Chapter 488 Matthew Is a Big Fool
She fixed her gaze on Crayson unblinkingly, as though she wanted to guess what was on his mind by observing every shift of his facial expressions.
On the other hand, as Crayson was conscience-stricken, he stared at the ground with a guilty expression, not daring to meet Veronica’s eyes.
“If you still can’t remember, I’ll give you another reminder. Back then, when you just went to the bridal shop as security, the shop was still under construction, and you left the shop in between that period. So, where did you go?” She put everything on the table to talk it out.
“I can accept and understand that everyone has secrets, but now, you’re starting to interfere in my private life. I can’t help but wonder why you’re willing to stay by my side when your skills are above average, and you’re evidently not a regular person. So, what’s your motive?”
The whole time, although Veronica had complete trust in Crayson, she also doubted his identity. It would be fine if he were just a regular person, but he wasn’t. His skills, abilities, and personal erudite kept reminding her that there was a reason why he was staying by her side.
Crayson silently cursed in his heart for his lack of foresight when faced with her relentless line of questioning. He knitted his brows tightly as he thought it over and came up with an excuse. “As expected of my student. You have very keen observational skills, indeed!”
He let out a long sigh as he leaned on the bench’s backrest, stacked his knees together, and crossed his arms across his chest as he watched the sun slowly rise from the east. Then, he lamented, “I wasn’t a simple man back then, but all those things have nothing to do with you. The reason I’m by your side and teaching you all sorts of skills is because your parents had once saved my life.
After spending more time with you, I developed a liking for a mischievous girl like you. Otherwise…” He came to a pause halfway and tilted his head at Veronica. “Otherwise, with your family background, why do you think I’d take you on as my student?” he asked, lifting his hand and smacking her right in the middle of her forehead. “Do you know how many wealthy and influential families invited me to be their teacher, but I rejected all of them?”
At first, Veronica didn’t believe him, but he didn’t seem like he was lying when she saw how composed he was despite explaining his circumstances in a lighthearted tone. Hence, she took his words as half-truths. “Then, who are those people who came looking for you in the forest near your house?”
“Those people? They used to be my subordinates.”
“Your subordinates from before? Why are they looking for you now? And… what did you use to do before?” She was now entirely invested in digging for information on this mysterious master of hers as she started tossing out one question after another.
“You don’t need to know what happened in the past because it’s not beneficial to you. However, I wanted you to break up with Matthew precisely because they came looking for me.”
Crayson used up all his creative juices and quick wit to come up with a plausible reason in hopes that she wouldn’t uncover anything else. After all, his student was brilliant and had a sharp eye. Thus, he knew that if he faltered now by saying just one wrong thing, it could lead to countless questions afterward.
This time, she was silent as she waited patiently for his answer.
He looked into the distance and acted as though he had delved into past memories. “Those people have been through thick and thin with me, and they are quite capable and strong. They told me that Zac and Conrad are collaborating to go against Matthew. In the future, Matthew’s life would likely be in danger. That’s why—”
While Veronica listened to his explanations, she couldn’t suppress her impatience and sprang up to her feet. “That’s why you forced Matthew to break up with me?”
Perhaps it was because of the trust she had for him, plus he had watched her grow up, and they were as close as family; he had entirely convinced her with his half-truths.
When she heard that he had forced them to break up, all she felt in that instant was a rising fury that she could barely restrain. It was all too much for her as by the end of it, she was hopping mad and wholly frustrated.
Crayson’s face turned solemn when he saw that she was throwing a fit, and he hit her firmly on the butt with the ruler. “Wretched girl, I’m doing this all for your own good. Your parents worked so hard to care for you. What would they do should anything happen to you? Do you think that I don’t know what happened during your parents’ car accident?
.That’s all because the Larson couple had done something sneaky. Think about it, if a mere Larson Family can render your father unconscious for several months, what do you have to go against Zac? It’s not like you don’t know his identity and family background.”
Everything that Veronica knew, Crayson also knew. Hence, he weaved a lie within a short period of time.
Of course, not everything was a lie; Zac and Conrad were working together to go against Matthew, and he was merely mixing in some made-up stories together in his cocktail version of the truth.
Veronica stood there stiffly as she was utterly dumbstruck at his harsh reprimand. Her eyes flickered as she stared at him. Finally, she slowly slumped into the bench.
That’s right, back then, didn’t Floch and Rachel create a car accident when they were picking on me? she thought. As a royal member of Castron, I can’t imagine Zac’s family’s influence and power, and my parents will be in the most danger if I make an enemy out of Zac.
“Also, I’m not as heartless as you think. The agreement between me and that chap is that if he could take care of the mess with Zac and Conrad within one and a half years, I’ll allow both of you to be together.”
The one-and-a-half-year agreement was proper, but it wasn’t referring to the affair between Matthew and Zac. Instead, in one and a half years, Veronica would probably join a hidden clan and utterly disappear from the public eye.
There were so many things that she wasn’t ready to know, so he didn’t want to bombard her with the truth.
“But… Oh…” Veronica wanted to berate and blame Crayson for everything she had gone through in this short amount of time. Nevertheless, she knew he was doing this because he cared for her on second thought.
She let out a forlorn sigh as she hung her head and pursed her lips. “I’m not a person who is afraid of death. Rather than asking him to break up with me, I would rather face it together with him,” she said in resignation.
Now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, and she suddenly thought that Matthew was a huge dumbass, how could he endure so much by himself and hide it from her at the same time?
He was willing to give so much for her sake, and while she was moved beyond what words could express, she was also overridden with guilt.
Trust, she thought. At the end of the day, I lack trust in him.
Only Heavens knew how much she wanted to fly to his side and help him out right now.
More than that, she wanted to appear next to him, give him a hug and kiss him.
“There’s also another reason he agreed to break up with you. Your existence will be his Achilles’ heel; without you, he will have one less hold. Only then could he go all out to deal with Zac and Conrad.”
Crayson was worried that she would have the impulse to reconcile with Matthew when he saw the devastated look on her face, so he tried to coax her into seeing things his way. “Have you ever considered this?
Even though you’ve broken up with him, you can still do something for him quietly. That way, you’ll be maintaining your distance from him so that it won’t attract Zac and Conrad’s attention while you help him out in secret. That will add to Matthew’s advantage.”
Sure enough, after Veronica heard his advice, she jerked her head up to look at him, and her eyes couldn’t help but sparkle with excitement.
