Second Chance: Marrying into Wealth Chapter 312

Paula nodded, agreeing with Randy. "You're right, I should've been more careful. I didn't realize you hadn't seen the update. Make sure to get a thank-you gift for Mrs. Collins."

Randy felt a bit embarrassed. "Paula, I'll handle the gift. I'm sorry, I've just been so swamped that I missed it."

Paula smiled, trying to be understanding. "Oh, it's no big deal. Mr. Ellis, you are always busy, I get it. Besides, you're right. I never learned these social graces growing up, and boarding school didn't help either. It's only natural for you to ask."

Randy felt even guiltier and apologized again, promising to make it up to her.

Paula reassured him, "No need to apologize. I'm an adult now. But since I'm working at the company, maybe you could teach me more when you have time, Mr. Ellis. That way, I can contribute better to the company, right?"

Randy agreed and showed concern for Paula. "Take care of your hand. And do you really have to call me Mr. Ellis? It sounds so formal."

"I'm just worried that if I get used to calling you Dad, someone at the company might find out about my internship and blow my cover. Don't you think?"

Paula always had a way with words, and Randy, feeling guilty, was at a disadvantage.

After a few more casual exchanges, they ended the call.

I tried to comfort her. "Mr. Ellis seems to care about you."

Paula shrugged it off. "It's better if he does. Now that I'm in the Ellis Group, I want that position. If he favors me even a little, it's to my advantage. As for fatherly love, I might have longed for it when I was younger, but now I don't need those superficial things."

She was clearly affected but tried to appear strong. I knew Paula's true feelings, but I didn't call her out on it.

Instead, I brought up Faye. "Mrs. Collins seems to have her eye on you now. What are you going to do? I'm sorry, it's partly my fault. She was targeting me initially."

Paula's demeanor turned cold. "Melinda, you're punishing yourself for someone else's mistake again. I have a good idea of what Mrs. Collins is thinking, but it doesn't matter. The Ellis family may not be as powerful as the Collins family, but we're still the wealthiest in Starlight City. She wouldn't dare do anything drastic."

"That may be true, but what if she teams up with your stepmother Liliana? That could be dangerous for you. They could work together against you," I said, growing more worried. Both women were formidable on their own, and together, they could be a real threat.

Paula remained confident. "Don't worry. They won't have the chance to team up because Colt wants to defeat me fair and square. He's too proud to let Liliana interfere."

I wanted to say more, but Paula cut me off. "Enough, you don't need to worry. I'm going to feed Lucky now. Talk to you later."

Just as Paula was about to hang up, I remembered something about Christopher possibly liking me and blurted out, "Paula..."

She immediately sensed my urgency and asked, "What's wrong? Just tell me. It's not like you to be so hesitant."

Paula and I shared everything. I might hide things from others, but never from her. I hadn't confirmed if Christopher liked me, and with Paula dealing with Colt and Faye, I didn't want to burden her with this.

"It's nothing. I just miss Lucky. Can you pet it for me?"

Paula laughed. "I thought it was something serious. Don't worry, Lucky's a loyal pet. It'll remember you no matter how long it's been."

After hanging up, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned, trying to count sheep, but it didn't help.

Just as I was finally drifting off, a sudden realization jolted me awake. I thought of Faye and her scheming ways. I connected the dots and realized that Marlowe might have known about Christopher's feelings for me and told Faye. That was why Faye had me kidnapped and bugged, to confirm Christopher's feelings.

Marlowe was smart enough to avoid causing us real harm, fearing the consequences. Paula might have already figured out Christopher's feelings, which was why she kept trying to push us together.

Paula always had my best interests at heart. She knew I'd feel bad if I knew I was causing her trouble. So she kept it to herself and advised me to act normal around Christopher.

As I pieced everything together, the sky began to lighten. It was too late to go back to sleep, and I didn't want to face Christopher alone after last night.

So, early in the morning, I texted Tiana, saying I had plans with Paula and wouldn't need breakfast. Then I headed to Paula's place, picking up breakfast on the way.

When Paula opened the door, she was surprised to see me.

"Here, breakfast! Aren't I good to you?" I said, waving the food as I walked in.

Lucky recognized me and rubbed against my legs. If my hands weren't full, I would have picked it up and cuddled it.

"That's sweet, but Melinda, this is unusual. Did you come just to bring me breakfast, or are you worried about what I said about Mrs. Collins?" Paula eyed me suspiciously.

I had my story ready, so I lied smoothly, "I brought you breakfast out of care for you. Shouldn't you be happy? I just wanted to avoid working out, so I came over. And I missed Lucky, okay? I wanted to pet it myself."

I wasn't going to mention Christopher liking me.

Paula laughed. "You have Mr. Collins, a great teacher and a handsome guy, personally supervising your workouts, and you don't appreciate it. Do you know how many people would kill for that chance? You're wasting it."

She playfully knocked on my forehead.

I rubbed the sore spot, looking innocent. "You know I hate exercising. Speaking of Christopher, what do you think of him?"

"He's amazing. Just look at how he handled the crisis Marlowe caused. His response was perfect. Summit Innovations Group didn't suffer at all. His strategy will probably be used as a case study in the future."

Paula praised Christopher, almost admiringly.

I said, "Mr. Collins is impressive, but you're really singing his praises."

She replied, "Mr. Collins is top-notch in every way—character, looks, intelligence, and strategy. And you know what? He stood his ground and didn't give in to Marlowe's temptations. Isn't that rare and admirable?"

If I didn't know Paula wasn't interested in Christopher, I'd think she had a crush on him.