"What was surprising was that she actually ended up marrying you after all," Kent said.
He thought that Melinda was experiencing a dream the moment she had informed him that she was
going to be marrying Jonas.
"I was surprised as well."
Jonas resented Nelson for making him and Emily break up, even more so when the old man asked him
to marry a woman he didn't know.
"Way back in college, she was always looking for part-time jobs. We asked her if that was all an act put
up to cover the fact that she was from a rich family as she had a relationship with the Gu family."
Kent continued to share all that he knew about Melinda in college. All of it seemed strange for Jonas.
He even felt sorry for her.
He didn't know that Melinda had gone through so much.
"Melinda is actually very stubborn," Kent added. "The last thing that you should be doubting is her
feelings for you. I'm pretty sure that she still loves you, but to protect herself she has learned to cover
up those feelings and keep them hidden."
Melinda had cautiously locked her heart up after being hurt again and again.
There was a glint in Jonas's eyes as his hand slightly trembled. Melinda was still in love with him.
Was this true? Being the reserved and silent type, he ended up taking a sip of wine to hide his
enthusiasm.
Kent wanted to shake his head at the sight. Their clashing personalities were probably going to be the
biggest issue between the two.
Emily had also been paying attention to the news. She felt that this was the perfect opportunity to make
Jonas and Melinda divorce. What she did not expect was that Kent's sudden intervention made the
public change their opinions once again.
Her eyes flashed with jealousy and anger as she stared at the news on her screen.
She envied Melinda for being surrounded by people like Kent to protect her.
While scrolling through the photo album in her iPad, she found photos of Jonas and Melinda that had
been synced from her phone.
Both of their faces showed a mask of indifference towards each other.
Emily had a satisfied grin on her face as she took one last glance at the photos before sending them to
the media handling all major websites.
The media had been quiet for a while. Upon receiving them, they were soon buzzing with excitement.
What Kent had been saying earlier was also understood to create momentum and boost the popularity
for his magazine.
Both Kent and Jonas were shocked by the news as soon as it came out.
"I don't think the one behind this is an ordinary person considering the fact that he or she had managed
to take several photos of you," Kent informed.
He had a feeling that this was happening because of Jonas and already suspected who the person
responsible was. However, he knew that it was not appropriate for him to say too much.
The media started digging into Jonas's private life again, attempting to expose it for the public to see.
Because of this, the company was bombarded by repeated phone calls. The shareholders who had just
been finally appeased started questioning him again. This was a rare opportunity that Aron would
naturally not pass up.
Meanwhile, he was also wondering who on earth was secretly helping him.
The media had been loitering near the company's vicinity knowing that Jonas was currently outside.
What was more exaggerating this time around was that they didn't even dare to miss the area around
the Gu's mansion.
Even Melinda's phone number had gotten out to the public. A phone call asking her about the "Cold
War" between her and Jonas had woken her up from her sleep.
The media even went to the extent of disguising as a medical staff to enter the ward. Still dressed in a
hospital gown, Melinda was helplessly cornered.
"Mrs. Gu, what can you say about the 'Cold War' between you and Mr. Gu?" the reporter asked. "We
are all very concerned about this matter."
There was a hint of smug self-satisfaction on the reporter's voice as she quickly straightened her
posture, not even pausing to think how disturbing it was for her to enter the senior ward.
"Are you my parents? It's none of your business."
Melinda had not been in a good mood recently. Everyone obviously felt it, but this reporter was
unfortunate enough to be currently on the receiving end.
Despite this, the reporter still seemed to enjoy the fact that Melinda was pissed off by her question. She
was aware that Melinda's attitude could make a big fuss that she felt her sudden intrusion worthwhile.
Melinda knew that what she said would cause trouble if it came out. She was not a fool. While the
reporter was busy with her interrogation, she secretly pressed the emergency bell by the bedside to
notify the hospital staff.
"Mrs. Gu, this is an issue that everyone cares about. Everyone cares about you. If Mr. Gu treats you
with domestic violence, you can tell me. The media is here to help you."
Melinda was almost moved by her righteous remarks. However, she looked at the reporter mockingly
when she heard the door abruptly open.
Aside from the nurses, two doctors also entered the room. A cold sweat appeared on their foreheads
upon seeing the reporter disguised in a nurse's uniform.
"I suppose you could explain this?" Melinda had a cold expression on her face as she looked at the
staff before her.
The chief doctor hurriedly called the security guards and apologized profusely to Melinda.
"Search her for any recording devices and check the files on her mobile phone and social media
accounts. I don't want to see any news on the internet that would make me unhappy," she ordered.
Melinda had always been calm and was easy to get along with, but the look on her face right now was
so cold and intimidating that it made people feel that she was possessed by Jonas.
The meticulous and cold way of handling things was proof of it.
"Of course, you can inform the public of what you have experienced here today at the hospital. That is,
if someone is willing to believe you. You'll also be expecting a call from my lawyer as well."
Melinda was a well-known writer now. Many people paid attention to her. Besides, she had her own
studio, so she naturally had an exclusive lawyer.
The reporter suddenly looked pale. Frisked, she was searched for privacy and thrown out of the
hospital afterwards. Although she was very angry because of this, she really couldn't do anything about
it.
She was the one who was responsible for what happened today.
The only thing she could do now was slander Melinda on the Internet.
Melinda firmly refused to remain at the hospital after the incident, so Nelson had sent someone to pick
her up and quietly take her back to the Gu's mansion.
The heat on the issue only seemed to increase which proved Kent's speculations that someone was
manipulating all of this from behind.
Even though Melinda had returned to the Gu's mansion, a lot of reporters tried to contact her for an
interview.
Melinda refused all of them with the excuse that she was not feeling well. What was amusing, however,
was that her books even became more popular due to the media's buzz on the Internet.
Even her editor found it both funny and annoying at the same time. The supposed propaganda actually
brought a lot of traffic flow to their website. In fact, she told Melinda that it was even more persuasive
than any recommendation that could be given.
As for the gloating editor, Melinda just wanted to write an accusation letter with the pen in her hand.
Melinda's refusal to any interview had angered the media so they released a public statement saying
that she was threatened by Jonas, causing her to not dare stand out.
The media was an expert at twisting the truth. They were able to turn their "Cold War" into a drama in
which Melinda had been suffering a lot in the Gu family.
Different versions of the story came out on the internet and the people continued to get involved.
The news landed on the hot search and at the same time the stock market of Soaring Group had
another huge fluctuation just as it had finally been stabilized. The shift was so serious that it was about
to shut down.
It was Jonas who was affected the most by the previous events. However, when the issue about
Melinda being threatened came out, the Gu family had been also involved this time around.
The stock price fell. A lot of contracts which had already been made were up for re-evaluation. The
media had pulled Jonas into a mess.
Even the current shareholders who did not do anything else apart from only taking dividends came out
to make things difficult for him. With evidence at hand, Aron made up his mind to push Jonas off his
position as the decision maker.
Nelson paid no attention to the matter, but Queena clearly knew that the old man would suspend Jonas
even without the trouble those people made should he not be able to handle this issue properly.
Having this in mind, Queena ended up unconsciously placing her hand in front of the door of Melinda's
room. After hesitating for a moment, she finally gave a soft knock.
"Mom," Melinda addressed upon seeing Queena standing by the doorway.
She shifted aside to give way for her to enter. Queena remained silent for a while after they sat down at
the sofa of her bedroom.
"Mellie, I suppose you are aware about what had recently transpired on the internet. The comments of
the public had badly affected Jonas and Soaring Group."
Queena was hesitant to say something at first, but she ended up being straight forward. After all, it was
not her style to beat around the bush.
"I know that you have suffered a lot recently, but I hope you could clear up this matter for him." Queena
held Melinda's hand tightly.
She had experience in the business field, which was why she knew that the only way out of this mess
was for Melinda to explain it personally.
However, Melinda refused all the interviews. It was clear that she didn't want to take part on this matter.
She pressed her lips and remained silent. Her eyes darted towards Queena before she leaned against
the sofa with her eyes closed.
All of these were facts. How could she explain it? It was actually funny since she was the one who
started the "Cold War" between them.
"Mellie, please help Jonas get through this. The stock price of the company has been affected. His
cousin and uncle cannot be trusted and there is a severe economic crisis in the company. If we let the
media continue to make up stories, Jonas will be in a difficult position even if we have managed to
clear this up," Queena pleaded.
She knew that Nelson would not help this time around. If Melinda turned a blind eye to this, Jonas
would definitely be losing all his advantages over Aron in their competition.
This was the reason why Melinda was caught in a dilemma.
Kent was right that she still had feelings for Jonas. Naturally, she didn't want him to suffer but she still
couldn't deny her anger towards him. However, Queena's pleading was making her change her mind
and soften her heart.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda