Raymond squinted at her, a barely noticeable smile appearing on his face.
He had clearly felt her body responding to him earlier; she had felt something.
This gave him a strange sense of satisfaction and joy.
"Is there a guest room? I want to sleep a bit more," Melinda tried to calm her emotions and change the subject.
"Go to my room," Raymond said, leaving no room for argument.
"I don't want to sleep in your bed," Melinda frowned in disgust.
Raymond was being unreasonably domineering!
Raymond found it amusing.
Melinda sure had a lot of demands! He pointed towards the third floor and said, "There are guest rooms on the third floor, pick one yourself." With that, he turned and left the living room.
Leaving Melinda standing there in a daze.
She grabbed her bag and phone and hurried up to the third floor to choose a room.
Lying on the bed, her mind was filled with the events that had just happened and Raymond's handsome face.
In the morning, Melinda's alarm went off at 7:30 sharp.
She groggily rubbed her sleepy eyes, struggled to get out of the warm bed, quickly freshened up, grabbed her bag, and hurried downstairs.
She didn't want to trouble Raymond any further, so she decided to leave on her own.
However, when she walked out the door, the sight before her left her stunned.
It seemed like it would be hard to get a cab in such a remote place.
Just as she resolved to walk down the mountain, the iron gate behind her slowly opened, and a Rolls-Royce drove out. Melinda turned around in surprise; when did he get up?
The car window slowly rolled down, revealing Raymond's deep gaze.
He spoke calmly, "Get in."
A strange stubbornness rose in Melinda's heart; she didn't want to obediently get in.
But thinking about the winding mountain road ahead, she gritted her teeth and opened the car door to get in.
Raymond's car accelerated down the mountain, making Melinda's heart race. Could he even drive properly?
She clutched the handle tightly, afraid she might be thrown out.
The car sped through the mountain roads, and Melinda quickly spoke up, "Mr. Thomas, can you slow down?"
However, Raymond showed no intention of slowing down and continued to speed forward.
Melinda was startled; was he trying to reenact a high-speed chase?
It wasn't until the car stopped at the entrance of her apartment complex that she realized.
He was taking her home.
She opened the door and got out, politely thanking him, "Mr. Thomas, thank you." Then she turned and walked towards the entrance of the complex.
As she reached her front door, she saw Asher holding Sam's hand, walking out. Sam, dressed in his school uniform, looked at her with delight, "Mommy, you're back!"
Asher, seeing her tired appearance, said with concern, "You should rest at home. I'll take Sam to school."
"Okay, thank you," Melinda gratefully nodded and gently patted Sam's head.
"Mommy, I've been very good," Sam nodded vigorously, then held Asher's hand and skipped towards the elevator.
Watching Sam's figure gradually disappear, a warm feeling surged in Melinda's heart.
She turned and walked into her home, all her fatigue instantly dissipating.
She lay on the couch to catch up on sleep and sent a message to Delilah asking for half a day off.
At 2 PM, she appeared in the lab on time.
Melinda's phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence.
She glanced at the screen; it was a call from Larry.
She quickly answered, her tone respectful, "Hello, Mr. Thomas."
"Melinda, am I disturbing you at work by calling at this time?"
Larry's gentle voice came through the receiver.
"No," Melinda replied softly, trying to keep her voice calm.
"You still have to take care of Sam, don't overwork yourself."
Larry seemed to sense a hint of tension in her voice and chuckled softly.
"Is there something you need?"
Larry got straight to the point, "Do you have time this weekend? I'd like to invite you to a dinner party."
Melinda was taken aback. Invite her to a dinner party? She instinctively wanted to refuse, but the words got stuck in her throat.
After all, it was Larry's invitation; how could she refuse?
"Melinda, I want to introduce you to some people. These are influential people in the circle, and it could greatly benefit your future development," Larry's deep gaze seemed to have already guessed her hesitation.
He paused slightly, his tone firm and leaving no room for doubt, "I know you might have some concerns, but this is a rare opportunity. If you miss it, it won't come again."
Although she didn't like such occasions, she knew it was a rare opportunity.
So she gritted her teeth and agreed, "Okay, Mr. Thomas, I'll attend."
"Melinda, I knew you would agree," Larry's face showed a hint of satisfaction.
"Thank you for the invitation."
After hanging up, Melinda let out a long sigh of relief.
She knew what this decision meant.
Meanwhile, Raymond was reviewing some documents.
His phone suddenly rang; it was a call from Larry.
He picked up the phone, looked at the caller ID, took a deep breath, and answered, "Grandpa." His voice carried a hint of subtle confusion.
"Raymond, I had someone send an invitation card for the dinner party. You need to give it to Melinda," Larry's voice came through, firm and leaving no room for argument.
Raymond raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his eyes, "You invited her?"
"Yes, and she agreed to attend. Raymond, I'm creating an opportunity for you! This time, I didn't invite Emily," Larry laughed heartily.
Hearing this, a barely noticeable smile appeared on Raymond's lips.
He knew Larry had always cared about Melinda.
Since Larry was so thoughtful, he couldn't let him down.
So he responded, "Okay, I understand." and hung up the phone.
Not long after, the Thomas Villa sent over the invitation card.
Raymond held the invitation card, pondered for a moment, then dialed Melinda's number, "Hello!"
Melinda recognized the voice immediately; it was Raymond.
Her voice turned cold, "What do you want?"
"My grandpa sent over an invitation card," Raymond paused, "Come to my office to get it." His tone was firm and left no room for argument.
Melinda was curious; Larry had just called, but why was the invitation card sent to Raymond?
So she coldly replied, "Have Stuart bring it over!"