Silent since getting into the car, Albert heard Melissa whisper, âYou donât need to oversee the project yourself.
Are you doing this for Jessie, Mr.
Watson?â
Albert glanced at Melissa and then turned his head away.
He grinned slightly and remarked, âNo way!â
Then he inquired casually, âJessie⦠Howâs she been lately?â
Melissa sensed Albertâs reluctance to acknowledge the truth.
Maybe it had stung him hard when Jessie turned him down last time.
Eventually, he had had to resort to Marcus for Jessieâs sake.
With a nonchalant tone, Melissa replied, âSheâs hanging in there.
But her dad passed away last month, so Jessieâs got her hands full looking after her mom and the family business.
Mrs.
Greenâs not in the best mood and tends to take it out on Jessie.
â
Concern etched on his face, Albert asked urgently, âHas that woman been hitting her again?â
Melissa didnât answer, her eyes dropping to the ground.
Seeing her reaction, Albert let the matter rest.
He understood it wasnât Melissaâs place to intervene in the Green family drama.
They lapsed into silence for a beat before Albert praised, âYouâve been doing a stellar job running the branch.
HQâs thrilled with your performance! Melissa⦠if youâre up for it, I can swing you a spot at Heron.
Pays a lot more than your position here.
But if youâre sticking with Duefron, forget I mentioned it.
â
Melissa flashed a small smile.
âIâll mull it over, Mr.
Waston.
â
With that, Albert shut his eyes, ending the conversation.
As he left, he passed Melissa a letter of the offer.
After dropping Albert off at his hotel, Melissa hailed a cab back to the office.
She spent the entire afternoon at her desk, fixating on the job offer.
It was tempting the salary coupled with Waston Group shares could easily rake in tens of millions annually.
The salary offered was several times more than what she got in Duefron.
Accepting the offer would mean a huge career jump for Melissa.
Plus, it would mean a better life for Matthew and Julie.
In the past, she wouldâve jumped at it without thinking twice.
But now, she was torn.
While Marcus and her werenât as tight as before, they still got on well.
Marcus had mellowed out compared to before.
They co-parented Matthew and occasionally shared intimate moments.
Though it wasnât frequent, she found solace in it.
Basically, she had to factor in Marcusâ feelings whether she took the offer or not, Melissa mused.
Lost in thought, her phone rang.
It was Janet, Shawnâs wife.
They were close like sisters.
âHey Janet, whatâs up? Do you need me to pick up Yvonne for you?â