51 Call (2)

Silence once again.

It seems like both parties decided to wait for the other person to respond. It didn't take long before William said something.

"Melissa, you know that I have never once played with your feelings. Since the beginning, I've told you and everyone else that I do not mind making friends but I'm not interested in having an intimate relationship."

Melissa remained quiet on the line, you can hear the sound of her breathing. However, it was unknown if she was thinking or even listening.

Melissa heard from his father about the research that William's father needed. Although she did not know for what reason it was, she deemed it was important since William took the time to call her and wanted to talk. Although she had strong feelings for William, it does not mean that she was willing to part with the research that they are doing and forgive him for choosing Mia over her.

She was close to giving in when she heard William use such a gentle voice to placate her raging emotions. But, no matter how William tries to pacify her emotions, she could never have him. If only she would be contented with having him as a friend. But that was impossible now.

Background? Wealth? Prominence?

She had everything.

Beauty and brains.

What was there to not like?

Melissa gritted her teeth once she had these thoughts, she was far better suited for William compared to that plain looking woman. Melissa did not know what Mia had that she did not have. She was wracking her brain over the last couple of days. At last, she could not take it anymore and hired someone to gather information about Mia. It was easy to find out everything if you had money and resources.

It was then, she found out that they were childhood friends. However, they were not together for long as William had to move abroad. This baffled her to no end, although she could get information on people, some events were buried in the memories of the people involved. This was something that no amount of money that she could get a hold of.

This was also when Melissa finally found out that William's mother is in a hospital suffering from the same symptoms in their research. By putting the two together, everything started to fall into place. This means she had the upper hand in this situation. He needed something from her, and it was for her to decide if she was going to give in. It finally dawned upon her that she still had a chance, no matter what other people say, the two are not yet together.

From the information she had gathered, she found out that it was only William who had romantic feelings for Mia. She also had someone follow Mia and found out that she has started working in a pet store at their local shopping district. If she nips it on the bud, then she would be able to take William for herself. Melissa was finally able to calm her raging emotions once she gathered herself and pieced everything together.

Melissa finally decided to talk, "I'm not the same love-struck fool that used to follow every whim and wish that you have. If there is nothing with an equal value that you are going to trade for our research, then forget about getting a deal out of this conversation," Melissa said dismissively and ended the call. Melissa knew that this is the start of their negotiation, she knew that this is her chance to get to William.

William was thinking of what Melissa said, she was right on saying that he had nothing to offer her while he was asking for something. However, it meant that it was open for discussion which gave William a bit of hope. It was true that his request seemed illogical as there was nothing Melissa's family will benefit from. However, he would rather deal with Melissa in a business-like manner than to ask her purely due to their friendship.

With added vigor, William was thinking of a way to present an equal transaction regarding the research. He could hand over shares from their company but he had to talk with his father or sister before finalizing anything at the moment. For the meantime, he decided to think things through before going ahead with his decision.

Before William slept, he messaged Mia and bid her goodnight.

Original novel by Chuchuwachuwa