Beatrice''s question made Melody uneasy. How on earth could she exin to Beatrice that their meeting was the result of a one-night stand because she entered the wrong roomst night? Lucas had not briefed her on how to handle this situation, so she was scrambling for the right words.


    "We..." After a prolonged pause, Melody finally said, "This one time, I ran into some trouble, and Lucas helped me out. I thanked him afterward, and, well...we got to know each other."


    She deliberately made her answer general enough so as to not cause suspicions.


    "Really?" Beatrice eyed Melody skeptically. "I never thought of Lucas as the heroic type."


    Melody silently agreed with Beatrice. Lucas appeared aloof and uninterested in others'' affairs.


    Melody forced augh and said, "Perhaps it''s just fate, you know..."


    She had to spin a little tale without giving too much away.


    ''Seems like she''s different from the previous women around Lucas,'' thought Beatrice as she observed Melody''s sweet demeanor.


    Of course, they had sent someone to dig into the Sanders. Rumors about Melody''s not-so-great reputation with Sanders had reached them, but the Melody standing before them seemed like a different person.


    As Melody felt Cedric and Beatrice''s gazes on her, she became a bit uneasy, fearing that they might see through her. She stood up and said, "Grandpa, Grandma, it''s almost dinner time. How about I make you some dinner?"


    "You can cook?" asked Beatrice with surprise.


    "Yeah. I''m pretty good at it, too!"


    When Ethan and Helen were away, she took charge of cooking three meals a day for herself and Wendy. It was during those times that she honed her impressive culinary skills. Thus, she was quite confident about it.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Beatrice was interested in Melody''s cooking prowess, so she nodded and allowed Melody to make her way to the kitchen.


    The Riveras'' refrigerator was stocked with fresh ingredients. Melody was struck with awe, but she quickly selected what she needed. In no time, she skillfully whipped up a few dishes.


    "Grandpa, Grandma, dinner''s ready. Come and taste it. See if it suits your taste," Melody called out.


    Cedric and Beatrice joined her at the table. As they looked at the spread of dishes on the table, they began to view Melody with even more admiration.


    They sat together to enjoy the dinner. Throughout the meal, Melody took care of Cedric and Beatrice by asionally putting food on their tes.


    ''Lucas really brought back someone special,'' thought Beatrice. By the end of the meal, she developed a genuine liking for Melody.


    After dinner, Melody nned to wash the dishes, but Beatrice stopped her, saying, "Leave these things to the household staff in the future. You''re going to be a Missus Rivera, so you don''t need to bother yourself with such tasks."


    Melody awkwardly nodded. Back at home, these chores were always her responsibility, and breaking that routine felt a bit strange.


    "Alright, let''s go for a walk after filling our stomachs. Melody, how about you join me in the courtyard?" invited Beatrice kindly, holding Melody''s hand.


    Melody agreed and obediently apanied Beatrice.


    As they walked hand in hand into the yard, Melody felt a bit uneasy. She considered pulling her hand back a few times but hesitated, thinking it might be rude to do that.


    "Melody, I won''t lie to you. I''ve arranged several blind dates for Lucas before, but he turned them all down. I thought he wasn''t interested in marriage. It was quite a surprise to us when he told us about you!" said Beatrice.