The Unwilling CEO’s Love Game

Chapter 170

“How about it? Do you like it?” Melvin asked with his voice remarkably steady.

Jocelyn gazed at the ring on her finger, feeling neither the rush of excitement nor the flutter of joy that she had expected.

She should have felt happy.

After all, this was something she had been waiting for, a token she had longed for.

And now, as he sipped the ring onto her finger himself, it was supposed to be a dream come true.

But the joy just wasn’t there.

“What are you doing?” Jocelyn looked up at him, utterly confused.

Melvin took a deep breath and caressed the diamond ring. “I’ve never given you a ring before. This is the first time.”

She looked down; the diamond was massive and sparkled brilliantly.

Yes, it was the first time he had given her a ring.

“This is how I feel.” Melvin said, holding her hand a little tighter with a trace of uncertainty in his eyes. “Do you accept?”

There was no proposal, just a man desperately trying to convey his attitude.

But somehow, it felt more significant than the traditional “will you marry me”.

Jocelyn had never imagined him getting down on one knee; it just didn’t seem like something he would do.

He probably was the only man in the world who could slip a ring on a woman’s finger with such urgency and a hint of dominance.

Jocelyn took a deep breath and met his gaze. “I accept.”

Melvin’s tense expression relaxed at her words.

After paying for the ring, they walked hand in hand into the bright sunshine outside. It was a beautiful day.

The diamond on her finger caught the light and dazzled.

Honestly, Jocelyn felt a sense of security with him.

But this ring was the icing on the cake. Things were looking up.

As they drove away, they didn’t notice the car parking across the street.

Inside the car, Willow watched them emerge from the jewelry store hand in hand. Her eyes were filled with envy and almost madness.

Her assistant understood the situation, dashed into the shop, and quickly returned to the car.

“They bought a diamond ring.” the assistant reported.

Willow clenched her fists. Her pretty eyes were swirling with hatred.

Melvin had bought Jocelyn a ring!

Were they really going to get married?

“Willow, let’s go. Kellan is waiting for you.” the assistant reminded her cautiously.

Willow’s social standing had taken a hit ever since she lost Melvin’s connection. She used to be fawned over and courted for her perceived future status, but now she had been publicly humiliated by Melvin and became a joke in her circle.

She had to regain her footing, climb higher, and show Melvin what he missed by abandoning her!

Also, despite her preference for his money and status, she couldn’t let go of Melvin’s good looks and physique. He was the man of her dreams. He had everything she wanted.

She just hadn’t expected that he had found another woman and she was left out in the cold when everything was supposed to go well as she expected.

No, even if she couldn’t have Melvin herself, she wouldn’t let Jocelyn have an easy time of it.

Melvin dropped Jocelyn off and then left for other business.

Jocelyn returned her home feeling a bit sheepish; the more she tried to hide, the more likely she was to be discovered.

“Wow, look at the size of that diamond!” Quinta was the first to notice, grabbing her hand in awe. “How many carats is that?”

Jocelyn bit her lip and was embarrassed. “I’m not sure, actually.”

“Definitely didn’t come cheap.” Quinta remarked, admiring the ring. “Did he just buy it?”

“Yeah.” Jocelyn admitted with a shy smile.

Quinta gave her a playful nudge. “He proposed?”

That was a tough one for Jocelyn to answer.

Sort of.

But strictly speaking, it didn’t exactly seem like a proposal.

“It doesn’t matter. The thing is, when a man gives a woman a ring, it means he wants to marry you.” Quinta said, hugging Jocelyn’s shoulder reassuringly and turning to the still stunned Calvin and Daisy, “Aunt, Uncle, you can rest easy now. That ring isn’t just for show. I bet we’ll be planning a wedding soon.”

Jocelyn blushed and looked down. The joys she had been suppressing now burst forth.

“It is wonderful news.” Aunt Mae agreed with a beaming smile. “Jocelyn getting married means we’re getting old.”

“Auntie, it’s not certain yet.” Jocelyn interjected, happy but not wanting to make a fuss before things were official.

The engagement wasn’t set in stone as Melvin hadn’t explicitly confirmed, and Melvin’s family hadn’t even met her parents yet.

Although there were no more parental arranged marriages, it was still important to know a little about his family background.

Seeing the ring on Jocelyn’s hand, her mom, Daisy, felt somewhat reassured about Melvin’s previous non-committal attitude.

“There’s no rush. We’ve got to meet his parents before moving forward with wedding plans.” Daisy said rationally. “We can’t just think about marriage without even having met his family. Our Jocelyn never lack better choices.”

“Yes, yes. There’s a proper process and etiquette that must be observed.” Aunt Mae concurred. “We need to meet his parents and see what they’re like. You can tell a lot about a person by meeting their parents.”

Jocelyn thought for a moment before adding, “His mother… she’s no longer with us.”

Silence fell upon the room at her words.

“Gone? Was it an illness or an accident?” her aunt asked casually.

Jocelyn shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“How can you not know anything?” Daisy frowned. “What kind of relationship have you had these past years?”

Jocelyn’s head hung in the face of the interrogation.

Aunt Mae quickly interjected, “I shouldn’t say this, but no mother-in-law isn’t always a bad thing. There are always conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Without a mother-in-law, there’s less trouble.”

“Mom, you can’t say that outside.” Quinta warned her mother. “Sure, there are many conflicts, but remember, the mother-in-law is the mother of the person you love. That could really hurt someone’s feelings if they heard you say that.”

Aunt Mae knew her words were improper, but she was too stubborn to back down. “I’m just telling it like it is. Sure, it’s not nice to hear, but it’s the truth. If you luck out with an easy-going mother-in-law, fine.

But if you get one like yours, tell me, how can you live a peaceful life?”

Quinta frowned, clearly not wanting to continue this line of conversation. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Let’s drop it. If marriage is on the cards, we need to get the full picture of the family first. Don’t just jump into it without knowing where you stand.” Daisy looked sympathetically at Jocelyn.

Her thoughts inevitably drifted back to Harrison.

After all, Harrison’s talents, family background, upbringing, and personality all pointed to a very happy household.

The happiness of a well-adjusted family does rub off on the children. At the very least, things like temperament and disposition would probably not be too far off the mark, given the environment they’re raised in.

“Didn’t they say he started his own company at a young age? Must come from good stock. Even with his mom passed away, that doesn’t change things.” Aunt Mae tried to reassure Jocelyn. “Your parents just want the best for you. Maybe it’s time to bring it up with him. You two have been together for a while now, and honestly, you’re at the age where marriage is the next step. Better to get things settled sooner rather than later, just to put your parents’ minds at ease.”

Any joy that Melvin had brought Jocelyn was gone after this heavy conversation.

She nodded with her spirits dampened, “Yeah, I’ll think about it.”