Melissa simply offered a faint smile in response.

After being turned down, Jaime lost his appetite and left.

Meanwhile, Melissa found the food here delightful. Just as she was about to have some more, someone suddenly took a seat beside her.

It was Marcus.

And he wasn't alone. He had brought along some colleagues from his company, none of whom dared to sit down though.

Eyeing Melissa, Marcus asked, "On a date with Jaime?"

Melissa glanced around suspiciously. "Did you have me followed?" she questioned.

Marcus scoffed. “I'm not that creepy! I just happened to run into you. Plus, Alan's been spreading rumors. He called my folks this morning, saying you were dining with his son. That's hard to ignore," he explained.

Melissa was speechless.

She wanted to leave but Marcus insisted they stay. In a surprisingly good mood, he invited his colleagues to join. "We're dining here!

It's Miss Brown's treat."

The brown-nosers eagerly praised Melissa.

"I heard the food's amazing here. I've been dying to try it," one said.

“Exactly! How generous of you, Miss Brown," chimed in another.

Upon hearing this, Marcus signaled the waiter to clear the table and ordered more food.

Rolling her eyes, Melissa thought Marcus had no shame.

She handed him several bills and said, “Here you go! Enjoy your meal!"

About to leave, Melissa was surprised when Marcus didn't stop her.

Instead, he spoke gently. “I'll check on Matthew tonight. You had spicy food for lunch, so tell Julie to make something light for dinner."

Melissa wished she could throttle Marcus.