He’s trying to pull the leg of our young and innocent son again! Ugh! I can’t think of science the same anymore in the future!
She glared at Matthew in the eyes and shrugged him off with all her might. Immediately after she broke free, she brought their son away from Matthew and made something up to explain the nonsense Matthew had mentioned.
Staring at the mother and son duo’s backs, Matthew wondered if he had mispresented the fact when reproduction was, at its core, a scientific process.
The offspring at the end of the session is Damian’s younger sibling!
Matthew started caressing his chin with a vicious grin as if he was up to no good.
It was about time for bed, but Damian showed no signs of falling asleep at all. Instead, he was overly hyped for no apparent reason.
Tossing and turning on the bed, Damian asked, “Mommy, have you played with Grandpa’s beard? It’s so interesting! He won’t stop chuckling whenever I play with it! Can you pretend as if you’re Grandpa and allow me to play with your beard?”
The little boy insisted on having his mother join her for a role play. Clarissa ended up playing along with his son more than once.
All while playing, Clarissa couldn’t help but think George seemed to have grown fond of this grandson of his.
She was unsure if she should be glad or not. Needless to say, the fact Damian hadn’t brought up Margaret in front of her indicated their relationship remained strained.
Truth be told, Clarissa had never once longed for Margaret to show Damian any mercy. In fact, she thought it would be better if things remained the same. Otherwise, Margaret might bring Damian away from her.
“Mom, am I supposed to stay away from Grandma?”
Damian brought up a similar topic the moment Clarissa thought about Margaret.
Clarissa had no intention to drag her innocent son into the feuds of adults. In spite of the conflicts she had with Margaret, she would never talk bad about the Tysons in front of Damian, let alone ask him to stay away from Margaret.
How am I supposed to answer his query when I’m of the opposite stand? Do I get him to stay away from Mrs. Tyson or not? I need something to justify myself if I want him to stay away from her, don’t I?
Clarissa directed another at Damian in return. “Why don’t you tell me if you enjoy being around her or not?”
Her son turned around and leaned on her with his head tilted. Staring at Clarissa in the eyes, he gave the question directed at him a thought.
“I don’t really enjoy being around Grandma!”
Clarissa smiled and explained, “You need to make up your mind instead of relying on others’ opinions. If you enjoy being around her, just spend some time with her. On the contrary, if you don’t appreciate her presence, you can always stay away from her. It’s always up to you. Never let others get in your way and make the call on your behalf.”
Damian couldn’t really grasp the concept of Clarissa’s orated speech. Nonetheless, he was glad he could finally stay away from Margaret as he had always wanted since Clarissa said it was up to him.
It’s really irritating whenever Grandma glares at me when I show up in the ward to visit Grandpa! I don’t really know if I hate her, but I don’t wish to be anywhere near her!
Clarissa had no intention to poke her nose into her son’s affair. Nonetheless, she thought she needed to give him a heads-up.
Thus, she announced, “Damian, if they don’t enjoy your presence, it’s okay. You still have me, your father, and Ellie. However, if they wish to bring you away from me, you have to tell me and stop them at all costs. Am I clear?”
After Clarissa brought up a similar topic over and over again, Damian nodded with a serious look, indicating he would keep that in mind.
Damian seemed to be intimidated by the seemingly threatening situation—he wrapped his arms around Clarissa’s neck and refused to let go of her.
In order to tuck him in, Clarissa had to read him a few stories. It took her a short while to get him to fall into a deep slumber.
…
Clarissa couldn’t be bothered by the conversation she had with Sandra anymore as she deemed it a waste of her time.
She acquired the aid of a publisher to get a custom-made book ready. It was a unique book detailing the ups and downs she had gone through with Matthew.
It turned out it was a gift for Matthew. Although she might publish it in the future, none of those would be the same as the one she had prepared for Matthew.
After she retrieved the book, she was thrilled and it was all over her face.
Instead of an ostentatious cover, the book had a relatively simple cover that was pastel orange. The title of the book was written by hand.
Clarissa & Matthew—the love of my life.
She had included their first name as the title of the book since it was supposed to be about them.
Apart from the simplistic cover and stories of their lives, she included a few of their photos.
Instead of flaunting her talents, she omitted most of the parts that weren’t relevant and started the book with the beginning of their relationship.
She started reading the book as soon as she retrieved it from the publisher. Throughout the time she spent as a fellow reader, she couldn’t stop grinning. Occasionally, her eye would brim with tears. Once she finished reading the book, she closed it and basked herself in the emotional journey.
When she raised her head and looked at the editor next to her, the editor said, “Clare, the first time I finished reading the book, I couldn’t stop myself from reacting in a similar manner. I’m sure you’re able to resonate with the incidents better than anyone else. To be honest, I’m not exaggerating when I say this is easily one of my top ten must-read books. Although certain parts were overly lengthy for the readers, those were a huge part of your life. To be precise, those were the things that made the book stand out amongst others. I’m pretty sure the reader is going to enjoy gaining a unique perspective towards Mr. Tyson and your relationship.”
Clarissa was honored by the positive remarks from the editor. She had been working with the same editor for a long time, but that editor had rarely complimented her books.
She was surprised the editor had grown fond of such a simple love story when there was nothing special about it.
“You’re really flattering me!”
“Speaking of which, is it true you’re going to make a film out of it? I’m not trying to be a busybody, but I think a movie requires a well-thought-out plot to garner the attention of the audience. That’s just my two cents. If the professionals say it’s not a big deal, then, by all means, go ahead and give it a try.”
“Actually, I’m not really sure if it’s going to turn out just fine at the end of the day. Therefore, everything is still in the initial phase of planning. I’ll gather the feedback from the professionals.” Clarissa shared her concerns with the editor.
There are a lot of things I need to sort out including the capital for production to get everything up and running!
She hadn’t handed the book over to Matthew the moment she retrieved the book as it was intended to be a New Year’s gift. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise should she hand it to him without any special occasion.
In the end, she stuffed the custom-made book amongst the pile of books in her study. She felt a sense of relief as she was certain Matthew wouldn’t go through the books in her study.
…
Clarissa volunteered most of her time helping out Olive at her foundation. She found the purpose of life and felt great helping others.
Unfortunately, she encountered Sandra again when she dropped by the foundation. Clarissa’s colleague told her Sandra was a frequent customer that had contributed to the foundation as well.
On the other hand, when Sandra saw Clarissa, she was equally surprised. Although they had different concerns in mind, they put on a courteous front and greeted one another since there wasn’t any serious conflict amongst them.
They spent most of their time handling their respective assigned tasks. When Sandra headed over to the pantry during lunch break, she encountered Clarissa and initiated another conversation.
“Clarissa, I can’t believe I get to run into you here of all the places! It might have something to do with the fact you resemble the members of our family, but most of it is because of your personality!”
“Mrs. Wynter, you’re flattering me.”
Sandra stopped concealing the fact she had grown fond of Clarissa. She teased, “If you’re not married, I’ll definitely introduce my son to you!”
“H-Haha—” Clarissa was rendered speechless by Sandra’s suggestion as things would never work out between her and Jackson.
Clarissa thought there was nothing special about their conversation. However, after she gave it another thought once she got off work, she noticed Sandra had learned a lot about her.
Sandra had indirectly gotten her hands on the information she needed, including Clarissa’s hometown, her family condition, and her academic achievement over the years.
Oh, God! She’s amazing! How the heck does she manage to get me to open up to her without getting on my nerves? I didn’t even notice it was an attempt to deceive me!
As Clarissa found Sandra a formidable woman, she told Matthew everything that had occurred during her time at the foundation.
“Is this common amongst those from the upper echelon? Do they possess the capability to let others’ guard down and get others to open up to them?”
Clarissa was in the middle of a self-pampering session. She got increasingly terrified the more she thought about it, “Oh, God! If she tries to get her hands on the password to my bank account, am I going to give it to her as well?”
“What?” Matthew asked with his brows furrowed.
“Well, I’m just horrified!”
Matthew took a break from work and turned around to take a peek at the woman who had a black facial sheet on her face. He poked her cheek and said, “You’re the one who’s intimidating me with this look of yours.”
“Hello? I’m trying to do you a favor by keeping myself up to societal standards of beauty!”
“You don’t need that because you’re already the apple of my eye.”
“Well, I guess you’re right for once, but that doesn’t change the fact I need to keep myself looking young to charm you. You’re not trying to tell me you have a thing for me without any makeup, aren’t you?”
Unable to suppress his laughter, Matthew burst out laughing and asked, “Hasn’t that always been the case?”
Clarissa showed Matthew her index finger and added, “No! I’m afraid you’re overly naïve for your own good!”
