Kent looked at the closed door in deep thought. Then he turned around and went back home. Janet who had been busy preparing dinner because she was expecting a visitor, did a double take. When she realized that he had come back alone, she peeped through the window checking if the girl was still in the car.
"Where is she?"
After Janet confirmed that there was no one else except for Kent, she stared at him expectantly waiting for an explanation from him. Although Charles looked very calm and disinterested in their discussion, he had actually been looking forward to meeting his future daughter-in-law.
His son was no longer a little boy and it was time to start acting like an adult, since with adulthood came certain expectations.
"Mom, please don't ever do that again, following me around as if I am a common criminal. I will probably bring her home and introduce her to you in a few days. However, please take note that she is not my girlfriend."
Kent felt that he needed to explain to his parents the nature of their relationship in case they build up false hope. As soon as he stated that they were not in a relationship, his mother's mood made a 360 degree change as if she was a roller coaster.
She was relieved to hear that he was willing to bring her home. But as soon as he mentioned that she was not his girlfriend, everything just didn't make sense for Janet.
"She's not your girlfriend? What do you mean? Then why do you treat her so well? Could it be that you really are in a one-sided love affair?"
Janet looked at her son in disbelief. The minute she saw Melinda she thought she was an excellent person and was a perfect fit for her son and they balanced each other out.
"Well, don't push him too hard. It's a good thing that the girl is willing to come home with him," said Charles.
Charles came out to mediate the dispute between Janet and Kent since things just seemed to be escalating. Janet reluctantly dropped the subject and Kent breathed a sigh of relief, as the family was finally able to enjoy the wonderful dinner that his mother had slaved over.
The first thing Melinda did after she came back home was to close the windows and doors to keep off the strong winds; then she began to prepare dinner. Although there was a lot of food in the fridge, she prepared a simple dish of noodles for her dinner.
Meanwhile on the other side, the secretary was frightened again when he received the photos from the person he had dispatched. He finally gained courage and knocked on the door.
Jonas was still working. Melinda always thought that he was a strange man and couldn't understand his contradictory character. He was a workaholic, but strangely enough, he still had enough time on his hands to spend much time with different women.
"Mr. Gu," the secretary said, as he gingerly stepped into the office cautiously.
Jonas looked up instantly. His blood shot eyes were as fiery and frightening as an eagle's. He had been eagerly waiting for the news, like the masochist that he was, hurting himself day in, day out.
Although in his mind he didn't think that his behavior was self-abuse at all. He had managed to convince himself that it was a necessary step towards pursuing the truth and convincing his grandfather that Melinda was not as innocent as he assumed. This was the only way he could feel a bit relieved from the pressure that always built up on his chest every time he saw his secretary.
But in many cases, he also didn't welcome the temporary release. It was a complicated feeling that he didn't want to dwell on much. As soon as that thought crossed Jonas's mind, it only lasted for about three seconds before he shoved it at the back of his mind.
"These are the photos that were taken today."
The secretary took out the photos which showed Melinda and Kent getting out of the car together, as they went into the apartment building. There were also several photos of the two in the car not doing anything of interest, although, because of the angle the photos were taken, they looked a little intimate.
"You can get off work now and you don't have to monitor them anymore," said Jonas.
His secretary nodded and left quickly breathing a sigh of relief. It was true that jobs that paid high salaries also came with a higher level of risk. However, working for Mr. Gu involved a new level of risk taking, and even the simple act of breathing was considered a precious commodity.
The photos were scattered all over his desk. Jonas took another swiping look at them and gave a cold snort as he stared at them gloomily. He shook his head as if trying to clear his mind from the gloomy topic, and then he went back to handling his work documents.
He had been receiving the photos for a while now, indicating that the relationship between Kent and Melinda was unusual. It seemed Jonas had underestimated Melinda. He didn't expect that although Melinda looked so innocent, she had already been with someone else.
Jonas had been signing on a document although distracted, when he heard a weird sound. He lowered his head to find the source of the sound and realized that the document was forcefully scratched that some pieces of paper were torn.
The destroyed piece of paper was a testament of the powerful force and terrifying anger he was harboring.
Jonas stared blankly at the document, then irritably picked it up and threw it into the trash can. Rubbing his eyebrows, he gently tried to massage his temples to ease the pressure building up in his head. He was inexplicably angry and in urgent need of an avenue to vent.
Although there wasn't any urgent matter that required his attention, to warrant his tendencies to work late, he still didn't go home. Any time he went back home, he was sure to always see his grandfather frowning and looking at him discontentedly, and always judging his choices.
It seemed that Melinda left because of his actions. When he looked at the photos, which showed how happy the couple were, he wanted to show the photos to his grandfather. His intention was to wipe off the discontented looks from his grandfather's face and show him what Melinda was really up to.
But another rational voice deep in his heart, stopped him from executing his plans. The restless Jonas rationalized that he shouldn't stimulate his grandfather further since he had just recovered.
It was obviously not suitable for him to work in such a state. He picked up the car key from his desk and left his office in a hurry. He did not go home to the family residence. Instead he went to his own residence, which was not far from the company.
Queena, his mother, called him after ten o'clock wondering where he was at such a late hour, although she didn't demand for him to go home.
"Son, are you okay? You don't sound like your usual self."
Mothers always know their children best. Jonas sounded absent minded and gave a flimsy answer which wasn't even well thought out. Queena keenly felt that something was wrong although she was sure that he wouldn't tell her if she pushed him further.
"There are a lot of things that have been happening in the company recently and need my attention. You'd better stay at home and watch over Grandpa. I won't come back for the next few days," Jonas said and rubbed his forehead in exhaustion. Although his claims were true, and there were always issues to be expected at the company with the new season, the issues were never that big to affect him this much.
The thought of Melinda brought a new wave of headache and a painful stab in his heart.
The last time when Holley pestered Jonas, she received a large sum of money from him. With great excitement, she bought a lot of things and posted them in all her social media accounts including wechat and her micro-blog. Many of her posts gave subtle hints that she had used Jonas's money to buy everything which gained a lot attention and followers.
That was exactly what she wanted.
She was a spendthrift, although she didn't make as much she spent and basically couldn't afford the life style she felt was suited for a person of her stature. Her reputation was not very good, so she didn't get invited to occasions and events where she could make money so she was running low on cash.
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