By the time Hilary recovered her senses, she felt her body go cold.
What did Clarissa mean? How much does she know?
As she began to panic, Hilary shook her head as if to cast the thought away.
It’s impossible. There’s no way Clarissa would know about her true identity. Judy and her family would never reveal the secret, and no one else knows about it. Perhaps, she is just holding a grudge over what happened three years ago when I helped Shermaine.
That’s right. That must be it. She must be angry over that. It’s not because she knows the truth.
Hilary calmed down after convincing herself that Clarissa didn’t know about what happened.
At the moment, the woman broke into a smile before returning to the Garrett residence.
When Zach got home, Hilary finished up what she was doing in the kitchen and reported, “Today, I met up with Clary. She’s still angry at me over the mistake I made three years ago. However, she won’t be angry forever. I’m still her mother, after all. I expect that she will forgive me soon enough. After all, I did mess things up back then.”
“You saw Clary?”
Zach was delighted as all that mattered to him was the end result.
He didn’t care that Hilary got the meeting by leaking the matter to a reporter and had it publicized as a trending topic online.
Grabbing Hilary’s hand, he comforted her, acting as if he was a caring husband.
“Hill, don’t worry. It’s as you said. Clary’s animosity toward you won’t last forever. Everything will be alright. By the way, do you need me to help you talk to her?”
“No, it’s better I show some sincerity by admitting my mistake. I’ll meet up with her again in a few days. Anyway, Jonathan will be back soon, and she adores him a lot. When the time comes, I’ll get him to help us make amends, and our family will be back to what it used to be.”
“That’s right. When Jonathan returns, I’m sure both of them have a lot to talk about.”
As Zach was talking to Hilary, his phone was ringing non-stop. He had to end the call multiple times before the caller finally stopped.
As Hilary glanced at his phone, she smiled without a care. “Is it work? Don’t you need to return the call?”
Zach shook his head. “It’s not important. They’re probably asking me to go out and entertain. But since it’s getting late, I don’t want to. I rather stay at home and talk to you…”
Hilary asked coquettishly, “What’s there to talk about?”
Even if they had nothing to say to each other, there was always something they could do. After all, they were a couple.
A few days later, Hilary met up with Clarissa again. This time, she brought Jonathan along.
Clarissa was obviously nice to him. In fact, she was even delighted to see him. However, she pretended Hilary was invisible throughout the entire conversation.
“Jonathan, you’re back!”
“Yup, it’s the school holidays now. It’s been a long time since I last saw you, Clare.”
Both of them hugged as they had missed each other a lot.
Standing by the side, Hilary smiled as she shamelessly interrupted, “Look at how happy both of you are to see each other. After all, we’re a family. Jonathan, your sister has a son now. Clary, you should bring your son along to meet his uncle.”
Ignoring Hilary, Clarissa looked at Jonathan with a smile. “You have grown taller! You’re indeed a grown man now.”
Feeling awkward, Jonathan scratched his head. “Clare, do you really have a son? How does my nephew look like? Do you have a picture?”
Clarissa nodded with a smile. “I have some on my phone. Let me show you.”
When Hilary leaned over, Clarissa moved to avoid her. “Jonathan and I have lots to talk about. I have nothing to say to you, though. You can leave now.”
Despite feeling upset, Hilary forced a smile. “Clary, are you still angry at me for not helping you three years ago? Actually, I made a mistake then. I was a fan of Shermaine, you see. I trusted the wrong person because I didn’t expect her to be of questionable character. Therefore, can’t you forgive me just this once? I have been tormented by what I did over the last three years. Every night, I blame myself for hurting you. Luckily, you and Mr. Tyson have reconciled and are happy together now. Or else, I would never have forgiven myself for the rest of my life.”
Despite Hilary crying out of guilt, Clarissa maintained her indifferent attitude toward her.
At that moment, Jonathan felt awkward. He knew what his mother was truly like, but he had no choice in the matter. As for the relationship between his sister and mother, it wasn’t his place to comment despite him supporting Clarissa in his heart.
Given how Clarissa was glaring at her, Hilary’s hair stood on end. She warily asked, “Clary, why are you looking at me that way? I’m truly sorry for what I have done. You have to believe me.”
Clarissa smirked faintly, finding Hilary ridiculous.
She must be trying her luck. Does she really not understand what I told her the last time, or is she just pretending not to? Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter anymore.
Even if she did understand what I meant, she wouldn’t admit to it. She might even try to stir up more trouble.
In the end, Clarissa decided to ignore Hilary, not because she was worried about her causing trouble, but because Catherine would be devastated to find out the truth. Therefore, she couldn’t take the risk.
Hence, she asserted, “Let me repeat myself. I don’t want to see you. Either you leave, or I will.”
Hilary began to panic. If Clarissa left, she wouldn’t be able to reconcile their relationship even with Jonathan’s help.
Therefore, she had no choice but to give in. After apologizing to Clarissa, she shot Jonathan a glance before she left.
After Jonathan sat down, he was overwhelmed with helplessness.
“Clare, I’m sorry.”
Clarissa smirked. “It’s not your fault. I suppose she must have given you some instructions. However, when you go back, tell her that she and I no longer have anything to do with each other. She isn’t worthy of being my mother and should stay away from me. If she continues to cause trouble, I am more than capable of doing something that she will definitely regret.”
After a brief silence, Jonathan replied, “Clare, I understand what you’re saying, and I will convey your message to her. It’s just that I…”
“You are still my brother and will always be. I definitely can’t bear to lose you.”
Jonathan was embarrassed by how she flattered him. Finally, he remarked, “At the end of the day, she is still our mom.”
Clarissa didn’t acknowledge his comment as she didn’t plan on telling him the truth. At least, not for now.
“Let’s not talk about this anymore. Come over to my place and meet your nephew. His name is Damian Quigley.”
“Quigley? Clare, aren’t both of you…”
Clarissa smiled. “Hold your horses. We’re doing fine. Matthew and I have agreed that Damian will take on my surname. Only our next child will carry the surname Tyson.”
Jonathan then followed Clarissa out and got into the car. When he saw how handsome and cute Damian was from the picture, he couldn’t help but praise him.
“Don’t compliment him just yet. He’s really smart and naughty. You’ll know what I mean when you see him.”
When Jonathan arrived at Zen Highlands, Damian coincidentally awoke from his nap. Therefore, he wasn’t as perky as usual when he saw a stranger in his house. All he did was stare blankly at Jonathan without saying a word.
“Damian, this is the uncle I’ve told you about. Have you forgotten? Quick, greet Uncle Jonathan.”
At that moment, Damian felt a little shy in Clarissa’s arms. Smiling bashfully, he softly greeted, “Uncle Jonathan.”
Jonathan had never interacted with such a young child before, so he felt a little lost. Clarissa gently put Damian down and said, “Damian, I still have some work to do. Why don’t you take Uncle Jonathan to your playroom to play?”
“Alright, Mommy.”
Reaching out his hand, Damian looked up at Jonathan. “Uncle Jonathan, I’ll take you to see my toys. I have lots of them, especially cars…”
With Damian rambling on, Jonathan had to arch his back to hold his hand as he followed the young boy to his playroom.
Watching both of them, Clarissa felt that it was easier for boys to play with boys. Before she knew it, the two of them got along very well.
With that, Clarissa left them to their devices. After getting changed, she chatted with Yael on the phone before heading to the study to work.
By the time she came down, the sky was already dark. She saw Jonathan carrying Damian, who looked as if he was flying in the air as he was being swung around. Both of them were laughing and clearly enjoying themselves.
When Damian caught sight of Clarissa, he cried out excitedly, “Mommy! Mommy, look, I’m flying!”
Jonathan swung him around for a while longer before finally putting him down. Damian then ambled toward Clarissa to hug her leg. Looking up, he was sweating so much that his hair was all wet. Clarissa stroked his forehead and smiled. “Matthew, do you like Uncle Jonathan?”
“Mmm-hmm, he is the best!”
When Jonathan walked over to pick him up, the boy laughed gleefully. He then hugged Jonathan’s head and gave him a big sloppy kiss.
“Uncle Jonathan, you’re so handsome!”
When Jonathan raised an eyebrow at Clarissa, she slapped Damian on his butt.
“You cheeky boy!”
Damian grinned. “I’m telling the truth. Uncle Jonathan is really handsome!”
Jonathan was obviously delighted to hear such a remark. At that moment, Matthew came out of nowhere. When he heard Damian’s words, he asked, “Damian, am I more handsome, or is Uncle Jonathan more handsome?”
When he heard his father’s voice, Damian turned around and reached out his arms. “Daddy, Daddy…”
Matthew picked him up. Obviously, Damian preferred his father.
Jonathan didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. However, he quickly grew nervous. After all, it was a stressful moment for him as he was a little fearful of his brother-in-law.
Sensing Jonathan’s awkwardness, Clarissa held his arm and introduced, “Erm, this is my brother, Jonathan. Jonathan, this is Matthew. Don’t be nervous; he’s just your brother-in-law and nothing more than an old man.”
While Matthew was speechless, Jonathan could only manage an awkward laugh.
