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."

was neutral. "Heard you might be splitting with

my personal life, far away in Ironvale,

the Patterson family is giving you a hard

like he was positioning himself as my fallback. And he was right. Without

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

think it over. And if you split

tone was 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 more sense

was flawless, but Talbot was cautious, stating he'd consider

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 as soon as he took over. Still, he seemed wary of

while pondering the

dragged me out on

for furniture the following day. "How can you live without furniture? They deliver and set it all up. Don't worry about the cost. Your

making a name for herself within

deals made me genuinely happy for her. Maybe, with me gone,

just as we picked out a sofa and wardrobe, Clyde stormed in, furious. “Taking it easy during work hours,

“Mr. Patterson, can't we

his gaze on me. "Buying furniture? You're planning to

blazed with anger

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