"Why would I?" Jeffery was busy all day yesterday, so that might be the reason why he didn't reply. Or perhaps, he just didn't bother to reply. To him, responding to something about a mere dinner was a waste of time.

"Because I sent you a message? I mean, isn't it already given to reply to the person who texted you once you received it as an act of politeness?" Melinda said seriously and aggressively as she stared intently at Jeffery with her big, round eyes. However, even if Melinda wanted to show that she was sulking and was acting mad through her innocent eyes, she only looked like a whimpering puppy in Jeffery's eyes.

"It's not a big deal, so I won't." Jeffery firmly refuted.

With that, Melinda bit her lower lip. It was apparent that she would lose in this fight, but she didn't want to back down. "You should," she persisted as she pouted her lips and lowered her gaze. Sadness swarmed in her heart.

"Do you treat me like how you treat everybody?" Jeffery asked in a stern tone.

Melinda obediently shook her head, "No way. I only treat you this way."

Jeffery couldn't help but pinch her soft, reddish cheeks and flicked Melinda's forehead. They just met two days ago; yesterday was the second time they met. How could they've gone to bed within that short period? Jeffery was noncommittal with Melinda's answer but still wrapped his arms around her body, "Do you like me?" he whispered as he buried his head in her neck.

"Yes, of course." Melinda directly answered with no hints of hesitation evident in her voice. "If I don't like you, do you think I will stay by your side?"

If anything, she would rather go with him than end up in Edison's bed last night. Melinda never wished to see that person's face. If she could only erase everything about Edison in her head and forget everything that happened yesterday, she would certainly do so.

Jeffery moved his body to snatch a cigarette from the bedside table and started to smoke. He wasn't so sure whether he would believe Melinda or ignore her feelings whatsoever. He admitted he saw Melinda's message around four sharp in the afternoon yesterday, where she asked him if he had free time so she could treat him to dinner. Uninterested, Jeffery ignored that. "What do you want from me, then?"

"I told you I wanted to invite you to dinner."

Jeffery didn't understand why Melinda wanted to invite him to dinner, so he stared at her, wondering. Melinda's answer was visible in her eyes, but she hesitated to tell him. She thought Jeffery would no way sit still if he found out that she had resold all of the clothes he had bought for her.

"I…" Melinda's hands felt cold all of a sudden. "I mean…"

Then, she stopped midway when someone suddenly barged in from the door. Her eyes grew expansive as she watched another woman calmly walk inside the room, disinterested in them. It turned out Jeffery's secretary brought them take-out food from a famous pizza store in the city.

The pizza appeared very delicious, and the smell of it made her tummy rumble, rendering Melinda speechless for a second.

After a few minutes of overcoming her shock, Melinda stood up butt-naked and went to pick up a slice of pizza. It was a ham and mushroom pizza she had wanted to eat for a while.

Melinda was about to eat it; however, she stopped because Jeffery's stares were poking her conscience. It's as if he was mad that she didn't offer him any pizza at all!

"Do you want some, Jeff?" Melinda looked down at the plate in her hand and decided to hand it over to Jeff. "Here…"

Although she was craving to taste the pizza already, she didn't dare to eat yet because Jeffery didn't say anything. She was afraid she might offend him in any way and also, and Melinda couldn't comprehend whether Jeffery was unhappy about something or not. He was just looking at her with an unreadable expression.

"Go ahead. I'm good."

With Jeffery's permission, Melinda happily took a bite of the pizza. Its sauce was Mexican-flavored, which she had always loved because of the spiciness it possessed. But then, Melinda didn't dare eat much. Though she loved the spice, her stomach was utterly sensitive to it. Ironic, wasn't it? Before eating it whole, Melinda picked out all the mushrooms and broccoli and set them aside. She doesn't like them, not even a bit.

Melinda fanned herself using her hand as she felt the kick of spice the pizza had. Still, she continued eating. Hungry, Melinda ate as if she hadn't eaten anything for the past years. Well, what could she do? She loved pizzas so much that she couldn't even stop herself from getting another slice.

Seeing her struggling expression, Jeffery voluntarily opened a bottle of milk and handed it to her. Then, he raised his eyebrow and asked her gently, "Too spicy?"

Melinda innocently glanced at him as she nodded her head in agreement. She was a naive young girl who was as pure as white and wasn't experienced in bed nor sophisticated in everything. She was a simple yet attractive woman, slightly making Jeffery afraid she would become a dangerous woman later on.

Unlike other provocative and bold girls, Melinda was lowkey and behaved. It was good and, at the same time, bad. Jeffery thought that while those attributes made her adorable, they also could put her in a difficult situation in the future where she could be easily taken advantage of.

Melinda felt Jeffery thought she was too filthy because of the sauce around her mouth and how she ate, so she instantly explained, "Don't worry, I'll take a bath later."

"Don't be silly," Jeffery gently smiled and took a tissue to wipe the chili oil in the corner of her mouth. "You can take your time."

Jeffery didn't usually eat spicy foods, thinking it was too bland. But then, he was afraid that Melinda would feel bad if he didn't eat even a slice, so he took a few bites then the rest were finished alone by Melinda.

It was unbelievable. Melinda was a petite woman. She was short, and her body was slim, but she ate a lot. Her tummy had been so stuffed that she had to stay in the bathroom for an hour just to flush all the food out of her body.

When she got out, Jeffery immediately went inside the bathroom to shower while Melinda went back to bed to sleep. She didn't want to move anymore and wanted to have a nice sleep. Once Jeffery got out of the bathroom, Melinda moved a little to give him space. She patted the bed, inviting him to join her. The two people were both tired, so they fell asleep right away.

When the following day came, Melinda had classes, so Jeffery decided to send her to school after breakfast. Once they arrived at the university, Melinda instantly got out of the car and was ready to walk away when she remembered something. She stepped back and knocked on the window, which immediately slid down. "If I ever sent you a message, please reply." Jeffery didn't answer, so Melinda waited for his response.

She looked so pitiful, and Jeffery didn't know if she was actually silly or just acting like a fool. They only slept a few times, so he couldn't understand why she kept behaving like they were together.

To satisfy Melinda, Jeffery deliberately answered with his low-pitched voice, "I will if I'm free."

Melinda wanted to speak more, but the man had already closed back the window and driven away. She stared blankly at his car, eating all the dust he had left behind. When her senses came back, Melinda immediately went to her class before she got late.

While she sat down and took out her textbooks, a student came to wreck her morning. It was Edison. He was about to take the chair next to Melinda, but she grabbed it and glared at Edison, "You can't take this seat."

Melinda didn't want Edison near her or meet him again, but Edison overpowered her and snatched the chair back from her before he tauntingly sat at it. "You don't own this university. I can sit whenever I want; you hear that?"

Melinda wanted to refute, but she noticed that everyone's attention in the room was now directed at them. Embarrassed, she bit her lower lip and looked down, avoiding the people's gazes. Edison didn't belong in the foreign language department in the first place, but because of Melinda, he chose to take classes here constantly.

Melinda never felt good when people's eyes were following her every move. It made her nervous, so she chose to stay silent and let Edison run his mouth. Melinda exhaled a sigh of relief when the professor came in, making everyone focus on their world. But not Edison.

He stroked his chin as if examining Melinda, then asked her, "Yesterday, you called Mr. Jeffery 'Jeff'. Why did you call his name so intimately?"

Both the Yorks and the Sterlings have known each other for quite some time. They've actually had a history of getting along quite well with one another.

Because of that, Edison was no stranger to Jeffery. Though the latter was a few years older than him, his brother, Andrew York, was good friends with Jeffery.

It was common knowledge that Jeffery was a cold and unapproachable person. Only a few weren't afraid of him, and Edison definitely wasn't one of them. He had seen how terrifying Jeffery could be, so he didn't dare to mess with him. So when Melinda mentioned Jeffery's name, he had no choice but to step back.

Melinda noticed Edison's sudden change of expression and took a hint of what it meant. Nonetheless, she didn't want to tell anyone that Jeffery was his soon-to-be stepbrother.

So, she stuck out her tongue to tease him, saying, "I don't want to tell you."

Edison scowled as he realized something, narrowing his eyes at her to ask, "You didn't go home last night, did you?" He said it upon noticing Melinda was wearing the same dress she had worn the day before.

Curious, he leaned out to ruffle her long, free hair to see if it confirmed his suspicion. Melinda, however, swatted his hand away angrily and refused to let him touch her.

"I will tell Jeff about it if you bully me again."

Melinda didn't know how close Edison was to Jeffery, but she suspected that he was terrified of him.

Assuming she was right, Melinda straightened her posture and felt more assured. Then, she lifted her chin confidently, not showing any signs of fear.

A mixture of anger and embarrassment filled Edison's chest as he talked to her. "Why are you acting like you're still a high school student? You've made it to college, but you're still a snitch."

Though ridiculed, Melinda ignored Edison and stopped talking. Uninterested in his remarks, she began paying close attention to the class and pretended he didn't exist. Edison was terrified of Jeffery, so he didn't dare to go too far.

At the end of class, just as Melinda left the room, Edison approached her and asked for her phone number. Melinda, however, paid no attention to him. Because of that, Edison felt a little embarrassed. So, he stood in the hall and blocked Melinda from passing.

His pupils constricted, and a menacing expression crossed his face. "Melinda, are you acting tough now, thinking Jeffery has your back? Well, he might be a big shot, but let me burst your bubbles for a sec. A man like him doesn't have time to deal with your concerns because he's so busy with everything else. So, be a good girl now and give me your number. Otherwise, I'll fuck you right now. I don't care if Jeff will come and teach me a lesson; it won't change the fact that I already slept with you."

"No!" Melinda reacted like a furious bunny. She sent him a piercing look and yelled, "You can't do that! I'm not going to get pregnant, and I'm not going to have a baby with you."

Melinda's response left Edison speechless. 'What baby? What pregnancy?' he thought to himself.

"Who said I was going to get you pregnant?"

Clearly, Edison was not in a friendly mood. Seeing her face redden, he threatened her even more harshly. "But if you don't give me your number, I'll get you pregnant now."

Edison solidly positioned his long, lean frame in front of her. Then, he clicked the Add Contact button on his phone and handed it to her.

He arched his eyebrows and threateningly said, "Quickly, give me your number."

Melinda huffed at his command, clearly defiant.

However, Edison drew forward and said, "You don't want to give me your number, but you are okay with starting a family? You've only recently started college, Melinda. It's probably not a good idea to show up to class with a bump, right? Well..."

"You're making no sense, so shut up! Stop threatening me!" Melinda viciously bit his arm.

Edison grimaced in apparent pain. As soon as he let go, Melinda bolted to the opposite end of the hall. She ran so fast that Edison was left speechless. Even though she was attractive, Edison realized how challenging she could be.

After successfully escaping Edison, Melinda left the school premise and headed home. Thanks to her enormous savings, she was no longer forced to ride the bus in a crowded aisle. She decided to take a taxi instead.

As soon as she arrived at her house, Melinda was a little taken aback to find her mother at home.

"Why did you stay at home today, mom? Don't you have anything to do?" she greeted her.

Melinda's mother, Serena Green, worked as a law company partner. In her spare time, she was either with her lover, John Sterling, or at work. She hardly ever came home, let alone cooked.

"I haven't been too busy recently, so I'm checking in on you."

Serena wore a simple dress made of cotton and linen. It appeared that she had just finished cooking, as she was still wearing her apron. There were already salad, lasagna, and mushroom soup on the table. So, it seemed like Serena took her time to prepare each one of them.

"Put your bag down and wash your hands. Join me for dinner, okay?" she told Melinda.

There was a striking resemblance between Melinda and Serena. However, Melinda was gentler and sweeter than her mother, who resembled a gardenia. Just like a peach, she was incredibly likable.

As Serena served Melinda the soup, she asked, "Your aunt told me that you didn't return home last night, Mindy. Where did you go, and why didn't you tell me?"

Melinda batted her eyelashes and rubbed her palm together as she said, "I went to my classmate's house."

"Which classmate?" her mom questioned. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Mom, it's a girl. You haven't met her yet," she continued, sipping her soup. "This mushroom soup is delicious. "I like it," she said, attempting to change the subject.

Serena, thankfully, had no idea anything was amiss. It was never a concern of hers that her daughter would act out of character because she was constantly aware of how well-behaved she was. Therefore, it didn't even cross her mind that her daughter would be out with a guy last night.

"Mindy, I know I haven't been home for quite a few days now, which might have been hard for you. You're not saying anything, and it's making me anxious. Are you upset with me?" Serena asked.

"Mom, I'm not a child anymore. I'm already in college. So, there's no need to worry about me; I can handle myself. And I can understand your situation, so you don't have to explain anything," Melinda replied, her tone serious.

However, she couldn't help but feel bad about lying to her mother. To shrug off the guilt, she handed Serena a salad bowl and said, "How have you been lately, Mom? How's work?"

"Wow, Mindy, you've matured a lot. Thank you for asking about me. Everything is well." Feeling both guilty and relieved, Serena ran her fingers through Melinda's hair.

Being a single parent certainly had its difficulties. Serena had to work hard and look after Melinda simultaneously. She was constantly worried about many issues, and as a result, she frequently made mistakes in the past. Like when she had to rush Melinda to the hospital when she was just five years old because her carelessness as a parent caused Melinda to suffer a high fever.

Serena felt like a terrible mother whenever the memory of that day came up. This was also one of the main reasons she had always wished to marry again. She believed that by giving Melinda a whole family, she could give her a safer and more secure home environment. However, instead of improving things, she and Melinda's time together shrank as time went on. Fortunately, Melinda had always been a reasonable and considerate child.

After supper, Serena thawed a watermelon from the freezer and sliced it in half. She carefully plated the food and carried it to the living room. Making most of the time her mother was home, they ate while watching the television.

Halfway through the movie, Serena suddenly turned to Melinda and randomly asked, "Mindy, do you like John?"

"Mom, I'll like him if you like him," Melinda replied as she picked up a watermelon.

Serena had already dated a wide variety of men. Despite Serena's repeated attempts to follow Melinda's relationship advice, she consistently ended herself in broken relationships. As time progressed, Melinda became accustomed to Serena's romantic relationships and subsequent breakups.

"Well, I'm thinking of marrying him," Serena broke the news to her.

Melinda had a spoon and was busy scraping the inside of the watermelon as Serena spoke. But after hearing her mother's words, she stopped what she was doing and looked up at Serena, who had been admiring the night sky from the window.

"A month from now, we'll be moving into his home," she announced.

Serena swiveled on her heel and stared at Melinda. Then, she continued softly, saying, "John has a son, and he's seven years older than you. I know you never grew accustomed to living with a man but worry less. Jeffery rarely stayed at their house, so we shouldn't stress about him. Treat him like a brother. I heard he's kind, but don't test his patience. Don't push the wrong button. He'll leave you alone if you let him alone."

Melinda thought for a bit, then nodded and said softly, "I'll be good."

She didn't tell Serena that Jeffery liked her and was nice to her. She knew that he certainly wouldn't harass her.

Serena continued chatting with Melinda until her phone rang, so she kissed her on the cheek and told her to finish the fruit. After that, Serena returned to her room and bid her good night.

After Melinda finished her watermelon, she went back to her room and sat on her bed for some time. She stared at her phone and wondered if she should contact Jeffery.

She missed him already.

At long last, after contemplating, she decided to send him a message. She patiently waited for him to reply. However, after long waiting, she started to feel irritated that he hadn't responded to her.

Slowly, her hand moved to the video call button on her screen. She hesitated again.

"1…2…3," she counted, then pressed the button.

Melinda's heart was racing as the connection prompt sounded. Even though she was about to hang up, something made her reconsider. Melinda waited for Jeffery to answer the phone as she sat on her bed.

The video call, however, went unanswered. Because of that, Melinda grimaced, but she still couldn't help contacting him. After three attempts, he finally answered the call.

"Jeff, why aren't you responding to my messages?" Melinda asked, holding the phone to her face.

Jeffery and Melinda both agreed they'd respond to each other's messages last night, so Melinda wondered why it took some time before Jeffery returned her messages and calls.

Jeffery adjusted his phone to level his face, and it appeared as though he had gone outside. The screen's dark background, however, made it difficult to discern where he was. But it was apparent that he wasn't at his home or workplace.

A few of the top buttons on his white shirt were undone, displaying tantalizing swaths of skin. The tops of his eyebrows were obscured by a few stray strands of hair that dropped from his short haircut. He looked introverted yet naughty and wild at the same time.

Jeffery squinted at her while leaning on the railing. He exuded an icy bad attitude as he spoke in a low tone. "Why are you looking for me? Do you miss me already?"