Witnessing the touching scene between the mother and son, Ellie asked, “What happened?”
Clarissa smiled, but did not say a word.
Damian answered on her behalf, “We met a lady with a loose screw just now.”
Cocking a brow, Ellie was astounded.
Clarissa let out a thin smile. “It’s Helen.”
“A loose screw?”
Clarissa mouthed silently to Ellie, “She’s sick in the head.”
Obviously, she did not want Damian to hear that.
Immediately, Ellie understood what she meant. She then warned Damian, “I think I know who it was. Damian, remember not to go near anyone who’s mentally ill. He or she might be a dangerous person. You’re a good boy, aren’t you? So keep a distance from them, lest you’re affected in any way.”
After pondering, Damian nodded. “Understood, Ms. Ellie.”
“Such a good boy…”
They continued to enjoy their lunch while chatting about Helen.
“She always thinks that she’s super great since schooling time. I’m amazed by how she had always been so full of herself. You’re more beautiful, capable, and popular than her. That’s why she sees you as her archenemy and rival against you in everything. Thankfully, you’re not bothered by her actions. She’s probably infuriated after discovering the relationship between you and Uncle Matt. It’s amazing how she can still live a decent life with that mindset of hers.”
Truth be told, the reason why Helen held a deep grudge against Clarissa had something to do with the former’s boyfriend. Nonetheless, the problem still lies with Helen’s own bitterness and resentment.
All in all, Helen was the kind of person who could not tolerate anyone who was better than her. She had a terrible issue emotionally and psychologically.
It was rather unfortunate for Clarissa to have met someone like Helen, who viewed her as her imaginary rival. Clarissa was always Helen’s target to beat. The latter wished to see Clarissa living a miserable life. That was the only thing that gave Helen joy.
Clarissa, however, couldn’t be bothered to deal with Helen’s superiority complex.
Clarissa wiped off the soup which got onto Damian’s face and told Ellie, “As we grow up, we’ll meet people from all walks of life. The more we see, the more we will realize that there are so many peculiar characters in this world. Each of them is here to challenge our beliefs and values. It’s just how things are. If only these people are nice and wonderful, the world we live in will be a completely different place from what it is right now.”
“I see that you can easily accept this as a fact. If she were to act all high and lofty in front of me one day, I’ll surely beat the living daylights out of her.”
“Haha… As a family member of a policeman, you can’t go against the law and beat people up, you know.”
Dumbfounded, Ellie asked, “What do you mean a family member of a policeman? Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself there?”
Clarissa smiled but did not answer her. Ellie and Shawn are the kind of couple that’ll argue and then reconcile with each other very often. Others might think that it’s torture to maintain a relationship like theirs, but they seem to enjoy their unique way of interaction. Oh well, as long as they’re happy about it.
After they were done eating, Matthew called and found out that they were having lunch nearby his company. He insisted that they pay him a visit at Tyson Corporation, to which Clarissa obliged.
Initially, Clarissa thought that they could just go to his office secretly. To her surprise, Donnie was waiting to pick them up in the lobby. He led both mother and child to the elevator right before the public eye.
Clarissa did not reject the idea. Upon entering Matthew’s office, Damian ran to his father excitedly and started sharing his day with him…
Meanwhile, Clarissa took a seat and kept herself occupied with her phone.
Matthew ushered Damian and they both sat down beside Clarissa. She lifted her head and looked Matthew in the eyes.
The father and son duo stared back at her. Their action made Clarissa laugh out loud.
“What are you guys doing? Why are you two looking at me like that?”
Matthew teased her, “Because we like you. Isn’t that right, Damian?”
In a pleasant voice, Damian replied, “That’s right! I love you so much, Mommy.”
“I love you too, Damian!”
Matthew arched his brows while Clarissa gave him a questionable look. Their gazes met as though they were in a standoff. In the end, she admitted defeat, Okay, fine, I love you too.”
“Are you brushing me off?”
She pursed her lips. Yes, I am. What are you going to do about it?
However, she did not pursue this topic as she had something more important to deal with.
“Did you ask Donnie to pick us up on purpose?”
Matthew smirked. “What do you mean on purpose? You’re here to see me, so shouldn’t you come up to the office that way? Besides, everyone knows about our relationship by now. What’s there to hide?”
She continued staring at him with a poker face, making him fret.
She was probably the only one that could make the mighty Mr. Tyson anxious.
Fortunately, Clarissa simply acknowledged without giving him a hard time, “All right then.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, Matthew was about to say something when he noticed that Damian was dozing off in his arms.
With his eyes almost shut, the little guy comfortably snuggled his head in his embrace. He was so adorable that he could make hearts melt anytime.
Matthew carried him into the break room, lay him on the bed, and covered him nicely before exiting.
Since there was no outsider present, Clarissa folded her legs and slumped on the couch, chatting on her phone.
The editor from the publishing company, who happened to be Clarissa’s fan, was seeking her opinions on the cover design. The former fell in love with her story the moment she read it and had been expressing her adoration to Clarissa in multiple ways.
The editor could not help praising her while discussing work.
“Oh my heart, this is so sweet, Clarissa! Are you and Mr. Tyson like this on a daily basis?”
Helplessly, Clarissa corrected her, “It’s not me, but the main characters in the story. It’s an adapted version, so he’s not always doting on her in reality.”
“No, that’s impossible! I’m sure this happens in real life. That’s why you’re able to describe the details so well. I love it, Clarissa. Was that how Mr. Tyson woo you? He’s persistent but romantic!”
“Stop right there. It’s the male lead. Besides, how is being persistent romantic?”
“Oh, it’s all the same, Clarissa. You don’t have to keep emphasizing that it’s not your story. In fact, I’m sure that all of your readers won’t see it as a novel. They will automatically assume that you’re illustrating your life with Mr. Tyson. I have a lightbulb moment all of a sudden. Why don’t we make it into a series? Let this be the first in the series. For the next one, you can write about post-marriage life with Mr. Tyson and your days with your cute son. A few years later, we can publish another one about your daily life. The story can go on until your son grows up to be a handsome president. Even then, we can keep coming up with a series about him. Don’t you think it’s a brilliant idea? Take Conan for example, how many years has it been now? The character grows as the story develops. Clarissa, I think this is great. You can have an eternal love series that extends from one generation to another. It absolutely won’t go outdated…”
Clarissa replied her with a facepalm emoticon.
The editor was in her own world, describing the multiple possibilities of her wild idea to publish a never-ending series. “We can even shoot a television series out of it. You know, like Modern Family that lasts for decades. Clarissa, the more I ponder, the more I think it will work. This is going to be a hit! Let’s do it. You can become a legend!”
“No!” Clarissa declined her right away.
“This is meaningless. Let’s drop the topic. It’s impossible.”
It’s just a simple love story. Why would I want to keep dragging it endlessly? I’m not even certain if Matthew and I will still be so loving a few decades down the road.
Even if the readers like it now, no one can guarantee they won’t grow tired of it in the future. Will it go out of date? Will people still enjoy reading this genre or will they prefer science-fiction? Nobody knows what will happen then. With the current technological advancement, everything is possible.
After dispelling the enthusiasm of her editor, Clarissa realized that Matthew was sitting next to her.
“Did you read everything?” She wondered how long he had been there.
Matthew replied with a question, “Read about what?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
I don’t think he will read my messages intentionally.
Clarissa did not want to disclose the plan now, but to keep it as a secret present for much later.
“Is Damian asleep? He woke up very early this morning. He must be exhausted by now.”
“Yep.” Stroking her face, Matthew lifted her chin as he leaned forward and kissed her. He wanted more but was stopped by Clarissa.
Seeing his big eyes up close, she was mesmerized. Matthew chuckled lightly before releasing her.
“Have you been busy lately?”
Her eye twitched. “Well, I’m always busy. Sometimes, Yael gives me a lot of tasks. So I’m quite tied up.”
“I see…”
Moments later, Matthew smiled and switched to a different subject.
“Shall we go for a vacation during the festive season?”
Clarissa nodded almost immediately. “Sure! Where should we go? It’s the holiday season, I’m sure everywhere is going to be super crowded. I don’t want to travel when it’s the peak season.”
“I’ll look for the perfect place to go, as long as you say yes.”
“Why do you sound so pitiful? Anyway, it’s the holidays, I doubt there’s a place that is not packed.”
There was a sparkle in Matthew’s eyes. “Who knows? Perhaps I could find a special location, right?” he said casually.
Nodding indifferently, Clarissa suggested, “Okay, you can decide. When the time comes, I’ll bring Damian over to Grandma’s place for several days before we go on our trip. All right?”
“Sure.”
