The Unwilling CEO's Love Game novel Chapter 22

Quinta invited Jocelyn over for dinner at her place.

After her divorce, Quinta snagged a tiny two-bedroom pad, but once she married Damian, they quickly sold it off and, with a loan, bought the current little cottage they're living in. It's one of those places with stairs, right up on the top floor.

When Quinta sold the old place, her mother had a good moan to Jocelyn's mom on the phone. She was like, "At least the old house was mine. Now, it is sold, and they got this new one, and it's 'joint property'. If things stay peachy, great, but what if it all goes down the drain?"

Quinta’s mother was all sighs when she talked about it.

At six in the evening, Quinta had the meal ready and called Damian. After a few words, he hung up, so she carried the dishes into the dining room and told Jocelyn to dig in.

"Isn't Damian coming back?"

"A couple of work buddies roped him into fishing." Quinta set the table. "Forget him, let's eat."

Jocelyn always felt there was something off about Quinta and Damian's vibe, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, and it didn't seem right to pry. They were newlyweds, after all, and jumping to conclusions wasn't cool.

After they ate, it was already seven in the evening.

Quinta wanted Jocelyn to stay, which made Jocelyn think of what Melvin had said before.

For some reason, she felt a rebellious streak and didn't want to do as he said, so she agreed to stay.

The sisters huddled on the couch that evening, watching TV and chatting, mostly about Damian's kid and the old folks back home.

It was the usual family drama. The blended family with kids always come with a string of issues.

Like the ex dropping by to see her son, or the grandparents doting on the grandson. Quinta felt like an outsider in that house, just couldn't fit in.

"Didn't cut ties completely, huh?" Jocelyn was curious.

"How can we ever cut ties completely? That's the kid's mom. We can't just pretend she doesn't exist," Quinta sighed. "The woman is jobless now, and hearing Damian made squad leader, she's not sitting still. Luckily, Damian doesn't really deal with her. He won't even pick up her calls. He says he does it to ease my mind, letting the kid stay with his grandparents."

Jocelyn hugged Quinta. "Just be the best you can be."

"With marriages like ours, I've gotta have a kid of my own to really cement the family together." Quinta patted her hand. "Marriage isn't some wild beast, but you've gotta think it through before diving in. After all, it's an elevation of a relationship but also the start of a whole new set of responsibilities."

"A lot of divorces happen because people can't handle those responsibilities, right?" Seeing Jocelyn's dazed look, Quinta quickly added, "I’m not trying to scare you. There are happy marriages too. Look at your folks. They've been lovey-dovey since day one, right?"

Jocelyn's lips curled up slightly. "I know. I'll think about the consequences before I decide on anything."

"Your boyfriend must've been through something, and that’s probably why he's shying away from marriage."

"He's never been married." Jocelyn was sure of that.

Quinta chuckled, "It's not that you have to go through marriage to see it through. Could be his family background or other life experiences. Anyway, if you really want to get serious with him, you've gotta worm your way into his heart. Once he opens up, you'll find out what's really going on."

Jocelyn's expression turned serious. That was just it; she hadn't cracked Melvin's code yet.

Otherwise, why would she know so little about him?

Jocelyn’s phone buzzed.

Quinta glanced over and asked, "Melvin?"

"Yep." Jocelyn answered, "Hello?"

Melvin's voice was indifferent, "Where are you?"

"At Quinta's."

Silence hung heavily after she spoke. Jocelyn bit her lip, waiting for him to continue.

"Send me your location." And with that, he hung up.

Jocelyn was stunned.

Quinta was curious. "What's up?"

"He wants my location." Jocelyn was baffled, "He's not coming to pick me up, is he?"

"It's eight already, and it’s over two hundred kilometers away. That's a two-hour drive." Quinta looked at Jocelyn and suddenly burst into laughter, "He... must love you, huh."

The word "love" felt foreign to Jocelyn.