The Unwilling CEO's Love Game novel Chapter 239

"Look, I owe you one," Melvin said with a serious face. "Once we've dealt with the smuggler, you can take over the business of this region. There was no good excuse to go opposite with him in the open before, but now we have a reason, and there's no need to hold back."

Zachary's gaze was fixed outside the car window, his eyes dark and brooding. "The car accident you had last time was his doing. You’re right. It's time to settle that score."

Melvin flexed his fingers nonchalantly, "In a business where you lick blood from the knife's edge, if you're not dead, you’d better cling to life with both hands."

Zachary looked at him, the usual warmth in whose eyes was replaced by a ruthlessness no one had seen before.

Over the years, Zachary had kept Melvin away from the darker trades.

It's easy to get tangled up in that underworld, but cleaning up one's act is far more difficult.

He didn't want Yasmine's brother to fall into such an endless abyss.

Thankfully, Melvin hadn't sunk too deep over the years, and he had led their crew onto the straight and narrow, starting up legitimate businesses. While they might not be well-known back home, they had garnered some reputation abroad.

These days, he played the role of a jewelry tycoon domestically, keeping a low profile. Even a thorough check would only reveal a self-made man who had weathered failures to get where he was.

Who would've guessed that such a respectable businessman had once stirred up storms of blood and fear in the murky gray zones, becoming a name that evoked dread?

"I've had someone look into the guy who set you up. He's a new member sworn into the smuggler's inner circle in recent years. A shady character who hasn't shown his face yet. We're in the light, and he's in the shadows. We need to act carefully," Zachary warned him.

Melvin nodded, "The main goal is to bring Castiel back this time."

"Yeah. Once we've got him out, you take him and leave, and I'll handle the rest," Zachary said, not wanting Melvin to get dragged back into the fray.

He didn't want everyone else to end up like him, who was even unable to hold onto the woman he loved.

...

Jocelyn lived on tenterhooks every day, always feeling like something bad was about to happen.

She messaged Melvin, and thankfully, he consistently replied.

Even if his responses weren't instant, they never took too long.

Knowing he was safe was the only thing that put her mind at ease.

Yasmine visited Jocelyn more often, taking her and Euston out for some fun.

The two had become fast friends with no secrets between them.

"Since Melvin's away, I'll take you to meet someone," Yasmine suggested. "But you can't tell him."

Jocelyn was curious about who Yasmine intended to introduce her to.

After leaving the child with Daisy and Calvin for care, Yasmine drove Jocelyn off.

The road grew more remote, and after a while, they arrived at a sign reading "Haven Nursing Home."

Jocelyn glanced at Yasmine curiously, who just smiled back.

The car continued to climb up the mountain, and after more than half an hour on the winding road, the landscape in front of them finally flattened.

A large natural lake lay before them, surrounded by green hills. The nursing home was situated by the lake, offering the elderly a chance to fish, to garden, or to gather for a game of chess in contentment.

Yasmine parked the car and led Jocelyn inside. A staff member greeted Yasmine with a smile, "Mr. Martinez is in the backyard."

"Okay."

Yasmine nodded and continued on.

As Jocelyn heard Mr. Martinez, she had a hunch who it might be.

Passing through a corridor and entering a courtyard, they saw a man-made waterfall with a few vibrant fish in the pond and a couple of turtles on the rocks.

An old man in a tweed jacket sat in a wheelchair. Frail, he seemed almost to be cocooned in it, quietly watching the turtles.

"Dad," Yasmine called out softly.

The old man turned, a smile spreading across his face upon seeing Yasmine. "Yasmine."

"Yeah. What brings you here today?" Yasmine adjusted the blanket on his legs.