Melissa picked him up at the airport.

Silent since getting into the car, Albert heard Melissa whisper, “You don't need to oversee the project yourself. Are you doing this for Jessie, Mr. Watson?"

Albert glanced at Melissa and then turned his head away.

He grinned slightly and remarked, "No way!"

Then he inquired casually, “Jessie... How's she been lately?"

Melissa sensed Albert's reluctance to acknowledge the truth. Maybe it had stung him hard when Jessie turned him down last time. Eventually, he had had to resort to Marcus for Jessie's sake.

With a nonchalant tone, Melissa replied, "She's hanging in there. But her dad passed away last month, so Jessie's got her hands full looking after her mom and the family business. Mrs. Green's not in the best mood and tends to take it out on Jessie."

Concern etched on his face, Albert asked urgently, "Has that woman been hitting her again?"

Melissa didn't answer, her eyes dropping to the ground.

Seeing her reaction, Albert let the matter rest. He understood it wasn't Melissa's place to intervene in the Green family drama.

They lapsed into silence for a beat before Albert praised, “You've been doing a stellar job running the branch. HQ's thrilled with your performance! Melissa... if you're up for it, I can swing you a spot at Heron. Pays a lot more than your position here. But if you're sticking with Duefron, forget I mentioned it."

Melissa flashed a small smile. "I'll mull it over, Mr. Waston."

With that, Albert shut his eyes, ending the conversation.

As he left, he passed Melissa a letter of the offer.

After dropping Albert off at his hotel, Melissa hailed a cab back to the office.

She spent the entire afternoon at her desk, fixating on the job offer. It was tempting the salary coupled with Waston Group shares could easily rake in tens of millions annually.

The salary offered was several times more than what she got in Duefron.

Accepting the offer would mean a huge career jump for Melissa. Plus, it would mean a better life for Matthew and Julie.

In the past, she would've jumped at it without thinking twice.

But now, she was torn. While Marcus and her weren't as tight as before, they still got on well.