Ellie went to the dance floor and danced for a while before coming back to their booth. She realized Clarissa had finished the drinks they ordered and was trying to find out if the pretty cocktails were delicious.
“This colorful drink seems delicious. I want another one. Oh, and this red one, too.”
Damon was there, so Ellie wasn’t worried.
Clarissa watched as Ellie made some sexy moves on the dance floor clad in only a minidress. After seeing her moves, a few men gathered around and tried to flirt with her.
Suddenly, Clarissa asked, “Damon, why don’t you like Ellie? You’ve known her since childhood. Shouldn’t you be childhood sweethearts?”
Damon froze instantly as though he had choked on something. Obviously, he wasn’t interested in Ellie romantically.
“We can be siblings, but she’s not my type. I don’t think I’m her type, too.”
“Oh? Am I your type, then?”
Damon nodded honestly.
“Yes. I thought you were stunningly beautiful the first time we met. After getting to know you, I realized how adorable and soft you are. You’re exactly my type.”
Clarissa shook her head. “Damon, don’t love me. I’m not as good as you imagine.”
“Perhaps I’ll stop loving you in the future. But I can’t be sure about that. I can’t stop myself from loving you now. Why don’t we give it a try? After all, we’re both single now!”
Clarissa shook her head vehemently.
“No need for that. I’m in love with someone else.”
Damon already saw this coming. “Is he that good?”
“No. He’s an old scoundrel.”
Damon let out a chuckle at the sight of Clarissa was holding her glass and complaining about the man. She might be criticizing him, but she can’t forget him.
I don’t know if she’s drunk now, but I can be sure her mind’s fuzzy now.
Damon took the glass from her and comforted her. “If he’s that bad, why don’t you forget him? This is a place where we can forget our worries. Let’s dance. Vent out your frustration, and you’ll soon forget about him.”
Clarissa’s eyes sparkled under the lights. Her eyes seemed misty and alluring. With her parted lips and stunning looks, Damon couldn’t stop his heart from fluttering at the sight of her natural appeal.
“Really? Can I forget him?”
Damon felt his throat tightened. He looked away hurriedly and spoke flatly, “Yes. As long as you lose yourself in the crowd, you will forget him.”
“Really?” She giggled. “I shall go dancing so I can forget him.”
Clarissa stood up, her body swaying dangerously. Luckily, Damon grabbed her arm to steady her. She flashed a wide grin and pried him off before heading toward the crowd.
Actually, Clarissa didn’t know how to dance.
The alcohol had provided her courage. Normally, she wouldn’t act this recklessly. With the help of alcohol, even though she knew what she was doing, she squeezed her way through the crowd boldly and swayed crazily to the music.
Clarissa felt like a fool whose body was swaying uncontrollably on the dance floor. She might be a novice dancer, but men were still interested in her as she was a gorgeous beauty. Soon, a few men surrounded her like sharks circling their target.
Alas, Clarissa knew nothing. She was lost in the thumping beat of the music.
Ellie had already left the dance floor by now. She was sipping on her cocktail and watching Clarissa’s antics calmly.
Damon was shifting anxiously. “Ellie, why don’t you bring Clare back? Look at those men.”
Ellie shook her head. “Why don’t you do that yourself? I think this is a wonderful opportunity for her to relax, though. There are countless men in the world. Look, they are vying for her now. Let her enjoy. If you want, you can join those men and compete for her hand.”
Damon was indeed upset. He used to be a playboy squandering his life away, but recently, he had been putting up an act in front of Clarissa. If it wasn’t for Ellie’s reminder, he would’ve forgotten he used to be a playboy, too.
Feeling aggravated, he dashed over to Clarissa without hesitation.
Ellie let out a snort and plopped back into her seat. Although she claimed Clarissa needed to relax, she still kept an eye on her friend’s condition.
Suddenly, someone appeared in her gaze. Ellie froze in disbelief. She shut her eyes and opened it again, but the person was gone.
Huh?
Ellie was wondering if she had seen him mistakenly when the man appeared without warning again. He walked past her booth and went onto the stage.
Utterly astounded, Ellie jolted to her feet. She considered going after him but thought the better of it. Leaning back into her seat, she saw the man picking a madly dancing Clarissa up before striding out.
The other men tried to stop him, but it took only one glance from him to intimidate them all.
Ellie couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. When the man walked past her with Clarissa in his arms, he gave her a sharp glance. Ellie cowered back in fear as her smile faded away.
It took a while for Damon to return to their booth. Clearly, he was still in shock.
“Ellie, your uncle is…” he trailed off.
Well, Matthew’s possessiveness was evident to everyone.
Damon still hadn’t recovered from the shocking sight.
Ellie scoffed. “You saw it, right?”
“How could it be him?”
Ellie shrugged. “I was as shocked as you when I first found out about it. Well, nothing is impossible. Uncle Matt is an eligible bachelor, while Clare is strikingly beautiful. They look stunning together.”
Damon gazed at Ellie and recalled how both women fought previously.
“I thought you were against them dating each other?”
As her lips twitched, Ellie answered, “Times have changed.”
Damon fell silent, trying to process the piece of news.
Meanwhile, Matthew left the bar with Clarissa in his arms. The latter knew it was him, so she put up a big fight. Even after he brought her to the car, she continued clawing and yelling like a wild beast.
But of course, the man pinned her in the backseat easily. She couldn’t move an inch under his control.
As her limbs were pinned down, only her mouth was free. Clarissa was panting heavily by now, exhausted from her efforts.
Soon, her eyes lit up with enthusiasm. She proceeded to glare at Matthew with her most vicious expression ever.
Matthew was in a disheveled state by now. His shirt was crumpled. There was even a shoe print on his shirt. Even so, there was still a domineering and sexy air about him.
Clarissa’s gaze landed on his collar. After all her clawing, his collar was now unbuttoned, exposing his collarbone to the air.
“Enjoying the view?”
Matthew’s voice rasped by her ear, sending a shiver right down from her ears to her toes and everywhere in between.
“Damn you. No one’s staring! Scum, let me go! You’re kidnapping me. You can’t do this! I want to go back there! Gimme my freedom! I demand liberation!”
Clarissa was spouting nonsense by now. Matthew had never realized she was capable of using terms like “liberation”. It all boiled down to one thing.
Clarissa blurted out. “You have no right to control my life!”
Matthew nearly burst out laughing, but he was still upset.
Clarissa couldn’t move. Nevertheless, she stood her ground and clenched her teeth in anger. Her eyes were glaring at him as though she wanted to kill him.
In the end, Matthew couldn’t stop himself from curling his lips up.
He leaned closer to her.
“Clare, can I have the right to control your life?”
It took Clarissa a while to realize what he meant.
Swiftly, she admitted defeat, albeit rather reluctantly.
“Matthew, if you dare hurt me, I’ll hate you for the rest of your life!” she declared.
At her words, Matthew’s heart clenched anxiously. Seeing how stubborn she was, he sighed and released her. He then pulled her into his arms and gave her a tight hug.
“Clare, I won’t do anything without your permission.”
“Let me go now. I don’t want to see you.”
“Are you still mad at me?”
Matthew patted her back consolingly, but Clarissa twisted her body, refusing to let him touch her.
“Why would I be mad? Matthew, stop wasting time. It’s over between us.” She repeated impatiently, “It’s over! Don’t you get it?”
“I got it.”
Matthew met her eyes gloomily. “It might be over, but I want to start all over again now.”
“I disagree.”
“You used to act the same way back then by rejecting me. But in the end, you accepted me nonetheless.”
Matthew was full of confidence.
To his surprise, Clarissa sneered, “Yes, I accepted you back. Look what happened after that. I won’t allow myself to make the same mistake again.”
