Matthew could only conclude that this woman was indeed a one-of-a-kind temptress.
However, he knew to keep his thoughts to himself or this woman would give him an earful.
Upon returning to Zen Highlands, Clarissa and Matthew did nothing besides keep each other company. He read his book while she read her script and when she felt tired, she would lean against him and nap in his arms for a bit.
Speaking was not necessary because this warm and quiet atmosphere was more than enough for them to feel content.
However, their peaceful moment came to an end when Clarissa received a call from Helen at night.
Clarissa’s brows furrowed. Shouldn’t she know better by now?
Doesn’t she know how angry I am at being put in a tight spot at her wedding?
Why is she still calling me?
“Hey, Clarissa. My husband and I wish to invite you and Mr. Tyson to attend our party tonight. Don’t worry, it’s only with some close friends. Those ignorant people won’t be there to find fault with you again… I’m really sorry about what happened earlier. I didn’t expect our ex-classmates to go so overboard. I hope you didn’t take it to heart.
“We’ve been classmates and friends for many years. We were really close too back when we were roommates. You still take me as your friend, right? Since you’re in D City, we should hang out more often…”
Helen had spoken so much, but ultimately, her goal was to get Clarissa and Matthew to attend the party together.
Even after Clarissa solemnly refused, Helen did not get angry and only said that if there was a chance, they should get together in the future.
After hanging up the call, Matthew glanced at her. Clarissa chucked her phone aside and leaned toward him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed at him with bright eyes.
“So, is this what you meant when you said I won’t be able to remain low-key anymore? You predicted this?”
The edges of Matthew’s lips lifted slightly as he stroked along Clarissa’s spine and raised his brows to ask, “Predicted what?”
“Don’t act dumb. You predicted that Helen would contact me, didn’t you? Well, she didn’t just call me, she apologized. She was so nice I thought we were real sisters for a second there,” Clarissa said with sarcasm.
“Mm.”
“What do you mean ‘mm’?
Clarissa smacked Matthew on the chest. “You already expected this would happen. Hmph! She’s only so nice to me because she wants to get acquainted with you. Helen’s as stubborn as a mule, so she probably only did this because her in-laws are pressuring her. And they probably asked her to do it because they wanna curry your favor. That’s why I told you can’t just show up whenever you want. Someone like you needs to hide from greedy people and keep a low profile.”
“If I didn’t show up, they would’ve continued bullying you. You don’t seem happy that I came to your rescue.”
The corners of Clarissa’s mouth twitched and she fell silent for a moment with no way to refute. But then, she pouted her lips and spoke in a coquettish tone.
“Of course I’m happy. I didn’t say that I wasn’t! All I can say is that I underestimated how mean those people could get. Why did they single me out like that? What did I ever do them?”
Clarissa just could not understand what she did to deserve this.
However, Matthew could somewhat guess the reason behind their actions.
Ordinary people usually could not stand seeing others fare better than themselves.
In school, students often tried to best each other in terms of clothes and money. Society was more or less the same. People would often make fun of those who had the lowest-paid jobs or hadn’t yet married.
People always got off on banding up against someone whom they were envious of.
That was especially the case for Clarissa due to her stunning looks. She had probably turned down many boys in school back then and garnered the envy of many girls. Fast forward to the present, the men wanted to see Clarissa lead a miserable life just so they could feel better about themselves and the women’s mentality was even easier to understand.
Hence, it was very easy to guess their motives. Doesn’t this woman know that the so-called class reunions are just a front for besting each other and see who’s better than who?
Matthew pinched Clarissa’s cheek and chuckled in low voice.
“Silly!”
“You’re the one who’s silly. I’m a smart lady, mind you.”
“Mm, you’re the smartest.”
Matthew played along with her with an indulging smile.
Clarissa scrunched up her nose and harrumphed softly. “Save it. I don’t need your half-assed compliments. All that matters is that I know that I’m smart. I’m low-key like that.”
Matthew stopped talking altogether. Sooner or later, the word “low-key” was going to become her catchphrase.
“Oh, right. I turned down Helen’s invitation to the party tonight, but I have a feeling that she won’t give up so easily. I’ll definitely keep turning her down, that’s for sure, so it’ll be useless no matter how much she pesters me. On the other hand, if her in-laws use me to build rapport with you, don’t fall for it. Helen and I are not friends.”
Matthew raised a brow. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Alright, alright! My dear Mr. Tyson doesn’t need me to tell him all this. I get it. I’m stupid to have even mentioned it, okay?”
Clarissa pushed Matthew away and wanted to stand up, but it was to no avail.
Matthew gripped her slender waist and forced her to lean against him, using his free hand to grab her chin.
With a devilish smirk, he asked in a husky voice, “Are you mad?”
“No, I’m not that petty.”
“Good then.”
The next second, he lowered his head to plant kisses on her lips, taking his time to revel in the pleasure it brought.
There was no space left between their bodies as Matthew slowly deepened the kiss.
…
Just like Clarissa had predicted, Helen did not give up.
She seemed desperate, inviting Clarissa out the next day itself without bothering to ask if the latter was working.
Perhaps she felt that since Clarissa had a man like Matthew as her boyfriend, she wouldn’t need to work at all.
Once again, Clarissa rejected Helen’s invitation through the phone call, feeling flummoxed.
Shouldn’t Helen be on her honeymoon now?
After writing for almost half a day in Zen Highlands, Clarissa went to Ellie’s place and modeled the new arrivals while the latter took photos for the live broadcast at night.
Clarissa did not dare to tell Ellie about Helen, afraid that Ellie would press her for more details which would then leave her no choice but to reveal the truth.
Hence, Clarissa chose to keep it a secret for now.
But she was already thinking about the right time to tell Ellie. This matter could not be kept a secret for much longer. If Ellie were to catch wind about it from their ex-classmates, the entire matter would be exposed.
Rather than letting it be exposed, it was best to come clean herself.
Unfortunately, Clarissa couldn’t seem to muster up the courage to do so.
After taking the photos, Ellie made backup copies and sent them to Clarissa. They had their dinner first before moving on to the live broadcast. Unlike the first time, Clarissa was more experienced this time round.
Seeing the number of viewers shoot through the roof, Ellie could barely contain her excitement.
This live broadcast didn’t end until after eleven at night and Clarissa was completely drained of energy by then.
Matthew had called her several times, to which she discreetly replied with text messages in order to pacify him.
“Clare, your influence is seriously powerful and far-reaching. Haha! By the way, someone messaged me on my live broadcast platform offering you a job as an anchor. It’s commission-based. They even asked for your number in hopes that you’d be interested in joining the showbiz. Tsk tsk, this is only the second live broadcast. You’d be famous by now if I wasn’t selfishly keeping you all to myself.”
Like a fish on dry land, Clarissa rolled her eyes and drew out the word, “No.”
“I know, I know. You would never accept the offer. Besides, you’re my exclusive model. No one else is allowed to headhunt you. Alright, I’ll send you home now. Your apartment or your boyfriend’s place?”
“Mine.”
“Your apartment? Okay, got it.”
Seeing that Clarissa was only giving one-worded answers, Ellie refrained from talking. Clarissa was her golden goose, so she had to take very good care of her.
Ellie supported her to the car, then brought her back to the apartment and even sent her right to her bed.
When she started snoring softly, Ellie finally took her leave.
Matthew came up only after he made sure Ellie was gone. He went into Clarissa’s room and glanced at the woman on the bed who hadn’t even changed out of her clothes yet. A hint of fond exasperation flashed across his stoic face.
He leaned down to take off her clothes, but because she was just tired and not dead drunk, she immediately woke up when she felt someone fumbling with her clothes.
The moment she opened her eyes, she collided gazes with Matthew and hence, let her guard down and sat up unhurriedly. But when she looked down, she found that Matthew’s hand was resting on her chest.
Matthew did not retract his hand, nor did he have the intention to do so. His eyes flickered with a hint of mischief.
Clarissa’s brows drew together. “Why is your hand still here? Are you going to leave it here until the sun comes up?”
Amused by Clarissa’s tone, instead of removing his hand, he deliberately squeezed lightly.
“Maybe I will.”
Clarissa snorted softly and pushed his hand away. Swinging her legs off the bed, she fixed her clothes a little before going to the bathroom.
When Clarissa came out of the shower, Matthew had already made himself comfortable on her bed.
While drying her damp hair, she asked, “Didn’t I tell you that it’s too late so I won’t be going to Zen Highlands tonight?”
“Mm, so I came here.”
Clarissa’s hands paused their movements. “Can I have my own space?”
Matthew was silent for a while before countering, “Didn’t you have your own space the whole day?”
“I meant at night.”
“Not at night!”
Clarissa threw the towel aside and growled, “Tyrant!”
Matthew raised his brows in silent admission.
Clarissa climbed into bed, but before she could find a comfortable position, she was pulled into Matthew’s arms. This was something he always had to do whenever they were both in bed.
Not just in bed, but as long as his hands were idle and she was beside him, he would automatically hug her and stroke her back. I really don’t know how this fetish of his came about.
And what did he hug when there were no women beside him during his “celibate” years?
Clarissa’s imagination started to run wild.
