Clarissa could struggle with her might, but she couldn’t pry free from Matthew’s arms.
In the end, she fell limp in his arms, heaving in exhaustion. With her messy hair and crumpled outfit, she was all flushed.
Finally, she stopped struggling. However, to her surprise, Matthew released her.
Clarissa was about to leave when Yaala walked over. Seeing the former’s disheveled appearance was like catching them red-handed.
More so when the male protagonist’s coat was lying on the ground, and the female protagonist’s dress was messy. Her face was meanwhile flushed…
It looked as if what had gone on here before had been quite intense.
“Hehe… I’m sorry for the sudden intrusion.”
“Not so, Ms. Zaha. You’ve misunderstood…”
Clarissa felt like crying. She wanted to stop Yaala from leaving, but she halted and hurriedly tidied herself up.
She turned her head and looked fiercely at Matthew. She also stared at Matthew’s coat that fell on the ground, which seemingly added insult to her injured pride.
Matthew’s expression was indifferent, however, a smile seemed to have flashed across his gaze.
As Clarissa turned to leave, he growled softly, “Clare, I don’t agree to your proposed break-up.”
Pausing, Clarissa turned her head and raised her eyebrows. Those beautiful eyes that were staring back were full of mockery and coldness.
“So? For me, when I said break up, I mean it seriously.”
“Okay then,” Matthew agreed yet uttered another surprising statement, “I’ll just pursue you once more.”
“Who gave you the right to say that? You’re someone else’s fiancé!”
“Clare, would you listen to me? What have I done exactly? I’m not anyone’s husband, much less anyone’s fiancé. But I’ll say this: in the future, I’ll be your husband. And that’s for sure.”
“…”
Clarissa cursed secretly in her heart. What a shameless man.
Even though she did not utter those words, her cold eyes seemingly conveyed the message.
She uttered, “This has nothing to do with me. I don’t want to know either.”
“Good. I won’t mention it anymore then. You just have to accept my pursuit.”
“Fat chance!”
Clarissa decided not to waste any more time arguing with him, hence she lifted her skirt, turned, and walked away.
As she left, Matthew stared at her back until her silhouette disappeared from his sight. After a long time, he finally bent down and picked up his coat, only to find fresh footprints on it.
Jeremy, who happened to be standing near, initially had not wanted to peek at the whole going-on. Seeing Matthew walking out, he could not help but asked, “Hey, Matt. Such a dirty coat. Might as well chuck it away. Why are you still carrying it?”
“Clare did this to the coat.”
Matthew’s reply caught Jeremy off guard.
Woah. Why’s Matt acting like an idiot here?
Jeremy fidgeted uncomfortably as his expression twitched. He was at a loss of what to say and could only give a dry laugh. “Hehe,” he uttered awkwardly, his eyes fixated on the coat while feeling a certain pain at the sight.
…
Meanwhile, Clarissa, with a slightly red face, walked up to Yaala awkwardly.
“Ms. Zaha, it’s not what you think.”
Yaala formed a smile, “Well, I actually don’t want to be nosy. After all, someone like Mr. Tyson can be quite charming. However, his relationship with Shermaine…”
“I’m not his mistress,” Clarissa firmly stated.
Seeing there was no one nearby, she whispered to Yaala, “Well, I was in a relationship with him. But knowing of his relationship with Shermaine, I broke up with him.”
Yaala seemed to understand the whole situation.
Someone powerless like Clarissa was the one who always suffered in this kind of situation.
Yaala sympathized with her, even felt sorry for her.
“So Mr. Tyson is a two-timer?” she ventured.
Clarissa froze in silence, before muttering, “He’s not that kind of person.”
Yaala raised her brows, confused with Clarissa’s reply. Does she still want to defend him?
She couldn’t let go of the whole thing yet, could she?
Feeling embarrassed by Yaala’s look, Clarissa meekly said, as if she was confiding to an older sister, “I won’t accept him ever again. Yet I still believe in his upright character. His affair with Shermaine probably isn’t as scandalous as the outside media make it to be. No matter what, I’ve already broken up with him. I’m not looking to get back together with him either. I know this sounded like a contradiction but surely you can understand what I mean, right?”
Yaala sighed.
Of course, I can understand. How can’t I?
But this naive girl before me obviously still can’t let go of Matthew Tyson. Sure, she may have said that she doesn’t want to rekindle the relationship. But with her soft heart, and Mr. Tyson’s persistence and perseverance – they will surely get back together sooner or later.
As for the affair with Shermaine, Yaala did not believe in Matthew’s character at all, unlike Clarissa.
Mayhap it is not the question of character. Rather, due to the positions of these people in society, marriages for them are simply avenues to advance their interests. Even if he really does love Clarissa, what could that entail?
Could he really marry a nobody like Clarissa?
Even Yaala felt troubled by this question in her mind.
She was at a loss of what to say.
“Clarissa, I hope you can keep your pure heart all the way to the end.”
After all, she herself had seen too many ladies who had lost their pure hearts. In fact, hadn’t she lost hers a long time ago?
Therefore, even though this statement was easier said than done, what needed to be said must still be stated.
Clarissa smiled, “Ms. Zaha, I understand perfectly what you mean.”
As their conversation came to an end, Clarissa did not tarry around for long. She left and called for a ride home with her mobile phone. Returning to her apartment, she took a shower. After that, she went out to the balcony and looked down. Sure enough, the car appeared downstairs yet again.
Clarissa smirked and went to bed.
Ring…ring…ring…
Her phone’s ringtone rang. Seeing an unfamiliar number, she picked up the call.
“Hello, who’s there?”
“I’m downstairs!”
A man’s bassy voice echoed from the end of the line. In the dark of the night, the voice sounded sultry.
Clarissa snorted in her heart. Why isn’t he passive anymore?
“Oh, anything?” Clarissa asked in a cold tone before adding impatiently, “If there’s nothing I’ll hang up now.”
“I want to see you.”
“No can do.”
“Okay. Go sleep then. Good night, sweet dreams.”
Clarissa almost choked. That’s it?
Hanging up the call, she did not comprehend why Matthew had meant by such a succinct call.
No matter what, she decided not to care and lay down to sleep.
The very next day, Clarissa woke up on her own after a good night’s sleep. Swiping her phone lazily, she went to her kitchen, heated up some milk, and ate a simple breakfast.
The sun was shining bright today, adding a bit of comfortable warmth to the weather outside which was growing colder.
Since there was nothing to do these few days, she decided to go off for some leisurely stroll. Four years of college in D City, she had not even visited any famous or historical spots around the city. All her time had been spent either studying or making money. Therefore, she had never been to the most famous places in D City at all.
Since she was in such a good mood, she decided to dress up. Putting on a loose blue shirt, a pair of white trousers, and a small hat, she also decided to loosen her hair. After tinting her eyebrows, eyes, and lips with makeup, the charming and cheerful girl stepped out of her home and sauntered off.
Since she had all the time in the world, she did not call for a taxi but rather decided to take the bus.
As soon as she reached the bus stop sign, the all-familiar black car appeared once again.
The black car parked itself next to Clarissa. With the car’s window wound down, Matthew’s nonchalant and handsome face attracted the attention of passers-by.
Only Clarissa chose to ignore him.
“Clare, get in.”
I don’t know this man. I haven’t heard anything. I’ll just pretend not to see…
Matthew got out of the car. His slender figure stood in front of Clarissa, exuding an air of handsome temperament.
“Do you want to get in on your own, or shall I carry you in?”
“Mister, I don’t know you… Ah…”
Before Clarissa could finish her sentence, she was scooped up in a princess hug and bundled into the car.
As the car’s window rolled up, she shrieked, “Help! I’ve been kidnapped! Human trafficker…”
As the car drove away, two girls standing nearby at the bus stop were eyeing the whole scene jealously while whispering busily among themselves.
“What a handsome man! So cool! Such dominant masculinity! I’m practically green with envy! Oh, how I wish such a scene from the novels would happen to me too! Where’s my knight when you need him?”
“If only you possess a charming face like that girl’s, I’m sure you’ll experience the very same treatment.”
“Off with you!”
Meanwhile, trapped in the car, Clarissa realized that her screams were futile, hence she gave up.
Her cute face was solemn and composed. Dissatisfaction and frustration were clearly written all over her look.
Her eyes were glaring sternly at Matthew.
Unfortunately, Matthew’s stoic expression and cold eyes conveyed no emotions.
Failing to elicit any reaction, she sternly said, “Mr. Tyson, I should point out that this is clearly an act of kidnapping.”
Ignoring her statement, Matthew raised his brows and asked instead, “Where are you going?”
“The palace.”
As Clarissa finished speaking, she twitched her brows to show her annoyance and to make her point, “Where I go is none of your business. Let me off here right now! I’ll go on my own. I don’t need your ride.”
“To the palace then,” Matthew curtly instructed the driver.
“Do you even hear me? I’ve said that I don’t need your ride!”
“I’ve heard you. It just so happened that I’m heading there too.”
“You… Mr. Tyson, you’re really free, aren’t you?”
Matthew turned and looked at Clarissa intently, “Currently, in order to woo you, I’ve decided to make time even when I’m busy.”
“…”
Clarissa felt speechless, even as her heartbeats quickened.
Turning to look at the passing sceneries, she avoided looking at Matthew and tried to calm herself as well as her heart down.
Matthew noticed her ears turned red. His lips curved into a slight, satisfied smile.
The moment they arrived at their destination, Clarissa quickly got off the car and ran away without saying a word to Matthew.
Reaching the ticketing booth, she queued up to buy her entrance ticket. Even though it was a weekday and not even a holiday, there were still plenty of tourists around.
Fortunately for her, the place was not crowded. Finding herself alone, she calmed down and started strolling around leisurely. Sightseeing and sauntering, she started snapping scenic shots and selfies. With her beautiful face and graceful figure, she soon attracted the attention of some people who wanted to chat with her.
“Hey there, pretty. Here all alone? Where are you from…”
Clarissa rejected the advances with a smile. After all, she was not here to find any sort of companionship.
After walking around for a long time, she could feel her tummy grumbling. She exited the palace and stood under a shade, pondering where to go to grab some grub.
“Done sightseeing? Let’s go.”
Her wrist was suddenly yanked forward as she felt herself being led away.
Surprised, she could only yell angrily at the man who was walking in front of her, “Matthew! You… Why do you keep stalking me?”
