Betrayed By Husband, Stolen By Brother In Law-Chapter 299: What Happened?

"What happened to Melanie?"

Adam nearly toppled off his chair at the unexpected question. He turned sharply to his friend, a scowl spreading across his face."What do you mean? Did something happen? Was there a phone call I missed?"

Panic flickered in his eyes as he reached for his phone, already unlocking the screen, ready to dial.

Max raised a hand and shook his head.

"Calm down, Adam Collins. Stop panicking. I only asked because you’ve been sitting here with that long face for the past fifteen minutes. You’ve barely said a word. And honestly, the only time you look this tense is when something’s wrong with Melanie. That’s why I asked."

Adam exhaled slowly, glared at his friend, and slumped back into his chair with a tired sigh," Actually nothing happened...Its just that..."

Adam sighed and shook his head.

And then, he sighed again, running a hand through his hair, then looked up at Max. "Melanie’s hiding something from me. And I’m not sure if I should ask her about it."

Max raised his brows and leaned forward slightly at that slightly juicy piece of information, "Hiding something? Like what?" But then, without waiting for an answer from Adam, with a half-grin and a pointed look, he added, "Wait-are you saying you think she’s cheating on you? Is that what this is about? Are you worried she’s handing you a green hat? Ohh! That would be so awesome..."

Adam blinked, clearly caught off guard by the happiness in his friend’s voice at the thought of his misfortune and sent him a sharp glare. "Would you like me to help you open an overseas branch of StormEdge? Somewhere remote-preferably where there’s no signal, and the market’s so brutal that even your charm won’t get you through the door?"

Max snorted and dropped back into his chair with an exaggerated sigh. "As if you could afford to part with me if that were the case. Come on, you’d need me more than ever if that happened. Like, where would you go without my advice, my friend. Come on. Come to daddy and spill the beans."

The words earned Max a lethal look from Max that had him chuckling as he asked," Okay okay. Just tell me. No need to take your frustration out on me? Who is the scumbag that seduced your Melanie? I’ll go look for a nice burial spot for him."

Adam shook his head, biting back a reluctant smile at that, "Shut up! This isn’t about her cheating, okay? I mean, we’re a perfect match. There’s no logical reason for her to look elsewhere. She knows it. I know it. So that’s not it."

He paused and then his voice dropped as he continued, "It’s about her childhood. I’ve come across a few things recently that make me unsure if she’s hiding something. Something big. Or if she herself is unaware of it. And that makes this entire problem more confusing. I just don’t know if I should bring it up or wait for her to tell me in her own time. That’s what’s been bothering me."

Max scoffed, folding his arms across his chest with a theatrical shake of his head."Thoughts? Since when did you start having thoughts like that? Please. Let’s rewind for a moment. Who was the one who ruthlessly swapped someone’s marriage certificate so she wouldn’t be legally married? Who tracked down her so-called husband’s dirty little affairs and sent her the proof, consequences of her hurting be damned?" He leaned in, voice dripping with mock accusation. "That was you. Adam Collins. Let’s not forget-you were also the one who casually made plans to kidnap her if it came to that. So, why all thinking now?

Adam groaned, slumping deeper into his seat as he rubbed his temples. "That was different, Max. Don’t twist it. Back then, I didn’t care much for her. Not the way I do now. She was more of a means to an end."

Max shook his head,"Yeah yeah. Keep telling yourself that lie. You didn’t care for her! Ha. Anyway, as it happens, I do have a couple of ideas to help you."

That caught Adam’s attention and he turned to look at Max," You do?"

"Ha! Just because you are the Chairman of Stormedge, don’t forget I am the CEO too. I am not totally without brains you know? Just for this, I should not give you advise. But since you are my good friend, listen. Your wife has a childhood friend, in case you remember." Max pointed out as Adam frowned at the mention.

Of course Adam knew about Laela but as far as Adam was concerned, the only woman to exist on this planet was probably Melanie. So, Max thought it prudent to point that out, as he continued," Laela probably knows about Melanie’s childhood or should have some clue since girls like to talk. So, you can ask her."

Max looked at Adam carefully and the look of reluctance on his face almost had him chuckling as he said," Your next option is not thinking too much and just talking to Melanie about it. The two of you are strong because of your strong communication. Now is not the time to break that off, just because you are worried about hurting her feelings. I mean, even if she gets angry and tries to raise any walls, you know her enough to smash through them. So, what are you worried about?"

Max looked at Adam who had straightened up suddenly and grinned," You are right. Just for this suggestion, I will reward you handsomely. I’m going to assign you the SouthEast Expansion Initiative. Congratulations, Max. You’re now the lead on Project Inspire."

Max’s triumphant grin froze and he stared at Adam incredulously. "You’re joking, right?"

Adam leaned back with a satisfied smirk. "Nope. It’s all yours. The market research alone should take a month. Then you’ll need to build local partnerships, oversee legal compliance, negotiate vendor contracts-oh, and don’t forget the quarterly pitch to the board. I’m sure you’ll manage. You’re not totally without brains, remember?"

Max let out a groan and threw his head back against the chair dramatically. "This is not fair! I give one solid piece of friendly advice and you bury me alive in paperwork and endless travel. You bas*ard! You are ruining my social life! If I end up remaining a bachelor, I will come and live with you and Melanie in my old age!"

With that, he stood up and walked away, already anticipating the new project.

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