She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 1144

The moment the words left her mouth, Melanie slapped a hand over her own lips.

She was terrified that accidentally dropping the word "lover" would forcefully drag Daphne's thoughts right back to Everett.

The atmosphere instantly grew suffocatingly awkward, and she scrambled to backtrack.

"I mean, you're suffering from a severe case of beauty being in the eye of the fan!"

The quick save worked, and Daphne burst into a fit of genuine laughter.

Sebastian looked at Daphne, then shifted his gaze back to Melanie.

"Running into you here has to be fate. I wonder if Ms. Royce would do me the honor of letting me treat you... treat both of you to dinner."

At the last second, he smoothly corrected himself to include Daphne.

But neither woman caught the subtle shift in his phrasing.

"Won't we be keeping you from official business, Director York?"

Melanie asked the question bluntly.

From her perspective, he had traveled hundreds of miles to Emberton; he had to be here on serious hospital matters.

Sebastian simply lifted his hands in a casual shrug.

"The conferences are adjourned, and the official business is officially concluded... The rest of my time here is purely for leisure, so please don't turn me down, Ms. Royce."

His constant repetition of "Ms. Royce" left a slightly sour taste in her mouth.

It made her feel less like she was on vacation with her best friend and more like she was sitting in a boardroom negotiating a merger.

"He's being so hospitable, why don't we just say yes?"

Daphne nudged Melanie with her elbow.

"Then we'd be delighted to join you."

Seeing her cave, Sebastian pushed his black-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose, a flash of pure, unfiltered joy lighting up his features.

And just like that, Melanie and Daphne found themselves treated to a meal at an elegantly rustic restaurant in Emberton.

The establishment was reportedly a local legend, boasting over a century of history.

Philip, naturally, didn't follow them inside; Sebastian wasn't even aware the shadow guard existed.

Melanie simply sent Philip a quick text explaining that they had bumped into an acquaintance and were grabbing dinner together.

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