Melissa didn’t ask him to stay, because she knew he wouldn’t. She stood in front of the dining table, watching with reluctance as his silhouette walked out the restaurant door. She watched through the floor-to-ceiling windows as his silhouette got farther and farther away, watched him get into the car, watched the car start and leave... Only when the car disappeared from sight did she slowly collect her thoughts and sit back down in the chair. Looking at the wine glass and plate he used, it seemed as if everything just now was a dream. Soon, two reporters came over with cameras. "Miss Merce, do you want to take a look at the photos?" They seemed very excited, "Many of the candid shots are quite good and could make for a long news story." "I don’t need to see them." Melissa looked at them, giving a slight smile, "I trust your professional skills, you’ve been entertainment reporters for years, do as you see fit!" "Yes, Miss Merce! We’ll head back to write the article right away and aim to release it tonight!" "We’ll hit the traffic peak tonight, rest assured!" Melissa didn’t say anything, watching them leave happily. After the reporters left, Melissa grabbed her bag and went out too, opened the passenger side door and sat in the car, "Mother Hayes, Finn’s really serious. He’s acquiring new property, partly to hide from us, and partly because he’s thinking about having enough space for possible future kids!" The middle-aged woman waiting in the driver’s seat turned her eyes, "Miss, you’re not married yet, there’s still room for things to change." As she spoke, she started the engine. "From childhood till now, whatever I, Melissa, have wanted, I’ve never failed to get!" Melissa was confident, "Let’s treat this as a challenge, a game!" The rightful source is nοvelfire.net Thinking about the flood of news that would soon appear online, about her and Finn, Melissa was in an exceptionally good mood, "Let’s go shopping, buy some pretty dresses!" "Hailey Hale was kidnapped, who do you think did it?" Melissa had considered this but couldn’t figure it out because she didn’t understand the network of relations in Riventhal at all. "How would I know?" Mother Hayes said casually, "The mayor must have offended quite a few people, right? Maybe they couldn’t get to him, so they went after his daughter." Melissa thoughtfully nodded, that made some sense. The car quickly stopped at the most bustling street in Riventhal, a long row of luxury stores. Melissa and Mother Hayes got out of the car and walked towards the brightly lit clothing store. As she stepped into the entrance, Melissa saw a girl who had just finished checking out and was heading towards the door with bags. Barbara Sutton was in a good mood, unintentionally raised her eyes and met Melissa’s gaze, she was slightly stunned, then her smile deepened and she greeted her proactively, "Miss Merce, are you here to buy clothes too? There are many new limited edition styles, right in that area. You have a great figure, I’m sure there will be something suitable for you. Would you like me to help you pick them out?" Mother Hayes glanced at Barbara and then looked back at her own Miss. Melissa asked calmly, "Who are you? Do I know you?" Barbara’s mouth opened slightly in disbelief, did she recognize the wrong person?? No way! They had coffee below the company last time, it was her! "I’m Barbara Sutton, Miss Merce, don’t you remember me?" She probed cautiously, "I’m Special Assistant Morgan’s assistant, we had coffee together last time." "Oh, I remember now." Melissa smiled, "I just had dinner with Finn, he even mentioned you." Just had dinner together?? "What... what did he say about me?" Barbara asked nervously, eager to know. Melissa smiled with a hint of sarcasm and assessed her, "He said... you look like a nouveau riche without a trace of elegance."