SWNOVELS Chapter 55 A Shell Company
In the humble meeting room, Melinda sat opposite to the boss and smiled. The tea in front of her was still steaming, sending
swirls of smoke in the air.
"May I know your name?" the boss asked cautiously.
Melinda had intentionally worn a formal attire to make her plans work. The receptionist believed Melinda when she said that she
was going to sign a big deal with the boss.
"My husband's surname is Gu."
The boss's mind was racing. There were only a few rich people in A City whose surname was Gu. He narrowed his eyes and
studied Melinda carefully and that was when it dawned on him. The woman sitting before him was Nelson's granddaughter-in-
law, Melinda.
He was aware of the humiliation Melinda had faced in the past. He also knew that Melinda was Nelson's favorite and that he
protected her at all costs. He stiffened his back and cleared his throat.
"Mrs. Gu, I've heard a lot about you. Can I know what your business proposal is about?"
The boss was also a smart man. He knew that Melinda would not have to see him to just rent a car.
"I've come here to gather some information. I want to know if this car was rented today."
Melinda took out her cellphone and opened the photos that she had taken. It was a luxury car that only a few people rented. It
was expensive and the company rarely rented this car to people.
The boss called the receptionist and instructed her to find out about it. Soon, Melinda met the person talking with Alan in the
sports car. The man had a bad impression of Alan and swore under his breath at the mention of him.
"Sir, I hope no one finds out why I've come to see you."
Melinda's suspicions were true. She decided to investigate about Alan. She wanted to find out who he was and what his
intentions were. Jonas didn't know that Alan was a liar as Yulia had interrupted him the last time.
The boss was aware of what the Gu family was capable of. Melinda had offered a lot of money, so he promised that the
information wouldn't go out of the four walls. Moreover, the company's reputation would be at stake if people found that the
customers' information was divulged to strangers for money.
Then Melinda hired a private detective to spy on Alan.
Alan hadn't gone home for three days and Yulia decided to go to his company. When Yulia came to Aner Electronic Technology
Company, she felt an eerie sense of desolation. The company was deserted and everyone was looking unusual.
In the office, Alan was leaning against the sofa and was reeking of alcohol. Empty bottles of wine were scattered on the floor and
a fresh pile of beer was assembled on the tea table.
Yulia quickly ran to Alan. Alan no longer looked like the handsome, elegant person that he usually was. His eyes were bloodshot
and his chin was covered in stubble. His shirt was crumpled and soaked in sweat and alcohol, which made Yulia sick.
"Alan, what's wrong with you? God, you are drunk!" Yulia asked concernedly.
She cupped Alan‘s cheeks and stared into his eyes. Alan tilted his head and grinned lopsidedly. "Yulia."
"What's the matter?"
Yulia was heartbroken to see Alan's haggard face. Her anger faded away and she forgot that Alan had been ignoring her for the
past three days.
She had planned to give him a piece of her mind and take him back home but she was stunned to see him like this.
"Yulia, I know I'm useless. I feel sorry for the employees of the company. They are in trouble because of me. I let you and your
family down. I couldn't find a good investor for the company. I'm a worthless piece of shit."
Alan pounded the sofa with his fist, causing a dent on it. Yulia thought that Alan's company was flourishing but she didn't realize
that he was struggling hard to find an investor to make the company survive.
"Yulia, I'm sorry. It's entirely my fault. I can't give you a good life. My company is a disaster. I don't have the courage to go back
to the Gu family with you. I don't want anyone to insult you because of me," Alan slurred.
A wave of guilt washed over Yulia. She felt that Alan had been running away from her because he had a lot of problems to deal
with. She wanted to slap herself for suspecting him.
Even during his toughest times, Alan was only thinking about her.
"Don't worry, Alan. I'm there for you. Don't worry about the money. I'll somehow arrange it."
Although Yulia had left the Gu family, Jonas and Nelson didn't restrict her from using the money.
Alan's eyes glinted with desire. That was exactly what he had been aiming for. He had hit Yulia's sweet spot and she was finally
willing to give him the money. He knew that she would do anything for him.
"Yulia, you don't have to do this. It's my problem and I've gotten to deal with it. I don't want to drag you into my shit. I'll find a
solution. If there is no way at all, I will start over from scratch," Alan said.
Yulia was moved by Alan's sincerity. She trusted him and was sure that he wasn't after her money. "It doesn't matter. We are a
couple and we are in it together." She smiled.
Alan was convinced by Yulia's words. He nodded his head reluctantly and held Yulia's hands. "Once the problem is over, you will
be in charge of all my property, I promise."
Yulia sold all her expensive handbags and clothes to procure money for Alan. But no matter what she did, the money wasn't
even close to the required investment. Yulia was left with no choice but to use the Gu family's money.
In the Gu's mansion, Melinda's eyes widened and she clamped her mouth with her hand when she read the information that the
private detective had sent. She was scared out of her wits. Alan was audacious to swindle the Gu family.
"Jonas, did you not run a background check on Alan?" Melinda asked as she poked Jonas, whose eyes were fixed on the TV.
He was intently watching the financial news and didn't bother looking at her.
"No, I didn't."
"Wow! That's just great," Melinda grunted. She looked at Jonas. He seemed unconcerned about it, so she rolled her eyes and
turned away.
Jonas had sensed that Alan was up to something. That was why he didn't stop Yulia from moving out with him. He felt that Yulia
would learn a lesson if she found out about him on her own.
He didn't have the time to teach Yulia how to judge people.
Yulia was gullible and blindly trusted everyone who was kind to her. She hadn't learned a lesson even though she was scammed
in the past. And Jonas was tired of cleaning her mess. He felt that she needed to face the consequences on her own; only then
would she steer clear of fraudsters.
"Gosh, you're incredibly boring. I'm going to go out. You stay back and watch the stupid TV." Melinda stomped her foot and left.
Now that Melinda had all the information about Alan, she decided to gather evidence against him.
Jonas watched Melinda strut out of the house. He shook his head, sighed loudly, and continued to watch the news.
Melinda was never arrogant before. But she had been bossing around lately and Jonas was always compromising.
Jonas strangely liked her when she was feisty. He felt that Melinda was adding colors to his dull life. She induced life to the
vacant villa.
He liked how the villa reverberated with her voice and laughter. He felt complete when he was around her.
Melinda took a taxi to Aner Electronic Technology Company. There was no one in the company, except for a security guard and a
receptionist. The receptionist's perfunctory answers increased Melinda's suspicions.
Melinda wanted to go upstairs but a group of burly men stopped her. She became frightened and left the company.
But she was certain about one thing. Aner Electronic Technology Company was a shell company and the people in the office
weren't employees but paid actors. The detective had disclosed the information to her.
Melinda was eager to find the truth and unmask Alan before everyone. She left the company and went to the nearest shopping
mall. Although she had many things to do, she still enjoyed shopping.
The Gu family had assorted only high-heeled shoes for her. Although Melinda could effortlessly walk and run in heels, she still
felt uncomfortable. Her back would hurt every time she wore heels.
The first floor of the mall was filled with shoe shops. Melinda stopped when she came across an old acquaintance.
She could recognize the person but the man might not know who she was.
In one of the shoe shops, Alan was giggling with a woman, helping her to put on the shoes. The woman was constantly blushing
as he was praising her beauty.
Without hesitation, Melinda took out her mobile phone, zoomed in, and took several pictures of Alan and the woman.
"I must say your beautiful feet make the shoes look better. You should get them," Alan said, winking at her.
Although the woman didn't have a pretty face, she had flawless skin and a perfect body. Her feet were so broad that they were
protruding from the shoes.
The saleswoman was gaping at the couple. She was impressed by Alan's eloquence and thought that he would be paying the
bill.
"This pair is good too. Try them on," he said, pointing at another pair of shoes.
The woman was grinning happily. She was flattered by Alan's words. Finally, the woman decided to buy all the pairs that Alan
had picked for her.
When the saleswoman was packing the shoes, the woman handed a credit card to Alan.
"Honey, I will pay the bill the next time, I promise." Alan smiled and took the card to pay the bill.
He wrapped his arm around the woman's waist and ushered her to the bag shop across the street. The clerk's eyes brightened
as he saw the bags in Alan's hands. He thought that Alan was rich and smiled at the couple.
Melinda followed them everywhere like a vigilant spy. She continued to take pictures of them. Alan took the woman to a jewelry
shop, then to a garment store, and walked out with several bags.
Melinda captured everything on her phone. She had zoomed in to get a better shot when the woman handed the credit card to
Alan.
She was disgusted by his behavior.
Alan hopped into the car with the woman and drove away. Melinda quickly hailed a taxi and followed them. She clicked pictures
of them when she saw them enter a hotel. Melinda was proud of herself. She had managed to gather evidence to prove that Alan
was a fraud.
She entered a store and printed the pictures. Then she posted the pictures to Yulia's address but was also worried that Alan
would find the pictures before Yulia did. After all, Yulia was living with him.
After racking her brains, Melinda got Yulia's e-mail address from Jonas. She attached all the pictures in the mail and stated that
Alan had been lying to her the whole time. She asked Yulia not to keep quiet and start questioning him.
That was all she could do. She wouldn't have interfered in Alan's affairs if he had not messed up with the Gu family. Moreover,
Yulia was her family member and it was her duty to save her.
Melinda was hungry and exhausted. She was busy following Alan that she had forgotten to eat.
Her mind swarmed with the images of Alan making out with the woman. She squeezed her eyes shut almost as if she wanted to
get rid of the images that made her sick in the stomach. She felt that all men were dishonest and Jonas would be no
exception.