On Saturday night, Clarissa went over to the Garretts for dinner.
Hilary had everything prepared for her arrival. Even Yvonne stayed home that night. Not that her attitude towards Clarissa was any friendly, though.
Clarissa brought them some gifts, and they exchanged some pleasantries out of courtesy before sitting down at the dinner table.
“So, where have you been working lately, Clary? Do you need any help with work? Maybe I could get you an easier job at my company instead?”
“That won’t be necessary, Zach. I have a job.”
“At Tyson Corporation?”
Clarissa shook her head. “No, I’m just writing a book at the moment.”
“I see… Well, I’d say that job suits your quiet personality very well!”
Yvonne let out a sneer right after hearing that.
“That sounds nice and all, but does it earn you enough to make a living?”
Clarissa ignored her and took a sip of her tea before turning towards Hilary. “Mom, when’s Jonathan coming home?”
“Next month. He’ll be staying here for a while before heading back overseas.”
“Got it.”
If there was anything Yvonne hated the most in life, it was being ignored, especially by someone like Clarissa.
“What the hell, Clarissa? Did you not hear what I said?” She raised her voice as she questioned her.
Zach shot his daughter a fierce glare to remind her they had invited Clarissa over to repair their relationship, not ruin it further.
Having been warned by her father, Yvonne let out an angry snort and kept quiet.
Zach then motioned at Hilary to ask her the question.
“By the way, Clary, do you have a boyfriend? Don’t get me wrong, though. Zach and I are only asking you this because we care about you,” Hilary asked with a smile.
Clarissa nodded. “I understand, but I don’t have one at the moment.”
I’m not about to tell them about Matthew!
“You don’t? Then what about the guy from… Actually, never mind.”
“Heh… You mean you’ve been dumped is more like it!”
“Hey! Watch your mouth, Yvonne!”
As if she had suddenly remembered something, Yvonne broke into a friendly smile as she continued, “Well, if you don’t have a boyfriend… how about I introduce you to some guys, then? Since you’re planning on settling down here in D City, you should spend some time expanding your connections in the entertainment industry. While I can’t guarantee you’ll find yourself an amazing guy, you’ll at least be able to marry someone rich! What do you think?”
“Your sister is right, Clary. She can help get you familiarized with the social circles in D City, and that’ll benefit you greatly in the future!” Zach said with a smile.
Clarissa was about to protest, but held her tongue when she felt Hilary squeeze her hand under the table.
After a brief pause, she nodded. “Alright, I will… Thanks.”
“Oh, by the way, Yvonne said you attended a banquet some time ago. Are you acquainted with Ms. Tyson?” Zach asked.
Clarissa tensed up upon hearing that. “Yes, we were classmates.”
“That’s great! It’s always good to have more friends! Perhaps you could bring Yvonne along the next time you meet up with Ms. Tyson? Young people of your age should socialize more, after all!”
Clarissa chuckled to herself. Of course… I shouldn’t be surprised that they’d set their sights on Ellie too…
“As you know, the Tysons are no ordinary family. This classmate of mine is a very proud and arrogant person, and even I have to be really careful with how I carry myself around her. Besides, I don’t really contact her that often, so… Well, you get what I mean.”
Naturally, Yvonne was the most displeased by her rejection.
“Hmph! I think you’re full of crap! There’s no way Ms. Tyson would ever see you as a friend!”
“Now, now, Yvonne… I think we should let Clary spend some time alone with her mother.”
Zach then led Yvonne out of there while Hilary brought Clarissa into her room to have a private conversation.
“You understand what they mean, don’t you, Clary?”
Clarissa flashed her a sarcastic smile in response. “I’m sure you do as well, so why would you make me come see them? Yvonne looks down on me, and Zach only wants to use me! How could I possibly treat such people as family, Mom? In fact, why’d you even bother persuading me into coming tonight when you already know my stance on this?”
Hilary thought about it for a moment and nodded. “Well, I just want you to know that I’m still on your side, Clary. Jonathan and I can only truly count on you. If you really are on good terms with Ms. Tyson, I want you to do what you can to keep it that way and just forget about Yvonne, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Right… By the way, I know I’ve told you this countless times, but you really have to focus on finding yourself a good man.”
Clarissa didn’t even bother arguing as they would always think they know what was best for her.
After spending a long and boring night with people she hated, Clarissa was missing Matthew. She called him the moment she stepped out of the house.
Matthew was having a chat with his father and brother at Tyson residence at the time.
Matthias shifted his gaze towards Matthew when his phone rang. But it didn’t seem to bother him as he simply stepped aside and answered the call, only to have his eardrums assaulted by Clarissa’s passionate and energetic voice.
“Hi, Uncle Matthew! Have you eaten? If yes, what did you eat? Are you at home right now? How was your day?”
She bombarded him with many questions, but left out the most important one of all.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Matthew asked with a smirk.
Clarissa pouted, her cheeks burning bright red as she figured out what he meant.
However, Matthew cut her off before she could say it. “Did you miss me?”
Clarissa let out a shy giggle.
“Yup! I sure did!” she said after a brief pause.
“Hehe…” Matthew chuckled gleefully.
“You… What are you laughing at? Stop laughing! Hmph… A-Anyway, I’m on my way home now!” Clarissa shouted in embarrassment.
“On your way home? Are you in a cab right now?”
“Yup!”
“Okay, I want you to turn on your camera and stay on the call.”
“No way! It’ll use up my entire quota for the month if I did! Mobile data doesn’t come cheap, you know? We’ll just talk on the phone like this!”
Matthew pursed his lips in confusion. What quota? What mobile data? What on earth is she on about?
When she heard no response from him, Clarissa assumed he was mad at her again.
Ugh… This guy doesn’t take no for an answer, does he…
“Isn’t it better to just talk like this? Aren’t you afraid of your family members seeing me?”
“Nope!”
“Well, I am. We’ve only just started dating, so I don’t want them shoving money in my face to leave you! Okay, I’ll admit, I was kind of looking forward to such an experience though. Hehe…”
“How much do you want?”
“You… Are you seriously paying me to break up with you?”
Matthew went silent, and Clarissa knew she must’ve angered him.
“U-Uncle Matthew? I-I was just kidding! Hehe… Come on, don’t be mad! You know I would never leave you even if you paid me to!”
Clarissa didn’t dare say any further for fear of making a mistake and end up angering him even more.
Matthew’s tone grew cold as he let out a sinister chuckle. “You know, Clarissa… If we really were to break up, you wouldn’t get a single cent out of it!”
“Oh, my god, Matthew! You can’t seriously be that cheap! Shouldn’t you at least offer me some form of compensation for breaking up?”
Isn’t that how they do it in the movies? Rich and powerful men like him would toss a check in your face and tell you to get lost or something, right?
“Compensation? Ha, dream on!”
Clarissa pouted at him. “How stingy!”
“You said it yourself, Clare. I’m a petty person. You should be more worried about what would happen to you if we were to break up.”
Clarissa felt a shiver down her spine when she heard that.
Is it just me, or did that actually sound dangerous and terrifying?
“Uh… How about we change the topic? Did you know that I’m no longer working in Tyson Corporation?” she asked with a nervous chuckle.
“You want to go back?”
“No, I just thought I’d let you know, that’s all.”
“Are you implying that you’re going back to Zen Highlands, then?”
“Not at all. Why?”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely!”
Matthew let out a smile when he heard that.
Clarissa felt relieved when she saw her residential area come into view. “A-Anyway, I’ve just arrived at my apartment! I’ll talk to you later.”
“No, I’ll head over right away.”
“But you’re having a family reunion, right? I don’t think it’s a good idea to just leave like that… Also, it’s really late now.”
“Yes, I know it’s really late. That’s what makes it perfect.”
Clarissa blushed. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about! Bye!”
With a gleeful smile on his face, Matthew put his phone back into his pocket and left the house after excusing himself.
After taking a shower, Clarissa was lazing about on the sofa and laughing away at a comedy show on her tablet.
Suddenly, she heard the door opened and jumped to her feet, only to see Matthew letting himself into the house.
Her face burned bright red instantly as she was only wearing a spaghetti strap tank top and shorts.
Oh, sh*t! I didn’t think he’d actually come! This is bad… He’s probably going to think I put this on for him or something!
