“Pfft….”
Clarissa could not help but burst into a laugh.
The man behaved as if he was tempting a child with candies.
Circling the woman in his embrace, Matthew smiled at the sight of the woman laughing blissfully.
“I’m going to shower you with diamonds after we get married. I will buy whatever you want, okay?”
Clarissa pouted, “You’re coaxing me like a child.”
“Well, aren’t you my little baby?”
Matthew cupped her cheeks. The weather had turned chilly, and she had been just chilling at home lately. Her daily routine consisted of just some casual writing, and she had not been engaging in any physical activities. As a result, her cheeks had rounded out. However, Matthew found her even more adorable that way.
“I’m going to love you like your father would as your husband.”
“Well, the way you put it is just plain confusing.”
She was complaining, but it did not hide the fact that she was beyond elated and blissful.
“Hmm, I think this diamond is far too dangerous for me to wear outside. We’ll find a day and get a more subtle one. I’ll pay for that.”
Amused, Matthew chuckled. “Okay, you’ll cover for that.”
Pleased with his answer, Clarissa gave him a big kiss on the lips and beamed brightly. However, she was pinned beneath him in a sweeping motion.
It was a great night for some on-the-bed action.
I’ll take it as a celebration for my successful proposal.
…
“Wow, Clarissa! You actually proposed to him? I really have to give it up for you.”
Ellie gave Clarissa a thumbs up, admiring her courage.
However, the latter shook her head and explained repeatedly, “No, Matthew got down on one knee and proposed to me. I did not propose to him!”
It was impossible for her to admit that she was the one who proposed.
Ellie disregarded Clarissa’s multiple attempts in explaining herself.
“You’re the one who brought the topic up, right? So you’re the one who proposed. That’s so cool! So what if you’re the one proposing to him? You’re my idol, Clarissa! If someday I meet the man of my dreams, I’m definitely going to get into bed with him and propose to him in bed.”
“You’re going to ask him to marry you?”
“Well, yeah.”
Clarissa emphasized again, “I did not propose to your uncle. If we’re going by your definition, then Matthew was the first to bring up the topic a long time ago. So, technically he was still the one who proposed to me.”
The woman was adamant in denying that she had proposed to Matthew.
Ellie could not seem to stop herself from laughing. “Fine, fine. Uncle Matt proposed to you. Happy?”
“Yes, that was exactly what happened.”
“Alright, alright. Geez.”
Ellie then mumbled to herself. What a prideful woman.
However, Clarissa did not catch onto that. Ellie looked at the video on her phone and said, “Let me look at that ring again. Tsk tsk, Uncle Matt really gets your taste. A pink diamond is really more romantic.”
Clarissa was beaming with pride.
She had always been a low-profile person who did not prefer to stand in the limelight. Hence, it was difficult for her to mask her glee.
Right then, all she wanted was to let everyone in the world know that she was the happiest person in the world.
Hence, she could not help but flaunt her ring finger with the pink diamond on her social media.
The caption read: I’m on cloud nine.
Ellie was the first to like her photo. At the same time, almost everyone in the group chat congratulated the bride-to-be.
Jeremy: Congratulations, Matt and Mrs. Tyson. Get a baby soon!
Henry: Congratulations, Matt and Mrs. Tyson. Get a baby soon!
Justin: Congratulations, Matt and Mrs. Tyson. Get a baby soon!
Yarick: Why doesn’t Mrs. Tyson treat us to a homecooked meal to celebrate this joyous occasion?
As a foodie, Yarick only had one goal in mind.
Clarissa smiled as she read the comments. She promised them that she would organize more gatherings so that they could come over more often.
Meanwhile, her social media was buzzing with likes and comments.
A few of her close friends back in high school forwarded the photo in their group chat after commenting on it. The forwarded photo sparked heated discussions in the group chat.
A number of her schoolmates who were usually quiet surfaced after seeing the photo of the huge pink diamond. Some congratulated Clarissa after knowing that the campus belle had been proposed to while some were trying to sound her out.
When Helen was getting married back then, Clarissa had made an appearance. It was rumored that she had bagged a rich middle-aged man. Her reputation went down the drain because of it as a lot of people were disdained with her.
Those who knew the truth did not stand up for her to clear the air either.
Now that she was getting married, those people were green with envy instead.
“Yo, it’s just a ring. She didn’t say she’s getting married though. Maybe it’s just a toy or whatever.”
“Even if she’s getting married, who is she marrying anyway? The rich middle-aged man from the last time?”
“Well, so what if it’s indeed the middle-aged man? How else is he going to afford such a huge rock? Why isn’t Clarissa saying anything though? Is she just pranking us by posting this photo though? Is she even really getting married? Why doesn’t she just post her wedding invitation? We’d be sure to attend the wedding.”
“Right, why aren’t you responding? Are you really getting married?”
Clarissa usually paid no heed to the group chat. She had only skimmed through it after some people messaged her in private. There were mixed reactions to her engagement, among them were congratulatory, doubtful, and even derisive ones.
Clarissa snorted, decided that it was best to disregard them all.
She did not reply to any of the messages since she was not planning to invite them to her wedding anyway.
Almost all her close friends had seen the photo on her social media, including Ryler.
He texted Clarissa: Congratulations! See you on Saturday.
Ryler could make it back on Saturday, and Clarissa planned to organize the gathering on the same day as well, inviting friends who had shown support for her. She would make them a homecooked meal as a heartfelt thanks for them as they had backed her up.
As Matthew intended, he would owe them all a favor.
Clarissa was still cracking her head to decide on the venue.
She asked for Matthew’s opinion on the matter. To which he replied, “Just do it at our place.”
“At Zen Highlands?”
Access to Zen Highlands was strictly limited to authorized personnel only. The Tysons were only here for a handful of times, and even Matthew’s siblings had not been there more than a dozen times. Outsiders were generally prohibited from entering.
Matthew smirked. “Why are you so surprised? It’s best to organize a party at our own place, isn’t it?”
“But I thought you don’t like people coming here?”
“It’s not like I don’t like it. I just preferred silence back then. But now that I have you, I think it’s good idea to have people over sometimes too.”
Clarissa brimmed with tears at his remarks, touched by the concessions that he was willing to make for her. The man’s heart softened at the sight.
He planted a kiss on her lips. “Clare, are you really that touched?”
She nodded her head earnestly.
“Then should we unlock some new position tonight?”
Clarissa was rendered speechless and rolled her eyes at him for ruining the moment. She turned around to hand Julia the food and liquor menu for the party on Saturday. It was her first time organizing a party, and it was a party to express her gratitude nonetheless. Hence, she paid extra attention to every little detail to make sure everything was perfect.
Matthew smiled and trailed behind her. Even though he was showering kisses and being all affectionate, he still provided her with solid suggestions.
As such, Clarissa thought she should reward him for being so helpful.
At night, she played along with him and tried out a few new positions in bed.
Matthew was pleased with the adventurous nature of their activity, and thought that they should be more creative and unlock more positions in the future.
To which, Clarissa replied, “In your dreams.”
Matthew nodded his head. “Yes, my dreams are hauntingly beautiful, and more so when they come true.”
…
Soon, it was already Saturday night.
Zen Highlands which was usually deserted was brightly lit.
There were a lot of cars parked in the courtyard, and the house bustled with people.
Unlike the usual parties held outside, the party was filled with the heartfelt laughter of close friends, instead of just strangers observing social niceties.
Other than the handful of Clarissa’s close friends who already knew the truth, the others were taken aback to realize that Ms. Quigley’s fiancé was in fact Matthew Tyson, the president for the Tyson Corporation after arriving at Zen Highlands.
Knowing full well what Matthew’s presence meant at the party, the others considered themselves extremely lucky.
On top of that, a couple of influential figures of the industry such as Justin, Henry, and Jeremy were there as well.
Connections were extremely important, no matter which circle one was in. Clarissa had essentially provided them with the perfect chance to expand their connection as knowing any one of the bigshots would benefit them greatly.
Some were excited to be given such an opportunity, while others were apprehensive about embarrassing themselves.
However, since there were only a number of them, they had gotten closer to each other in no time as they beamed with delight.
Jamie and Yaala sat beside Clarissa. Jamie was thrilled since she was one of the lucky ones, and especially since Ryler was coming later.
“Ms. Quigley, let me have a look at that diamond ring.”
Jamie was curious of the huge rock, as was Yaala.
Clarissa had only taken the ring downstairs right then. She did not wear it all the time since the diamond was really big, and it would be quite inconvenient. She had bought another pair of rings which were more low-profile to be worn daily for both of them.
She felt quite awkward when she had to take it out for others to have a look.
“Ms. Quigley, this is huge! Oh, I meant Mrs. Tyson! Haha…”
Yaala eyed Clarissa right then, in awe of the latter’s luck.
The ring made its way around as people congratulated her again. Even though Matthew was chatting with the other men, he still cast occasional glances at Clarissa. The sweet, loving gaze between the two was teeming with chemistry. It was nothing like an inappropriate exchange like some people rumored it to be.
Not long after, Ryler finally made it to the Zen Highlands. He greeted Clarissa and made his way over to talk to Matthew. However, they did not delve deep into any topic.
The small gathering was rather successful.
After the party came to an end, everyone bade goodbye. Ryler and Matthew had finally gotten the chance to have some serious face-to-face talk.
Right then, Jamie had not left yet as she sat together with Clarissa. She was absentmindedly engaged in a conversation as she stole glances at Ryler.
She was actually worried to see the two men chatting over a drink.
In the end, the two men seemed like they were getting tipsy. Jamie steadied Ryler as they left Zen Highlands together. Meanwhile, Clarissa dealt with the slightly drunk Matthew. It was her first time seeing him intoxicated.
