Queena knew that she had a grandchild whom she had never met but she didn't know anything other
than that. Although Melinda was telling simple stories, it was not difficult for Queena to understand
Emily's motives.
Queena was ashamed of herself for falling into Emily's trap. She remembered what all Emily had done
to flatter her.
Nelson was right; Queena was enchanted by Emily and had failed to see through her act. She looked
at Melinda. "I'm sorry," she said guiltily.
"What?" Melinda looked quizzically. She couldn't understand why Queena was apologizing to her.
Queena smiled but didn't tell what she was thinking.
"Looks like I'm getting old. I was stupid enough to be deceived by an actress."
"Oh, you're not old at all. If we go out together, people will think that we are sisters."
Melinda smiled comfortingly. She was glad that Queena understood who Emily truly was.
Queena felt guilty for hurting Melinda by blindly listening to Emily. She felt that it was best to cut all ties
with her.
Melinda was perplexed. Her intention to leave the Gu family began to waver. She didn't know what to
do.
Both of them went back to their bedrooms without saying a word.
The next morning, Melinda felt cold when she woke up. She realized that Jonas was tugging the quilt
that was draping her body. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips when she saw Jonas's
handsome face. He looked cute and peaceful in his sleep.
Melinda's fingers involuntarily touched Jonas's face. She stroked his eyebrows and let her fingers trail
across the short stubble on his cheeks.
Jonas's eyes snapped open. Melinda froze on the spot, their faces were inches apart. A subtle blush
crept on her cheeks as she didn't know what to tell him. "I think you've been stressed out lately. Your
hair is turning white," she said, trying to hide the embarrassment.
Melinda immediately pulled a strand of hair and showed it to Jonas.
Jonas looked at the black strand and knitted his eyebrows. "Oops! My bad. There's no light and I
thought that it was white hair."
Jonas shook his head and stood up. It was winter but the weather was cozy. The dim lights and the
chilly weather made Melinda lazy.
Jonas knew that Melinda was making up silly excuses. But he couldn't help but smile at her happy
face; he didn't have the heart to question her.
Melinda grinned sheepishly as she glanced at the strand of hair. She didn't want Jonas to know that
she adored him.
Melinda's bitter past made her hate Jonas. She was upset and wanted to do something to feel better.
Melinda lazed around in the bed and got up late. She finally dragged herself to the bathroom once
Jonas walked out after washing his face and brushing his teeth.
Melinda was wearing a light pink, satin nightwear. She slipped on a coat and went to the dining table.
Nelson and Jonas were busy reading the newspaper and Queena served the breakfast. Melinda
walked to the kitchen to help her but tripped over the carpet. She held the chair for support and
steadied herself.
"Good morning, Grandpa. Good morning, Mom."
Melinda smiled. Queena saw that Melinda had lost her balance and gestured her to sit down.
Nelson put the newspaper down. He frowned when he saw that Melinda was muffled up in coats and
scarves. "You need to consult a traditional Chinese doctor to regain your strength."
"Grandpa, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
Melinda waved her hand and smiled. She scrunched her nose in distaste when she remembered the
bitter taste of Chinese medicine.
Nelson sighed and shook his head. He knew that Melinda had become weak after the miscarriage.
Everyone at the table was depressed because of that but they didn't want to mention the miscarriage
and upset Melinda.
It was weekend and Jonas usually stayed at home. But everyone was surprised to see him dressed up
after breakfast. Jonas was about to leave but Queena blocked his way and stopped him.
"You hardly get the chance to rest at home. Where are you going?"
she asked, arching an eyebrow. Queena glanced out of the window and saw that it was too cold to step
out.
Jonas was strong and didn't feel cold. He was just wearing a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a long trench
coat.
"I'm catching up with a friend."
Queena frowned as she understood that he was meeting Emily. Although she had stopped talking with
Emily, she saw her post on WeChat last night. She had mentioned that she was going out with a
special friend.
"Are you meeting an important friend?"
Queena had never questioned Jonas in the past, so the sudden inquiry made him uncomfortable. He
nodded tersely as he didn't know what to say.
"Well, I think you should stay back if you aren't meeting anyone important. You hardly get the chance to
rest. Just stay back home and spend time with Mellie. It's important to strengthen your relationship."
Queena's words were honest and Nelson nodded in approval. Melinda blinked and smiled awkwardly.
"I'm meeting Emily."
Jonas wasn't aware that Queena despised Emily. He thought that his mother would let him meet Emily
as she shared a good bond with her. But on the contrary, Queena's anger elevated and she refused to
let him go.
"Mom, that's all right. Let him go. I don't need him to accompany me,"
Melinda said, glaring at Jonas. She was too annoyed to be with him but she didn't like the idea of him
meeting Emily.
Jonas couldn't understand that Melinda's words were a reflection of her anger. He thought that she
hated spending time with him.
An awkward silence prevailed in the villa. Jonas's phone blared with Emily's call. He glanced at his
phone and hesitated to pick the call in front of them, so he tried stepping outside. But Queena stopped
and motioned him to pick the call. Jonas attended the call without any questions and Queena
immediately turned the speaker on.
"Jonas, I've arrived. Have you left your house? It's cold outside. Don't forget to wear warm clothes,"
Emily said, breathing heavily. Everyone's face turned red with rage when they heard the excitement in
Emily's voice.
Nelson became furious when he saw that Melinda was upset.
"Jonas is staying at home with Mellie. It's cold outside, so go home. Don't waste your time by waiting
for him,"
Queena said. She never interfered in Jonas's affairs, but today, Queena felt that she needed to take
matters with her own hand. Otherwise, it would be too late.
There was a moment of silence before Emily hung up the call. Jonas knew that the damage was done
and he couldn't do anything about it.
"You need to allocate your time for Mellie and take care of her. Stay away from Emily,"
Queena repeated Nelson's words.
"Mom, it's fine. Don't stop him. Let him do whatever he wants to do."
Melinda was too annoyed to spend time with Jonas. Queena rolled her eyes and pulled her down on
the sofa.
"Are you crazy? Do you want him to hang out with Emily? Do you want to see her proud face? Mom
and Grandpa are on your side now. Don't be afraid of anyone."
Queena knew that Melinda was disappointed by Jonas's behavior, so she tried to unite them.
Queena realized her mistakes and was working on mending the damage that she had made. She knew
Emily's evil intentions and wanted to protect them from her.
Melinda nodded in understanding. Although she wasn't ready to spend the weekend with Jonas, she
didn't want him to get closer to Emily.
Queena was on a mission to strengthen Jonas and Melinda's relationship. She would always create
situations to bring Melinda closer to Jonas. She would prepare lunch and have Melinda deliver it to
Jonas's office.
Jonas would sometimes find two movie tickets in his pockets and flowers in his office. Queena came up
with interesting plans to spark romance in their relationship.
Melinda understood that her anger towards Jonas was because of love and possessiveness. Jonas
had been aloof only because he was mad at Melinda and he slowly began to realize his feelings for
her.
But there was no evident change in their relationship. They couldn't get along well like a happy couple
and Nelson and Queena couldn't stop worrying about them.
"The weather has been good for the last few days. Let's go out tomorrow for a picnic."
The Gu family usually hosted a family gathering. However, it had been a hectic year for the family and
they had no time to host a party. Moreover, they couldn't execute the project. It was winter and the
project was delayed again.
"A picnic?"
Melinda asked worriedly. She had always been afraid of winter and the thought of being outside
worried her even more. Jonas glanced at Melinda and agreed to the plan.
Everyone continued to plan the picnic without understanding Melinda's concern.
Queena was the happiest of them all. She felt that the picnic would be a great way to ignite love in
Melinda and Jonas's relationship. Once the dinner was finalized, she informed Gavin to go ahead with
the preparation.
"Don't forget to invite your uncle and his family,"
Nelson said as soon as he got into the study. He felt that Aron's presence was important as it was a
family gathering. But it was up to Aron to decide if he wanted to attend the picnic or not.
Queena was unhappy with Nelson's decision. The two families were constantly fighting for the
inheritance of power. Nelson openly established his support for Jonas, so Aron's jealousy and hatred
for Jonas intensified over the years.
"Okay."
Jonas nodded. Although it seemed like a bad idea, he believed that he could handle Aron and his son.
Aron and Rey had been exploiting Jonas and the company. They were safe as long as they didn't leave
a trace. But if Jonas found out the truth, he wouldn't show them any mercy.
Time flew in the blink of an eye and it was Sunday. Aron and Rey arrived on time. They all left for the
picnic in three different cars.
Aron's wife was at her parents' place and didn't attend the picnic. Queena and Gavin had prepared
everything in advance. The suburb was vacant and quiet as everyone preferred staying at home during
winter. The clear sky and the warm weather made it a perfect morning for a relaxing dinner party.
Nelson didn't bring servants with him as he wanted to improve Jonas and Melinda's relationship. He
assigned all the work to his grandchildren, hoping they would coordinate well.
Rey wanted to prove his potential to Nelson, so he shouldered all the responsibility, whilst Yulia
remained idle.
"Jonas, help Mellie adjust the table cloth,"
Nelson said as he saw Melinda kneeling on the ground, straightening the table cloth. She was dressed
in many clothes because she was afraid of the cold.
Jonas pursed his lips and knelt next to Melinda.
His agile hands efficiently straightened the cloth. Melinda glanced at him, gasping for breath.
"Please place the food on the table," she said breathlessly.
Jonas took the food from the car and placed it in front of Melinda. She wiped the beads of sweat on her
forehead and transferred the food into the table.
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