The Unwilling CEO's Love Game novel Chapter 108

The relentless rain showed no sign of abating as Jocelyn grabbed her umbrella and headed to the elevator.

As she waited, her mind wandered to Melvin.

“I have a new boyfriend. What business do I have worrying about an ex?” she thought, “And how can I justify this to Harrison?”

The elevator arrived. With the hesitation causing a moment's delay, the doors closed again before Jocelyn could enter.

Finally, Jocelyn called Preston, telling his mother to come and get Melvin home. She didn't leave any room for small talk and returned to her apartment immediately after she made the call.

She peeked through the curtains at the figure outside from her bedroom window. November had brought a biting cold, and the rain seemed to intensify the man’s misery as if it was seeking sympathy for him.

The proud Melvin was a soaked shadow of his former self, standing helplessly in the downpour.

Glancing at the clock, Jocelyn realized it had been over fifteen minutes since she called Preston, but there was no sign of any approaching car. Had his family truly abandoned him?

She tried calling Preston again, only to be met with the robotic tone of his voicemail.

Jocelyn frowned deeply, questioning the heartlessness of Melvin's family.

Without Zephyr's number to call for help, Jocelyn didn't know whom to turn to.

The sound of rain beating against the leaves outside and the sight of Melvin completely drenched finally broke her resolve, and she picked up her umbrella once more and left the apartment.

Stepping out of the elevator, a blast of cold air hit her. Jocelyn wrapped her coat tighter around herself, opened her umbrella, and approached Melvin.

He looked worse than a drowned rat, his skin pale and his lips colorless. His eyes, once lively, were staring at Jocelyn with a dim, pleading intensity.

As she drew closer, his gaze briefly flickered.

Jocelyn held the umbrella over his head, the rain pounding loudly on the fabric.

"Have you had enough of this charade?" she raised her voice to ensure he could hear her through the noise.

Melvin's face was all with rain, and as it flowed down his cheeks and off his chin, a twisted smile appeared on his lips. "You still care about me," he said, amusement in his eyes.

Jocelyn was speechless.

His manipulative behavior convinced her she shouldn't have given in to sentiment. His family didn't care, and why should she? It wasn't her place to worry, even if something happened to him.

"Stay out here if you must," Jocelyn declared, ready to leave him to his devices.

As she turned to leave, Melvin's cold hand suddenly grasped hers. His touch was icy, chilling her to the bone.

Jocelyn turned back, glaring at his hand. She tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.

"I'm cold," Melvin said, punctuating his statement with a sneeze.

Jocelyn frowned. "Then why don't you go inside?"

"I'm soaking wet," he replied, his voice faint, perhaps muffled by the heavy rain.

"No one made you stand out here," Jocelyn said, avoiding his eyes, which resembled those of an abandoned stray dog without a haven.

Suddenly, Melvin let go of her hand and looked down. "Go back inside. Don't worry about me," he said, stepping away from her umbrella.

Jocelyn was both amused and frustrated by his antics. "What's this supposed to be?"

She bit her lip, gazing at him. "I called Preston over fifteen minutes ago. He knows you're out here. Your sister probably knows, too. But they didn't come."

"If you got sick by standing out here, I wouldn’t be responsible. So..." Jocelyn took out her phone. “I might as well call your fiancee to come get you.”

She had received a message from Willow once, unsigned, but she knew it must be from her.

Before she could make the call, her phone was suddenly wet.

Melvin had taken it.

The message was clear.

[Thanks for being with Melvin these three years. From now on, you have nothing to do with him.]