After Melora left, Alfred spent the night at the condominium, surrounded by the items she left behind.
Most of them he had bought for her.
Melora didnât know how to do chores, so the bedroom was a mess. Often, Alfred was the one who cleaned things up for her.
Even when she had her period, he was the one whoâd wash her dirty panties.
Her scent lingered on the pillow..
Unable to sleep, Alfred got up to smoke on the couch.
Holding his phone, he decided that if she called him, heâd answer it. Even if he didnât say anything, heâd be satisfied to hear her voice again.
Unfortunately for him, he didnât receive the call he was looking forward to the whole night.
The end of his relationship with Melora finally settled in his mind as he stared at the full ashtray. Why should the daughter of an affluent family cling to you?
As dawn arrived, Leslie entered the condominium unit out of concern for his employer.
Right after he stepped in, he choked on the thick cigarette smoke. âYou should take care of your health, Mr. Lodge. Smoking like this is no good.â
Alfred glanced at his assistant before extinguishing the cigarette and flopping down on the couch.
After a while, Alfred said, âHelp me do something He knew Melora wasnât lacking in anything, but he had enjoyed his time with her. Now that they had ended things, he thought he would probably remain single for the rest of his life. Additionally, money didnât matter much to him, so he wanted to gift her something.
Once Alfred finished relaying his request, Leslie was shocked.
Leslie was surprised by how much Alfred cared about Melora. After all, the compensation Alfred was willing to provide Melora was an amount that even some divorced couples wouldnât be willing to consider.
In other words, Alfred was willing to empty almost his entire personal wealth.
Leslie didnât offer any remark and promptly handled the matter.
The next day, he invited Melora to a fancy cafe.
Leslie was the first to arrive. As it was spring, he was wearing a dark tweed suit. Sitting quietly at the table, he played with his lighter while resting his hand on a thick stack of documents.
-After waiting for fifteen minutes, Melora arrived in front of him. âDoes he have something he wants to tell me?â
Upon hearing her voice, Leslie raised his head and was shocked to see how much thinner and haggard Melora had become.
He speedily stood up, pulled the chair for Melora, and tried to speak calmly and casually. When Melora spotted the documents, she questioned, âAre those the compensation he wants to give me?â
Feeling a little awkward, Leslie nodded after a few seconds.
Melora flipped through the pages and rubbed her slender finger on the paper. âSince I was nothing but a fling of his, why does he feel the need to do this? I donât want any of these. Tell him I wonât bother him. again.â She sounded as though it had taken all her strength to say that.
Even she was in a daze for a long while. Mr. Alfred... I called him that for so long. All that he provided and promised me led me to believe we would be together forever. I thought heâd always be there for me, but it all turned out to be a lie. In reality, what we had was just another one of his short affairs.
Leslieâs attempt at persuading her to accept Alfredâs compensation was fruitless.
When he returned to Alfred to report on the situation, he spotted the latter standing before the floor-to- ceiling window in the hotel room. After Alfred finished listening, he remained quiet for a period before. saying. âOkay.â
Leslie left while Alfred peered at the diamond ring in his hand. I shouldâve known she wouldnât accept those things. I never knew Iâd love someone as deeply as this. Things are fine when I work, but I would think about her during my free time. Whenever I entered a crowd, I would reflexively turn back to look for her. Even when I spent time with Eras and the others, Iâd stare at the bronze gilded door, hoping sheâd come in with teary eyes, calling me âMr. Alfred.â Itâll be difficult to move on from her....
Roughly a week later, they met again by pure accident. It was during a banquet in Barnwood.
Melora attended it with Henry.
She was wearing a strapless gown and a diamond necklace, her hair resting at her waist.
Of course, she was alluring.
Alfred was accompanied by Ingrid, and when he spotted Melora, he froze.
Ingrid wasnât an idiot.
She knew that her relationship with Alfred was shallow and that neither of them treated it seriously. There were plenty of women like her around Alfred, after all. Also, ever since she met Melora backstage, he ended things with her.
By that point, even an idiot could tell what was going on.
Sometime after that, Leslie delivered her a check.
That was enough confirmation to her that Alfred wanted to cut ties with her and wouldnât attend her performances anymore.
As she expected, later on, she heard Alfred was no longer a playboy.
Ingrid successfully guessed Alfred was seeing someone and that he was hiding his lover well.
Naturally, she knew who it was, but she didnât have the nerve to spread the news because she couldnât afford to offend Alfred.
Hence, when Alfred showed up at La Scala again, she was overjoyed.
She thought that meant they would be getting back together, but she was wrong.
Alfred would only watch her perform or bring her along to social events, but that was about it.
Privately, he was cleaner than a celibate priest.
While Ingrid understood that she could never marry Alfred, she was willing to settle for a friendship with him. For one, he never treated her badly, and for another, she needed his connections.
At that moment, Alfred and Melora were gazing at each other.
Ingrid was unaware of their conflict, so she smiled and whispered, âWhy does Melora seem as though sheâs about to cry while looking at you, Mr. Lodge?â
Alfred ignored her, his focus fixed on Melora.
When Melora noticed Ingrid was holding Alfredâs arm, she turned away.
Feeling aggrieved, she leaned her head on her brotherâs shoulder, her lips trembling.
Henry glanced at her and asked softly, âTired?â
âMhm.â Melora proceeded to hug her brotherâs waist.
Alfredâs eyes twitched as he witnessed how tight the siblingâs relationship was. I never thought thereâd come a day when Iâd be jealous of Henry.
Ingrid glanced at him, feeling satisfied.
She deliberately swayed her hips as she approached and greeted the siblings charmingly. âYou sure have a wonderful relationship with your sister, Mr. Miller. Anyone would be envious of you.â
Henry had always been honest with his emotions when dealing with women.
Though he found Ingrid beautiful, he didnât like her vibe.
Ingrid didnât mind how aloof his attitude toward her was. Instead, she spoke even more enthusiastically while staring at Melora. âI know a few young men whoâll be a good suit for you, Miss Miller. How about I invite you and them for coffee one day?â
At that moment, Alfred approached her.
Hence, she held his arm and asked fervently, âWhat do you think, Alfred?â
Once again, Melora and Alfred gazed at each other, though the former did so with tears in her eyes.
After a while, Alfred smirked. âA woman like Melora should choose a good man. You should ask your parents to set up a blind date for her, Henry.â
Henry didnât dare to oppose his uncle-in-law because his future was still in the latterâs hands.
Hence, he nodded and patted his sisterâs head. âSheâs not getting any younger. I suppose itâs time for her to settle down.â
Melora was so furious that her teeth were trembling, but she stifled her anger as she was in a public venue. âIâll take your words to heart, Mr. Alfred.â
Right after that, she gave an excuse and left.
Alfred watched her leave, his fingers curling into fists.
Ingrid gracefully said, âI think sheâs ticked off. You know, you should coax her back. Donât keep dragging me around. I feel anxious just watching you both. Anyway, if things work out for you two, donât forget to hand me a generous monetary gift, seeing as Iâm rarely this magnanimous.
In response, Alfred flung her arm away and chased after Melora.
Meanwhile, Melora arrived at an unoccupied balcony. As she stared at the river in the distance, her eyes grew moist again. Why am I here? I want to go home!
Suddenly, she heard someone approaching her after locking the door.
Turning around, she saw Alfred standing there, just as she expected.
His heart wrenched as he laid his eyes on her thin, tearful figure.
Softly, he muttered her name, âMelora.â
Melora pressed her back against the railing, aiming her vacant gaze at him. âDonât come any closer, Alfred!â