The look on Thomas’ face turned gloomy instantly when he heard Matthew bringing up his past as a womanizer.
He was very well-known for sleeping around back when he was young and adventurous, but he had long since matured and became loyal to his woman.
As such, he didn’t take too kindly to being reminded of his past self and got into an argument with Matthew.
“It’s just a freaking horizontal bar competition in middle school, Matthew! Why don’t you just admit that you lost to me because you’re physically weaker?”
“Hmph… Would you like to have a go at it again?”
“Sure! Bring it on! We’ll do it right now!”
“You got it!”
The two of them were about to have a showdown when one of their phones rang and interrupted them.
Donnie had no idea why they were so worked up about it and began speculating.
The look on Thomas’ face changed into a sweet and gentle smile the moment he answered the phone, much to Matthew’s disdain and Donnie’s amusement.
Funny how Mr. Tyson is acting all disgusted when he too, looks just like that when he’s with Ms. Quigley. Man, he has no idea how clingy and cheesy he gets… Donnie smiled as he thought to himself.
Thomas left the office shortly after while Matthew sneered at him. Hah, you overestimate yourself if you think you can challenge me!
Later on, Clarissa became friends with Thomas’ wife, and it was then that the two women witnessed how childish their respective significant others were and got used to it.
Of course, that only happened a lot later.
At the moment, Matthew was reminded of Clarissa after sending Thomas off and let out a chuckle.
Damn it… Had it not been for Thomas’ interruption, I would’ve been able to continue my conversation with Clare and hear her call me Hubby a little more!
Back at the residence, Clarissa was leaning lazily against the sofa with a thin blanket over her legs. The wind was howling outside, but it was very warm and cozy inside the house.
This was all thanks to Matthew since he was the one who provided her with said warmth and coziness.
Clarissa was reading a book, but her mind was all over the place, and she was unable to focus. Nevertheless, as much as her mind wandered, it always ended up thinking of Matthew.
The thought of him filled her heart with hope and happiness, and she found herself giggling giddily as she continued reading her book.
After a bit of reading, Clarissa thought of something and began scribbling it down somewhere.
Julia, who was doing some cleaning nearby, happened to notice what she was doing. Although she didn’t really know what was on Clarissa’s mind, she found her behavior amusing nonetheless. I’ll have to tell Mr. Tyson about this when he gets back! I’m sure he’ll be very happy!
Julia then saw Clarissa fetching her laptop from upstairs and begin typing rapidly as if she had entered a trance of some sort.
The sky was already dark by the time Clarissa snapped out of it when she looked out the window, much to her surprise.
She let out a chuckle when she realized she had lost track of time and stood up to stretch a little, only to have her neck crack loudly as a result.
“Ah! Ow…”
Julia quickly ran over and massaged her neck. “Being on the computer for such long hours can really put a strain on your spine and your neck, Miss. You should get massages often to help relieve some of that strain.”
“All right, Mrs. Lawson. I’ll get one tomorrow.”
Of course, her working on the computer wasn’t the only reason behind her body aches. The amount of action Matthew put her through in bed every night contributed to it as well.
Later that night, Matthew had heard about her body aches from Julia when he got home and began massaging her the moment he saw her sitting in the bedroom upstairs.
“What are you doing?” Clarissa asked.
Matthew chuckled. “I’m just trying to help you feel better, Clare. You need to exercise more often. Mrs. Lawson says you should get up and stretch every half an hour. Remember, your health plays a huge role in my happiness.”
Happiness? He’s probably talking about something inappropriate again! I just know it! It’s pointless to ask him what he means because he’ll just trick me into saying something embarrassing and then use it against me! I’ve fallen for it way too many times now…
With that in mind, Clarissa pursed her lips and decided to keep quiet.
However, Matthew was smart and saw right through her thoughts.
He let out a mischievous chuckle and leaned in close, rubbing his cheek against her ear and breathing down her neck in the process. The temperature between them continued to rise as their bodies came into contact with each other.
“Hey! Cut it out!” Clarissa turned away.
“I mean it, Clare. You really need to exercise more often.”
Clarissa pouted. “Getting up every half an hour will disrupt my flow and ruin my creativity! I can’t afford to have anyone interrupt me once I’m in the zone!”
Even so, Matthew smiled at her and pinched her gently on the nose.
“That’s just an excuse for your laziness.”
Clarissa shot him a fierce glare, and Matthew burst into laughter as he scooped her into his arms.
He then placed her on his lap and hugged her tightly while kissing her on the forehead.
“Oh, Clare, Darling… You’re so adorable!” he exclaimed, his tone filled with affection.
Clarissa stuck her tongue out at him. “Ew, stop it!!”
Despite what she said, a smile had formed on her lips.
Matthew was about to continue kissing her when her phone rang. In a hurry, Clarissa pushed him away when she saw that it was a video call from Catherine.
She got off his lap and sat down beside him before answering the call.
The moment Catherine saw Clarissa, a bright smile appeared on her face.
“Hi, Clare! Have you had dinner? It’s getting cold lately, so make sure to dress warmly! It’s a lot colder in D City, right? You make sure to layer up as well when you go to work, Matt…”
Clarissa felt a heartwarming sensation when she saw how much Catherine cared about them.
As for Matthew, he had a brief exchange with her as well. However, he kept quiet for the most part and simply watched from the side while Clarissa chatted away with her.
Catherine talked about her recent trip with some of her old friends, which reminded Clarissa that she had never brought Catherine on a trip outside the state.
We went on a little tour around her city, but that was all we did because I’m such a lazy bum… That’s it, I’m bringing her on a trip around D City!
“Grandma, would you like to spend some time in D City with us?” Clarissa asked.
“Huh? D City? No, I’m too old for that!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll come to pick you up! We could go on a city tour, and I’ll head back home with you on Valentine’s Day.”
“No, I…”
“Right, it’s decided, then! Wait for me, Grandma!” Clarissa hung up after saying that and smiled at Matthew.
Matthew arched an eyebrow at her in response. “So… When are you picking up your grandma?”
Upon that, Clarissa giggled and hugged him tightly. “Thanks, Uncle Matthew! I’ll go pick her up this weekend!”
“All right, then. I’ll personally take her on a city tour when she arrives in D City.”
“Sure! You’re the best, Uncle Matthew!”
Matthew then cupped his hands around her cheeks and gave her a kiss on the lips. “Call me ‘Hubby’!”
“Hubby! Hubby! Hubby!” Clarissa shouted happily.
When Matthew heard that, he chuckled to himself. “Wow… So, all it takes a little favor like that to hear you say it, huh?”
“Okay, I take that back, then.”
Realizing that it was pointless to argue with her, Matthew responded by kissing her on the lips instead.
That weekend, Clarissa took a flight back to W City as planned. Despite what Catherine said about not wanting to trouble them, she was actually happy about her granddaughter’s efforts. She even went as far as bragging about it to everyone she saw.
Given how materialistic the world had become, being cared for by one’s children or grandchildren was considered a luxury that many weren’t lucky enough to enjoy.
As such, Catherine was in a great mood when she saw Clarissa arrive home.
“Oh, my… Are you here to bring your grandma to D City, Clary?”
“Look at you, Clary! You’re pretty, rich, and now you’re even bringing your grandma on a trip!”
“That handsome man you brought over back then… Is his family from D City? When are you two getting married?”
As soon as Clarissa arrived, she was bombarded with a series of questions from Catherine’s old friends. After answering each and every one of them, they had a little chat before she brought her grandma back into the house.
“You shouldn’t trouble yourself! Matt might not be happy having me around, you know? He may not say so, but who knows what he thinks…” Catherine mumbled.
Clarissa chuckled. “Don’t worry, Grandma. I’ll leave Matthew if he dares complain about having his grandmother-in-law over! We’ll get some rest today, pack our bags tomorrow, and leave the day after, okay?”
Pausing for a moment, Catherine then shook her head with a smile. “All right… I guess I’ll pay D City a visit with you, then.”
