She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 586

With that vague promise, Aria was dismissed.

The next morning, Aria arrived at the Hale Group bright and early.

Gregory Hale and Dominic Hale had already received the news and were eagerly waiting for Melanie's arrival.

Dominic was especially anxious.

Lately, his mood had mirrored his father's company—crashing like a rollercoaster.

Whenever he remembered how arrogantly he had treated Melanie, regret tied his stomach in knots.

No one could have predicted the future or foreseen that the Hale Group would face a catastrophic crisis at the peak of its success.

Now, all his luxury sports cars and designer watches had been pawned off, yet the company's debt was still snowballing out of control.

Just yesterday, five different partner companies had unfurled banners outside their corporate lobby, demanding their money.

Besides Melanie's Royce Group, they had absolutely no one left to turn to.

The Hale men and Aria waited with bated breath, pacing the office until noon.

Finally, an assistant informed them that Melanie's team had arrived.

But Melanie wasn't with them.

She had sent her corporate sharks, completely absenting herself.

For some reason, an ominous feeling washed over Gregory.

It felt like a deliberate insult.

They weren't even worth her physical presence.

By late afternoon, Melanie wrapped up her work at the office, clocked out on time, picked up some fruit and pastries, and headed to the hospital to visit Nathaniel.

Before pushing the door open, she heard something unexpected.

Her father was laughing.

"What's so funny in here?" she asked, stepping into the private suite.

Nathaniel was playing chess with Preston.

For the first time ever, Nathaniel had actually won.

He was grinning like a kid.

Melanie wasn't surprised they were playing chess; they had been at it for days.

What surprised her was that Everett Kingsley was there.

Everett knew Melanie had been slammed with corporate fires, so he had deliberately avoided calling to give her space.

Melanie's lips twitched as she suppressed a laugh.

Standing off to the side, Everett watched them in silence. He couldn't shake the feeling that both Melanie and Nathaniel had already accepted Preston as family.

And he...

He was just an outsider.

An outsider fading into the background.

Originally, his father had been close friends with Nathaniel and Gregory in the military.

But because his father wasn't the one who had 'saved Nathaniel's life', Nathaniel had only ever favored Dominic.

And now...

He only saw Preston.

Everett let out a quiet sigh.

When would they ever truly see him?

Just as Everett was lost in his own bitter thoughts, the suite door was suddenly thrown open.

A group of uninvited guests stormed inside.