Chapter 1 Same Dress


    A myriad of luxurious cars weaved in through the hotel gates as seamlessly as a shuffled deck of


    cards. A dazzling array of celebrities, socialites and those among the most powerful and influential


    people of A City had gathered here today to celebrate and honor the prestigious 30th anniversary of


    Soaring Group.


    Soon after, a Volkswagen Phaeton, with a sleek metallic paint finish, stopped at the hotel driveway and


    the bellhop stepped forward to open the door.


    Melinda Mo sprang out of the car, clearly in a hurry to go somewhere. In fact, Melinda Mo was rushing


    to get to a banquet that she almost missed, not because it was her own fault but because she didn''t


    receive the invitation until muchter.


    "Where is Jonas?" she asked anxiously.


    "Mr. Gu is already here. He is in the banquet hall right now."


    Gently lifting the hemline of her red dress, Melinda Mo sped to the banquet hall. She was already very


    late. The banquet hall was a grand space, to say the least. The walls were covered with a shimmering


    gold paper and in the middle of the ceiling above the carved oak table was a candbra. The polished


    silver cutlery was heavy to the hand and shone brightly in the early evening light. At each ce stood a


    tall empty wine ss and there were beautifully folded napkins to match the runner. The room was


    invaded by beautiful women, showing off their spectacr jewelries and dashing young men,ughing


    and chatting about business and politics.


    Melinda Mo caught sight of the man in the crowd at first nce. He looked so cold, and yet there was


    something very appealing about the impassiveness on his handsome face. Although he was


    surrounded by a crowd, he didn''t seem perturbed at all.


    Melinda Mo smiled faintly, not looking to attract any unnecessary attention to her presence. All she


    wanted to do was slide through the crowd unnoticed and take her side next to Jonas Gu, but soon the


    smile on her face froze.


    Wrapped around Jonas Gu'' arm, was a voluptuous, dark-haired bombshell who intimately whispering


    words into his ears every now and then. No one could tell what she said to him but it seemed to soften


    his cold, hard expression.


    As if stuck underwater, everything around Melinda Mo slowed down and warbled, her heart falling silent


    almost immediately. In a quick and nervous motion, she gathered herself and hid in a corner. As if


    things weren''t bad enough, the slippery snake that was grinding her body up against Jonas Gu was


    wearing the same red dress as hers.


    She stomped the floor in anger, realizing that the members of the Gu family wouldn''t pass on such a


    good opportunity to humiliate her in public. Of all the people in the world, why did Jonas Gu have to


    pick Holley Huang, a woman whose greatest achievement in life was to be one of the most


    famous socialite divas of A City? And most of all, why did they have to wear the same dress today? It


    wouldn''t surprise Melinda Mo if tomorrow she were to be theughingstock of the entire city for


    having the same taste in fashion as a slutty model.


    She ran into thedies'' room at first chance and locked the door behind her. As she stared at her own


    reflection on the mirror, the desperation on her face, she felt frustrating and heartbreaking at the same


    time. She tore off the shoulder strap of her dress and a bit of her skirt at the bottom that mopped the


    floor everywhere she went. Luckily, the interior linings of the dress were so delicate and minuscule that


    the changes would go unnoticed to the naked eye.


    After a while, Melinda Mo walked out of thedies'' room, in a long, strapless dress and a pair of ck


    silk gloves. Her lustrous ck hair was loosely tied up and thebination of red and ck colors


    added to the fine elegance that oozed out of her.


    "Melinda? What are you doing here? Why aren''t you with Jonas?"


    Melinda Mo immediately recognized the voice without even facing the speaker as it had just the right


    amount of upper ss timbre to belong to the one and only Yulia Gu, Jonas Gu''s young sister.


    Melinda Mo forced a smile on her lips as she gave Yulia Gu a gentle nod. She noticed Jonas Gu


    looking closely at them before he walked away as if she was a stranger.


    Yulia Gu approached Melinda Mo, raising her chin in an arrogant manner.


    "Jonas, aren''t you going to say hello to Melinda?"


    The female partner of Jonas Gu who was a married man was a small model, so outsiders knew it


    clearly that Melinda Mo had no status at all. Looking at Melinda Mo''s face, they were full of sympathy.


    Nevertheless, Melinda Mo didn''t allow any of it to sadden her. Even the sight of her husband and his


    lover together did not manage to bring her down. However, no one could tell what she was plotting


    behind that unwavering smile on her face.


    "Never mind. Besides, it''s better for someone like him to be seen with someone like Miss Huang on


    these asions." With just a few words Melinda Mo reduced Holley Huang''s entire character and


    personality into something that befitted trash.


    Yulia Gu snickered bitterly, but just as she noticed Melinda Mo''s dress she abruptly burst intoughter,


    pointing at the lose thread on her waist.


    "Oh sweet Melinda, where did you buy this dress? Did my family not give you enough money to shop at


    a decent ce? You''re such a simpleton!"


    Yulia Gu said sarcastically. Most people knew that Melinda Mo hade from humble beginnings and


    that her family wasn''t very well off, which led people to think that she had married into the Gu family by


    foul means. The only people who found Yulia Gu''s hateful words were unsurprisingly a group of rich


    people who covered their mouths to stifle their snideughter.


    Melinda Mo turned her eyes away without saying a word, and remained indifferent. She had suffered


    more humiliation than this from the Gu family over the years. Compared to that, this was going to be a


    walk in the park.


    "Enough!" screamed Jonas Gu. Perhaps he was afraid that Yulia Gu would say something shameful so


    he stopped her immediately. "Don''t cross the line."


    With a displeased look on Yulia Gu''s face, she cast a disdainful nce at Melinda Mo and pushed her


    aside.


    Melinda would have been utterly devastated, if not for her unyielding mental strength and fortitude.


    When she noticed the loose thread dangling from her dress, she felt so embarrassed that she couldn''t


    even speak.


    At first, Melinda thought that perhaps Jonas wasn''t aware of Yulia''s behavior, but now the arrogance in


    Yulia''s voice was suggesting that she wouldn''t have the guts to do anything if it weren''t for Jonas''


    acquiescence.


    Melinda slowly raised her head and smiled faintly at Jonas.


    "I''m going to get some rest," she said, turning around to leave and not waiting for Jonas'' response.


    Besides, she didn''t want to shed another tear for this man, at least, not in front of him.


    She tried to spit out the sadness inside her chest, but it was like a fishbone stuck inside her throat.


    Looking back at the days she had spent with the Gu family over the years, Melinda smiled bitterly.


    Indeed, without Jonas'' approval, who would have the courage to humiliate the daughter-inw of the


    Gu family?


    Melinda found herself a corner seat in the lounge where she avoided making eye contact. As such, in


    her attempt to hide from others, Melinda failed to notice that Holley Huang was sitting beside her.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Miss Mo, it''s nice to see you here." Holley Huang smiled and raised her ss at her.


    Melinda didn''t seem troubled by the way Holley Huang addressed her. Instead, curtly lifting the corners


    of her lips into a smile, she said, "Your reputation precedes you, Miss Huang."


    Holley raised an eyebrow at Melinda''sment. She didn''t expect to find such eloquence from a


    woman she had just insulted.


    "No matter how famous I am, I can neverpare myself to the fabulous Miss Mo. If people notice


    how indifferent you are to seeing your husband with other women, they might think that you are only


    interested in the Gu family''s wealth."


    "And what of you, Miss Huang? Dangling around a married man, dancing to his every word. Are you


    willing to be his mistress because you love him, or because you love the Gu family''s money?" Melinda


    sneered and thought, ''Did she think that I was going to let her talk down to me just because I let Yulia


    off so easily?''


    Holley''s face darkened almost instantly.


    "Miss Mo, that''s quite low, even for someone like you. Then again, such crass behavior is to be


    expected from someone who does not understand what dignity means."


    "I would advise you to choose your next words very wisely. Don''t forget that I am still legally married to


    Jonas. Besides, even if we do split up one day, what makes you think you have the chance to be his


    wife?" A wry smile emerged on the corners of Melinda''s mouth. She had shared the same bed with


    Jonas for several years, which was why she knew that there was someone else in his heart. However,


    that person was neither her, nor Holley.