Even though it was a phone call, Clarissa could tell how happy and excited Damian was.
She chuckled. “Ah, did you come to pick me up? Just wait a moment with Daddy. I’ll be out immediately, alright?”
“Okay, Mommy! Just take your time. Daddy and I are waiting in the car.”
Damian then handed the phone to Matthew. With a low voice, he spoke to Clarissa tenderly.
“We’re still a few minutes away. There’s no need to rush.”
“Alright.”
After Clarissa hung up, she turned around and apologized. “I’m sorry, everyone. I have to go back. My son is on his way to pick me up.”
Clarissa was beaming as she said this. Anyone who saw her now would associate that smile with warmth and love.
Skyler was quite surprised. “Ms. Quigley, you have kids? I thought you were either my age or younger!”
This was definitely not a compliment, but something said out of surprise or shock.
After all, Clarissa did not look like a woman approaching thirty. They would only believe her if she said she was in her early twenties. Anyone who looked good was subjected to being treated very well, and the years have been kind to her.
Clarissa merely shook her head and smiled. “Thank you.”
“No need for that. I’m only speaking the truth.”
“If you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known! A mother already? Gosh! If I had known sooner, I’d have discussed what raising your kids feels like.”
It was unexpectedly Leonard who said this.
“Another time, Leonard. We’ll be working together so there will be other opportunities. I’ll also be asking you for advice in return! Sorry everyone, but I have to go.”
“Well, we won’t keep you anymore. We’ll continue this another day.”
They did not take the initiative to ask Clarissa and her family to stay for dinner. In this industry, there were many shallow friendships but not too many meaningful relationships.
Since they had only met for the first time, everyone still maintained a level of distance and politeness. Hence, there was no need for deep conversations.
After Clarissa left, Skyler looked at Conrad and smiled. “To be frank, Conrad, I’m very curious about this screenwriter. Before coming, my agent advised me to speak less, but that made me so uncomfortable. That’s why I did not ask much. But since we all know about it, aren’t there several scandals involving her? How does she already have children?”
Conrad smirked. “The entertainment industry is rife with scandals. What does that have to do with everyone? Truth or falsehood aside, do you believe in those scandals yourself?”
“You have a point. She seems like a nice person, and nothing like what people have claimed on the internet. I think that anyone popular would be dragged through the mud. Plus, she’s beautiful. Maybe people were jealous of that too?”
The rest stayed silent and did not say much, but they probably felt the same way.
Skyler then broke the silence with another question. “Who’s the father of her child then? Three years ago, I heard my friend say that the whole fiancé of the Tyson family scandal was true. Pictures of her birthday party were widespread. I’ve seen them. Why is it that three years later, they—”
“That’s none of your business.”
Conrad immediately cut Skyler off. It didn’t matter what happened three years ago. It was not Skyler’s place to discuss this.
“Young lady, I’d suggest minding your own business.”
Nobody spoke another word about Clarissa after that. Instead, they only focused on finishing their meal.
After all, it was not nice to gossip behind someone’s back. They weren’t that uncultured, to begin with.
It was alright to have questions, but they should not be expressed.
The moment Clarissa exited the restaurant, she heard the sound of a car engine humming by the roadside.
“Mommy!”
She looked over and noticed that the car window was lowered, with Damian waving at her frantically from inside.
Matthew put him down and opened the car door. Clarissa quickly walked over and got into the car.
As soon as she entered, Damian rushed into his mother’s arms and held onto her tightly, just like a baby would.
“Mommy, I missed you so much!”
Clarissa chuckled lightly, her voice a little hoarse.
“Ah, I’ve missed you too, darling. Come here, and I’ll give you a kiss!”
A flurry of kisses soon descended as she kissed her little son on the cheeks and the forehead in front of Matthew.
She then held onto him like she could not bear to be separated from him anymore.
Matthew smirked as he then lifted his son into the car seat. “Alright, let’s strap you in, and we’ll be on our way home!”
“No! I want Mommy to hold me!”
Damian’s reluctance to be parted from Clarissa was nothing unusual.
Back in W City, Clarissa was always tired because she had to put up with her son’s antics all the time.
When Matthew saw this, he felt sorry for her.
Damian had started to act up, and Matthew knew it meant trouble. The kid would do whatever he could, from crying, to screaming, to throwing a tantrum, just to get his way.
Thankfully, they had not started moving yet, for Damian had been fiddling with his safety belt. He knew how to unfasten it by then. As soon as he was free, he wanted to leap into Clarissa’s arms.
He was quickly stopped by Matthew, who held onto him tightly and fastened his seat belt again.
Just like that, Damian became extremely unhappy. He started crying and reaching for his mother as if he was somehow being abused and forcefully separated from her.
When Damian started to cry, Matthew could not hold back his serious look.
Seeing his son cry like that made him feel distressed too.
However, one could not compromise on safety. All he could do was put his foot down. “You can hug Mommy for a while, but then we have to drive home. Once we start the car, you have to go back to your seat. Understand? Otherwise, we’ll not make it back home at all.”
Damian was even more upset and continued to cry.
Matthew looked helplessly at Clarissa and noticed that she remained impassive in the light of his tantrum.
She waited for Matthew to finish lecturing Damian before hugging and soothing him. After he had stopped behaving childishly and had calmed down, Clarissa spoke.
“What did Daddy just say, Damian? He’s right, isn’t he? Haven’t I always said that you need to sit in the safety seat when we’re in the car?”
Clarissa’s tone was no longer coaxing but a little serious.
Damian, who had now calmed down after listening to his mother, realized that he had made a mistake.
He then tried to act coquettishly in an effort to change the subject. “But Mommy, I love you so much!”
Clarissa hid the smile that she felt because she did not want her son to see that she was somewhat happy. Instead, she maintained her facade of seriousness.
“I love you too, darling. But what did I say? Daddy did ask you to sit in the safety seat, right?”
Damian stared back at Clarissa, his big, innocent eyes looking pitifully at her. He even fluttered his lashes, looking suspiciously cute.
Unfortunately, Clarissa remained unmoved. Damian had used this trick on her numerous times. At first, Clarissa would be fooled by him, but as time passed, she knew how to hold back from indulging in his whims.
She could spoil him, but she had to be reasonable when the time called for it. If she kept giving in, children would then learn that their parents would give in every time they threw a tantrum. Parents had to exercise discretion, or something like this would turn into a major safety issue.
Damian’s cuteness had no effect on Clarissa. Seeing how stern she looked, he answered quite obediently.
“Yes.”
“Do you know what you did wrong?”
“Yes.”
“Well, my Damian is such a good boy who knows right from wrong. I love such a good, obedient boy. I’ll hold you for another five minutes. After five minutes, I need you back in your seat. When we get home, I’ll hold you till your heart’s content, okay?”
“Yes, Mommy!”
Damian hugged his mother tight, a cute smile etched onto his round face. Five minutes later, he said, “You can put me back now, Mommy. We’ll hug more when we go home.”
Clarissa smiled and let go of Damian, who then climbed back into his seat on his own.
When Matthew fastened his seatbelt, Damian raised his head and looked at him. Very softly, he said, “I love you very much too, Daddy.”
Ah, this kid. He’s too embarrassed to apologize, but at least he found a way to express his affection.
Clarissa was well accustomed to Damian’s antics but Matthew was very moved by his son’s expression.
He lowered his head and kissed Damian on the forehead. Although he couldn’t express sentimentality as Clarissa could, he was still very happy.
“I love you too, Damian.”
“Let’s go home, Daddy!”
Damian became excited again, all his initial sadness forgotten. However, he was not idle on the ride home. He kept asking questions and telling his parents about what he did that day, down to the meals he had.
The more he talked, the less energetic he became.
When the car finally arrived at Zen Highlands, Damian had fallen fast asleep.
Matthew gently brought the sleeping child down and placed him on the bed.
Clarissa busied herself by helping Damian into his pajamas. By the time she was done, she was sweating all over. Despite all the movement, he slept like a rock.
When she turned around, Clarissa noticed Matthew leaning against the door. His gaze was tender and sweet.
Clarissa smirked and walked towards him, but Matthew was quick to reach out and pull her into his embrace. He then lowered his head and crushed his lips to hers.
“Mm, let’s go back to the room.”
Matthew chuckled lightly as he trailed his lips from hers. The pair embraced and moved out of the room and closed the door gently. Matthew then held her against the corridor wall and deepened the kiss they shared earlier.
It was a quiet evening. Beneath the dimmed corridor lights, Mrs. Lawson was speaking to the other maids downstairs.
At the time, Clarissa was making out Matthew. The light shone suggestively on them as their figures slowly tangled and melded into one.
