Chapter 8 Manipulator

Jonas couldn't stop thinking about the blood-stained pajamas. Although he had sent his people to the hospital to find the truth, he hadn't found anything yet.

Everything seemed to fall in place now. His mind was adding all the pieces of information together. His heart was saying one thing but his brain was denying it. In his eyes, Melinda was a greedy woman, so she wouldn't have kept her mouth shut if she was really pregnant.

Tears continued to stream out of Melinda's eyes. She had become numb, but Nelson's anger and the thought of her baby churned the emotions in her heart, making them gush out of her eyes.

She couldn't imagine how she had endured their torture all these years. She had survived but lived like a walking corpse. She had been used to humiliation and torture.

"You disgusting bastard! What have you done? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? Melinda is your wife. How could you treat her like shit?" Nelson glared at Jonas. The mere sight of Jonas was driving him crazy. "Don't worry, my child. I'm still the head of the family and I get to decide what needs to be done," he comforted Melinda.

Nelson tapped his crutch and glanced at Emily. She had always been a weakling; at least that was what Jonas thought her to be. But if Emily was as weak as she portrayed herself to be, how did she find the strength to create trouble in his family? As a seasoned old man, Nelson knew she was never as simple as she appeared.

"Grandpa, I don't need anything. Let me divorce him. I've had enough, I cannot put up with the torture anymore." The people around them felt sorry for Melinda when they saw her crying.

Jonas knitted his eyebrows and looked at Melinda as if he was seeing her for the first time. His heart was filled with doubts and questions but now wasn't the time to sort them out. Guilt was consuming him.

"Look what you've done! You failed to protect your wife! What kind of a husband are you?"

Nelson was disappointed with his grandson. He hadn't known about Melinda's pregnancy and it was too painful to find out that Melinda had lost her baby, the heir of Gu family. Anger rose from the pit of Nelson's stomach as he smacked Jonas's back with his crutch.

Everyone was equally furious. They didn't expect Jonas to do such a thing. Yulia's smirk was wiped off from her face as she began to tremble with fear.

She had always been afraid of Nelson and Jonas. Nelson's anger terrified her. She had never seen him like this before.

Melinda was touched by Nelson's gesture. She felt that it would be disrespectful to mention the divorce again.

"Jonas, I didn't push her. Trust me!" Tears fell from the corners of Emily's eyes. She was looking vulnerable. Melinda narrowed her eyes and looked at her.

"Emily, that's enough. I think it's time for you to go home." Jonas didn't want Emily to be involved in this matter. He was too confused and didn't know who to believe and who not to.

Things were messed up. It wasn't a big deal for him, but he didn't want anyone to point their finger at Nelson and his family.

"Jonas, why aren't you believing me?"

Emily bit her lip and looked at him sadly. But Jonas turned away. She didn't know how to make him trust her.

"Gavin, arrange a car to send Emily back. I'm upset and I cannot deal with her now," Nelson ordered. Jonas had neither apologized nor offered an explanation, which annoyed Nelson even more. Emily covered her face and walked out of the mansion. She couldn't stand the accusatory looks of people.

The happy party was ruined. There were too many revelations that were hard for Nelson to swallow. It was overwhelming.

Melinda couldn't help but feel disappointed. She thought that she could somehow make Jonas sign the divorce papers and leave the mansion. She was both physically and emotionally exhausted.

Her feet became wobbly. Her legs gave away and she fell to the ground.

"You heartless piece of shit!"

Nelson was infuriated by Jonas who was standing still, without offering to help Melinda.

Nelson's heart ached at the sight of Melinda's plight. A wave of guilt washed over him. He felt that he too was responsible for everything she had gone through. Melinda was a wonderful woman and didn't deserve to be tortured like this.

"I'll take care of this," Jonas said.

He seemed unfazed by his grandfather's taunts and Yulia felt that it was necessary to stop him before he lost his mind and took adverse measures.

"How will you handle it? Divorce Melinda and marry that woman? Don't even think about it. As long as I'm alive, I won't let you marry anyone else," Nelson bellowed.

His face had turned red and he was out of breath. Nelson coughed and took a moment to compose himself. 'Everyone's right. I'm getting old,' he thought. His body wasn't cooperating with him anymore.

Jonas pursed his lips and looked at Melinda. He didn't want to say anything and annoy Nelson. Melinda had created a rift between him and his grandfather. The thought of it made him hate her even more.

"Grandpa, please calm down. You need to take care of your health. He didn't mean to hurt Melinda. Don't worry, I'll take good care of her from now on," Yulia said.

"I get it, but how could he not care about his wife? He has a handsome face but no brain. How could he turn a blind eye to what's happening?" Nelson said indignantly.

Jonas felt that his grandfather's anger was slowly receding, so he breathed a sigh of relief

.

"It's okay, Melinda. You know my brother. He acts crazy at times. Stop worrying. Forget everything and take care of yourself. I'm sure you'll recover soon."

Yulia walked to Melinda's bed and smiled softly. But Melinda didn't bother to look at her.

"Rest well, my child. Don't worry, no one dares to bully you as long as I'm here. Sleep peacefully."

Nelson smiled sympathetically. He instructed Yulia to attend to Melinda. After all, the Gu family owed everything to her.

"Grandpa, stop worrying about me. I'll be fine. But tell me something, you won't try to change my mind and make decisions for me, will you?" Melinda asked.

Nelson looked at her pale face. She was weaker than before. He wanted to stop her and make her understand. But he didn't have the heart to impose his decisions on her. He needed to wait for the right time to talk to her about it. He rubbed his face and sighed loudly.

"My child, I don't understand. You two have been together for many years. Why are you..." Nelson trailed off and shook his head. He was confused. He did not know what was going on between Melinda and Jonas.

Melinda didn't respond. She closed her eyes and sighed. He was right. Despite living with Jonas for many years, she still couldn't have a place in his heart.

Nelson was utterly exhausted. The drama had taken a toll on his mind and body. Therefore, he decided to go back to his room and rest.

"Melinda, I think I was wrong about you," Jonas finally said. Melinda had surprised him. He felt that she had either changed a lot or he had misjudged her. She was strong, feisty, and smart, completely opposite to the person he had known all these years.

"Well, I think Grandpa is right. You really are blind." Melinda chuckled. Yulia felt the same too. Although she was weak, Melinda still looked aggressive. Yulia was shocked to see the change in her.

Jonas was lost for words. He looked at Melinda and turned to leave but stopped when he heard her voice. "Jonas, this is the last straw. I cannot handle this anymore. I think divorce is the best option for us."

Although Melinda sounded casual, she was a bit reluctant to take the big step. She had devoted her life to the Gu family for many years. But she had nowhere else to go if she divorced Jonas. Her entire life would change if she left him, and she didn't know if she had the strength to face the obstacles. She just wanted to escape from everything, everyone, and find her own peace.

"You'll know you are not the organizer of this game, Melinda," Jonas said coldly and left without waiting for her reply.

Melinda sat still and watched him leave.

"Don't think that you're smart enough to fool my brother. I've never seen anyone as shameless as you are. God, what are you? You might have threatened my brother and won Grandpa's heart. But don't think that you can fool them forever," Yulia grunted. Nelson was paying attention to Melinda while he completely ignored her. Yulia couldn't help but feel jealous of her.

"Yulia, I remember that you've promised Grandpa to take care of me. Well, I'm thirsty. I want you to bring water. Oh, don't forget to bring a straw or spoon, I cannot get up and drink. You'll have to feed me."

Yulia said something but Melinda closed her eyes and ignored her. Melinda was exhausted and was not in the mood to argue with her.

"You..." Yulia stomped her foot and opened her mouth to say something, but Melinda fluttered her eyes open. A shiver ran through Yulia's spine when she saw the coldness in her eyes. She remembered how ruthless Melinda had been to her.

So she walked out without complaining. In the next few days, Yulia was pretending to take good care of Melinda in front of everyone. Whenever she tried to rest, Melinda would deliberately order her to do something.

"Miss Yulia, this is the lunch for Mrs. Gu." The nanny put Melinda's lunch on the table and instructed Yulia to take care of Melinda. Melinda was deeply wounded and the doctor had prescribed a special recipe for her.

Nelson didn't trust Yulia and had hired a nanny to take special care of Melinda.

"Bitch, how dare you order me?" Yulia slapped the nanny and threw the plate on the ground.

"Miss Yulia, I..." Before the nanny finished her words, Yulia stepped forward and threatened her, "Know who you're talking to. I'm a member of the Gu family and she isn't going to be Mrs. Gu forever. Do you fucking understand?

Tidy this place. Remember, you were responsible for this." Yulia patted the nanny on the shoulder and left. The nanny looked at the mess on the floor and her eyes glistened with tears.

It was past lunchtime and the nanny walked into Melinda's room with food. Her face was swollen and her eyes were puffy. Melinda had heard the commotion downstairs but had ignored it. Now she understood what had happened and became furious when she saw the nanny's face.

"Did she hit you?" Melinda asked. She knew the answer even before the nanny responded. She knew that the nanny was innocent and Yulia must have done this to her.

"You don't have to take care of me or put up with her. You can leave tonight. I'll deal with her and make sure she doesn't bother you anymore," Melinda said. The nanny smiled gratefully and left.

With the nanny gone, the burden of taking care of Melinda fell on Yulia's shoulders.

"I've almost recovered. You don't have to hire anyone to take care of me," Melinda said, smirking at Yulia.