The first thing Clarissa did once the festive season was over was move out.
To be exact, she officially moved her studio out of Tyson Corporation. The studio was now situated in an area where it was nearer to Zen Highlands. That way, she didn’t have to travel a long distance to work in the future.
However, Matthew was not happy about the change.
He could no longer ask her over for “business matters.” This would also mean he had lost the “fun” he used to have during working hours.
Thus, Matthew objected to the idea of it, including not being able to sleep on the same bed with her for a month.
Fine. It doesn’t matter if I can’t sleep on your bed. I could always sleep somewhere else. For example, the floor or the bed in the guestroom. Even the study works fine! The problem is, I would be sleeping alone.
I saw this coming and was prepared for it. Yet, I failed miserably when I thought I had done a good job. Clarissa didn’t even give me any chances. Heck, I didn’t even get to sleep on the same bed as her.
However, this wasn’t the only thing that bothered Matthew. In fact, there was something else that Clarissa was not aware of.
He planned to ask her to marry him three years ago on an island. Everything was set, but it went to waste when the incident happened.
As for this year, Matthew wanted to try again as he made plans on the same island. He wanted it to be a surprise for Clarissa where he’d convince her to travel during Valentine’s Day. Matthew had planned to hold the wedding at the same period too. Unfortunately, it was canceled once again due to unforeseen circumstances. And because of that, Clarissa was so mad that she returned to her parent’s place.
Ugh, it’s the second time now. What did I do to deserve this? How in the world did I fail twice?
As for this time around, she had no idea I had a surprise for her. I can’t help but feel a little frustrated but somehow still gratified. Though, I wonder when I will succeed.
Matthew thought to himself as a sense of irritation bubbled within him.
At the same time, Clarissa could sense his irritation and assumed he was merely sex-deprived. Hence, she did not take it seriously as she busied herself moving into the new studio.
The new studio was a double-story apartment with an open view. The layout was very spacious, with creative and aesthetic designs. It created an atmosphere that would uplift the employees’ mood while at work.
After the set-up was completed, they began to hire a new HR manager as well as other staff for various positions. To add on, Clarissa had decided to tackle the directing industry.
Clarissa’s novel, Clarissa & Matthew, was advertised across all platforms, while the publishing firm had come up with a new set of publishing plans for the novel. The publicity that the novel would gain might serve as a stepping stone for her filmmaking plans in the future.
Hence, Clarissa was so much busier than Matthew.
Whenever she was consumed with work, she tended to neglect Damian. The little guy did not notice anything at first as he had his focus solely on his teachers and friends. Then, he slowly realized that his mother had not been spending some time with him.
Soon enough, both Matthew and Damian were neglected by Clarissa. The father and son duo decided to express their dissatisfaction by sitting quietly as a sign of protest.
And where did they protest?
Clarissa’s studio, of course. Mathew and Damian came by in a matching set of clothing during the afternoon and sat in the middle of the hall.
“Ms. Quigley, Mr. Tyson and Damian had been waiting for you downstairs for a long time now. Perhaps you would like to greet them?”
However, Clarissa was so focused on learning that she had no time for other matters.
“Nah, let me finish this up first.”
With that, she continued to watch the videos that Justin had recommended, which were directing skills and video-editing related clips.
There’s so much to learn but so little time. I have no time to attend to them now. Besides, I was just with them this morning before I left for work!
Meanwhile, Damian held his bottle and took a big gulp of water. Then, he turned to face Matthew and asked, “Daddy, does Mommy not want us anymore?”
The little guy leaned his head back to meet Mathew’s gaze with his big eyes. However, the staff in the entire studio had heard him. They couldn’t help but feel bad for Damian.
“How could Clarissa do this to her son? He came all the way here to visit her. Yet, she had no time to attend to him,” a staff said.
“Mommy’s busy with work. Let’s be considerate, alright?” Matthew comforted.
“Okay!’
“Awww, look how sensible and considerate both Damian and Mr. Tyson are!”
“How could Clarissa be so cruel to her husband and son?”
The staff could not resist but condemned Clarissa, who was working endlessly in the studio.
When she was done, she headed downstairs and noticed that Matthew had Damian in his arms as they watched a scientific documentary while snacking. The duo had their eyes glued to the screen as Damian asked countless questions, and Matthew would answer every one of them.
At the same time, the staff shot a displeased glance in Clarissa’s direction.
The corners of her lips tugged upwards while she shrugged. Come on, I was only away for a moment. It wasn’t like I was busy for hours, right?
“Damian, I’m here. Aren’t you going to hug me?”
Clarissa tried to gain their attention so they could spend quality time together. However, Damian wasn’t as excited to see her as she thought he would be. He merely smiled reluctantly and resumed watching the video.
Wow, what’s going on with him?
Upon that, Clarissa raised her eyebrow. “Matthew?”
“Are you done? You may continue if you’re not. Damian and I will be waiting for you here.” He smiled.
Clarissa instantly knew what they were up to, judging from his smile.
I see what you’re doing now.
Right then, Clarissa could sense the burning gaze of the staff in the studio.
She gritted her teeth and snorted at Matthew as if to tell him that she would deal with him once they reached home.
Then, Clarissa flashed a bright smile toward the duo and said, “Hubby, Damian, shall we go home now? I’ll cook something yummy for you, alright?”
Damian’s mood quickly changed as soon as he heard food. He instantly got off Matthew’s lap and rushed into Clarissa’s arms. Clarissa knew food was the only thing that would make him come to his sense at this point.
With that, Clarissa picked him up and said her goodbyes before she headed for the door. Matthew noticed she was leaving and quickly caught up.
The newcomers in the studio had their eyes fixated on the internet-famous couple. They couldn’t help but feel envious of them.
“Clarissa and Mr. Tyson are just like what the rumors on the Internet claimed. They’re both gorgeous. Mr. Tyson is the president of a well-known company, yet he is very gentle and affectionate towards Clarissa. They’re the proof that true love exists. Besides, I’ve recently gone through her new novel, Clarissa & Matthew. I have a feeling it’ll be the talk of the town.”
“That’s exactly what we all thought. Anyway, there’s no need to make a fuss about this; you’ll get used to it after working here for some time. Clarissa and Mr. Tyson are the symbols of true love, regardless of what the public says.”
“I got it, Mandy. I’ll round up my fan club for battle if anyone dares say a word about Clarissa!”
How does a fresh graduate like her have a fan club?
That being said, I do feel like Clarissa needs her own fan base. After all, it’s some sort of support as well.
Back home, Clarissa and Damian lay in bed as she read him a bedtime story.
Moments later, Matthew entered the room and sat on the other side of the room. He quietly watched Clarissa read the story.
This was a usual night for them—quiet, peaceful, and heartwarming.
Once Damian had fallen asleep, both Clarissa and Matthew crept out of his room. As soon as the couple arrived at their bedroom, Clarissa turned to face Matthew with her arms crossed. She was ready to question him about his behavior earlier this afternoon.
Matthew, on the other hand, had his arms wide open in surrender.
Yet, he quickly walked over to her and held her in his arms. Then, he planted a kiss on the corner of her lips.
“Darling, it’s been a month.”
Clarissa frowned at his words as she thought to herself. Oh crap, how does time pass that fast? Ugh, forget it. Now’s not the time to argue anyway. I’ve got to come out with a way to get out of this.
Then, she hurriedly pushed him away and ran out of the room.
But of course, she could not outrun Matthew. Thus, she was trapped between Matthew and the door, unable to move. At that moment, she could feel his warm breath against her ears as her heart began to beat insanely fast.
“Clare…”
“I’m not done talking.” Clarissa’s voice trembled.
“Go ahead then…” Matthew chuckled as he kissed her ears, leaving her speechless.
“Hey, let me go first. I want to talk about what happened this afternoon. You did it on purpose, didn’t you? Are you serious? I’ve only been recently occupied with work, and you make it seem like I’ve mistreated you. I—”
Her words were cut off as Mathew quickly picked her up before she could resist him.
“Just so you know, I was, indeed, very poorly treated, Darling. It’s been a month since we last had some fun,” he growled.
Clarissa wanted to say something but couldn’t as Matthew had his hand over her mouth. Well, my words probably mean nothing now. All I need to do is scream.
