"To protect you." These words were enough for Melanie to go into a shock. It was like a bolt out of the blue for her. She felt she was hearing words, so she asked Lexi to repeat again.
"What did you say?"
"Yes, Mel. Your life was in danger. So, it was I who had saved you every time. I knew about their plans and I am with them to know what they intend to do." Lexi said trying to see if anyone was approaching her room. She was in her room, talking to her cousin in secret. Though she did not want to call her at that time of the night, she had no choice. She was worried about Melanie as she had not heard from her for the past three days.
"Why?" Melanie could only say one word. When her aunt and uncle wanted to kill her, why was her cousin trying to save her life? Was this their new plan to trap her?
"Melanie, I am not my parents. Their greed and selfishness has blinded them to the extent that they have forgotten about relationships. You might doubt me as of now and I have no evidence to prove my innocence. However, I promise you one thing. I will always protect you." Lexi said with determination which Melanie could sense from the other side.
"It's late now. I'll come and meet you tomorrow. I'll text you the address." Lexi said and cut the call. However, Melanie didn't hear a word she had said. All she could hear was that her cousin wanted to protect her. She felt touched and she couldn't stop crying. Tears rolled down her face. The people around her looked at her sad face and sympathized. But she did not care. She had someone who genuinely cared for her, so she was moved. She was fortunate to have a caring and lovely elder sister.
It took her some time to collect her thoughts and leave the area. But she couldn't stop reminiscing about what Lexi had told her all the way till her house. The cab driver had to call her many times to get her attention. It was only then did she get off the cab.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lexi could do nothing. Her cousin's life was at stake and she had to be careful from now on. If her parents found out that she was on Melanie's side and was keeping her safe all these years by foiling their plans, then definitely they would go on a rampage. She would then not be able to learn about their plans.
While Lexi was still conjecturing what to do next, her mother knocked at the door.
"Lexi, open the door. I have something to speak."
Though she wanted to avoid her mother, she had no choice. Claudia was as persistent as a mosquito. She would not go until she was swatted and killed or till she had sucked enough blood to satisfy her hunger. Having no other choice, Lexi opened the door. Before that, she did not forget to dishevel her bedsheets and her hair to make it look like she was sleeping.
"Yes, Mom." Lexi opened the door yawning.
"Were you sleeping?" Claudia entered without giving any thought and sat on the bed. She looked around the room and found her files and drawings everywhere.
"Yes, Mom. I have a meeting to prepare for and I am yet to complete my styles." Lexi replied. She was a junior fashion designer by profession. It was her duty to design styles for the models along with her teammates.
"I have something to discuss with you," Claudia stated giving a quick glance around her daughter's room.
"Mom, can't we have this conversation tomorrow? I am exhausted." Though Lexi was not tired, she was in no mood to entertain her devil of a mother.
"No. This is important and your sleep can wait." Her mother declared with an icy glare.
"Fine. What do you want to talk about?"
"First tell me. Did that bitch pick up your calls?"
"Nope."
"Then, there must be something wrong. We must talk to her to find out. I will be going to her house tomorrow and you will be coming with me." Claudia said making Lexi roll her eyes. She inwardly smiled at her mother's stupidity.
Although her aunt had provided her with shelter, food and clothes when she was young, Melanie did not receive any familial love from her. So, she had moved out the moment she had turned eighteen. Claudia had provided her with a single bedroom apartment close to her house. However, Melanie had not used it and instead had chosen a house away from her aunt's family. Nobody knew where she lived, not even Lexi.
"Okay." Lexi reluctantly agreed.
"Though we have not received any benefits from her, we cannot let her go. I want to find the will her parents have left for her." Claudia said clenching her fists. She did not know what was in the will, but she had a notion that whatever it was would not be beneficial for her. So, she had to have Melanie in her grasp.
"Fine. I'll accompany you tomorrow."
"Now, I'll get going. You may go to sleep."
As soon as her mother left the room, Lexi locked the door and laid on the bed. She immediately started chuckling at her mother's stupidity. Even if she found out about the will, she would not allow her to get even one cent from the money which did not belong to them. She knew why her mother had taken in Melanie in the first place. She wanted her hands on the Parker properties. However, until now she had received nothing and in fact, she had spent on Melanie to fulfill her daily needs.
The Parkers were intelligent people. They had made a will such that nobody other than Melanie would reap the benefits of their hard work. Though she was not the President of the company, she had full rights over it. But it was her decision to lead a peaceful life and had not taken the company matters into her hands. She had left it in the hands of her father's brother, Elliot Parker. He did not have a family of his own, but he treated her as his child.
When her parents had passed away, the court had decided to hand over Melanie's custody to her aunt as she was just a six-year-old child and it would be better if she stayed with her aunt. As the little girl knew nothing about her aunt's intentions, she agreed to it much to Claudia's happiness.
Lexi rolled on her bed thinking about her mother's cruelty. She had long known about the way Claudia had bribed the judge to rule the case in her favor and hand over her niece to her. She wondered why she had not turned out to be like her parents. Maybe it was because Melanie's mother had once treated her all night when she had fallen sick when her parents had gone on a world tour leaving her with her aunt. She was only three at that time and Andrea was still newly married to Henry.
During the time she had stayed with her aunt, she had received the love she had been craving from her parents. Just the thought of Melanie's parents made her smile. If the unfortunate had not happened many years ago, then they would have been alive. And it was all her parents' fault even though they had not killed them.