Forgive My Ex-husband

Chapter 140 Ending The Cold War

"All right," Melinda finally said, after taking a deep sigh. "I’ll do my best, Mom." She was going to help

Jonas out of the trouble he himself caused again.

Queena exhaled in relief, and her eyes misted with gratitude. Though she was hopeful, she had initially

thought that it would take a lot of convincing on her part before Melinda agreed.

Now she finally understood why her father-in-law held this girl in such high regard. She should put

more trust in Nelson’s judgment from now on; he clearly had a sharp eye for good character.

"Then, have a proper rest tonight," she smiled brightly at her daughter-in-law. "You will need to make

an appearance at tomorrow’s press conference. I’ll make sure to have a word with the company’s team

so the people from the media wouldn’t make things difficult for you."

Melinda’s only reply was a bitter smile. She wasn’t entirely willing to make peace with her husband just

yet, but she couldn’t stop herself from helping him this time. Or any time, really. She had always been

too softhearted for her own good when it came to Jonas.

Queena left the bedroom soon after. She could see the exhaustion in the younger woman’s eyes, and

could hear it in her weary tone. She gave instructions to have her son brought to the study the moment

he arrived.

She was waiting for him when he stepped inside, and she sat him down and told him bluntly that his

wife was gracious enough to help dig him out of his recent controversies.

Jonas's initial response was a shocked pleasure. If Melinda was willing to do this much, then did it

mean that she forgave him?

But then he quickly shook his head and banished the thought. If their places were reversed, he knew

he wouldn’t be so easily forgiving. He assumed that this development was largely attributed to his

mother and her relationship with Melinda.

His heart grew heavier. "I’ll make the necessary arrangements." He rose from his seat and made his

way to the door, but halted after taking a couple of steps.

He turned to look back at his mother, his expression ashamed and defeated. "I’m so sorry for all the

trouble I’ve caused, Mom. I’m giving you even more reasons to worry." Queena felt a pang of heartache

seeing her son like this, but she decided not to coddle him even though in her heart he would always

be her darling son.

"It’s good that you recognize your mistakes. You are still my son, so of course I will support you no

matter what. That doesn’t mean that I am not angry or disappointed, or that your mistakes are not a © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

huge deal."

Jonas only nodded in acknowledgment, and went to his office to give William a call. They had to hold a

press conference at such a short notice after all, and there was much to be prepared.

Soaring Group’s public relations department, in particular, had to work additional overtime on top of

their already long hours.

The journalists who were notified of the press release were also excited, and there was a buzz along

the grapevine even though it was late into the night.

The story had broken out several days ago already, and there had been many, varying speculations

over the matter.

Except for a few, short responses from Kent that didn’t really provide direct answers to the heart of the

issue, the media had no reliable fodder to keep the story burning.

Neither Jonas nor Melinda had issued a public statement to address the scandals, so for the

conglomerate to arrange an official press release was somewhat gratifying.

The conference was slated for ten o’clock the following day, in one of the hotels Soaring Group owned.

The clock had barely struck eight when the journalists flocked to the venue.

Melinda had thought she would not sleep well the previous night, all things considered. But actually she

had a good night's sleep, and she even had no idea when Jonas entered their bedroom.

"William has prepared a draft just in case," Jonas said carefully as he lingered by the door. "You can

read it on our way to the conference. If there’s anything you can’t answer, you can just throw the

question over to me and I’ll handle it."

Melinda said nothing. It looked like Jonas wanted to stay, or perhaps wanted to say more. But after a

few beats of silence he finally left, closing the door gently behind him.

Melinda mustered the energy to pull herself out of the bed, and she walked over to the wardrobe to pick

an outfit.

Her eyes drifted over her clothes, settling on one particular ensemble. She hesitated for a few seconds,

and then finally took the red corporate dress from where it hung.

She was going out for blood, so she decided she might as well look the part. She rummaged for the

appropriate makeup and accessories; this was going to be her battle gear.

Jonas had been waiting for more than one hour for his wife to come downstairs, and when she did he

was completely blown away, speechless. She looked nothing like the Melinda he had married.

She wore a deep red pencil dress, black high heels, and large diamond earrings. Her lips were also

painted a bold crimson color. She looked powerful.

It seemed like all the color in the living room was leeched out; everything was in black and white,

except for Melinda. Jonas just stood there, mesmerized, his mouth slightly open as he stared at his

wife.

He wasn’t the only one, apparently, because a hush seemed to have descended upon the mansion. It

was Queena who finally broke the silence as she clapped her hands. "Brilliant! You look like you’re

heading out to war, darling."

She walked over to her daughter-in-law to smooth the scarf around Melinda’s neck, and then nodded in

satisfaction. "You’ll be late. Hurry and eat some breakfast."

The family gathered to the dining table as the servants began to lay out the food. They ate in a

somewhat tense silence, as though they were all wound tightly and ready to spring at the slightest

trigger.

For her part, Yulia spent the entire meal staring at her sister-in-law with a degree of disbelief. This was

a woman who had always dressed plainly.

Even in grand occasions, Melinda’s choice of outfits was always simpler than most, and it

complemented her young and pure nature.

She seldom wore bold colors or luxury brands, and yet here she sat, sporting both. Yulia could not

deny that she looked gorgeous. The color red seemed to emphasize her beauty in a more edgy way.

She knew there was going to be a lot of men who would take note of Melinda’s appearance today, and

a lot more women who would be seething with jealousy. And, unfortunately for Yulia, she was one of

those women.

Even as she was dressed in the usual style that Yulia would have picked for herself, Melinda still

exuded an aloof brand of grace—something that Yulia was admittedly lacking.

And so they sat, eating the same food at the same table, but the two women were harboring very

different feelings.

All too soon the clock chimed 9 o’clock, and the couple rose from their seats. Their chauffeur had

already been waiting on the driveway as they walked out of the main villa’s entrance.

Melinda strode ahead of Jonas, opened the door to the backseat, let herself in, and then shut it behind

her. She gave instructions to the chauffeur to drive off immediately, and they were roaring out of the

driveway before Jonas even got close to the car.

Jonas stared at the vehicle as it disappeared out of the gates, then shook his head and went back

inside to get his car keys. Queena sighed helplessly. The husband and wife were clearly still cold to

each other, as the tabloids liked to call it.

The hotel venue was already brimming with people at this point. It wasn’t only the media; there were

prominent people present as well, mostly investors of Soaring Group and other stockholders that held a

vested interest in the possible outcome of this press release.

William walked up to the podium and the buzz slowly died down. The doors at the end of the hall

opened, and Jonas and Melinda entered the room hand in hand. They were a striking pair, Melinda in

her stark red outfit and Jonas in an all-black, three-piece suit.

One was bold and strong, and gave off a territorial air as they marched to the front of the room. The

other was silent and low-key, but no one could mistake the massive energy that was coiled beneath the

cool facade.

Camera lights flashed furiously as they made their way to the seats facing the press. Jonas pulled

Melinda’s chair out for her, and they sat down.

No sooner had William indicated the start of the interview than they were assaulted with a barrage of

questions from the reporters. Melinda had a stoic expression the whole time; her mind had long drifted

off elsewhere.

She was pulled back to her senses, however, when a reporter mentioned the photos of her and Jonas,

the collection that started the "Cold War" rumor. Melinda leaned forward on her seat, tented her hands

on the long table lined with microphones, and rested her chin on top of her linked fingers.

She took a good, long look at the photos that were being shown on a white screen, which was

arranged beforehand thanks to the hard work of everyone who clocked overtime, media and Soaring

Group employees alike.

Then she turned to her husband, a slight frown marring her forehead. "Those photos are very poorly

taken."

Jonas raised an eyebrow. "Yes, they really are. The person who took those photos seems to be really

bad at photography."

And so it went. For the most part, they hedged the insinuating and rude questions by downplaying the

entire issue. The husband and wife even got carried away a couple of times, bickering among

themselves over something that was wholly irrelevant to the matter at hand.

As they circled yet again back to the photographs, William finally interjected and got the couple back on

track. Melinda braced herself and explained everything that went on behind those photos. There were

no hidden nuances to it, no glamour, and she related the events eloquently.

The natural flow of the narrative seemed to convince a lot of people, especially since it gave a rational

explanation to Jonas's actions.

No one really believed that Jonas would go as far as fabricating the way he acted. They looked too

real, and made even more real by the added detail that he was driven by his emotions.

As the conference wrapped up, Jonas stood from his seat to address the audience as a whole. "I have

been remiss in providing an explanation to the public regarding this matter.

I apologize to all the people who found themselves inconvenienced in any way by this misgiving of

mine, especially those who have always supported Soaring Group.

Please rest assured that we will look further into this matter, and the proper steps will be employed to

ensure a thorough investigation. I, Jonas Gu, promise you all that for as long as I hold the reins of

Soaring Group, I will take good care of the company and strive to take it another notch higher."

He ended his speech with a deep bow, and the room was filled with silence as his sincerity came

across to everyone present. The investors and stockholders were particularly touched by his heartfelt

words, as well as Melinda.

It was safe to say that the press conference was a success, with the Gu team achieving their main

purpose, and then, perhaps, some more.

Since it looked like the Gu couple were not going to speak about anything anymore, the public relations

team of the company stepped in.

They gave a statement on the couple’s refusal to hold interviews: Jonas had wanted Melinda to

recuperate peacefully and without additional stress.

They had calculated for this response, knowing that it would give their boss the image of a caring and

loving husband. The rest were minor questions, and the team had no difficulty fielding them.

All in all it seemed like the whole scandal was a farce, having been stirred up and stoked until it was

nearly uncontrollable, and yet subdued so easily with a few words. After the event, the prices for

Soaring Group’s stocks rose exponentially.

Emily had been paying attention, of course, seeing as how it was all her handicraft to begin with. It was

only natural that she saw it to its end. Contrary to her expectations, however, she was faced with much

disappointment.

She did not expect Melinda to come out in the open like this, fierce and unrelenting. Emily knew she

had to concede this particular battle.

She just might bite off more than she could chew, and she decided it was better to wait out another

opportunity to ruin the couple.

It was nearly noon when the conference ended. Jonas gave orders for one of the hotel’s banquet halls

to be opened and invited the investors and stockholders to stay and have lunch.

Melinda stayed glued to his side the entire time, for fear that they might spark another bout of the "Cold

War" rumors they took great pains to dispel.

She seldom appeared in public as the Younger Madam Gu, and as such, there were many people who

approached her at this rare occurrence. They praised her and fawned over her.

They weren’t stupid; they knew they needed this woman’s good favor if they wanted to be on Jonas's

good side. Melinda wasn’t stupid either; she knew that it was all empty flattery, and that they were all

serving their own self-interests.

William, on the other hand, found himself in quite a predicament. Social gatherings like this often

included a lot of social drinking.

In light of recent events, Jonas had sworn off the alcohol, and was handing William all the drinks and

toasts that he had to do.

As he dodged yet another toast, he found his wife sitting by herself on one of the tables and staring

blankly at her glass of champagne. He walked to her. "Are you tired?"

"I’m fine," she said, but Jonas knew better. Rather than exhaustion, the problem was that Melinda had

never been fond of such assemblies. She hated being surrounded by manipulative people who

calculated their every action to seek gain.

Jonas turned to call for his secretary, who was in the middle of toasting yet another shareholder.

"William," he waved the poor man over, and the secretary immediately put down his glass and went to

heed the call of his boss.

"Keep everybody entertained. My wife and I will be leaving." Then, without waiting for a response,

Jonas took Melinda’s arm and helped her out of her seat.

He put her coat over her shoulders, and rested his palm at her back as he ushered her out of the room.

The banquet hall was quiet as they made their way to the exit, and they both knew that every pair of

eyes was fixed on them. Their audience were, indeed, staring rather openly, startled at Jonas's little

display.

"Is it really all right for you to just leave like this?" Melinda asked him anxiously. After all, Queena had

told her last night just how important it was for Jonas to gain back the trust of the investors. This should

have been the perfect opportunity to do that.

"Everything’s fine," Jonas answered casually. "William will take care of it."

William’s worn out expression swam into Melinda’s vision then, and she felt sorry for the man. How

unfortunate it must be, to have such a bully be one’s boss. But she couldn’t deny that she felt a deep

relief in not having to stay there any longer.

Their chauffeur was nowhere in sight, since they were leaving the hotel earlier that anyone anticipated.

Melinda had no choice but join her husband in his car, and Jonas sent a text to Mary asking the older

woman to prepare some of the food that his wife liked before driving them home.

"Mellie." They had stopped at a red light. Neither had spoken since the car pulled out of the hotel

grounds.

Jonas was fidgeting on the steering wheel, his thumbs and fingers taking turns in tapping a staccato

beat against the leather lining.

"What is it?" Melinda asked, a little confused at his obvious nervousness. She leaned back on her seat

wearily.

"Can we please, please, stop being cold to each other from now on?" Jonas's voice was barely above

a whisper, and it gave Melinda a startled pause. Jonas took a deep breath and continued speaking.

"I admit that it was very childish of me to do the things that I did. I have no excuses for my behavior. It’s

just that...

It’s because I love you, and your opinion is a matter of great importance to me. I was hurt, and angry,

and had no idea how to convey my feelings to you properly. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I... I

just don’t know how. Every time I tried, I just messed things up. Everything’s a mess, and it’s all my

fault."