She didn't return until eight p.m. She expected Marcus to still be there but found only Julie, Matthew, and Yvonne at home.

Confused, Melissa searched the house.

Julie, noticing her confusion, asked, “What's up? Have you had dinner? I saved you some food."

Shaking her head, Melissa asked, "Julie... Did Marcus come by?"

Julie was surprised. “Nope! He called this morning, said he's off on a week-long business trip. His flight was this afternoon. Matthew also knew this. Didn't you? Men always act like that. They don't even care to tell the loved ones about their schedules," Julie mumbled.

Meanwhile, Melissa couldn't reveal she'd been fooled by Marcus. She changed the subject, played with Matthew and Yvonne, and got ready for bed.

Late at night, still seething with anger, Melissa messaged Marcus.

“Finding it fun to pull my leg?!"

Five minutes later, Marcus finally replied.

“It would be even more fun to pull your pants. Don't you agree?"

Receiving Marcus' message, Melissa felt a mix of embarrassment and anger. She hadn't expected him to be so shameless.

Tossing her phone aside, she headed for a shower. When she returned, there was another message from Marcus. "Missing me already?"

What a jerk!

Melissa ignored him and retired to her bed.

The next day, she went about her usual routine at the office. The secretary asked, "Need me to schedule a meeting with Mr. Scott?"

Lounging in her chair, Melissa paused, and then replied, "Not right now! Alan's probably still fuming. I doubt he's in any mood to invest. Check out what projects Hosan Union Ltd. is up to lately.

See if we've got any tough competition."

She added after a moment's thought, "If so, we'll definitely need new sponsors."

The assistant nodded and left the office.

Once alone, Melissa reviewed a document carefully.