Melanie only averted her gaze after Lily’s car disappeared into the distance. She turned to hold Frank’s arm as she said, “You promised you would give me what I want.”“What’s wrong?” Frank said, patting her cheek.“I want to ruin Lily so badly that she would never want to be in the public’s eyes again!” Although Lily’s car was nowhere in sight now, Melanie turned again to stare into the distance with resentment in her gaze. Frank’s eyes followed her gaze. Smiling, he said, “I heard you two were classmates before. Is that right?”“Yeah, but I hate her more than anyone.” Melanie did not hide her emotions when speaking to Frank.“Why?”“Back when we were still in university, all my lecturers loved her, and they would give her all the opportunities. Why? I am talented as well! She would always shine brighter whenever we participated in the same contests. Even when it comes to love, she…” Melanie paused for a moment before continuing, “I will never succeed with her around! She will
Before Melanie could finish her words, Frank loosened his grip on her, letting her go. However, displeasure was written all over his face.This sight of him made Melanie even more anxious than before. “Sorry, Frank. I…”He turned to look at her. The rim of his glasses reflected spine-chilling light while his gaze was cold. “Mel, I told you that you must satisfy me if you want your dreams to come true. You’re no fun this way, you know that?”He lit up a cigarette as he spoke. Then he took a puff and exhaled, the smoke circling them, blurring his face from her vision. It made his side profile appear mysterious. The sky was also getting dark, so Melanie couldn't get out of the car and leave the place alone.Besides, she had made many sacrifices, so how could she stop now? Biting her lip, she considered the situation. Then, she said softly, “Don’t be mad, Frank. I couldn’t accept it because it was sudden, but I’ve thought about it, and you’re right. We must live and enjoy the present
”Where’ve you been?” Nathaniel’s voice was sad, and it sent chills down her spine.Feeling guilty, she tucked her hair behind her ear awkwardly. “I-I went on a trip to the nursery today! I learned a lot of things, all thanks to Mr. Moreau.”The gears in her head turned quickly. Instead of covering things up, she thought it was best to tell him the truth, though not entirely. It was better to do so instead of making up stories and appearing guilty. “You’ve gotten quite close to each other,” he scoffed, his tone dark. Melanie was unsure how much Nathaniel knew or how long he had watched them earlier. However, she assumed he could not grasp the situation as long as she said nothing about it.She understood things happened between her and Frank because they had a deal. Frank would not give her the love she wanted, thus they only got what they wanted from the deal. She did not want to give up the fame and wealth Frank could bring her, but she also did not want to give up the man she
He felt that something was out of place, but Melanie’s attitude did not seem any different. He took a quick glance around and noticed her phone sticking out of the bag that had fallen down the side of the large bed. Nathaniel walked over quickly and picked it up after a glance at the closed bathroom door.The lock screen password had not been changed, so he accessed her WhatsApp with no trouble and located Frank's number. The chat was empty, with no messages. He then looked at the gallery, other text messages, and call records, but everything seemed normal. Nathaniel checked every likely location, but found nothing out of the ordinary.Could he be overthinking?Nathaniel felt confused. Right then, the sound of water flowing from the bathroom stopped. He hurriedly locked the phone and put it back into the bag. Turning around, he saw Melanie come out in her pajamas.“Why’d you get dressed so quickly?” He pretended to be nonchalant and stood up. Then he grabbed her into his arms and
After ordering the meal, Nathaniel sat on the bedside and continued holding Melanie’s hand. “Is there anything else that you want to eat or drink?” His voice and actions were full of tenderness.Melanie felt loved but shook her head, “No, I’m only in my early trimester. I am not that delicate.”“Nonsense! Pregnant women are delicate and should take care of their bodies.”When Melanie saw Nathaniel’s serious appearance, she deliberately teased him, “Oh, it turns out you’re only doing this because I’m pregnant. You wouldn’t care if I weren’t, right?”“Why would you think that? You know I’ve always treated you well,” Nathaniel hurriedly explained. When he saw her teasing eyes, he knew Melanie had tricked him. He lightly patted her buttocks and said, “You’re being naughty! How dare you tease me?”Melanie laughed at him while ducking to the side, “No, spare me! I was just kidding. Still, do you think I got pregnant at the wrong time?”“What do you mean?” Nathaniel became unhappy and p
Melanie still rejected him even though he begged her repeatedly. “You just said you won’t let me suffer anymore. Do you not know that now is the most unstable time for me? Are you planning to ignore me and the baby’s safety for your own selfish desires? Would you not regret it if something happened to me?”Melanie looked extremely aggrieved as she lowered her head and looked away. Nathaniel quickly regained his rationale and lost his desire.“I’m sorry. I’m at fault for not being able to control myself.” He apologized repeatedly. After some thought, he stood up and said, “Have a good rest. Room service should deliver the food soon. I’ll go and take a shower,” After saying that, he rushed into the bathroom.Melanie could hear running water coming from inside the bathroom. She knew Nathaniel must be taking a cold shower to suppress his desires. Melanie felt guilty. After all, Nathaniel had always treated her well, and she was thrilled that he had flown so far just to see her.However
Alexander’s reply was fast but brief, just one word, “Yeah.”Lily smiled as she read his message. She removed her shoes and lay on the sofa. Then she replied, “I went to Garden Road today and finally found what I needed.”“Red Sandalwood?” Alexander asked.Lily’s smile froze when she read his reply. She pouted and typed, “How come you know everything?”“That’s because it’s in the books.” Alexander even added a shrugging emoji at the end.Lily had to read the message a few times before understanding his meaning. Of course, Alexander would eventually find out since Lily did spend a considerable amount of the company’s money to buy the red sandalwood.Naturally, the company’s finance department would record this amount as the company’s purchases. After all, it would have to be approved by the finance manager and the director. However, Lily was still surprised that Alexander had quickly received the news.If it were a regular company, it would probably take a few days before the exe
“That’s nonsense! Of course Mr. Russell smiles!”“No, that’s not what I meant. He smiled a genuine smile!”“Of course it’s real! Why would his smile be fake? Watch your words. If Mr. Russell hears this, you’re done for!” “I’m trying to say that Mr. Russell usually smirks, and it’s scary. When he does that, it’ll most likely lead to something bad. His smile just now was real though, like one we’d all have. It was lovely, didn’t you see?” He looked at everyone in the room, trying to find someone else who would agree. The others in the room remained silent, but they all had the same thought. It also surprised them that Alexander had smiled during the meeting and that the same smile was entirely… out of character. … Lily waited for a long time, but she had not received a reply from Alexander. She kept checking her phone, her face turning a darker shade of red as she read the embarrassing text between Alexander and her. Gosh, she was acting like him. How could she have s