Ch 315 - Stalking Alex

Within a few days, Melissa and Debbie were acting like close friends, and that led to Melissa getting along better with Alex too.

But Melissa could tell that Alex was still wary of her, and she knew she needed to do more to gain his trust.

When Alex asked Tony for time off to visit Don in the hospital, Melissa followed him. Once Alex had left Tony's office, Melissa slipped inside.

"What are you doing here?" Tony asked, looking Melissa up and down.

"Keep your eyes where they belong," Melissa said, scowling at him. "I'm Chris Steadman's girlfriend." She turned on her phone and showed Tony a picture of her and Chris together.

"I'm sorry!" Tony quickly apologized. He knew the Steadman family were powerful, and he couldn't afford to offend them.

"What did that security guard want?" Melissa asked.

"He asked for time off to visit a colleague named Don at the hospital," Tony said. He paused for a moment and then added, "Miss, you should know that your boyfriend was the one who put Don in the hospital."

Melissa walked out of the office and called Chris to ask him about Don. Chris told her that Don had been disrespectful, so he had sent someone to make an example of him.

Melissa ended the call and took a taxi to Baltimore General.

Alex bought a few things at the hospital gift shop, and then he went to Don's ward and walked inside. "Hi, Don," he said.

He stepped inside, and then he ground to a halt, surprised to see Melissa sitting beside Don's bed.

"Why are you here?" Alex asked curiously.

"Oh, I heard that one of the security guards who worked with you was injured," Melissa said, standing up. "So I came to see him. I didn't know you would be here."

"Alex, thank you for coming," Don said. "This is Melissa. She brought me some fruit, and she's been sitting here talking to me. She's been so helpful!" He beamed at her.

Don had been single for quite a while, so he was thrilled to have such a beautiful young woman visiting him.

"Alex, did you want to talk to Don?" Melissa asked, picking up her bag and preparing to leave. "I'll go and give you some privacy."

"No, that's fine. I just came to see how Don is doing," Alex said, holding out a hand to prevent her from leaving. He was impressed by how nice she was being to Don.

"Do you two know each other?" Don asked, looking between them.

"Yes, we're friends," Alex said.

Melissa nodded. "And his girlfriend, Debbie, is also my friend," she said, thrilled that Alex had admitted they were friends. That had to be a good sign.

"What?" Don asked. "You have a girlfriend?" He was happy for Alex, although he was a little confused. He had spotted the ring on Alex's finger and assumed he was married. But Alex had never mentioned anything about a wife in particular, let alone a girlfriend.

Alex just smiled. I'm married to Debbie, he thought, but the Cliftons won't let me tell anyone.

Alex and Melissa chatted with Don for a while, and then they walked out of the hospital together and took a taxi to the university. Along the way, they talked and laughed, and Alex was getting along well with Melissa.

Once they arrived at the university and went their separate ways, Melissa called Chris and told him the good news. Chris was very happy to hear things were going well, and he asked her to meet at him at the Hilton Hotel later.

**

That evening, Melissa went to the Hilton Hotel to meet Chris, who had arranged a candlelit dinner. Melissa had never had such a romantic meal before, and she felt like a princess.

"Alex already regards me as a friend, and he's no longer suspicious of me," she said. "What do I do next?" She looked over at Chris, excited by the thought that she would soon be marrying such a perfect man.

"Melissa, you've done so well!" Chris said. He took a small brown glass bottle from his pocket. "This is a special poison, and it's highly lethal. When you find a chance, slip it to Alex!"

Under the candlelight, the shadows played over his face, making him appear almost sinister.

"Oh." Melissa was so startled that she dropped her fork on the table. She hadn't expected Chris to ask her to kill Alex!

Although she liked to bully people, she wasn't a killer. "Chris, I can't," she said, trembling at the mere idea of committing murder.

"Don't you want to be with me?" Chis asked. "Alex cost our family so much money. If he doesn't die, then this will never be over."

He took her hand and used his most persuasive voice. "As long as Alex is alive, my father won't allow me to marry you. Are you really refusing to help me? I love you so much, and I've already chosen a ring for you. I have the perfect place in mind for our honeymoon. But we have to deal with Alex first before we can have any of that."

Melissa was shaken. She was afraid to kill anyone, but she had already done so much for Chris, and she desperately wanted to marry him.

"I'll do it," she said, taking the bottle of poison from him.

"Thank you, baby," he said, kissing her. "I knew you would help me!"

"But Chris, if I poison Alex, I'll be arrested," she said. "I don't want to go to jail."

"Don't worry, my father is a big deal in political circles," he assured her. "We'll take care of you. Besides, although the poison is deadly, it's been diluted, so it won't kill him for several days after you administer it. Nobody will know it was you."

"Well… okay," Melissa said, nodding as she looked at the small bottle in her hand. "But if I'm going to do such a terrible thing for you, then you must make sure I don't suffer for it."

She stood up and leaned into his arms, and then they went to the second floor.