She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 381

Melanie had only asked in passing. However, she was genuinely curious about Preston's background. Initially, she had assumed he was just an ordinary clerk at the Luminaria Aesthetic Institute. But the better she got to know him, the more she suspected his family background was anything but simple. Especially if the woman in the Rolls-Royce she saw today was Elara—the woman who supposedly used to be engaged to Preston—then Preston's family had to be of a similar social standing. Surely the engagement hadn't been called off because the Bennett family thought Preston wasn't good enough for them? Melanie couldn't help but speculate, though she figured it was a distinct possibility.

"It's not the right time yet... I'll tell you eventually," he had said.

Snapped out of her thoughts by the memory of his words, Melanie felt a pang of disappointment. In the beginning, she hadn't wanted to dig into his family history. Back then, they were just a landlord and a tenant. Even as they grew closer and became friends, she never wanted to pry into his privacy.

But now, things were different.

Preston had confessed his feelings.

He said he liked her.

Yet... despite claiming to care for her, he refused to reveal a single detail about his family.

Melanie couldn't quite put her finger on why she felt so let down.

She hadn't made him any promises, nor had she accepted his confession. Their relationship remained strictly platonic.

She had no right to demand more.

Forcing a relieved smile, Melanie shook her head.

Her mandatory waiting period before the divorce was finalized wasn't even over yet; why was she overthinking this?

Besides, Aria was back to work on the new cold medicine project and would inevitably stir up trouble. Men would only distract her from doing her job as COO.

As Melanie turned and walked into the master bedroom, Preston instinctively reached out with his white-gloved hand.

But he missed her arm.

His outstretched fingers slowly curled into a fist. He pulled out his phone and opened his messages.

The top notification was a text from Philip:

"Of course not. It's beautiful, uniquely designed, and in exquisite taste. But... it's too valuable. I really can't accept it."

While Melanie was no jewelry expert, she wasn't completely clueless.

A fully encrusted diamond necklace was worth a fortune on its own, and every single diamond on the one Preston gave her was of the highest quality—the clarity and fire were undeniable. The piece was set with exquisite pigeon's blood rubies that shimmered with a deep, crimson light.

Paired with the intricate lily design, it was clearly vastly more expensive than standard evening jewelry.

"My father always said you shouldn't accept a gift you haven't earned. I can't take something this expensive."

Feeling as though she was using this to draw a line between them, Preston abruptly took a step forward.

Melanie instinctively backed up, watching as he advanced into her bedroom.

"What if I told you... this is a family heirloom, and my mother told me to give it to my future wife?"