Taking a break from work turned out to be good for Clarissa.
Those in the studio were hard at work. Since the weather was getting colder, she invited them out for barbeque.
Gathering with friends and colleagues for a barbeque on a cold day warmed everyone from the inside out.
“Clarissa, let’s have a barbeque for all our company dinners from now on. It’s not only affordable but satisfying as well.”
“That’s a good idea! We’ll give out vouchers for barbeque restaurants at the end of the year.”
Feeling Mandy stiffen, Clarissa cracked up. “I was just joking. Even though I’m not the big boss, I’m not such a cheapskate.”
“All hail, Clarissa!” Mandy cheered, but Christian and Rocky maintained their cool.
“By the way, I heard that we might be invited to Tyson Corporation’s annual dinner at the end of the year because we’re also located on the top floor of this building.”
Clarissa blinked in surprise. “Really? I had no idea!”
“Clarissa, I heard that there are many young and talented men in Tyson Corporation. Look at me. I’m single and pretty. All I’m lacking is a suitable opportunity. Clarissa, my dear Clarissa…”
From Mandy’s coquettish tone and the way she was drawing out her words, her objective was very obvious.
She tugged on Clarissa’s arm relentlessly, causing the latter to give up eating entirely.
In the end, she could only agree to Mandy’s request, to which the latter excitedly thanked her.
That night, everyone ate their fill and also had some drinks to liven the mood a little bit.
After they were done with their meal, they walked out together. Mandy joked around with Clarissa, both of them gently pushing each other back and forth while giggling.
Mandy shuddered violently just then. Clarissa couldn’t help but chide her, “Why are you only wearing a thin sweater on such a cold day? Are you choosing fashion over function?”
With that, she draped her own coat over Mandy’s shoulders.
“I’m fine, Clarissa.”
“You’re half a second away from becoming an ice block. My ride’s here, so I don’t need the coat anymore. You guys should quickly go home.”
Clarissa pushed Mandy and the rest away. Christian and Rocky bid her goodbye before parting ways as well.
Just as Clarissa hopped into the car, her phone rang.
She picked it up unhurriedly and slurred, “Uncle Matthew? Mm, I’m in the car heading back now… Hehe. Miss me already? But it’s too bad I don’t miss you…”
Her giggles drifted across the line; it was apparent that she was tipsy.
Matthew chuckled amusedly. “How much did you drink, Clare?”
“I didn’t drink!”
“Oh, is that so? Alright, I believe you.”
“Hehe… Actually, I did drink a little bit, but I’m not drunk at all. See, I even know that I’m talking to you, Mr. Tyson. Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Tyson? Do you need a blanket? Or would you like a drink?”
Matthew realized that she was mimicking the flight attendant that kept harassing him on their flight that time.
She still remembers this? In fact, it seems like she remembers it very clearly. What a jealous woman indeed.
Matthew shook his head in fond exasperation.
“Be a good girl, Clare. Mr. Tyson will be waiting for you to come home to serve him personally.”
“Alright, Mr. Tyson. Wait right there. I’ll definitely serve you well.”
She had said the last three words through gritted teeth.
Evidently, her definition of serving him was vastly different from his.
Matthew’s deep chuckle caused a pleasant shiver to run down Clarissa’s spine.
Suddenly, another call came in. Seeing that it was Rocky, she answered it in confusion.
“What?”
Her face paled as she abruptly straightened in her seat. “Okay. Wait for me. I’ll go there right now.”
“Mr. Davis, head to the hospital right away.”
Kyle immediately made a U-turn and drove toward the hospital. Meanwhile, Clarissa informed Matthew about the change of plans.
“I’m going to the hospital now. Something’s happened to Mandy. Thank God Rocky saw it. I don’t know the specifics. I’ll tell you more when I’m there.”
As soon as Clarissa ended the call, Matthew swiftly got up to leave.
At the hospital, upon spotting Clarissa, Rocky ran a hand down his face before explaining, “Mandy is still inside. She suffered a head injury and also some other injuries to her body. Luckily, I helped to hold on to her keys because of how forgetful she gets. I had just turned back to go look for her, but then I saw…” he trailed off and clenched his fists. “Those b*stards!”
Irate, Rocky punched the wall hard.
Clarissa’s heart plummeted. “And Mandy. Did they-”
“They didn’t manage to. Thank God I went back. Thank God…”
By good fortune, Rocky had turned back to return Mandy’s keys.
Otherwise, she would have been defiled in the worst possible way.
Matthew arrived at the hospital very soon. Mandy was still unconscious after being hit in the head and was also sporting many bruises on her body. The two perpetrators hadn’t yet been apprehended. The police came to take Rocky and Mandy’s statements, but due to the injuries the latter suffered, she wasn’t in a good frame of mind. Clarissa stayed with her the whole time and let Matthew handle the situation outside.
Mandy only fell asleep again after midnight, but she was very restless in her sleep. Clarissa’s heart broke for her friend as she guarded her.
Matthew took her into his arms and tenderly kissed her forehead.
“Clare, let’s go back and rest, hmm?” Mandy’s family is already on the way here.”
“I’ll stay for a bit longer. I’m to blame for this too. If only I’d sent her home, none of this would’ve happened. It’s all my fault…”
“Clare!”
Matthew lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
“This isn’t your fault. All of you go to and from work on your own every day. She was just unlucky to run into those people today. This isn’t your fault.”
“But-”
“No buts. Just be thankful that they didn’t succeed.”
Not long after, Mandy’s parents rushed over from the outstation. They were reasonable people, so after getting to know the situation from Clarissa, they thanked her and exchanged a few polite words. Then, Matthew took Clarissa away from the hospital.
Along the way, Matthew noticed that Clarissa’s complexion didn’t look too good. Once they reached home, he carried her into the bathroom, helped her with her bath, and put on a clean set of clothes for her before carrying her to the bed.
As Clarissa lay in his arms, she still couldn’t seem to find peace.
“How dare they commit such a crime in broad daylight. Those two people deserve to die.”
Matthew patted her back comfortingly. “Don’t worry. They’ll be caught.”
“Mm. Men like them should be castrated.”
Matthew was momentarily stunned, but he quickly recovered and he played along with her. “Yes. They won’t get away with it. Don’t think about it for now and go to sleep, hmm? You still have to go to the hospital tomorrow. I’ll be worried if you don’t get enough sleep.”
Clarissa arched her neck to look at him, finally revealing her first smile of that night.
Then, she took the initiative to peck him on the lips. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
The next day, Clarissa woke up very early and went to the hospital with the breakfast Julia had prepared.
Mandy’s parents were very grateful for her concern. Mandy had also calmed down quite a lot but still did not have much of an appetite.
“Don’t worry, Mandy. The police will definitely catch those two b*stards. Don’t think about anything for now and just focus on resting at the hospital. What’s important is that you get well. Everything else won’t be a problem.”
Mandy nodded weakly in response. Besides have a pale complexion, her cheeks and mouth were slightly swollen. She really thought she was going to be done for the previous night, but was later knocked out cold and did not know what happened.
When she came to, she was already in the hospital. Fortunately, Rocky found her in the nick of time. Hence, she felt immensely indebted to him.
That morning, her mother had told her to take it as an unfortunate event and be grateful that nothing too serious happened, also reassuring her that there was always a rainbow after the storm.
Several colleagues also came to visit that morning. With their company, Mandy recounted what happened that night.
Mandy did not go straight home after parting ways with Clarissa and the others.
There were some food stalls open with quite a lot of people. Mandy wanted to go over to buy some snacks for her supper, so Christian and Rocky left first.
After that, she walked toward the subway station to head home while eating the snacks she bought.
However, right after she walked out of the food street, two men seized her from behind, with one covering her mouth and the other threatening her with a knife. Unable to resist, she was dragged to an alley where both of them started fondling her. At that time, she planned to run while their guard was down, but she was directly rendered unconscious and did not know what happened next.
Rocky came back after that. Thinking that Mandy couldn’t have gone far, he headed toward the subway direction since that was her usual way of transport.
He called her while making his way there when suddenly, he heard the sounds of a physical scuffle. He went over to have a look just in time to see them knocking Mandy down, shouting on instinct. Both men fled when they saw they had been discovered. Then, Rocky called the police and sent Mandy to the hospital before calling Clarissa.
“Did those two men say anything? Please try your best to remember, Ms. Channing.”
Mandy ransacked her brain for a while before speaking, “Their accents didn’t sound like they were from D City. I couldn’t really hear them, but they seemed to have said very crude stuff. As for the rest, I really can’t recall for now. My mind is a mess.”
“Alright. If you remember anything, feel free to contact us, Ms. Channing.”
After sending the police out, Clarissa stopped to ask them, “Officers, the fact that the two of them committed a crime where they could easily be seen seems quite off, don’t you think so? Also, there should be surveillance cameras around the area. I’m sure you’d be able to find them, right?”
“Those are fair points, Ms. Quigley. But before we catch the perpetrators, we can’t make wild speculations. We will do our best to investigate the matter and arrest them as soon as possible.”
“Alright. Thank you, officers.”
Clarissa had just returned to the ward when she heard Mandy saying, “I’m sorry, Clarissa. I lost your coat there.”
“It’s just a coat. There’s nothing to be sorry for. You don’t have to feel bad about anything, okay?”
Mandy had thought of buying the same coat as compensation, but when she searched it online, she found that it cost up to a whopping few thousand.
Embarrassed, she could only apologize.
Moreover, her medical fees were paid by Clarissa, so she still had to pay her back in the future.
Clarissa left the hospital in the afternoon and went back to Zen Highlands. With her emotions in turmoil, she decided to cook to pass the time, hoping for the police to find the culprits as soon as possible.
