She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 759

"I just stood up for you out there. Instead of thanking me, you're actually mad at me?"

Melanie's gaze landed on Preston's face.

His anger made his features look even more intimidating.

She quickly looked away.

Preston noticed. He knew she didn't like looking at his scarred face.

He hated it himself.

"You... you lied..."

"Huh?"

"You're not a doctor at all."

Melanie's eyes widened, and she let out a soft laugh.

"You're pretty sharp! So, you're mad because I lied to your mom?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Preston violently shook his head.

"No..."

He kept his head down, his eyelashes lowered, looking like a child who had done something terribly wrong.

"I'm mad... because you gave her money..."

Melanie noticed his fists were clenched tight.

"I didn't want you to pay her. Now she's going to try and leech off you... and I didn't want you to see that I have a mother like that..."

He squeezed the words through his teeth.

Melanie could tell that Preston felt completely humiliated in front of her. He thought having a mother like Aggie was shameful.

Truthfully, Melanie thought being stuck in a toxic, abusive family was a profound tragedy.

A million times worse than having a birthmark.

Preston wasn't mad at her; he was furious with himself.

Suddenly finding him quite intriguing, Melanie gently patted his broad shoulder.

"Honestly... when you stepped in front of me to protect me out there, you looked pretty damn handsome!"

Preston's large frame shuddered, visibly shaken by her words.

Melanie guessed this was probably the first time in his life a girl had ever called him handsome.

Shocked, Preston lowered his head even further.

The apartment fell deathly silent.

Preston took a painfully long time to answer.

Just as Melanie thought he would ignore the question entirely, his voice drifted to her ears.

Despite his frightening birthmark, objectively speaking, his voice was incredibly attractive—deep, raspy, and magnetic.

"...I don't have any money."

"What?"

"Every cent I make goes straight to my parents. Because they raised me. Because they gave me a job."

What a masterpiece of emotional blackmail! Melanie thought in disgust.

Did they raise a son just to have a personal punching bag who wouldn't fight back, wouldn't talk back, and could be bled dry for cash?

She was half-tempted to ask if he was even their biological child.

"I didn't realize you were so dutiful," she remarked dryly.

Preston didn't look the least bit happy at the backhanded compliment.

"Forget it, let's drop the subject. Come try the medication I made."