Ex husband's Plea for Forgiveness

Leo was smiling the entire time he walked behind Melinda to the entrance of the hotel. Especially when he noted how she held her head high and kept her back straight even after the fun little confrontation they had back there.

They stopped near the doors, and Melinda stood on her toes to see through the tall glass windows if there were any taxis entering the driveway.

"This is a rather difficult location to hail cabs, Melinda," Leo said as he watched her strain her neck. "Let me drive you home."

She turned to smile at him. "I would really appreciate that, thank you."

In all honesty he was expecting her to say no, given the fictitious scandal her in-laws seemed to be concocting. Which was why he was pleasantly surprised at her ready response.

Still, she had lost the glow she was wearing earlier in the evening, when they were just enjoying each other’s company and conversation. He couldn’t help saying a regretful, "Sorry."

"You don’t need to apologize for anything," she replied, looking up at him. He saw the sincerity in her eyes, as well as a stroke of inner strength. "It was all my fault."

Well, not really. But Leo wouldn’t have been dragged into the issue if it weren’t for her. Melinda knew that Emily despised her—the sentiment was rather mutual.

And she knew that no matter what she did, or who she was with, or what the circumstances were, the actress would always devise something to put Melinda on the spot and humiliate her.

Leo took on a pensive look. "Madam Gu was a lot different from what I have heard of her." Queena had made a name for herself during her prime.

She was a contemporary of his father’s, and from what Leo had gathered, Queena had always been a woman of strength and an embodiment of class. She had amassed significant accomplishments that helped catapult the Gu family to its currently high position among the ranks of conglomerates.

And yet tonight, the woman herself contradicted her own legend. She seemed like a force to be reckoned with, true, but not in the way that heroines were usually painted.

She balked before Leo, after all, and her actions were all tactless and lacked the grace befitting her social standing.

Melinda knew exactly what Leo meant, and only she said, "She is just heavily influenced by Emily."

There was a bitter taste in her mouth as she spoke the words. She had looked up to her mother-in-law. She never expected that such an intelligent woman would be so easily manipulated by someone so petty and greedy as Emily.

Was the actress really that good? Or maybe it was because Queena was ageing. Nonetheless, Melinda decided she would no longer put up with their bullying.

Leo sensed the turmoil that was going on in his friend’s mind. He tapped her shoulder to get her attention. "I’ll go fetch my car from the parking lot. Wait for me here. It’s too windy outside the building."

He would have offered his coat to her, but a piece of gossip was birthed just a few moments ago, just around the corner where they now stood, and he saw no reason to nurture the rumor.

Instead he gave her shoulder a little squeeze, smiled at her, and went to get his car.

Queena was still glaring at the direction of Melinda’s exit, her eyes displaying a myriad of intense emotions.

"Aunt Queena," Emily said as she came up at the older woman’s elbow, handing her a glass of water she got from one of the waiters. "Please don’t worry about it anymore. It was all my fault; I offended Mr. Liu. Thank you for coming to my defense."

Queena turned to look at her, just in time to see the repentant expression play at the actress' face. "Oh, look at you. Emily, it is you who have been wronged, yet here you are apologizing and comforting me.

is your fault! It was all because of Melinda. I shouldn’t have brought her to social events; she does nothing but bring disgrace

got the hint; Queena wanted to leave the scene. "Then you must retire

have to wrap up things here.

had already called their driver, and their car was waiting at

driver turned in his seat. "Where is the younger

her home," Queena snapped impatiently. "Just drive." She slouched on her seat and

further, and immediately eased the car out of

her seat herself, and she kept casting nervous glances at the other woman. "Aunt Queena, don’t be angry

a little wary, she wouldn’t pass up an

perfect timing, it seemed, because the older woman proceeded to give

think she is anyway? She’s just a girl from a lowborn, ordinary family. She was nobody before

act so high and mighty in public? She lacks proper manners!

driver struggled not to glance at the backseat on the rear view mirror, and pretended not

like this, it would be better for someone like him to fade into the background and turn

would have retired for the night after she emerged from the bathroom, but she remembered that Nelson, who had returned from his trip, had gone out for a

got to the final steps of the stairs when the front door opened

daughter-in-law, her fury surged back into the surface,

back so soon. I would have expected you to stay longer with your dear charming schoolmate." She put emphasis

and answered calmly, "I did say I was tired; of course I went straight home. It was hard to get a taxi

might have let herself be demeaned all these years, but she’d be damned if she let these people insult her friends as well. She had a mind to meet Queena’s vehemence word for word, but decided to handle the

lose their temper was the first one to lose the

are not short in cars and chauffeurs. There’s no reason for anyone else to

think we all know that if I shared the ride back home with you, it would only bring

into thin air. She had suffered much in the hands of the Gu family, and had endured ill treatment for so long without raising a hand or her

it. They had no idea that Melinda was a true devil before she had married Jonas. She was a force

and sniffed. "Well, it seems like you know your place well. I commend you for recognizing

no insult and feeling no

audience as well, this time the servants of the mansion. Instead of lingering and spectating, though, they

voices could be heard, and Nelson did not miss them as he walked up to the French windows that stood between

Melinda finished yelling a retort at Queena. "Silence, all

to the family patriarch in shock. The sound of his crutches thudding against the floor rang out into the spacious room as he

from the neck up. She didn’t look at all like a madam of any respectable family from high society.

no mistaking the fire that

you’re just in time," Queena blurted out, her voice still a register higher than normal. "This girl is shameless! For years I’ve devoted myself

reported to him and kept him abreast with all that had been going

knew about the charity party that Emily had held, and that

that something would happen again; he was not naive to the dynamics between Melinda and the three other

angry stance. She looked a little wild, to be honest. Then she