“How can you speak like that, you silly girl? I was just saying it. It’s not that I truly believe in it.”
Ellie didn’t believe her. Considering the years that Grandma has loved and cared for Shermaine, I doubt that she would really go hard on her.
Even if Grandma rejects her now, it’s just a matter of time she’d start liking Shermaine again. That was the biggest fear Ellie had.
She said to Margaret, “It doesn’t matter even if you accept her, Uncle Matt will never marry Shermaine. If you continue to do what you did in the past, I’m sure Uncle Matt will have fall out with you.”
Ellie’s strong words worried Margaret, causing her expression to dim.
“That’s enough. Do you plan to keep criticizing me non-stop?”
“We aren’t finding fault with you. We just don’t want you to be deceived by Shermaine. Do you think that she’s a saint? She’s actually a devil in disguise!”
“All right, all right, I know what to do now.” Feeling embarrassed, Margaret was getting rather upset with her granddaughter’s comments.
With that, Ellie sulked and zipped her mouth.
Deep down in her heart, she wanted to proclaimed the existence of Clare to her grandmother.
However, she knew that she would only create more troubles for Clare and Matthew if others were to know about it.
Therefore, Ellie could only keep it as a secret for now.
In the evening, the Tysons were all present for dinner. As usual, Margaret dominated the conversation with her typical topics.
No one interrupted her. Matthew, on the other hand, ignored her completely.
Seeing that nobody responded to her, Margaret held a grudge in her heart and made her own conclusion.
When the men were chit-chatting, their topics revolved around business and politics.
“Matthew, I didn’t expect you to collaborate with the Shaws.”
There were some interactions between the Tysons and the Shaws. Occasionally, conflicts would arise between the two families.
This time, Matthew worked with the Shaws in order to teach the Wynters a lesson.
Matthias was generally not too bothered by it. It’s such a pity for Matthew to venture into business. He would yield better success had he followed my footsteps into politics. In fact, he would surpass my achievements.
“Yes, I bumped into Thomas Shaw, so we talked about it. It’s all for a win-win situation.”
George remained composed, allowing his son to make decisions based on his own discretion.
Regardless of its outcome, the choice was his to make. Besides, he also had faith in both his sons to handle everything well.
When George and Margaret retired for the night, Matthew checked the time and then played with his phone.
Matthias let out a faint smile. “Patched up?”
Matthew looked at his elder brother.
“When you looked so sullen days ago, many thought that you were down because of the issue involving Shermaine. I felt otherwise. You’re always very confident in all that you do, so that wasn’t as big a deal to have affected you. The only exception is probably your relationship.”
Matthew smirked and acknowledged. “Indeed.”
Although Matthias had suspected so, hearing it directly from Matthew revealed the big picture. Not only did his acknowledgment confirms his relationship with that lady, but it also recognizes the fact that an indifferent man like Matthew is now affected by the opposite sex!
Even heroes had a soft spot for the charms of a beautiful woman. Matthew was no exception.
“Seems like you truly like her.”
Keeping quiet, Matthew did not deny the statement.
“Well, I still have to say this. Her family background isn’t comparable to ours and you know that our mother won’t see her as the most ideal partner for you. Be prepared for the upcoming hardships if this is what you want.”
“Yes.” Another short reply by Matthew.
So, he’s admitted to the relationship?
After Matthias had connected the dots, he could not hold back his laughter. What a surprising outcome!
Soon, Matthew left the Tyson’s residence. Later that night, Matthias was reading on the bed while his wife, Yuliana, walked out of the bathroom. Drying her hair, she asked, “Did Matthew not inform you about his deal with the Shaws? Though it doesn’t bring you any disadvantage, but where’s the courtesy?
“This is already in the past. How many times do you want to nag about this?”
“Do you even care if I continue to complain?”
“What is there to care about? Matthew should decide for his own marriage. We can’t expect him to manipulate his marriage in order to help us, can we? What does it make of me if I do that?”
“That’s not what I mean. I just feel it is unfair to you. Over the years, you two have been developing your own careers independently and we’ve never had any conflict. This time, Mom came meddling in Matthew’s affairs and he kicks a big fuss about it. Consequently, you’re the one who’s affected by this chaos. I’m just trying to set things right.”
“Isn’t it all fine now? After all, Matthew is helping me.”
“Tsk! If he didn’t, you’ll see no end to my grumbles.”
Getting into the bed, Yuliana looked at her phone and then asked her husband, “You told me about the girl whom Matthew likes. Have you seen her before? He hasn’t brought her home yet, is there any problem?”
“Hmm… that’s his private matter. I have no clue what’s in his mind.” Matthias did not want to reveal too much information and wreak havoc at home.
Neither of us should mention anything before Matthew does.
Yuliana shared her view, “Perhaps it’s not a serious relationship but just a short-lived one. People around me are interested in his marriage. I don’t usually suggest anything, but I do have a reliable candidate to introduce to him this time.”
“Reliable candidate? Just let Mom handle this. Don’t you interfere.”
“No, listen, the girl is a new staff in our company. She’s the department manager’s sister-in-law.”
Hearing that, Matthias instantly understood his wife’s motive. Knitting his brows, he looked at her.
“Don’t stare at me like that. I’m just bringing this up for your awareness. If you agree, I’ll let Mom know. I won’t involve you in this. The girl is really nice, good personality, and is very gentle. Do you know how many guys like her even without considering her backgrounds? How sure are you that Matthew won’t fall for such a girl? No one can guarantee anything when it comes to love.”
Remaining silent, Matthias continued reading his book.
After a long while, he switched off the lights and went to bed.
She interpreted his action and silence as a go-ahead.
The next day, Yuliana casually mentioned about her colleague to Margaret who took it seriously. Well, it’s up to her now to arrange for the next step.
When Ellie and Clarissa met up to do some shopping, they also spoke about how Shermaine fooled Margaret.
Margaret seemed to have a soft spot for Shermaine, causing her to believe in everything the latter said. Why is she so muddle-headed?
Clarissa pondered over it. “She probably really likes Shermaine, right? After all, she’s maintained an excellent relationship with your family since young. Also, she always keeps Old Mrs. Tyson company and makes her happy. So, she treats her like her own, be it as a daughter or a daughter-in-law. You’ll understand her perspective if you put yourself in her shoes. Which parent doesn’t believe in their own child? Even if the child makes a mistake, the parent’s anger is only temporary.”
Ellie frowned. “Do you think Grandma will forgive Shermaine eventually?”
“I guess so?”
“Damn it…” Ellie cursed under her breath.
Clarissa chuckled. “Don’t be sad over this. That’s the bond that they have, it’s not so easy to cut off ties.”
“You still have the mood to laugh? You do know that your days are going to be tough if Grandma only likes Shermaine, right?”
“Why?”
“Yes, you, my Aunt Clare. My grandma who is also your future mother-in-law prefers another person as her daughter-in-law. Don’t you think that’s miserable? Relationships between in-laws are tough enough. However, I think the most challenging problem is when Uncle Matt announces that you two are an item and are planning to get married. I can’t imagine how you’re going to pull this through.”
Clarissa smiled awkwardly. “Ellie, you think too far.”
“Far? Is it?”
“Indeed. By the way, your uncle and I…” Clarissa faltered at a pragmatic issue. Will we ever get married?
She changed her mind and decided not to share that with Ellie. “I’m still young, so I’m not going to think so far ahead about my marriage. We will see. Let’s go, we’re here on a shopping spree. Don’t talk about unhappy things. Oh… I’ve been eyeing this one handbag lately. Let’s go check it out and then search for an overseas purchasing service to get it…”
Ellie tagged along and mumbled, “You’re so lazy. Since you have so much time, why don’t you travel to the country and buy? You can go on a holiday too. Shall we plan for an international trip?”
“Deal! I don’t dare to travel alone but we can go together.”
Both of them discussed when to go, where to go, and what to buy. However, the perfect vacation was later on disrupted by a possessive man.
An episode that would happen in the near future.
After shopping, they had dinner together.
Coincidentally, when they were about to dig in, they realized Matthew and Mavis were also present in the same restaurant.
It was Ellie who noticed him first. Initially, she wanted to cover up for him so that Clarissa would not be mad if she found out, but to no avail. Ellie had always been siding her. She nudged Clarissa and attempted to signal her with expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“Look over there, it’s Uncle Matt. He’s with…”
As Clarissa looked over at the direction, she was met by Mavis’ gaze.
Both of them froze for a moment. Mavis’ startled face gradually darkened. Has it not been for this girl, I could have enjoyed some alone time with Matthew the other day. Today, using work matter as an excuse has scored me some private moments with him. I have it all planned out. Why am I so unlucky to see this girl everytime?
Mavis prayed hard. Please don’t come spoiling my plan…
Her prayers probably did not reach the heavens because Clarissa gave her a cold smirk.
