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"Sir, something terrible happened."
"What?"
"Our firewall is under attack again. But this time, they didn't ask for money but for you."
The CEO's usually composed face darkened with a mix of anger. This was the first time in his life that he had been threatened.
But on the other side the three kids laughed. "Just teach him a lesson for bullying mommy!"😈😈😈
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##Chapter 1 Do Not Touch My Children
Bang!
A crisp noise reverberated through the Gibson residence.
Charles Gibson trembled and pointed at Melanie Gibson, who was standing on the side. "You horrible girl! Why did I bring such an immoral daughter like you into the world? You've humiliated the Gibson family!"
Melanie stood aside with an indifferent expression that was neither humble nor overbearing. "I didn't. Mildred framed me. It was her..."
Smack!
"How dare you blame it on Milly? You are the one who did something shameful!" Before Melanie could finish her words, Charles slapped her with all his strength.
Melanie staggered a few steps before she steadied herself.
Looking up, Melanie glanced at Charles and asked, "Did you hit my mom like this too?"
"Shut up! Don't mention her!" Charles replied agitatedly as his emotions riled up once more.
Melanie held her face and smiled. "Charles Gibson, you didn't believe in my mom back then. Now, you don't believe me either. I wonder why my mom would fall in love with a jerrrrk like you."
"How dare you talk back to me?"
"It's a tragedy for her to fall in love with a jerrrrk like you!"
Charles' eyes were bloodshot from fury. "Go. Bring me my whip."
Standing on the side, Melanie's stepmom, Joanna Gibson, advised insincerely, "Don't be angry, Charles. It isn't worth getting agitated and harming your health over her."
Mildred Gibson smiled as she added fuel to the fire. "It doesn't matter if you hit Melanie. But getting angry is harmful to your health. You have to take care of yourself."
Then, she turned to Melanie and said, "Melanie, how can you do such a shameful thing? Apologize to Dad now."
Charles became even more frustrated upon hearing Mildred's words. He was livid, thinking of the tension in the company that day. As a result, Charles vented all of his anger on Melanie. "Go get my whip. If anyone dares to say another word, I'll hit that person too."
"Hubby, please don't hit her..." Joanna pretended to be hesitant.
Charles roared indifferently, "Go!"
Joanna brought the whip over reluctantly and pleaded with Charles pretentiously when she handed it to him.
Charles ignored her and landed one whip after another on Melanie with all his strength.
Soon, Melanie's clothes were ripped apart from the lashes, and spine-chilling marks appeared on her skin.
Joanna and Mildred observed the whole process on the side with smug smiles.
"You're a disgrace, a horrible daughter. I'll end you today!" Charles raised his whip again and hit Melanie.
It hurt a lot.
Even so, Melanie stood with her back straight and raised her head proudly. Her eyes were cold and ruthless. "You'd better end me today."
Her aura was frosty, giving off a feeling as if one had plunged into an icy river.
Joanna and Mildred looked at each other, for Melanie's behavior and words terrified them.
Charles was even more shocked. The way Melanie carried herself proudly bore a striking resemblance to her dead mother.
He whipped her hard again.
The whippings left many bloody gashes on Melanie's fair skin. Even though it hurt, Melanie didn't moan or yelp even once in pain.
Her hatred and forbearing expression made Charles shudder as he threw the whip aside.
His anger dissipated slightly as he pointed at Melanie. "For the sake of your dead mother, I'll spare you this time. However, I will no longer acknowledge that you're my daughter! Scram!"
The whip lashes cut deep into Melanie's flesh, and the pain made Melanie's face and lips pale.
However, her eyes were still fierce. She struggled to get up from the ground as she coldly swept her gaze over everyone present and sneered coldly. "Fine. From today onward, I will cut ties with you, Charles Gibson. I'll never step into the Gibson residence ever again!"
With that, she left the Gibson residence determinedly.
Intense fury burned within Charles, causing him to slump onto the couch.
Even Joanna and Mildred felt a little uneasy at Melanie's statements.
The mother-daughter duo stared at each other with a mean look. They thought, "We've been waiting for this day for so long. Melanie, we will end you!"
Melanie wrapped her arms around her shoulders, walking on the road pathetically.
When she was ten, her mother died of a serious illness.
On the same day, her father married his mistress and brought her home.
Mildred was only one year younger than Melanie. Obviously, Charles had cheated on Melanie's mother when she was pregnant.
From the moment they showed up in Melanie's life, Joanna and Mildred had pretended to be nice to her on the surface while constantly plotting against her behind her back.
Just yesterday, Melanie received the acceptance letter from Druobridge University of Design.
Mildred handed the greeting card written by Melanie's fiancé, Alexander Larson, to Melanie and told her that Alexander had prepared a surprise for her at Druobridge International Hotel.
On top of that, Melanie also received a text message from Alexander.
Hence, she didn't suspect something was amiss when she arrived at the room Mildred informed her about.
In the end, Alexander was not present in the room—it was someone else.
When Melanie was about to leave, she suddenly felt weak and powerless. That was when she knew she had been set up.
Melanie laughed self-deprecatingly. Even now, she still had no idea who the man was and what he looked like.
Melanie mused, "I feel sorry for Alexander; I've betrayed him."
While Melanie was blaming herself, a car suddenly charged at her from behind and hit her.
The shrill sound of screeching brakes pierced through the sky.
"Ah! Someone has been hit by a car! Save her!"
Ten months had passed. Melanie leaned against the hospital bed with her huge belly in a ward at Druobridge International Hospital. She looked at her pregnant belly gently, stroking it softly.
Eight months ago, Melanie discovered that she was pregnant.
The doctor said she was carrying quintuplets, which was very rare. Although Melanie didn't know the identity of her children's dad, she decided to take care of her babies to the best she could. The more her babies grew, the more dangerous her situation was.
She was admitted to Druobridge International Hospital as early as the previous month to facilitate the delivery.
Now, Melanie was waiting to deliver her babies safely.
Melanie's smile deepened at the thought of seeing her little darlings soon.
Just then, the door to her ward was opened suddenly.
Melanie's eyes turned frosty when she saw Mildred. "Mildred? Who allowed you to come in? Get out of here."
She wondered, "How did she find out I'm here?"
Melanie had a bad feeling.
Mildred was unbothered by Melanie's reaction. She walked over to the hospital bed arrogantly with a victorious smile. "Oh, my dear Melanie. Please don't get angry. It has been difficult to locate you, but I'm here today and have great news for you."
Delighted by Melanie's anger, Mildred whispered to the latter mockingly, "Dad has transferred all the shares under your name to me. Now I'm the eldest daughter of the Gibson family. I get to enjoy all the wealth and power. Don't you think that's great news?"
Then, Mildred stopped and looked at Melanie. "The circumstances are different for you, though. Not only did you spend the night with an unknown man, but you're also pregnant with his kids. Tsk! Tsk! You pitiful girl."
Melanie's eyes were cold. Those words did not affect her mood and mentality at all. "Are you done? You can leave if you are done talking."
"Hmph!" Mildred snorted. Then, she threatened disdainfully, "You're not the eldest daughter of the Gibson family anymore, so put that act aside. Now, I'm the one in charge! By the way, I think I should inform you about something so that you can die in peace..."
Mildred leaned forward against Melanie's ear deliberately and said in a low voice that could only be heard by both of them, "Alexander and I planned that day's event to snatch your inheritance away from you."
This sentence successfully broke through Melanie's psychological defense.
Seeing Melanie's expression of disbelief, Mildred felt immensely satisfied.
"Oh, I have another important thing to do today." As she spoke, she looked at Melanie's stomach in an eerie way.
Melanie panicked as she moved forward to grab Mildred's hands firmly. "What are you doing? Don't lay your hands on my children! I won't let you go if you dare to hurt them!"
Mildred didn't dodge. She jeered sarcastically, "Hmph! Just you? If it's you against me, I don't think you stand a chance."
After saying that, Mildred stood up, looking at Melanie's pale face before pushing her to the ground viciously.
Melanie felt her vision go black as she fell on the bed and passed out.
##Chapter 2 Three Kids
Five years later, a beautiful and confident woman was browsing through a document in Starlight Group. The woman was none other than Melanie.
Her temperament was different from that of five years ago. Besides being confident and charming, she had an otherworldly sense of calmness. It was as if she was an ethereal fairy who was removed from the hustle and bustle of the common world.
What happened five years ago did give Melanie a big blow, but she didn't fall into despair. Instead, it pushed her toward the path of becoming a designer.
She studied and worked in a design company for the past few years to earn money.
Three years ago, she even founded Starlight Group with her accumulated savings.
Starlight Group was mainly engaged in design work. After continuous growth, it had grown into a top-ranking enterprise in the design field of Druobridge with an undeniable reputation and an absolute right to speak.
However, only Melanie knew how much she had to endure day and night when she started the company.
Melanie took a sip of coffee while reading through the file. The mellow and bitter taste of the coffee spread in her mouth.
"Bad news, Boss!" Sabrina Lynch, Melanie's assistant, ran into the room in a panic, completely forgetting about knocking on the door first.
Melanie put down the document in her hand and looked at Sabrina with a lifted brow. She didn't look as anxious as Sabrina did. "What's wrong?"
Sabrina gulped slightly before replying, "The CEO of Laeger Group is here!"
Melanie was stunned. "Calvin Laeger? What is he doing here?"
Calvin Laeger was the head of Laeger Group. He was cruel, arrogant, and fierce with extraordinary capabilities. Laeger Group was similarly huge and mysterious, with strong financial power.
Melanie was confused. There was no collaboration between the two companies, so she couldn't understand why Calvin showed up.
Sabrina shook her head. "I don't know. Calvin said he must meet you today."
Although Melanie was astonished, she nodded. "Invite him in."
Calvin arrived at her office with his assistant while Melanie was still feeling bewildered.
Calvin was slender and had charming features. There was an aloof look in his eyes. He pursed his lips, making him unreadable to others while he radiated a daunting vibe.
Melanie had known that Calvin was handsome and capable with an imposing presence, but she still couldn't help but take a deep breath when she saw him because his aura was somewhat similar to her family members.
Calvin was stunned too when he saw Melanie.
Melanie had an enchanting and curvy figure. She was very gorgeous with her long, flowing hair, and tanned skin that captivated others' eyes.
However, if one looked closer, one would realize Melanie was elegant and noble. Her unique temperament hinted to others that she was not someone they could fool around with.
What was more, the scent of roses in the office seemed somewhat familiar to Calvin.
After a while, Calvin spoke first. "Ms. Gibson, I assume there's no bad blood between us, right?"
"Bad blood?" Calvin's remark befuddled Melanie, but she replied politely with a faint smile, "Please be straightforward, Mr. Laeger."
Calvin narrowed his eyes. He sized up the confused woman before him who seemed genuinely clueless. "Are you unaware of what's happening, Ms. Gibson?"
His expression turned frosty. "Someone from your company hacked into the firewall of Laeger Group's finance department and stole 1.2 million dollars from my account. The amount of money is not worth mentioning, but this incident infuriates me."
Calvin was indeed angry. Laeger Group was a respectable company with an authoritative presence in the business world. But now, it was ridiculous that someone had hacked their firewall without a trace. After all, the people in Laeger Group were all top-notch experts, making Calvin wonder who the excellent hacker was.
Melanie was dumbfounded. She was sure she hadn't sent anyone to do such a thing, so she asked, "Mr. Laeger, why are you so sure that one of my people was behind it?"
Calvin threw a stack of files onto the table. "The IP address was traced back to your place."
Melanie felt her brain buzzing and instantly understood what was going on.
She felt overwhelmed and frustrated. All she could think about was she was going to teach her kids a good lesson upon going home.
But still, Melanie replied calmly, "Starlight Group and Laeger Group have never had any grudges against each other. It's my first time meeting you, Mr. Laeger. Besides, I don't care about doing such a thing! As you've said, the 1.2 million dollars is worthless—it's basically the price of a handbag to me, so I don't think it's worth mentioning either. But since someone has implicated me, I'll investigate this matter as soon as possible and provide you with an explanation."
"Very well. Ms. Gibson, I hope you can provide me with a satisfactory explanation."
Melanie nodded. "Of course."
Calvin glanced at her. "One reminder, though, Ms. Gibson. It's not a good thing to attract my attention with this method."
Melanie couldn't help but roll her eyes inwardly.
She smiled courteously. "Don't worry. I'm not interested in a big shot like you, Mr. Laeger. As per today's discussion, I'll look into this matter as soon as possible and provide you with a satisfactory result."
Then, Melanie gestured for Calvin to leave.
She thought, "Show yourself out!"
It was the first time Calvin had been treated coldly. After all, there were people at his beck and call wherever he went.
Now, he was ordered to leave by a woman.
He mused, "Okay. I'm going to keep this in mind."
Calvin gave Melanie a warning stare before turning around and leaving with his assistant, Christopher Yates.
As they walked away, he instructed Christopher, "Keep an eye on her."
Christopher nodded. "All right."
After Calvin left, Melanie immediately got up. "Sabrina, I'll go home first. If any problem arises, please inform me in time."
"Okay, Boss."
Melanie didn't want to delay for another moment. She immediately returned to her mansion in Southville.
The three little ones were sitting on the couch when she entered the house.
The three of them dressed up like each other and looked incredibly handsome at a young age. They were reading their books in a well-behaved manner.
Mildred sold Melanie's five children to different human traffickers right after Melanie gave birth all those years ago.
Melanie had no idea how she had wronged Mildred to make the latter hate her so much.
Separating her from her children in that way was even worse than death.
Melanie spent a lot of money buying out the nurse who worked for Mildred to obtain clues on her children's whereabouts.
Fortunately, those who trafficked her kids were doing it for money.
Melanie could track them down and bring back her kids if she spent the right amount of money.
However, two of her children remained missing because she had no clue where they had gone.
She had never stopped looking for them in the past five years, but it was all to no avail.
The little ones surrounded Melanie immediately when they noticed she had returned. They smiled, greeting her sweetly, "Mommy!"
Her kids looked innocent and harmless, making Melanie's anger dissipate slightly.
However, Melanie said sternly, "You three, stand up straight. I have questions to ask, and you three better answer me honestly."
This was the first time Melanie had spoken to her kids so sternly.
The three little ones remained calm, answering in unison, "We will answer your questions truthfully, Mommy!"
Melanie's eldest, Micah, asked first, "What's going on, Mommy?"
Melanie put on a serious expression. "It's about Laeger Group..."
"We didn't do it!" The three little ones spoke in unison.
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