Chapter 13 Pretend To Be In Love

Kent's words were ringing in Melinda's ears. Her life had entirely changed after getting married to
Jonas. Her love, happiness, joy, and fears had disappeared in these five years. She had turned
completely numb.

She was once naive enough to believe that Jonas was the one for her.

But reality had hit her hard to the core, waking her from the happy bubble she was in.

Melinda tried remembering the love she had for Jonas but she could only recall the days where she
had cried herself to sleep.

"Mrs. Gu, it's time to take your medicines," the nurse said, snapping Melinda from the reverie. She
smiled sheepishly and took the medicine.

"When will I be discharged?"

"Your body is responding well. You're much better now. But you still need to ask the doctor about it."

Melinda felt that she had recovered. There were a lot of things that she needed to attend to. She felt
that she could rest at home. It was mentally draining to stay in the hospital all day long.

Nelson visited her from time to time. When Melinda had fully recovered and was ready to go back
home, Nelson had come to pick her up.

"Grandpa, why did you come all the way? You could have sent one of the servants."

Melinda was touched by Nelson's sweet gesture. He was old and didn't have to pick her up, but he had
always been fond of Melinda and showered her with love. He was the only person Melinda was loath to
part with in the Gu family.



"You're my sweet granddaughter-in-law and I've come to take you home. Are you ready to leave?"
Nelson patted her head and smiled. He had personally come to pick her up because he wanted
everyone to know how much he cared for her.

Melinda wanted to go back to her place but Nelson had changed her plan. She couldn't disagree with
him, so she left for the Gu's mansion.

"Before you go back to your room, can you pop into the study for a minute?" Nelson asked when they
were home.

The servant grabbed Melinda's belongings and carried it to her room. Melinda nodded and followed
Nelson. The furnishing, painting, and lighting of the study emanated an ancient aura.

"Grandpa, is there anything you want to tell me?" Melinda asked, breaking the silence.

Nelson closed his eyes and sighed, "My child, I was responsible for your marriage. It was I who asked
you to marry Jonas so that you could live happily with him. But I didn't expect our family would be
responsible for your pain and suffering. The guilt is consuming me every day." He smiled sadly.

"Grandpa, it's not your fault. You are the only comfort in this lonely house. You've always been kind to
me."

Melinda held Nelson's hands and smiled. Her eyes were sparkling with sincerity and Nelson knew that
the words were straight from her heart.

"I'm being a selfish man again. I wanted to ask if you could help Jonas," Nelson said hopefully.

He had let go of his ego and pride many times because of Jonas. Moreover, he was seeking help from
Melinda. She was like his own granddaughter and he wasn't ashamed about it. He would do anything
for his grandson.



"You want me to help Jonas?" Melinda asked in disbelief.

Jonas was a powerful man and she was a common girl. Jonas could get away with any problem and
Melinda wondered what Nelson wanted her to do.

Nelson was proud to have a grandson like Jonas, but the recent events were distressing. He couldn't
help but worry about his grandson's reputation. Nelson sighed and explained everything to Melinda.

Melinda knitted her eyebrows and listened intently. Once Nelson finished talking, Melinda plopped on a
chair, and blew out a loud breath. "Grandpa, even if I agree to help him, I don't think Jonas will be okay
with it."

Melinda was sure that Jonas would refuse to accept her help. But her thoughts wandered to how he
had been behaving lately. She wasn't sure about it anymore.

"Well, if you're ready to help him, I will take care of everything else."

Nelson was happy that Melinda had immediately agreed without any persuasion. He always knew that
she was a good girl. Unfortunately, his grandson failed to see her good heart.

"Okay, I don't mind helping him if Jonas doesn't have a problem with it."

Melinda smiled. This wasn't new to her. She had spent the last five years, putting on a happy face,
pretending to be in a happy marriage when she was dying inside. But it was a little awkward to pose
like a happy couple after breaking up with him.

That evening, Jonas sent a bunch of flowers along with an apology note for not picking her from the
hospital. Melinda didn't know what had caused the sudden change in him. But she had a feeling that
Nelson was behind all this.



Melinda turned to look at Jonas. His cold eyes were staring at her. She couldn't help but rethink her
decision.

"All right, Jonas has the day off tomorrow. I think you two should go dating."

Nelson smiled. He was happy to see them get along well.

"Okay."

"Okay."

Both of them agreed. Dating wasn't a special occasion for them. It was just an act to make people
believe that they were still in love. So neither of them were excited about it.

Nelson was worried that the two of them would part ways, so he had planned everything accordingly.
The two of them wouldn't have a choice but to stick around with each other.

They watched an opera first, followed by an exquisite lunch at a posh hotel. Then they went to a
sporting club in the evening before having a romantic dinner, at which Jonas gave Melinda a present.
Later, they went to a movie.

The paparazzi followed them everywhere and the cameras were constantly flashing at them. The
entertainment column was filled with the news about their date.

The PR department of Soaring Group had done a commendable job. Once the news was over, they
roped in a new segment that telecasted public opinion about them. People adored the couple and were
expressing their love for them.

Melinda's cheeks began to hurt as she had been smiling the entire day. She envied Jonas's resting
cold face. That was how he normally looked and people couldn't discern his moods.



Holley was enraged by the news. The romantic date of the couple had become the talk of the town.
Melinda had yet again destroyed her plans. Holley had managed to earn the support of big shots in the
industry because of the rumor. But they all seemed to ignore her after watching the news.

"Damn it!"

Holley threw a pillow on the ground. She knew that Jonas hated Melinda and all of this was an act. But
she still couldn't hear people raving about the couple.

Holley grabbed her phone and scrolled through the contacts. Her fingers stopped when she found the
right number and tapped the call button.

"I want you to stalk Jonas and Melinda. Take pictures of them quarreling with each other. Remember,
they won't fight in open spaces. Keep an eye on them when they are by themselves. Do you
understand? I will pay you as usual." There was no answer from the other end. She disconnected the
call and saw her phone flash with a message of the bank card number.

Jonas and Melinda were still shopping in the mall. Nelson had ordered them to stay out until midnight.
He felt that their act would seem plausible only if they went home the next morning.

Melinda had never gone out with Jonas before. She was feeling awkward and didn't know what to do.

"Try this one." Melinda was walking aimlessly when Jonas picked a dress for her. It was a light purple
cheongsam dress with light orange patterns.

The patterns were simple but unique.

She had to admit that Jonas had a good taste for clothes. It was unlikely of him to get something for
Melinda. But the two of them had been trying hard to make people believe that they were a happy
couple, so Melinda thought that it was also a part of the act.



The salesgirl lifted Melinda's hair to see if the dress looked good on her. Small tendrils of hair cascaded
around her long neck, making her look like a princess.

Jonas's breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened with surprise. He immediately ordered the
salesgirl to pack the dress without checking the price.

Melinda loved the dress but she didn't want Jonas to spend too much money on her. Just when she
was about to reject it, Jonas leaned forward, and whispered in her ear, "Someone's taking pictures of
us."

Melinda reacted instinctively. She lifted her head, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his
cheek. "Thank you. I love the dress."

Jonas was surprised by Melinda's response. Her innocent smile made him weak in the knees.

"What are we going to do now?" Melinda asked.

She wondered why the paparazzi weren't leaving them alone. They must have clicked a thousand
pictures by now and Melinda didn't know why they were still following them.

"Get rid of them," Jonas answered.

Melinda held his hand and followed him everywhere like a little puppy, but she was oblivious to the
detective who was constantly following them.

Getting rid of detectives weren't an easy task.

"Gosh, looks like they are not going to leave us alone," Jonas grunted as he saw a car following them.
He finally stopped his car in front of a hotel.



Melinda knitted her brows in confusion. She later understood that there was a floor restriction in the
hotel. One needed a card to enter the elevator.

Jonas wanted to book the presidential suite on the top floor but all rooms were booked except for the
theme room. He wanted to escape from the prying eyes of the paparazzi, so he booked the theme
room right away.

Jonas slid the card, hopped into the elevator, and heaved a sigh of relief.

"I'll sleep on the couch," Melinda said consciously when she entered the room and saw that there was
only one bed.

But Jonas grabbed her hand and pulled her to the bed.

Melinda landed heavily on his chest. As soon as the couple hit the bed, rose petals cascaded on them.
Jonas pressed his body against hers.

The cheongsam dress was hugging Melinda's body in all the right places, revealing her flawless
features. Jonas's mouth watered at the sight of her body sprawled on the bed surrounded by rose
petals.

"Jonas, what are you doing?" Melinda whispered. She was a little terrified. She hadn't been so close to
him in a very long time, and for a second, she believed that she saw a spark of love in his tranquil eyes.

"The curtains are not closed. They are probably still watching us," Jonas said as his hot breath blew
across Melinda's face.

He slowly stood up and closed the curtain. His heart was drumming in his chest. A strange feeling was
lurking in his heart and he couldn't shake it off.



The detective couldn't follow the couple anymore. So he sent all the pictures he had taken to Holley.
But to his utter surprise, the couple had escaped without leaving a trace. He couldn't find their
whereabouts in the days that followed. The entertainment news was flooding with pictures of Jonas and
Melinda. Everyone felt that they were a match made in heaven.

Holley was in a towering rage.

"Is this what you're capable of? These pictures aren't convincing at all. I don't need you anymore. You
have done a horrible job, so don't even think about receiving the payment."

Holley hung up the call. The detective had a good reputation in the entertainment industry. Everyone
respected him and he was never humiliated before. He secretly harbored a grudge against
Holley.


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