Clarissa was taken aback by those words. “What do you mean?”
I don’t remember having any conflict with anyone…
“Don’t worry,” comforted Yaala. “It’s all in the past now.”
“Huh? What’s going on? What happened?”
Yaala drifted off into a monologue. Turns out there was someone known as Old Codger in showbiz. It was said that he was a big shot in the industry and was even rumored that he used to be a part of the mafia. Even though he had supposedly turned over a new leaf, he still kept his domineering attitude. Everyone would shudder at the mention of his name. Paired up with the fact that he had a dark past, no one dared to defy him. Unfortunately, Old Codger was notorious for being a pervert. He would somehow always succeed in getting his hands on whichever women he had his eyes on, with or without their consent.
Then again, it was no surprise. Whoever caved would be compensated while those who refused were oppressed in everything they do. Rumors had it that many women in showbiz had fallen victim to him, with most of the victims swallowing their anger and hurt. Many more unnumbered women prayed every day to not become the next victim.
Once, when Yaala was attending a social event, someone approached her, knowing she was close with Clarissa.
The person revealed cautiously to Yaala that Clarissa had caught Old Codger’s eye. He had accidentally seen Clarissa with Yaala sharing a meal together and had been keeping a close watch on Clarissa since.
Old Codger had found out that Clarissa was @clarissa.quigley and was unbothered by the rumors about her and multiple men. After all, he would not give up on whoever had caught his fancy. His tyrannical attitude allowed him to get his hands on whoever he wanted no matter what.
Apparently, he had hired people to bring Yael to him. Fortunately, Yael was not intimidated by him and rejected his invitation to meet up without hesitation. He even tried approaching Yael through multiple means such as business meetings but was shot down by the latter every time.
That was the main reason why Clarissa had no clue about what was going on.
Nonetheless, Old Codger was adamant. He started spreading words saying that he would not rest until he got his hands on Clarissa. He promised anyone a handsome reward if they could bring Clarissa out to meet him.
“As you can see, that man is absolutely unscrupulous! How can someone think so mighty of himself is a mystery to me,” huffed Yaala.
It wasn’t until Old Codger had declared his intentions on getting Clarissa did Yaala caught wind of the news. Yaala had intended to warn Clarissa about Old Codger so that the woman could keep her guard up. However, never would Yaala have guessed that Clarissa would be one step ahead by publicizing her marriage certificate with Matthew.
The news of Clarissa being married definitely shocked Old Codger to his core.
“So I guess you don’t have to be too worried. Old Codger wouldn’t dare to challenge Mr. Tyson. Perhaps you can inform Mr. Tyson about this, and he might be able to help you resolve this issue,” Yaala concluded.
Clarissa broke out in cold sweat after finding out the truth.
A memory resurfaced in the back of her mind. She recalled receiving messages inviting her out, all of which from friends in the industry that she was not close with.
Does that mean they were planning on betraying me by handing me over to Old Codger in exchange for the rewards?
Clarissa shuddered at the thought. Never would she have ever expected someone could act so lawless in a society run by laws.
As for herself, if she were not protected by Matthew, she could have been betrayed by her colleagues and violated by Old Codger. I can’t imagine what I’m going to do if that were to actually happen to me…
His atrocious behavior had gone unchecked for so many years despite a lot of people knowing about his disgusting ways. And yet, no one dared to report him to the authorities. This could only mean one thing… The answer was self-evident.
Yaala stood waiting on the other end of the call. She noticed that Clarissa had gone silent. Deep down in her heart, Yaala knew Clarissa had been terrified by the news.
“Don’t be afraid, Clarissa. It’s a good thing that we know about this beforehand so that necessary precautions could be taken. Plus, with Mr. Tyson on your side, I doubt Old Codger would dare to touch you.”
Clarissa snapped out of her daze. “Yeah. I got it. Thank you, Ms. Zaha.”
“Why are you thanking me? I know how you’re feeling, Clarissa. I understand. Unfortunately, the world isn’t as safe as we hope it is. There is some evil that we can’t escape from. But I believe one day, all evil will be banished completely.”
“You’re right, Ms. Zaha,” answered Clarissa, her lips pursed into a thin line.
After hanging up, Clarissa could not help but recount how lucky she had been. Even though she faced some troubles in the past, she had never encountered true evil. After she met Matthew and went under his protection, her life had gone rather smoothly. At least, better than the majority…
I have been in showbiz for so long, yet my reputation is still intact, and I have never been harassed, violated nor harmed.
I have been insanely lucky.
Even so, Clarissa was still shaken up by this incident.
After work, Matthew came home to see Clarissa seated on the spacious sofa, hugging her legs and resting her chin on her knees, staring into space. His heart ached at the sight of Clarissa looking like a bullied preschooler. He strode toward the sofa and took a seat beside her before scooping her onto his laps in one swift motion. Matthew then wrapped his right arm around her in hopes of giving her comfort.
He stroked the top of her head before sliding down to her face. Hiding the worry he felt, Matthew inquired, “Clare, what’s wrong?”
Slowly, Clarissa lifted her head and gazed at Matthew with tears in her eyes. Upon seeing those reddened eyes, Matthew felt his chest tightened.
“Is there something wrong, Clare? Don’t be afraid. I’m here. Hubby’s here, okay?”
Clarissa’s lips quivered in response before she wrapped her arms around Matthew’s neck and pressing herself closer to his chest. Listening to his steady heartbeat, Clarissa felt safe.
She took a deep breath, gathering the courage to find her voice. However, her voice was still weak and trembling when she managed to speak.
“Ms. Zaha called today. She told me something terrifying. Even though it’s probably not going to happen, I still felt uneasy.”
“What did she tell you?”
Matthew stroked her hair gently, masking the anxiety in his heart.
“Well, it’s about someone called Old Codger. I don’t know who he is but Ms. Zaha told me…”
Prompted by Matthew, Clarissa began to tell him everything she learned from Yaala, not leaving out a single detail.
Once she finished, Clarissa waited patiently for Matthew’s reaction. As the seconds ticked by, he still had not uttered a sound. Puzzled, Clarissa pulled away from his chest to meet his eyes before instinctively inching away, startled. Matthew’s expression had darkened with a murderous look in his eyes.
“Don’t be like this. You’re scaring me!”
She gently cradled Matthew’s face in her hand. Regaining his senses, Matthew’s gaze softened as he pulled her into a deeper embrace. He planted a kiss on her forehead, deciding to ignore his desire to rip Old Codger into pieces for the time being.
Clarissa pouted. “I heard that Old Codger is quite powerful, so don’t be too reckless. He didn’t know that I was married before. Now that he does, he probably wouldn’t come for me anymore, right?”
“Yeah, don’t worry. No one will dare lay their hands on you,” answered Matthew absentmindedly.
You’re not getting away with this so easily, Old Codger. He clenched his fists.
“I know. After all, I’m Mrs. Tyson. Who would be so brazen to do so?”
Having shared her problems, Clarissa decided to change the topic, refusing to dwell on the negativity any longer. Smiling brightly, she tugged Matthew’s sleeves.
“Oh, have you heard? Ellie and Shawn got back together! Damian is even referring to Ellie as Mrs. Hayes now! He wouldn’t if Ellie had not allowed it. Looks like there really is a chance between those two…”
Clarissa continued to rhapsodize over the new subject, forgetting the gloom she felt just a moment ago.
Matthew played along as he pretended to have forgotten the previous topic as well.
However, when Clarissa put Damian to bed, Matthew fished out his phone and started giving orders to his men.
Anyone who dared to lust for his woman shall pay the price, regardless of who or how powerful they were.
The news of Clarissa being Mrs. Tyson had not only shocked the world, but even the Tysons were also caught off guard.
Not even in their wildest dreams would they have imagined Matthew and Clarissa to have completed their marriage registration way before their numerous attempts in obstructing the relationship.
To the Tysons, the date on the marriage certificate was a harsh slap across the face, especially to Margaret and Yuliana.
The day the couple had registered their marriage was long before the Tysons had begun to stir up troubles. Not only were their plans futile, but they felt played by Clarissa.
All those vows saying she would not marry into the Tysons were nothing but lies. After all, she had been married to Matthew ages ago.
To make matters worse, Margaret found out about the news through someone else. The shock and anger she registered almost gave her a heart attack.
Even though that did not happen, Margaret still fainted due to anger. After a quick check-up at the hospital, the doctors ruled it off as nothing but sudden and intense agitation.
Despite that, waves of wrath and disappointment still pulsed through Margaret’s veins once she regained consciousness.
Why?
After all that I’ve done, turns out Matthew had already been married! Not only is this him humiliating us, but this is also proof that Matthew no longer regards any of us as significant! He didn’t even tell me that he was married, and I’m his mother! He kept the news to himself for three years! Even now, Matthew continues to do as he pleases, disregarding our views. It’s as if that boy has cut us off completely!
“I won’t, and will never acknowledge that woman as part of the family! I won’t, and will never acknowledge that woman as part of the family! I won’t, and will never…” Margaret lay on the hospital bed, repeating the same phrase over and over again.
She continued to repeat the sentence non-stop. After a while, everyone around her had gotten indifferent, tuning out her voice as she droned on.
Throughout the whole time, Yuliana was seated at the bedside. The maids were attending to Margaret, taking care of her needs. George had returned home a while ago. Matthew, on the other hand, did not even bother staying once he knew Margaret was fine.
Soon, Ellie came to visit. Upon hearing what Margaret was saying, she couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Grandma, you can stop now. Repeating that sentence over and over isn’t going to do anything. With things as it is, whether or not you acknowledge their marriage won’t bother Uncle Matt and Aunt Clare either way. They would still carry on with their lives as usual, no matter how furious you are. Not even your rage can separate them from each other.”
“Ellie! Stop spewing nonsense!” warned Yuliana.
Realizing her words had been inappropriate, Ellie stuck out her tongue sheepishly. Upon noticing Margaret’s darkened expression, Ellie quickly came up with an excuse and fled.
Truth be told, Ellie believed the main reason Margaret had not accepted the marriage was because of her own pride. The woman had no way of extricating herself from the hole she had dug, while Matthew and Clarissa naturally would not give her an out either. In the end, all that she could do was pitching a fit like a three-year-old kid.
All this fuss stemmed from Margaret’s desire to be significant or heard. As furious as she was then, she would still need to acknowledge the fact sooner or later.
Of course, even if Margaret refused to acknowledge Clarissa as her daughter-in-law in the future, it still would not affect Clarissa.
After all, they did not live together, and it really wasn’t necessary for them to be in touch with each other. Even during the holidays, Matthew had the choice of whether or not to visit the rest of the Tysons, and if he did, Clarissa would not be forced to tag along. No one decided that two families must come together as one after marriage, anyways. Not to mention, there were no sayings that one should get the blessings of family members after getting married.
All that mattered is that two people were happy with each other in marriage.
