MMORPG: Birth of the World's Luckiest Player

Chapter 494: Reunion at Mellory

Looking back on it now, Marcus had to admit that his luck with women was, objectively speaking, pretty damn good. The thought made him smile to himself, equal parts amused and resigned.

That same luck, unfortunately, was also the reason the pig’s nephew had treated him like a mortal enemy from day one. They had clashed more than once, and every single time the nephew came out on the losing end, humiliated and seething. In the end, the pig himself stepped in, cooked up a set of bogus accusations, and worked together with HR to push Marcus out of Mellory. It was shameless, but effective. And yet, anyone with half a brain knew that if performance alone had mattered, Marcus would have been the last person on the list to be fired.

Before he left Mellory for good, after seeing Emily cry her heart out and realizing that the pig’s nephew still refused to back off, Marcus had quietly called in a few favors. Some old friends from high school, guys who lived in rougher circles, paid the nephew a couple of visits and made sure the message sank in. After that, the harassment stopped completely. The nephew never bothered Emily again.

Marcus was not some gangster, and he had not grown up in this city, but he had been around long enough to know people and understand how things worked. He had connections, enough to deal with one or two pieces of trash without much trouble. And if he were being honest, by the time he left Mellory, his Human Rock technique had already reached the fourth level of Innate. If he truly wanted to, he could have handled the problem himself, quietly and cleanly, without leaving a trace.

But for Emily, he had chosen the safer route. Those two buddies of his had almost been caught by the police afterward, and Marcus had spent a tense few days smoothing things over. Still, when he remembered Emily’s face on that video call, looking at him with complete trust and tenderness, tears in her eyes and faith written all over her expression, he had never regretted it for a second.

’Worth it. Completely worth it.’

On the screen in front of him, Emily was looking at him with growing happiness, her lips trembling, tears still slipping down her cheeks despite her efforts to stop them. It was classic Emily, a woman who seemed to be made of water.

Marcus was long used to it. Ever since they had met, Emily cried at least once every two or three days. Since she was always by his side back then, people often assumed he was the reason she cried so much. Thinking about it still made him feel like the most wronged man alive.

Deciding it was best to change the subject, he spoke up. "Emily, what’s going on? And Mark and Ray both called me, asking me to come by the office. Do you know what that’s about?"

"Yes." Emily sniffed, finally managing to get her emotions under control. "That’s actually why I called you, Marcus."

"So what happened?" he asked.

The fact that Emily had called him specifically for this told him it was not something trivial.

"There’ve been major changes at Mellory," Emily explained. "About a month ago, headquarters sent in a new CEO. Management and internal policies were completely restructured, and our department head was replaced."

"Replaced?" Marcus repeated.

She nodded. "Mark is the new department head now, and Ray was promoted to assistant manager."

"Nice," Marcus said sincerely.

He had always known the pig would not last. That spineless, bloated coward was never going to hold onto power forever. Now the pieces were starting to fall into place, and Marcus finally understood why Mark and the others had been so eager to contact him.

He also could not help but admire the new CEO’s decisiveness. Promoting Ray, someone who had only been with the company for five years, to assistant manager was a bold move. But Ray had the qualifications to back it up: a master’s degree, a sharp mind, and consistently strong performance. He had earned it.

"Marcus," Emily continued softly. "Mark had a meeting this morning. He told us the new CEO wants to revisit your termination. They’re hoping you’ll come in."

She looked at him with open hope in her eyes. "Mark already called you, right? Can you make it?"

At this point, it was obvious they wanted him back. Marcus was completely certain of that now, and it explained the excitement in Mark’s voice earlier. A faint warmth spread through his chest.

When he had first joined Mellory, he had just broken up with Snow. He had been at his lowest, emotionally drained and completely directionless. It was Mark, Ray, Tyler, and Emily who had helped him crawl out of that hole, giving him a sense of belonging and a reason to keep moving forward.

Still, there was no way he was going back to work under someone else.

If Mark had been upfront on the phone, Marcus would have turned him down immediately. Instead, Mark had insisted he come in person, and then Ray, Tyler, and even Emily had all called him separately. At that point, refusing outright felt impossible.

At the very least, it would be good to see Ray and Tyler again, grab a drink, and catch up. And he had not seen Emily in quite some time, not since he had become deeply absorbed in the game.

Looking at her hopeful expression on the screen, Marcus smiled and nodded. "Alright, Emily. I’ll be there soon. We’ll have lunch together."

"Really, Marcus?" Her face lit up instantly, and as expected, the tears came pouring back, spilling down her cheeks before she could stop them.

There was no helping it. Emily cried at the slightest provocation. Sadness, happiness, nervousness, excitement, any strong emotion would trigger it. It was both heartbreaking and strangely endearing.

Marcus had a feeling she would cry even more when they met in person.

After ending the call, he wheeled his motorcycle out of the garage, his prized Steel-Horse. He had bought it during his freshman year of college, a limited edition model from the country’s top manufacturer. It was fully solar-powered, silent, emission-free, and equipped with autopilot. His was the deluxe Diamond Steel-Horse, sleek and aerodynamic, with a unique paint job and top-tier components. Only thirty thousand units had been released nationwide, each priced at fifteen thousand, and its performance rivaled professional racing bikes.

The standard Steel-Horse sold for around two thousand. That alone spoke volumes about the Diamond version’s value. Marcus had gone through quite a bit of trouble and called in more than a few favors to get his hands on one.

As the wind rushed past him and the bike surged forward, his thoughts drifted back to Mellory.

Mellory Financial’s rise had been nothing short of impressive, climbing from obscurity to the Fortune 500 in just ten years thanks to its flagship beauty formula. What many people did not realize was that Mellory was actually a subsidiary of Keystone Group.

Keystone Group was a domestic top-ten corporation and a Fortune Global 500 giant, with its reach extending into finance, healthcare, dining, fashion, skincare, household goods, and services. Each division operated independently like Mellory, and every one of them turned a healthy profit.

For Keystone to send a new CEO to Mellory and initiate such sweeping changes was a major move. It must have made headlines, but Marcus had been so absorbed in Dominion lately that he had completely missed it.

He made a mental note to pay more attention to the real world. He could not afford to let the game consume everything.

By the time he arrived at Mellory’s building, he had not even dismounted before spotting Emily standing near the entrance, anxiously scanning the crowd. The moment she saw him, she hurried over, her face breaking into a radiant smile, tears already forming in her eyes.

"Marcus!"

He parked the Diamond Steel-Horse, and Emily paid no attention to the people around them as she threw herself into his arms. Her quiet sobs soaked into his chest as she clung to him tightly. The faint, natural fragrance of her body, carrying a clean, mountain-fresh scent, made his heart race. Her warmth and softness felt overwhelmingly right.

"Emily," he murmured, just as he had expected.

Marcus wrapped an arm around her slender waist and held her there in the open plaza. Gently, he lifted her chin and looked into her tear-streaked face, breathtaking even through her crying. "I’m here now. Why are you still crying? Aren’t you happy to see me?"

He reached up and carefully wiped away her tears, the first man to ever touch her face like this. Looking at her, he felt a sudden, undeniable affection rise in his chest. In that moment, he realized something clearly. Seeing Emily made him genuinely happy.

That year at Mellory, this fragile, emotional girl had followed him everywhere, clinging to him without hesitation. Somewhere along the way, without him noticing, she had quietly settled into his heart.

"Marcus..." Emily stared at him in disbelief.

During that year, she had stayed by his side constantly, but he had never held her like this, never looked at her with such tenderness. Back then, his heart had been consumed by his breakup with Snow. He had not had room for anyone else, and he had never once thought of Emily in this way.

Now, her tears flowed even harder as she gazed at him, breathing in his familiar scent. Happiness swelled in her chest until it overflowed.

’He likes me.’

The realization sent her heart soaring. All the love she had kept bottled up poured out along with her tears. "Marcus... I missed you so much. Every single day..."

She pressed her flawless face against his chest, holding him even tighter, feeling his heartbeat and warmth. Through her happy tears, she whispered his name again and again.

This was the first time she had ever been held by a man so closely, and in public no less. Normally, she would have been terrified. But this was Marcus, the man she loved, the only man she had ever loved. With him, there was no fear or hesitation, only warmth and an overwhelming sense of safety.

Marcus looked down at her, taking in her shy, delicate beauty. Her face was flushed, glowing softly, her tear-filled eyes shimmering like clear pools of water. They sparkled with life and emotion, making her already beautiful face even more captivating. Someone had once told him that crying too much ruined a person’s eyes, but looking at Emily, he realized the opposite was true. The more she cried, the more expressive and beautiful her eyes became.

She truly was a woman made of tears.

His gaze traced her delicate brows, her small nose, her elegant chin, and her soft lips. Her gentle, obedient demeanor made his chest ache. Without thinking, he pulled her closer, bent down, and pressed his lips to hers, taking her first kiss.

"Marcus..." Emily melted into him completely, surrendering herself without reservation, and his heart began to race.

Unfortunately, they were still in public. People had begun to stare, and even Marcus, thick-skinned as he was, knew they could not keep this up. He was a good-looking guy, and Emily was stunning. Attention was inevitable.

A few Mellory employees exiting the building stopped short when they saw him holding Emily. Hostile looks flashed across their faces, and one man even looked ready to confront him.

Then recognition dawned.

Nods followed, along with awkward greetings. "Hey, Marcus. You’re back."

With expressions of envy and resignation, they quietly moved on, leaving the two of them standing together in the sunlight.