The Unwilling CEO's Love Game
Chapter 25

Melvin didn't come back home that night.

The next morning, Jocelyn headed off to school.

During lunchtime, Ursula came over with her meal, plopped down next to Jocelyn, and handed her phone over, saying, "Check this out, the minute Willow's back, she became the ambassador of a jewelry brand."

The moment Jocelyn heard Willow's name, her food suddenly tasted like cardboard.

She couldn't resist taking a peek and sure enough, there was Willow at the jewelry brand's signing event.

But it wasn't Melvin doing the signing. It was Zephyr.

Well, wasn't that convenient? With all this back and forth, it would be only a matter of time before they're an item. They've got the perfect setup for a little office romance.

"Something's fishy, though. Even though Willow is extremely popular, it's surprising she'd land a brand endorsement contract right after returning. I remember the jewelry company never used ambassadors before, so this exception makes me wonder if there's some undisclosed secret between the company owner and her..."

Ursula muttered to herself, scrolling through the comments under the video. Most of them were all about how stunning Willow looked: 'Willow slays!', 'She deserves this!', 'The jewelry brand's got good taste!' And more importantly, a bunch of Willow's fans had already started hitting up the stores, snapping up jewelry left and right to show their support.

"Got to admit, she's kind of a big deal," Ursula said, putting down her phone. She noticed Jocelyn looking down in the dumps and couldn't help but ask, "What's up with the long face?"

Jocelyn had lost her appetite. She shook her head. "Maybe it's the heat. I'm just not feeling hungry. You enjoy your meal; I'm gonna head out."

Back at the office, Jocelyn clicked on Twitter's top stories and there was Willow, looking fresh as a daisy in a floral sundress, her hair tied up in a cute bun, her innocent features on full display, decked out in the brand's bling, striking a variety of poses.

Lying up in the hospital one day, taking endorsements the next, talk about dedication to the job.

Melvin's really looking out for Willow by setting her up with such a sweet deal right off the bat. It's hard to imagine Willow not becoming a sensation with this kind of exposure.

With Melvin backing her, Willow's got a fast track to the top of the entertainment industry.

"Jocelyn." Preston's voice came from the doorway, startling her enough to drop her phone on the desk.

She quickly turned off her phone and asked nonchalantly, "What's up?"

The office was empty except for Jocelyn.

Preston stood in front of her desk, his eyes on the phone she had flipped over on the table. "You saw it, didn't you?"

"Saw what?"

"Willow's new jewelry endorsement."

"

Jocelyn shrugged it off. "What's that got to do with me?"

"My uncle's the big shot behind the jewelry brand," Preston observed her expression carefully.

Jocelyn smiled and said, "Still nothing to do with me."

Only she knew how much she was seething underneath all that cool indifference.

Preston didn't push further, seeing she was playing tough.

He turned to leave but then stopped and looked back. "Jocelyn, how about dinner tonight?"

"Why?"

"To thank you for looking after me." He didn't wait for her to decline and just walked away.

After school in the evening, Jocelyn stepped out of the school gates only to replace Preston waiting under a tree. "Jocelyn," he called out.

She felt a touch of exasperation, "If you're hungry, I can treat you at the bistro out front."

Preston shook his head, "I've got a place in mind; it won't take long."

"

"Preston," Jocelyn said with a hint of authority, "You have class tomorrow!"

"It won't take that long."

Preston's insistence left Jocelyn with no choice but to compromise. They hailed a cab and shortly arrived at a fancy restaurant. He strode right in and pushed open the door to a private room. Inside, a few folks were having a good time until they stopped abruptly at the sound of the door, turning to look at Preston.

Jocelyn felt awkward standing behind Preston, feeling like a clown showing up uninvited.

"Uncle Melvin, you're eating all the good stuff without inviting me and Auntie Jocelyn?" Preston sauntered in, unfazed by Melvin's icy stare, and called back to Jocelyn, "Jocelyn, come on in." Jocelyn really wished she could just sink into the floor.

She shouldn't have trusted Preston, and she definitely shouldn't have come with him.

Melvin's gaze fixed on Jocelyn at the doorway, lips pressed tightly together.

Willow's smile stiffened when she heard Preston call Jocelyn 'auntie.'

Everyone present was from the jewelry company's upper echelon, including Zephyr.

Sensing the tension, Zephyr quickly tried to smooth things over. "Jocelyn's here! You just finished class, right? Thanks for bringing Preston back. If you don't mind, why not sit down and join us for a simple meal?"

Zephyr knew Melvin didn't like airing his personal life in front of colleagues, including company staff. He wasn't about to reveal their relationship.

Jocelyn found the whole charade laughable.

She just smiled faintly, glancing at Melvin, who hadn't moved an inch.

How could Zephyr have said that if he hadn't authorized it?

"No, thanks," Jocelyn declined politely, "Actually, I brought Preston here to have a word with Mr. Martinez. Preston is at that tender age, and as his guardian, you might want to pay a bit more attention to a teenager's physical and emotional well-being. Work's important, sure, but so is the health of a child. So, Mr. Martinez, please try to spend some time focusing on Preston, instead of leaving him to his own devices at home. Yeah, that's about it. Enjoy your meal, I'll be on my way. Goodbye." Jocelyn kept her composure throughout, her tone professional.

As far as she was concerned, every word was strictly business, and surely everyone would conveniently overlook Preston's use of 'auntie.'

She nodded slightly and left with grace and poise.

Stepping out of the restaurant, Jocelyn finally caught her breath with a heavy sigh.

First thing back home, she hit up a locksmith, got the locks changed, and switched up the codes in the dead of night.

After a shower, she flopped onto her bed, now not even feeling the urge to cry.

She gave her love life another hard look, and it seemed like a total joke. She couldn't figure out what she gained from it, what she had now, or what she was even dreaming about.

Scrolling through Twitter, she stumbled upon Quinta's posts musing, "Life is long, so what if you take a few wrong turns? It's just a detour, and we all end up at the same finish line - death." Jocelyn left a comment underneath. "Every stage in life is just a transition. Only a shovelful of earth will be our final resting place."

Quinta shot back, "What's up with you now?"

Jocelyn replied, "Just trying to match your deep thoughts and make me look cultured."

Quinta responded with a facepalm emoji.

Jocelyn scrolled down to the bottom and then logged out, put the phone down, and went to sleep.

In the middle of the night, her phone buzzed. She fumbled with it with a frown and answered it without looking at who was calling.

"Hello?"

Silence on the other end.

Woken up in the middle of the night, she was miffed.

"If you're not gonna talk, I'm hanging up."

"Uh... softer... ah..."

Sounds from the other end jolted her wide awake.

She flicked on the light and checked the caller ID in a rush.

There, in bold, was the name Melvin.