<h4>Chapter 223: Money Keeps Rolling</h4>


    Brian grunted as he reached his climax, releasing himself inside Melba. Panting, he copsed on top of her, their bodies intertwined.


    Melba pushed him off and sat up, reaching for a cigarette on the side table. Brian shifted and began kissing her shoulder, his hands roaming over her skin. "I can’t get enough of you, Melba. It feels incredible to be inside you," he whispered, his voice thick with desire.


    He took the cigarette from her fingers and extinguished it in the ashtray, focusing on her. "You told her you love her right in front of me," Melba annoyingly remarked.


    Brian smirked, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Of course. She’s my girlfriend, after all, long before I met you at the Gentleman’s Club. But remember, I’ll keep you by my side and support you, especially once I’m part of the Lancaster family. Just follow my lead, and I’ll help make all your dreamse true."


    Melba opened her legs wider, grinding her hips against him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Alright then, your wish is mymand..."


    Brian loved the freedom he had with Melba. She was open-minded and easygoing, understanding the kind of rtionship they shared without anyints. He had met her ten months ago when a friend introduced him to the Gentleman’s Club. That night marked the beginning of their secret affair.


    Well, not entirely a secret. Most of his close friends and even a few rtives knew about Melba. The only person who didn’t know was Alyssa, his girlfriend of nearly a year.


    Alyssa, the woman of his dreams, had been a challenge to win over, and he had put in everything to finally make her his. But there was a catch... Alyssa was reserved and conservative. Even after almost a year together, she hadn’t allowed him to go beyond holding her hand or a few brief embraces. Not even a kiss.


    Melba, on the other hand, was his release, the fire extinguisher for the burning frustration he felt around Alyssa.


    Just a month into his official rtionship with Alyssa, he found himself turning to Melba for the satisfaction he couldn’t get from his girlfriend. He justified it to himself, thinking it wasn’t really his fault. How could anyone me him when Alyssa refused to fulfill his desires?


    Briany on the bed, still catching his breath after another release. He felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him, but Melba’s question cut through the haze of lust. She had propped herself up on her elbow, her eyes glinting as she traced patterns on his chest with her fingers.


    "So, the n is to marry Alyssa, impregnate her, and keep seeing me on the side?" she repeated.


    "Yes," he replied absentmindedly, too caught up in the aftermath to notice the shift in her tone. He missed the way her expression darkened, her gaze sharpening as she continued to watch him.


    After a moment of silence, Melba spoke again, this time more deliberately. "Don’t you ever think about getting serious with me?" she asked, her tone yful yet pointed. "Why not divorce Alyssa after you’ve taken a chunk of her property? We could live together. I mean, she’s boring, isn’t she? You’ve told me yourself how reserved and conservative she is. I’m sure she won’t ever satisfy you the way I do."


    Brian frowned slightly, her words tugging at the edges of his thoughts. He hadn’t really considered a life beyond using Melba for what he couldn’t get from Alyssa. Alyssa had her own appeal, the pristine image of the perfect wife... wealthy, beautiful, with the prestigious Lancaster name attached.


    He smirkedzily and shook his head. "It’s not that simple, Melba. I have ns for Alyssa. Besides, you know I like what we have going on here." He closed his eyes, unaware of how her yful facade slipped.


    Melba didn’t respond immediately, instead silently weighing his words, calcting her next move.


    After spending a few hours at Brian’s apartment, Melba finally left, reminding herself that she had a shift to get to. She was now working as a hotel staff member at the Meta City Hotel. It was a respectable job, but it didn’t pay nearly as much as what she used to make at The Gentleman’s Club. Unfortunately, the club had shut down recently, leaving her no choice but to settle for the hotel job.


    As Melba sat in the back of the cab, she pulled a small calling card from her purse, her fingers brushing over the name printed on it. She had been holding onto this card for a while, unsure whether to follow through. But after Brian’s casual dismissal of her future, she was ready to y a different game.


    She dialed the number.


    "It’s me," she said into the phone, her voice low and serious. "I’ve decided. I’ll ept your proposal and do whatever it is you want. Send the money to my ount as promised..."


    There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before a voice responded, calm and calcted. "Good. You’ll have the funds shortly. You made the right decision, Miss Melba."


    Melba didn’t know exactly what this man’s connection to Alyssa was, but she wasn’t naive. It was clear he wanted to break Alyssa and Brian apart, and she was just the tool he needed. The fact that he reached out to her and offered a lump sum of money made his intentions obvious.


    ’Well, whatever his game is,’ she thought with a smirk, ’I’m notining. I’ll y along as long as the money keeps rolling in.’


    Melba ended the call, leaning back in her seat with a cold smile. If Brian thought he could use her and discard her whenever it suited him, he was in for a rude awakening.


    "That bastard," Melba muttered under her breath, ring out the cab window as the city lights blurred past. "Did he really think I would just let him use my body like this?" Brian might have been charming and fun, but she wasn’t some toy he could discard after using her.