Ch. 2471..2480

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2471-The best thing Shaun had done was to cast Melody in the role of Athena. With Melody starring as the female lead, the movie was bound to succeed.

"To be honest, it's been years since I've seen such a talented actress, especially one who looks like hers."

Shaun took a drag of his cigarette, trying to contain the excitement bubbling up inside him. He could not wait to watch the finished film.

Mick shared the same sentiment. Although producers usually prioritize the box office appeal of the main cast in commercial films, this time he was dedicated to

making a film that could make a splash in awards season.

Melody was simply a gift from above for them!

"I refuse to believe that the audience won't be moved by Melody's performance."

It was also fortunate that Melody's debut film was 'War Song', allowing her to play the character Athena when she was at her age. Later, this film became a classic even after more than a decade, and Melody's portrayal of Athena earned her the title of 'Every Teenage Boy's Goddess'. The film swept the award that year, to the delight of the cast and crew.

Melody had been discussing with her studio staff about organizing a fan meetup. Even though she knew she was just starting out and might not have many fans yet, they had been stuck to her through all the scandals, and she wanted to do something to sincerely thank them.

"Just tell the studio staff what you have in mind and they'll arrange it for you. I personally hired them for you since they are all top professionals in the industry.

They'll tailor your acting career path for you." Melody no longer felt uncomfortable about receiving help from Lucas. She knew they were truly in a relationship together, and just as Lucas helped her with some things, she would make breakfast for him every day.

"Alright, but Paige and the other studio staff don't really recommend me holding the fan meetup right now, but I really want to…" Melody said, affectionately linking her arm with Lucas', trying to get some advice from him.

When it came to what Melody wanted to do, Lucas had always been supportive.

"If you want to meet them, then go ahead, but you'll need to prioritize your safety. Each fan must undergo identity checks before entering. We can't allow any haters to sneak in," Lucas advised. Melody let go of Lucas' arm, and asked pensively, "Huh? Why do you know about all this?"

Lucas tried to change the subject. "Do you want some orange juice?"

"No! And don't try to change the subject!" Melody said, looking at Lucas silently.

The two of them locked eyes for a moment, and then Lucas could not help but chuckle. Since the incident before, he also registered an account online and successfully joined Melody's fan group. Leveraging his excellent management skills, he had become one of the administrators of Melody's fan group, so he had a good understanding of the goings on within the fan community. He also knew what everyone was worried about.

He was heartened to see so many strangers loving Melody deeply just like him.

Melody was the girl most deserving of love in the world, and he hoped that more and more people would like her.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2472-It was also because of lurking in the fan community that Lucas realized that some people were truly twisted enough to join fan meetups of celebrities they did not like for the sole intention of causing them harm. Lucas did not understand why such people existed in the world. 'Don't they have anything else better to do? Why would they dedicate their whole life to harming a stranger?' Besides, Melody had not even done anything to her haters, so why would they hate her enough to want to hurt her?

"I'm not telling you."

"Why not?" Melody exclaimed helplessly, throwing herself into Lucas' arms.

Unfortunately, he was very proud, and no matter how Melody pleaded, he would not tell her.

It had been a long time since Quinn went back to New Capital City. As soon as she got off the plane, she exclaimed in surprise, "No wonder you didn't want to go back to Molomia, Thalia. It's like heaven and earth compared to when I went abroad years ago. I'll be happy too if I can stay back here. It's so much better than Molomia!"

Compared to her friend's excitement, Thalia's expression seemed somewhat grim.

"Alright, settle down, buckle your seatbelt. This isn't Molomia."

After Quinn recovered from her initial excitement, she observed her friend and asked, "What's wrong? Why the long face? What's going on? And where's Lucas? Why didn't he come to pick me up with you?" Quinn had just returned to the country, and there were many things Thalia had not told her. Thalia felt a surge of hatred whenever Lucas was mentioned.

"It's a long story. He's been snatched away by another woman."

Quinn scrutinized her friend from head to toe incredulously. "No way! How is that possible? Didn't that man owe your sister his life and promise to take responsibility for you? How could he forget that and let another woman come between you two?"

"Hmph! It's because that woman is very manipulative. Lucas wouldn't have ignored me if it weren't for her! He clearly had feelings for me, but he got lured away by that woman! Damn it!"

Quinn had known Thalia for many years, but she did not quite understand why Thalia was so fixated on her childhood sweetheart. Since the guy was with someone else, why not find someone new? There were so many men in the world; must she insist on this one and die on this hill?

"Alright! Cheer up! Now that I'm back, I'll help you for sure if you really want to be with Lucas that much!"

Thalia scoffed coldly. "Help me? What makes you think you can help me?"

"Hey, are you looking down on me? Don't forget, I'm your friend, and I'm an expert in the matters of the heart. Men, well, they're all the same." Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Find_Nøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Indeed, Thalia needed Quinn's assistance with certain matters.

Two days later, Wendy finally emerged from her room. Two days were enough to drain her of all her energy and spirit. Helen's heart ached to see the child she had raised since young tortured into this state. "Wendy, no matter how angry you are, you should still eat! Look at how skinny you've become after not eating for these two days. How will you work in the future?"

Wendy lifted her head and stared at Helen for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. "Huh, are you really concerned about me?"

"What kind of question is that? I'm your mother, of course, I'm worried about you. I've knocked on your door so many times, but you never answered. All you do is get angry and don't even take care of yourself…"

Helen went on and on. She had decided that since they had completely severed ties with Melody, the three of them had to live their lives well.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2473-Although Helen had moments of regret, she knew she could not live her life holding on to the past forever.

"If you really cared about me, why didn't you just strangle your biological daughter back then?" Wendy's expression changed suddenly as if she were a demon crawling out of hell. She grabbed Helen's shoulders and shook her vigorously. "Huh? Why didn't you strangle her? If you hadn't given birth to her in the first place, there wouldn't be a Melody tormenting me now. Do you have any idea how much pain I'm in? Everything I had has been ruined by your daughter!"

Helen screamed, "Wendy, what's gotten into you?!"

The reason she had not aborted Melody was because she thought Melody was a boy. If she had a son, she would have had a firm foothold in the Sanders family. It was just a pity that things did not go as planned.

"Your despicable daughter is constantly fighting with me over things. I hate you.

I'll never accept someone as rotten as you as my mom."

Helen stood still, her struggling movements halted. She felt aggrieved at all the accusations Wendy was hurling at her. She had not imagined that all her years of effort would be in vain. The shock was so much that she could not react for a while.

'Is Wendy hating me or Melody?' she wondered.

At that moment, Ethan, who was slowly walking back home, also saw them. He rushed over to pry Wendy's hand off.

"Wendy, what are you doing? She's your mom!"

Wendy's eyes were so red they seemed like they could drip blood. "You're all crazy! She's not my mom. You forced me to call her mom, but her daughter took everything from me! Ah-"

Wendy let go of her own accord, stumbling backward until she collapsed on the ground. She had gotten too weak from the hunger strike and had used up the last of her strength.

Helen sank into the couch, feeling utterly hollow.

"I've been worrying about you for nothing…" Helen muttered to herself.

Unfortunately, no one heard her except herself.

Seeing his eldest daughter in such a deranged state, Ethan naturally felt a headache coming on. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FindNʘᴠᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Wendy, snap out of it. You're no match for Melody. Just stop provoking her.

Why are you being so stubborn?"

Wendy finally could not hold back and threw herself into Ethan's arms, crying loudly.

"Dad, what should I do? Everything I had is ruined, I have nothing left! Melody has ruined me!"

Ethan was naturally heartbroken to see his precious daughter like this. He did not even notice that Helen was lying on the couch looking strangely out of it.

Helen had never imagined that her life would turn out so pathetic. After marrying Ethan and enjoying a period of good times in their marriage, all the problems began after Melody was born. They had hoped for a boy, someone who could get along well with Wendy, but unexpectedly, another daughter arrived.

Since then, Helen felt that her mother-in-law never looked at her with favor.

Every time she went to her in-laws' house, she felt nitpicked and criticized.

Helen believed that all of this was brought about by Melody, so she could not help but feel particularly resentful toward her.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2474-However, Helen could not do anything to the other daughter in the family. As a stepmother, she had to give a thousand and receive only ninety-nine in return.

She had harbored grievances, but every time she thought of her husband, she silently swallowed all her complaints.

She never imagined that some of the sacrifices she made would ultimately make her out to be the villain. Why?

Helen fainted then. When Ethan finally noticed, the tears on her cheeks had not even dried yet.

Ethan had been something of a prodigy in his early years. Unfortunately, ever since his father passed away, which was a severe blow to his family, he too fell

into a decline. He wanted to lead the Sanders family back to its former glory, but he was never adept at business. In the company, he could only struggle to maintain the status quo while also being wary of being manipulated.

It was a week later when Melody heard about Helen being admitted to the hospital. She had already finalized her schedule to meet with fans at the studio, and she was meticulously preparing gifts for her fans. Paige reported the news to Melody while she was wrapping gifts, causing her hands to pause.

"Do they say what illness she has?"

"I heard it's a stroke, and it's taking quite some time for her to recover, so she hasn't gotten better yet."

Melody remained silent for a long while before finally acknowledging Paige's words. Perhaps sensing her mood, Paige did not disturb her further.

At the end of the day, Helen was Melody's mother, and she wanted to go see her.

"You can visit her if you want, but you must have Mister Lucas accompany you,"

said Paige calmly. "There's so many people watching your every move right now, and you must think of how it'll affect your career."

Melody was not exactly the type of celebrity Paige preferred to manage, given how she seemed to attract controversy and drama wherever she went.

However, since Lucas had spoken, she had no reason not to comply.

Melody forced a bitter smile. "Don't worry, Paige. I won't go looking for trouble.

And if I do go, I'll choose a time when nobody's around."

Meanwhile, Thalia had arranged to meet Wendy at a secluded cafe.

"Are you sure she'll come?" Thalia ordered a coffee, not fully trusting the woman in front of her, knowing she was not particularly bright and had fallen into Melody's trap multiple times.

"I'm very sure. She's been longing for Helen's love her whole life, and now her biological mother is lying in the hospital. If she doesn't go to visit her, we can use that as an opportunity to write news articles about it as well."

In any case, if Melody showed up, they would have news to write, and if she did not, they could easily label her as a bad daughter. The thought of Melody being drowned in other people's criticisms made her involuntarily reveal a sinister, calculating smile.

Thalia lowered her head silently, avoiding eye contact with the woman in front of her. She would have never believed it if someone had told her half a month ago that this person before her was Wendy Sanders.

She had not expected that in just a few weeks, Wendy would transform into a completely different person. Previously, her face still had some flesh, but at that moment it looked thin and sharp. She kept emitting a dark vibe which was understandable, given that she was being dragged down by all the things that had happened in her family.

Thalia made up her mind. She would only join forces with Wendy this once to defeat Melody. She could not afford to be deeply involved with such a foolish person, who looked like she was on the brink of collapse, lest she dragged her down too. Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the FɪndNovᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2475-"Okay. Now that we've decided everything, we don't need to meet again. We wouldn't want Melody getting suspicious of us," said Thalia.

Wendy scoffed. "Don't be a coward. We don't need to be scared of her. Just look at her, she doesn't even dare to go out without bodyguards. Ha, there will come a day when I seize the opportunity. Melody, just wait. I'm going to pour acid all over that pretty face of yours!"

Her tone was particularly sinister and frightening, making Thalia feel extremely uncomfortable.

"You can't do anything now. She always has people around her, so how can you guarantee you'll escape unscathed? I won't cooperate with you if you can't even

control yourself," said Thalia. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the (ꜰind)ɴʘvel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Wendy immediately raised her head and began to shout, "What? Are you breaking our agreement?!"

Thalia felt embarrassed. There were other customers in the cafe, and they were starting to throw disapproving glances at them.

"Quiet! Can you please lower your voice? I told you, you need to control yourself. Don't you want to get revenge on Melody? Look at yourself right now.

You can't even get close to Melody in this state, let alone seek revenge!"

Wendy's chest heaved violently. "I want revenge. There isn't a moment I don't want revenge. I wish I could take a knife and carve up her face. I want her to taste the pain I'm going through right now."

She gritted her teeth, while Thalia smiled satisfactorily. What she needed was someone she could control, not a rabid dog ready to bite at any moment.

"As long as you can control yourself, trust me, I will make Melody suffer even more than you are right now," Thalia assured.

"Really? Do you really have a way?" Wendy clung to the hope like a drowning person grasping at a straw. All her thoughts were centered around 'destroying Melody'. She did not know what meaning there was left in living if she could not witness Melody's downfall.

"Just wait and see," replied Thalia.

As soon as Lucas finished work, he went to Melody's studio to pick her up.

Seeing her clearly low spirits, he could not help but sigh inwardly. No matter how badly Helen treated Melody, she was still her mother at the end of the day.

Melody had long severed ties with her, but emotionally speaking, they were still tied together.

Melody only snapped out of her daze when Lucas grabbed her hand.

"You already heard the news, didn't you?" she asked.

"Paige told me before informing you," Lucas replied, rubbing Melody's palm.

Without his approval, Paige would not have dared to pass the news on to Melody.

She sighed deeply. "I'm so tired, Lucas. I don't know if I should go see her. I really don't think she's a good mother. But why do I still feel so upset?"

Melody covered her eyes and started crying. She did not understand why she had to go through all of this.

"Am I that bad? Why am I being punished like this?"

Lucas tenderly held Melody in his arms. Even if the wrongdoing came from parents, it was always the children who endured the pain. No matter how many years passed, the wounds caused by a parent would not heal.

"It's not your fault, none of this is your fault. She's wrong for the way she treated you. She chose a different path," Lucas reassured her.

Lucas hoped Melody could cut ties with everything from the past, if possible.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2476-chapter will update soon

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2477-'Wendy isn't afraid of others criticizing her, so why does Helen care so much about others' opinions?' wondered Melody.

She sighed after thinking about all the things Helen did over the years and the place she ended up then. She no longer wanted to ask her if she regretted anything. It was not necessary anymore. The driver drove the car into the hospital parking lot. Surprisingly, the desolate hospital seemed to have more people than usual.

Just as Melody was about to open the door and get out, Lucas suddenly grabbed her hand, his expression alert, signaling her not to get out of the car.

"What's wrong?" Melody turned back, surprised. "Your hands are ice-cold. Did something happen?" S~ᴇaʀᴄh the FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Lucas stared tensely at the abnormal crowd outside the car window.

"I've looked into this hospital before. There's no way there would be so many people, especially at this time in the evening when most patients' families would be out for dinner. There shouldn't be this many people in the parking lot!"

Even Melody noticed something was off.

"Mister Lucas, they look like reporters, and they're holding cameras!" The driver pointed out.

Melody finally noticed that, despite their attempts to appear as other professions, some of them could not resist taking out cameras.

"Well, it seems like someone had planned this," said Lucas with a scoff, dismissing these tactics as insignificant.

However, seeing Melody already upset in the afternoon, and then being bothered by these paparazzi, his mood soured as well.

Melody sighed. "I kind of expected this to happen, but I didn't expect there'll be so many reporters."

Despite not having officially debuted yet and her movie 'War Song' not yet released, Melody found herself repeatedly hounded by these reporters.

Lucas had been doing his best to protect her. However, he never expected there would be an oversight on his part. Earlier, he actually felt relieved as the car veered further away, thinking they would not be disturbed in such a remote location.

However, he never expected someone would arrange so many reporters, who were waiting for Melody to step out of the car and once again propel her to the top of the trending topics. Melody was in no hurry to get out of the car. "Who do you think arranged these reporters?" Her voice was soft, afraid to hear an answer from Lucas that she did not want to hear. Lucas patted her hand gently.

"Don't worry, Helen is lying in bed, unable to even get up. So she couldn't have possibly done this. The most likely culprit is Wendy."

Lucas' eyes narrowed, thinking that he should have taught Wendy a lesson last time so that she would never cause trouble for Melody again.

"Oh, I think so too. After all these years, she still sees me as a thorn in her side.

When we used to live together, she tried to steal everything from me. She even stole my mother's love. Isn't that enough? What did I do to deserve her hatred?"

Melody scoffed. "And who knows how much those reporters were paid off. One might think I'm a top celebrity from the way they're waiting for me to show up in this cold winter weather out in this remote location."

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2478-Lucas smiled and lightly kissed her cheek. "It's only a matter of time before you are one."

With Melody's talent and abilities, Lucas was certain she would reach the top of her industry-it was only a matter of time. Despite the efforts of some people to hinder her progress, they could not stop Melody's path to fame.

"Are you scared?" Lucas asked.

With only the driver, it was impossible to avoid being photographed by the reporters completely. Melody looked at him, and they exchanged a smile. Since the day she got together with Lucas, she had anticipated their relationship being exposed. However, Melody did not care.

As an actress, she was destined to be different from those who gained fame through their public persona alone. Her work spoke for itself, and she relied solely on her talent. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ (ꜰind)ɴʘvel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"It's just that… You're the President of Rivera Group. Are you sure being with me, an actress, won't affect your company's stock price?" asked Melody.

Lucas leaned in for a kiss. "You'll only make Rivera Group's stock rise."

Just when all the reporters thought Lucas and Melody would not get out of the car, the door suddenly opened. The chauffeur got out of his seat, then he opened the door on Lucas' side. Everyone seemed to act as if rehearsed, each with their own gear, with cannons-like lenses in front of every camera. All just to capture the moment of Lucas and Melody together.

Wendy had sent out tips to many media outlets, claiming that a popular actress was actually dating the President of Rivera Group. At first, everyone did not believe it, considering that even if Melody was popular, how could someone from a family like the Riveras allow an actress to enter their circle?

However, Wendy had actually released a photo that appeared to show the two of them together. As expected, all the reporters sprung to action after that. They would be able to seize the front page headlines if what Wendy said was true and they could get a photo of Lucas and Melody together.

The overnight explosion of attention could sustain headlines for a year. Thus, as if they had all coordinated, everyone brought their most advanced equipment and came to stake out this remote hospital in the wilderness.

However, after two days of staking out, they found that besides a few vehicles passing by, this place seemed to be completely abandoned. There were no families bringing their loved ones there for treatment. I was puzzling how Wendy, who was somewhat of a minor celebrity, would send her own mother there.

Many reporters secretly looked down on Wendy, and some believed she was just playing a prank on them by intentionally making them stake out at the hospital. After gaining nothing, they turned their backs and left.

There were so many other news stories waiting for them elsewhere, and they did not want to waste all their time there.

"Oh my god. Is that really Lucas Rivera? This is the first time I've seen the President of Rivera Group in real life. Before this, I only had the chance to see him in the newspaper. I've never gotten this close to him before!"

All the reporters collectively held their breath, afraid to make any noise that might disturb the people getting out of the car. Even though they were not too far away, and if the people got out of the car, they would surely notice them.

The fact that Melody and Lucas showed no fear of their cameras indicated that they did not care about getting exposed at all. It was only after Lucas got out of the car that he went around to Melody's side to open the door for her.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2479-chapter will update soon

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2480--Finally, after a lot of effort, Melody turned around at the entrance of the hospital and said, "I hope you all won't follow us in. There are patients inside, and you'll disturb their rest."

Even when facing the reporters head-on, Lucas still tightly held Melody's hand, and the two never let go of each other's hand for a second.

Fortunately, the reporters had some conscience. Since Melody said so, they naturally stopped following them inside.

However, someone took the opportunity to ask, "Do you two admit to being in a relationship?"

At the same time, the reporters kept zooming in on Melody and Lucas' tightly held hands and taking close-up shots.

"Aren't you reporters good at writing stories based on photos only? Why would you ask me now?" asked Melody with a faint smile. She then pulled Lucas into the hospital. Once the hospital door closed, the reporters could not take any more photos of them.

"Damn. She's certainly become cocky after snagging the President of Rivera Group."

Some reporters were disdainful, not impressed with Melody at all.

"I mean, she couldn't have gotten to where she is now if it weren't for Mister Lucas. And now that cocky b*tch even dares to provoke us."

The male reporters were getting increasingly disrespectful, and a female reporter could not stand it anymore. She scoffed and said, "I'd be cocky too if I'm dating the President of Rivera Group. Why don't you guys try seducing Mister Lucas too if you think you're so capable? Otherwise, stop your b*tching.

It's really off-putting."

"Hey, you should be on our side! You're one of us too, so how can you mock us?

I can't believe you're actually speaking up for that woman. I just don't understand you."

The female reporter packed up her equipment without even glancing at the man.

"I don't judge people based on rumors like you do, so no, I'm not one of you."

The male reporter tried to offer some indirect defense, but someone immediately grabbed his arm. "Don't argue with her, she's from Hyper News, a totally different level than us."

"Pah, isn't Hyper News also a third-rate newspaper? What gives her the right to talk to me so arrogantly?"

Despite his scolding, every reporter there knew that every single one of them would give anything to get into that newspaper.

Once inside the hospital, Melody breathed a sigh of relief. She shook Lucas' hand gently. "I'm sorry. You wouldn't have to go through that if it weren't for me."

Lucas was also quite famous, but he did not like to be in the public eye. Thus, even with the advancement of technology, he only occasionally had a blurry picture circulated on the internet. Even so, the legal team of Rivera Group was not to be underestimated. They always managed to quickly take down his photos.

Thus, it was quite something that Lucas was willing to be photographed by so many reporters that day for Melody's sake. Lucas would probably be sitting comfortably in his office instead of being questioned by others like a clown if it were not for Melody.

Lucas smiled lightly. "This is nothing. So what if they took unflattering photos of me? Since the day we decided to move forward in our relationship, we've already foreseen something like this might happen, didn't we? Don't tell me you want to back out now?" S~ᴇaʀᴄh the FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Of course not! I just worry that you might feel uncomfortable or upset. But I really didn't expect to be ambushed by the reporters here today. In the future, I'll make sure you won't appear in front of the camera again. You protect me, and I want to protect you too."

Melody looked at Lucas as she spoke, melting Lucas' heart. He quickly leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. "You're not entirely to blame. From now on, I promise I won't let you get caught up in such chaos again."