“Aren’t you getting up yet, Clare? You stayed up late again last night, didn’t you? I told you staying up late is bad for your skin. You should at least go out and get some exercise. Come now, it’s time to get up. You’re going out with us today…”
Catherine came into Clarissa’s room early in the morning and woke her up. After some nagging, Clarissa finally clambered out of bed.
“Ughh. You guys go ahead without me, Grandma. I need to write, remember?”
“There you go again with the same old excuse. It’s not like it’ll be the end of the world if you stop writing for just one day. I’m meeting some neighbors in the park for some exercise. You should come with me.”
Clarissa tousled her hair and whined, “I don’t wanna go.”
She leaned against the headboard with a head of disheveled hair, not at all like the pretty little fairy Ellie often called her.
Since this was her own home, she couldn’t be bothered about her appearance.
Catherine grinned and said, “You have to come whether you like it or not. I already promised them I’d bring along my beautiful granddaughter.”
Clarissa immediately grasped her grandmother’s intentions.
The latter was going to utilize the opportunity of her return to introduce a potential boyfriend to her.
Clarissa couldn’t disobey her grandmother’s orders, so although she was reluctant, she followed the latter out nonetheless.
Catherine’s friends were all old ladies. Upon seeing a lively young girl like Clarissa, they immediately focused all of their attention on her, asking her detailed questions and offering to introduce their sons or grandsons to her. Some even outright asked for her phone number, hoping to bring her into the family as soon as possible.
Clarissa felt lightheaded from being at the receiving end of their enthusiasm.
Fortunately, they began their exercise after a while. She joined them for a while but went to find a shady spot later on.
It was great that Catherine and her friends exercised daily as it kept their mental and physical health in good condition.
After slipping away, Clarissa scrolled through her phone to read some news, gossip, and trending topics – something which had become a daily routine for her.
Suddenly, she sprung to her feet in shock.
The abrupt action caused the bag to fall from her lap, but she didn’t seem to notice it. With her eyes never leaving her phone, she frantically scrolled down as she read the piece of news.
“Tyson Corporation… Casualties… Corruption…”
He’s in trouble!
That was the only thing on Clarissa’s mind. She turned to run, but when she thought of her grandmother, she hurriedly snatched up her bag and ran toward the group of old ladies first.
They were taken aback by the apprehensive look on her face.
“What’s wrong, Clare?”
“Grandma, I’ve to go to D City now. My friend is in trouble.”
Seeing how anxious she was, Catherine expressed her understanding but squeezed her hand to remind, “Go ahead, but stay calm, Clare. Don’t panic.”
Clarissa drew in a long breath before leaving in a haste.
With only her backpack, she rushed to the airport and bought a ticket to D City.
In the waiting hall, she fished out her phone and called Ellie, who didn’t hide the matter from her.
“You saw? Everything’s fine, don’t worry.”
Despite Ellie’s assurance, Clarissa raised her voice, clearly panicking.
“Fine? Things have already escalated to this point. How can everything be fine? Ellie, don’t try to play things down with me. News of this is making the headlines everywhere. I mean, there are casualties! And there’s also financial fraud involved? What in the world is going on? How can you not tell me something this huge?”
Ellie stayed silent for a while, seemingly unable to find the right words.
Clarissa sighed loudly and said, “I’m going to D City now. Is he… okay?”
Ellie hesitated for a moment before replying, “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him at all since this happened and neither has he come home. Perhaps he’s busy handling the aftermath.”
Worry gnawed away at Clarissa upon hearing that.
On the other end of the line, Ellie lowered her voice slightly and said, “I think it’s a good idea that you’re coming. Actually, I don’t know how this matter will impact Uncle Matt. For as long as I can remember, Tyson Corporation has never experienced something as serious as this.”
Clarissa’s heart squeezed painfully in her chest and she didn’t say much. After ending the call, she spiraled into a state of anxiety and worry, but mostly heartache.
Upon disembarking the plane, Clarissa quickly took a taxi to Ellie’s studio. After meeting up, Clarissa got her to contact Matthew.
However, he seemed to be unreachable.
He didn’t pick up his calls and couldn’t be found anywhere. They managed to contact Donnie, but he had his hands full as well.
Before hanging up, he tactfully expressed that his president did not wish to see anyone at that moment.
Not just Clarissa, but Ellie was also very disappointed.
“Clare, maybe my uncle really is busy. And his pride doesn’t allow him to meet anyone now.”
Clarissa felt her heart breaking for him. Later on, Ellie contacted Jeremy and the others as well, but they did not disclose Matthew’s whereabouts.
“Clare, I think all we can do right now is sit tight and wait. Just stay here for now and see how this all pans out. Besides, there’s nothing we can do even if we manage to see my uncle now.”
Yeah. Even if I get to see Matthew, there’s nothing I can do to help him.
Clarissa felt dispirited.
Ellie couldn’t bear to see her this way, parting her mouth to speak. But in the end, she still clamped her lips shut and withheld her words.
“Clare, why don’t you go back to your place first?”
Clarissa shook her head. “I’m going to look for him.”
Without waiting for Ellie’s response, she dashed out of the studio.
As for where she was going to look for him, she did not mention. Ellie awkwardly retracted her outstretched hand that had only managed to grab air.
She shook her arm and huffed. Fine, forget it.
Clarissa went to her apartment first. When she didn’t find him there, she went to Zen Highlands.
Matthew wasn’t there either, but she didn’t go anywhere else and just waited at Zen Highlands.
During this time, she tried calling Matthew, but her calls couldn’t get through.
Just like that, she ended up staying in Zen Highlands again. This time, she wasn’t forced but had come of her own volition. However, it was under such heart-rending circumstances.
…
It had been three days since Clarissa came back to D City and she had stayed in Zen Highlands ever since.
The news about the incident seemed to have been suppressed, no longer as chaotic as before.
However, no news did not mean that the matter was resolved.
In the past three days, Clarissa could not eat or sleep well and had become very haggard. In spite of that, she was more worried about how Matthew was coping.
It was no secret that Matthew was a proud man. In Clarissa’s heart, he was invincible and unsurpassable, but after something this major happened, the company descended into chaos. Even so, all she could think of was the devastating blow Matthew must have suffered, causing her to feel even more distressed.
How is Matthew going to get through such a major setback?
She could only imagine what he was dealing with at that moment.
“Ms. Quigley, aren’t you going to bed yet? It’s very late already.”
Julia was worried upon seeing Clarissa still awake in the middle of the night.
Clarissa had been like that for a few days now. Julia did not know what was going on with Matthew, but the way Clarissa looked made her feel restless.
Clarissa shook her head. “I’m going to wait for a while longer. Don’t worry and just go to bed first, Mrs. Lawson.”
Julia sighed dejectedly and turned to head back to her room.
Sitting on the sofa alone, Clarissa waited patiently.
When she started to nod off, the sound of a car engine reached her ears.
She immediately jumped up from the sofa and ran out barefooted. As soon as she reached the foyer, the door was opened from outside.
And there stood the familiar man she had waited so long to see.
She drank in his tall and upright figure, as well as the sharp and cold expression on his face.
However, there was fatigue lining his features.
Finally seeing Matthew after such a long time, rather than rush forward, Clarissa found herself coming to a stop a distance away from him.
She stood frozen in the foyer for a long time, not knowing what to say let alone what to do.
Matthew, on the other hand, brushed past her in a cold and distant manner.
He tossed away his coat and sat on the sofa, pinching the bridge of his nose feeling weary.
In a low and slightly hoarse voice, he asked, “Why are you here? Is there something you need?”
In an instant, Clarissa flushed with embarrassment.
However, this wasn’t the time to turn and walk away because of his indifference.
Clarissa approached him and stood beside the sofa. “Are you… okay? I saw the news on the internet.”
“I won’t die any time soon,” Matthew answered monotonously, but still did not look at Clarissa.
He leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed, manifesting signs of exhaustion.
Clarissa remained at the same spot, lost for words all of a sudden.
The silence stretched until Matthew opened his eyes and sat upright, his keen eyes landing on her.
For some reason, his brows furrowed slightly and a hint of displeasure flashed across his face.
Clarissa immediately tensed up and subconsciously wiggled her toes. Only then did she feel the coldness seeping into the soles of her feet, making her feel slightly uncomfortable.
“Put on your slippers,” Matthew reprimanded just as she was thinking about it.
She quickly went to put on her slippers before taking the opportunity to sit opposite Matthew.
After settling down, Clarissa finally mustered up the courage to meet Matthew’s dark eyes.
“I don’t know how things are at your company, but in this world, there is no problem that cannot be solved. Besides, you’re so capable, so you’ll definitely be able to handle it. A momentary setback doesn’t mean your life is a failure. When I started writing last time, I kept failing miserably, as in no one read my work. Later on, I slowly gathered experience and reflected on my past mistakes so that I could write better. After that, I slowly gained popularity, but even then, I couldn’t be sure that every one of my works would be a guaranteed success.”
Will he be able to catch my drift?
Matthew did not speak. Instead, he lit a cigarette and narrowed his eyes to study her through the cloud of smoke.
Faced with his unnerving gaze, she anxiously added, “Such is life. It’s not always smooth-sailing. Sometimes, setbacks help us to scale new heights. You’re older than me and have more life experiences, so you definitely have a better perception of things than I, right?”
When Matthew remained silent, Clarissa’s mind went blank.
She fidgeted her fingers as the air seemed to condense around them.
A long moment later, Matthew finally drawled in a magnetic voice, “Are you worried about me?”
