When Love Becomes a Cage by Nora

Chapter 106

Chapter 106



The pause on the other end of the line was palpable, and then, his tone lightened, almost as if he was smiling through the phone. "It's been ages, Melanie. I've been doing quite well. What's new with you?"

"I'm doing good, Uncle Talbot. Um, I just landed a bridge project. Interested?" I was at a loss for words. It felt like the last time I saw Talbot, I was just a kid.

Our families weren't what you'd call close, especially after Grandpa passed, pretty much severing what little connection there was.

My parents are peaceful, so I never truly knew what happened between them. I only knew Mom kept telling me to steer clear of Talbot and his family and keep my distance.

After Grandpa died, they gained most of his estate and the family business. Dad's not one to fight over money with his flesh and blood, so there must be more to the story. But they never told me.

The Crawford Group my dad built from scratch was a testament to his hard work. But being in the same industry, the Patterson Group and the Talbots always had some dealings, and with them taking over Dad's company, the dynamics within the Crawford family had changed.

Talbot smiled. "I heard about the bridge project. Congrats. But you know how tricky these inter-state collaborations can be."

I could tell he was intrigued but trying not to come off too eager. After all, me calling him out of the blue did have a whiff of suspicion about it.

I cleared my throat. "Uncle Talbot, I'm scouting for the right partners, gathering info from various sources."

"Heard you might be splitting

about my personal life, far away in Ironvale, caught me

the Patterson family

was right. Without someone in my corner, divorcing Clyde

didn't confirm or deny but steered the conversation back to

"Your proposal isn't bad, Melanie. But I need to think it over. And if you split

probing, and I didn't hide the truth. "I might be divorcing, so I'm looking out for myself. About the collaboration, working with you makes

flawless, but Talbot was

Crawford family's company had been thriving under his leadership in Ironvale, becoming a leading enterprise in recent years. With Dad's former team by his side, it was no surprise Talbot found success almost immediately, turning profits

while pondering the diary entries mentioning Talbot's odd

out on

"How can you live without furniture? They deliver and set it all up. Don't worry about the cost. Your best friend's got

on a roll, making a name for herself within

made me genuinely happy for her. Maybe, with me gone, she'd make it as a

picked out a sofa and wardrobe, Clyde stormed in, furious. “Taking it easy

argued, “Mr. Patterson, can't

Clyde fixed his gaze on me. "Buying furniture? You're

blazed with anger as

can we not do this? I've said it before. We're not getting a divorce. The online stuff will blow over. The