After getting lost and drenched in the rain, Clarissa ended up catching a cold.
Her holiday was rather colorful.
Clarissa lay on the bed with a splitting headache as Matthew patiently took care of her.
After taking her meds, she fell asleep. Occasionally, she’d wake up and drink some water before going back to sleep again.
Matthew felt his heart breaking at the sight of how weak she was. He decided to force her to work out after she recovered from the cold.
She’s too weak.
Two days later, Clarissa finally felt much better.
She had to take a flight back to W City this afternoon. This time, Matthew was to join her because she was still weak from the cold.
Clarissa was terribly nervous.
She leaned on the bedpost and watched as Matthew packed up.
Her brows were furrowed up as she twiddled her fingers nervously. Matthew had noticed her action, but he said nothing.
It was obvious what she was concerned about.
In the end, Clarissa couldn’t stand it anymore. She hopped off the bed and started cajoling him. “Why don’t you stay back? I’m not mentally prepared yet. Besides, I haven’t told my grandma about you.”
Matthew snickered and pried her hand off his shirt before he gave the phone to her.
“Tell your grandma now.”
“Well, won’t you celebrate the holidays with your family? You shouldn’t be a gatecrasher.”
Clarissa hurriedly changed the topic.
Nevertheless, the sneer on Matthew’s face remained as he glared at the young lady, causing her to shift guiltily.
He stared at her for a long time without a word.
Finally, Clarissa caved in and grumbled, “Fine, you can go.”
She unlocked her phone and gave Catherine a call.
Catherine was busy preparing snacks with Jenny, her caretaker. When she saw a male figure behind her granddaughter’s, her heart clenched anxiously. It was evident who that man was.
Giving a warm smile, she asked, “Clare, when will you be back?”
“Grandma, my flight is at noon. I’ll be back around 3 p.m.”
“Okay. I’m preparing some snacks. When you’re back, you can prepare dinner.”
“Sure!”
Both sides fell silent. Catherine wasn’t in a hurry, anyway.
Clarissa forced out a smile as a blush crept up her cheeks.
“Grandma,” she mumbled shyly. “I’ve invited someone to our house.”
“That sounds great!”
Huh, that went better than I thought.
Clarissa was at a loss for words, while Catherine added, “Is it your boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, got it.”
Clarissa peeked at Matthew and made sure he was satisfied before hanging up.
After flinging her phone away, she returned to the bed and lazed away. Matthew lay beside her and flipped her around so she’d face him.
Clarissa glared at him. After all, she had said it out loud.
She reached out and poked his shoulder.
“Why didn’t you greet Grandma earlier? Actually, you can see her through the video call. You don’t have to follow me back. Are you that confident my grandma won’t kick you out?”
Matthew squeezed her finger and chuckled. “I want our first meeting to be a formal one. Shouldn’t I be confident of myself?”
Clarissa tutted. “Why are you so confident?”
“Because my darling Clare loves me. I’m sure her grandma will love me, too.”
Clarissa blushed in embarrassment. He’s right.
Seeing her reaction, Matthew gave her a peck on her lips.
That very afternoon, Clarissa and Matthew arrived at their destination. They alighted the car and brought the gifts along.
Clarissa was excited to be home.
She scurried into the building. Turning back, she realized Matthew was rooted to the spot with a stern expression.
Is he regretting his decision to come here?
A while later, she saw Matthew taking a deep breath.
Clarissa immediately burst out laughing.
Matthew ignored her and strode up the stairs.
Clarissa trailed behind him while chuckling in delight.
“Matthew, are you nervous?”
He didn’t reply.
“Matthew, you don’t have to be nervous. My grandma’s very nice. She’s only worried because you’re ten years older than me. Of course, you don’t look that old. I don’t know if she still minds our age gap.”
Suddenly, Matthew came to a stop and spun on his heels to glare at the young woman who was laughing at him.
Shocked by his sudden stare, Clarissa poked her tongue out cheekily before going past him to knock on the door.
Catherine’s energetic voice sounded from within. Soon, the door was opened.
“Grandma, I’m back!”
Clarissa flung her arms around Catherine, intending to snuggle into her grandma’s arms for a while. To her dismay, Catherine shoved her away and studied the man standing beside her.
Her eyes lit up. What a handsome man.
“Hello, I’m Matthew Tyson, Clare’s boyfriend.”
“Welcome, Matt. Come on in.”
Catherine took his arm and dragged him in, ignoring the gifts he brought and her own granddaughter.
For the rest of the afternoon, Catherine sat across from Matthew and chatted with him amiably.
Meanwhile, Clarissa was sent to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Left alone in the kitchen, Clarissa felt like she was the outsider in this family. Perking up her ears, she heard her grandma laughing heartily in the living room.
“Matthew, come help me!”
Feeling upset, she yelled at the entrance of the kitchen.
Catherine reprimanded her immediately. “He’s a man. Why would he enter the kitchen? Besides, he’s our guest. You used to prepare dinner without any help, so just do it yourself.”
“Grandma!”
Clarissa pouted. “Am I not your granddaughter anymore? Has he taken over my place?”
Catherine chuckled. “What are you talking about?”
Matthew rose to his feet and shot her a smile. “I’ll help Clare in the kitchen.”
Catherine didn’t stop him from doing so. She beamed happily on the sofa. Her boyfriend is handsome, polite, and approachable. He doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. This is the first time I’ve ever seen such an eligible bachelor.
I knew my Clare would be able to find a perfect match. After all, she’s pretty, obedient and good at earning money.
Matthew might be older, but he adores her.
Glancing at the couple flirting in the kitchen, Catherine smirked. I’m glad for her.
Clarissa was glowering at Matthew who had his arms around her.
“Let go of me. You’re here to help, not to take advantage of me.”
Matthew’s lips curled up into a grin. He patted her cheek and gave her a quick peck.
“Okay. What should I do?”
“Clean the fish.”
Matthew glanced at the huge fish and fell silent. After a pause, he took off his blazer and rolled up his sleeves. Clarissa gave him a pair of scissors, but he was obviously at a loss.
Clarissa wanted to see him make a fool of himself to feel better.
“Cut the fins, remove the scales and gut the fish.”
After giving the court orders, she left to prepare other dishes.
As the man said nothing for a long time, she thought he was doing a good job with the fish.
Splash!
Shocked by the sudden commotion, Clarissa turned and saw Matthew’s shirt was drenched with water and fish scales.
There was an icy expression on his face like he was planning to cower the fish into submission.
Clarissa immediately cracked up.
“Mr. Tyson, the fish isn’t your employee. It won’t be afraid of your stern expression,” she explained while giggling.
Matthew’s expression darkened as if someone had infuriated him.
No, it wasn’t a person who had infuriated him. It was a fish.
Clarissa finally stopped giggling after Matthew gave her a warning glare.
She hurriedly consoled the man. “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have asked you to help. Go change, I’ll do this myself.”
Clarissa pushed him out of the kitchen. At the sight of Catherine, she blushed shyly and brought him to her room so he could change his outfit.
After shutting the door, she stuck her tongue out in Catherine’s direction cheekily.
“It wasn’t my fault. He was so clueless.”
Catherine stood up and followed her to the kitchen. “It’s obvious Matthew was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. I don’t think he has ever been in the kitchen.”
“Yes. He has his personal chef and helpers at home. He doesn’t have to do anything.”
Catherine shot her granddaughter a warning glance. Clarissa merely giggled.
Right then, someone knocked on the door. Catherine left to answer it.
After some time, Clarissa poked her head out of the kitchen. Her face promptly fell at the sight of the unwanted visitors.
She sneered silently and didn’t even bother heading out to greet them.
When Clarissa heard Matthew talking to those people in the living room, she poked her head out again. “Matthew!” she called. “Come in and help me. Hurry!”
There was a hint of displeasure in her voice.
Matthew had a hunch about it. He stood up and entered the kitchen.
As soon as he came in, Clarissa shut the kitchen door in a huff. Clearly, she didn’t welcome those people.
Matthew pulled her into his arms. “You don’t like your aunt’s family?” he asked softly.
