Chapter 92 Retouch
Chapter 92 Retouch
Then Nelson didn't make any specific arrangements for the couple and kicked them out of the study.
It wasn't a desperate issue that needed any fixation. So, Melinda left with Jonas. She was silent on her way back to their villa. Leonard had sent a cat from the countryside as a gift for Melinda. It was a fluffy, happy kitten that made Melinda happy.
"Momo, be quiet," she said.
The cat lifted its head lazily and looked at Melinda with its big watery eyes. It purred softly, licked its paw, and curled itself as it lay under the warm sun.
Jonas was seeing the cat for the first time. He stepped closer and extended his arm to touch it but the cat flew into a rage and jumped away.
Melinda was seeing the cat only now after she had met him first. The cat had returned after being vaccinated and having a haircut.
"You frightened the cat."
Melinda scowled at Jonas. She stepped closer to Momo, squatted, and ruffled its fluffy hair. She smiled at how cute it looked.
Momo stared at Melinda with its big eyes and walked slowly towards her. Its haughty look amused Jonas and he couldn't help laughing. His laughter scared Momo as it took a step back and stared at the two of them with frightened eyes.
"Jonas!"
Every time Melinda tried getting closer to the cat, Jonas did something or other, driving it away. She glared at Jonas with frustration. Jonas realized the similarity between the cat and Melinda was
uncanny. She was looking like a wild cat, waiting to pounce on him.
After a lot of time and effort, Melinda found the cat with the help of the servants. She picked up the cat and rubbed her cheek against its fluffy cheeks as Momo's whiskers tickled her.
"Momo is a lovely cat."
Melinda couldn't stop smiling when she was with the cat. She pulled the phone from her pocket and asked the servant to take pictures of her with the cat. Momo snuggled comfortably against Melinda's chest and closed its eyes.
Jonas watched everything from a distance. Melinda sat on the stone bench, under the tree, with the cat in her arms. She was happily cuddling and playing with the cat. The warm sunlight cast a soft shadow on her face.
Melinda had a strange feeling that someone was looking at her. She lifted her head and saw a lonely figure, leaning against the wall. It was Jonas. He was wearing a casual gray T-shirt and track pants, smiling at her.
Melinda spent the entire afternoon playing with the cat and fell asleep on the stone table. Momo curled up on her lap and slept peacefully.
Jonas walked closer to Melinda. Momo snapped its eyes open and snarled at him. It began to purr incessantly, alerting Melinda.
"Momo doesn't like you. Better stay away from me," Melinda mumbled in her sleep.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw Jonas. She picked Momo and went back to her study. Jonas quietly followed her like a protective guardian. Melinda couldn't help but smile.
All the taunts and hate comments gradually disappeared after Emily made the clarification. The editor contacted Melinda and asked her to prepare an update.
Melinda's novel was back on track. The system ruled out the bad score from Emily's fans and everything was back to normal.
The novel was Melinda's one of the most popular books and was about to reach the climax. Melinda was busy preparing the manuscripts, figuring out all the probable endings. But she couldn't decide how she wanted her story to end.
Melinda decided to write more, without taking breaks until she was satisfied with the finale.
She sighed loudly and began to tweak and modify the story. Once Melinda was sure that the story was free of error, she released it. Melinda was happy about the soaring viewership as more people began to read stories. Her fans didn't cease loving her and showering her with virtual gifts.
As usual, Melinda shared the new chapters on Weibo. Her eyes fell on a piece of news about Emily. RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only
The headline read: "The two make an incredible pair."
Melinda scrolled down and saw a picture of the actor from the new series. He was the actor who Emily was working with. The second picture revealed Emily and the actor entering a hotel, hand in hand. It was false news that made them seem more intimate than they actually were.
Everyone was aware of the hardships Emily had faced and was surprised to find her start of a new relationship soon.
Melinda read the entire article and found that Emily and the young actor were scheduled to attend a variety of TV shows. One of them was the show in which she had claimed to be in a relationship with Jonas.
It was dinnertime. Jonas and Melinda were having dinner with Nelson.
"Don't be in a hurry to go back to your room. Stay back and watch TV with me."
Nelson wiped the corner of his mouth and put the napkin aside. Although Jonas and Melinda were surprised by the strange request, they still obeyed, and stayed back.
The servant brought the fruit platter and placed it on the table. Melinda was sitting between Jonas and Nelson. She knitted her eyebrows when she saw Gavin change the channel. She had thought he was going to tune into the financial program but it was a variety show that Melinda was familiar with.
"Grandpa, I feel a bit of uneasiness in my stomach after eating so much. Will you allow Jonas to take me out?"
Melinda asked, looking uncomfortable as she was aware of Nelson's intentions. Jonas could sense the awkwardness in the air but he wouldn't know what it was about until he watched the program.
The living room was quiet as Nelson was intently watching the show. He glanced at Jonas and nodded. "All right, you can go for a walk with her."
Jonas smiled and stopped for a second before leaving. "Grandpa, I wanted you to know that I've cut all ties with that woman," he said, reassuringly.
"What are you talking about?" Nelson asked, feigning innocence. He knew that Jonas was referring to Emily and was delighted to hear this information.
Jonas didn't bother answering him. He held Melinda's hand and walked out, showing Nelson that Melinda was her woman.
"It's still early. Do you want to go somewhere and have fun? William suggested a good place... "
"No, thanks," Melinda cut him off even before he could finish his sentence. "I'm going to finish the novel soon and I don't want any distractions."
She tugged out her hand from his hold, rubbed her wrist, and went back to the villa.
Melinda wasn't lying. She had planned to finish the novel anyway. There was a sudden flash of inspiration and she wanted to spill her thoughts into paper. Jonas looked at his empty hand that revealed the void in his heart.
"Are you going to finish your novel?"
"Yes."
"Show me. I've always been curious about how you're going to end the story."
Jonas found an excuse to spend time with Melinda. His mind flitted to the time when he saw a description of his character. He hadn't read the story in a long time and wanted to know what Melinda had written about him now.
He secretly hoped that Melinda showed him under a better light.
Melinda arched an eyebrow with suspicion. She wondered if Jonas was really eager to read the story or not. Jonas looked at Melinda's expression and thought that it wasn't going to be good.
He leaned forward to read the rest of the story. Melinda had portrayed him as a bad man.
"Mellie, don't you think you need to cut out the negativity of this character to some extent?"
Jonas forced a smile and asked expectantly.
"Which one are you talking about? Let me have a look."
Melinda's sweet scent filled Jonas's lungs as she moved closer to him. His body tingled with desire and his finger that pointed at the computer seemed to tremble slightly.
He inched forward and inhaled Melinda's intoxicating scent. His warm breath blew across Melinda's cheeks, making her face turn red.
"This character is pretty much similar to how he is in real life. There's no need to make any changes."
Melinda gritted her teeth and smiled. She felt that Jonas was far worse than how she had portrayed in the novel.
"I didn't treat you like this," Jonas protested.
"Whatever makes you sleep at night?"
Jonas flinched at Melinda's tone. He was just joking and didn't expect Melinda to react this way.
"You can think about the good qualities in me, you know?"
"I don't want to."
Jonas was annoyed by Melinda's words.
"Mellie."
Jonas looked frustrated like her little cat, Momo. Melinda felt that Jonas was breaking the rules in her heart, so she turned away.
Nothing had changed.
Melinda sat and wrote all night long and Jonas was done playing this game. He had taken things for granted in the past and this was the first time he had been serious about something.
"Mellie, let's go for the water park tomorrow."
"Whatever." Melinda rolled her eyes and turned away.
Melinda couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned the entire night as she was excited about the trip that Jonas had personally arranged.
The next morning, Jonas woke up early and went for a run. When he returned to the villa, he found that Melinda was awake. She was sitting at the table, with the cat in her arms, waiting to have breakfast.
Jonas went to the room and picked a bathing suit for Melinda. The cat was vigilant and continued to despise Jonas. Momo quickly ran to the tree in the yard and curled into a comfortable position.
Before leaving, Jonas slathered sunscreen on Melinda's face. The water park was a two-hour drive and was in a small town next to A City.
Melinda hadn't slept well the previous night, so she fell asleep as soon as she got inside the car. After an hour, she woke up in a daze, and found that they were in the middle of a traffic jam.
"Drink some water first. There was an accident and we have to stay here until the traffic clears up."
Jonas couldn't accept that his perfect trip was ruined. After Melinda finished drinking the water, the car started and moved in a slow pace. She was exhausted by the time they reached the park and was not in the mood to play and have fun.
"Mellie, let me take you there. It's one of the finest games here," Jonas said, pointing at one of the rides.
"No, thanks. I'm tired. Let's go back."
Jonas's words had no effect on her. Melinda was drained and she just wanted to go home, curl into a ball, and sleep.
"We hardly get the chance to go out. Why do you have to be a spoilsport?" Jonas grunted.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you. Find someone who listens to your every word and satisfies you," Melinda yelled and waved her hand in exasperation before storming off.
Jonas took a deep breath and quickly caught up with her.