Everyone was sitting at different corners, so Melinda clumsily picked the dishes and served them. She
couldn't manage everything on her own.
Melinda was busy and started to sweat despite the chilly weather.
She stumbled on her feet as she opened the zipper of her coat. Jonas grabbed Melinda's arms and
gave her a basket of vegetables and bamboo sticks. He couldn't see her struggle anymore.
"Sit here and prepare the vegetables for making kebabs. They have been washed clean,"
Jonas said as he looked after Melinda's work. Melinda was shocked by Jonas's thoughtfulness.
She grinned happily as it was an easy job. All she had to do was sit down and arrange the vegetables
in the skewer.
Jonas served pre-cooked food and cakes as starters while Melinda prepared the grill for barbecue.
Nelson and Aron went to the river for fishing.
Queena helped Jonas and Rey arrange everything as they set up a barbecue grill and a temporary
stove. Queena started by boiling the water and Melinda finished skewering the vegetables.
She called Jonas to ask what she needed to do next. But he didn't say anything and let her do
whatever she wanted.
It was a mellow morning and the cool breeze carried a warmth that instantly lifted Melinda's spirit. By
the time dinner was ready, Nelson returned with succulent freshwater fishes.
"Jonas, I saw some flowers on the hillside. Why don't you and Mellie grab them so that we can
decorate the table with them. Also, I want to post the pictures of WeChat moments?" Queena said.
Melinda's eyes lit up. She was clumsily sprawled on the grass and Jonas gave her a hand.
She bit her lip and took his hand as he pulled her to her feet.
The flowers in the suburb were swaying in the wind. Melinda carefully picked all the beautiful, bright
ones and gave them to Jonas.
The colorful hillside stood out against the somber suburbs as the flowers bloomed during winter.
"These are beautiful. Take it."
Melinda beamed as she gave a bunch of flowers to Jonas. His hands involuntarily reached for the
flowers, his eyes fixed on Melinda's beautiful face. The flowers faded in comparison to the bright smile
on Melinda's face. Jonas dropped the flowers to the ground as his face became itchy.
"What are you... Jonas, what's the matter?"
Melinda's mouth popped open in shock. She was about to scold Jonas for not holding the flowers
properly but she realized that something was wrong. Angry, red rashes formed on Jonas's flawless skin
that gradually spread all over his face and arms.
"My body is itching,"
Jonas muttered. He didn't notice the rashes as his eyes were fixed on Melinda. She lunged forward
and grabbed Jonas's hand as he was about to scratch his face.
"Stop! Don't scratch it."
Melinda held Jonas's arms and took him back to where everyone had assembled for dinner. Queena
dropped the dishes when she saw Jonas's red face.
"Gosh! It looks like an allergy. Let's take him to the hospital right away."
The picnic came to a halt because of Jonas's allergy but no one could understand what he was allergic
to. They were worried if it could be something else worse than an allergy.
Queena and Melinda took Jonas to the hospital, while Nelson left with Aron and Rey.
The short drive to the hospital felt like an eternity as Melinda's mind was swarming with all possibilities
of Jonas's condition ranging from skin allergies to terminal illnesses.
Jonas was fine but Melinda broke into a cold sweat and the blood drained from her face.
Jonas knew that it was dangerous to scratch the rashes, so he resisted the urge and endured the
torture in silence.
He saw that Melinda's body was trembling. She bit her bottom lip as she inspected Jonas's rashes.
"Are you cold?" Jonas asked intently.
He saw that Melinda was nervous and tried diverting her.
"Yes," she mumbled and hugged him tightly.
Melinda always maintained a safe distance from Jonas and he was surprised by her reaction.
He pushed her away as he was afraid that it could be a contagious disease. He didn't want Melinda to
suffer as well.
Queena was agitated and drove as fast as she could. When they finally reached the hospital, the
doctor quickly assessed Jonas's condition and diagnosed that Jonas was allergic to pollen. Although
his condition wasn't serious, the doctor insisted on him staying back until he fully recovered.
Queena's heart sank. She felt guilty for asking Jonas to bring the flowers. Moreover, being a mother,
she didn't know what her son was allergic to. She couldn't stop blaming herself.
Jonas fell asleep after taking medicine. Queena and Melinda were sitting beside the bed. They had
informed Nelson about Jonas's condition and asked him to stay back at home.
While everyone was worried about Jonas's allergy, Aron remembered that Jonas was negotiating a
new business opportunity.
The business was very important for the company and if Aron used Jonas's absence to his advantage,
he would be able to reap benefits.
Jonas woke up in the afternoon. He didn't know how long he might have to stay in the hospital, so he
asked William to manage the office and business.
"You are hospitalized, Jonas. Can't you just stop worrying about the business?"
Queena asked worriedly. She had been after power and money before. Her son had worked hard to
win the right to inheritance but nothing mattered to her anymore. Her family and son were important
than anything else in the world. Queena couldn't see her son working hard by neglecting his health.
"Mom, it's an important deal."
William had just called to inform him that Aron had already taken action.
"Mom, don't worry. I'll take care of him."
Melinda knew that work was important for Jonas and decided to be at his side and take care of him.
Queena trusted Melinda and went home.
William was efficient. He was in the hospital in an hour with all the documents and other important files.
The VIP ward soon became Jonas's temporary workplace.
Jonas's hand was injected with a saline drip. He was too exhausted to read the documents and did the
necessary research work. Melinda helped him find the necessary data and sorted the documents.
Melinda was familiar with the work and it was for her to understand the requirement of the task.
"My eyes are heavy. Can you read it for me?"
Jonas asked as he closed his eyes and blew out a loud breath. The rashes on his face were red and
swollen. Melinda's heart ached when she saw the corner of Jonas's right eye. It was the most affected
area on his face.
Melinda carefully read every word of the document. Even the boring document seemed like a lullaby in
Melinda's sweet voice.
It was a lengthy document and Melinda took a sip of water to moisten her throat. Jonas would stop
Melinda if he had any doubts, or she would continue to read.
There was a soft knock on the door.
Melinda opened the door and was surprised to see Emily. She glared at her and resisted the urge to
slam the door on her face.
Yulia had informed Emily that Jonas was in the hospital. So, she had asked her assistant to prepare
soup and immediately came to see Jonas.
"Jonas!"
Emily scowled at Melinda and squeezed herself into the ward. Melinda had been taking care of Jonas
and hadn't eaten anything since morning.
She was too weak that she almost fell. But luckily, she held the door for support and balanced herself.
"Jonas, I heard that you were hospitalized. I was disturbed and couldn't focus on my work. Are you all
right?"
Emily put the pot of soup on the table and sat on the bed beside Jonas. Melinda gritted her teeth and
turned away.
"I'm fine."
Jonas was uncomfortable with Emily's unexpected visit. Only a few people in Jonas's circle knew that
he was hospitalized and he wondered how Emily got the news.
Something seemed wrong but Jonas remained calm.
"You don't look good. I made the soup for you. Do you know how difficult that is? Come on, don't
embarrass me."
The aroma of soup wafted in the air as Emily opened the pot.
Melinda was annoyed to see Jonas with Emily, so she left for the kitchen to make a glass of glucose for
herself. She felt dizzy as she had low blood sugar. Moreover, she was busy taking care of Jonas and
hadn't eaten anything since morning.
The soup was steaming hot. Emily opened the pot, poured the soup into a bowl and kept it aside to
cool. She saw the documents lying clumsily on the bed, so she grabbed one file after the other to
arrange them properly. The documents that Melinda had sorted according to the work were ruined in an
instant.
Jonas grunted in annoyance but it was too late before he stopped her. He glanced at Melinda who was
in the kitchen, leaning against the fridge. Her usually bright face was dull and she looked exhausted.
Jonas wanted peace and silence. He was irritated that Emily was fussing over him, treating him like a
child.
"Jonas, let me feed you some soup," she said, picking the bowl as the soup had turned a little cold.
She picked the spoon, blew it gently, and placed it before his lips. Jonas was uncomfortable by the
intimacy and pushed her hand away.
"I'm not hungry. Keep it there."
"The soup will not taste good if it turns cold. Take a sip, Jonas."
Emily pouted, deliberately showing her swollen hand. Jonas believed that she made the soup for him
and couldn't refuse it.
"Don't! I'll drink it on my own."
Jonas reached for the bowl and took a sip. He scrunched his nose as the taste was too strong for his
liking. Melinda usually prepared mild soup that soothed his body but the soup that Emily had brought
made him sick.
He glanced at Melinda again and saw her leaning on the seat. Her eyelids looked heavy and he
wondered if she was asleep.
Jonas was worried that Melinda would sprain her neck.
He took a few sips of the soup and placed it aside. Emily was disappointed but didn't show it. She sat
with Jonas and attended to all his needs.
"Are you handling the company's affairs? Why are you working when you're not feeling well? Let me
help you so that you can go back to bed early."
Emily looked after him like a wife. She picked the documents and began to sort them.
There was knock on the door again. Nelson was at the door with a nurse. His eyebrows furrowed when
he saw Emily sitting intimately with Jonas with a file in her hand.
Nelson was seething with rage that he almost forgot why he had come to see
Jonas.
Emily looked after him like a wife. She picked the documents and began to sort them.
There was knock on the door again. Nelson was at the door with a nurse. His eyebrows furrowed when
he saw Emily sitting intimately with Jonas with a file in her hand.
Nelson was seething with rage that he almost forgot why he had come to see
Jonas.
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