Chapter 4

A woman working in the reception center quickly approached Ryan, her voice firm. “Sir, you need to leave. Now, please.”

Ryan stood tall, his eyes filled with rage, his grip on Melinda tightening.

“I’m not going anywhere!” he yelled, his voice echoing through the walls.

“Tell that asshole who has been screwing my wife to come out now! That's what you guys do here right?! Fucking people’s wives!” he continued.

The receptionist hurried to her desk, her fingers racing over the phone keypad. “Security! We need you here immediately!” she said.

The hall erupted into a frenzy. People began to whisper to themselves, their eyes wide with intrigue. Some pulled out their phones and began capturing the chaos unfolding.

“Ryan, stop this, please! Why are you embarrassing me!” Melinda snapped, her face flushed with humiliation.

“You be quiet! Shameless woman. Now I see why they gave you a promotion!” he sneered. Melinda tried again to pull his hands away but Ryan’s grip only tightened.

“Let me go! You're hurting me Ryan!” she cried, her voice strained in desperation.

At that moment, two security men rushed towards Ryan, seriousness written on their faces. “What’s going on here?!” one of them demanded. “Can you let go of her hands Sir?!” he continued.

Almost immediately, Ethan and Lila emerged from the elevator. Ethan’s expression darkened with fury, and he demanded, “Why are you constituting a nuisance in my establishment young man?”

“It’s you, isn't it?! It’s you that's been fucking my wife!” Ryan snarled, his face twisted in rage as the security men grabbed him, trying to release his grip on Melinda.

Still fighting with the security men, Ryan kept shouting, “So you're the one sleeping with my wife huh?! Explain yourself, loser!.”

“Get him out of here!” Ethan ordered. The security men finally subdued him and managed to drag him out of the bank as he continued to rain insults.

The hall fell silent, the only sound disrupting the silence was the distant echo of Ryan’s furious voice. Ethan turned to the crowd, a reassuring gentle smile appearing on his face, “Everyone please as you were. We apologize for the disruption.”

He then turned to Melinda, his expression stern, “See me in my office now.” he said and walked straight into the elevator.

Melinda nodded, tears dropping down her cheeks. “Y-yes Sir” she stuttered.

Lila stood there, her entire countenance filled with controlled rage. Her eyes fixed on Melinda, she snapped, “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do!” she let out and stormed into the elevator.

___

“Who was that riff-raff who had the guts to barge into my bank and cause a scene?!” Ethan hissed, his tone dipped in venom.

“I’m so sorry Sir, I deeply apologize for this, please forgive me” Melinda stuttered, her cheeks filled with tears, as she trembled with fear.

Ethan’s face burned red, “I didn't ask you for an apology Melinda! I want to know who that fool was!”

Melinda recoiled back in fear, her voice barely a whisper. “S-sir, it was my husband, Ryan.”

Lila, who was sitting angrily on Ethan’s visitor's chair, lashed out in bewilderment.

“Your husband?! What was he rambling about someone sleeping with…?” She said, her gaze shifting to Ethan, who was sitting at the other end of his office table, composed, his expression twisted in anger.

Ethan exhaled slowly, his tone now steady, “He claimed I’m having an affair with Melinda.”

The room fell into heavy silence, Lila’s confusion evident.

“Wait, what?! H-how? Where’s that coming from Ethan?” her voice dripped with sarcasm and disbelief.

Ethan’s demeanor shifted from anger to calmness, then he scoffed and said, “He probably saw me drop off Melinda from work”.

Lila leaned back on the chair, her eyes narrowing as she assessed Ethan, then Melinda. The tension in the room thickened, the silence suffocating. Finally, Lila broke the stillness, her voice cold.

“Melinda, if you weren't such a valuable asset to this company, you would have been fired on the spot! Your husband humiliated us and I assure you, he will face the consequences!”

Melinda’s small figure crumbled as she knelt, her voice quaking, “M-ma, please forgive him… I promise this won’t repeat itself, please ma” Melinda pleased as tears streamed down her eyes.

Lila’s expression turned icy, “Enough of this nonsense! Get up and fix this mess! We're probably trending on social media right now!

“One woman tarnishing our image online is bad enough, now you bring your baggage and add to it?! Leave now before I change my mind!” Lila continued.

Ethan’s expression was a mask of mixed feelings. His heart melted as his eyes continued to wander to Melinda, despite the burning anger beneath the surface. He couldn't bring himself to stand up for her in front of his sister.

His hands cupped his lips as if to contain the words that tried to escape and he sunk back in his chair. Unsure of what to say or do, he simply sat there, paralyzed by indecision.

Melinda stumbled out of Ethan’s office, her body shaking as she sobbed. The door clicked behind her and Lila’s gaze snapped to Ethan, her eyes demanding an explanation.

Ethan cleared his throat and uttered, “Look, Lila, it was nothing. I just gave her a ride home after work.”

Lila’s eyebrows raised in skepticism, “Since when do you give your employees a ride home huh? You're not exactly known for being generous, Ethan.”

Ethan chuckled in an attempt to brush off the building tension in the room.

“I’m serious Ethan. Do you like her?” Lila continued.

For a fleeting moment, the room fell into silence, Lila’s gaze still fixated on Ethan. Then Ethan sighed, looked at Lila, and said,

“Yes, I do. Since Jessica passed away, Melinda’s been the only one who has made me feel… alive.”

Lila’s face darkened, her disapproval evident. “Have you suddenly forgotten about Amelia? What then happens to her?” she snapped.

“How does Amelia come into the picture? What does she have to do with this?” Ethan fired back instantly, his voice strong and cold.

Lila gave out a little chuckle as she shook her head. “Play dumb all you want but you know this won't sit well with father. Amelia is practically a part of this family, and you owe her.”

“A midget, really?! This has to be a joke for real” Lila continued, her voice and expression irking with disapproval and dislike for Melinda.

Ethan’s eyes immediately flashed with anger, “Don’t you dare call her that!” he sneered.

Lila scoffed, her face twisted in contempt. “Isn't that what she is?”

Ethan stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. “I believe you've got work to do right? If you don’t mind, I have a meeting to attend now, I’ll see you out!” He uttered, his tone firm and commanding.

“And what of her husband! Are you going to let that fool embarrass you and go sort free?!” Lila snapped, her eyes widened in outrage.

Ethan gave Lila a firm glance and voiced out, “Oh, he certainly isn’t going sort free. Nobody messes with me and doesn't face the consequences.”

Lila stood up, gave him a strong stare, and walked to the door. As she reached out for the door handle, she suddenly turned back and looked at Ethan.

“Ethan, do you like her or do you just feel pity for her?” her voice was low and softer. Her eyes remained fixated on Ethan’s face as if searching for the truth behind what he was about to say.

Ethan’s face remained indifferent, but his eyes revealed his true feelings. “Close the door behind you” he uttered, his tone cold and firm as he quickly sat down and focused on his laptop.

Ethan couldn’t concentrate on what he was doing. He checked the day’s schedule his assistant sent to him via email, it was time for his meeting.

As he walked out of his office, he couldn’t help himself from moving towards Melinda’s office. How was she holding up? Was she okay? Ethan’s curiosity got the better part of him as he quickened his pace.

On approaching Melinda’s office, he pushed open the door and his heart sank. Melinda lay unconscious, her small body crumbling beside her office desk.