Back then, the whole school knew that Helen had a crush on a senior. They were always together no matter where they went, so everyone believed that they would definitely end up as a couple, including Helen herself.
Although neither of them openly confessed their feelings to each other, a woman’s intuition was usually spot on. The suggestive relationship between them was crystal clear. Not to mention, she had also met his friends and vice versa. How could they be anything else but a couple?
However, all of this was ruined by Clarissa.
When her senior saw Clarissa in her dormitory, he no longer had eyes for her.
He even publicly professed his love for Clarissa on the first floor of the female dormitory.
At that time, everyone looked at Helen with either pity or ridicule in their eyes. She became the laughing stock of the entire school overnight.
The explanation her senior gave her was that he never once thought of themselves to be a couple and merely saw her as his best friend. Moreover, he had never said that he liked her that way.
That was when Helen severed her friendship with Clarissa and left the school dormitory, never setting foot there again.
Although Clarissa rejected her senior, Helen felt that she would never be able to forgive her.
Hence, when she wanted to show off her marriage to others, Clarissa was the person who came to mind.
Even if she couldn’t hurt Clarissa nor take revenge on her, at least she could show Clarissa that she was living a better life than her.
Needless to say, Helen hoped more than anything to see Clarissa living a miserable life.
Thus, she was delighted by this unexpected surprise, using every chance she got to jeer at Clarissa and finding it oh-so-satisfying.
Hah! Clarissa’s already so pissed. This goes to show how ashamed she is of her boyfriend.
Otherwise, she would have brought him over to flaunt, right?
I clearly informed everyone that they were allowed to bring a plus one, but Clarissa is still being so secretive. This only further proves my theory.
This is perfect!
Helen pretended to comfort Clarissa, making them look like they were besties.
“Don’t be mad, Clarissa. Today’s my big day. Won’t you cheer up, for my sake? We just want your friend to join us for a few drinks, that’s all. Don’t worry, we mean no harm.”
“He doesn’t drink. Are you guys done?”
Clarissa was well and truly furious, apparent from the bite in her tone. However, this was a wedding. As long as someone called her out on her attitude, everyone could join in and chose to ignore her anger, or perhaps even call her a party pooper.
Many a time, this was what started an upheaval at weddings.
While the people boxing Clarissa in started to jeer at her, a murmur ran through the crowd on the other side, which gradually escalated to a clamor.
The people over here hadn’t yet noticed the stir and that a group of people was heading toward them.
The groom, Blake Zimmer, was the first to notice it, turning to see his father scrambling to keep up with an eye-catching man who was striding purposefully toward them.
Just as Helen and the others looked over as well, one of the male classmates grabbed Clarissa’s waist, saying that it was to prevent her from leaving, but of course, he had other plans in mind.
Clarissa exclaimed in a sharp voice that penetrated through the wall of people around her.
“Let me go, you b*stard!” Then, her hand came down on the man’s face.
Following the crisp sound of the slap was gasps in shock. They were even more surprised when the man who was being treated with so much reverence quickly shoved everyone aside to pull Clarissa into his arms.
“What’s going on?”
Matthew hugged Clarissa and looked down at her face which had gone pale with anger. He lifted her chin and inspected her for injuries. The gesture was intimate, possessive, and protective all in one package.
Clarissa pulled his hand away and shook her head. Since he was already here, she felt that there was no need to hide anymore. As for introducing him, that was something she could do without.
She uttered in a low voice, “Let’s just go.”
Matthew’s eyes glinted dangerously as he swept his gaze over these people. The look in his eyes was terrorizing and cold sweat began to trickle down everyone’s backs as fear to grip their hearts.
The man who fondled Clarissa earlier was worse off.
However, Matthew kept his temper in check and only cast a meaningful glance at the bride and groom before leaving with Clarissa.
Blake’s father, Dean Zimmer, and some other elders chased after them, panting and apologizing at the same time even though they didn’t know what exactly had transpired here. They were also tripping over themselves trying to invite Matthew to stay for a drink or two.
However, Dean came back with the others after some time with dismay written on their faces.
He immediately called Blake and Helen over, leaving behind the table of ex-classmates who exchanged fearful glances.
“Blake, what exactly is going on?”
Blake was about to ask him the same question.
“Dad, who was that?”
“The president of Tyson Corporation.”
“That was him?”
Blake had only just returned to the country and joined the company not long ago. Hence, he wasn’t very familiar with the influential entrepreneurs or matters related to the business circle here. Despite that, he was well aware of who Matthew Tyson, the president of Tyson Corporation, was.
While Blake was still in a daze, Dean looked at Helen, expressing mild displeasure toward this daughter-in-law of his.
“Helen, is Mr. Tyson’s girlfriend your ex-classmate? Why didn’t you say so?”
Why didn’t I say so?
To say that she was reeling from her shock was putting it mildly.
Rather than shock, it was more like an indescribable kind of torment, one that seeped into her bones and filled every cell in her body, making her want to claw at her chest just to have some semblance of relief.
The president of Tyson Corporation?
I don’t know who he is, but if he could make my father-in-law treat him with such respect, just what kind of existence must he have?
And a man such as him is Clarissa’s boyfriend?
Status aside, the man’s looks and demeanor were already enough to make women swoon. He had chiseled features and appeared aloof while exuding an air of authority. His presence alone made people feel a profound sense of awe and respect toward him.
When Helen saw the man earlier, her heart had fluttered wildly in her chest.
A man like him is Clarissa’s boyfriend?
“Helen!” Dean couldn’t help but snap at her.
Upon noticing Helen gnashing her teeth in jealousy with her hands balled into fists by her sides, Blake was inevitably quite upset.
However, this was the woman he chose to be his wife. Hence, he had to defend her in front of his father.
“Dad, Helen had no idea that Ms. Quigley is Mr. Tyson’s girlfriend. They haven’t seen each other in years and Ms. Quigley didn’t mention about it either. We never expected something like this to happen. Besides, Helen’s ex-classmates were only joking around Ms. Quigley. They didn’t mean to appear rude.”
“Joking around? Those ex-classmates are such uncivilized people. They were clearly being disrespectful toward Ms. Quigley. Blake, I’ve told you before. When it comes to your marriage, we may not care so much about family background, but we do look at character and values. Helen is fine, but look at those ex-classmates of hers, they are so unrefined.”
Dean may not say it aloud, but he was indirectly satirizing Helen.
Helen’s expression turned unsightly, but Blake reached out to grab her clenched fist just then.
“Dad, Helen only had good intentions. She hasn’t been in contact with those classmates for many years, so she didn’t expect them to be like this. Don’t be mad anymore. We won’t be seeing them in the future anyway.”
Dean nodded and glanced at Helen again. “Helen, when you make friends, choose ones with class. Since you’re friends with Ms. Quigley, you should keep in touch with her often, understand?”
Of course Helen understood the hidden meaning in his words.
Resentment swelled in her heart and it took everything in her to nod.
“I understand. Actually, I used to be roommates with Clarissa. We were quite close before, but then after graduation, we rarely contacted each other. But since she’s in D City now, we’ll definitely keep in touch often.”
“Good, good.”
Satisfied with her response, he stood up to continue mingling since the wedding had to go on.
Clarissa was still in a bad mood even though Matthew had whisked her away.
After he sent those people away, he led Clarissa into the elevator. Seeing that they were alone, he leaned over and pressed his body against Clarissa, caressing her face with a slender finger.
“Were they bullying you? Do you want me to make them regret ever doing that, Clare?” he asked in a gravelly voice.
Clarissa finally circled Matthew’s waist with her arms and sighed softly.
“It’s fine. It’d be overkill if you were to take action. I know what they were aiming for actually. They wanted to humiliate me and see me make a fool out of myself, but now that you’ve shown your face, the joke’s on them.”
Clarissa giggled and grinned broadly, her mood seemingly taken a turn for the better.
With mischief shining in her eyes, she tilted her head and remarked, “Everyone was so surprised the moment you showed up. Those dimwits didn’t get to laugh at me. In fact, they’re probably jealous of me now.”
When the elevator door opened, both of them walked out side by side.
Amusement tugged at Matthew’s lips as he said in a rich voice, “You’re so easy to please. If you want to, I can make them even more jealous.”
“No!”
Clarissa immediately shook her head. “You know I don’t like showing off. I’m as low-key as they get!”
She did not want to be envied by people everywhere she went. All she wanted was to live her own life. Whether it was a happy or miserable one, there was no need to publicize it.
This was one of her notable traits and Matthew was fully aware of it. In fact, he found that more often than none, she did not even possess a shred of vanity.
He stroked Clarissa’s soft hair and smiled. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but you won’t be able to remain low-key in the days to come.”
“What do you mean?”
Matthew did not answer her, but asked her a question of his own. “How’s your relationship with the bride?”
“Her? Not good. She hated me because of a man back then.”
Matthew was initially going to say something else, but this caught his attention and a deadly glint flickered in his eyes.
“A man?”
Clarissa didn’t see the need to hide this matter from him. Hence, she started narrating the whole incident, airing her grievances and vehemently proving her innocence.
“Back then, I rarely saw that senior in school and we never even spoke to each other before, but he confessed to me out of the blue.
“He was a scumbag through and through. To think that I even felt angry on behalf of Helen.
“But in the end, she took out her anger on me.”
Clarissa got even more riled up just then. “I mean c’mon, what does it have to do with me? That guy was obviously the problem, but Helen blamed it all on me. Is she daft or something? And don’t even get me started on that crazy son of a b*tch. We’ve never even spoken to each other. Thinking about it just makes me feel nauseated.”
Matthew stayed silent. He didn’t think that the man was crazy, but it was this woman who wasn’t aware of her own charm.
In a nutshell, she didn’t understand men at all. Otherwise, she wouldn’t still think this way and he would never have fallen for her either.
