She hadn't heard from Alan yet, but she wasn't worried. From what she knew, if Alan had decided, he wouldn't take long to reach out.

In other words, no news could actually be good news.

It suggested Alan might be planning to invest.

Comforted by this thought, she pulled out her phone to check the latest news and noticed a message from Marcus. "I've heard through someone that we're on good terms again. Is it true?"

Melissa glanced at the text on her screen for a few moments before quickly deleting it.

Whatever! She admitted to herself that she had indeed taken advantage of Marcus this time.

It was six in the evening, and she had just finished work, ready to head home. As she was about to drive off, she heard a knock on her car window.

To her surprise, it was Shawn standing outside.

"Shawn, what are you doing here? This is such a surprise!" Melissa exclaimed, genuinely taken aback.

As she spoke, she opened the passenger side door for Shawn. "Come on in. We should pick up Janet and Yvonne. It'll be fun to grab dinner together," she suggested with a smile.

Settling into the seat, Shawn relaxed and then, with a hint of smirk, patted the bag he had with him. "I'm paying for dinner tonight," he announced with a grin. “I've come into a bit of money. Janet and Yvonne are already at the restaurant waiting for us. After we pick up my mom and Matthew, we'll join them. I'm really looking forward to treating everyone."

Melissa couldn't help but feel excited for him. She started the car, saying, "That sounds amazing! I'm all in for a good meal."

All through the drive, Shawn was in high spirits, sharing stories about how much his boss appreciated his work, the money he was making now, and his dreams of buying a big villa in three years.

Melissa gently reminded him, "Be careful with business dealings."

Shawn responded cheerfully, “No worries. I'm on top of it."

At dinner, everyone enjoyed a great atmosphere. Afterwards, Julie left to spend the night at her son's place, while Melissa took Matthew home alone. Matthew buzzed with excitement, saying, “Yvonne says Uncle Shawn's going to be rich."

With a grin, Melissa asked, "Do you understand what it means to be rich?"

Matthew scowled slightly and said, “Of course. It means Uncle Shawn can buy lots of toys for me."

Melissa agreed, "Yes, that's one way to look at it."

Encouraged by her response, Matthew became even more thrilled.