Jonas was sensible and could see things clearly. He understood that he could neither live with Melinda
nor stay away from her. He didn't want to lose her. Jonas felt that the contract was pointless and
therefore, shredded it into pieces.
He crumpled the pieces into a ball and was about to discard it into the trash can but decided against it.
He put the paper safely in the innermost side of the safe, where no one could see.
It was too dangerous to throw it in the trash can as people could easily find it and it would create
unnecessary problems.
Jonas shook his head and laughed at his fate. He thought about how his life had changed in a short
time. He had done many unimaginable things for Melinda. Sometimes, when he looked at himself in the
mirror, he saw a different person staring at him.
Jonas was a changed man but he loved who he had turned into. Melinda had reshaped him and gave a
new meaning to his life.
Queena and Yulia walked to the door to see Emily off. The smile on Queena's face completely
disappeared when she saw the car leave.
"Aunt Queena, are you okay?"
Yulia asked, feigning concern. But Queena was furious and ignored her tone.
"Yes,"
Queena mumbled. Her hatred for Melinda reached another level. She was Jonas's mother and the best
hostess of the Gu family. She hated Melinda's attitude.
"How dare Melinda disrespect you? She was rude even though she knew that Emily was your guest.
Poor Emily was too upset. She is always sweet and endures Melinda's torture without complaining,"
Yulia said, shaking her head.
Although Queena remained silent, Yulia wanted to trigger her anger. She didn't want Queena to forget
everything and move on.
"Emily is a good girl. Your brother..."
Queena gritted her teeth and blew out a loud breath. She remembered that Emily was close to
becoming her daughter-in-law but Nelson meddled at the last minute and got her son married to
Melinda.
"I don't know what Melinda had done to make Grandpa force Jonas to marry her. She has cast a spell
on him and he seems to listen to her every word."
Yulia shook her head and smiled sadly. She never missed an opportunity to put Melinda down.
"Your Grandpa is old and has lost his mind," Queena grunted.
She felt that he had ruined her son's life. Nelson didn't mention anything about the relationship the two
families shared. No one knew the reason why Nelson wanted Jonas to marry Melinda. Therefore,
everyone assumed that Melinda was evil.
"Melinda is arrogant because she has Grandpa's support. Aunt Queena, I think it's best if we stay away
from her."
Yulia looked around and whispered cautiously, which annoyed Queena.
"That's ridiculous! I don't care what she does or thinks. It's time to teach her a lesson. Otherwise, she
will think that there's no one to stop her."
Queena pursed her lips and thought about what she needed to do to make Melinda understand her
place in the family.
Yulia was happy that she had achieved her goal but she was still worried about what would happen if
Queena failed to defeat Melinda.
It was a sleepless night for both Yulia and Queena. The next morning, Queena sent the driver to pick
Emily up. She knew that Melinda was upset by Emily's presence and spent more time with her just to
annoy Melinda.
There was a silent war between Queena and Melinda. Queena wasn't ready to give up until she
separated Melinda from her son.
Melinda couldn't understand why Queena despised her but she didn't bother asking her about it.
Emily's plan seemed to work as Queena slowly fell into her trap. They shared a common goal of
defeating Melinda. Although Emily was exhausted, she still came to the Gu's mansion after finishing
work.
She had come to attend a makeup launch, so she bought a suit for Queena.
"Why are you being formal by getting gifts? This is like your home." Queena beamed. She was secretly
happy about the gift but didn't show it to Emily. Being Emily's ally, Yulia also enjoyed small gifts
occasionally.
"It's just a small gift. I hope you like it."
Emily smiled and gave a box of biscuits that was baked by her assistant. Queena took a bite of it and
exclaimed, "Not bad! You've done a great job, Emily. They taste good. Most girls know nothing about
cooking basic food, let alone baking."
"I love baking. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I eat the food that I cook."
Emily shrugged and didn't bother telling Queena that it was her assistant who made them.
"You are brilliant at work and a great cook too. You're going to make someone lucky."
Queena smiled sadly. Anger rose from the pit of her stomach as her mind flitted to Melinda. The
difference between Melinda and Emily was evident. She couldn't stop thinking about how things would
be different if Emily had married Jonas instead of Melinda.
"Melinda is also a good girl," Emily said.
"Who? She? Please don't talk about her to me. It's kind of you to think that she's good. All she knows is
to wreak havoc in Jonas's life. And she isn't willing to learn how to manage a family,"
Queena hissed through her teeth. The biscuit in her hand crumbled to pieces. She dusted off the
powder and forced a smile.
Emily took a sip of her tea to cover the smile that was tugging at the corners of her lips. She changed
her expression and continued to tell that Melinda was a good person.
"Please don't talk about her and upset me."
Emily realized that she had gone too far and quickly changed the topic. They were chatting and
laughing happily. Melinda was in her room upstairs and couldn't write a single word. The noise
downstairs was too distracting and she wondered if Emily was doing it on purpose to annoy her.
Emily's voice was a decibel higher than usual and her laughter was too loud that it reverberated across
the villa.
"Aunt Queena, I'm holding a charity party this weekend and I would like to invite you. It would be great
if you could join us,"
Emily said, smiling innocently. Her eyes sparkled with respect and kindness that made Queena agree
in an instant.
"How sweet of you! I would love to attend the party. I'll ask my friends to join as well. You've helped me
a lot during the art exhibition. I wanted to do something in return but couldn't think of any. This seems
like the perfect opportunity."
Emily's smile fell. She was afraid that Queena was suspicious of her motive. She didn't want Queena to
think that she was helping her with a hidden agenda.
"Aunt Queena, I helped you because I like your painting and calligraphy, not because I want you to..."
Emily swallowed loudly. She didn't know what to say.
Her face turned pale as sweat beaded on her forehead. Queena chuckled as she realized that Emily
had misunderstood her. She leaned forward and held Emily's hand.
"I know that you helped me because you're a kind girl. It's very thoughtful of you to hold a party for
charity. I like the idea and want to support you."
Emily breathed a sigh of relief. Queena sensed that Emily was still nervous and felt guilty. She felt that
she should have conveyed her message in a better way.
"Aunt Queena, I want to invite Melinda to the party. Can you ask her to join us?"
Emily asked, biting her bottom lip. She had a plan in mind. Emily had managed to increase Queena's
hatred for Melinda. She felt that if she ignited a little spark, it would turn into a raging fire that would
destroy their relationship.
She would make Yulia feed the flames until Queena chucked Melinda out of the Gu family.
Emily's plans were working, and if she managed to succeed in her final plan, she would have Jonas all
to herself. But she should make sure nothing went wrong this time.
A smile stretched on Emily's lips.
"For what?" Queena asked, snapping Emily from her reverie.
There was undisguised contempt on Queena's face and Emily thought that she wouldn't agree.
"Melinda is Jonas's wife. I think it's good for her to attend these parties,"
Emily said. She wanted to pretend as if she was doing it for Jonas's benefit; only then would Queena
accept it without thinking. Moreover, this would increase Queena's love and admiration for Emily.
"All right, I'll bring her to the party,"
Queena agreed and began to think about what she needed to do to make Melinda come with her.
Emily and Queena chatted for some time. Before lunch, Melinda excused herself and went out. She
couldn't have dinner with Emily. Melinda's behavior annoyed Queena. She felt that Melinda lacked
manners and values.
Queena couldn't help but blame Melinda's family for raising her like this. Emily was kind enough to
ignore Melinda but an important guest would have been offended by her actions.
Melinda decided to go for a walk as she was depressed at home. She couldn't concentrate on her work
and her writing was stagnant. Melinda told the editor about her problem. The editor asked Melinda to
meet her at the company's headquarters.
"If you feel that your home isn't an ideal place for work, I suggest you look for a place and convert it into
your office. You can also hire an assistant to help you out. Melinda, you are a popular writer and you
need to do everything to get better at your craft. You have a strong fan base and you shouldn't
disappoint them."
The editor poured a glass of juice and gave her time to think about it. "Look, my job is to help you out.
We can look for a good office space and a skillful assistant. What do you say?"
"I will think about it."
Melinda smiled. She knew that the plan wouldn't work. Finding an office space would only give a
chance for people to gossip about her.
"Yeah, sure, take your time. Just remember that I've got your back. It's my duty to make you feel
comfortable. So, the next time something bothers you, call me right away."
Melinda chuckled. She decided to stay back in the company and get some work done. She felt that
even if something went wrong, she could immediately consult her editor. Finding an office space didn't
seem like a bad idea anymore.
It was evening when Melinda returned to the Gu's mansion. She was glad to find that Emily was gone.
Yulia and Queena were the only ones at the dining table as Nelson was traveling.
Emily had used Nelson's absence to her advantage. She couldn't have played her tricks with his
vigilant eyes constantly inspecting her.
"Emily is throwing a charity dinner this week and I want you to join me. You're Jonas's wife and you
shouldn't stay in your room all day long. You have to attend parties and banquets. That's the best way
to connect with people,"
Queena ordered. Although she disliked her daughter-in-law, she couldn't refuse things that benefited
her son.
Melinda stopped picking her food as her eyes widened with shock.
Yulia was excited as she knew that there would be several young men attending the banquet. She
could find a potential partner there to secure her life.
"Aunt Queena, can I go with you?" Yulia asked expectantly.
She was a disgrace to the Gu family and seldom got the chance to attend banquets. This was a rare
opportunity and Yulia didn't want to let it go.
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