Kent instinctively stepped in front of Melinda, his body protectively shielding her. He felt that Jonas had
completely lost his control and was afraid that he would harm Melinda.
However, Melinda remained unaffected. She crossed her arms across her chest and smirked at Jonas.
Her eyes darted towards Emily and she shook her head. She felt that Jonas was being a hypocrite. He
was annoyed to see Kent with Melinda but he didn't bother stepping away from Emily who was
practically hugging him.
Kent glared at Jonas, his eyes fixed on Emily's arms that linked around Jonas’s.
Jonas immediately withdrew his arm. Emily lost her balance, staggered, and almost fell to the ground.
She scowled at Melinda almost as if she wanted to skin her alive.
Emily was making use of her sprained ankle to hold Jonas but Melinda's one look was all it took for him
to push her away.
Anger was simmering in the pit of Melinda's stomach but she managed to maintain her composure.
That was how Melinda had always been. She was great at concealing her true feelings and Jonas
couldn't see the anger and disappointment behind the smile.
His anger spiked when he saw her serene face. How could she remain calm after seeing him with
Emily? Was she not hurt to see him with another woman?
Jonas couldn't help but wonder if she loved him or not.
If she truly loved him, wouldn't she be as angry as he was?
Jonas's body was shaking and he felt that his head was about to explode because of Melinda's
arrogance.
Melinda ignored Jonas and smiled at Kent. "Kent, that's our table. Let's go inside,"
she said casually as if nothing had happened.
Kent was bewildered. But Melinda walked towards the table before he could question her.
The waiter breathed a sigh of relief. He was scared that Kent and Jonas were going to get into a fight;
now he was glad to see them part ways.
Once Melinda left, Emily decided to take advantage of this opportunity to aggravate the issue to break
them up.
"Jonas, looks like Melinda has plans with her friend, so why don't we go to our seats? You know it's
hard to book a table in this restaurant. It took a lot of effort for me to do it. Please don't ruin this dinner
for me." Emily pouted.
Her seductive voice brought Jonas back to his senses. But his eyes were fixed on Melinda.
Their seats weren't too far from each other. Melinda's table was right behind Jonas's and it was
separated by green plants. The restaurant had no doors but the tables were separated from each other
to ensure the privacy of the diners.
The waiter led Emily and Jonas to their seats. The thick bushes and plants hid Jonas's view and he
couldn't see what Melinda and Kent were doing.
Jonas grew frustrated with every passing minute. Emily hated to see his concern for Melinda, so she
fisted her palm to suppress her anger.
She understood the power Melinda had over him. Jonas hated to see Melinda with another man
because she was important to him. Emily could see that Jonas was slowly drifting away from her.
She didn't know when Melinda became important to him. What had she done to win his heart in such a
short time?
Emily had lost her balance and stumbled a couple of times right in front of Jonas's eyes. But he didn't
bother to give her a hand to help her.
"Jonas, what would you like to eat?"
Emily asked, looking at the menu. She had heard about this restaurant through a friend but had never
been here before. She knew that the flavors of the dishes were pretty strong.
Since Jonas preferred mild food, she decided to leave it up to him. She didn't want to order something
random and annoy Jonas even more.
"I don't care. Just order some bottles of wine for me first."
Jonas had lost his appetite. He hated to see that Melinda treated him like a stranger. His heart was
asking him to confront her and ask if she cared about him or not but the rational part of his brain was
stopping him. He was in a quandary.
"Sir, we have flower wine, rice wine, and home-made wine..." The waiter read out the specialties.
"Bring me one of each kind,"
Jonas said, waving his hand. His mind was a complete mess and his body was screaming for alcohol
to numb the pain.
The waiter was stunned and glanced at Emily.
"Jonas, let's begin with one bottle. The alcohol content in wine is high in this restaurant and it's not
advisable to drink too much." Emily tried persuading him but Jonas ignored her.
"Just bring what I say," Jonas growled.
The intensity of Jonas's face scared the waiter, so he immediately left to bring his orders.
Emily was surprised to see Jonas behave like a maniac.
Her hatred for Melinda intensified and she felt that she needed to do something big to separate them.
The waiter immediately returned with alcohol as he was terrified of Jonas.
Jonas immediately grabbed a bottle and gulped down the contents. The alcohol trailed down his throat,
leaving a burning sensation. Jonas knew that it was harmful to drink on an empty stomach but he loved
pain. It took his mind off the things that were bothering him. He felt as if his entire system was on fire
but it was nothing compared to the pain Melinda had caused him.
Melinda's beautiful face flashed in his eyes and he lost control again.
Whilst Jonas was losing his self, Melinda was surprisingly calm. She was behaving as if nothing had
happened, which worried Kent.
"Melinda,"
Kent called. His eyes were filled with concern. He knew that she was hurting inside and this was all an
act. Melinda usually said a word or two to vent out her anger but her unusual calmness scared him.
Melinda smiled and suggested the dishes for Kent to try.
Her choices were different from the others. She had personally tasted the dishes before, so she knew
that Kent would like them.
"What's wrong?"
Melinda finally asked when she saw Kent looking at her with inquiring eyes.
Kent opened his mouth to say something but he didn't know what to say. He could, to an extent,
understand the reason for Jonas's anger.
Kent felt sorry for him. He knew that his actions were a reflection of his love for Melinda but she
couldn't see it. If Kent saw his wife with another man, he would have reacted the same way.
But he felt that Jonas was incredibly stupid. If it were him, he would have immediately kissed his wife in
front of everyone to claim that she was his woman.
Jonas and Melinda's quarrel had attracted the attention of several diners and they couldn't stop looking
at them.
"Do you want to order anything?"
Melinda asked. She had ordered an array of dishes and a bowl of soup to soothe the stomach.
She also ordered some tofu pudding, and plum wine to complete the meal.
Kent glanced at the menu, and returned it to Melinda. "Umm... anything. I'm not a picky eater."
"Okay, that's all."
Melinda handed the menu and the pen to the waiter. The owner of the restaurant was Melinda's friend,
so the waiter was kind and polite to them. The desserts and wine were served quickly.
"You have to take a bite of the dessert and swallow it down with a sip of wine. It's a divine combination.
The owner of the restaurant taught me this little trick,"
Melinda said as she filled Kent's glass with wine.
Kent smiled in return and took a sip of it. He finally cleared his throat and asked what was bothering
him for too long. "Melinda, don't you want to say hello to Mr. Gu?"
"To him?"
Melinda scoffed. Kent knitted his eyebrows and nodded.
He could see that Jonas still cared about Melinda but she was completely oblivious to it.
Kent always believed that it was Melinda who suffered pain. But now, he realized that Jonas was
hopelessly in love with Melinda. It was pure torture for him to see her with Kent.
"Yeah, it's not a bad idea to explain to him," he said concernedly.
Kent felt that both Melinda and Jonas were making a grave mistake by staying away when they were
crazy about each other.
He felt that it was their ego that stopped them from getting closer.
"There is nothing to explain."
Melinda lowered her eyes and took a sip of the wine. She couldn't enjoy the taste anymore.
"Well, I think you should explain that we're just friends, at least for my sake. I will be in trouble if my
wife misunderstands our friendship." Kent frowned.
He felt that Melinda was being silly.
"I'll clearly explain everything to your wife if she misunderstands my intentions."
Melinda shrugged nonchalantly. She felt that she didn't owe an explanation to Jonas when he didn't
bother to explain what he was doing with Emily.
Moreover, Jonas had promised Melinda that he would cut all ties with Emily. But he had broken his
promise by walking into the restaurant, linking her arm.
"I think he is annoyed. He is drinking heavily."
Although Jonas couldn't see what they were doing, Kent had a clear view of Jonas's table.
Emily was trying hard to stop him but he seemed to ignore her. He was drinking like a madman.
Kent was curious. Didn't the wine hurt Jonas's throat? He took a sip of the plum wine that Melinda had
ordered.
He immediately scrunched his nose as the wine was too bitter. His throat was burning.
Melinda's usually bright face was dull. He knew that both of them were hurting inside. But they were too
proud to admit their feelings. Kent could see that they were drinking to forget their troubles.
"He deserves it,"
Melinda muttered. But deep inside, she was concerned about Jonas's health. She knew that Jonas had
a bad stomach and he would be in pain if he drank too much.
Melinda was too annoyed to stop him. She felt that he deserved it for lying to her.
"Excuse me, I need to go to the washroom."
Melinda didn't want to talk about it anymore.
She put the bag on her seat, grabbed her phone, and went to the bathroom.
Melinda had to pass Jonas's table to go to the washroom. Jonas was completely drunk and he saw a
petite figure that resembled Melinda pass by him. He closed his eyes when Melinda's sweet scent filled
his lungs. He was sure that it was her.
Jonas instinctively stood up. Emily's eyes widened. "Jonas, where are you going?"
But Jonas didn't answer her. He steadied himself and followed Melinda.
Melinda had to pass Jonas's table to go to the washroom. Jonas was completely drunk and he saw a
petite figure that resembled Melinda pass by him. He closed his eyes when Melinda's sweet scent filled
his lungs. He was sure that it was her.
Jonas instinctively stood up. Emily's eyes widened. "Jonas, where are you going?"
But Jonas didn't answer her. He steadied himself and followed Melinda.
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