Clarissa flipped her laptop open. But before she even managed to open that video file, the hum of a car engine could be heard from a distance. It grew louder and louder by the second. She glanced away from her screen and saw Matthew’s car on the ground below.
That was exactly why she had decided to sit on the balcony that night. Even with her headphones on, she could constantly watch out for Matthew’s return and cover her tracks in time before he could notice anything.
To her surprise however, he had come home much sooner than she’d expected.
Clarissa could feel her cheeks turn hot as she hurriedly put her laptop away. As Matthew looked up from where he stood, she forced an awkward smile and waved at him.
Matthew raised a brow. Wasn’t she complaining about the cold weather earlier?
What is she doing on the balcony?
Brushing his thoughts and questions aside, he stepped into the house to see Clarissa had already come downstairs. She greeted him with a brief glance before seated herself on the couch and continued to fiddle with her phone.
His heart tickled at the sight of her reddened ears. Is she still thinking about how I teased her earlier?
“Clare?” he called out as he walked towards her.
Clarissa’s cheek burned even hotter when he sat down beside her and leaned over.
Her eyes remained glued to the phone. She could feel the heat within her head radiating slowly across her entire face and down to her throat.
Matthew gazed in amusement at her violently blushing cheeks and neck. He wondered if his dear little Clare’s body turned just as red beneath her clothes.
At that thought, a dim glow flickered in his dark pupils. He slouched against the backrest in a relaxing manner while crossing his legs and tilting his head slightly. His eyes fixed on Clarissa as he quietly enjoyed this satisfying yet torturing sight of her.
Unable to withstand his gaze any longer, Clarissa covered her ears in her hands and looked away.
“What are you doing? Quit staring at me and go upstairs! Dinner’s ready. The food’s gonna get cold if we don’t eat soon.”
Matthew raised a brow and smiled teasingly. “You aren’t even looking at me, Clare. How do you know if I’m staring at you?”
Still facing away from him with her ears covered, she rolled her eyes. Aren’t you being obvious enough?
“Of course, I know!” she scoffed.
“Come on, Clare. You know you’re wrong,” he chuckled. “You don’t believe me? Turn around and see for yourself. I’m not looking at you.”
Clarissa turned towards him and was about to shoot him a glare.
But the moment they locked eyes, heat began spreading through her whole body again like wildfire.
What Louisa had shared with her and Ellie earlier was still fresh in her mind. On top of that, she had been visualizing various scenes in preparation for her upcoming script. Sometimes her brain would unwittingly substitute the imaginary characters with herself and Matthew instead. Those fantasies had been tormenting her, and they’d become worse in his presence.
Now that Matthew was right in front of her, she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eyes directly. The image of them both enveloped in each other’s arms passionately, feeling one another’s hot breaths and heartbeat, would resurface every time she looked at him.
This is just too much!
Clarissa couldn’t hold her gaze just after a few seconds. Feeling as if she would explode at any moment, she whirled her head away.
Matthew stared in silent confusion. What’s with this woman today? Why is she being so shy all of a sudden?
Leaning closer towards her, he whispered into her ear with a soft chuckle, “What’s wrong, Clare? Are you feeling hot?”
Thud!
Clarissa stomped her feet hard and jumped up from the couch. If she stayed there longer, she was certain that she would start running a temperature.
“Don’t follow me!” she snapped and trotted out of the door.
Matthew watched quietly as she stood in the yard with her back facing him. Through the window, he could see her tiny silhouette tensing up awkwardly as she froze in her thoughts for a minute, then stomped on the ground, grabbed her head, and flung her arms in the air aggressively, as though she was mad at someone.
He let out a snicker and shook his head at the sight of her hilarious antics. What’s up with her? Did something else happen today that triggered her?
Nevertheless, he dismissed his thoughts shortly and let her be. It was pointless to try figuring things out on his own if she wasn’t going to tell him anything.
A long moment passed before Clarissa finally calmed herself down and walk back into the house, although she avoided looking at his eyes the whole time.
At dinner, she tried to distract herself by talking about work. She went on and on about how her colleagues in the studio had been generous towards her, helping her manage the authors and fans despite being occupied with their own programs, and how Yael busied herself with assisting in her marketing and promotional campaigns.
“What should I do if Yael leaves one day?” she sighed. “She’s so talented and such an efficient multitasker! I don’t think there’s anyone who can ever replace her.”
“There are always people with capabilities around. I’m sure things have a way of sorting themselves out. Sometimes it just depends on the benefits and remuneration you offer,” Matthew replied calmly.
She pouted. “But it’s hard to rebuild relationships from scratch! It’s gonna take a while to get used to working with someone new all over again.”
Matthew listened patiently while she rambled on. He was well aware of the way she handled things at work. Being the sincere and compassionate person she was, she’d treat any colleague like a family member or a friend. And such work dynamics were indeed beneficial for a small team like theirs.
On the other hand, Clarissa clearly understood his point of view, albeit she found it difficult to accept the reality. If the company were to expand in the future, emotional attachments should no longer be a priority. When the time came, managerial skills would be of utmost importance in keeping the team up and running.
“Nevermind, I shouldn’t be thinking too much…” she mumbled while chewing on her food. “Maybe Yael doesn’t want to leave after all. Who knows?”
She wished that she wouldn’t ever have to separate from such a great person to work with.
Matthew chuckled softly. She really takes everything so personally…
But so what if she does? Even if anything were to happen, I’ll protect her always.
Meanwhile, in the Tyson residence, Margaret had suddenly decided to have a family meal. A booking was soon made in a hotel’s restaurant.
Ellie wasn’t very enthusiastic about the arrangement. As her grandparents chattered on, she only joined in their conversation occasionally while spending the rest of the time texting Clarissa on her phone.
Have you watched the “educational video,” Clare? I already did. It’s not bad!
On the other hand, Clarissa was just about to take a break from work when her phone buzzed at Ellie’s incoming message.
At her friend’s mention of the video, she remembered that it had been untouched in her computer all this while, kept away in a folder titled “Inspirational Materials.”
I haven’t. What do you mean by “it’s not bad?”
Well, you’ll know when you watch it yourself. By the way… you haven’t done that with Uncle Matt, have you? What’s up with you guys? Didn’t you say you’re not afraid about it anymore?
Oh please, Ellie. Even if I’m not scared anymore, it doesn’t mean I have to do it with him right away!
Clarissa blushed slightly as she texted back. Ellie’s reply came almost instantly.
I guess you’re right. Louisa also said that you can’t be too upfront when it’s your first time. You’ll have to set up the right atmosphere at the right timing. Oh, that reminds me! We should get you the right outfit too, haha… Why don’t we go shopping tomorrow? Heh, I can’t wait!
The girls knew clearly in their hearts what “outfit” they were referring to.
Clarissa pondered for a few seconds before responding: Alright.
Ellie: Look, Clare. I just realized Uncle Matt’s birthday is coming soon. Why don’t we present you as the gift itself for him on that day? It’ll be a great opportunity!
Clare: Sounds like it’s doable…
Her phone buzzed again as Ellie’s reply came in all-capitalized letters: IT IS DEFINITELY DOABLE!
Just then, Matthew arrived at the restaurant. He walked into the lounge only to find his parents seated at the table with Ellie, who was grinning mischievously.
He had no idea why his niece was acting so weird, but he ignored her expression and sat himself down in a composed demeanor.
Soon, Matthias and Yuliana arrived. The dinner hence began.
Margaret seemed to be in an unusually good mood that day. She ate wholeheartedly, as if it was a lucky day.
In the midst of dinner, she suddenly got up and went to the washroom. Yuliana accompanied her, and it took a long while before both of them came back into the lounge.
“Oh my, we bumped into Mr. and Mrs. Reed just now! We had a bit of a chat,” Yuliana spoke as she walked back to her seat.
“Mr. Reed?” Matthias widened his eyes slightly at his wife’s words.
Yuliana chuckled with a smooth expression. “Guess what? I just found out that Mr. Reed happened to be the brother-in-law of that lady in our department, Sienna Grande!”
Margaret chimed along as she sat down, “What a nice young lady! She doesn’t even know me, yet she saved me when I almost slipped in the washroom just now. How kind of her! She sounded very polite too.”
“That’s right! Sienna is very popular in our department. Everyone likes her because of how friendly she is,” Yuliana added cheerfully.
As they spoke, a sudden knock came from the door. Mr. Reed and his wife showed up as the door opened. The lady whom they were referring to, Sienna, stood behind them.
Mr. Reed greeted with a smile, “George! Mrs. Tyson! What a coincidence. We’re just dropping by to say hi since you’re here as well…”
Before long, the two families ended up in a lively chatter as the Tysons invited the three visitors to sit together at the table.
The men talked about business and work as if they were long-time partners, while the women chatted in such a friendly manner as though they were close friends.
Margaret especially, was looking at Sienna with an unusually endearing expression.
Ellie was trying to sit out of the busy conversation when she suddenly noticed how grandmother beamed so delightfully at the lady named Sienna. She frowned as a sudden realization dawned upon her.
She glanced over at Matthew. He seemed indifferent, as though he was still in the dark about what her mother and grandmother were up to. Or perhaps he didn’t even care at all.
Why bother? It doesn’t matter whether this whole thing was set up or really just a pure coincidence, right?
It was Ellie’s turn to excuse herself to the washroom. When she came back, she saw her mother standing outside the room with Sienna. They were whispering about something she couldn’t quite hear and ended their conversation as soon as they saw Ellie walking towards them.
Sienna walked back ahead into the room. As Yuliana was about to follow, Ellie tugged on her arm.
The other night, she had walked passed her parents’ room and overheard their conversation about Uncle Matt’s marriage.
Ellie hadn’t mentioned a word about it ever since, but she couldn’t help but feel troubled from time to time.
Is Mom up to something again?
“Mom, are you trying to introduce that Sienna lady to Uncle Matt?” she asked her mother as she frowned.
Yuliana smiled rather dismissively. “You’re just a kid. You don’t have to know about this.”
“I’m not a little kid anymore!” she retorted. “What are you up to? Don’t try to pretend in front of me. You think Uncle Matt isn’t aware of your intentions just because he doesn’t show it on his face? Why are you doing this?”
Yuliana glanced back at the room hesitantly, as if worried if Ellie’s words were heard by those inside the room.
“What do you even know? Your Grandma requested for this. I’m just doing what she wants me to,” she chided with a carefully lowered voice. “Besides, what’s wrong with matchmaking your uncle with someone else? It’s for his own good. Let’s not talk about this anymore, we should head back inside.”
“It’s only understandable that Grandma’s concerned about Uncle Matt’s love life. But what about you and Dad? Why does it have to be Mr. Reed’s relative of all people? Don’t you both have some personal agenda up your sleeves?”
