The Breaking Point of Mate: Giving Up on My Alpha novel Chapter 32

Third Person’s POV

Hedwig also saw Trista and quietly nudged Melanie. “Melanie, that’s Trista.”

Melanie lowered her gaze and answered softly, “Mhm, I see her.”

Hedwig stared at the woman holding Trista’s hand, curious and a little uneasy. “Who is that pretty lady? Is she Trista’s mom too? Does Trista have two moms?”

Melanie didn’t answer directly. She just reached up and touched the top of Hedwig’s head.

Her tone was gentle but serious. “Please don’t tell Trista that I brought you here, okay?”

Hedwig nodded. “I won’t.”

She remembered how Trista had glowered at her when she hugged Melanie by the school gate last time, so she was extra

cautious.

Trista always seemed to puff out her cheeks and glare at her whenever they saw each other, which made Hedwig instinctively

want to hide.

Up ahead, Archer, Camille, and Trista walked side–by–side, their shoulders and steps perfectly synchronized, looking every bit

like a family with scents blended together.

Melanie watched the scene unfold, but her heart didn’t stir anymore. She calmly looked away, as if confirming that a certain conclusion had finally been settled.

Only after Archer and Camille left the immediate school area did Melanie get out of the car, holding Hedwig’s hand.

The teacher on duty at the gate recognized her as Trista’s mother–the visitor log clearly listed guardianship and emergency

contacts.

The teacher was briefly stunned, having just seen Archer and another woman drop off Trista. She figured Melanie must have had a last–minute errand. Now seeing her with Hedwig, she couldn’t help but ask, “Ms. Willis, you and Hedwig-”

“Mrs. Heath had an emergency and asked me to bring Hedwig to school,” Melanie explained concisely.

“Oh, I see.”

The teacher looked relieved but still couldn’t resist subtly mentioning, “It’s just that… Trista already arrived, but she was-”

“I know,” Melanie said, nodding with a controlled, gentle smile.

Seeing that Melanie was aware of the situation, the teacher didn’t press further.

Leaving the preschool, she was just getting into her car when Elmer’s call came in. “What time do you think you’ll get to the office?”

“Ten minutes or so.”

“Great, I’ll wait downstairs for you.”

When Melanie arrived at Hilltop Tech, Eliner was already standing by the air curtain near the main entrance. He opened his arms and gave her a polite hug, his voice carrying a sense of long–awaited relief. “Welcome back.”

She smiled and returned the embrace, her movements clean and perfectly measured.

At the exact same time, at the end of the Hilltop Tech office corridor, Isalalı Turner was leaning against a floor–to–ceiling window, taking a phone call.

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As a shadow moved outside the door, he couldn’t help but glance toward the entrance.

His gaze was briefly caught by Melanie’s profile before he looked away, as Camille on the other end of the line had picked up.

“Camille, morning,” he greeted her with a smile. “What time are you getting to the office?”

The answer she gave caused his smile to slowly fade.

He was silent for a few seconds, gave a quiet acknowledgment, and hung up.

When he returned to his desk, his expression was still gloomy.

A coworker leaned over and asked, “Isaiah, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

Isaiah shook his head, signaling that he was fine.

A little later, coworkers began arriving, and a whisper quickly spread through the open workspace.

“I just saw Mr. Boyd bring a beautiful woman into the office-”

“Don’t exaggerate! Was she really that beautiful?”

“Seriously, she looked better than a movie star. Her skin was glowing, and she walked like she owned the place.”

Isaiah remembered the woman who had just shared an embrace with Elmer at the entrance and had a pretty good idea of who they were talking about.

Someone added, “I heard she’s the new coworker starting today.”

Isaiah was slightly stunned.

Camille was his classmate from the research institute. She had recently expressed a clear interest in joining Hilltop Tech after being drawn to the CUAP direction.

He had personally recommended her to Elmer, and the interview feedback was excellent.

Today was supposed to be Camille’s start date, but on the phone just now, she said Elmer had suddenly canceled the job offer, citing “personal reasons.”

As for what those personal reasons were–he hadn’t been given an explanation.

The elevator chimed, and Elmer walked into the open office area with Melanie.

Gasps filled the air. Admiration was a silent, shared feeling.

A coworker couldn’t help but stand up, half–joking, half–serious. “Mr. Boyd, is this lady really our new colleague?”

“You’re fast with news.” Elmer smiled and was about to make the formal introduction. “This is Melanie Willis. She’s joining us

Before he could finish, Isaiah cut in. “Mr. Boyd, did you replace my classmate’s job offer because of her?”

Elmer paused, then chose to directly confirm it. “Yes.”

He was just about to add, “Regarding this, I will-

Isaiah had already turned to Melanie, his voice laced with controlled skepticism. “My classmate earned her Ph.D. from a top–ten university this year, and she’s only twenty–five. Since Ms. Willis is taking her place at Hilltop Tech, I assume her own background is even more impressive?”

He quickly made an unfavorable judgment in his head: the hug downstairs translated to “relationship privilege.”

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He kept up a polite facade. “It’s just that Ms. Willis looks very young. Someone who didn’t know would probably think you haven’t even finished your doctorate yet.”

Elmer had planned to speak to Isaiah privately later about the reason for revoking the offer–it involved personal issues that shouldn’t be discussed publicly.

“Isaiah-” Elmer frowned, trying to stop him.

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