Margaret couldn’t believe that Matthew would reject something that was almost confirmed.
She held in her anger and questioned Matthew, “Did you say I forced you to be with Shermaine for a month? Did you also say you don’t have feelings for her at all?”
“That’s correct.”
“Okay, let’s say that I really forced you to do so, but you should also consider the relationship between the Wynters and us. If you refuse to marry her, do you think the Wynters will let it drop? Matthew, you can’t treat your marriage as a child’s play,” Margaret confronted him with a threatening tone.
However, Matthew refused to budge on his opinion. “Mom, Matthias, and I will take care of our relationship with the Wynters. Everything can eventually be solved as long as all of you are not meddling.”
“Did you say “meddle”? Matthew, I’m doing all this because of you! Tell me, is Shermaine not good enough for you? Why on earth are you willing to solve all the troublesome matters instead of being with Shermaine?
What would his motive be?
As soon as Margaret asked the question, a thought seemingly flashed through her mind.
“You are in love with another lady, aren’t you?”
Does he refuse to be with Shermaine because of another girl, even at the risk of jeopardizing the relationship between the two families?
Matthew did not answer nor deny it.
Margaret was rather upset. “When did it start? Was it before or after you met Shermaine?”
Regardless of the answer, Margaret would be infuriated by it anyway.
After all, she had jumped to the conclusion that an unknown woman “seduced” her son had made him disobedient.
However, Matthew was determined not to tell them anything about Clarissa.
Hence, he ignored her question and said, “Please stop matching me up with Shermaine. As for the Wynters, Matthias and I will solve the ensuing problem to maintain our relationship.”
Everyone was silent once he finished.
Meanwhile, Margaret poked George’s arm, hoping that he could say something.
“Matthew, do you think it will be that easy to solve the problems?”
George knew that it would be a difficult task because their relationship was complicatedly intertwined with various interests.
“Dad, Mom, please don’t worry about it.”
At this time, Matthias interrupted, “Matthew and I know what we have to do.”
George was deep in thought as he looked at Mathew. He knew that Matthew was opinionated and wouldn’t allow anyone to meddle in whatever he wanted to do.
Also, he knew that Margaret coerced Matthew to try being with Shermaine to match-make them. She even went to desperate lengths to fake illness so that Matthew would go to Moranta with Shermaine.
However, all of Margaret’s busy work didn’t bear fruit in the end.
On the contrary, the situation became more problematic because of what she did.
After a while, George said, “Alright, your mom and I won’t meddle in it for now. However, both of you will have to bear the consequences regardless of what the Wynters would do in response.”
As Margaret wanted to add something, George shot her a glance as a warning to stop talking.
Despite her anger, she had no choice but to hold her tongue.
Margaret finally berated George after Matthew left, “Why did you stop me? Do you know that I mentioned to the Wynters about their engagement ceremony just yesterday? But look at Matthew! What should I do now?”
Meanwhile, George furrowed his brows as he was a little irritated.
“Why were you that impatient? I mean, everything turned sour because of your wishful thinking.”
“Was it my fault? I did it for Matthew’s own good. I mean, Shermaine is a perfect girl. Besides, I didn’t force him to accept her when Matthew refused to be with her in the past. Nevertheless, Shermaine eventually became part of the Wynters. Since we are on good terms with the Wynters, wouldn’t Matthias enjoy more resources if Matthew and Shermaine can be together?”
“Were you planning to sacrifice Matthew for Matthias? How could you play favorites?”
“Was I playing favorites? I wanted the best for Matthew too.”
“Would you fake illness to threaten him if you wanted the best for him?”
“I… You didn’t oppose it, did you?”
“I really thought that you were sick!”
I…”
On the other hand, Ellie was annoyed by their buck-passing.
When she went upstairs to return to her room, she passed by her parent’s room and heard their conversation.
“So, did Matthew refuse to be with Shermaine because of that lady? I thought he and Shermaine were together. My goodness. I never thought that it was not the case.”
“All of us can tell that it was Shermaine’s unrequited love. I mean, when did Matthew ever smile at her? The Wynters are actually well aware of it but doesn’t want to tell the truth. Besides, the Smallwoods even added fuel to the fire by spreading rumors about the marriage between the Tysons and the Wynters.”
“When Shermaine was only part of the Smallwoods, their marriage isn’t necessary. Now that she became part of the Wynters, it wouldn’t be good to you if Matthew is still that stubborn. Will you really allow him not to marry Shermaine? He might be lovesick, but how can he ignore what might happen to you? You can’t afford to fall out with the Wynters at this juncture…”
“That’s enough.”
Matthias seemed to get impatient. “Stop the nonsense. This is about Matthew’s happiness. Since he’s not willing to marry her, how can we force him into it?”
“But…”
“Enough. Let Matthew and I handle this. Also, don’t talk any nonsense to Mom. I know what’s on your mind, but we can’t be that selfish.”
Yuliana fell silent and didn’t dwell into it anymore.
After a while, Ellie left and returned to her room to ponder over it.
Her phone had made a notification sound for a while before she grabbed it and took a look.
She received two pictures: One of them was the beautiful starry sky, while the other was Clarissa covering herself up in layers of clothes.
After looking at the pictures, she felt like giving Clarissa a call. However, she soon hesitated because she wasn’t sure what she ought to tell Clarissa. Her mind was in turmoil.
It had been a month after the crew completed shooting for scenes in the desert. After that, Clarissa followed the crew to different places. The crew finally returned to the film studio, where Shermaine had to take part in shooting for the last scene.
However, Clarissa didn’t go to the film studio but returned to W City.
Catherine’s heart wrenched when she saw that Clarissa had tanned skin and looked slimmer. As such, she asked Jenny to prepare all sorts of delicacies for Clarissa.
On the other hand, Clarissa wasn’t troubled by the fact that she had tanned skin and lost weight. Instead, she felt better because of her tight schedule throughout the film shooting.
She had a comfortable life at home for several days, so much so that she was a little reluctant to return to D City.
In the end, she had to depart to D City anyway because Hilary asked her to be there.
“You promised me that you will join blind dates that I arrange for you.”
Clarissa carried her luggage into her house. Once she took off her shoes, she sat on the couch and heaved a sigh of relief. “I remember it, and that’s why I’m back in D City now. But you should at least let me get some rest for a day, shouldn’t you?”
“Why do you have to get some rest? I’ll invite a candidate for you tonight. Hurry up and put on some makeup. I’ll inform you about the time and location once the details are fixed.”
Hilary didn’t give her time to rest nor allow her to refuse the blind date.
Clarissa heaved a sigh as she couldn’t do anything about it. Then, she lay on the couch and closed her eyes to take a nap.
However, she still got up to put on some makeup when night closed in.
Clarissa chuckled when she saw her tanned skin. Thinking that it would be funny to meet someone with tanned skin, she decided not to apply any powder on her face.
She put on a loose sweater, a skirt, high-heels, and a windbreaker. Although her outfit was fine, she purposely put her hair in a bun to fully expose the tan on her face.
Finally, she met the man based on the time and location given by Hilary.
Both of them smiled and began to introduce themselves.
The man was a little surprised once they met but soon looked nonchalant. Meanwhile, she quietly chuckled but tried to conceal her emotions.
“Ms. Quigley, you seem to be quite different from the one I saw from the picture. I hate to say this, but one could easily get deceived by pictures nowadays.”
The man appeared to be ridiculing her.
“Besides, the filters that many women use nowadays are superb. Although you are already a beauty, I’m sure you’ll look even more gorgeous with a filter. Also, I suggest that you can opt for facials to look more beautiful.”
Nonetheless, Clarissa flashed him a faint smile and replied, “Mr. Goldstein, I’m sorry. I forgot to tell you that my skin tone is hereditary. All of my family members have dark skin. So, I’m afraid facials can’t help much.”
“Hehe… Is that so? What a shame.”
“I think having dark skin is nice anyway!”
“Hehe… Yes, those with dark skin look healthy.”
As they hardly exchange words, Clarissa waited for the man to ask to leave.
Just as she expected, Mr. Goldstein soon said that he had to leave in advance.
She heaved a sigh of relief once he left. Then, she went to the ladies’ room and was prepared to go home. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind: she wanted to have a takeout. After all, she wasn’t in the mood to have dinner earlier on.
Unexpectedly, she met a familiar man at the corner.
She tried to pretend not to see him, yet he wasn’t aware of her intention. To be exact, he wouldn’t care even if he knew it.
“Aren’t you Clarissa? It’s been a long time! When did you return to D City?”
It was difficult to ignore Jeremy’s distinctive voice and looks.
He seemed to be interested in glancing at her from head to toe. After a while, he chuckled once he saw her dark-skinned face.
“Clarissa, Justin really doesn’t have a soft heart for women. Did you stay in the sun with him for a long time? My god, how could a gorgeous face suddenly turn into this?”
“Mr. Smallwood, it’s been a long time. I did it because it was part of my job, but I like it anyway. Don’t you think I look healthy?”
“Tsk! It’s ugly.”
Jeremy didn’t even mind his words.
As her mouth’s slightly twitched, Jeremy laughed and said, “Hey, I’m just kidding. You’re beautiful regardless of your skin tone.”
“Thanks. I think so too.”
“Are you going back after dinner? Are you alone?”
Clarissa let out a smile and replied, “Nope. I’m here with a friend. Mr. Smallwood, I’ll get going.”
“Don’t be like this,” Jeremy pulled her arm and continued, “Since we haven’t met each other for quite some time, why don’t we spend some time together? Besides, you know those in the private lounge…”
Before Jeremy finished, she suddenly twisted her arm to wriggle free from him. Then, she refused his invitation and hastily ran out of the place.
As Jeremy glanced at his own finger, he snickered and shook his head. Was she afraid to see someone here?
