After that party, Emily usually invited Jonas to play with her. They would either go golfing or
mountaineering.
Jonas led a monotonous life. He went for work and returned home; he had nothing else to do.
In the face of Emily's invitation, although Jonas didn't want to go, he couldn't refuse the offer. The two
of them went to several places together. The outdoor activities made Jonas relax. He finally got back to
his normal self.
"Jonas, there is a new French restaurant near your company. Would you like to take me there for
dinner?"
Emily asked, picking clothes in a mall. Her cheeks turned red and she was blushing like a woman crazy
in love.
"It's my honor to invite a famous star for dinner," Jonas joked as he seemed to be in a good mood.
"Don't make fun of me. You know I'm having a hard time."
Emily frowned and became sad. Jonas felt guilty for making an insensitive joke. He felt that Emily must
have been going through some issues and wondered if he should invest in a new series for her to
perform.
"Sorry, I was being stupid. I'm inviting you to have dinner with me so that I can apologize to you in
person," Jonas said.
"Umm... I'll think about it,"
Emily said, pretending to be in a dilemma. Then they made an appointment and Emily decided not to
disturb him further.
Emily had been happy lately as Jonas always accepted her invite. He never refused to come out with
her unless he had important work to do. She could also see that Jonas's opinion of her seemed to
gradually change. Everything was back to normal.
During dinner, the dining hall was empty. Nelson and Melinda were the only ones at the table. Nelson
looked unhappy and Melinda didn't know what to say. She ate in silence, forcing the food down her
throat.
Jonas hardly returned for dinner. He had been coming home late and went straight to bed.
"Did you fight with each other?"
Nelson asked. Jonas never stayed out late unless he quarreled with Melinda. Her cheeks turned red
with embarrassment. "No, we didn't," she said, wiping her mouth awkwardly.
"You guys are married. You will have to spend the rest of your life with him. If you have any problems,
talk it out. Don't keep everything in your heart by letting it fester. A healthy argument strengthens
relationships but if you keep things to yourself, it will only make things worse."
Nelson took a deep breath and looked at Melinda. "I know you might not like what I say but this is the
bitter truth. You cannot wait for things to change on its own. We need to communicate our feelings and
emotions."
Nelson didn't want to blame Melinda but he wanted her to understand that Jonas could not always
understand her feelings until she talked to him about it. He didn't have the heart to see them constantly
fight with each other.
Jonas was a proud man. Melinda's ignorance would be a huge blow to his self-esteem.
"All right, it's late. Go back to your room and rest."
Melinda pursed her lips and didn't say anything. She thought about what Nelson said and realized that
she had been arrogant too. Although Jonas was wrong, she felt that she should have talked to him
about it.
On her way to the villa, Melinda was contemplating if she needed to talk with Jonas.
Melinda felt that something was bothering her but she couldn't find out what it was. Her phone blared
with a call from Kent. She involuntarily picked the call and continued to walk in a daze. Kent was talking
for a long time but Melinda couldn't hear a single word.
"Kent, do you think I should talk to him?" she finally said.
Kent was shocked for a moment. He stopped talking as he realized that Melinda had not been listening
to him. Her mind was filled with thoughts about Jonas.
"Did you fight with each other?"
"Not really," she mumbled.
Melinda felt that things would have been much better if they had quarreled but the silence was killing
her. She had been lonely and depressed lately. The feelings and emotions that she had suppressed in
her heart came flooding out as she spilled her heart to Kent.
"Damn it! It's Emily again. She doesn't let you live in peace."
Kent sighed. Emily was a curse in Melinda's love life. Every time things got normal between her and
Jonas, Emily always plotted a plan to make their lives worse.
"Yes, it is Emily again." Melinda laughed bitterly.
The thoughts about Emily made Melinda's blood boil. Emily was vindictive and always wreaked havoc
in her life.
"I think your Grandpa is right. You need to have a heart-to-heart conversation with him. You'll be able to
find out what he wants and make peace with yourself."
Melinda felt that Kent was right. If Jonas couldn't let go of Emily, she would quit putting an effort. She
would walk out of Jonas's life as soon as he inherited the property.
But leaving Jonas didn't mean that she would let Emily off the hook. Melinda had lost her child because
of Emily and would never forgive her for that.
She wouldn't let Jonas marry Emily as long as she was with him.
Melinda made up her mind and decided to wait for Jonas in the living room. Mary turned the TV on.
The variety show was going on and Emily was the guest.
Melinda was annoyed and immediately changed the channel. She leaned against the sofa and watched
TV. Her eyes became heavy and she was about to fall asleep.
It was eleven at night when Jonas returned home. He was surprised to see that the lights in the living
room were on. A petite figure was curled up on the sofa and an advertisement was playing on TV.
"Mellie..."
Jonas slowly walked and sat on the sofa. Melinda woke up as a strong smell of perfume filled her
lungs.
"You look happy," Melinda said, knitting her eyebrows.
Jonas's usual coldness was gone and there was a twinkle in his eyes.
Melinda inched forward and sniffed the perfume as she felt that it was a familiar scent. She racked her
brains to find out who used the perfume.
Melinda's stomach flipped and her heart sank when she realized that it was the smell of Emily's
perfume.
Jonas couldn't understand what she was talking about. "If you are tired, go to your bedroom and
sleep," he said.
Melinda saw Jonas's lips moving but she couldn't hear what he was saying. All she could think was
about the scent of the perfume. She wondered what Jonas had been doing with Emily. Melinda had
been waiting to talk to Jonas but the words were stuck in her throat.
Her body froze and her mind stopped working. She remembered that a couple of days ago, Jonas
returned home with the faint scent lingering on his shirt. But the scent was not as strong as it was
today.
Melinda wondered if Jonas had been hanging with Emily all this time. Emily was perhaps the reason
behind his happiness.
The thought of it made her depressed. Melinda had been tossing and turning in bed and couldn't sleep
well at night. Her eyes were bloodshot and there were dark rings around her eyes.
"Mrs. Gu, why did you wake up so early? It's weekend, you could have slept a little longer,"
Mary said as she placed the breakfast on the table. Melinda couldn't help but smile. She always
worked during weekends.
"Good morning, Mr. Gu." Mary smiled as she saw Jonas walked down.
Melinda turned around and saw that Jonas was wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans. His hair was not
fixed and it somehow made him look more handsome. She felt that Jonas looked much younger in
casual wear.
"Are you going out today?" Melinda asked.
Jonas usually wore lounge-wear when he stayed at home during weekends. Therefore, Melinda
guessed that he was going out.
Jonas was shocked to see Melinda who took the initiative to talk to him. Happiness bubbled in his heart
but he kept a straight face.
"Yes, I'm meeting a friend today."
"For what?" Melinda asked, taking a bite of the sandwich.
She tried hard to think who Jonas usually hung out with but she ended up feeling disappointed as she
didn't know anyone in his social circle.
"I'm going to play billiards."
Jonas wanted to ask if Melinda wanted to join him but stopped when he realized that he was meeting
Emily. He glanced at his watch and thought that it was time for him to leave.
"Don't you want breakfast, Mr. Gu?"
Mary asked in confusion. She glanced at Melinda and the two of them looked at Jonas, inquiringly.
"I'll have breakfast with my friend."
Jonas slipped on his shoes and left in a hurry. Melinda glanced at the table filled with nutritious food.
She pushed the bowl away as she lost her appetite.
Melinda couldn't stop wondering why Jonas was in a hurry. Was he really going to see a friend or
someone more important?
Emily had called Jonas to play billiards. They had breakfast in a nearby restaurant at the top club.
"Looks like you're in a good mood today," Emily said as she saw Jonas smile.
Emily wore the usual perfume and the scent became stronger as she got closer to him.
Her closeness made Jonas uneasy. The strong scent of Emily's perfume made him scrunch his nose in
distaste. He loved the mild fragrance of Melinda's shower gel and the thought of it brought a smile to
his face.
"Yes,"
Jonas answered perfunctorily. His mind wandered to Melinda and he couldn't listen to what Emily was
saying. He decided to leave home early to be with Melinda. Emily stopped talking when she realized
that he wasn't listening to her.
Jonas was an excellent billiard player but Emily was just a beginner. She had only watched online
tutorials and could hardly hit the ball.
"Don't you know how to play billiards?"
Jonas asked, frowning. He wondered why she had called him when she didn't know how to play the
game.
"Nope. But I know that you're a wonderful player. Can you teach me?" she asked, batting her
eyelashes. Emily had seen Jonas play billiards with friends during middle school. She knew that he
was good at it.
If Jonas agreed to teach billiards, their bodies would rub against each other. Emily had planned
everything to make use of the opportunity to get intimate with him.
"I'll help you get a coach," Jonas said flatly as he didn't like the idea of getting close with Emily.
Emily's face turned pale. Disappointment resided in the pit of her stomach. Emily had managed to get
closer to Jonas in the last few days and didn't realize that he would turn her down.
She quickly changed her expression and smiled at him. "In that case, I'll challenge you when I know
how to play it."
Emily twirled a strand of hair with her finger and smiled seductively. She was frustrated with Jonas for
constantly pushing her away. But she wasn't ready to give up.
Jonas played two matches but soon lost interest in the game. He sat in a corner and watched Emily
play. She was distracted and couldn't play well. Jonas was tired of seeing her miss the ball, so he rolled
his eyes and stood up.
"Emily, concentrate on your practice. I've got to go."
"Aren't we supposed to have lunch together?"
Emily's eyes widened. She put her cue down and stopped him.
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