Chapter 103

Arthur didn't walk very far into the room before he heard the door close. He stood rooted to the spot with his back to her, listening intensely.

The motel room was pretty small, with a bed in the middle and a lamp on a stool beside it. There was no table or chair, just a rickety old television that stood on a wooden console that had seen better days.

A slight, moldy smell tainted the air, and faded discolorations marred the white sheets.

Arthur forced himself to turn and look at her, distracting himself with the interior of the room only delayed the inevitable.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" He said as he slowly turned around.

His frown lines deepened. That wasn't what he was going to say. They hadn't seen each other in over a decade; their reunion should be something more intense.

But no way was that going to happen. As happy as he was that he could see her again, it didn't erase the betrayal—it amplified it. He was reminded again that she was never supposed to run away without him.

"I am sorry," she cried as she rushed towards him, keeping a careful distance between them.

"Sorry," he laughed. "You ran away with the money but not just that, you left me."

"I know but-but I would never do that. You should have understood that something went horribly wrong."

"Really? Melissa."

He folded his arms to keep from doing something he would regret. She had called him here; he was willing to hear her out.

"Yes, I promise, Arthur. Listen to me." She took one step closer, watching him carefully, trying to gauge his emotions.

"I am listening."

"I wanted to go ahead first so it wouldn't look suspicious to Oliver. If we both left at the same time, he would have known."

"Really? You expect me to believe this?"

"I promise," she took another step closer.

"Then why did I never hear from you again? After everything I did." He tightly gripped his arms.

She stopped and looked to her feet. "There was an incident," she sniffed.

Arthur frowned slightly. "What incident?"

"For a while, I was convinced you were behind it. I mean, there was no way they could have known where I was."

"What do you mean? Behind what?" His arms fell to his sides.

Melissa sighed and covered her face with her palm. "I really thought you betrayed me.”

“What are you talking about? I would never do that.”

“I know that now but it didn’t make any sense to me at the time when it happened. No one else but you knew.”

“Knew what?”

“I was robbed, Arthur.” She pulled her hands from her face and tears streamed down. “The money was stolen."

"What?!"

"Yes, I have lived the past ten years like a riffraff, struggling to make ends meet. I couldn't stay in Reef City; Oliver was looking for me. I couldn't come to you; you sold me out."

"What are you talking about? I would never."

"I know that now," she replied and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Who robbed you?"

"I don't know. They were masked," she sniffed.

"They took all the money?"

"All of it. I had to scrape by doing odd jobs for so long."

She closed the gap again, this time there was only a foot of space between them. Melissa let out her scent as she stood in front of him.

She had known Arthur was stupid but she didn't expect him to see her, let alone believe her outrageous lie.

She was never robbed and she had no plans to share the money with a sleazy man like him. She had spent the last ten years living her best life, moving from place to place, spending lavishly.

She didn't stay too long in one place but she never stayed away from Reef City. With the right disguise and expensive perfume, she could slip away without anyone recognizing her.

"Why did you believe it wasn't me anymore?"

"You're still working at the Black mansion. It was enough money to build a mansion of your own and with your brilliant mind, you would have made enough wealth to surpass the Mafia Kings."

Melissa nearly bit her tongue as she said the last sentence but she had to do this. She had to enchant him with her words and body so he didn't see the cracks in her story.

She didn't care for him; all she cared about was the information she got. The Mafia King had taken in her daughter as his mate.

Melissa could hardly believe her ears. Her money had badly dwindled over the years. She only had a few thousand left. That wasn’t nearly enough.

She was at her wit's end when she heard this delectable news and who better to call than Arthur. She didn't dare call Layla; she was sure Oliver had told her.

She hated having a daughter. She hated Oliver for lying to her about how rich he was. For ten years, she had to be the obedient mate, settling for scraps until his business idea.

Incorporating Arthur was easy; she knew he always had a thing for her. She had convinced him to betray his friend and right now she would convince him to help once again.

He blushed at the statement and Melissa closed in. "I have missed you so much," she smiled through her tears and leaned in to kiss him.