<h4>Chapter 326: Sister-inw</h4>


    "I think we should invest in hospitals next, my dear sister-inw."


    Melody blinked as she looked up at the man who had just entered the room. Despite the casual smile on his face and the wink he threw her way, a cold ripple of fear crept down her spine. Her breath hitched for a fraction of a second. Who was this person?


    Her gaze shifted quickly toward the door. Was anyone else nearby? He seemed to know her but she had no idea... if Adam was here, she would have had a chance to at least know the person’s name...Should she fake being sick or call for Adam. No...she couldn’t risk that. Not yet. She needed time to think.


    Her mind raced as the man stepped further inside with a rxed air, walked past the foot of the bed, and ced a bouquet of fresh flowers on the small table beside her.


    Before she could react, before she could ask him anything ore up with a believable excuse, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. The gesture was warm and brotherly, but to her it might as well have been a threat. Her muscles tensed instinctively, as she tried to think hard about who this could be.


    "This is what now? Your third hospital visit... or the fourth?" he said with a chuckle as he straightened. "At this rate, I’m beginning to think it would be more profitable for StormEdge to invest directly in the hospital business. Saves us a fortune in bills, and who knows, we might even get your husband a permanent office here."


    He grinned at his own joke, clearly expecting her tough along. Melody managed to smile in return, but her eyes stayed fixed on his face. She was trying really really hard to think. He had called her sister-inw. That meant he knew Adam. Not just knew him, he was close enough to throw around that kind of familiarity without a second thought.


    She studied him more closely now. He was someone close in Adam’s circle. For a moment, she felt panic. She didn’t know who this person was. Her act was going to be revealed.


    Just then, the man’s smile faded slightly. He narrowed his eyes, frowning as he tilted his head at her.


    "Why are you staring at me like you don’t know me at all? And noebacks either?"


    Panic hit her like a jolt of electricity. Her stomach turned. She’d looked at him too long.


    Melody quickly shook her head, forced a softugh and said, "Of course I know you, Max. As if you would let me forget."


    That did the trick as Max rolled his eyes and shook his head, going to sit on the couch on the other side. Melody let out a quiet breath, almost soundless, and allowed her shoulders to ease just slightly. That had been far too close. One more second of hesitation, and he might have started asking questions she couldn’t answer.


    Damn it. She needed to be more careful. Much more careful.


    Luckily, her obsession with Adam had left her with some unexpected advantages. During the endless hours she had spent reading up on him, digging into anything connected to StormEdge, she hade across the name Maximilian Stone. Chairman of StormEdge. She remembered seeing a photograph of him, maybe in a business profile or an investor’s report, though she hadn’t paid much attention at the time.


    What she hadn’t realized and no article had made clear, was just how close he was to Adam. Or to Mnie. Apparently close enough to walk in without warning, call her sister-inw, and nt a kiss on her cheek like it was the most natural thing in the world.


    This time, she had gotten lucky. A name, a face, a vague recollection from ate-night search had saved her.


    But next time?


    What would she do if someone else walked in, someone she hadn’t read about, someone who expected Mnie’s memories and Mnie’s reactions?


    Should she pretend to have amnesia? But the thought was immediately discarded. The doctors had already run their tests, checked her thoroughly, and they’d confirmed that her head was fine. No trauma. No memory loss. If she imed anything now, it would only raise more suspicion if she slipped upter.


    She was still trapped in that tangle of thoughts when Max’s voice broke through her haze.


    "So, where is Adam, anyway? How could he possibly bear to leave your side?"


    Melody snapped out of her daze, blinking once before shifting her expression into a calm smile. This was safer ground. A simple question about Adam. One she could handle.


    "He went to take Adir to Mnie’s..." she caught herself and corrected smoothly, "I mean, to my friend La’s ce."


    She nced at Max, checking for any reaction about her slip up. Dam* it! She had almost referred to herself in third person. Thankfully, there was no reaction as Max had started to check out the fruits and started eating them so she continued to exin, "Since I’m going to be here for the next few days, we figured it would be better for Adir to stay there. La has looked after him before, and he really likes being with her. He’d be morefortable at her ce than being stuck in a hospital waiting room."


    That part, at least, was true. Buther next problem was going to be La. No one knew much about the girl other than that her parents were powerful and that she was good friends with Mnie. As such, her biggest fear was facing La. It was why she has pretended to be asleep and exhausted when she had arrived to see her. She would be able to recognise her easily.


    So, the best way to avoid La and keep her away without raising suspicion was to keep La busy with Adir. With La out of the way, Melody could focus her entire energy on bing Mnie....


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