Love Across Borders: Melinda’s Story - Season 1 Episode 7

In the glittering, enormous villa in Emerald Harbor, Stanley officially introduced the children to the butler and servants.
“Hello, Young Master Samuel and Young Miss Pamela!”
The crowd standing in line and bowing at the children were sincerely happy for Stanley and the Fox Family.
After the children had been officially acknowledged by their father, Samuel joyfully threw his arms around Pamela.
“Pamela, we have a daddy now! The kids at the kindergarten won’t say that we don’t have one anymore!”
“What about Mommy?” The clingy girl couldn’t help but worry. “Will we ever see Mommy again?”
“Of course!” Samuel hugged her shoulders and whispered in her ear, “Don’t forget that our next goal is to bring Daddy and Mommy together.”
Stanley’s sleek brows relaxed as he told them in his magnetic voice, “This will be your home from now on. You can tell the butler—that would be Mr. Gael—if you need anything. Of course, you can let me know as well.”
“Daddy, I love you!” Samuel excitedly professed his feelings.
He then brought Pamela along to play hide-and-seek with the servants, had freshly made warm snacks, solved riddles together, rode the toy sports cars and more just to divert Pamela’s attention so that she wouldn’t miss Melinda too much.
With his efforts, the girl was also influenced by him emotionally. She was still a child, after all.
The grand villa, which had been solemn and lifeless for a long time, was suddenly enveloped in unprecedented excitement as the children’s laughter filled the place.
Stanley’s heart which had been lonesome for a long time also felt warm. It felt as if the emptiness inside had been filled in that instant.
He soon left the playing children downstairs while he went to the study upstairs. He was about to reply to some emails when his phone started ringing.
Upon hearing that, he slowed down his pace and took out his phone. He then glanced at it before his long finger slid across the screen. “Mom.”
“Just when are you going to marry Monica?” Jennifer Fox blurted out as she could no longer hold herself back. “Give me a confirmed answer now.”
Stanley stood in front of the window and watched the children playing in the courtyard, his gaze deep. He was rather emotionless when he asked in reply, “Can’t you call me for some other reason sometime?”
“There is nothing more important than this!” The woman’s voice from the other end of the call suddenly turned cold. “Monica has a 5.00PM flight tomorrow. You should go pick her up.”
However, Stanley only slid one hand into the pocket of his pants before his thin lips parted. “It is the mayor’s daughter’s 20th birthday tomorrow. I have to show up at the banquet. I don’t have time to pick Monica up.”
“Stanley Fox!” Jennifer was so angry she started feeling anxious, but she quickly calmed down. “Fine, but I want the two of you to come back for dinner the day after tomorrow. We will discuss a date for the marriage!”
“I will not marry her.” Stanley had no intention of hiding how much he was against the idea. “Don’t be too hopeful.”
Hearing that, Jennifer advised him earnestly, “My dear son, you know how people talk about settling down and then working on their careers, yes? Don’t you see why they say it in that sequence? That is because having a marriage is more important than a career. I honestly can’t think of any other woman who is worthier of you than Monica!”
At that point, Stanley happened to see Samuel pick a rose and kneel in front of Pamela, just like a little prince would.
Is he proposing? Stanley mused with a handsome smile on his face. Even his gaze had gotten softer as he took in the sight.
“Didn’t you say that she is practically both your arms? She is definitely the best person to assist you. Don’t you see how much she has done for the Fox Group?”
Not wanting to waste another brain cell on this matter, Stanley ended the call without answering his mother.
He didn’t even stop to consider her feelings.
His smile was gone and he started exuding that intimidating aura that made the air in the study heavy.
The phone began to ring again and he thought to reject the call. However, he accepted the call and pressed the phone to his ear when he saw it was a call from a different number.
“Mr. Fox, it seems like Ms. Paisley’s background has been purposely hidden. We couldn’t find out a lot about her,” the person respectfully reported.
Stanley quietly pulled his eyebrows together as his gaze grew deeper.
The caller tried to continue with their report, but Stanley didn’t utter another word until the end of the call.
Putting his phone down, he felt as if there was a boulder in his chest, making it unbearable for him.
Melinda, who had no parents or relatives, had spent six years in Sunnyvale with two children in tow. She also helped the villagers get out of poverty by planting flowers and herbs, as well as managing fish ponds. She had helped tremendously with the development of animal husbandry in the village.
As she was also knowledgeable in medicine, she was the one who treated the villagers no matter the severity of their conditions. To the villagers, she was someone who was like a goddess.
However, there were times she would pass out from exhaustion.
For some reason, Stanley felt upset when he recalled the report his subordinate made earlier on the phone.
These past years must have been hard on her…
Sitting in the study, the man who was a force to be reckoned with in the business world felt his chest constrict out of nowhere.
…
A biting wind blew when night fell. It almost felt like tonight was destined to be a night unlike any other.
Melinda quietly came to the backyard and skillfully climbed over the wall. Ever since she had, for unknown reasons, been bedded by Stanley, she had gone out of her way to learn martial arts.
As soon as her feet landed on the ground, a glaring and terrifying flash of lightning suddenly burst above her head.
Roar!
The rumbling of the thunder frightened her off her feet and she fell to the ground. Her heart kept thumping wildly after that fright.
This was just like the scene one would see in a horror movie.
A blast of eerie wind hit the leaves of the trees the next instant, causing them to rustle against each other. It also blew the strands of her hair out of place and flipped over the hem of her skirt.
She immediately reacted by hugging her torso because of the cold.
When Melinda saw the brightly lit villa, she stood up, only for the sky to abruptly start pouring. She was already as wet as a mop before she could take more than two steps forward.
“Who goes there?!” A vigilant security guard pointed at her before he sprinted over.
At the same time, someone rushed into the living room and alerted Stanley. “Mr. Fox, someone has climbed over the wall! They are in the yard now!”