Despite knowing that Shermaine had interfered with the murder investigations to the extent of mediating the murder, they realized they were powerless to take action against her.
After Hilary was strangled to death, she never left the hotel because Zach had hidden her body.
Hence, the Hilary they saw in the security feed was actually Shermaine in disguise.
However, she refused to admit to it. All she told the police was that she dirtied her clothes in the washroom and changed into a new set she bought…
Consequently, she had no knowledge of Zach killing Hilary.
Although it usually wasn’t difficult to find evidence, Shermaine’s methods were so meticulous that she covered her tracks very well.
For example, she changed her clothes to create the impression that Hilary had left the hotel.
More importantly, she had gotten in contact with Zach. No one knew how they found each other, or what had transpired in between them.
Shawn speculated that Shermaine might have proposed Hilary’s murder to Zach and instructed him what to do. The plan included how to make it look like suicide, such that Clarissa would be dragged into the controversy. Furthermore, Zach had much to gain from Hilary’s death.
However, Zach never mentioned Shermaine and insisted everything was his idea.
More importantly, Zach was the one who committed the murder.
Gritting her teeth in indignance, Ellie felt powerless to do anything.
“That despicable woman. She had better stay out of trouble. If she does anything again, I will never let her go.”
Shawn raised his eyebrow in surprise.
When her seething gaze suddenly met with Shawn’s, she frowned at once.
“What is it? Why are you looking at me like that? Is there a problem?”
A slight smile broke out on Shawn’s stern face. Although it wasn’t obvious, Ellie recognized it because of how well she knew him.
When Shawn drove slowly away, he remarked, “Don’t swear.”
Ellie snorted. “Damn that, f*ck…”
The moment she did, Shawn jammed on the brakes.
Unbuckling his safety belt in a flash, he pulled Ellie toward him. Holding her down, he kissed her passionately. Despite struggling vehemently, Ellie was unable to free herself from the kiss.
Ever since the both of them became a couple, Ellie had never gotten her way with Shawn.
When Shawn finally released her, her lips were swollen red. However, she insisted on resisting but ended up being pinned down again.
Throughout her life, Ellie had always been a headstrong girl. However, she would be put in her place when she was with Shawn.
Oblivious to Ellie’s resentment of Shermaine, Clarissa felt relieved that Hilary’s murder was solved.
Now that the murderer was found, her name was cleared. That was all that mattered.
As for the police, they would announce the results of the investigations given that it was a matter of public interest.
When the news was made public, many realized that Clarissa had been wrongly accused. Nevertheless, there was still a group of people who felt she was guilty.
It didn’t mean that Clarissa was innocent just because she didn’t kill Hilary.
The crux of the issue was the animosity between Clarissa and Hilary. Given that Hilary was Clarissa’s mother, they felt that she had the moral high ground. Hence, Clarissa was seen to be an unfilial daughter.
Therefore, she was still responsible for Hilary’s death.
After all, she refused to help her mother escape domestic violence.
Moreover, now that her mother was dead, Clarissa went on a holiday instead of staying behind to mourn her. Everyone felt that she was heartless to do so.
If Hilary had Clarissa’s assistance, she wouldn’t have died. After all, Clarissa is the influential Mrs. Tyson.
Gradually, the accusations grew louder to detriment of Clarissa’s reputation. Many famous influencers accused her of being unfilial and morally bankrupt.
However, neither Clarissa nor Tyson Corporation responded to the backlash.
Consequently, the netizens were frustrated by the lack of answers to their speculation.
After all, they enjoyed gossiping and Clarissa’s controversy made excellent fodder.
However, when the person in question ignored them, it felt as if they had an itch that they could never scratch.
When they tried to dig further into Clarissa’s past, including trawling for insider information, they failed to make much headway.
Clarissa and Matthew had stonewalled them. Regardless of how ugly the insults became, they didn’t respond in any way. After all, their legal team was ready to take action anytime.
Some accused them of being ashamed while others thought that they weren’t bothered.
Nevertheless, significant damage had been done to their reputation.
Previously, Matthias had raised the issue with Matthew, but Matthew didn’t seem to mind.
However, Matthias and Yuliana personally dropped by this time.
Clarissa’s controversy wasn’t the only reason for their visit. More importantly, they had heard that she was pregnant.
Meanwhile, Matthew had largely recovered from his couvade. Hence, he didn’t bar Matthias and Yuliana from coming.
However, he received them alone as Clarissa was resting.
“Matthew, why have you… lost so much weight? Did you get enough rest?”
The amount of weight Matthew lost was significant. Did something happen to him?
Matthew shook his head. “It’s nothing. What brings both of you here today?”
Looking frosty as usual, he held a glass of water in his hand as he couldn’t eat or drink anything else. His condition was no different from that of Clarissa’s morning sickness.
Despite having slimmed down, his eyes didn’t lose their sharpness at all.
Faced with his icy stare, Yuliana’s heart skipped a beat. She averted her gaze and dared not say a word.
Hence, she left it to Matthias to broach the topic.
“We’re here about the negative press from Clarissa’s controversy. We know her mother isn’t an angel. But, the public doesn’t care as they always favor the dead. Hence, I suggest Clarissa and yourself do something to improve your image. After all, it’s for your own good.”
“Does her death wash away her sins?”
Matthias was stumped by Matthew’s retort.
“Sigh… of course not. But why do you want to ruin your own reputation over her?”
“It doesn’t matter to me.”
“You…”
Realizing that he was unable to convince Matthew, he pondered a moment before changing the topic.
“Is Clarissa pregnant again?”
Matthew responded with a grunt.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“That’s great! Congratulations, Matthew. This is wonderful news indeed. How long has it been?”
“Not too long.”
“She has to take good care of herself. Yuliana knows some good doctors and nutritionists whom she can introduce to Clarissa…”
Matthias appeared to be sincere in his concern.
However, as the conversation progressed, they returned to Damian’s DNA test.
Matthias asked imprudently, “Matthew, didn’t you ask Clarissa about Damian?”
Reading between the lines, Matthias wanted to know who Damian’s father was.
The moment he asked, Matthew responded with a cold and heartless glare.
“Let me say this one last time. Damian is my son. My biological son. Do you think I can’t even tell who my own son is? If you can be convinced by a piece of paper, it only shows how biased you are against her. Going forward, you are not welcomed at Zen Highlands. Just call me if there’s anything instead.”
Infuriated, Matthew bluntly showed them to the door.
Yuliana had expected something of this sort to happen. Despite feeling upset, she wasn’t surprised at all.
Obviously humiliated, Matthias stared at Matthew with his eyebrows furrowed.
Neither of them said a word. However, after giving it some thought, Matthias suspected that something was amiss.
After all, they felt Damian resembled Matthew the first they saw him.
At that time, no one doubted that he was Matthew’s son. Hence, Matthew’s conviction caused his belief to waver.
“Alright. I understand.”
Heaving a sigh, Matthias left with Yuliana. During their entire visit, they didn’t manage to catch a glimpse of Clarissa and Damian.
The moment they left, Clarissa came downstairs.
Matthew hurried to hold her hand and settle her onto the sofa. He asked softly, “Did you overhear it?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Are you angry?” Matthew asked with a comforting tone as he gently stroked her stomach.
Clarissa laughed gently. “I’m not. They are free to think whatever they want.”
Breaking into a grin, Matthew gently kissed her head. “That’s the way, Clare.”
Clarissa smiled in response. Suddenly, she turned around to face Matthew. “I haven’t washed my hair in two days. Don’t you feel disgusted kissing it?”
Matthew’s expression froze. However, he noticed that he didn’t have any strong reactions to it.
Chuckling affectionately, he gently pinched Clarissa’s smiling cheeks.
“Are you teasing me on purpose?”
“Oh? Have you recovered?”
“More or less.”
Matthew realized how significant the psychological effect was. Now that Clarissa’s morning sickness was gone and her body was getting stronger, his stress levels decreased accordingly. Hence, his condition improved alongside it.
Although couvade was a terrible and painful experience for him, Matthew was heartened that he could share Clarissa’s burden with her.
If it was possible, he would be willing to give birth on her behalf.
