With the hair done, makeup done, and the impeccable dress on the perfect birthday girl, Clarissa exuded the aura of a goddess.
Her exciting sex life with Matthew had also made her feel confident and desirable from within.
Clarissa had transformed into the beautiful lady in red.
That was also Matthew’s first thought upon seeing Clarissa in the dressing room. She’s absolutely stunning!
Ellie caught sight of Matthew’s passionate gaze and thoughtfully left the dressing room, closing the door such that the two of them could have some intimate time as a couple.
Her voice sweet and alluring as nectar, Clarissa spoke first.
“Are you done staring?”
She chuckled a little, feeling shy.
Matthew did not reply to her immediately but walked up to her, put a hand around her waist, and pulled her into his arms in one smooth motion.
Looking up at him, Clarissa seemed absolutely delighted. Her smiley eyes fluttered like glistening gems.
With a cheeky smile, she decided to give him a “friendly” reminder. “I’m just going to say this first, but no kissing is allowed, okay?”
Matthew’s eyes darkened a little. Eyeing his little girl closely, he stroked her jaw with his other hand. Clarissa twitched a little when his fingers grazed against her lips, and so he simply touched the corners of her lips lightly.
“How pretty!”
It was a genuine compliment that made Clarissa feel butterflies in her chest.
The simple remark felt completely different when said by a man she loved so deeply.
Matthew’s genuinely dazed expression also felt wholesome.
Grinning, Clarissa said, “Matthew… You have really good taste!”
Matthew also chuckled a little. Pinching her jaw playfully, he lightly pecked on her forehead and eyes.
“Yeah. I only have eyes for the best.”
Tilting her head, Clarissa replied, “Me too.”
It was a rare occasion for two humble people to be sweet-talking each other like that. Yet, they did not feel the slightest embarrassment, and every word was heartfelt.
A single door blocked off all the noise of the people outside.
Clarissa hugged Matthew tightly and nuzzled her face against his chest like a lazy little kitten.
“There are so many people out there. Hehe… What if I go outside now and someone falls in love with me? What if someone wants to steal me away from you?”
“They wouldn’t dare.”
Matthew answered to her jokes with a firm, serious tone.
Sniggering, Clarissa feigned a dissatisfied face and said, “But what if someone does do it? What are you going to do?”
This was one of the instances where girlfriends would throw test questions at their boyfriends as a testament to their love.
Matthew pursed his lips. He was more than willing to play along.
“Alright then, let’s say some ignorant fool does try to steal you away. I would beat him up without hesitation and get rid of him. As for you, I shall lock you up at home to remind you that you’re mine and mine only.”
“No, no! You should be gentler with me! You need to treat me with so much love such that I could no longer live without you. As long as I don’t ever leave your side, no one would be able to steal me away!” Clarissa pouted.
Raising his eyebrows, Matthew said, “So, you’re saying someone might sway you, and you’ll willingly leave me?”
Matthew just handed Clarissa a UNO reverse card.
Clarissa sighed. “Alright, alright. I shouldn’t have asked. Why would I ever leave you? There’s no way that I would even think about it!”
“It’s good that you know. It’s probably impossible for you to live me in this lifetime. In fact, I would never leave you even in the afterlife.” Matthew smiled as he caressed her forehead.
Acting shocked and terrified, Clarissa replied, “Oh, my! Oh… no! I’m so scared! Hah… “
She burst into laughter. All of a sudden, she leaped upward and pecked Matthew on his lips.
“I will never leave you too.”
It’s only right to return this kiss. Now that Matthew had a good enough excuse to kiss his little girl, without caring about the lipstick, he bent down and kissed her deeply, holding onto her jaw firmly. I mean, I can always help her put the lipstick back on later.
I’ve heard of couple activities where husbands put on makeup for their wives. Hah… So, there’s nothing wrong with this, right? Hah…
…
Meanwhile, outside, Ellie was looking at the guests who had arrived from the second floor. There were those whom she knew and those whom she did not.
Along with his female companion of the night, Jeremy also came upstairs. Glancing at the door of the dressing room, his foxy eyes sparkled in amusement.
“Wow, are they still in there? Do they need another hour to finish?”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “Mr. Jeremy, they aren’t you. Only you would do something like that.”
“Hmph. You make me seem like a desperate old man. Well, of course, if I’m with a really beautiful lady, something like that might happen, am I right?”
He turned to his female companion, who chuckled shyly. She whispered something in his ears, and the two looked really intimate.
The two of them were really getting on Ellie’s nerves. “Gosh, that’s enough. Mr. Jeremy, have all the guests arrived?”
“I think so. By the way, something has been really bothering me. Why did you invite Sienna? What for? I really have no idea of what you women are thinking.”
At that very moment, Ellie caught sight of Sienna, who was talking to someone downstairs. She donned a simple, minimalistic dress and had a neutral expression. Going strong, isn’t she? Or is she just faking it?
“There’s no need for you to know. Anyways, I’m sure that Clare is the one for Matthew and that Sienna woman had better give up on him.”
Jeremy raised an eyebrow and said with a sigh, “Hmph. Actually, Sienna is pretty good-looking. Poor her… “
Ellie glared at him. “Mr. Jeremy! Oh, are you feeling sorry for her? Please go for it and show her your charms!”
“Oh, Ellie, you don’t get it, do you? Sienna is not a girl I can fool around with. She’ll lock my neck like a snake!” Jeremy laughed, shaking his head.
With a prominent family background like that, it would be unwise to approach her without plans of marriage.
If he were to get involved with her just to play around, things would not end well for him.
Though Jeremy was known to be a casanova, he knew clearly the kind of woman to approach.
And Sienna was not one of them.
Just then, the hotel manager came over and said, “Ms. Tyson, is it about time to begin?”
Ellie nodded and knocked on the door of the dressing room.
The room seemed quiet. “Clare, Uncle Matt! This is no time for you guys to laze around! All the guests are here. Should you stay in there for any longer, everyone is going to know about the deeds you did in there!” Ellie continued.
A loud gasp sounded from within the dressing room, followed by some swearing. “Okay! Coming!” Clarissa said.
Ellie smiled to herself and made her way downstairs.
Before long, Clarissa, who had her lipstick fixed, appeared with Matthew and greeted the guests from the second floor.
All the guests had their eyes fixed on the star-crossed lovers. Clarissa and Matthew looked like a princess and prince who walked straight out of a Disney movie. Every small interaction they had screamed intimacy and love.
Now that the birthday girl had made her appearance, Ellie, along with the hotel staff, emerged with an impressive birthday cake.
A renowned singer was on standby at the stage on the opposite corner of the room. As Ellie entered the room, she began singing “Happy Birthday”, and soon, the crowd followed.
“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you… “
Holding onto Matthew’s arm, Clarissa slowly made her way downstairs and walked toward her birthday cake.
As Clarissa stood before her cake, the room fell silent. She looked at the beautifully lit candles and then at Matthew.
With his hand intertwined with hers, he said softly in her ears, “Make a wish.”
Grinning, Clarissa tilted her head. “I don’t really have one. I think I have everything that I want in life!”
Ellie chimed in and said, “Aunt Clare! Make a wish! Maybe something magical will happen!”
Yarick also walked up to them from behind, unable to control his joy. He was rather talkative, to begin with, but he had always held it in, fearing that he would say the wrong things in front of Matthew.
“Clarissa! Make a wish! If you don’t… If you don’t close your eyes, how would Matt make his move… Ooh… “
Before he could say anything else, Justin forcefully covered his mouth. The crowd burst into laughter.
Ellie also turned to glare at Yarick before smiling at Clarissa once more, pretending that nothing had happened.
Clarissa’s heart raced. She met gazes with Matthew. There was a trace of nervousness in his eyes. It would be a lie if she said she had no clue at all about what he was going to do next.
Alright… Phew… Don’t be nervous… Don’t be nervous…
Closing her eyes to make a wish, Clarissa mentally prepared for what was to come next. Just as she opened her eyes once more and blew the candles, Matthew suddenly let go of her and promptly sat down at the piano in the center of the room.
Clarissa turned to look at him. Matthew’s elegant fingers slid across the piano keys, and a touching melody resonated within the room. To her pleasant surprise, he began singing a song.
His voice was low and alluring. Despite the initial shock, the crowd quickly became immersed in the splendid music.
If i had to live my life without you near me
The days would all be empty
The nights would seem so long
With you I see forever
…
Nothing’s gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you.
With the song “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You”, Matthew declared his passionate love for Clarissa, which could not be expressed in words.
Even when the song ended, everyone still seemed to be mesmerized by the warm atmosphere of the room and remained silent. Walking through the crowd with confident strides, Matthew solemnly came up to Clarissa, kneeled before her, and took out a ring.
His voice sounding deep and slightly raspy, he kept his sentence short. He had already made a long enough confession with his song.
“Clare, marry me!”
It was not a question, nor was it the usual marriage proposal. Even at a time like that, Matthew’s strong character shone through.
His words brought Clarissa back to her senses after the shocking series of events. Looking endearingly at the dignified, reserved man kneeling before her and preparing such a romantic proposal just for her sake, Clarissa found herself at a loss for words.
Opening her mouth, she wanted to give him her reply, but tears had already streamed down her cheeks.
Those were tears of joy.
She wanted to say yes, but somehow, she found herself tongue-tied.
“I… I… “
Matthew could not control himself any longer and put the ring on her ring finger. Getting up, he embraced her tightly. “I know you do want to marry me!”
“Hah… “
The room resounded with cheerful laughter and enthusiastic applause as they heard Matthew’s remark.
Those who were close with Matthew, including Ellie, Jeremy, and Yarick, clapped so hard that their palms turned deep red.
They felt so touched and emotional as if they were the ones getting married.
Even as Matthew’s friends, they had never witnessed how good he was at charming a lady till that day.
Gosh, has he been hiding it from us all along?
