She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 609

He wasn't entirely sure why he was tailing Preston's car.

It was an unconscious, almost compelled reaction.

Maybe it was because he just didn't want to go home yet.

Or maybe following them to Rosevale Heights would feel like he was the one escorting Melanie home.

But...

as they drove, Everett realized the BMW wasn't heading toward Rosevale Heights.

It was heading toward a nearby shopping mall.

At this hour, the only thing open in the mall would be the movie theater.

Realizing Melanie was going to watch a movie with Preston, Everett felt like a knife had been violently twisted into his chest.

Earlier that day, before the dinner, Nathaniel had called him over to Crescent Ridge Estate.

In the study, Nathaniel had made it clear that he wanted to compensate him and repay his father's life-saving grace.

That included appointing him as the COO of the Royce Group, giving him a company car, and providing high-end employee housing that was infinitely better than his current rental.

Everett knew damn well he didn't deserve any of it.

He had originally intended to refuse.

But...

Nathaniel's next words had changed his mind completely.

"If Melanie didn't already have a boyfriend, I would have had you two get engaged... By all rights, that childhood betrothal should have been between you and her."

Everett knew he wasn't good enough for Melanie.

But Dominic Hale wouldn't have been good enough for her either, if he hadn't spent years leeching off the Royce family's wealth to build the Hale Group.

Everett realized that accepting Nathaniel's generosity would grant him a highly respectable career and a massive income.

He would have a house, a car, and capital.

With all that, wouldn't he finally have the qualifications to compete fairly with Preston?

After all, it seemed like everything Preston had was just handed down from his family.

Furthermore, his father truly had sacrificed his life to save Melanie's dad.

The Hale family weren't even the real saviors, yet they had shamelessly milked every advantage. As the descendant of the true savior, accepting Nathaniel's gratitude felt perfectly justified.

She just didn't want to watch it with him.

The one she had no interest in...

was him.

Inside the theater, Melanie and Preston snuggled into a loveseat, watching the movie together.

Melanie was entirely engrossed, finding it utterly fascinating.

It was so much better than she had imagined.

But Preston, with his arm wrapped securely around her, found his focus drifting.

Not because he wasn't enjoying the film.

But because it was impossible to ignore the man sitting in the obscure corner of the room.

Everett.

Everett probably thought his tailing skills were phenomenal and that he'd gone completely unnoticed.

But Preston had known the entire time that he was following them.