When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie)

"Really?" Clyde took a sip of his coffee, his expression unreadable.

Lisa's face grew solemn. "Absolutely. My brother's a gambling addict. He's running the company but also skimming money off the top. My dad would never have involved me in the business if it weren't for the cash crunch."Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

"You can check it out. It's common knowledge in Ironvale. He owes Vegas millions, and right now, he's laying low abroad."

"As for my dad, he's nothing but a sanctimonious hypocrite."

"He's made plenty of enemies with his ruthless ways. When the chips are down, I'm the only one who can carry on the Crawford legacy."

In that moment, I realized I didn't know Lisa as well as I thought.

I had pegged her as a bit of an airhead, but it looks like both Clyde and I were fooled.

Clyde tapped the table in a steady beat, not uttering a word.

Lisa, unfazed, simply smiled at him.

"And you two haven't had kids, right? The gic history in Melanie's family is troubling. Her mom had cancer. You wouldn't want a child with those risks, would you?"

Her words made my heart clench.

I wondered if the Crawfords knew about my family's history, or if she was just guessing.

Clyde shrugged. "Doesn't matter. With today's medical advancements, even surrogacy is an option."

He seemed indifferent, which left Lisa speechless.

Narrowing her eyes at Clyde, she said, "You're not still hung up on her, are you? Your college sweetheart? I don't buy it."

Neither did I.

Clyde chuckled, his fingers idly tapping the table.

"Remember Galen Brown I mentioned last time? He's managing a fund for Melanie."

"No way!" Lisa's face fell. "Impossible. I told you, he wouldn't dare show his face."

"Well, that's news to me. But when Melanie's grandfather passed, he left a nice little nest egg for her family, which really helped their business thrive."

"Her dad then set aside that first pot of gold into a fund for her. If I had to guess, Galen Brown's managing it."

This was news to me.

When did my family get a fund?

Lisa seemed just as confused. After a moment, she firmly shook her head.

"That can't be. Otherwise, why did she and her family come to you for money when her mom died?"

My grip on my phone tightened. So, they knew everything but chose to watch from the sidelines. Clyde just shrugged. "How should I know?"

"You should know that although I'm the CEQ, the shares are controlled by my grandfather. If Melanie wants a divorce, it won't be easy forher to just walk away."

"You're just a CEO with a crumbling Crawford empire behind you. What leverage do you have?"

Lisa bit her lip, then stood up abruptly.

"I'll look into this, Clyde. You're a smart man. Don't let immediate gains cloud your judgment."

Lisa left the office, and after a couple of minutes, Clyde looked towards the camera.

"Saw all that?"

I nodded. "Was that on purpose? What if they check and find out I don't have a fund?"