Chapter 124 A Scene At The Auction


    Every time she thought Emily was out of the picture, the woman always popped up again, like some


    persistent weed that wouldn’t die in spite of the elements. And the actress never seemed to run out of


    schemes, too; each one was always different from thest.


    "Melinda?" Leo snapped his fingers in front of her face. "What’s wrong? Where have you drifted off to?"


    "Oh everything’s fine," she quickly replied. "I just remembered something." She was never one to voice


    out her struggles and her burdens. And in light of everything that happened to her in the past five


    years, it wasn’t easy for her to share her secrets.


    Lucky for her, Leo was not the type who pried. He kindly epted her vague reason and left it at that,


    then took the reins of the conversation and began a new topic. Soon they were in avid discussion


    again.


    The party was dwindling, and a lot of the other guests had already left. At this point, Melinda and Leo


    were talking about stories of the ancient schrs, and what was meant to be a little chat turned into an


    animated intellectual discourse. Both of them were intelligent, after all, and matters regarding history


    had a special ce in the hearts of such people.


    Meanwhile, from the other side of the room, Yulia could only stare and seethe with envy. She didn’t


    know what to do. Since she couldn’t catch the gorgeous man’s attention, the least she wanted was to


    wrench him away from Melinda’s clutches.


    She had been keeping a close eye on the two, looking for the perfect opportunity, the perfect timing,


    when they might slip and act as though they were secret lovers. She would pounce on them then, and


    publicly use them of adultery. ''Let’s see what that bitch is going to do then!''


    "Yulia, won’t youe with me to meet some new friends?" So rapt was her attention at her sister-in-


    law and Leo that Emily’s sudden appearance at her side startled her.


    When Yulia turned, she saw that Emily and Queena had both risen from their seats. The auction was


    now over, and the host was saying the closing remarks on the podium.


    Since Emily organized the event, she would no doubt be up thereter as well. And since she had


    especially invited Queena as an esteemed guest, and indicated so in the program, the older woman


    would be saying a few words, too.


    The actress was looking at her expectantly, and Yulia pulled herself together. "Sure. Why not?" Emily


    was sure to have a wide social circle, and it wouldn’t hurt to establish new connections.


    As they moved from the tables to approach Emily’s acquaintances, Yulia turned to cast ast nce at


    Leo and Melinda. The man was patting her sister-inw gently on the head, smiling down at her


    sweetly.


    The scene made Yulia’s blood boil, and she wasn’t able to stop her expression from morphing into that


    of absolute fury.


    Her gaze remained glued to the couple across the room, and in her distraction she bumped into


    Queena rather forcefully as the older woman tried to walk past her.


    "Yulia, what the hell are you doing?" the madam hissed, and Yulia snapped back from her daze. Just


    her luck to incur the woman’s wrath as well in the same night.


    She knew that if Queena was provoked, she could make her life utterly miserable. She paled as she


    tried to think of a way out. Her eyes darted back to where Melinda was.


    "I’m so sorry, Aunt Queena. It’s just that I was shocked to see Melinda being so intimate with that


    gentleman over there..." She drifted off on purpose, and turned her head to the object of her statement.


    Naturally, the other women turned towards the same direction.


    "I’m to me as well, Aunt Queena," Emily interjected. "I think Yulia tripped on some of the cable wires


    on the floor. I should have made sure nothing was in the way of the guests."


    Yulia shot the actress a grateful look, but Queena’s eyes were still trained on her daughter-inw.


    Melinda had had to adapt dramatically in order to survive in the Gu household, and so she developed a


    keen sixth sense when it came to threats against her.


    At the moment, she could sense a stare that was shooting daggers at her nape.


    She turned to find the three women ring at her. ''What now?'' she thought. But since she knew she


    had done nothing in particr to antagonize them, she resumed her conversation without dwelling on


    the matter.


    Those women were always mad at her for something or other anyway.


    "Don’t cover up for her, Emily," Queena was saying at that moment.


    "I''m all seeing the same thing right now. Aunt Queena, that Melinda has gone too far. You can’t just


    stand by and watch her flirt with another man. She is going to make a cuckold of your son! What will


    people think of our family? It will be a huge scandal!" Yulia stated in an angry voice.


    She was not above ying dirty, after all. She was determined to bring Melinda down, and she would


    enlist all the help she could get from anyone she could convince.


    As much as Queena disliked her daughter-inw, though, she wasn’t particrly fond of her husband’s


    bastard either.


    Seeing the older woman take time to contemte, Yulia gave Emily a pointed look. The women’s


    minds were in sync again, as the case usually was when it came to plotting against Melinda.


    "Aunt Queena, shall we go over there and take a look at the situation?" Emily suggested,cing her


    voice with some hesitation to hide her bubbling anticipation at the trouble that was unfolding. Her acting


    skills were really very useful.


    "Aunt Queena, please go and look into it," Yulia prodded. She was running out of patience. She wanted


    Melinda to be put to her ce, which was anywhere but the spotlight.


    This seemed to persuade Queena atst, and the three women strode over as one.


    The spirited discussion stopped as the women loomed over Melinda and Leo’s table. They weren’t


    stupid; they both immediately recognized the cruel intent in those three pairs of eyes.


    Leo rose from his seat and greeted them politely, "Hello, Madam Gu, Miss Bai, Miss Gu."


    Melinda rose as well, but only greeted one person. "Mom."


    Queena sneered at them. "We are at a public event. We should be careful with our rendezvous, don’t


    you agree?"


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    People were starting to throw curious nces at them, and despite her words, it was the women’s


    approach that caused the scene, not Melinda and Leo’s animated conversation.


    It didn’t ur to her, of course, blinded as she was by her prejudices. All she could think of at that


    moment was how easily her hard-earned reputation was crumbling because of some lowborn woman


    who married into the family. Her fury grew.


    Before anyone else could say anything, Leo had stepped forward towards the women. "I’m very sorry


    for my carelessness. It’s all my fault. I will bear the responsibility."


    It was an olive branch of some sort. Queena and Leo both knew that if she acknowledged his apology,


    they could leave the matter be and not stir the issue any further.


    It was then that Emily spoke. "Mr. Liu, I can see that you and Miss Mo are very close with each other.


    I’m a little envious that she managed to maintain very good rtionships with quite a lot of outstanding


    schoolmates. Like you and Kent."


    While short-lived, there had in fact been rumors of a romance between Melinda and Kent, and Emily


    made sure to squeeze that little reference into the scene. Queena peered at her daughter-inw.


    "That’s very true," Yulia smirked, shooting Melinda an arrogant nce. "Melinda does get along very


    well with her schoolmates."


    It was quite clear what they were implying. Not only was Melinda being adulterous, but she was


    involved with multiple men as well. All five of them could hear the words that weren’t being said.


    Leo’s expression suddenly changed then. He always looked dashing, and boyishly debonair, but now


    he took on a cold and intimidating facade, something that certainly made many a man back down from


    a fight with him.


    "Melinda is highly intelligent and very well-spoken even when we were younger. She is one of the most


    popr students in the campus; naturally, she has many friends."


    Seeing his vehement and somewhat immediate reaction, Emily smiled to herself in satisfaction. "You


    must calm down, Mr. Liu, or onlookers might automatically assume that I bullied Miss Mo judging by


    how anxiously you defend her."


    Leo’s gaze narrowed at the actress, and a corner of his mouth lifted in a sardonic smile. ''So this is how


    you want to y it. How foolish, for a mere girl to y words with two eloquent professionals.''


    "I meant no such thing, of course, Miss Bai. I just somehow felt that I needed to remind you of lessons


    taught at school. ''A fool’s voice is known by a multitude of words''—surely you’ve heard of the saying?"


    Emily flushed with embarrassment at the reprimand, but she quickly recovered herself.


    "Well, people lead different lifestyles, so it isn’t surprising to find that we all hold different ideological


    lessons. No one can force anyone to do something against their will. But I find that I need to give some


    reminders of my own. Perhaps you’ve forgotten that Melinda is married to Mr. Gu; you should call her


    Mrs. Gu, otherwise anyone within earshot might get the wrong idea when they hear you call her Miss


    Mo.


    Ah, but seeing as how keenly aware you are of the fact, I can’t help but wonder why you yourself do not


    address her as Mrs. Gu and call her Miss Mo instead."


    Leo’s tone was oozing with sarcasm, and Emily’s mask slipped from her face. She red at the man,


    earning herself a smug grin.


    Melinda had remained silent the entire time, and she now stared in shock at the back of Leo’s head.


    She hadn’t expected him to defend her to such extent, even provoking her own enemies.


    He went as far as publicly dering her identity as Jonas''s wife, and in her periphery she could see the


    eavesdropping bystanders whispering among themselves. That was the end to the spection of who


    she was then.


    "I apologize," Emily finally said, even as she gritted her teeth. She had never been so cleverly insulted


    in her life.


    "I was just trying toment on what good friends you are. My mouth seemed to have run off on its


    own ord. I’m so sorry that Mr. Liu misunderstood what I was trying to say.


    It’s my fault. I’m such a clumsy talker." Her hand clutched her purse tightly, and in her mind she was


    fantasizing it was either of Melinda’s or Leo’s neck she was wringing.


    "Ah well," Leo said casually. "I share the me, then, since I tend to take words at face value.


    Especially when they are spoken with the intent to badmouth me." He had a cheerful tone as he


    brushed off the confrontation, but the look he gave Emily was cutting.


    Emily could only bite her lip. There was nothing more she could say, at the risk of digging a deeper


    grave for herself.


    Beside her, Yulia nced at Emily with wide eyes, counting herself lucky for not saying anything


    offensive to Leo. If she did, she might have been in a far worse predicament than the actress.


    Even so, her admiration for him only grew. He looked so hot when he was mad, too.


    Melinda couldn’t hide her amusement, and chuckled softly to herself, which only drew Queena’s


    attention. She red at the younger woman.


    Emily, whom she greatly favored, had been mocked in her presence, and it was all because of this


    Melinda. "Melinda, apologize to Emily in behalf of Mr. Liu, this instant!"


    Everyone stared at her in stunned silence. She practically yelled her order, and in such an imperative


    tone.


    The other women nced sideways at Melinda, anticipating her reaction. Leo looked at his friend, too.


    "I don’t believe I’ve said anything wrong at all. Even if I did, and if I wanted to, I can apologize to Miss


    Bai without dragging Melinda into it."


    Queena ignored him; she wasn’t going to throw herself to a battle of wits with this man. She would only


    find herself skewered and roasted like Emily. Instead, she screamed, "Melinda!"


    The re she shot Melinda was full of menacing threat. If it had been her past self, Melinda would have


    immediately given in to their demands, no matter how demeaning.


    But times had changed, and so had she.


    Not to mention, Queena was essentially demanding something of Leo. If Melinda relented, she would


    humiliate not only herself, she would also be pping Leo’s earlier arguments to his face.


    But more importantly, she admitted to herself that she didn’t want topromise with any of the Gu


    family right now.


    Melinda stepped forward and looked at Emily with cold disdain. There was no point in ying nice,


    after all, all things considered.


    "Miss Bai," she said, and despite herself Emily felt a chill crawl over her body. Melinda’s tone was not


    unlike the one Jonas would use when he was trying to get rid of her. "In the future, please keep in mind


    that disaster springs from careless talk."


    Then Melinda reached back to her chair and grabbed her purse. "I’m a little tired. I’ll be leaving first."


    With that, she turned and left, not bothering with further pleasantries. Leo chuckled at her exit, then


    picked up his coat and followed suit, not bothering with a goodbye either.


    The three women stared at her back as she walked away. Queena’s fingers were trembling with fury.


    Her daughter-inw had just publicly humiliated her! And even worse, Melinda had caused her to act


    so shamelessly in public.