That’s it?
Matthew rose to his feet and left the room. Instantly, Clarissa sighed in relief.
My instincts were right.
Matthew has his suspicions about me.
But why did he make that horrifying joke?
Deep down, Clarissa was cursing him as she vowed to stay away from him.
Exhaling loudly, she stood up and exited the private room.
To her surprise, Matthew was waiting at the entrance of the restaurant. He was talking to someone on his phone with one hand in his pocket.
Clarissa was planning to sneak out, but he spotted her. She came to a stop and stood beside him quietly.
The customers who entered and left the restaurant would glance at them briefly. Clarissa wondered if they were staring at her or Matthew.
After ending the phone call, Matthew’s gaze landed on her.
“Mr. Tyson, I’ll be off-”
“My car is here. Let’s go,” he ordered.
This time, Clarissa refused to give in.
“No thanks. I can walk.” She rejected his offer sternly; her gaze shining with determination.
Matthew raised a brow and smirked.
“Are you mad?”
Clarissa couldn’t get used to the sudden change in his mood.
Why is he grinning? What is so funny about this?
She mused silently, but dared not show it.
“No,” she answered.
“I was just joking.”
“Oh, it better be a joke.”
“What?”
“Nothing, Mr. Tyson. I was saying I got it. Your joke took me by surprise.”
Clearly, she was mocking him.
The corner of Matthew’s mouth quirked up. This aroused his interest as he had some time to pass.
“I thought young people like you love to joke.”
“Ha! Uncle Matthew, you’re too old to understand the younger generation well. There are different jokes.”
Clarissa glanced at the street anxiously. Why isn’t my ride here yet?
Also, why is Matthew this free?
I thought his time is valuable as he can earn millions in mere minutes?
His gaze darkened at her impatience.
“Old?”
Suddenly, Clarissa’s impatient scowl became a sly smile.
“Uncle Matthew, this is how us young people joke. You don’t like it, right? Then stop playing jokes with me. There’s a generation gap between us.”
Clarissa patted herself on the back for coming out with the perfect retort.
Her eyes lit up in delight, causing Matthew’s heart to skip a beat.
He promptly looked down and swiveled his head. By then, his driver had arrived.
A heavy silence hung in the air.
Seeing his car had arrived, Clarissa spoke, “Mr. Tyson, I’ll be off then.”
She refused to remain here a second longer.
This time, he didn’t stop her from leaving.
After getting into her ride, Clarissa’s irritation immediately showed on her face. She called Ellie, but the latter didn’t pick up. She must be afraid I’d yell at her.
Clarissa let out a sardonic chuckle. Too afraid to own up, huh?
Actually, she wasn’t mad at Ellie.
Nevertheless, when the latter came to her, she still reprimanded her friend for an hour.
To make it up to her, Ellie brought Clarissa around to view the units available for rental. She criticized each and every choice badly.
In the end, they failed to pick one.
The next day, Ellie canceled her appointment with the real estate agent and went out with Clarissa.
They arrived at J City Building, where Ellie brought her in without hesitation.
In the elevator, Clarissa knew something was amiss. Right then, Ellie received a call which made her scowl unhappily.
“Fine, I got it. I’ll be there right now.”
When the elevator doors opened, Ellie stopped her from going out. “I told Uncle Matt about this. Get the keys from Donnie at level twenty-two. I’ll contact you after dealing with this.”
With that, she scurried out. As the elevator doors closed, Clarissa gazed at the number twenty-two on the panel and cursed inwardly.
Is it too late to run?
Yes, it is.
The elevator arrived sooner than she had expected. She was still panicking when the doors opened again.
Right then, Donnie came over to her.
“Ms. Quigley, you’re here? Please come with me.”
“No need. Ellie said you’ll give me the keys. I’ll leave right after taking the keys. I won’t disturb you at work.”
Donnie flashed a polite smile. “Not at all.”
Without giving her the keys, he brought her to the end of the hallway and knocked on the door.
“Mr. Tyson, Ms. Quigley is here.”
A familiar voice rang out. “Come in.”
Donnie gestured for her to enter the office. Clarissa stepped in stiffly. Her instincts told her the man’s voice spelled danger.
After telling her to come in, Matthew put his file aside and gazed at the door.
It was just a few steps to his desk, but the young lady was trudging slowly.
When she finally came nearer to him, he noticed she was wearing an off-shoulder striped top with puffy sleeves, paired with an inky blue knee-length skirt and flats. She looked like a pretty pixie in her outfit.
Matthew’s gaze swept across her bare shoulders. She likes to expose her shoulders, huh?
“Mr. Tyson!” Clarissa greeted him politely with a forced smile.
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs elegantly. His elbow was propped on the armrest, with his hand supporting his head as he narrowed his eyes at her. The collar of his shirt was slightly apart with his sleeves rolled up to his elbow. He seemed relaxed. Matthew retrieved a packet of cigarettes lying on his desk and whipped one up. After lighting a cigarette, he took a puff.
Clarissa was fidgeting uncomfortably under his sharp gaze. She parted her lips and said, “Mr. Tyson, Ellie told me to take the keys from you. I have no idea what she means.”
Matthew took another puff before explaining, “The real estate company under Tyson Corporation has an apartment for our employees. Ellie told me about your situation. There are still some units left, so you can move in.”
“Err, this won’t do. Mr. Tyson, I had no idea Ellie would ask for your help. I won’t accept it. Thank you for your concern, but the real estate agent found me a reasonable unit which I really liked. I won’t be staying for long, so there’s no need to trouble you. Mr. Tyson, I won’t disturb you further. I’ll inform Ellie about my decision. Goodbye!”
“Ms. Quigley.”
Clarissa stopped in her tracks.
Matthew rose to his feet and strode toward her.
