She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 743

At the sound of heavy footsteps, Melanie glanced toward the entrance, instantly locking eyes with Preston's predatory gaze.

Daphne and Shawn spotted him at the exact same time.

In stark contrast to Shawn's reckless disarray, Preston was dressed in flawless, head-to-toe black, his shirt buttoned up with meticulous, suffocating precision.

The sharp contrast between his crisp white gloves and pitch-black suit was a commanding, lethal aesthetic.

"Wow! One's a total bad boy, the other's completely unapproachable... Melanie, who are you taking home?"

Daphne wiggled her eyebrows at Melanie.

Knowing Daphne lived for the drama, Melanie let out an exhausted sigh.

"Adults don't have to choose."

"You want both?"

"I want neither."

At her declaration, Preston and Shawn had completely opposite reactions.

Preston's brow furrowed in evident displeasure.

While a slow, satisfied smirk spread across Shawn's lips.

"I heard Angel finally dumped you."

Shawn drawled, sauntering directly toward Preston.

As he closed in, Shawn realized with slight annoyance that Preston actually had a few inches on him.

"So what's the ex-boyfriend doing crawling back? Didn't you hear I'm the one courting her now?"

Shawn tossed a brazen wink over his shoulder at Melanie.

He was undeniably gorgeous, with a fresh, youthful energy that was hard to ignore.

Even a cocky wink managed to look charming rather than sleazy.

However...

Melanie's eyes held absolutely zero romantic interest.

She looked entirely on edge.

Shawn offered a dry chuckle, running a hand through his shock of white hair.

Before, she had ignored his advances because she was taken.

But now that she was technically single, Shawn saw this as the ultimate golden ticket.

"Angel..."

He drifted back to Melanie's side, jerking a thumb at Preston.

Melanie's expression tightened. She patted Daphne's shoulder to calm her down, then shot a glare at Shawn.

Shawn was just smiling back.

That innocent, boyish face was wildly deceptive.

For a split second, Melanie couldn't tell if he brought this army to murder Preston or to kidnap her.

"Does Mr. Sterling only know how to solve problems with his fists?"

Facing her sharp accusation, Shawn leisurely buttoned his shirt back up.

"For a businessman, time is money. Brute force is just incredibly efficient..."

While answering Melanie, Shawn's deadly gaze shifted back to Preston.

"If Mr. Whitmore simply promises to never go near Melanie again, I'll clear the room."

Surrounded three rows deep by hostile thugs, Preston looked entirely outnumbered.

Melanie's eyes were glued to Preston.

She knew exactly who he was now—the billionaire CEO of Stellaris PharmaTech and the ruthless heir of the Whitmore family.

In an all-out war, Preston would absolutely crush Shawn.