Chapter 141 Checking Out The Shop
The red light had already passed, and all of the cars on both sides of the road had started to move forward. But as if he had turned off the car's engine, Jonas's car stopped in the middle of the road. Jonas didn't mind all the honks that came from the cars behind him because he was stubbornly waiting for Melinda's answer.
Melinda looked around and nudged Jonas. "Drive!" she exclaimed.
Just when Melinda shouted, Jonas instantly moved forward. Based from past experiences, if Jonas threatened Melinda to answer while in traffic, she would definitely dislike him more.
He had learned his lesson. Now, he had a deeper understanding of what was going on between them.
But the green light would turn into a red light in a few moments. All the drivers on the road were eager to leave within seconds, each of them trying to be faster than the others.
The commotion happening on the road made Melinda really frightened. She thought that at least Jonas was the first in line. She also knew that she couldn't do anything.
When they arrived at the Gu's mansion, Mary had already prepared a meal for them. Surprised by Jonas's considerate service, Melinda recalled what he had said back when they were in the car.
Even though Jonas wasn't good at expressing his love, he clumsily expressed it through his actions.
'What an emotional idiot!' Melinda thought to herself. Jonas's image unconsciously changed for Melinda.
After their lunch, Jonas didn't mention anything about going to the company. He simply followed Melinda. It made him stressed that she always appeared cold and stern.
"Go back to work. I know what you said."
Since she knew about it, she would give it more thought and perhaps even consider it. Melinda gave him the answer he was asking about. When Jonas was thinking about what to do next, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
It was Emily. The atmosphere suddenly became tense the moment Emily's name was brought up.
As Jonas's eyes flickered, Jonas answered the call and put it on speakers.
"Jonas, there's a ball the day after tomorrow. I was wondering if you'd go with me," Emily said over the phone.
Emily's voice, and especially what she had just said, sent chills to Melinda.
"I'm busy," Jonas refused.
He knew that in order for Melinda to forgive him, the first thing he needed to do was to keep distance from Emily.
But Melinda was too suspicious. Even though Jonas blatantly declined the date with Emily, she still had doubts.
'What if I'm not here? Would Jonas agree?' Melinda thought. She felt too uncomfortable thinking about this, and decided to ignore him and watch a movie instead.
In the next few days, Jonas made sure he had some spare time to be with Melinda. He wanted to prove that what he said was true. He tried to put his words into action in order to show how serious he was. As he showed his love every day, Melinda's heart gradually softened. They were not as cold as before.
But Yulia was really anxious to witness all of these.
If they really got along with each other, would it mean that Melinda would never leave?
Yulia was blank with ideas. When everyone was in an emotion-fueled trance, she called Emily.
Now she had two phones, and one was for contacting Emily.
Emily wasn't exactly in a good place right now. Because Jonas declined her invitation, she felt so rejected. It had gotten so pitiful that sometimes she even contacted Jonas through William.
She had a bad feeling about his attitude, and she knew that she couldn't ask about it outright.
At this moment, Yulia was finally calling her.
"What's going on with Jonas and that bitch? He is completely ignoring my calls recently," Emily immediately asked as soon as she picked the phone up.
She was so angry that she was grinding her teeth. Melinda, for Emily, was a real enemy.
"She is very pleased with herself now. After the press conference that day, I have no idea what happened between her and my brother. They seem to have made up."
Thinking about what was happening recently, Yulia felt that she was relieving the day of the press conference. While she had the guts to monitor Melinda, she didn't dare to keep an eye on what Jonas had done.
She knew that Melinda and Jonas eased their relationship a lot, but she didn't know how it came about.
"This time, it's my fault. But I can't let her become so arrogant."
Emily brushed her fingers across a pile of magazines while she spoke. The magazines were all reports on the news about Jonas and Melinda. She had spent the last two days reading these magazines. Some of the reports were even outrageous, claiming that Melinda's physical discomfort was a result of pregnancy and undernourishment.
"Please think of a way to help me. My brother really loves her."
Emily had been planning it all along. All Yulia could do was cooperate.
She was expecting that Emily would come up with a good idea. Her plans were not bad after all, and it almost always made Jonas and Melinda's relationship awkward. She didn't understand why they returned to loving each other like that in just one night.
"Let me think about it."
Emily was accustomed to Yulia's stupidity. All kinds of schemes popped up in her head. She really wanted to come up with a good idea.
She had played a role in a lot of love dramas. She knew about all the twists and turns within a plot, and she was definitely familiar with different kinds of schemes that could destroy a relationship. "Find a way to ask Melinda out. And then, I'll take the chance."
Knowing clearly that Yulia was doomed to be useless in the plan, she felt disappointed that she had no chance to go through with the plan, especially since Melinda was staying at home all the time.
"Is that all?" Yulia asked.
She also wondered why it took Emily so long to come up with such a simple plan.
"Don't worry. I'll make an appointment with your brother. You just need to give me an address. Then, arrange an accident for us. Maybe we can create some kind of misunderstanding."
Melinda and Jonas's vulnerability was love. After all, it was already on thin ice.
"I will send you a text message soon."
Yulia immediately hung up and hid the phone in the cabinet as soon as she heard footsteps outside the door.
The knock only came from the servant, reminding her that lunch was already served.
Yulia was almost in a cold sweat, but soon enough, she came back to her senses.
After going downstairs, Yulia saw that Jonas came back home for lunch. Melinda was with him. Even though they still had cold faces, Jonas's eyes turned warm whenever he looked at Melinda. Jonas picked up Melinda's lunch for her. He even carefully picked out the food that she liked in her bowl, and the ones she didn't like in his bowl.
It was lunch time, but they didn't even wait for Yulia to show up. This made her even more jealous.
If it was Melinda who didn't show up, the whole table would have been forced to wait for her.
She was getting really embarrassed in front of the Gu family. She sat down at the far left seat, next to Queena.
No one spoke while eating. It was often like this a very quiet dining table.
Yulia had no appetite for lunch. Her eyes couldn't help but wander towards Melinda's direction. Most of the food in her bowl was picked up by Jonas. Melinda looked so elegant while she ate.
Yulia couldn't help but sneer.
Melinda seemed helpless whenever Jonas picked up food for her. How could Jonas express his good ways in such a clumsy way?
"I'm full," Melinda whispered to Jonas.
She didn't eat much at all. She only ate the food Jonas picked for her out of courtesy. Melinda was in such a deep dilemma.
"But, you're too thin," Jonas said with a frown.
He was like a parent scolding a child who was being picky with her food. Melinda felt amused. She took some food from her bowl and put it into his.
Jonas didn't answer. Melinda just picked it up and fed it to him. This time, it was him who couldn't refuse.
In Yulia's eyes, Melinda and Jonas's intimacy was disgusting. Melinda was such a shameless person for doing that.
It seemed that Yulia was being too tough and obsessed with everything about Melinda.
By the time everyone had finished eating, Yulia thought it was time to carry on with Emily's plan. She took the initiative to sit beside Melinda.
But Melinda quietly moved her seat away from Yulia.
"Melinda, I was thinking about checking out my shop. Will you go with me?" Yulia politely asked.
She took the dessert fruit from the servant and put it on top of the table. Melinda couldn't turn down Yulia in front of so many people.
"Your shop?" Melinda asked, confused,
'When did she open a shop? And does it stay open?' she wondered.
Everyone in the Gu family knew that Yulia was useless and incompetent. Opening a shop only served as a hobby, something just for fun, for Yulia.
"Yes. Just a few days ago, actually. I have been looking around the market recently. I just want to have a look," Yulia said.
The shop was initiated by Yulia and Emily. Indeed, Emily had a lot of bright ideas. She even managed it well with Yulia.
"Okay. I'll just take a nap first."
She couldn't refuse. Jonas glared at Yulia.
Did she know how difficult it was for him to ask Melinda out? But with Yulia, she instantly agreed.
Jonas's stare was so sharp that cold sweats started to break out Yulia's back.
Yulia's shop was a small luxury shop. It was poorly run. The shop assistants were all lazy. The decoration also made Melinda frown.
It was too dark.
"Melinda, what do you think of this place?" Yulia seemed very pleased with her own shop. She had no idea that Melinda was already judging the place in her mind.
"It is fine."
If it was someone else, Melinda would definitely tell the truth. But because it was Yulia, she said nothing.
"It took me a long time to find this shop..." Yulia spouted.
Although she had been told that they were here to check it out, Yulia had gone too far.
"Melinda, I'd like to buy you a cup of coffee," Yulia offered.
She was glancing at her phone.
"What?"
'I thought we were only checking out the shop?' she thought. They had been in the shop for quite some time already.
"There is an afternoon tea house nearby. It tastes great. You should try it."
Yulia carried on with the afternoon tea as she pretended that she didn't know why Melinda was confused.