SWNOVELS Chapter 44 Expel
The atmosphere became tense and Jonas pretended to remain ignorant.
Although Melinda and Emily were scowling at each other, Jonas remained still.
Melinda was surprised. She had always thought that Jonas was on Emily's side.
"Jonas, it's been so long since I had spent time with you at your place. Do you mind if I stay here for a while?" Emily asked, biting
her bottom lip nervously.
Melinda narrowed her eyes and stared at Emily. Jonas was a little surprised too. He didn't expect Emily would make such a
request. Emily was intimidated by Melinda's presence. She didn't want Jonas to fall for Melinda, so she decided to stay at
Jonas's place and separate them.
"Jonas, the paparazzi have found out where I live now. I... err..." she trailed off and stopped when she caught Melinda staring at
her suspiciously.
Melinda understood that Emily had come with a plan. She wondered if the paparazzi knew why she was staying here.
Jonas thought that Melinda was annoyed by Emily's presence and he groaned in frustration. Women were always hard to deal
with.
"Jonas, she has been your best friend since childhood. She can stay with us for a few days. Ask Gavin to arrange a room for
her," Melinda said, smirking at Emily.
Emily was shocked by Melinda's response. She was annoyed that Melinda didn't react and create problems like she had
expected her to. But she couldn't refuse the offer.
Although Melinda wasn't a stunning beauty, she had an amazing personality. She could effortlessly mesmerize people with her
charm.
Gavin stood in a corner and watched them talk. Melinda instructed him to arrange a room for Emily.
Emily's decision was spontaneous and she did not bring her belongings with her. Jonas bought new things for her, which lit a
spark of hope in Emily's heart.
Melinda usually dressed casually at home. Emily was surprised to see Melinda walk down in a light purple gauze skirt and a pair
of silver high heels during dinner. Her hair was tied into a loose bun as tendrils of hair escaped from the sides.
Jonas's breath caught in his throat when he saw Melinda. She was looking elegant and graceful.
Nelson sat in the center, while Melinda and Jonas sat at one side and Yulia and Emily sat opposite to them, casting awkward
glances at each other. Queena had gone out to have dinner with friends.
Yulia was annoyed by Emily's presence. She had been frustrated ever since Melinda told her that Emily was going to stay with
them for a couple of days.
Emily was a beautiful woman. She was social and could effortlessly captivate people's hearts. Yulia was insecure around her.
"Grandpa, living with strangers makes me uncomfortable."
Yulia frowned. Emily's smile was wiped off in an instant.
She knew that Jonas had an annoying half-sister but she was seeing her for the first time. It had only been five minutes since
they had met and Yulia managed to get on Emily's nerves already.
"Emily, Yulia fell ill recently and is having a hard time to recover. She didn't mean to offend you. I know that you just want to catch
up with your friend. You can stay here as long as you want," Melinda said, smiling sweetly.
She glanced at Yulia who looked at her with wide eyes.
Emily was taken aback. It would be foolish of her to stay back after all the humiliation. But she wasn't ready to give up. She didn't
want Jonas to get close to Melinda.
"Emily, I know that you and my brother have grown up together. It's normal for you to stay at your friend's place, but my condition
is..." Yulia paused and gritted her teeth. "If you want to catch up with him, I'll move out,"
she said, glancing coldly at Emily and back at Melinda.
However, Melinda was unfazed by Yulia's taunts. She shook her head and ignored Yulia.
"Emily, Yulia is getting better. Moreover, you are always busy and hardly have the time to go out. Why don't you and Yulia take a
trip around A City? There are many new places that you might have missed," Nelson suggested.
Nelson knew Emily's intentions. He wouldn't let anyone destroy the relationship between Jonas and Melinda.
"Grandpa, I have a bad appetite. I'm sorry, I'll go back to my room."
Yulia put down the chopsticks and stood up to leave. Emily's cheeks turned red with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry to bother you. I'll go on my own." Emily bit her lip and smiled awkwardly.
But Jonas stayed with Emily, which made her happy. She wanted to use her last chance to make Jonas go out with her.
"If you want to go, leave right away. Don't stand in my way," Yulia bellowed.
Melinda dropped her food and stared at Yulia in shock.
Anger resided in the pit of Emily's stomach. She had not been insulted before and resisted the urge to punch Yulia in the face.
But she needed to control her emotions. Otherwise, the image of a good woman that she had tried hard to build, would crumble
to pieces.
Melinda apologized and politely requested Emily to leave.
Emily realized that Yulia wouldn't eat at the same table with her. She had no choice but to leave. She put down her bowl and
chopsticks and stood up as her eyes welled with tears.
Melinda rolled her eyes when she saw the triumphant look on Yulia's face.
"That's enough, Yulia," Jonas said, glaring at her.
"Emily, there are some nice restaurants here. I'll take you there. We can go to the mall or a movie after that." Jonas smiled.
He usually never had the patience to deal with emotional dramas but he couldn't see Emily like this. Emily sniffed loudly as tears
rolled down her cheeks. Jonas hesitantly wiped the tears with his thumb.
"I'm sorry, Emily." He smiled apologetically.
Jonas didn't want anyone in the Gu family to hurt Emily. Yulia had crossed her limits, so he quickly apologized and made it up to
her.
Emily was delighted to see Jonas stand up for her. Just when she was about to say yes, Jonas's phone rang.
Although Melinda supported Yulia in the beginning, she thought it would be inappropriate for her to interfere in their personal
affairs. Seeing the dreadful look on Jonas's face, she guessed that it was bad news.
"What's wrong?" Nelson asked as soon as Jonas hung up the call.
The call was from William and he wondered if something had happened at the company.
Emily's curious eyes raked across Jonas's face. "Emily, I need to go to the company. I'll ask the chauffeur to drive you home," he
said, running his fingers through his hair nervously.
Emily's face turned pale in an instant. She thought that she had managed to fix a date with him but the phone call had ruined
everything. Melinda arched an eyebrow and glanced at Nelson with suspicion. She thought that Nelson had arranged William to
call Jonas.
But Nelson's pensive face proved that she was wrong. She realized that something had happened in the company.
"Grandpa, there is a problem in the finance department. I'm going back to the company to deal with it."
Jonas knew that Nelson would find about the issue sooner or later, and decided to tell the truth before he heard it through
someone else. The company was going through a crucial phase and Jonas would be embarrassed if the company incurred
losses.
Emily forced a smile and left the Gu's mansion. Once Emily left, Jonas hurried to the company.
The finance department played a pivotal role in any company. Soaring Group was dealing with a financial crisis.
The news soon reached the shareholders who admonished Jonas for being careless.
As soon as Jonas arrived at the company, William explained the situation in detail. Jonas decided to investigate the problem. He
felt that he would get a better perspective if he handled the problem by himself.
It was an unpredicted situation and Jonas had to handle it with care. He spent the entire night in the office, gathering insights.
Melinda couldn't sleep well without Jonas around.
She couldn't help but think about what he was doing now. He would perhaps be skimming through the documents with a sullen
face. Melinda quickly snapped from the thoughts.
She shouldn't be doing this. She warned herself to stop wasting her time thinking about him. The damage would be irrevocable if
she fell for him again.
The next day, Melinda walked down with a tired face. Her eyes were bloodshot with dark circles. She hadn't slept well last night.
Melinda was used to having breakfast with Jonas. The dining table was loaded with a variety of dishes but Melinda was not in
the mood to eat.
"Mary, can you pack these up in meal boxes?" Melinda asked.
Mary was an old maid. Nelson had arranged her to take care of Melinda and Jonas. She was a wonderful cook and Melinda had
gained a few pounds because of her.
Mary nodded and packed the food.
Melinda arrived at Soaring Group with a lunch bag. Only when she stood at the door of the CEO office did she realize what she
was doing. She had brought breakfast for Jonas in an impulse and it was too late to go back home.
"Mrs. Gu, Mr. Gu is inside."
William smiled and ushered Melinda into Jonas's office. Melinda took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked in. She broke
into a fit of coughing as the room was filled with smoke.
"Are you smoking or setting the building on fire?"
Melinda croaked and clamped her mouth. She quickly opened the ventilator and blew out a loud breath.
Jonas knitted his eyebrows and stared at Melinda with a cigarette clamped between his fingers.
Melinda frowned when she saw his tired face. "I have brought breakfast. Wash your face and eat something. I had asked Mary to
pack what you like. Let me help you with the work, so don't worry."
Melinda had studied finance before and thought that she could help Jonas solve the problem.