Clarissa froze up as uneasiness took over her body.
“Quite a lively scene in here, isn’t it?”
Jeremy spoke with a hint of disdain in his voice. He was rather amused by the position Clarissa and Luke were in.
Luke had no idea why Jeremy showed up. Anyway, he felt even more threatened by the presence of the man in black behind Jeremy.
In an instant, all of Luke’s carnal desires died down.
He noticed the man looking daggers at him and hurriedly got up. He went to them and simpered.
“Mr. Smallwood, what brings you here? If I know you’re around, I’d have asked you to join us!”
Jeremy’s lips curled up. His double-lidded eyes went to Clarissa.
Luke noticed the movement in Jeremy’s eyes and thought that he was interested in Clarissa. “I picked up this girl from the streets. Just bring her with you if you like her. You don’t-”
Jeremy gave Luke a polite smile that spelled out his rejection. “It’s fine. I don’t have the guts to fancy her. Luke, are you sure you picked her up from the streets? My my, you’re quite daring for saying that!”
“What?”
Jeremy snickered. Without giving Luke a response, he turned to look at Clarissa.
“Clarissa, how come you’re here after you got into a fight with Matt?”
All at that moment, everyone was astounded by Jeremy’s words. Clarissa raised from the sofa and went to Jeremy.
Matthew’s grim eyes were locked onto Clarissa.
He spat gruffly, “Let’s go!”
Clarissa bit her lips and strode out of the place without any resistance.
After the two of them left, Luke didn’t dare to speak. However, Jeremy reached out and laid his arm on Luke’s shoulder.
He sneered and said, “Luke, do you not look up the background of the women you bring back? Thank god I spotted you earlier and came before you did anything else. If not, you might not live to see tomorrow’s dawn.”
“Mr. Smallwood, it’s all a misunderstanding! I am wrong! By the way, who’s that guy with you?”
“Pfft, even I have to pay my respects to that guy! You’re damn unlucky, dude.”
Everyone was on tenterhooks. They wondered what kind of person the man in black was if even Jeremy had to be scared of him.
If Clarissa were around, she would rejoice at the sight of them finally cowering.
Right now, Luke and his men were as antsy as Clarissa’s colleagues were earlier. It turned out that they too could be intimidated by someone with more power.
Luke hurriedly explained out of trepidation, “Mr. Smallwood, I really have no idea who that girl is. She didn’t say anything!”
“Oh, she said nothing, I see. But did she come with you out of her own free will?”
Luke felt awkward. Both Jeremy and he knew that Clarissa was brought to the private lounge by force.
Jeremy straightened his back. “Matt is probably busy consoling someone now, but that doesn’t mean he will let you off the hook. I say you better watch where you step next!”
After speaking his words, Jeremy left. Pft, these people are going to have a sleepless night!
Clarissa picked up her pace and followed behind Matthew into the elevator. Once the doors closed, the air in the elevator suddenly thinned out.
Clarissa made an attempt to thank Matthew. “Thank you for saving me, Uncle Matthew!”
Matthew didn’t reply to Clarissa and neither did he turn to look at her. Clarissa, who was already feeling awkward, to begin with, could only continue to sit with the uncomfortable silence in the enclosed space.
Ding! The elevator’s doors slid open.
Clarissa lowered her head and exited the elevator with Matthew. Only then did she realize that the elevator had gone up instead of going down to the ground floor.
Clarissa halted in her steps when she noticed the rows of hotel rooms ahead.
“Uncle Matthew, it’s already so late. You should rest well. I’ll take my leave now.”
Before Clarissa could leave, she was hoisted into the air. By the time she came back to he senses, she realized her body was on Matthew’s shoulder. The edge of his shoulder was pressing against her stomach while her head was pointing towards the ground. With all the blood rushing to her head, she could feel her vision begin to tremble uncomfortably.
“Hey, let me down! Matthew, what are you doing?”
Without saying a word, Matthew opened the door to one of the hotel rooms with a kick and carried the woman to the bed.
As Clarissa was about to get up, he abruptly dove into the bed and pinned her down by her arms. He locked her legs between his and held her chin. Then, his lips sank deeply into her ruby lips.
“Mmph…”
Clarissa tried to claw her way out of the bed but no matter how hard she struggled, it was useless. She could only feel the rage meter in her slowly rising.
When Matthew’s tongue was drilling into her mouth, Clarissa had enough and bit hard.
“Hiss…”
Matthew drew a sharp breath and was forced to let go of Clarissa. However, his body was still on top of hers. His eyes met Clarissa’s scorching gaze, which expressed how vexed she was.
As the metallic taste of blood suffused Matthew’s mouth, his eyes were intently fixated on Clarissa.
“Matthew, you b*stard!”
Tears came gushing out of Clarissa’s eyes like a waterfall.
She didn’t make a lot of noise as she sobbed. The aggrieved expression on her face was very heart-wrenching.
All of a sudden, Matthew could not gather his thoughts. He was flustered as he didn’t know how to deal with a crying woman.
“Don’t cry.”
Matthew meant to console Clarissa, but his words sounded like a harsh command instead.
It only distressed Clarissa even more, and she wept with tears cascading down like a waterfall.
Matthew sighed and turned over to let go of her. Clarissa sprawled on the bed, and for some reason, she was bawling with her face buried into the linens. Matthew furrowed his thick brows a little and extended his arm to move Clarissa into his arms.
His large palm patted her on her back to a steady rhythm.
“Don’t cry.”
“Boohoo… I don’t need you… to boss me around…”
Clarissa’s wails were getting louder by the second. She was letting out all the pent-up stress and fear she had earlier that day.
Matthew was at wits’ end. He decided to just let her cool down.
He didn’t believe that Clarissa had the energy to cry the whole night.
As Matthew had expected, Clarissa’s crying slowly came to a halt after she had vented her emotions.
Only then did she realize that she was in Matthew’s arms. She hurriedly shoved him away and got off the bed. Without a word, she stomped in the direction of the exit.
Matthew quickly caught up with her and blocked her from going further.
He forced her up against the wall and asked, “Where are you going?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Matthew writhed his lips and scoffed. This young lady has taken my kindness for weakness!
I will not yield to her.
Matthew clenched Clarissa’s dainty face tightly with his fingers and forced her to look into his dark, cold eyes.
“None of my business? Then why didn’t you say so earlier in the private lounge?”
Clarissa was suddenly at a loss for words to defend herself.
“Tsk, why are you roaming around in the streets so late at night? You looking for guys to pick you up?”
“That’s enough!”
Clarissa howled in response to Matthew’s derisive remark.
“Matthew Tyson, do you think your behavior just now is any different from them? Have I given you consent to touch me? Or to you, I’m just someone who can be harassed freely by anyone?”
Matthew blinked and Clarissa stared back at him fearlessly.
Then, Clarissa’s mood sunk to the bottom of her heart.
“Bah, I don’t care whatever you have on your mind. Just let me go. I want to leave this place.”
Matthew remained silent for a moment.
Eventually, he still let her go.
But before Clarissa could scurry out of the room, Matthew grabbed her arm.
“Let me send you off.”
“No need for that.”
“Let’s go.”
Clarissa suddenly went into an outburst of anger.
She bellowed at the top of her lungs, “Did I not make myself clear? I said there’s no need for that!”
What ensued was a piece of deafening silence in the room.
Clarissa didn’t dare to let herself get caught in Matthew’s surly eyes.
Just as Matthew was still caught in a trance, she instantly shrugged off his hands and fled from the room.
Clarissa hitched a taxi back to the hospital. Initially, she wanted to stay at the hotel for the night, but she figured she was too disconcerted to be alone.
There were beds for visitors at the hospital. Clarissa decided to just spend the night in the hospital.
Before entering the ward, she stood at the door to calm herself down. Only a while later did she gently pushed the door open. She didn’t want to wake her sleeping mother.
“Hubby, I’m really fine! I miss you so much! If I didn’t have to leave her at D City, I would have already checked out of the hospital… Yes, I understand. If you guys show up, she’ll definitely be suspicious. It’s okay… Alright, when things between us smooth out in a few days, I’ll set her up with someone once I get out of the hospital. Hopefully, I’ll find her someone she likes so she won’t run away again…”
Clarissa froze at the spot. Her whole body was rock solid.
Then, she quietly left the place alone.
Back there in front of the door of her mother’s ward, Clarissa blanked out. She felt like an unwanted child.
Behind her the lights were glimmering, but all she could see was the murky darkness ahead.
She had no clue what to do now. Of all the unfortunate events that happened to her that day, her mother’s lies were the worst.
She enwreathed herself with her arms and sat on the stairs. Even though it was a breezy night, she could feel herself being iced out.
Matthew stood not far from her. The cigarette between his fingers was glowing softly. He wasn’t going to leave until Clarissa got up.
Finally, Matthew sauntered to her.
Clarissa raised her head slowly. She wasn’t really surprised to see Matthew.
Her frail eyes were filled with sorrow and misery. She just stared blankly ahead with her lips sealed together.
Matthew sighed and stubbed his cigarette before disposing of it.
He leaned in to scoop her up. This time, Clarissa didn’t struggle at all. She obediently allowed Matthew to pick her up as if she was a meek, newborn kitten.
The man brought the woman to his car.
Clarissa remained silent and had her eyes shut the whole time. She looked pitiful in her fragile appearance.
Matthew stroked her face and ordered the driver, “To Zen Highlands.”
The driver stifled the shock in him and set the engine running in a hurry.
The Zen Highlands was Matthew’s private space. Even if the Tysons wanted to visit there, they needed Matthew’s permission.
Never once had any women not from the Tyson family enter the Zen Highlands before, not even Shermaine who was speculated to be Matthew’s wife-to-be.
