Ex husband's Plea for Forgiveness novel Chapter 140

"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 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.