She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 716

"You clearly don't love me anymore, Oracle!"

"I never loved you in the first place."

"You're choosing a guy over your best friend!"

"Guilty as charged."

Outmatched, Elias angrily hung up the phone.

Melanie shrugged. She knew Elias well enough to know he wasn't actually mad at her. And she was right—unless there was a global medical crisis, her intervention wasn't strictly necessary. Right now, her only priority was Preston.

The next day, to Melanie's absolute surprise, Shawn Sterling showed up at the hospital to visit Preston.

However, Melanie physically blocked him from entering the ward.

"Who do you think you are?" Linda Vance snapped, stepping out from behind Shawn, her hands full of expensive gift baskets.

Before Melanie could respond, Shawn shot Linda a look so lethal it could have frozen blood.

Linda's arrogance instantly evaporated. She quickly bowed her head. "I apologize, Ms. Royce."

Melanie studied the secretary for a moment. She hadn't paid much attention to the woman before. Linda looked like the textbook definition of a corporate assistant—sharp suit, tight bun, half-rim glasses. Competent, but entirely unremarkable.

In all their previous interactions, Linda had been practically invisible. Yet that sudden outburst reeked of intense, personal hostility.

Melanie's gaze turned calculating.

"Did you think I was too busy taking care of my boyfriend to connect the dots?" Melanie let out a cold laugh. "Sonia's family was drowning in debt. Your company offered a million-dollar prize. Of course she was desperate enough to do whatever she was told."

She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "If I hadn't caught her, and she won, only for the scandal to break later, the Royce Group would have been dragged through the mud as the ingredient sponsor. And if I did catch her, a woman that desperate was guaranteed to lash out at the person who ruined her payout... which happened to be me. Tell me I'm wrong, Shawn."

Under the weight of Melanie's predatory gaze, Shawn instinctively took a half-step back.

Then, a brilliant, almost boyish grin broke across his face.

"You overthink too much, Angel. It's going to give you wrinkles."

Melanie's smile didn't reach her eyes. "When dealing with you, I'd rather overthink than end up dead."

Without breaking eye contact, she pulled out her phone and forwarded a heavily encrypted file directly to his number.