is true. Mabel asked me to do this. She said if I ruined your reputation, she would agree to date me,” said Barclay. 

The recording abruptly stopped there, causing an uproar in the hall. Everyone was awed by the unveiled truth. The recording couldn’t be faked, and it was obvious who was lying. 

Barclay’s face went pale, and Mabel, terrified, shook her head repeatedly, 

“No, it wasn’t me…” In panic, she could only seek help from Maria, who was closest to her. 

But Maria despised such scheming and family betrayal the most. At this moment, Maria’s sunken eyes gleamed with cold. 

“So it was you, Mabel. You disappoint me greatly!” She was genuinely disappointed. 

Although Maria had never liked Mabel and Yolanda, she had never mistreated them and even often taught Mabel with care. Now it seemed her efforts were in vain. 

t the Swanson 

“It’s not true, Maria.” Mabel knew that if word got out, she might never be able to marry into the Swanson family–not just t family, but any decent, wealthy family. 

“Mom.” Mabel ran crying to Yolanda. 

Yolanda, ashamed and frightened, never expected things to turn out this way. 

In desperation, Yolanda turned to Barclay and said, “Mr. Lawrence, I get how you feel, but smearing Mabel won’t fix your issue.” 

Barclay’s face darkened, and he asked throung gritted teeth, “What do you mean by that?” 

Yolanda raised her voice and said, “Many people here know that you have been pursuing Mabel for the past two years, but Mabel never liked you back. Still, you kept pestering her.” 

Barclay liked to keep things high profile, and his pursuit of Mabel was no secret. Everyong also knew Mabel wasn’t interested in him. 

After talking about how Barclay kept pursuing Mabel, Yolanda stopped and said, “It’s pretty clear, Mr. Lawrence, that since he couldn’t win Mabel’s heart, he tried to save face by ruining Melody’s reputation. When that didn’t work, he tried to bring Mabel down with him. It’s obvious what he was trying to dol 

The guests buzzed with comments, quickly siding with Yolanda and criticizing Barclay. 

“Barclay, you’ve lost your mind. Even though you like Mabel, you shouldn’t try to destroy what you can’t get.” 

“Barclay, you should apologize to Mabel and Melody immediately!” 

Barclay was nearly bursting with anger, shouting frantically, “Nonsenser She’s lying! Why would I sleep with Melody since I loved Mabel so much? Mabel told me that it ruined Melody’s reputation, she would be with me. Mabel plotted everything. Mabel, tell them yourselft 

Mabel’s eyelashes flattered slightly. Shy wasn’t foolish, if she admit it now, her life would be nained. 

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She threw herself into Yolanda’s arms, trembling and crying, “Mom, I’m scared.” 

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Mabel’s tear–filled eyes were naturally beautiful, and with the added effect of tears, they invoked even more pity. With her stunning face, she didn’t need to say much, and a few tears were enough to win sympathy. 

As expected, the guests looked at Barclay with disbelief and more disgust. In an instant, Mabel, the one behind the scenes, became the victim through her tears. 

Melody was really ticked off as she watched Mabel and Yolanda easily get out of the situation with just a few words, clenching her fists tightly. 

Barclay, far more enraged than Melody, felt a burning betrayal. “Mabel, you heartless bitch! You used and betrayed me! Mabel, Melody, mark my word. I won’t let either of you get away with it.” 

He was so mad, but even more, he blamed himself for not seeing Mabel for who she really was. He should have known earlier that a girl who tried to destroy her own sister’s reputation was not a good person. It was his own fault, his bad judgment! 

Barclay’s eyes reddened. Ken glanced at him and said, “Seems pretty clear, Barclay. Your actions caused this mess, so you can’t blame anyone else. You messed up my grandmother’s 80th birthday party, so I can’t let you stick around. From now on, don’t come around the Swanson family…” Then he turned to Fairlee and added, “And that goes for you too, Judge Lawrence.” 

Fairlee, caught off guard by being called out by a junior, stiffened. She was about to scold Ken but fell silent under his icy stare. His powerful presence, beyond words, left her speechless. Realizing she had been momentarily intimidated by Ken, she felt irritated. 

He’s only twenty–five! I’m much older than him and yet was intimidated by him,’ she thought. 

Regaining her composure, Fairlee wanted to say something, but for some reason, the words stuck in her throat, her face turning pale. Astrid, seeing Fairlee’s expression change, frowned and said, “Ken, how can you speak to Ms. Lawrence like that? She is your elder.” 

All because of Ken, her well–laid plans were now ruined. 

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