Melinda walked into the guest bedroom with a set of pajamas for Jonas. Mary was busy in the kitchen
and didn't notice her. Melinda lost her cool when she saw Jonas lying on the bed like a dead corpse.
The smell of alcohol made her sick in the stomach.
Melinda fetched a basin of water from the washroom. She removed Jonas's clothes and carefully wiped
his body. She was exhausted by the time she changed his clothes.
Melinda blew out a loud breath as she glanced at Jonas. He looked better but Melinda was sweating
profusely. She angrily threw the wet towel on Jonas's face.
Jonas frowned. He took the towel from his face and threw it aside.
"Are you annoyed? It is I who should be annoyed after all this drama,"
Melinda scoffed. She threw Jonas's clothes into the laundry basket outside and went back to her room.
After making sober tea, Mary walked into the guest bedroom. She glanced at Jonas and smiled in
relief.
She was happy that Jonas and Melinda cared about each other despite their quarrels.
Jonas felt a piercing pain in his head when he woke up the next morning. He rubbed his temples and
felt as if his head was about to explode.
He squinted his eyes and glanced at his watch. It was only six in the morning. He knitted his eyebrows
as the bedroom looked strange to him. Jonas tried recalling the events of the previous night.
"Ah!" he groaned.
Jonas looked at his clothes. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that he was in his pajamas.
"Mr. Gu, you are awake. I have made some tea. It will cure your hangover."
Mary was preparing breakfast. She quickly gave Jonas a cup of tea and went back to work. Jonas took
a sip of the tea and soon felt better.
He walked to his bedroom to wash his face but the door was locked from inside.
Not wanting to disturb Melinda at this hour, Jonas returned to his bedroom and took a long shower until
he was relaxed.
Nelson had been thinking about Jonas's connection with Emily and couldn't sleep well at night. He felt
sorry for Melinda. Nelson's health was deteriorating and he wasn't sure how long he could protect
Melinda.
Unable to deal with the confusion and turmoil, Nelson went to play Tai Chi in the yard. Jonas walked
out in time and Nelson immediately stopped him.
"Don't you want to tell me what happened yesterday?" he asked, taking a deep breath.
He plopped on the stone bench and looked at Jonas.
Jonas studied Nelson's face and saw the disappointment in his eyes. Nelson adored Jonas but he
hated his relationship choices.
"I'm sorry, Grandpa. I won't get drunk again."
Jonas looked at the ground, feeling ashamed of himself. He thought that his grandfather was angry
because he had returned home, completely drunk. He didn't know that it was Emily who dropped him
home.
Nelson's anger rose steadily. "Emily dropped you home last night. What were you doing with her?" He
scowled.
Nelson wanted to reprimand Jonas for his actions last night. But Jonas was too drunk and became
unconscious.
Nelson didn't expect that Jonas would start lying to him the moment he woke up.
"We ran into each other at the bar last night. I got drunk and I've no idea what happened," Jonas said.
"That's enough, Jonas. I know that you're still lying. Do you think that I'm too old to see through your
lies?"
Nelson angrily hit the ground with his walking stick. Jonas cast a quizzical glance at Nelson and
realized that Emily might have said something to him.
"I always think that you're a smart, responsible guy. But you keep breaking your promises over and
over again, and I'm sick of it. I'm disappointed in you, Jonas!"
Nelson closed his eyes and sighed. Jonas opened his mouth to say something but he ended up
swallowing his words.
"Grandpa, trust me. I know what I am doing."
"How can I trust you when you can't keep your promise?"
Jonas didn't want to justify himself. He knew that he had let his grandfather down.
"I'm sorry for wasting your time. You go ahead with your work. You've grown up and I can't control you
anymore."
Nelson's words pricked Jonas's heart. He wouldn't have felt bad even if his grandfather had hit him but
the disappointment in Nelson's voice made him hate himself even more.
Although Nelson forgot about Jonas's drunk fiasco, the atmosphere in the Gu's mansion was still tense.
Melinda was preparing for the promotion of her new book.
The publishing company had contacted libraries in major cities across the country to hold a small event
for promoting Melinda's new book. Melinda was busy preparing for the event.
She informed Nelson about the book tour and he gladly let her go. He knew that Melinda was disturbed
lately and traveling would keep her mind off the things that were bothering her.
Jonas had been leaving early for work and returned home late. Melinda usually locked her room and
Jonas had to sleep in his room. However, when he came home this evening, the bedroom door was
slightly opened and the light was on.
"Are you still awake?" Jonas asked, standing hesitantly by the door.
His eyes widened when he saw Melinda pack her things. He couldn't stand there anymore and walked
in without waiting for Melinda's answer.
"What are you doing? Are you going to break the contract?"
Jonas asked desperately. His heart sank as he thought that Melinda had decided to leave him. His
mind was whirling and he didn't know how to stop her.
But he regretted the moment he uttered the words. He had been stupid enough to bring up the contract
when things were already chaotic.
Jonas was afraid that Melinda was going to leave him. He looked helplessly and cluttered her luggage.
Melinda was startled by Jonas's move. She blinked and looked at him as she couldn't understand what
he was doing.
"What are you doing, Jonas? What are you talking about?" Melinda grumbled with annoyance.
"You are leaving. Aren't you?" Jonas asked angrily.
Melinda took a deep breath and told herself that Jonas was stupid. She wasn't in the mood to argue
with him but she had spent more than half an hour packing her things and was mad at him for ruining
her luggage.
"Don't worry. I'm not breaking the contract. I need go on a trip and I've been packing my things for that."
"Where are you going?" Jonas asked curiously.
"Don't you know that I'm going to be promoting my new book? Oh, wait. Why would you care about me
or what I do?"
Melinda snatched her things from Jonas's hands and began to pack her things. She had to travel to
many places, so she packed all the essentials.
Jonas remembered about Melinda's book tour only after she told him. Before the launch event, she had
told him that she would have to do some promotions.
Melinda had two bags. Jonas leaned against the wall and watched her pack clothes, cosmetics,
skincare, and all the essentials that she needed for the trip.
It had taken a long time for Melinda to pack the things. After packing everything, Melinda placed the
suitcases at the corner of the room. She arched an eyebrow and looked at Jonas, gesturing if he
needed anything else.
Jonas cleared his throat and asked, "So, you'll be busy for the next few days, right?"
Melinda rolled her eyes and turned away. She grabbed her pajamas, ready to take a shower and go to
bed early. Melinda saw Jonas still staring at her. She glanced at him and went to the bathroom.
Jonas was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. He snapped to his senses when he
saw Melinda return from the shower. He continued to stare at Melinda but she shifted on the bed and
slept with her back to him.
"Can I come and see you after I finish work?"
Jonas asked cautiously. They hardly talked with each other recently and Jonas already started worrying
about Melinda. He didn't know what he would do without seeing her for more than two weeks.
"Forget it. I cannot expect Kent to save me every time," she said, without turning to look at him.
Melinda couldn't forget how Jonas had made her suffer by not turning up at the book launch event.
Jonas didn't try justifying himself because he knew that it was his fault.
Neither Jonas nor Melinda could sleep well that night. They tossed and turned in bed, tormented by
their thoughts.
The next morning, the publishing company sent an assistant to pick Melinda from the Gu's mansion.
The assistant arrived on time and waited for Melinda in the yard of the small villa.
"Let me help you with the luggage," Jonas said in a hoarse voice.
His eyes were bloodshot as he hadn't slept well last night. Melinda was scared to look at him.
She didn't say anything and quietly went downstairs. Nelson came to send her off and instructed the
assistant to take good care of her. He wanted to arrange a personal assistant to take care of Melinda
but he couldn't find someone in a short time.
Melinda left and began to concentrate on the promotion of her book. Jonas felt lonely without her. He
felt as if Melinda had taken a piece of himself with her. Melinda was busy and didn't contact Jonas and
didn't bother replying to Jonas's messages either.
Jonas made sure to read the information that Melinda posted on Weibo. He paid attention to what
Melinda was up to and the places she went to promote her book.
Jonas was worried as Melinda looked thinner in the pictures she posted on Weibo.
By the end of the second week, Melinda fell ill. The intensive promotions had taken a toll on her body.
But she had a tight schedule that she needed to abide by, irrespective of her health.
After the first round of the tour, Melinda was scheduled to visit the neighboring province of A City. Kent
sent a message to Melinda after he saw the announcement. He told her that he was in the same city
and requested her to take care of her health.
"Why are you not paying attention to your health? Don't you know that good health is cardinal to
success?" Kent said.
"The book promotion will get over in a few days. Don't worry, I can manage."
Kent helped Melinda in promoting her book. She returned to the hotel early and chatted with Kent
before going to bed.
"I'm working on a new book. Are you interested in collaborating with me?" Kent asked.
"You want me to partner with you?"
Melinda asked in shock. The collaboration of authors was normal but Kent catered to a different
audience. The genre of his books were different from the romance stories she usually wrote.
"Yeah. If you don't mind, I'll talk to your editor about it," he said.
"Well, even I'm hoping to experiment and explore different genres. We will discuss everything when we
go back. I'm happy to work with you," Melinda said.
Kent was happy and briefly explained his style of writing and the gist of the book he was working on.
He believed that working with Melinda would make things easier.
Jonas was lonely without Melinda. His life felt empty without her. He was miserable and couldn't
concentrate on anything as his mind was filled with the thoughts of Melinda.
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