Second Chance: Marrying into Wealth Chapter 257

But Jason wasn't having it. "No way, it's not enough!"

"It is enough! It is!" Marlowe's emotions were all over the place again.

Jason looked at her, clearly taken aback. "You weren't like this before!"

Marlowe gave a bitter smile. "I can't go back to how I was, can I?"

"And neither can you, right? You care too, which is why you promised to protect me forever. But can you really?" Marlowe looked pained and restrained.

Anyone else might have softened and compromised seeing her like this, especially if they felt guilty. But Jason had seen all kinds of people and observed countless expressions and actions. He caught onto Marlowe's intentions and remained steadfast.

Instead, he realized something and suddenly spoke up. "You've found someone new. Who is it? Christopher? Stay away from him. He's not someone you can mess with!"

Jason warned her abruptly.

Marlowe, however, was confident. "What do you mean, mess with? Can't you see? He liked me first..."

Paula hadn't expected such a statement and choked on her own saliva, making a noise.

She quickly slid to the side, leaning against the wall to avoid being seen from inside the room.

I, on the other hand, was slow to react and didn't expect her to make a sound, so I didn't have time to respond.

Marlowe realized someone was eavesdropping and opened the door.

Why was I so unlucky, getting caught eavesdropping again?

I didn't even know what expression to put on.

"Melinda, it's you again! You did this on purpose!" Marlowe was furious and seemed ready to pounce on me.

Probably because this was the second time I got caught eavesdropping, my mind went blank, and I forgot to react.

Paula, standing next to me, grabbed my arm and started running. "Melinda, are you dumb? Run!"

I followed Paula's lead, running faster and faster, the wind unable to catch up with us.

Marlowe couldn't catch up either.

But Marlowe must have really hated me today because she didn't give up, shouting as she chased us. "Melinda, stop! You can't get away!"

Paula still had the energy to joke with me. "Melinda, don't we look like those scenes where the villain chases and we run..."

"Don't say it! You know what comes next? 'You can't escape!'" I was both annoyed and amused by Paula.

But we were fast enough. Paula and I had done this plenty of times before, so losing Marlowe was easy.

Once we couldn't see Marlowe anymore, we finally stopped to catch our breath.

"Melinda, why did Marlowe say 'again'?" Paula noticed.

I smiled awkwardly. "This morning, I accidentally overheard her confessing to Christopher and getting rejected. She was embarrassed and angry, so I became her target. She kept saying Christopher rejected her because of Faye."

"She really dares to think!" Paula couldn't help but laugh.

I thought about it. "She might have a point. Christopher does treat her differently."

Paula suddenly stared at me. "Aren't you jealous?"

I was startled. "What? Why would I be jealous? Don't talk nonsense."

"You said Christopher treats Marlowe differently. But I think he treats you even more differently. Just look at your recent work; he's praised you a lot." Paula spoke her mind.

I, being more sensitive, caught onto something and looked at Paula curiously. "Paula, are you hiding something from me? How do you know Mr. Collins praised me? Did you talk about me with Mr. Collins? You and Mr. Collins, don't tell me..."

Paula lightly tapped my head. "Stop overthinking! Absolutely not. If anything, I should be the one suspecting you're jealous. I would never go behind your back to have deeper conversations with Mr. Collins. Melinda, nothing can come between us."

"And remember, I'm not interested in Mr. Collins. He's yours, not mine."

"Stop. The more you say, the more ridiculous it gets. What do you mean, he's mine?" I quickly stopped Paula's nonsense. She was clearly a bit tipsy.

I remembered we had something important to do and pulled Paula to get it done quickly.

Then I remembered something important. "What paperwork are you doing?"

Paula laughed at my confusion. "A day trip with a big shot!"

"You?" I was surprised. I had been focused on Magnus and Cassius and hadn't noticed.

Paula proudly puffed out her chest. "Yes, me!"

After congratulating her, we quickly finished the paperwork. I confirmed the details about the painting and waited for it to be delivered to Magnus. Only then did I feel relieved and left with Paula.

Since Paula had been drinking, we took a car to drop her off.

Halfway there, Paula suddenly saw something and spoke up. "Mr. Collins, please stop the car."

I thought she was feeling sick. "Are you going to throw up? Wait until the car stops."

But when the car stopped, Paula got out and waved at me. "I saw a friend. We're close by. I'll have him take me. You guys go ahead."

I couldn't just leave her, so I was about to get out when I saw Paula already getting into another car.

I couldn't see the driver clearly from a distance.

I immediately felt uneasy. "What if Paula doesn't know him well? Is he trustworthy?"

Christopher reassured me. "Don't worry about her. I know him. He's safe."

Trusting Christopher and knowing Paula wouldn't get into just anyone's car, I finally felt at ease.

On our way home, we encountered a man who stopped our car, wanting the painting.

I hadn't expected him to be the first to come after us. I thought it would be Ramon from Vanguard Motors, Inc.

Christopher's calm reaction made me curious. "Do you know who he's working for?"

This man had been bidding against Christopher for the painting but suddenly gave up.

Christopher explained, and I learned that the man was sent by Faye.

He was smarter than Ramon, realizing that Christopher truly wanted the painting and not the diamond necklace.

I asked, "Since you said he's Faye's man, why didn't he keep bidding?"

Christopher smiled confidently. "I had someone send him a message that Faye didn't want the painting anymore."

The messenger was someone the young man trusted, so he didn't suspect anything until it was too late.

The person who betrayed him was arranged by Christopher and had already fled abroad.

Realizing he had been tricked, the young man came to confront Christopher, who could now ignore him completely.