Chapter 493

Chapter 493

Mason did not miss the Intense resentment in Viola’s eyes.

However, he did not show it on his face at all. Instead, he pretended not to notice and asked her concernedly, “Why do you suddenly look so pale?”

He put his hand on Viola’s forehead. “Are you running a fever again?”

With the sudden close contact, the scent of his warm cologne instantly enveloped Viola.

Stunned, she looked at Mason and shook her head, pretending to be strong. “I’m fine.”

Mason looked utterly heartbroken on her behalf. He pulled Viola into his arms very naturally and comforted her gently. “Silly girl, what’s gotten you so upset? You know you can just tell me.”

Viola’s grip on the phone slowly tightened. The unfamiliar masculine scent brought her back to her senses.

Instinctively, she tried to push Mason away, but he held her tight.

After struggling for a moment, Viola simply nestled in Mason’s arms and sobbed softly.

Melanie went straight back to the villa after leaving LeapCo.

Only Yvonne was left in the villa. Everyone else had gone to the construction site.

Even though it was raining, they still had to rush to work.

Melanie greeted Yvonne and turned to head back to her study. She needed to get some work done. After all, Carla had given her some new requests last night.

Yvonne was sitting on the sofa playing a game. When Melanie came back, she looked up and asked, “Did you stay at a hotel last night?”

Melanie paused, her heart suddenly skipping a beat. “What was that?”

“Xander said you had to stay at the hotel last night because of the heavy rain. I wanted to talk to you, but I couldn’t find you.” Yvonne was puzzled. “What’s wrong? Were you not at a hotel last night?”

Melanie’s expression did not change. She said calmly, “No, I was.”

“Oh, I see.” Yvonne went back to her game, while Melanie turned and went into the study.

By the time Melanie looked up from her work, the downpour had become a steady drizzle. Xander and the others had just returned. Yvonne had ordered a takeout feast.

“What day is it today? Why is there so much food?” Oliver asked.

“It’s Xander’s birthday,” Yvonne replied casually.

Melanie paused. Xander had never told her when his birthday was.

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“What’s wrong?” Yvonne asked softly when she saw the change in Melanie’s expression.

Melanie frowned. “I didn’t know it was his birthday today. I forgot to prepare a gift.”

Yvonne smiled nonchalantly. “It’s fine. He rarely celebrates his birthday anyway. Just treat it as a casual meal.”

Oliver’s eyes widened. “We wouldn’t have remembered if you didn’t mention it! Boss really doesn’t like to celebrate his birthday much, so we forgot about it.”

There had to be a reason why Xander did not celebrate his birthday, but before Melanie could ask, Xander walked into the villa.

He looked at the table full of dishes and raised his eyebrows. “What’s with the feast?”

“See? I told you.” Yvonne nudged Melanie with her elbow, looking exasperated.

Oliver reminded him, “Boss, it’s your birthday today.”

Xander looked up, but he had no other reaction.

He really did not seem to care.

The meal was no different from usual. Oliver and Xander discussed the designs, while Reny interrupted them from time to time.