She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 768

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. Ms. Royce, I promise I won't speak out of turn again."

Gabriel's goofy apology snapped Melanie out of her thoughts.

She realized he had misunderstood her anger, thinking she was mad about the nickname.

"It's fine. Let's just order," she said, forcing a polite smile.

She told herself she was being a busybody.

Why should she get angry over someone else's family drama?

Especially since she and Preston were broken up.

Instead of wasting energy fighting his battles, she would be better off spending her time in the lab creating things that actually benefited society.

Melanie rubbed her temples, silently lecturing herself.

Throw that romantic sentimentality away, Melanie.

The restaurant lived up to its Michelin three-star rating. The dishes were unique and inventive, seamlessly blending international flavors with fresh ingredients to create tastes she had never experienced before.

Perhaps it was the incredible food, or maybe it was the Whitmores keeping the conversation strictly on business, but the atmosphere around the table soon became amicable.

She quickly realized Frederick possessed a brilliant business mind, truly living up to his reputation as the pillar of Whitmore Enterprises.

Marjorie, too, demonstrated a profound understanding of the pharmaceutical industry.

Only Gabriel couldn't get a word in, relegated to sitting there with a goofy grin.

As they ate and talked, they effortlessly agreed on several cooperative ventures.

First was the partnership between the formerly rival Stellaris PharmaTech and the Carter Group. Following Melanie's explanation at the new diabetes drug launch, the two giants had joined forces for the first time.

Now, they were planning to co-develop metabolic health supplements.

And Melanie, representing the Royce Group, had just decided to join them.

"The Royce Group is also very eager to work with Stellaris," she replied, speaking the polite corporate words but genuinely meaning them.

From her company's perspective, partnering with a massive conglomerate like Stellaris—provided boundaries were clear and roles defined—was an absolute win.

From a personal standpoint, since she intended to use Stellaris as the gateway to investigate her mother's past, she needed to deepen her ties with them anyway.

Professionally and personally, the strategic alliance they had forged tonight worked in her favor.

Once dinner wrapped up, Melanie and the Whitmore trio left the private dining room.

Frederick and Marjorie walked out first.

Gabriel lingered behind, following closely on Melanie's heels.

"Well, if it isn't Ms. Royce!"

Suddenly, Melanie heard a somewhat familiar voice.