Melanie is finally able to escape the rather unsettling situation with Alex, and on getting to the bathroom, her hands tremble as she dials Shirley’s number but it goes straight to voice mail.“There is no reason to be worried yet” Melanie tries to calm herself, knowing that Shirley barely has the normal phone etiquette that a normal human being should have, and her lackadaisical attitude towards her phone usage is just Shirley being Shirley and she will call her back when she gets her voice mail.“I need to know that you are alright, so I need you to call me once you see this,” Melanie sends Shirley a text on WhatsApp before redialing her number just in case she picks it up, but the call goes to voicemail once again.Melanie tries calling again so that if the issue of her not picking up is as a result of her phone being on DND (do not disturb) her falls will override the DND, but the result is the same. Panic creeps in, and her heart sinks because even though she always blamed the p
In less than 30 minutes, Melanie and Caleb arrive at Kalinin’s house, and Melanie runs down from Caleb’s Rolls Royce into the house to start putting together her documents, forgetting that she didn’t ask Caleb to come into the house. Melanie doesn’t inform her sister about what drove her to run home and start gathering her documents immediately, but Kalinin patiently waits for her sister to be done with what she is doing Since she knows that if Melanie doesn’t finish up what she needs to do, she won’t tell her anything. Since Caleb wasn’t invited into the house, he didn’t bother going inside, he just stayed outside to make a few calls. Firstly, he makes calls to arrange his jet and notifies his preferred pilot to be ready in 30 minutes to fly him to Pearl Coast. Next, he puts a call through to Alistair to tell him about how his date went and also to tell him about the recent development. It took a lot of cajoling for him to be able to guarantee that Alistair would overse
Melanie experiences a mixture of emotions: fear for Shirley, thanks for Caleb's support, and admiration at the breathtaking view as the chopper rises away from Orion, leaving the city lights behind. As the chopper soars over the coast, Melanie's anxiousness resurfaces and Shirley’s immobility weighs heavily on Melanie’s thoughts. Caleb feels her tension and pours two glasses from the helicopter's mini-bar. "Here, drink this. It'll relieve your worries." Melanie hesitates, typically denying the alcohol because she doesn't like what it tastes like, but tonight, her fear overwhelms her reservations, so she accepts the glass, adoring the amber nectar. The rich, creamy flavor astonishes her and Caleb smiles, encouraging her to drink more. "It's my secret reserve, aged whiskey,” Caleb explains to Melanie and she takes another sip, feeling the warmth rise across her chest. As the chopper experiences turbulence, she downs the rest of the glass. Caleb refiles her glass, concern written on
“What do you mean by ‘this changes things’?” Alex asks Ryan confused, as he starts walking towards his mom’s office because he would rather have that conversation in person than on the phone. “That is because it changes a lot of things” Ryan emphasizes with his eyes darting back and forth in his mom's office, but he doesn't necessarily explain himself. “Can you explain and stop confusing me?” Alex snaps at Ryan because he has had enough of his dribbling. “You never mentioned your fiancée’s name to me and now I started crushing on your fiancée…both of us are even like best friends now,” Ryan confesses to Alex. “What do you mean that you are crushing on my fiancée?” Alex asks him visibly offended as he practically sprints toward Karen’s office“Before you called me and explained the situation in an obvious way, I didn’t know that she was your fiancée and that is because you never showed me any pictures of her nor told me her name even though I asked you for it on countless occasion
Ryan drives for a few minutes because of how close Kalinin’s estate is to Bistro Bills and in no time, he pulls over in front of Kalinin’s beautiful house. He knocks on the door even though it is quite late and he doesn't like visiting people this late, but the situation is different…it is Melanie who is involved here. He rings the doorbell for a while before Kalinin steps out with her hair disheveled, slightly tangled and messy, her sleep-flushed cheeks with a hint of warmth, her eyes slightly puffy with a sleepy gaze in a tank top and baggy sweat pants. “This can't be Melanie, it has to be Kalinin because what time did she get home that she is already sleeping?” Ryan jumps to conclusions as he eyes the lady in front of him from head to toe. “Good evening ma'am…I am Ryan, Mel’s friend” he introduces. “I know you” Kalinin answers him curtly because she is really tired after the day's activities and she just wants to get back to the comfort of her bed. “Sorry to disturb you
Melanie slowly opens her eyes, lethargically taking in her surroundings, and she is met with the sight of Caleb’s chiseled features, his eyes gazing softly at her. They’re in a luxurious hotel room, the morning sun filtering through the curtains and she thinks back to the list place she was the last night and it was inside Caleb's private jet, so her expression changes from relaxation to discomfort as memories of their intense night flood back. She tries to sit up so that she can figure out her next move but Caleb’s arm wraps around her, holding her close. “Good morning, beautiful,” Caleb whispers, his voice husky and Melanie’s cheeks flush awkwardly as she extricates herself from his embrace to sit down upright on the bed because that position is too distracting for her to think straight. “Morning,” She replies curtly, avoiding eye contact. “Regrets?” Caleb asks as he notices her unease and raises an eyebrow. “No time for regrets…we have work to do” Her tone is clipped, dism
Melanie and Caleb stand frozen, their eyes locked in a profound connection. Time seemed to fade away as they delved deeper into each other’s souls. The air is charged with an unspoken understanding, a sense of vulnerability and openness. Caleb’s gaze wanders through Melanie’s chocolate brown eyes, searching for answers to unspoken questions and Melanie in turn, finds herself lost in the golden flecks dancing within Caleb’s irises, like caramel-colored leather. Their face inclines as if drawn by an invisible force, their lips barely an inch apart. The tension between them is palpable, a spark waiting to ignite. “Housekeeping!” unexpectedly, a knock on the door shatters the spell and Melanie’s eyes snap back to reality, while Caleb’s face mirrors her surprise. “Right,” Melanie stammers, taking a step back. “Breakfast.” She remembers, and Caleb clears his throat. “Yeah, we should go,” He says as they reluctantly part ways and Melanie smoothens her hair, attempting to compose hersel
Melanie watches as Caleb makes himself comfortable in the driver’s seat, adjusting his rearview mirror, so Melanie steps out of the owner's corner where she is seated and settles in beside him, her eyes focused on the passing scenery.“So,” Caleb starts, his voice low and smooth and she waits for him to continue because she kinda has an idea of what he wants to say, but she still wants him to land first.“About last night…” he continues.“What about it?” she cuts in, her gaze unwavering.“You’re really going to play it like that?” Caleb’s smile hints at amusement.“Like what?” Melanie’s tone is neutral, but a hint of warning lurks beneath.“Like it didn’t mean anything” He chuckles.“It didn’t” Melanie’s expression remains impassive as she answers.“Just sex, then?” Caleb raises an eyebrow.“It was just sex, Caleb. Let’s not make it more than what it was.” Melanie nods her voice firm.“Okay,” Caleb answers, with his eyes leaving the road, but his jaw clenches slightly.“Are we really
Melanie’s eye widens in horror as the truth of everything that happened in the last five minutes that she got to Caleb’s house sinks in. The baby girl, Dawn is not just from any of Caleb’s one-night stands, but her flesh and blood, the child that she didn’t look at after birth because she didn’t want to get attached to, but now she is expected to just deal with it like Caleb instructed? “How could he do this to me?” Melanie’s voice trembles with rage and frustration. It just feels like she has been punched in the gut, her breath knocked out of her. “It was one of the hardest decisions of my life not to get attached to the stranger in my belly, and when I finally did, I had to just give her up because I know that giving her up is way better than having her stay with a mother that can’t cross the mountains and swim the oceans for her, but now I am expected to just…take care of her like it is no big deal?” She scoffs, her mind reeling with emotions. She had thought that she closed tha
Melanie steps into Caleb’s grand Mansion, her eyes scanning the opulent interior as a mix of nostalgia and unease washes over her. It has been a year since she last stayed in this place, and she can’t help but notice how much she missed the warmth and comfort that radiated from its walls. As she walks alongside Caleb, she pants in surprise at how natural it feels to be back here, almost as if she never left, but her reverie is short-lived. They enter the foyer and are greeted by a sea of smiling faces. The stewards, who had been like family to her during her brief stay, are all lined up, eager to welcome them back. Melanie’s eyes wide as she takes in the scene, feeling a sense of disorientation and then, her gaze lands on a tiny, chubby baby girl, dressed in a white onesie and a baby pink headband, being held by the dog, Mia’s nanny. Melanie’s heart skips a beat, and she feels a jolt of both surprise and confusion because she thought that Caleb was kidding when he said that he had
“What do I need to do to make you divorce me?” Melanie sighs before she questions Caleb because she has realized that arguing with him will not bring any positive results.“Now you are speaking the language that I want to hear,” Caleb admits with a sly smile.“…which is?” Melanie prompts.“Stay with me for a whole year, and then if you don’t fall in love with me within one year, I will let you go,” Caleb proposes, and Melanie goes wide-eyed.“Are you insane?” she questions him, and he shakes his head.“No, I am not,” He answers as if he didn’t just utter the most outrageous thing that there is to utter.“Am I a trophy that you need to secure?” she asks him while still trying to wrap her head around why he will suggest such ridiculous terms, and he shakes his head.“This cannot be a bet with Alistair like it was when you matched with me on the dating site, right?” she asks, giving him a calculated look.“How did you find that out?” Caleb inquires.“Alistair and I were in close contact
“Is this man trying to get revenge on me?” Melanie wonders after waiting for hours without hearing a word from Caleb.She silently thanks God for giving her the wisdom to convince Ryan to leave when she asked him to. No matter how understanding he might have been, sticking around her while she faces Caleb probably sets her divorce in motion. On a second note, she thinks it might be for the better because they got there around 4 p.m., and now it is 8 p.m. with no sign of Caleb.“Should I just go now, or should I keep waiting?” She silently contemplates as she looks around the reception hallway that also doubles as the waiting room of the corporation.Melanie's eyes scan the waiting room, her gaze drifting towards the passage that she feels leads to the elevator for what feels like a hundred times. She hasn’t achieved everything that she was hoping that she would achieve today, like editing the videos that she recorded earlier and posting on tiktok and her patience-wearing thing.Sudden
“Hey man, guess who just unblocked and texted me,” Alistair texts Caleb before forwarding the screenshot of Melanie's message to him. ()“Coincidentally, I just got off the call with the receptionist and apparently she is at my office with that brother of mine to see me which is not so surprising because after she ghosted me but remained in contact with Ryan” Caleb replies his best friend. “We didn't really talk about her because I could see how everything was getting to you, but you mean to tell me that she was in touch with Ryan throughout her pregnancy?” Alistair inquires and Caleb just calls him immediately “She didn't tell me that she was pregnant, but Ryan who isn't the father of her child knew that she was pregnant,” Caleb hisses. “How are you so sure that the child is yours... that if the child belongs to Ryan?” Alistair argues. “Melanie can be a lot of things, but a liar? No, she is not and she said that nothing was going on between her and Ryan,” Caleb informs Alistair.
Melanie meets Ryan at the parking lot. As they drive down to the spa, the warm morning sun shines brightly around the windshield, casting a relaxing glow over the car. Melanie, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness, chats enthusiastically with Ryan because she knows that she has missed so much in his life because of how self-absorbed and insensitive she has been, but she is determined to change that moving forward.Ryan fills her in on the details of what she needs to know, and Melanie, smiling and attentive, listens patiently as he wraps up the details of Ryan Wellington scandal with his mom and switches to discuss his plans for her to have a rejuvenating day at the spa.“You will be having a full body massage, a facial, and a hair treatment,” Ryan goes ahead to list, and Melanie just nods.“And of course, we can't forget the nails and make-up,” He adds, and Melanie tries to hide her smile because having someone like Ryan who pays so much attention to detail is not enough, she
As soon as Ryan ends the call, Melanie tries to get out of bed to put a few things together, like taking out her outfit and putting her bags together since Ruan insisted fo take her to his mom's house, but a bright idea occurs to her to do something that she has not don't in almost one year, which is to film. She even deleted her TikTok account after she left Orion because everywhere she went on TikTok, one person or another had something or the other to say about her marriage with Caleb, and there were just a whole lot of speculations going around the internet with the videos that she watched, so she just had to let the app go. This morning, she decides to get back to the routine of filming because filming is just one of those things that she genuinely enjoyed doing, but she hasn't done it in over a year. “Since I let my business go and I am trying to find myself again, what better way is there to go about it than trying to explore the things that I used to enjoy doing before to s
Melanie takes a deep breath after she rushes out of the cramped Airport toilet that she has been hiding away, smoothing out her clothes and attempting to compose herself. She is still telling from the unexpected and uncomfortable encounter with Ethan and her mind is racing with thoughts of what is to come. As she makes her way through the bustling airport, her eyes scan the signs and directories, guiding her toward the gate where her flight is departing. She quickens her pace, her heels clicking on the polished floor as she navigates through the crowds. Finally, she reaches the gate and presents her boarding pass to the attendant, who scans it and hands it back with a smile. Melanie takes a deep breath, steeling herself for the long flight ahead, and she steps onto the plane. As she walks down the aisle, Her eyes adjust to the dim lighting and she scans the rows of seats, searching for her designated spot. She booked a seat in the second-class coach, and she is determined to find a
Melanie is in her new house in Mytrle Circle where she disappeared to when she suddenly decided to go to the day she got back to Pearl Coast because after Caleb pulled up a whole lot of resources to locate Shirley for her, she could just tell that he will find her daily if she just stopped at running away from Orion. Instead of continuing with the lies, she books another flight to Myrtle Circle where she goes to meet her mother and confesses everything that has been really going on to her, including the real reason why she and Alex broke up. Her mother felt really bad because she felt like she couldn't tell her what was really going on, and she was suggested that she should stay with her during her pregnancy, instead of aborting the baby. She encouraged Melanie that they could always give up the baby after the child was born and that was exactly what she did with the child. She didn't even bother seeing the child's face, nor holding the child before giving the child away or breastf