Chapter 44
In a small private studio, two women sat on the couch, staring up at the ceiling as they lay side by side, without saying anything.
“Wow,” Laela finally broke the silence, shaking her head in disbelief. “I am so sorry, Mel. If I had known your life would go from being uneventful to a full-blown soap opera, I never would have wished for it.”
Melanie let out a soft chuckle at her friend’s apologetic tone. It was ironic, really.
For the last three years, Laela had never stopped complaining about how dull her life was—how it revolved around nothing but work, home, and then more work.
The only glimpses of excitement had come on the rare occasions when Laela managed to drag her out for some fun. And that fun had been having a quiet dinner while Laela cursed Spencer and her mother-in-law and she listened.
At the time, Melanie hadn’t thought much of it. But now, lying there in quiet reflection, she realized how much of a blur those years had become, as if she had been sleepwalking through them.
Her mind drifted back to Spencer and Adam—the two men who had entered her life like a whirlwind, stirring up emotions, chaos, and ultimately leaving her to pick up the pieces. Those two had been having all the fun in the last three years.
A sharp nudge against her shoulder brought her back to the present.
“So,” Laela prodded, her voice laced with curiosity. “Are you really going to marry him tomorrow?”
Melanie sighed, turning her head to glare at her friend. “Are you seriously going to keep asking me that every hour?”
Laela grinned, completely unapologetic. “Yep,” she said, drawing out the word with exaggerated enthusiasm. “Every. Single. Hour.”
Melanie groaned, covering her face with a pillow as Laela laughed beside her.
“Yes, Laela. I am going to marry him tomorrow.” Melanie answered again.
Laela groaned, and turned over to look at her friend. “But why ? You told me yourself that according to the will, if you refuse to marry Lady Collins’ grandson, the estate will be divided into three parts. You’d still get a share!”
“But if you go through with the marriage, you walk away with nothing. Nothing, Mel. That is what your prenuptial agreement said with Spencer and now with Adam. You already have LuxeArt— and even though it is not as glorious as in the past, you can make it shine again.”
“So why not just take your portion, sell it off to the highest bidder between the two brothers, and focus on what you actually love? Even if you don’t want to sell, you could just hold onto your share and enjoy the dividends. No strings attached!”
Melanie let out a weary sigh, shaking her head. “Do you really think it’s that simple? That I can just take my share and be done with it?” She turned to face Laela, her expression tired but knowing. “They’re not going to let me off that easily. Taking the money and walking away would only make me a target. They’d find ways to pressure me, to make my life miserable until I give in. And even if I somehow managed to hold onto my share, do you honestly think they’d let me enjoy it in peace?”
Laela frowned in consternation, “So, you’re saying they’d come after you anyway?”
Melanie gave her a small, humorless smile. “Oh, they definitely would. And I’m not foolish enough to believe otherwise.”
“But how can you be so sure?” Laela asked, her brows furrowed in concern. She wasn’t sure if Melanie was overthinking things or if she had genuinely uncovered something sinister.
Melanie shook her head and sighed. “Even when I had no clue about any of this, they were already targeting me,” she said quietly.
“I went back and checked the date on the will—it was signed just a week before Spencer returned. That timing isn’t a coincidence. I think he somehow found out about Grandmother’s intentions, and from the moment he came back, he started setting everything in motion. He played it so well—subtle, calculated, making small overtures like he was just beginning to notice me, as if his interest was natural.”
She scoffed, her lips curling in bitter realization. “But now that I look back, I can see it clearly. He always made his moves when we were alone, when Grandmother was asleep. Like he was testing the waters, making sure no one else could witness how carefully he was weaving his web. If she had put something like this in the will and then she observed him, she would probably realised that something was off.
And later… she passed away. A month later, Spencer proposed. Naturally. He confessed that he was worried someone would snatch me away and he already had to return. I told him that we could get engaged but he insisted on marrying me. And like a fool, I agreed.
But now I know. The will had been read just a day before he got down on one knee, all charming smiles and empty promises. So, he didn’t even propose earlier, until he was very sure that he was not mistaken about the will. He actually made sure, Laela!”
“You see what that means, right? He wasn’t acting on impulse—he had been preparing for this long before I even had a clue. Step by step, he ensured everything was in place. So tell me, do you really think he’s just going to sit back and let me walk away with something he believes is rightfully his? For something that he was willing to sacrifice himself?”
Laela swallowed hard, unable to argue with the logic when everything was true. After all, she had witnessed her best friend suffer for the last three years and then cry over her broken relationship for two days straight. But now she was even more worried. What was the guarantee that Adam Collins would not be worse than Spencer?
“I know what you are thinking Leala. And I need you to stop worrying.”