She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 997

Inside the golden dining hall of The Novarison Grand Hotel, Melanie and Shawn were seated for dinner.

No Preston in sight.

Shawn had changed. The ridiculous Hawaiian shirt and shorts were gone, replaced by an impeccably tailored white suit.

Melanie hadn't dressed casually either.

She wore a stunning off-the-shoulder black gown, the bodice and hem dusted with delicate sequins that caught the light like crushed diamonds.

She looked elegant and breathtaking.

Sitting across from her, Shawn couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

"This is incredibly rare. You asking me out to dinner, just the two of us. A proper candlelit date."

Melanie still didn't fully understand Shawn, nor could she see through his erratic behavior.

But in this moment, the raw delight in his eyes was entirely genuine.

She wasn't narcissistic enough to think he was actually in love with her.

But his borderline obsessive interest in her was an undeniable fact.

Every other time they had met, Shawn had been draped in the guise of a business partner.

Sitting down for a private, intimate dinner was entirely new territory.

At first, they kept the conversation light, discussing the culture and sights of the Rosa Archipelago.

Slowly, Melanie steered the topic toward his real reason for the trip.

"Just handling some personal affairs."

Shawn's answer was slick and evasive.

Melanie raised a brow.

"Oh? I recall you telling me on the phone that you were leaving Averin to close a business deal. I suppose that wasn't the case?"

A fleeting flash of guilt crossed Shawn's features.

Melanie didn't push the issue.

She was practically certain Preston's theory was correct.

Shawn Sterling...

Was a member of the York family.

He hadn't left Averin for a business deal.

Melanie had looked into it. During the exact timeframe Shawn was out of the city, a prominent matriarch of the York family had fallen gravely ill.

"Elina!"

Shawn silently cut a piece of the cake and put it in his mouth as Elina Lennox bounced over to their table.

But the person holding her hand wasn't Bryant Lennox. It was Gabriel Whitmore.

"Sister— Melanie."

Gabriel caught himself just before the familial slip-up.

"What are you guys doing here? What a coincidence," Melanie lied effortlessly.

Obviously, their appearance was no accident.

Since Shawn had demanded Preston be excluded from the dinner, Melanie had simply handed the assignment to Gabriel.

She instructed Gabriel to bring Elina to the restaurant so she could observe Shawn's visceral reaction to seeing the little girl in person.

She deliberately avoided asking Bryant to bring her because Bryant already knew Shawn was the prime suspect who poisoned his daughter.

Melanie was terrified Bryant would lose his mind and attack Shawn on sight.

Right now, the theory that Shawn was the mastermind was just that—a theory.

They had zero hard evidence.