"You was caught in a traffic jam? Don't you have a plan about what to do? How could you make such a
stupid mistake?!"
If only his grandpa could point at Jonas's head and scold him. Nelson knew that Jonas was far from the
kid he used to be. He couldn't do it anymore. Nelson tapped his walking stick on the ground, trying to
vent out his anger.
"I'll be more careful next time."
Even if his grandpa's words were too harsh, Jonas acknowledged his mistake. Nelson sighed
helplessly. He knew that as a child grew up, there were just some things that he could no longer
control.
"Mellie, he needs to have a proper lesson. Don't get angry because of him. It's not worth it."
Melinda was familiar to the sound of Nelson's words. It was as if it was the same tone she used
whenever she comforted him.
"Okay, Grandpa. I'm a little tired now. I'm going back up to my room to rest for a while."
Melinda looked exhausted, so Nelson urged her to head on her way. Meanwhile, Jonas just intently
looked at Melinda, as if he wanted to say something to her. However, he hesitated, and the words just
got caught on his mouth.
"Grandpa, I think it's best if I stay with her,"
Yulia gingerly suggested. The atmosphere in the living room was truly awkward. They all knew that
Melinda was very upset with what happened.
"Go ahead. And be mindful of you words, okay? Make sure you comfort her,"
Nelson ordered, worrying that Yulia might say something that could make Melinda feel even worse.
When Melinda was finally in her room, she ruthlessly pulled off the necklace around her neck, leaving a
bright red mark on her skin. Gritting her teeth, she threw the necklace on the dresser and rubbed her
neck to soothe the pain.
If Nelson wasn't there, Melinda would've definitely snapped at Jonas. How coincidental and convenient
it was for Jonas to encounter Emily like that!
"Jonas, you're such an immoral scumbag!"
Melinda shouted, glaring at the necklace. Then she sat down and buried her face in her hands.
'I've already decided not to get involved with him anymore,' Melinda thought. 'I know I shouldn't be
angry... But I just can't help it!'
From the looks of it, Melinda was starting expect more and more from Jonas.
Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door, and then came Yulia's voice, "Melinda, can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure," Melinda said as she patted her face, trying to calm herself down.
The moment Yulia opened the door, she scanned the room to look for Melinda. When she saw her
sitting in front of the dresser, she immediately went up to her.
Melinda was surprised that Yulia would come to her at this time. Plus, she seemed to care about her a
lot today. Also Yulia became friendlier to Melinda the past few days. Because of this, she couldn't help
but think differently about her.
"Melinda, are you okay?"
Yulia asked with care. Taking a deep breath, Melinda stood up and went to the sofa. Yulia sat beside
her, looking around the room curiously.
"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."
In the past, they had a lot of conflict with each other. Even if Yulia had changed, it still didn't mean that
Melinda was willing to share everything with her.
"Melinda, don't be so angry. You should tell my brother about it. Otherwise, he wouldn't realize that he's
made a big mistake today."
The righteous indignation was obvious in Yulia's eyes as she poured a glass of water for Melinda. A
hint of sadness flashed in Melinda's eyes, and she thought that Yulia had a point—Jonas deserved an
explanation.
Besides, Jonas really looked like he didn't realize where he was wrong. Even though she was still
angry with him, she realized that Jonas probably didn't even do anything wrong.
Now, Melinda started to feel guilt in her heart.
"I'm sorry for what happened today. If I hadn't delayed Jonas, he wouldn't have been stuck in traffic,"
Yulia mumbled in a light voice. Just before Melinda could say something, Yulia continued, "Then
again... If Jonas really cared about you, why did he go out so late?"
Blinking, Melinda couldn't help but think that Yulia had another valid point. 'That's true... Jonas doesn't
care about me at all,' Melinda echoed in her heart.
If he really cared about her and her new book launch, he would do everything in his power to make
sure he got there on time. That was just the way he was.
But as long as it concerned Emily, nothing else mattered more.
"It doesn't matter now. What's done is done. If he had gone out earlier, he wouldn't have been caught
up in such a situation," Melinda sighed. "What about you? How are you feeling now? Are you feeling
any better?"
Truth was that Melinda and Jonas had plans to go out today. But then, all of a sudden, Jonas said he
had something urgent to deal with. Melinda felt so stupid for falling for the trick.
"I'm fine," Yulia smiled through her teeth.
Melinda's words brought a flush to Yulia's cheeks. In a hurry, she found such an excuse to delay Jonas.
As a result, everyone in the mansion knew she was menstruating.
"Jonas has always been ignorant of his own mistakes. His promises mean nothing. Melinda, you must
do something about it. Make him learn his lessons!"
It sounds like Yulia was comforting Melinda, but her words reminded her that Jonas had stood her up.
"At that time, the morning rush has already passed, and the noon rush hasn't come yet. Which road did
Jonas drive? How could there be a traffic jam?"
Yulia asked in confusion as she quietly observed the expression on Melinda's face.
Suddenly, Melinda's face turned pale. How could Jonas be stuck in traffic during that time? It was
becoming clear that Jonas was lying so that he could protect Emily.
"Don't think about it too much, Melinda. It is possible that Jonas was really stuck in traffic. After all, the
traffic in A City is very heavy."
Yulia attempted to make up for her mistake seeing that Melinda was feeling down. Her goal had been
achieved. However, no matter what Yulia was going to say next, Melinda didn't take any action.
Jonas accompanied his grandfather as Yulia went downstairs. When he saw Yulia coming down, he
asked, "Is she asleep?"
His tone sounded a bit stiff since he was not used to care for Melinda in front of others. Yulia's head
shook helplessly.
"Jonas, you should really apologize to Melinda. She is still sad."
"Well, I don't have much to say to you two. You should apologize yourself. She really needs some
comfort,"
Nelson said. Jonas nodded in agreement and Yulia trotted to support Nelson.
Jonas was still hesitating when they were coming out of the villa. But, still, he walked towards Melinda's
bedroom. He gestured awkwardly, raising his hands but immediately dropping them. Finally, Jonas
turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.
Melinda was about to change her clothes and rest when she heard the sound of the door opening. She
was shocked, especially since she saw Jonas. Her face was turning red with anger.
"Jonas, what are you doing here? Don't you know how to knock?"
"This is my bedroom, too. Why should I knock?"
Jonas said. He didn't seem to be apologetic at all. He went straight to Melinda, frowned, and closely
stared at her as he tried to find out what Melinda was thinking.
"Jonas, can you be reasonable, even just for once? Please get out!"
Melinda angrily said as she pointed at the door. Jonas didn't care. He simply thought that she was
creating unnecessary drama.
"You're the one who is reasonable, Melinda. Things have happened, and I've already apologized. What
else do you want me to do?"
In his mind, he thought that he had done enough. He even went to pick up a gift as an apology present.
It was okay for him if Melinda didn't appreciate it, but she should not show her displeasure about him in
front of Nelson.
"So, you think it's my fault? Jonas, you're the one breaking promises. If you really think you're not
wrong, just tell Grandpa that you were not stuck in traffic today and that you didn't come to my book
launch because you saw Emily."
At the moment Melinda suddenly thought of a joke on the Internet—no woman could fully understand
what was going on inside a man's head, and she found some sense in it.
Her accusation sounded like she was mad at Jonas for not telling their grandfather the truth. He felt as
if she was threatening him using their grandfather.
"I was really planning on attending your book launch. On my way to the venue, I happened to meet
Emily. Her car was stuck in traffic. I can't really control that, can I?"
Jonas, in truth, was in such a hurry to attend the book launch. He took the more convenient way to get
there, which was by car. But, he couldn't really foresee the traffic ahead of him.
"Wow, it seems that fate has brought you two together," Melinda sarcastically said.
Melinda didn't believe any of Jonas's excuses. Couldn't Jonas change his ways? In the end, it was just
about Emily.
'Emily, Emily, Emily.' The name kept echoing in Melinda's mind. It was driving her crazy.
"You don't believe me?" Jonas asked.
He had already compromised a lot, but in the end, Melinda still didn't trust him. Jonas thought about the
moment the accident happened, when Melinda asked Kent for help. The thought made Jonas feel very
jealous.
"Jonas, you haven't done anything that can make me believe you."
"If you don't believe in me, then who will you believe in? Your good senior Kent?"
Jonas couldn't control himself at all. He had a violent expression in his eyes as he reached out and
caught her wrist. His strength was out of control.
Melinda cried out. She bit her lips to stop herself from crying loudly. With tears in her eyes, she looked
at Jonas stubbornly.
"Yes. At least Kent won't break his promises to me!" Melinda said, gritting her teeth.
Jonas was irritated with Melinda's answer. He was furious and stared straight at her. Because of the
tension, Melinda was having trouble breathing.
"Damn it!"
Jonas exclaimed. Melinda struggled to keep Jonas away, but she was no match for him. As Jonas tried
to restrain himself, she hit herself hard against the cupboard. For a moment, she was extremely
dizzy.
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