Chapter 161

“Where‘ve you been?” Nathaniel‘s voice was sad, and it sent chills down her spine. Feeling guilty, she
tucked her hair behind her ear awkwardly. “I–I went on a trip to the nursery today! I learned a lot of
things, all thanks to Mr. Moreau.”

The gears in her head turned quickly. Instead of covering things up, she thought it was best to tell him
the truth, though not entirely. It was better to do so instead of making up stories and appearing guilty.
“You‘ve gotten quite close to each other,” he scoffed, his tone dark.

Melanie was unsure how much Nathaniel knew or how long he had watched them earlier. However,
she assumed he could not grasp the situation as long as she said nothing about it.

She understood things happened between her and Frank because they had a deal. Frank would not
give her the love she wanted, thus they only got what they wanted from the deal. She did not want to
give up the fame and wealth Frank could bring her, but she also did not want to give up the man she
could depend on for the rest of her life, Nathaniel.

She stepped forward, grabbed Nathaniel‘s arm, and rested her head on his shoulder. Looking up at
him, she said softly, “Are you jealous?”

He threw her a glance and said nothing.

“I know that you‘re just concerned about me, but I got this. Plus, you know I‘m only here on business
with him, don‘t you? You couldn‘t accompany me here, so it serves you right to get jealous! Now that
you‘re here, you‘ll see us all the time. There‘s nothing you should worry about, alright?” she said,
pinching the tip of his nose. Her timid and obedient look made Nathaniel‘s fury diminish a little. Sternly,
he asked, “ Really? Nothing is going on between the both of you?” “There is!” She stuck out her
tongue. “Something is going on between us. We did so many things together. Get mad all you want!”



After saying that, she let go of his arm and ran in the elevator‘s direction with a smile on her face. After
listening to her playful answers, Nathaniel could not bring himself to be mad anymore. The doubts he
had earlier were mostly gone by now.

Nathaniel had rushed over to Middle Valley right after he settled the matters in Sapphine, but he did not
expect Melanie not to be around when he arrived. His employee said that she went out with Frank in
the afternoon and that they did not take the company‘s car. Upon hearing that, anger built within him.

Earlier, he had been waiting at the hotel‘s entrance because he wanted to know precisely when they
would be back. They were together, as he had expected, but fortunately for them, Frank and Melanie
did not enter side by side.

Nathaniel did not notice any intimate moments between them, and he felt he had completely misread
the situation when he remembered Melanie’s actions.

He followed Melanie upstairs and entered the room after her. She had just closed the door and was
about to turn around, but Nathaniel had already grabbed her and pressed her against it.

“Mel...” he called her name, about to lower his head to kiss her. She put her hand between their lips
instinctively to stop him from approaching. It stunned him. Frowning, he asked, “

Mel?”

“Hey! What‘s with the rush? I just came back from the nursery, and I’m covered in dirt. I feel so
uncomfortable. Let me take a shower first!” Melanie quickly explained after realizing what she did would
arouse his suspicions. “You‘re here already, anyway! I can‘t possibly escape from you, can I?” While
she spoke, she tiptoed and left a light peck on his lips before walking past him into the bathroom. When
he heard the water running, he retracted his arms from the door, still feeling uneasy.


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