?Chapter 1410:


    Melvin’s hands clenched, his mind reeling. He had no words.


    “Young people, they y around,” Rnd added, shrugging. “It is normal.”


    Melvin’s voice grew sharper. “Jessica will spend her life with him, not just a fleeting moment. Are you truly fine with this?”


    Rnd nced at Lena, then met Melvin’s gaze with unwavering resolve. “We are fine with it.”


    Doubt gnawed at Melvin’s heart. Had he made a grave mistake ining here? His certainty wavered, the weight of his choice pressing down on him.


    For reasons Jessica could never quite pin down, her parents held a curious fondness for Jack.


    Rnd straightened in his armchair, his gaze locking onto Melvin with a weight that demanded attention. “Mr. Swain,” he said, his tone formal yet edged with concern, “you have already declined my daughter’s hand. I trust you will not stir her emotions again. Jessica is tender-hearted—one visit from you, and she will start dreaming of what might have been.”


    “I understand,” Melvin murmured, his voice a low rumble, barely concealing the storm beneath.


    A momentter, he rose from the chair, signaling his intent to depart.


    Before crossing the threshold, he paused, turning his head just enough to meet Rnd’s eyes. “Please reconsider. Marriage is not a trifling matter.”


    Rnd leaned forward, his brow furrowing as curiosity wrestled with restraint. “May I ask—what precisely is this personal reason you spoke of?”


    Melvin froze mid-step, his silhouette framed against the fading light of the doorway.


    Silence hung between them, thick and unyielding.


    When no reply came, Rnd pressed further, his tone softening but no less urgent. “If that question is too much, then tell me this—do you care for Jessica?”


    “She is a good person,” Melvin said atst, the words careful, a shield against the truth wing at his chest.


    With that, he turned and stepped into the evening, leaving the room emptier than before.


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    Ten minutester, Jessica crept through the front door, her footsteps light as a thief’s, her eyes darting to every corner as if expecting an ambush.


    “What are you skulking about for?” Rnd’s voice cut through the quiet, sharp with exasperation. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, as Jessica froze in the doorway. “He is already gone.”


    Relief washed over her, loosening her shoulders. Jessica sauntered into the room with newfound ease, flopping onto the sofa, her limbs sprawling as if the cushions could erase the tension of the day.


    Rnd and Lena fixed their eyes on her, their stares a blend of curiosity and reproach.


    “Why are you gawking at me like that?” Jessica asked, shiftingzily to prop her head on one hand.


    Rnd’s lips pursed, his fingers drumming on the armrest. “If Melvin had not spilled the truth, we would never have known you were nning to marry.” His voice carried a mock huff, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of hurt. “You have some nerve, hiding something this monumental from us.”


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