Matthew’s words were way too suggestive.
Upon sensing that he was interested in Clarissa, the three people took their leave to give them some space.
Thus, there were now only Clarissa and Matthew left.
She inched closer and whispered, “Why are you here?”
“Because I’m rich.” He cocked an eyebrow.
What he said made sense. People who came here today were either the rich or the poor. Clarissa, who was short of money, participated in this event with the sole purpose of finding potential investors for her project. On the other hand, wealthy people like Matthew were here to use their money to make more money.
She sighed resignedly. “Didn’t you say you had work to do?”
He asked a question in return, “Didn’t you say you’d be in W City?”
“T-that’s because I want to give you a surprise.”
“Uh-huh. What a big surprise indeed.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.
“That’s enough.” She gave him the side-eye before sweeping her gaze across the crowd. “I need to find investors.”
When she was about to leave Matthew behind, he caught her wrist and pulled her into his embrace, pressing her against himself.
Needless to say, their risqué posture attracted many people’s attention, and she could start hearing people talking about them under their breath.
Shooting daggers at Matthew, she spat through gritted teeth, “Mr. Tyson, let me go.”
“Clare, I’ve said that I have the money,” he insisted.
“But I don’t want your money.”
I can ask for sponsorship from anyone but him.
Just then, Yael came out of nowhere and replied to Matthew, “We need your money, Mr. Tyson. We can go into the details at a later date.”
He smiled in response. “Okay. I’ll let Donnie discuss with you.”
The way they talked to each other was rather business-like, and it was as if Yael had not seen that Clarissa was signaling her for help.
“Yael, you can’t do this.” Clarissa whimpered.
Upon hearing her voice, Yael turned to her and feigned ignorance. “Oh, Ms. Quigley, I didn’t see you just now. Actually, you can go over the project details with Mr. Tyson first. It’ll be more effective if you’re the one who discusses with him. Good luck and have fun!”
With that, she turned on her heel and left with a spring in her step. We finally got something tonight. I don’t know about other investors, but I’m certain that we can get the money from Mr. Tyson.
She looked like a procuress who walked away after completing the transaction, and Clarissa was the woman who had been sold to Matthew.
He had his hand at the small of her back, caressing her tenderly. For those who did not know about their relationship, they probably would have thought that Clarissa was utilizing her beauty to trick Matthew into investing in her project, and he had clearly fallen into her trap.
Soon, they left the event, and gossip about their relationship started to spread.
After they got in the car, Clarissa wanted to protest, but he pinched her chin forcefully and slid his tongue into her mouth, tasting what he had long missed. She let out a muffled noise in defiance before finally relenting.
After a long time, he finally turned his French kiss into light pecks as his hand stroking her thigh under her dress.
The smell of alcohol lingered in between the space between them. After he let go of her, she panted lightly, trying to catch her breath. Staring at her red, moist lips, his eyes darkened with desire once more as he went in for another long, deep kiss.
A moment later, she clenched her fists and punched his shoulders. “Are you trying to suffocate me to death so you can take over my studio?”
Although she was complaining, it sounded like a coy whine to him, and even her eyes that were glaring at him at the moment looked attractive to him. For Matthew, every part of Clarissa was flawless and seductive.
In a good mood, he was all smiles even as she continued to grumble about him.
His slender fingers swept across her face as he said huskily, “I’m just trying to show you my love, Clare.”
His cheesy words gave her goosebumps, and she even shivered exaggeratedly. “Can you behave?”
He gave her a nonchalant shrug. “I never want to behave when I’m with you.”
“Shut up!”
She turned away from him and looked outside the window, but he hugged her from behind and put his chin on her shoulder, his breath fanning her ear. “Okay. I’ll behave myself. Don’t be mad.”
Seeing that she was not giving him any response, he started to ‘behave’ and asked her a serious question, “Clare, it’s been a long time since we last met. Should we have a deeper exploration of each other…”
Before he could finish his question, Clarissa immediately turned around and cupped a hand over his mouth.
Fuming, she shot daggers at him and locked her eyes on his laughing eyes. “Matthew, you’re already a father. Can you behave and set a good example for our son?”
He blinked his eyes in agreement.
Clarissa snorted and let go of him.
He gave a chuckle. “I didn’t say those things in front of him. Those words are sweet nothings between both of us. If I act serious whenever I’m along with you, it’d be quite funny.”
“How is it funny?”
“For example, Mrs. Tyson, you’re so beautiful, so I want to kiss you, undress you, and put you on the bed. And I…”
“Hold it right there!” She cut him off, and he grinned at her with a gleam in his eyes.
Before long, she started to double up with laughter.
“Clare, don’t you think that it’s hilarious, too?”
“Fine. You’re right.”
With a smile tugging on her lips, she shot him a look, capturing his attention once again.
Just one glance at her melted his heart instantly.
By the time they arrived back at Zen Highlands, Damian had not gone to bed yet. As soon as he saw them entering the house, he immediately rushed into Matthew’s arms, and he tossed Damian in the air, causing him to laugh with excitement.
Seeing that the two of them were whispering to each other, Clarissa went back to their room first to freshen up.
When she came back downstairs, Matthew and Damian were still having their secret conversation.
As soon as they saw her stepping down the stairs, Damian immediately looked at her cautiously and curled himself into Matthew’s embrace obediently like a cute little doll.
Clarissa raised her eyebrows in response. “What are you two whispering about?”
Damian rested his head on his father’s shoulder and blinked innocently, his eyes resembled Clarissa a lot. “It’s a secret, Mommy. We can’t tell you about it.”
“Oh, really? I don’t want to know about it either.” She pretended not to care about what they had chatted about and went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of milk and prepare a bottle of formula milk for her son.
Then, Matthew carried Damian to her side and placed him on the barstool.
Looking at the mother and son drinking milk happily, Matthew felt like having a glass of milk as well.
However, he never liked the taste of milk, so he rarely drank it. Therefore, he continued to stand at the side and watched the heartwarming sight in front of his eyes.
After that, he put Damian to sleep and returned to the master room, only to see Clarissa still using her phone.
Annoyed, he went onto the bed and snatched her phone away. “Stop. It’s bad for your eyes.”
“It was just for a while.” She let out a loud yawn and rolled herself into his warm embrace.
She was sleepy, but she seemed to have something to say.
“I still don’t dare to tell Grandma about us getting the marriage certificate already, but I think she doesn’t oppose us being together anymore. She’s just upset about how your family treated me before. She also asked me not to trust you and have a backup plan in case we don’t work out.”
He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her head. “She used to treat me very well, but now she wants you to be wary of me.”
She pouted bitterly. “And whose fault was that?”
“Yes, it’s my fault and my family’s. I’m guilty as charged.”
“Good. I know you and the others might think that Grandma is too drastic, but I can’t blame her because this is her way of loving me. No matter if it’s a good way or a bad way, she acted like that because of me, so I’m willing to take it all in. If it weren’t for Grandma back then, I’d have been homeless or dead a long time ago.”
“Don’t say that.” He pinched her delicate chin, upset that she said she would have passed away as a child.
“But it’s the truth, Matthew. Even if I don’t say it, it won’t change the fact that I had a rough childhood. Nevertheless, I know that I’m lucky to have Grandma, my family, and a home to stay. Even though we did not live well, the sense of belonging brought me joy.”
Matthew may not understand how she had felt back then, but his heart ached for her.
“I know.” He soothed before kissing her forehead as a wave of sorrow swept through him.
“Thanks for your understanding. All of you are my loved ones, so please don’t put me in a tight spot and forgive my selfishness. I don’t mean to put the situation in a deadlock, but I really don’t know what I should do at the moment.”
“Shh… Okay, Clare. I understand.” He hushed her and comforted her, knowing that she would start tearing up soon. “You don’t need to think about what to do, and I don’t think keeping our marriage a secret is bad. Anyway, now we’re still living together as usual, except that we’re more low-key. Besides, I’ve always been a person who keeps a low profile.”
However, it was such a pity that their wedding had not been held since three years ago, but he did not have the heart to say anything now.
Otherwise, it would only make her feel even more uneasy.
It was as if Clarissa knew what he was in his mind as she stopped speaking further on the matter and pecked him on the lips instead. “Hubby, you’re the best.”
She finally said some nice words. Matthew chuckled softly before turning over and pinning her down, whispering huskily in her ear, “Uh-huh. I’m even better at something else.”
