Clarissa stiffened slightly.
This is easy. I mean, we’re friends, of course, I’m worried!
That was what she thought, but looking at Matthew’s current demeanor, the undercurrent in his tone, and the way his gaze was boring into her, she did not know if it would be a good idea to speak her mind.
“I…”
“No. You’re not.”
A sneer tugged on Matthew’s lips as he tapped the ash off his cigarette with a slender finger. Then, he drew in another puff before speaking in a barely audible voice, “You pity me.”
His affirmative tone and the unconcealed mockery in his eyes instantly enraged Clarissa.
Clarissa shot up from her seat. Having worried sick for the past few days, she had a wan complexion and prominent dark circles on. However, her anger had replaced all trace of exhaustion from her face. She was exuding a murderous aura as fire danced in her eyes.
“Matthew Tyson! It’s almost been a week since I learned about what happened. I asked everyone, from W City to D City, who might know your whereabouts. Every day, they were so worried about you and worked their heads off for you. But me? I couldn’t do anything else other than to wait in Zen Highlands. I couldn’t sleep at night because I was worried sick about you! All that because I pitied you?!”
Clarissa was fuming and her voice grew sharp as she questioned him in a confrontational manner.
Even so, she wasn’t done venting out her frustrations.
“Did you say I pity you? Pray tell, what’s there to pity about you? Have you gone bankrupt? Are you penniless? Are you living on the streets begging for scraps? Or are you handicapped and can’t make a living for yourself anymore? You live in a villa, run your own company, possess assets worth billions, and have a wealthy and powerful background. Even if you go bankrupt and run out of money, you can still make a comeback There’s nothing about you that I would pity. Besides, I’m not that idle. My time is probably equivalent to thousands of words and I would spend all that just to pity you?”
Matthew was speechless.
“W-What are you looking at? Yeah, it’s only a few thousand words, but that’s still money! Although it’s nothing compared to what you earn, it still fits the bill for me.”
Clarissa ran her fingers through her hair, trying to ease her embarrassment for acting so condescending earlier.
Matthew gazed at Clarissa in silence. The layer of bitter contempt encompassing him seemed to vanish just then. He had only lashed out like that because of his wounded pride.
As Clarissa stared at him, albeit expressionless, her anger faded away in an instant.
In her heart, she came up with all kinds of excuses for Matthew’s behavior toward her, then willingly conceded defeat in their silent battle.
Releasing a sigh, she walked toward Matthew and sat beside him.
“We’re all very worried about you, but I believe that this is only a temporary drawback. Ellie said that ever since you took over Tyson Corporation, you’ve hit all kinds of snags but came out victorious, so it’s impossible you’d be bested by this single incident, right? Also, I thought about it. First, it was the problem with the real estate under Tyson Corporation, and then there was the demolition accident, followed by the corruption rumors. I don’t care whether they’re true or not, but it can’t be a coincidence that these things happened one after the other. It’s very likely that this is all part of a conspiracy.”
Matthew grunted lowly before stubbing out his cigarette and muttered, “It’s late. You should get some rest.”
Without saying anything else, he got up and went upstairs.
Clarissa felt dejected. After using so many words to express her worry for him, all she received in return was Matthew’s apathy.
Despite her disappointment, at least Matthew had finally appeared and seemed fine. But then again, a proud man like him would never show his weakness easily even under such circumstances.
Clarissa sighed again before returning to the guest room.
Unfortunately, she still couldn’t sleep. Before long, the sound of light footfalls outside broke through the silent night.
Clarissa got out of bed and opened the door. Poking her head out, she could vaguely see light coming from the living room. She hesitated for a moment but did not go out in the end.
It wasn’t until the wee hours of the night that she sensed him go upstairs. Once again, silence blanketed the villa.
The next day when Clarissa woke up, she quickly went out only to find that Matthew had already left.
“Ms. Quigley, did you and Mr. Tyson fight last night?” Julia asked with concern, having just finished preparing breakfast.
Clarissa winced with the color creeping up her cheeks. “Mm. What time did he leave?”
“Very early. Ms. Quigley, I noticed that Mr. Tyson doesn’t look too well. Why don’t you try talking to him? No matter how busy he is, he still has to take care of himself!”
Clarissa was plagued with worries as well, but she did not know how to care for him anymore.
She always had to be mindful of hurting his pride, worrying that he might misunderstand her words. All in all, she was in a bind.
Not in the mood to eat breakfast, Clarissa only ate a few bites. After deliberating for a while, she called Ellie.
“I saw him yesterday, but he didn’t say much. Do you know how things are going at his company? Is the company still in a precarious situation?
Ellie’s voice sounded grave on the other end of the line.
“I heard from my family that it’s a rather serious matter. Although it’s not serious to the point of bankruptcy, the company was still dealt a huge blow. This was likely an intentional act against Uncle Matt, and all signs point to Shermaine and the Wynters. Like what the f**k? Just because Uncle Matt doesn’t like her? Did she really need to go to such lengths? This is simply too much! All the more reason Uncle Matt shouldn’t marry her, seeing as she’s such a vile woman!”
Clarissa’s heart lurched painfully. So, Shermaine is the one behind this.
Clarissa couldn’t describe the emotions raging through her, but guilt and fear stood out the most.
As Ellie cursed at Shermaine on the other end of the line, Clarissa tuned most of it out. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts about how serious of a predicament Tyson Corporation might be facing.
And to overcome this predicament, Matthew had to choose between his happiness and his company.
Clarissa felt a stabbing pain in her heart and tears welled up in her eyes.
She might not fully understand what kind of man he was, but she was certain that he would not yield to such a threat for the sake of his company.
Doesn’t Shermaine love him?
How could she do this?
How can she bear to see the man she loves endure the humiliation of being threatened?
Clarissa couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She loved Matthew as well, and if she were in Shermaine’s shoes, she would never be able to bear threatening Matthew this way. Because she loved him, all she wanted was for him to be happy.
Thinking about how Matthew was being threatened like this, Clarissa wanted so badly to give Shermaine a hard slap.
Her eyes reddened and tears trickled down her cheeks.
…
Matthew only returned to Zen Highlands close to dawn.
Just as he had expected, the lights in the living room were still on.
Matthew remained in the car for a while. After smoking one last cigarette, he got out and entered the villa.
In the living room, he saw Clarissa’s petite figure lying on the sofa with a blanket over her body, seemingly asleep.
He immediately trod softly and cautiously approached the sofa.
Leaning down slightly, he noticed a lone tear rolling down her cheek.
His brows drew together, but before he could react, she reached out to hug him, causing him to fall on top of her.
Then, she buried her face into his neck and wept silently.
As hot tears pooled on his neck, Matthew felt his heart wrench in his chest. He was dazed for a split second and his eyes flickered with frustration, but soon, he wrapped his arms around her.
“Why are you crying?”
Clarissa cried for a while longer before forcing out through her sobs, “I’m worried about you.”
Matthew’s pursed lips twitched slightly because of her answer.
But, he concealed it well.
He adjusted his position and scooped Clarissa into his arms.
As both of them sat on the sofa, she hugged him tightly and buried her head into his chest, refusing to lift her head up.
“You’re crying because you’re worried about me? Or is it because you think I’m so incompetent that I’ll go bankrupt and live on the streets soon?”
Clarissa whipped her head up at that and refuted, “No, that’s not it. If anyone can find a way to solve it, it’s you.”
Her red-rimmed eyes gleamed with tears, while her nose and cheeks were flushed from crying so much. However, the confidence in her gaze was apparent as she stared at Matthew.
She believed in him with everything she had.
“Then why are you crying?” Matthew asked in a deep voice, using a slender finger to brush away the tear escaping from the corner of her eye.
“I’m crying because I can’t understand how she could bear to do this to you.”
Matthew fell silent. “You know?”
“Mmm, Ellie told me today.”
“What are your thoughts about it, then?”
After the waterworks stopped, Clarissa blinked rapidly to clear her bleary eyes and stared at Matthew.
“I think that Shermaine went overboard. She doesn’t know how to love you at all. Forcing you like that is simply despicable. If she really loves you, how can she bear to push you into making a choice like this?”
Matthew’s dark eyes shone.
“Then, what choice do you think I should make? My company is facing an unprecedented crisis and might very well be finished for good. I’ll be left with nothing. Even though I’ll still have the Tysons’ support, I won’t take a single cent from them. If I don’t choose Shermaine, I’ll lose everything. On the contrary, if I choose her, then I’ll still be that competent and invincible Matthew Tyson you know me as.”
Clarissa knew what Matthew was getting at.
She widened her eyes in shock. “You’re going to choose Shermaine? But a woman like her doesn’t really love you. Even though you’ll get to save your company, it’ll be at the expense of your happiness.”
“So, are you saying I should choose to lose everything?”
“No, that’s just one of the possible outcomes, and it won’t matter even if you’re left with nothing. With your capabilities, you’ll be able to rebuild your empire. Besides, you still have me. I have some savings too. Even though it’s not much, it can still be used as start-up capital. Worse comes to worst, I’ll just sell a few more copyrights. Money can be earned, and you can still become that competent and invincible Matthew Tyson you used to be.”
This was the choice Clarissa would make.
After hearing her elaboration, Matthew’s lips curved into a faint smile.
