Ch. 151..160

Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 151

After deleting all the messages, Melanie went downstairs happily and saw a very cool Wrangler at the hotel entrance. She was excited, especially when Frank was sitting in the car waiting for her. Thinking that someone of his stature was coming to pick her up like this, she felt that her own stature had gone up.

“Where did this car come from? I‘remember that the company didn‘t book this car.” She suppressed her little excitement and asked smilingly.

“That little company of yours?” Frank‘s words were full of disdain. Melanie did not mind that. To her, MN Inc. was indeed insignificant. It was a pity nonetheless. After all, in the beginning, she was determined to expand it into a listed company, but now she had given up.

Naturally, someone with Frank‘s worth and status would look down on MN Inc.

“Hmm.” She nodded. Frank said, “To be honest, if it weren‘t for you, I wouldn’t ride in your company‘s car from the airport.” Who knew how much truth there was in Frank‘s words? Still, Melanie was delighted when she heard that.

“Where are we going?” She looked at Frank with anticipation.

“You‘ll see.”

The car sped all the way, and soon, they arrived at their destination.

Melanie‘s girlish heart burst with joy, “Wow, there are so many beautiful flowers! I never knew such a beautiful place existed. Frank, how did you find it? You are amazing!” Frank faintly smiled as he drove the car. Then he leaned a little in her direction, “Yes, I am amazing. In more ways than one.”

“Stop it! You‘re disgusting!” She gave him a light punch while blushing and laughed along with him.

The sun was getting increasingly hotter, to scorching heat. Jenny could not take it anymore. She looked up at Lily and saw that her face was slightly red, but her expression remained focused

“Lily, let‘s go back to the hall first. How about we continue a bit later?”

Lily stopped in her tracks and looked at Jenny, who was panting heavily and sweating profusely. She nodded and said, “Okay.”

Since they had walked quite some distance, Jenny called the people at the base for them to drive over to pick them up immediately. They stayed put where they were, Jenny took off her hat and fanned herself, and saw that Lily was still walking unhurriedly. She had taken off her mask when she entered the garden. Due to exposure to the sun, her cheeks were slightly red, but magically, her skin was not tanned but had gotten even fairer. Jenny narrowed her eyes slightly in the dazzling sunlight and looked at Lily standing in the garden. There were brightly colored flowers on both sides, but none were brighter than her. The magnificent scenery around them could not conceal Lily‘s beauty. Even Lily‘s slightly messy hair and the beads of sweat sliding down her cheeks looked beautiful.

This girl was gorgeous. It was no wonder that Jenny was prejudiced against her initially, thinking that she had gotten into Rebirth through some improper relationship. However, Lily was able to complete Jenny‘s complex assessments well. It proved that she was not just a pretty face. “Lily, can you tell me what you are looking for?”

Jenny had gone on field trips with many colleagues several times, but none had ever been as persistent as Lily.

Lily stopped, pondered for a while, and said, “A raw material that has the extract I want.” “What is that?” Jenny asked.

Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 152

“I don‘t know.”

Jenny changed her question, “Hmm. Do you know what scent you want?”

“I can‘t describe it.” Although Lily‘s answers were unreliable, Jenny could probably understand them. Nonetheless, this was something she could not help Lily with.

The car from the base arrived not long after. However, it was not the young man who picked them up initially. The person who arrived was more enthusiastic, “Are you tired? I didn‘t expect you to go so far out and for so long. Generally, those who come here usually stay for an hour at most.

“We have all the best samples. We pick and ship out flowers on the same day, and we even update the samples daily, so you don‘t have to worry about the flowers not being fresh, affecting your judgment. You can just tell us what you‘re looking for,” the driver enthusiastically spoke while driving. Lily quietly looked at the flowers by the nursery. The natural fragrances filled the air as several scents mixed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Lily could tell what each flower was, but still, they were not what she wanted.

“You have such a big nursery. Is it difficult to take care of it? You must need a lot of staffing, huh?” Jenny asked.

“Yes, it‘s difficult, but it‘s our job, and I‘m pleased to see the beautiful flowers grow under my care,” He said smilingly, “We do need a lot of staffing, but we‘re still understaffed. You see, my brother is picking up guests, so I have to pick you up, and when you arrive, I have to prepare deworming solutions.” “I‘m sorry to trouble you,” Lily said. “Hey, there‘s no trouble since it‘s my job. You are our visitors, after all.” The man had a charming personality and was always starting conversations. “How many visitors do you get daily?”

“We have plenty of visitors during peak seasons, but it‘s been fine lately. Wasn‘t there a perfume sampling session in the past couple of days? Maybe that‘s why there are more people now. You two were the earliest today, but more will come in the afternoon.” The trio arrived at the base as they talked. The man pointed inside the hall and said, “You two go ahead and rest. I won‘t go in since I need to go to the shed first.”

“Okay, we‘ll go in by ourselves.” Lily readily agreed.

“A lot of people will come to look for materials soon, so we need to quickly order the goods in advance when they‘re still available,” Jenny said as she walked into the hall with Lily.

Lily did not care too much since she knew not everyone looked for the same materials, and it was all about finding the right ones.

“I‘m dying of thirst and want some iced water, but I don‘t know if they have any,” Jenny said.

Lily was about to reach for the door and push it open when someone opened it from the inside. “Lily?!” Melanie caught a glimpse of Lily, and her eyes widened. Melanie never thought she would bump into Lily again. ‘What kind of bullsh*t fate is this?!‘ Jenny remembered this audacious woman from the past two days, and the look in her eyes was not friendly. of course, Melanie did not care that Jenny was there. After all, her whole attention was on Lily. She sized Lily up and saw her sweaty face, saying disdainfully, “What are you doing here?!”

Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 153

“You...” Melanie was stunned and was just about to lash out. Frank beside her reached out to block her, “Mel, this must be Lily Christian that you‘ve mentioned before.”

Melanie was stunned for a moment, then nodded, “Yes, it‘s her.”

“Ms. Christian, removing an ingredient from the essential oil formula and maintaining the rest may not seem much, but the results were completely different,” Frank paused and said slowly, “You‘re quite smart.” ; Lily raised her eyebrows, looked at him, and suddenly realized, “Are you the one Nathaniel brought in to help?”

No wonder Nathaniel stopped worrying all of a sudden. According to the news from Sapphine, MN Inc.‘s factory had re–opened and resumed production. That must mean that Nathaniel solved the essential oil formula issue.

Of course, Lily knew MN Inc. could not solve the problem with the existing staff, so Nathaniel must have hired external aid. Nonetheless, Lily had been in Middle Valley over the past few days and had been too busy to consider what kind of assistance Nathaniel had obtained. She did not expect this person to appear before her instead.

Lily did not know who Frank was. However, from the treatment the organizer gave him last night and the fact that he could pinpoint what had gone wrong with the essential oil formula, he must be a capable person. With that said, why would a person like him help Nathaniel? In the face of Frank‘s sarcasm, Lily nodded. “Thank you for the compliment.” She had no intention of arguing with the duo and did not intend to start a fight here, but Melanie was not the kind of person who would let this go, especially after seeing Lily in the first–class cabin from Sapphine. Melanie had gotten nothing but troubles with Lily, so how could she miss the chance to bash Lily now that she finally got the upper hand?

“Are you stupid?” Melanie said arrogantly while pulling her sleeves, “Who do you think you are to deserve a compliment from Mr. Moreau? You‘re just a kindergartener compared to him. All you have are dumb little tricks, so stop embarrassing yourself. “Lily, you must think you are invincible after joining Rebirth. Rebirth is not La Beauté! Besides, why would La Beauté even cover for you? Take a look at yourself and know where you stand. You have to stop your unrealistic daydreams!” Jenny, standing on the sidelines, could no longer stand it. She stood between Lily and Melanie with a grim expression, saying, “No matter where Lily stands, she always relies on herself, unlike some people who dared to steal from someone else‘s work and were so proud of themselves. It‘s like they know no shame!”

Jenny was not the type that would let others bully her. She usually would not get mad quickly, but she could no longer stand Melanie‘s nonsense.

Melanie was so furious at Jenny‘s words that her face turned ashen before turning red. She rolled her eyes and looked at Jenny. “Who the hell are you? You‘re speaking out of pocket. This is between Lily and me, and it‘s none of your business!” “Lily is my colleague and friend, so her business is my business.” Jenny poked her chest out and expressed her support for Lily. Her actions touched Lily.

Melanie sneered, “Oh, I see. Another one from Rebirth. No wonder you’re so arrogant! Did you know that Lily is a two–faced b*tch? I’ll give you a friendly warning so you don’t regret knowing her when she fooled you.” “Don‘t bother. I have eyes that can tell who the actual b*tch is.”

Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 154

Melanie did not expect Jenny to fire back. Additionally, Lily did nothing but stand there, depriving Melanie of any satisfaction. Melanie became increasingly furious and said, “You think Rebirth is so great? It is just a little subsidiary of La Beauté, not any better than MN Inc. Besides, no one can compare to Mr. Moreau, even in La Beauté.” i Lily noticed Melanie was holding Frank‘s arm as she spoke proudly. “All right, Mel, let‘s not waste time here. We should focus on what we came here for.” Frank did not take part in their quarrel, but his words showed contempt and disdain.

“You‘re right. Let‘s go! It even smells bad here.” Melanie waved her hand and covered her nose as they walked away, as if she genuinely smelled something. Jenny was dumbfounded at Melanie‘s act, and she said to Lily, “What a weirdo. She‘s the one that started the smear campaign, yet she’s acting all high and mighty. Lily, how‘d you even become friends with her?”

Yes, how could she be friends with such a person back then? Lily was tricked by Melanie‘s act and failed to see her for who she really was. “Let‘s not talk about her. It‘s pointless,” Lily said lightly, “Let‘s go in. Aren‘t you thirsty?” “Yes, yes. I almost forgot. Really, I‘m just so mad at her!” Jenny had not felt so angry in a long time.

While Melanie and Frank made their way to the nursery, she was still thinking about what happened. If Lily and that nasty lady were here, did that mean Rebirth also wanted supplies from this nursery? Melanie wanted to double back to the hall to find out what they wanted, and then swoop in and buy everything before they could.

That was so annoying! Why did Lily get to have everything she wanted? Despite being swept out of the game, Lily still clung on to Rebirth, and she appeared very happy with them.

The lawsuit with MN Inc. and the smear campaign on the Internet did not affect her at all. She was still doing well.

Why? Why?!

Melanie could not let this go. She must outshine Lily and be more beautiful as well as more dazzling than her!

“Mel, what are you thinking?” Frank stopped and turned to look at her.

Melanie came back to her senses and expressed her thoughts, “I‘m thinking, they‘re probably here to get supplies. I don‘t know what they‘re looking for, so I‘m not sure whether it‘ll be the same as what we need.”

Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 155

Jenny was quite dehydrated, and it took a large glass of water to restore her strength. “‘The fame of this place is well deserved. There‘s a wide variety of flowers, and the fragrance is very pure.”

“I‘ll write down the types and quantities that I need first. What about a 20 percent price cut from what you originally proposed?” Jenny skillfully haggled the price while motioning with her hand that she wanted a discount.

The seller was reluctant, “T–That price is a little low. The most we can give you is a 10 percent discount. You should know that this is the best deal you‘d find.”

“Frankly speaking, this is not the lowest price on the market, but I took a liking to the product you have here. We‘re all seeking a long–term connection, and you should give us a little extra margin to earn, right?”

After a brief pause, Jenny added, “We didn‘t specifically make this trip to look for suppliers, as you know. I could easily hand over the purchase list to my company, and our procurement department will discuss it with you instead. By then, the terms wouldn‘t be as good as my offer.”

It is common knowledge that the procurement department follows specific protocols. They were all skilled professionals with experience in pricing negotiation. “O–Okay! Are these all you require? Do you both need anything else?” The seller felt a little embarrassed and agreed to the price. “N–No...” Jenny was ready to decline when she glanced back and spotted the silent Lily standing to the side.

“We‘ll look around. By the way, do you have any special flowers or plants that have a unique scent?”

“We do, but it may not be unique to experts like you.”

Large plant nurseries like this one typically carried a selection of specialty plants that would appeal to botanists. However, plants that were special to most regular people might not be exceptional to folks such as them.

“It doesn‘t matter. I‘d love to take a look,” Lily said.

Jenny and Lily went into the greenhouse together with the seller‘s guide. Although it was sunny, the air circulation kept things from getting too hot and stuffy.

“Ben! Ben!” He shouted twice, and soon someone answered the call.

After a while, Líly saw the same man who had picked them up at the flower field earlier. His sweat-soaked white sweatshirt indicated he had been working.

When he saw them, he laughed happily, “Oh, it‘s you again.”

“These two guests want to see some rare plants. You can lead them there.”

“Okay, no problem.” Ben agreed happily and washed his hands at the nearby water tap.” Please come this way.”

The greenhouse flowers were not the same as those blooming outside. They were more delicate and had stricter requirements for sun exposure and rain. They were more expensive varieties, and the price was incomparable to the ones outside. “Are these all there is?” Lily could not find any she liked after looking around for a while. Jenny had her eye on several types, but more negotiation over pricing was necessary. “Most of them are here!” Ben said while he scratched his head. After some thought, he continued, “There‘s still a variant of red sandalwood. Do you want to take a look?” “You have that here, too? Although it‘s expensive, it‘s not too rare.” Jenny looked back and said.

“Yes, but our red sandalwood variant is different from the ones outside. We cultivated it ourselves, so I don‘t think you can find it outside.” Ben was cautious with his words since he avoided saying certainly that it could not be found outside.

Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 156

“Let’s have a look.” Lily felt interested in it. When they stepped inside, they saw several red sandalwood containers. At first sight, there were little differences from the standard. There were many fake sandalwood on the market, but the ones here seemed very good at first glance. However, they were still not very rare. “What‘s so special about it?” Jenny leaned closer to look at the leaves and sniffed them a few times.

“You are the experts. Why don‘t you look at it yourself?” Ben, who seemed like a simple and honest guy, said with a smile.

Lily took a closer look and reached out to pluck some leaves. A bit of sap dripped from the broken stem as a unique smell overflowed. She smelled the leaf and touched the branch.

She could see that a part of the branch was clefted. “You guys performed grafting?” “Miss, you have a good eye. You‘re the first one among those who came to see this sandalwood who noticed this.” Ben gave her a thumbs up. “Grafting? What plant did you graft it with?” Jenny also became interested upon hearing this. She pinched some plucked leaves and smelled them carefully.

“I can‘t tell you,“Ben smiled, but it was laced with smugness. This was most likely brought on by a sense of pride from minor achievements. To a gardener, success in cultivating a plant after much hardship was like bringing up an excellent child. It was something to be proud of.

“It‘s mint, right?” Lily said.

“How‘d you know?!” Ben looked at her in amazement this time. This was the gardener‘s own attempt, as he was unsure if it would be a success. He had told no one, as this was also a trade secret. However, Lily could quickly determine it after looking a few times. Ben thought that his efforts to keep a secret for so long had turned into a joke.

“I can smell it. There is a unique smell of red sandalwood, but it has a cool feel. It‘s the particular smell of mint. The blend of these two seems to contradict yet surprisingly unique.”

Jenny knelt down to get closer and sniffed the plant deeply when she heard Lily‘s words. “Yes, that‘s right. It‘s mint!”

When Jenny smelled it earlier, she noticed the difference but could not pinpoint it exactly. The main reason was that she had not considered that the plant was grafted, let alone a successful one.

Jenny looked at Lily in surprise and admiration.

“You‘re amazing, miss. You could tell the difference just by smelling it. We’ve done several trial and error but only succeeded with the mint so far. What‘s your thought of this scent? Do you think it‘s good, or do you feel put off with the smell?” Considering the plants were still in the experimental stage, the gardeners did not take them out for display. They were also unsure of the market prospects, so it was not planted in large quantities.

“These plants are perfect. I want it!” Lily said as she pointed at the red sandalwood.

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“I–I‘m afraid I can‘t sell it to you. As you know, this is not easy to cultivate. We have spent much time and effort on these. Also, we do not have them in large quantities, so they’re not suitable for purchase.” Ben refused.

“I don‘t need a large quantity. I only need half of what you have here. I want the other half, too, but I will leave the rest for now since I will need you to take good care of them. Still, you‘re not allowed to sell these to others.”

“I‘m terribly sorry, but we can‘t do that.” Ben still refused and said in embarrassment.

“Just name your price,” Jenny said. She saw Lily‘s persistence and figured out that she must have a use for them. In addition, grafted red sandalwood was indeed rare. It would be helpful if they could obtain all of them. However, the price would likely be on the higher end. “I–It‘s not about money. We put much effort into these, but they‘re still incomplete. We are still trying to...”

“You can continue your experiment on the remaining half. I won‘t interfere. I only want half, and I will pay in full.” “If so, I‘ll consult with my colleagues first.” Ben was still hesitant, but the offer was pretty tempting. However, it was not something he could decide by himself. Jenny was also hesitant as Lily‘s offer was unprecedented, and they had not discussed the price yet.

These red sandalwoods were not cheap. Moreover, they were a unique variety, making their price challenging to estimate. Lily‘s apparent intent to purchase all of them would likely make the other party increase the price by a large margin. Jenny tugged Lily‘s sleeve as Ben turned away to call someone. “Lily, do you want to reconsider? Do we need this many plants? We‘ve never tried these, and we don‘t even have a finished product yet. Even if we make an amazing perfume with these, the raw material cost is too high. What about the perfume prices? Don‘t you wonder how many can afford it?”

Jenny‘s consideration made sense. After all, a perfumer‘s creations, such as essential oils and perfumes, needed to favor the company‘s interests.

“There will be people who are willing to pay for this.” Lily was full of confidence.

“Even if only a few know how to appreciate this scent, you forgot about the general public. Our brand is still fresh in the industry, and most won‘t consider Rebirth a luxury brand,” Jenny continued.

However, it was not a problem of Rebirth being fresh as there were many known local brands. Stíll, most only considered worldwide perfume companies as luxury brands. Therefore, Jenny’s concerns were reasonable.

“That‘s why we need to make a statement,” Lily said, “If I fail, the company can deduct my salary for purchasing these raw materials.”

“You are being too impulsive, Lily.” Jenny did not expect her to be so persistent. She was shocked and wanted to continue when Ben, who had finished his call, interjected, “Since you‘re insistent on having these sandalwoods, we can sell them to you. Still, the price...”

“We can negotiate the price.”

Ren happily laughed when he heard Lily‘s sincerity. “Rest assured that I noticed your sincerity. We won‘t hike the prices unreasonably, but the cost of cultivating these red sandalwoods is high, so we can‘t lower the price too much even if we want to. Instead, we have to slightly raise the price after adding the raw material and labor cost.” Ben took a paper and a pen, wrote the price, and handed it over. “What do you think about this price?” “T–That‘s too...” Jenny‘s expression changed when she saw the six–digit number.

Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 158

“Sure.” Lily made the decision. “Lily, I think we should reconsider this.” As Lily‘s superior officer, Jenny believed it was her responsibility to remind her colleague to be careful. However, she could not reject Lily‘s decision, seeing as how Lily was confident enough to the point where she was willing to use her own salary for this matter.

“If you feel this decision is not suitable, I could purchase it with my own money under my name.” Although Lily did not have much money with her now, she could borrow a little from a certain someone.

“Okay then.” At this point, Jenny stopped persuading Lily and turned to look at Ben. “You must give us the most authentic and best ones you have. We don‘t want any low–quality goods, understand?”

“Don‘t worry about it. We can‘t do that even if we wanted to because we can‘t find low–quality ones to replace them.”. This item was too unique, after all. They would need to breed these plants before using low quality goods to replace the high–quality ones.

“That would be the best.”

The duo left the nursery after signing the contract and paying the deposit.

They saw a car similar to theirs at the entrance, but it was a different color. Lily and Jenny looked at the other car as they got into theirs. Coincidentally, they saw Melanie exiting the car with Frank. She even had her arms wrapped around his.

“Lily, get in the car and close the door. The b*tch is here,” Jenny, already seated in the car, said to Lily, rendering Lily speechless. She did not know Jenny could be humorous too.

Sure enough, Melanie saw them. When she realized that Lily was getting into a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, all the resentment in her gaze almost transformed into sharp knives to stab Lily. However, the driver took off quickly and left the parking lot, avoiding a confrontation between the two parties. Jenny turned her head back to look at Melanie and found her still staring at their car with great bitterness.

Smiling, she shook her head. “Lily, did she snatch your boyfriend away from you, or was it the other way around? She looks at you like you stole her boyfriend and killed her entire family.”

“I‘m not that bored nor that cruel,” Lily said.

“Haha! You‘re right. It‘s just that the way she looks at you would make people think like that. Why does she hate you so much? She gives you death stares every time she sees you.”

Jenny joked. It was difficult for anyone to know Melanie’s exact feelings. Lily shook her head, not knowing the answer to that as well. To be precise, Lily might never realize Melanie‘s hostility toward her if she had not found out about Nathaniel‘s affair with Melanie.

Although Lily and Melanie were not close, some thought they were good friends since Lily disliked social interactions and only had Melanie and Nathaniel by her side throughout her university years.

Nathaniel told Lily they needed a talent like Melanie for the company’s development. His iustification was that Melanie knew how to manage public relations and conduct research, so she could even accompany him to public events. Lily did not mind all that, and she believed she did not wrong Melanie, so it was unclear where Melanie’s resentment toward her came from

Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 159

Melanie only averted her gaze after Lily‘s car disappeared into the distance. She turned to hold Frank‘s arm as she said, “You promised you would give me what I want.”

“What‘s wrong?” Frank said, patting her cheek.

“I want to ruin Lily so badly that she would never want to be in the public‘s eyes again!” Although Lily‘s car was nowhere in sight now, Melanie turned again to stare into the distance with resentment in her gaze. , Frank‘s eyes followed her gaze. Smiling, he said, “I heard you two were classmates before. Is that right?”

“Yeah, but I hate her more than anyone.” Melanie did not hide her emotions when speaking to Frank.

“Why?”

“Back when we were still in university, all my lecturers loved her, and they would give her all the opportunities. Why? I am talented as well! She would always shine brighter whenever we participated in the same contests. Even when it comes to love, she...” Melanie paused for a moment before continuing, “I will never succeed with her around! She will always steal the limelight from me!”

She added, “You saw it too. Why did we have to meet her here in Middle Valley? She flew here first–class and even had a luxurious car as her ride. Why does everyone treat her so nicely when her name is already tainted? She‘s even involved in a lawsuit! This is so unfair!”

Smiling, Frank put his hand on her shoulder, massaging it lightly. “She might be luckier than most, but your luck isn‘t that bad either. You met me.” Upon hearing what he said, Melanie felt slightly better and snuggled into his embrace. “You have to help me! You‘ll do that, right?”

“I told you that you‘ll get what you want as long as I am satisfied with what you give me,” he said profoundly, kissing her hair.

“Yeah.” Melanie nodded obediently.

Frank drove steadily on the roads, but after a while, he still did not see any high–rise buildings belonging to the city. Instead, he was still traveling along the endless paddy fields.

“It‘s so far.” Melanie could not help but express herself. She did not remember the journey being this long when they came. While she was talking, the car came to a stop. “What‘s wrong? Did the car break down?” she asked in confusion, eyes scanning the surroundings.

With one hand on the steering wheel, Frank turned to look at her as he turned off the engine.

“F–Frank?” Seeing that familiar expression on his face, Melanie suddenly became anxious. She had a bad feeling about this. “Mel,” he called her name and licked his lips. Melanie widened her eyes as she pressed her back against the car door. Trembling, she said, “

Frank, this place is so deserted. I‘m a little scared. Can we return to the hotel first? When we’re back, we can...”

Before she could finish her words, Frank had already grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him. “It‘s so bland just to do it at the hotel. We should try doing it in different places.” Patiently, she said, trying to convince him, “Frank, this place doesn‘t look safe. Plus, other people might come over here later. How about we...”

“Isn‘t it more exciting this way?” Frank‘s eyes were bright, and he cared nothing about Melanie‘s concern.

“No, Frank. I’m scared. Let‘s go back...”

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Before Melanie could finish her words, Frank loosened his grip on her, letting her go. However, displeasure was written all over his face.

This sight of him made Melanie even more anxious than before. “Sorry, Frank. I...” He turned to look at her. The rim of his glasses reflected spine–chilling light while his gaze was cold. “Mel, I told you that you must satisfy me if you want your dreams to come true. You‘re no fun this way, you know that?”

He lit up a cigarette as he spoke. Then he took a puff and exhaled, the smoke circling them, blurring his face from her vision. It made his side profile appear mysterious. The sky was also getting dark, so Melanie couldn‘t get out of the car and leave the place alone. Besides, she had made many sacrifices, so how could she stop now? Biting her lip, she considered the situation.

Then, she said softly, “Don‘t be mad, Frank. I couldn‘t accept it because it was sudden, but I‘ve thought about it, and you‘re right. We must live and enjoy the present. No matter what you want, I‘d be willing to comply if you treat me well!” “That‘s right, babe. I‘ll only give you the best in the world.” He held her chin and exhaled smoke in her face. The smoke choked her, causing her to cough. She gritted her teeth and told herself this was the price of her dreams. She could do anything for her future!

When they arrived at the hotel, Melanie slumped in the passenger seat. She did not want to move, as her body was sore all over. Even if she told herself that she had to withstand everything Frank did, she did not know how much longer her body could take it.

“Mel, we‘re here,” he turned to look at her and said gently.

He would resume his gentleman–like appearance when they were in the public‘s eye. However, she now knew that he was a different person in private, and this made her fear him. “Then I‘ll head back to the room first,” she said, removing her seatbelt.

Frank smiled and leaned closer to her. “Whose room are you returning to?”

Although Melanie felt repelled by him, she forced a smile on her face and said in a cutesy manner, “Frank, stop messing with me. I‘m exhausted, so let me have a good rest first, okay?” “Of course.” He gave her a peck on her cheek before sitting upright in his seat.

Melanie got out of the car and watched as he drove to the parking lot. Once his car was gone, she hobbled into the hotel.

However, she saw someone standing there as soon as she entered the door. The man was staring at her, his gaze dark, and he exuded a gloomy air around him. He had not spoken yet, but she could already feel a thunderstorm coming her way. Melanie‘s heart skipped a beat as she said, “N–Nate?”