She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 646

"I don't..."

The words caught in Melanie's throat.

She had been about to decline.

The documents she found in Larkspur, Xavorn, clearly stated that Stellaris PharmaTech was the original initiator of the research project her mother had been involved in all those years ago.

She had every reason to suspect that Stellaris PharmaTech was tied to her mother's death.

If...

If her mother had stumbled upon some dark secret within that project and Stellaris had silenced her...

Melanie stared intently at Gabriel, her eyes wide.

Then the second son of the Whitmore family standing right in front of her was essentially her enemy.

Melanie wanted absolutely nothing to do with Stellaris or the Whitmores ever again.

But just as she was about to turn Gabriel down, she hesitated.

If she cut ties now, she'd sever all connection with Stellaris.

She would lose any chance of digging deeper.

If she wanted to gather more information about that old project, find concrete evidence, and uncover the truth behind her mother's death, she needed to keep her enemies close.

"Sure, I'm very interested. Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Whitmore."

Gabriel let out a quiet sigh of relief at her immediate agreement.

It was the first time she had smiled at him all night.

But...

Even though Melanie was smiling, it made Gabriel feel profoundly uneasy.

It felt like the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"I'll have my secretary send over the project files tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"Perfect."

After that, Melanie completely tuned him out.

Gabriel awkwardly turned and walked away, sipping his champagne.

He had secured the deal, yet something felt incredibly wrong.

Preston was already striding purposefully toward Melanie when Gabriel intercepted him.

Gabriel grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him into a quiet corner.

"What are you doing?" Preston frowned, eyeing Gabriel with confusion.

Whatever Gabriel wanted, there was no need to act like a spy in a cheap thriller.

Yet Gabriel's secretive demeanor only intensified.

"Preston..." he whispered, leaning close. "Something is off. Something is really off!"

"What's off?" Preston was already losing patience with his brother's inability to get to the point.

"It's Melanie. She's acting completely bizarre tonight."

Before he could finish, a group of unfamiliar men entered the hall.

Dressed in sharp suits, they checked in at the reception desk.

Their sudden appearance drew the attention of the guests, including Preston and Gabriel in the corner.

In front of everyone, the men walked straight up to Melanie.