And so, against their better judgments, Melinda and Jonas moved back to the main villa. Ever since
Queena returned, an air of gloom descended upon the mansion, and Melinda made an effort to keep
herself scarce in the older woman’s presence.
This did not escape her mother-in-law’s notice, and she made a point of letting her dissatisfaction be
known. "You only stay in your room all day long. What could you possibly accomplish living like that?
How do you expect to be of help to Jonas?"
She quickly made a habit of calling for Melinda only to lecture her on various things that popped into
her head. She also didn’t miss an opportunity to make snide remarks to her daughter-in-law, frequently
reiterating her disapproval of her marriage to her son.
Melinda would only take it all in silence. Queena's words often came to mind, and she now realized that
it would indeed only bring her a great deal of exhaustion if she cared too much.
Queena’s criticisms soon became repetitive, and still she did not stop. She would call for the younger
woman under the pretense of teaching her the ropes on being a madam of the Gu family, but would
only give vague explanations without really sharing anything useful.
Her complaints were endless; no matter what Melinda did or said, she always found fault. For her part,
Melinda only let her mother-in-law do whatever she wanted, and didn’t pay much heed to the cruel
words that were constantly hurled at her.
Other people’s opinions were the least of her concern anyway.
She used to care a lot in the past, but circumstances made sure that she learned to ignore people she
didn’t care about. She learned it the hard way, and she would be damned if she didn’t put it to good
use.
Besides, her recent collaboration with Kent had much of her attention, in addition to the new book she
was preparing. She was quite busy, actually, and even if her body needed to be in the same room with
Queena, her mind remained engaged in her own business.
Yulia would always take advantage of the passive aggressive kerfuffle, and would make excuses for
Melinda’s behavior.
Her comments, of course, only served to belittle her sister-in-law more, and tarnish her image in
Queena’s eyes. "Aunt Queena, you shouldn’t expect too much from Melinda. She can’t help being the
way she is."
Not that it did much anyway. Queena expressly looked down at Yulia as well, especially in light of what
the girl had done before as well as her mother's identity.
In truth, Yulia had involved herself in a lot of shameless issues unbefitting of the family's name, and
Queena had always chalked it up to her being the child of a mistress from a lower background.
Nelson was quite pleased with the young couple’s move, however. The night that they did, the old man
was jolly throughout his conversations, going as far as telling Queena that she finally did something
right by forcing the two back into the main villa.
Even so, the air between Jonas and Melinda remained awkward and delicate. They would manage to
pull off the harmonious act in front of the family patriarch, but it would sometimes slip.
It took a lot of effort, after all. Especially now that they were together day and night, and at such close
proximity to Nelson. It wouldn’t take long before the old man started noticing a lot of red flags.
One time after lunch, the women of the Gu family sat around the table to eat some fruit. "Aunt
Queena," Yulia began. "I noticed that today you've received quite a lot of invitations to events and
parties. You are so popular."
Melinda stiffened at that, but her face remained nonchalant. She smiled a little to hide her surprise.
It was no secret that people were drawn to a person’s name, especially if it was associated with fame,
wealth, and power.
As such, establishing connections to prominent people was quite a common scene, even in the upper
echelons of the social class. And yet, despite being the wife of the Gu family's heir, and briefly being
the madam of the family during Queena’s time away, Melinda received no invitation to such gatherings.
For Queena to receive a deluge of invitations so shortly after her return was a slap to Melinda’s face.
It was as if the upper-class sought to let her know that her position in the Gu family was never
recognized since the start, and would never be recognized at all.
"Not really," Queena said as she took a dainty piece of apple. "Most of them are just small banquets.
The family has a lot of connections after all.
It’s only right for the madam of the Gu family to tend to such social engagements."
She shot a pointed look at Melinda as she said that last sentence. Melinda let it fly over her head
without acknowledgment whatsoever.
"Oh, I see," Yulia drawled. "Well, you can take Melinda to the parties, then. I know! Why not start with
the fashion banquet this week? I think that would be a perfect opportunity."
She glanced snidely at Melinda, knowing her sister-in-law couldn’t have missed the malice in her
words. She knew Melinda seldom attended parties, and the woman probably knew nothing about style.
She would only embarrass herself if she attended a function that was all about fashion.
Yulia still didn’t have a firm grasp on Queena’s thought processes, however, and so did not anticipate
that Queena was altogether unwilling to take Melinda to such a posh event. Loathe as she was to
extend an invitation, Queena was put to the spot by her husband’s bastard daughter.
"Do you want to go?" she asked Melinda in a manner that made it clear she wanted a negative answer.
"Of course she does!" Yulia was quick to manipulate the conversation yet again. She turned to Melinda
and asked tauntingly, "Don’t you?"
Melinda couldn’t refuse of course. Instead, she sought comfort in the knowledge that most of her
favorite designs would be on display at the banquet; perhaps she might find a bit of enjoyment for
herself in that part of the evening.
It was true she hadn’t attended such an occasion for a considerable amount of time, though, so she
wasn’t sure how she should dress herself.
She agonized over it for quite a while before deciding to just choose an outfit that made her
comfortable and feel like herself.
She didn’t have enough money to buy a lavish dress anyway. But she could certainly afford to rent one.
With that in mind, she stole away from the mansion around siesta time, and went to a private custom
shop in A City by herself.
As luck would have it, she was the only client when she arrived, and the receptionist was more than
glad to attend to her. She had been marketing a lot of outfits to Melinda, and rambled for some time
before she was finally cut off.
"I’m planning to rent a dress, please show me the ones that are up for such an arrangement."
The receptionist was visibly surprised upon hearing this request, but quickly brought Melinda to a room
that displayed a variety of evening gowns.
One of the dresses immediately caught Melinda's attention, and she immediately fell in love with it after
trying it on. The fabric was a mixed gradient of blue and silver, with a strapless top cinched at the waist
and a skirt that poured over her legs to the floor.
She looked like she was wearing a piece of the starry night sky over her body, the hues shining and
shimmying along her curves as she walked.
"Do I look okay?" Melinda asked the receptionist a little anxiously. She was no exception to the little
bouts of vanity all women had. Of course she wanted to look good. And she really wanted this dress.
"Miss, you are the most beautiful woman to have ever tried on this dress," the receptionist declared as
she handed Melinda a diamond set to match the dress.
"Are you sure you wouldn’t buy the dress?" She thought it was quite a shame; the client looked
ethereal in the dress, so she deserved to own it.
"No, thank you," Melinda said, sharing the receptionist’s regret. "I’ll need this one for a day, please."
She signed the necessary paperwork, and returned to the Gu's mansion as quietly as she’d left it. The
dress was to be delivered at a later date, since it needed to be dry-cleaned first.
It arrived exactly at the day of the banquet, so no one in the mansion had any idea what Melinda might
be wearing for the event.
When she came down that evening, Queena only glanced at her and didn’t say a word. Yulia, on the
other hand, had her jaw drop at the sight.
She herself had chosen a dress with a similar, starry sky palette, only her cut was different. Yulia’s
dress was so much shorter, and was also sexier at the top.
When they arrived at the banquet, everyone stared. The women entered together, with Queena at the
center, but all the attention fell on Melinda.
She had pulled her hair up into a classic chignon, emphasizing her elegant neck and the delicate
features of her face. She looked breathtaking, and even without uttering a word, she exuded exquisite
class.
Yulia knew there was a very stark difference between her and Melinda. She knew she looked cheap
and trashy in her skimpy, shiny dress, while her sister-in-law looked the total opposite.
She had wanted to be in the limelight, but was once again reduced to the background. If anyone did
notice Yulia, it was only to comment on the difference, and compare her to Melinda.
'Damn it! Where the hell did she get that dress?' Men were beginning to stare, too, which only angered
Yulia further.
"Melinda, you look absolutely gorgeous," she said in a sickly sweet voice and made sure everyone
within hearing distance was listening.
"I see so many guys stealing glances at you and others just flat out staring. If my brother found out
about all the attention you’re getting, I’m sure he would be jealous!"
Despite her praises, her comments served to embarrass the guests who were openly admiring
Melinda, and they awkwardly looked away.
Melinda handled it all with grace. "Thank you, Yulia. You look very beautiful as well."
She was careful to sound polite, even though she didn’t miss the anger and envy in the younger
woman’s eyes.
She knew Yulia’s outfit was tailored to impress, and she was sure her sister-in-law had every intention
to be the star of this fashion banquet. She had effectively thwarted those plans, however, and now she
had all the attention Yulia wanted.
Soon the guests started to approach them to make idle small talk, all of them speaking to Melinda first
and barely noticing the other woman beside her.
The host of this event was the owner of a prominent jewelry company in the city, which had since
extended its trade to other fashion commodities. Displayed on the venue were assorted jewelry, shoes,
bags, and clothing items. It was a feast for the eyes of any fashion aficionado.
A program was arranged to explore the items in detail, and after the fashion bit was done, the banquet
commenced.
Melinda stood off to the side, drinking a glass of champagne as she watched the guests milling about
with little interest.
"Beautiful lady, may I dance with you?" She turned to find a man extending a hand towards her in
invitation.
He was dressed in a simple gray suit that looked very low-key by all rights, but a closer inspection
would reveal that the cut was tailor-fit, and that the fabric was luxuriously rich.
His hair was slicked back, and he completed his ensemble with a silver silk scarf around his neck. He
had a gentle and kind look in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth were tilted up in a soft smile.
"Sorry," Melinda said, returning his smile. "I’m afraid I can’t dance." She said it matter-of-factly, not at all
feeling embarrassed at what most of the guests here would deem a form of ineptitude.
"It’s rather simple. Let me teach you, then." The man only grinned as he persisted.
Yulia was standing only an arm’s length to their side, unnoticed. She sneered at Melinda and the man,
unable to contain her envy. She wanted to say something, but thought better than to draw attention to
herself in such a situation.
Queena was off talking to her acquaintances. If Yulia only knew she would find herself stuck in such an
awkward wallflower position, she should have just tagged along with Queena.
"I’m so sorry, but I really must refuse your kind offer," Melinda was saying. Then she suddenly turned to
Yulia, which caught the younger woman off guard.
"You may dance with this lady beside me, though. She’s rather good at it. I’m sure she would be glad to
be your partner."
Yulia’s eye twitched. She just got served a taste of her own medicine, and by Melinda, no less. Her
sister-in-law still had a friendly smile on her face, but she looked at Yulia with a sharp glint in her eyes.
The man glanced at her then, looking her up and down. Both women knew his mind must be reeling
with thoughts about the two starry sky dresses, which would have been similar, but instead were such
an undeniable contrast to each other.
Yulia grimaced. She knew she wasn’t looking good, that she never did the moment they stepped into
the banquet. She saw the hesitation in the man’s face, as well, even as he offered her his invitation to
dance. He was obviously forcing himself so as to spare all three of them of the embarrassment.
Melinda breathed a sigh of relief when they left. She was still unaccustomed to interacting with
calculating people who had ulterior motives to their every action. She might be holding her own in the
mansion with Yulia and Queena, but it was all so much work, really.
More people invited her to dance after that, but she refused them all with the same excuse. When she
finally got the chance, she left the banquet hall and slipped into a quieter area with considerably less
people.
people.
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