Chapter 106
They stood locked in a tense stalemate outside the apartment building, neither willing to let go.
Seeing the unwavering determination in Jocelyn’s eyes, Melvin felt a surge of anger that made his recent wound throb with pain.
“Fine, I’ll call Hamison,” he declared, and this time, he meant business.
Jocelyn had no idea where he had gotten Harrison’s number from, but as his fingers hovered over the screen, ready to dial, she
leaped forward to snatch his phone away.
That kind of movement was bound to lead to physical contact.
Melvin let go of his suitcase with his right hand and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her close into an embrace that prevented
her from jumping away
The call connected
“If you want him to know you’re here too, be my guest. Melvin’s voice dripped with malice as he wickedly activated the
loudspeaker
function.
Hearing Harrison’s voice on the other end, Jocelyn froze, too terrified to even breathe.
“Hello? Who’s this?”
Harrison’s voice sounded hearty and gentle, starkly contrasting Melvin’s low and indifferent tone.
Jocelyn’s heart threatened to burst through her chest as she looked up at Melvin with tear-glinted eyes. She did not want to
embarrass
herself or Harrison.
Her lips quivered as she gazed at his Adam’s apple, tiptoeing up to press a cool, light kiss upon it, a silent plea for mercy.
“Wrong number.”
Melvin’s grip on Jocelyn tightened as he ended the call and put away his phone, then gently lifted her chin to look at the tear that
had made its way to her cheek, his eyes narrowing, “Feeling that hard done by?”
Jocelyn bit her lip, her entire body trembling, “What do you even want?”
Her voice shook.
“You know what I want,” Melvin brushed away the tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, a tightness in his chest at the
sight of
it
This woman’s heart had changed too quickly.
She could not wait to be with another man, which irked him.
Jocelyn took a deep breath, “We’re not right for each other.
mistreated you? All I ever wanted was for you to stay by my side.”
“You know what I’m looking for, Jocelyn refused to back down any longer. “And you can’t give it to me.”
Melvin’s eyes flashed with irritation, “I don’t want to go over old ground.
“Neither do I Jocelyn stood her ground. “You could have any woman you want with your wealth and power. Why cling to me?”
“I only want you!” Melvin leaned in close, his tone unyielding, his gaze intense
At that moment, Jocelyn truly wished she could just disappear
She stared back at him. “Ultimately, you’re just not done playing with me.”
That’s night, I’m not done. Melvin did not bother to hide it, “I want you.”
A heavy weight seemed to press upon Jocelyn’s chest, making it hard to breathe.
She bit her lip, her eyes stinging with tears. “You’re about to get engaged to Willow. If you keep this up with me, whose reputation
are you trying to ruin, mine or yours?”.
“Did I say I was going to get engaged to her?” Melvin’s hand slid up to her neck, his eyes lingering on her lips.
Jocelyn’s breath was ragged with anxiety, ‘It’s all over the internet.”
“So you believe everything you see on the internet?”
Shouldn’t 17
De not dead yet. Why didn’t you come and ask me? Melvin snapped, frustration evident in his voice.
Chapter 106
Jocelyn recoiled at being shouted at.
But whether they were engaged or not was not the point. The point was that they were not right for each other.
I was getting late, and people were beginning to trickle back home. Their confrontation at the apartment entrance was becoming
conspicuous.
Jocelyn did not want to create a scene.
“I’m tired. I need to rest” she said, trying to wriggle free from his grasp. “People are coming home from work. You should go
before you draw too much attention. It won’t look good for you.”
Melvin’s eyes narrowed dangerously, “Now you’re worried about being seen with me? You didn’t seem to care who saw you
when you were all over that guy”
“Because he wants to be with me openly,” Jocelyn lifted her face to meet his gaze, and just for a moment, she found her resolve
She had given him chances, but he had rejected them.
He would rather be seen with Willow in the media than stand by her side upright and honest.
For over three years, they had been like a clandestine affair, unseen.
There was no real love between them except for sharing a bed at night and indulging in the pleasures of the flesh.
It was just about finding the most compatible partner for their lonely bodies.
Seizing the moment he was distracted, Jocelyn pushed him away, grabbed her suitcase, and headed inside.
Without waiting for a response, she entered the building, the door closing behind her.
At that moment, something inside Melvin seemed to collapse, leaving a hollow emptiness.
He stared in the direction Jocelyn had left, a thought dawning on him: she was serious
Jocelyn returned home, slamming the door shut behind her. Dropping her suitcase, she leaned against the door, her tightly
wound emotions finally unraveling as tears streamed down her face.
She did not understand why or what she was crying for
Sitting on the floor, she let herself cry for a while before her emotions started to settle.
Her phone vibrated incessantly from inside her bag. When she checked, she saw two missed calls from Harrison.
Her emotions had calmed, but her voice had not.
With a sense of guilt, she hesitated to answer the phone.
After rejecting the call, she sent Harrison a message on Facebook,
[Got pulled into a last-minute meeting. Can’t talk right now.]
She despised herself for lying, for deceiving Harrison after seeing Melvin. She felt like the worst kind of woman.
Harrison responded quickly with a playful “I shall leave” meme.
Jocelyn could not help but smile at the meme, but a wave of bitterness quickly followed it.
She was not sure if agreeing to give it a try with Harrison was the right thing to do, she was always afraid of letting down his
genuine feelings.
Her complex thoughts kept her restless. She took her suitcase to the bedroom to unpack, finding solace in the busy work that
temporarily calmed her mind.
After putting everything away and showering, she felt more at peace
She changed her clothes, dned her hair, and stepped onto the balcony for fresh air, hoping to clear her head.
Jocelyn’s heart fluttered as she inadvertently caught sight of Melvin still lingering outside the building.
What was it about him that could be so infuriating yet somehow leave her feeling guilty, as if she were the one at fault?
She averted her gaze and retreated to the living room, where memories of their time together began to play uncontrollably.
Anviously, she flicked on the TV, where a weekend variety show was in full swing. The host’s laughter was infectious, and the
audience roared with joy. However, Jocelyn could not grasp what was so funny. She stared blankly at the screen, not bothering
to change the channel even as it transitioned to an endless stream of commercials
I was not until her dad called, inquiring about the end of her meeting and inviting her home for dinner that she snapped out of her
Chapter 106
“Meeting? What meeting?” Jocelyn was utterly confused.
“Didn’t Harrison mention you were tied up in a meeting?” Her dad asked.
It took a moment for the lie she told Harrison to resurface in her mind, realizing he had actually passed it on to her father.
Stammering, she quickly concocted an excuse. “Oh, yes, it’s just wrapped up.”
“Well then, come home for dinner, Calvin suggested, not reading too much into it
‘Sure.”
After hanging up, Jocelyn grabbed her purse and made her way downstairs
Exiting the elevator she feared Melvin might still be around, so she opted to slip out through a side door instead.