"Who the hell are you people?" Daniel demanded aggressively. "I could report you to the police for
suddenly showing up and raising a racket."
"You’re very welcome to involve the police," Kent said with a faint smile. "I’m sure they would be very
interested in the case of this car, and would no doubt take the matter into their hands."
He had barely finished speaking when the couple’s heads swiveled to look at each other nervously.
The woman’s lips trembled in visible fear.
Kent only continued to look at them, his gaze swinging back and forth between the man and woman,
his smile still in place.
Daniel cleared his throat. He never expected the prank to be so serious; the instructions he was given
were rather straightforward. He took the money and did as he was told.
Nobody said anything about a dangerous prank that could possibly qualify as a crime and would bring
the authorities to their doorstep.
"I don’t know anything," the man said to Kent, although his eyes shifted suspiciously. "I was only told to
rent a car."
They were at a stalemate. Daniel and his wife were given a hundred thousand in cash to keep silent on
the matter.
It was such a huge amount that even if he, or any of his lot, were to work for the rest of their lives, they
would never amass such wealth.
But now that they were faced with the threat of being imprisoned, the money didn’t seem enough.
Daniel was suddenly thankful that the person who hired him didn’t deem him worthy of the details to the
transaction.
"Is that so?" Kent said slowly, a cold glint to his eye.
Daniel and his wife stuttered their denials, swearing they had no direct involvement whatsoever to the
accident, and repeatedly begged Kent not to call the police.
"What should we do, Sir?" his assistant finally asked. They could both tell that the couple knew more
than they were letting on, but obviously less than what Kent required.
As he looked around the surroundings and the living conditions within the area, he felt slightly sorry for
the members of this community.
Still, that was no reason for them to risk what little they had by hanging on to the edge of a knife’s
blade.
"Forget it," Kent exhaled. "Let’s just go." Any method of polite query was clearly just a waste of time. If
the couple was unwilling to divulge what they knew, then he couldn’t do anything to force them.
Besides, he was sure that if the Gu family were really determined to look into the matter, they certainly
would have the necessary connections and would definitely nail the culprit in no time.
He only walked the extra mile in hopes that he could provide some sort of explanation to Melinda
sooner.
He called her later that night to relay what little he uncovered, and asked her if she wanted him to dig
into it any further.
"Never mind. I don’t have a lot of enemies anyway. I'm sure that whoever is behind this is now on the
run, and can’t possibly be hanging around for another scheme. I’ll be careful in the future."
She had, in fact, spent a great deal of the day pondering over the possible culprits. She had the usual
suspects of course: the women who so openly despised her. But she had no proof, and could come up
with no rational explanation behind the deed.
Well, whoever it was, Melinda concluded that the person didn’t have enough guts to inflict their actions
directly on her. The car probably only served as an outlet for their anger. As long as her life wasn’t
threatened, she wouldn’t waste her precious time worrying over the matter.
"In order to thank you for your help," she told Kent over the phone. "Why don’t we have dinner this
weekend?" Kent’s concern and kindness really touched her.
Moreover, they hadn’t really had a proper chance to get together ever since Kent returned to the city,
so this proposed a perfect opportunity.
"I’m all up for that," Kent agreed readily. While it was true that the magazine office was busy these
days, the weekends were a required respite to all of its employees.
They settled for Sunday, which was the day after tomorrow, and decided on the time and place for their
meet up.
Perhaps it was because the appointment was on such short notice that it slipped from Melinda’s mind
to mention it to Jonas. Kent’s return had a lasting effect on Jonas, and his temper ran short over the
littlest things. At home he was acting coldly towards Melinda, even though he didn’t want to.
It was just that he was floundering, clueless on how to go about his feelings. And he was extremely bad
at communication.
That being the case, Melinda’s outing was never brought up in recently curt conversations between the
husband and wife.
The next day, Saturday, Queena pulled Melinda into her painting studio. She had discovered a few
days ago that Melinda was talented in the arts as well, and Nelson all but sang his praises to the yard.
"Mom, Grandpa is exaggerating," Melinda kept saying, embarrassed at the whole turn of events.
Queena seemed keen on sharing her studio and asking her to paint something.
She felt a mild terror. If her mother-in-law truly discovered her painting skills... well, it didn’t even bear
thinking.
Queena toured her around the studio, pointing at her supplies and telling Melinda the best spot to paint
at any given time of day, as if she were sharing a very valuable treasure. "How is it?" the older woman
finally asked.
"This place is incredible," Melinda breathed. She was always amazed at how dedicated artists were to
their craft, and being inside Queena’s studio gave her a glimpse into the latter’s mind from a
perspective that was no doubt inaccessible to most.
In truth she was feeling a bit of emotion, surrounded as she was by all the paint and heaps of blank
canvases and a shower of natural light.
It had been so long since she had drawn a paintbrush across a clean surface herself.
"If you’d like," Queena was saying, "you can ask Gavin for a spare key to this room." Melinda swung
her head to look at her mother-in-law in surprise. The older woman only smiled. "You’re welcome to it
any time."
This was how Queena was, after all. If she took a liking to you, she tended to shower you with...
anything she could, really. And if you let your guard down, she could get a tad excessive with her
favors.
They spent the whole day in that room, and Melinda finally gave in and allowed herself to be pushed to
a corner with her own easel and palette.
Queena was like a ball of energy as she dove into another blank canvas, humming to herself as she
painted the day away. Perhaps it was because she was in such a good mood; perhaps it was because
of the excellent weather.
Melinda, however, could not come up with anything good to put on canvas. She was still reeling from a
myriad of heavy emotions, emotions that were a little too fragile and ugly to manifest themselves in any
medium.
"Your grandfather was quite right," Queena later huffed as she looked at Melinda’s canvas. "You are
too modest for your own good sometimes."
It was nothing brilliant, to be honest, just a hazy mix of colors, but she could tell that her daughter-in-
law had real talent.
Nelson and Jonas found them not long after that, and the family patriarch didn’t fall short with his
praises. It seemed like Queena’s good mood had translated well to picture. "I’ll probably be able to
finish it tomorrow," she smiled contentedly. "I’ll frame it once the paint dries."
Jonas, on the other hand, peered over Melinda’s canvas. He knew from experience that she could do a
whole lot better than this. He was no artist himself, but the brush strokes looked... sort of wrong.
"But... don’t you draw?" he commented absentmindedly, thinking back on a painting they had both
made for Nelson’s birthday in the past.
"I wasn’t in the right headspace today," Melinda muttered, giving him a sideways glance.
'Why?' came his urgent thought. 'Not in the right headspace? Is she saying that she's distracted? Is it
because of Kent?'
He never voiced out his mind on the matter, though, and in turn he himself was distracted all through
the night. His sour mood turned all the more foul.
The next morning, Melinda left early. She had breezed through breakfast, and left the mansion as soon
as she was done. Jonas brooded.
"Mr. Gu," Gavin said, showing up suddenly on his side. "I thought it best to let you know that the
younger madam drove herself out in her own car."
"What's the... She’s still driving even after that incident?" A thunderous expression took over Jonas's
face. "Isn’t she afraid of death at all?"
Gavin took a step back at his young master’s words; the younger man’s tone sent an abundance of
chills down his spine.
But he quickly realized that this rather violent reaction was a testament to his affections for his wife.
The butler brightened instantly.
In truth, none of the elders in the family stepped in to investigate the matter, because they wanted
Jonas to handle it himself.
This was also an opportunity for him to redeem himself in his wife’s eyes, if he played his cards right.
But Jonas was being infuriatingly cavalier in the aftermath, and to say that they were irked was an
understatement. Gavin decided to prod Jonas along.
"The young madam did say it was no big deal. She insisted it was all a ruse to frighten her, but look at
her now, obviously undaunted. The younger madam is so bold."
He didn’t think it at all possible, but Jonas's face darkened even further after he heard his words. The
butler was quite pleased with himself, totally unaware of the direction the young man’s thoughts were
heading to.
'What would push her to go out alone in spite of the threats? Is it Kent?' Jonas was aware that these
days, all his negative thoughts and feelings always circled back to Kent.
He knew he was teetering out of line, but he couldn’t help it. And knowing that he couldn’t only fueled
his hatred for the man.
Jonas quickly grabbed his phone and dialed his wife’s number, an angry anxiety etched into his face.
He had the phone to his ear for only a beat when he ended the call and tossed it back to the table with
a loud thud.
Gavin flinched. The phone slid across the surface and went over the edge, falling to the floor with yet
another painfully loud bang. It landed face up, and as it did, the screen lit up to indicate an incoming
call.
Gavin saw it clearly, the name "Emily." Keeping his eyes down, he picked up the mobile device and
handed it gingerly to Jonas. He stood by as the young master said a single word barely half a minute
into the call. "Okay."
Then Jonas turned to the servant. "I won’t be having lunch here today." After that he strode back
upstairs, changed his clothes, and was out the main doors in a matter of moments.
Gavin watched the young master go, shaking his head in heavy disappointment. It didn’t take rocket
science to figure out what the call was about, or where Jonas was going. Or to whom. The old man
sighed.
The place where Melinda and Kent agreed to meet was a local farm located on the nearby suburbs.
Though it was essentially a farm, the residence located inside was actually no ordinary house, but a
manor.
It was a bustling haunt for both locals and tourists even in winter, and at the moment there were a lot of
people lining up to get into the grounds. Since Melinda knew the owner, she had the privilege to cut in
line.
She and Kent were greeted at the entrance of the manor, which housed a restaurant that served
organic food freshly harvested from these very lands.
The farm included a wide, fenced pasture to one side, and on the other side stood a huge barn that
housed all kinds of farm animals.
"It’s absolutely lovely here," Kent commented. They had taken a walk along the frozen pasture, and
finally found a bench to sit on as they watched the hustle and bustle of the visitors. It was a quiet place,
in spite of the flurry of business that came and went.
"You’re not wrong," Melinda sighed into the bright crisp air. "If I had found this place any earlier, I would
have done all I could to land a job here. I would have loved every bit of it and earned myself some extra
coin on the side."
"Well, you have no need for some extra coin now, do you, Younger Madam Gu?" Kent teased, and she
scoffed and rolled her eyes. They shared a little laugh.
What he said was true, and these days she didn’t really want for anything at all. Anything that could be
bought with money anyway.
"I would have preferred a simpler life like this," Melinda said softly, and it seemed like their
surroundings felt the weight of their words, because around them the snow seemed to hush as well.
She continued speaking.
"I would have dearly loved to have settled somewhere scenic, with breathtaking views of mountains
and rivers always at hand. I could live in a small farmhouse. And I would spend my days writing and
taking walks with my cat and my dog.
I would grow my own food, and tend to animals, and my trips into town would be rare and few. I would
live forever in my little farmhouse." She had a wistful smile on her face as she finished.
She only ever wanted an ordinary life. Such a mundane existence made her happy, even before she
laid her eyes on Jonas.
She had no doubt that such a life would have made her a great deal happier than she was now. Or at
the very least, it would have prevented all the suffering she had gone through.
Kent was a little surprised at the quality of nostalgia that came over Melinda, but he thought he
understood what she was trying to say. He gave her a wistful smile of his own. "That sounds really
divine."
They sat there for the better part of the morning, talking about anything and everything. Their
discussions led, as it usually did, to literature.
Passionate as they were over the subject, their animated conversation soon took a toll on their
appetites.
"I think we’re due a good meal," Kent said as he stood up and patted the snow off his clothes. "Let’s go
to the restaurant." Melinda led the way.
They walked for about ten minutes until they were at the entrance of the restaurant, and as soon as
Melinda stepped inside, her gaze locked on two very familiar people.
It was Jonas and Emily, and the woman had one of her arms linked around Melinda's husband's.
Melinda stopped short. Kent saw her stiffen abruptly, and he stepped forward, his gaze swinging to the
direction of her stare.
Jonas and Emily were standing near the reception, not too far away. The four people stared at each
other, and the air between them became heavy and charged with volatile and complicated emotions.
Jonas, in particular, was looking murderous. He stared at his wife and Kent, looking like he wanted to
eat the other man.
People started to notice the strange atmosphere, and the nosier ones took the time to look at all four of
them, eventually shrinking back as soon as they saw Jonas's face.
One look was all it took for anyone to tell that this man was not one to be trifled with. After a few beats,
Jonas spoke.
"What the hell are you two doing together?" His voice was deadly calm, but there was an unmistakably
dangerous note to it, and bystanders quickly scurried out of the way.
Melinda stopped short. Kent saw her stiffen abruptly, and he stepped forward, his gaze swinging to the
direction of her stare.
Jonas and Emily were standing near the reception, not too far away. The four people stared at each
other, and the air between them became heavy and charged with volatile and complicated emotions.
Jonas, in particular, was looking murderous. He stared at his wife and Kent, looking like he wanted to
eat the other man.
People started to notice the strange atmosphere, and the nosier ones took the time to look at all four of
them, eventually shrinking back as soon as they saw Jonas's face.
One look was all it took for anyone to tell that this man was not one to be trifled with. After a few beats,
Jonas spoke.
"What the hell are you two doing together?" His voice was deadly calm, but there was an unmistakably
dangerous note to it, and bystanders quickly scurried out of the way.
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