Chapter 6 The Invitation

A hint of irony crept into Jillian's expression as she spoke. "She's carrying a lighter, yet you insist she's afraid of fire?"

With tears still clinging to her lashes, Melany lifted her head and looked at him. "Dennis, how could I even have something like a lighter? You know me better than anyone."

Without hesitation, Dennis had already chosen whom to believe.

Back when Melany was studying abroad in Cletolia, an accident involving fire had injured her throat. Because of that incident, she had stayed away from anything connected to flames ever since.

To him, Jillian's words sounded like nothing but baseless claims.

Casting her a dismissive glance, he let out a scoff. "This is just about a patent. Did you really have to take it this far?"

Hearing his words, Melany quietly allowed a faint, satisfied smile to form.

Jillian's breath hitched as she stared at him. "So this is what you think I'm capable of?"

His voice turned colder as Dennis replied, "You'll do anything if it helps you get what you want. Isn't that exactly how you ended up marrying me?"

In his mind, their marriage had only happened because she had manipulated his grandfather. Otherwise, he believed they would never have been together.

A deep ache spread through Jillian's chest as the truth settled in. So this had always been the way Dennis saw her.

Tears gathered in her eyes, yet she refused to back down. "You were the one who said you would marry me first!"

At her words, Dennis's face hardened with irritation. That promise had only ever been meant for Melany.

A chill crept into his voice as he responded, "Are you trying to justify yourself now? You're making things up."

His denial struck her like a blow, and Jillian stood there in stunned silence. By saying that, he erased everything they had once shared.

Searching his gaze, she found no trace of the man she thought she knew, and no words came out.

Sensing the tension, Melany grew uneasy and decided to step in, casually mentioning that she was not feeling well.

Without hesitation, Dennis supported her and led her downstairs to rest.

Left alone, Jillian lost the strength to stand and sank onto the bed.

Earlier, she had planned to pack all her belongings before leaving, yet in the end, she only took the keepsake from her mother.

Before walking away, she arranged the house keys, bank cards, and ring neatly on the bedside table and left behind a note.

Early the following morning, a servant rushed in to fetch Dennis and led him straight to the master bedroom, gesturing toward the bedside table. "Sir, Mrs. Miller seems to have left after midnight. These were left behind."

Reaching out, Dennis took the note and read the message written on it. "Since we're getting divorced, it's better to end things cleanly. I'm returning everything to you."

To him, it seemed like she had tried to provoke him with another man, and when that did not work, she chose another tactic.

Without revealing any emotion, he tightened his grip on the note.

After a brief pause, he tucked it into a drawer and made his way downstairs for breakfast.

At the dining table, Melany was already waiting.

Because the fire from the previous night had "frightened" her, she had decided to stay over at Aurora Mansion.

Taking his seat across from her, Dennis remained quiet.

After a moment, Melany remembered something and brought it up. "Dennis, I heard you have Dr. Hadley's personal contact. Could you introduce me to him?"

A slight frown appeared on his face as Dennis replied, "I'm not that familiar with him."

A pleading tone slipped into Melany's voice as she leaned forward. "Could you just arrange an introduction for me? Dennis, I'm planning to pursue a doctorate, and I truly want Dr. Hadley to supervise me and guide my dissertation. I've admired him for so long."

In reality, she didn't hold Dr. Hadley in such high regard.

What she really wanted was to take advantage of his reputation, since no one would dare challenge her credentials if his name was attached.

That way, even Jillian would have no grounds to question her.

With little interest, Dennis responded, "I'll let my assistant handle it."

Previously, the Miller Group had tried to bring Dr. Hadley on board as a technical consultant. However, he turned them down without even meeting them and only left behind a contact number.

According to what people said, Dr. Hadley was already in his fifties or sixties, and he had a rigid and traditional personality.

**

After leaving Aurora Mansion behind, Jillian settled into a hotel for the time being.

Most of her days were spent at the law firm, where she reached out to witnesses and sorted through relevant communication records.

Whenever she wasn't working, she focused on finding a place where she could live permanently.

On one particular day, she decided to have a meal at Crown Restaurant.

As she waited for her order, she opened Dr. Hadley's email account.

Most of the time, she relied on that account to respond to technical inquiries.

After replying to several messages, one email caught her attention. It had been sent by the Miller Group two days earlier. "Dr. Hadley, our CEO, Mr. Miller, would like to invite you to a dinner in your honor. He wishes to personally thank you for your continued support and contributions to the Group. May we ask if you are available in the coming days?"

For years, she had consistently given priority to the Miller Group's technical concerns and handled them through email whenever she could.

Judging by the tone of the message, it seemed Dennis was now trying to reach out to her.

Earlier, Leland had suggested resolving the issue privately since her primary objective was to reclaim the patent.

Taking the legal route would only drag things out.

Truthfully, Jillian had already intended to meet Dennis. Now that he had taken the initiative, the opportunity had come to her directly.

Without wasting a moment, she replied, "I'm free. Just send me the time and location."

Almost immediately, a message came back. "Crown Restaurant, tonight at seven. Would that be convenient for you?"

Since she was already dining there, she simply responded, "That works."

Not long after, they sent over the number of the private room.

Because there was still some time before the meeting, she reached out to Leland and asked him to come along as her legal representative.

While waiting, she kept herself occupied by responding to more emails.

Elsewhere, Dennis had already secured the most extravagant private room in Crown Restaurant and spared no effort in making the arrangement impressive.

Then, a knock sounded at the door.

With visible excitement, Melany wheeled herself toward it. "That should be Dr. Hadley."