She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 656

Melanie actually had her own security detail, but since Philip was sent by Preston, she naturally trusted him.

If it were possible, Preston would have preferred to personally protect Melanie twenty-four hours a day.

But reality didn't allow for that.

He had to work overtime and travel frequently—like tonight, when he was scheduled to fly to Nox Isle.

Having Philip by her side to protect her at all times gave him some peace of mind.

Sitting in his office, Preston furrowed his brow, his perfectly sculpted lips parting slightly as he murmured a name.

"Shawn Sterling..."

This seemingly frivolous, white-haired young man was clearly not as simple as he appeared.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for Philip to find absolutely nothing on his background.

As evening approached, the sun began to set.

Preston boarded his private jet and departed.

Meanwhile, Gabriel had arranged to meet Melanie at Kingsland Square.

Kingsland Square had recently undergone renovations, adding several floral arrangements and a musical fountain to create a trendy new hotspot.

Melanie arrived at The Triumvirate Cafe as planned, only to find Gabriel already seated at an outdoor table, sipping coffee.

Now that the weather was warming up, sitting outside was far more relaxing and offered a better view.

The moment Gabriel saw Melanie, he jumped to his feet with a beaming smile.

"Sister—Ms. Royce, you made it!"

Gabriel pulled out a chair for her, playing the part of an overly eager host.

He had no idea why Melanie had acted so cold at the Stellaris PharmaTech banquet, as if he had somehow offended her.

But regardless of the reason, she was his future sister-in-law, a part of the family.

To score some points with his sister-in-law, he had deliberately avoided scheduling their business meeting at the office or a standard coffee shop.

Listening to him, Melanie took the folder.

"I'm quite surprised that Vice President Whitmore prefers paper documents. For this kind of project planning... you could have just emailed it to me, and we could arrange a meeting after I finished reviewing it."

"Because I wanted to see you!"

Melanie's eyes widened, and she watched Gabriel immediately slap a hand over his own mouth.

"No, wait, don't get the wrong idea... I mean... I wanted to meet with you to chat in detail, like..."

Gabriel cleared his throat.

"Ms. Royce, was there something unpleasant about our collaboration on VitalBreath Fortis? Or do you have some personal issue with me?"

Melanie showed a look of surprise.

She hadn't expected him to be so direct.

"You've known me for a while now, so you can probably tell I'm not the scheming type and I can't hide things well. So I'll just be blunt... I feel like your attitude toward me has changed drastically. It's almost like you suddenly want to draw a line between yourself and Stellaris PharmaTech. I was just wondering... is there some misunderstanding between us?"