Their curiosity embarrassed Clarissa.
Cognizant of what Clarissa was worried about, Yael whispered softly to her, “All of them work at the studio. There’s no point hiding the fact from them.”
Clarissa felt the same way and hence, nodded in agreement.
Mandy was a curious girl and kept asking Clarissa about Matthew.
Clarissa simply explained that he was a businessman and nothing more.
Once Matthew had arrived, they went downstairs and prepared to leave.
Parking his car at the entrance, Matthew got down out of courtesy when he saw the group approaching.
When Mandy saw him, she gaped at how dashing Matthew was. Matthew walked straight up to Clarissa and hugged her by the waist. After that, he kissed her on her lips till she blushed bashfully. Satisfied, he then turned his attention toward her colleagues.
Obviously, Yael already knew him while the other girls were of no interest to him. His purpose today was to stake his claim over Clarissa in front of the other two men. He wanted to declare that she was his so that they would not dare have any designs on her.
That was Matthew’s real reason for coming tonight.
As his cold and sharp gaze fell upon the two men, the intimidating vibe he emitted caused their knees to buckle.
Meanwhile, Mandy wondered how Clarissa interacted with her boyfriend given how terrifying he was.
Watching by the side, Yael easily saw through what Matthew was attempting to do.
Snorting in her heart, she remarked daringly, “Mr. Tyson, don’t scare the kids.”
Only then did Clarissa quickly introduce Matthew to them.
“This is my boyfriend, Matthew. Matthew, these are my colleagues at the studio. You have met Yael, so this is Christian, Mandy, and Rocky.”
Matthew nodded politely and toned down the intimidating vibe he was emitting.
The three of them just smiled awkwardly, it was Mandy who broke the ice. “Hi, Matthew.”
Realizing how tensed the situation was, Clarissa quickly pulled Matthew aside and left.
Once they were out of sight, Mandy sighed in an exaggerated manner.
“Matthew comes off as being really scary…”
Christian nodded vehemently. “Exactly. Mr. Tyson looks really smart. Yael, you seem to know him, don’t you?”
“Mmm-hmm, he is my ex-boss.”
“Wow, Yael’s previous boss. Doesn’t that make him even more impressive?”
Rocky took out his phone quietly and did a search on Matthew. And then…
He put it back into his pocket, wondering if he should tell the other two.
Given how they are gawking now. Can they be any more shocked if I told them the truth?
Meanwhile, inside the car, Clarissa pushed Matthew away after he kissed her.
“Why were you so keen to pick me up? Are you checking up on me?”
Matthew pinched her cheeks with a smile, “Am I that petty?”
“Of course not! Uncle Matthew is extremely open-minded.” she praised him while cursing inside.
You are such an a*s!
Matthew brushed his thumb across her cheeks and snorted softly, “What are you thinking about? You must be cursing me in your heart, am I right?”
“Of course not,” Clarissa replied convincingly while letting out a mesmerizing smile.
She put her arms around Matthew’s neck and buried herself in his embrace, and yawned a few times.
“You’re the best. It’s simply impossible to find anyone better than you. I won’t scold you because I’m not someone who does that sort of thing, let alone curse you behind your back.”
Despite feeling sleepy, Clarissa’s flattery knew no bounds. She blurted out whatever came to her mind. It was obvious there was zero sincerity behind her words.
Meanwhile, Matthew was tempted to tease her a little longer. But when he saw how sleepy she was from all the yawning, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Holding her tightly in his arms, he gently stroked her back.
“Alright, you are right about everything.”
In her drowsiness, Clarissa snuggled up to his chest and smiled sheepishly to herself.
By the time they reached home, she was already asleep. Matthew gently carried her upstairs and put her to bed. With a slight tumble, she wrapped herself in her own blanket. Before he knew it, she threw out all her clothes from underneath the blanket before wrapping herself up and slept.
At that moment, Matthew watched on in amusement while standing by the bed.
…
The next day, Clarissa went to see her mom at the Garrett residence. Recently, her relationship with Hilary improved a lot. Hilary no longer nagged her about getting married. In the few times that she mentioned it, Clarissa would provide her a cursory response.
The reason she visited Hilary was that Catherine had mentioned that it was Hilary’s birthday. And that was how she still remembered it.
She bought the latest necklace from a luxury brand and figured that Hilary would love it.
However, when she arrived, she found out that Hilary wasn’t celebrating it today.
Nevertheless, Hilary was still delighted to know Clarissa remembered her birthday and to also receive such a beautiful present.
“Clary, thank you. All these years, I have not fulfilled my responsibilities as a mother. I am grateful enough for the fact that you didn’t hold it against me. Really…”
Just as Hilary spoke, tears welled up in her eyes as she was on the brink of crying.
However, Clarissa was unfazed by her words. After all, only Hilary herself knew how sincere her words were.
Now that there wasn’t any conflict between them, Hilary would naturally be on good terms with her. But in the event there were overlapping interests, Clarissa was likely to be abandoned again.
Clarissa was aware of the cold hard truth.
Therefore, her current efforts were just for keeping up with the show.
“Mom, don’t say that. Since there’s no one at home, why don’t we eat out? I’ll give you a treat since it’s your birthday.”
“There’s no need for that. The maid has already cooked. When I actually have my birthday celebration, would you like to come?”
When she extended the invitation, Hilary didn’t sound excited at all.
Grasping the situation, Clarissa rejected it right away. “No, it will just be awkward if I attend.”
“Alright then.”
Clarissa heaved a sigh of relief. Since there was no one at home in the afternoon, she accompanied Hilary for lunch.
Just when they were done, Yvonne returned home.
The moment she saw Clarissa, her expression changed drastically. Beyond the usual contempt, her eyes were also filled with hatred.
She still held a grudge against Clarissa for causing her to be taught a lesson the last time.
However, despite her animosity, Yvonne wasn’t as feisty as she used to be. Perhaps, she knew better now.
“I’m surprised to see you here today. Have you not gone home yet?”
She was even interested to make small talk with Clarissa.
“Mmm-hmm, I’m here to see my mom.”
“Are you planning to get married in D City?”
“No, I’m just here for work.”
“Haha… that’s true. After all, you’re a graduate of D University. So getting a decent job shouldn’t be difficult. By the way, I have just gotten engaged. Did your mom tell you about it? Anyway, you’re invited to the engagement ceremony.”
“Congratulations.”
“Hehe…”
Amidst her giggle, there was a certain smugness in her expression.
Despite Clarissa not asking, Yvonne couldn’t resist showing off.
“My fiancé is a Wynter. I suppose you don’t know who they are. Hehe… why don’t you do a search online and find out?”
Clarissa was speechless.
What sort of coincidence is this?
She smirked silently to herself, unable to describe what she felt.
The Wynters again?
Who is it?
Do I know him?
When she saw Clarissa’s stunned expression, Yvonne was even more elated.
She snorted, “Alright, I’ve got to go. I just came back to change. Hilary, I’m going out tonight, so I won’t be having dinner at home.”
With that, she went upstairs to change before leaving.
Only then did Hilary begin to explain, “The Wynters are a prominent family in D City. Since she has invited you to the engagement ceremony, you will have to be mindful of your behavior. Don’t cause any trouble by embarrassing yourself. However, I didn’t expect Yvonne to find such a wonderful man after toning down her attitude. She must have had help from the maternal side of her family. Given how pretty you are, it’s a pity you’re not a real member of the Garretts. Or else, you will definitely find a better husband than hers.”
Ignoring the topic about whether she will marry well, Clarissa asked instead, “I have heard of the Wynters. However, do you know the name of her fiancé?”
“Mason Wynter. I’m sure you don’t know him. Anyway, enough talk about this. I heard Jonathan mention that both of you have been keeping in contact recently? I’m glad you enjoy a good relationship as siblings. It seems Jonathan fancies you…”
Hilary continued to ramble on.
When Clarissa returned to Zen Highlands in the afternoon, she contacted Damon to ask about Mason.
“Clare, how do you know him? Mason is my second cousin from my Grand-uncle’s side. He is a shady character. Why are you asking about him?”
Clarissa was stumped but didn’t hide anything. She related to Damon everything about Mason and Yvonne.
“Therefore, I’m worried that I’ll bump into your family at the engagement ceremony. I’m sure you know about my relationship with Matthew but they still don’t. If Shermaine happened to be there, it will definitely be awkward.”
“There’s nothing to be concerned about. Our family will definitely not be attending as that cousin is a bas*ard. He is someone we do not acknowledge as our own sibling. However, my grand-uncle pampers him a lot as Mason is his only grandson. Hence, he plans to leave all his assets to him. However, his sisters aren’t going to allow him to inherit the assets without a fight. Anyway, it’s just a mess over at their end. We will definitely not be going, let alone Shermaine.”
“Alright… that’s good to know.”
Clarissa was put at ease.
After the discussion ended, there was an awkward silence between them. Ever since Damon found out that she patched up with Matthew, both of them seldom kept in touch. Even as friends, it still felt uneasy.
After ending the call, Clarissa felt that Yvonne and Mason were really suited for each other given how unscrupulous they both were. After all, birds of the same feather flock together.
