After breakfast, Julie came and took Matthew away, and Marcus got into the passenger seat of Melissa's car.

Melissa narrowed her eyes at him and said, "I have to go to work!"

Looking at her face, Marcus asked her softly, “Is Albert that important to you? Is that why you're working so hard for him?"

She turned away.

She sat straight and looked in front. After a long while, she said flatly, "I don't know how you got to that conclusion, but whatever it is you've convinced yourself of, you're wrong. I'm not doing this for Albert or for the Watson Group. I have a kid, and I have to put food on the table. I won't be getting as much as I am now if I'm just taking things easy. A high salary comes with a lot of responsibilities, too."

When she finished, Melissa's shoulders slumped, as if it had taken a lot for her to say all that out loud.

Marcus' eyes softened, feeling guilty. "Melissa..." he called.

She turned away, not wanting him to see the tears glistening in her eyes. "I know what you want, coming here at midnight, but... I don't think it's gonna work out between us."

She paused for a moment, letting her words sink in, and then said indifferently, "You've always disliked my work. Then, you went and invited Violette into your house. You let any woman sit in your car because each one of them is just as replaceable as the next. They don't mean anything to you. I'm scared, Marcus. One day, if you got upset, I'd be just like them to you. You'd flirt with other women to get back at me and push me away without a second thought.

Don't you get it? I'd rather work myself to death than have to rely on you."

After a long while, Marcus said softly, "You do mind those women, don't you?"

"Get out!" Melissa said angrily, getting a catch in her throat. "I'm going to be late."

This time, Marcus didn't make things difficult for her. He exited the car without another word, and then closed the door. The next moment, Melissa was driving away.

Loneliness lingered all over the space now that she was alone.

They had parted ways with a firm resolve, but that didn't mean that the separation didn't affect her. She grieved the relationship, but no matter how sad she was, she wouldn't go back on her decision, especially when Marcus didn't respect her. There would be no point in being with him again when they would just end up separating later on.

Half an hour later, Melissa arrived at the company.

She had a lot of work to do. At 10 AM, she asked her secretary to make an appointment with Alan so they could discuss financing.

Her secretary arranged things according to her instructions.

On the other side, Alan hung up and devised a plan.

It was true that Rena was an old friend, and she had helped him a lot. But after meeting Melissa, he grew to admire her and thought that she would be a good match for his son.