She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 501

Gabriel furiously yanked his arm free from her grasp.

Elara froze, her brow furrowing in utter disbelief.

"What did you just say?"

Melanie had no idea Preston was the head of Stellaris PharmaTech?

Seeing the absolute shock written all over her face, he scoffed in disgust.

"Seriously, you're just projecting your own toxic gold-digging onto everyone else. Melanie isn't a gold digger, and I trust my brother's judgment!"

Throwing down that absolute declaration, Gabriel stormed out of the pool area.

He was instantly kicking himself.

The moment he saw her waiting by the water, he should have turned around and walked away.

He aggressively ran a hand through his dripping hair, annoyed with his own stupidity.

In the end, he had fallen for the obvious honey trap. She had looked incredible in that bikini, and that was the only reason he hadn't immediately bailed.

And now, he had run his mouth.

He lightly slapped his own cheek, drowning in regret.

Back in the pool, Elara crossed her arms, her mind racing.

What he had just blurted out had to be the truth.

She had gone through all the trouble of luring him to a private pool because she knew Gabriel. She knew he wouldn't just walk away from a beautiful woman in a swimsuit.

Even though they had never been close, she had done her homework.

Back before Preston was brought into the fold, Gabriel was the sole heir.

The arrangement between their families meant she was supposed to marry him. Naturally, she had looked into her future husband.

He was the quintessential rich playboy—rarely in the office, always at the club, and leaving a trail of messy romances in his wake.

She had detested the idea of being tied to a man like that.

Why hadn't Preston told her that he was the heir to the Whitmore family and the undisputed king of Stellaris PharmaTech?

She tilted her head, a deep crease forming between her brows.

She highly doubted it was some twisted test to see if Melanie was a gold digger.

Unconsciously, she traced her thumb over her wet lower lip.

Melanie.

The Whitmore family.

A sharp instinct flared to life inside her. Preston was deliberately keeping his identity a secret because he was terrified of something.

"What are you hiding?"

she murmured to the empty deck.

She knew with absolute certainty that once she uncovered his dark secret, she would have everything she needed to rip them apart.