"Of course I'll choose to go meet my idol Aaron! It's such a rare opportunity!" Erica said excitedly. Then, she continued in a softer tone, "There will be a lot of other activities for live-action shooting in the future, so it doesn't matter if I miss this one.
Anyway, is the news you got reliable? Why didn't I hear about it?" "Now that you mention it, I'm not sure. Someone said that in a group chat on WeChat," Hyatt replied with uncertainty.
"I see. Anyway, please help me check when Aaron will arrive at ZL Group."
"Sure." Hyatt took out his phone and browsed his chat log. "It says he'll be there from 3 to 5 p.m."
"Got it!"
Just then, Erica noticed a familiar figure walking toward them.
She was still hesitating over whether to say hello when that person noticed her as well.
Their eyes met. 'Although she was cold to me last time, we used to be on good terms. I should go greet her anyway, ' Erica thought. Then, she took a step forward and spoke first. "Hi, Phoebe!"
Phoebe looked at her just as indifferently as last time. "Ms. Li, please don't be so informal with me from now on. We're not that close."
Erica nodded hesitantly. "Okay, I just want to ask if I did anything to offend you."
"You are a good actress, aren't you?" Phoebe sneered.
Feeling even more confused than before, Erica asked, "Why do you say that?" It had been a long time since they had seen each other, and either way, she had never lied to Phoebe or caused her any trouble. She had no idea why Phoebe's attitude toward her had changed all of a sudden.
"You can continue to pretend. Someday, I will tell everyone what you did! Then the whole world will know what kind of person you actually are!"
Erica could clearly see a touch of loathing in Phoebe's eyes.
Beginning to get annoyed by the latter's vague words, she asked, "You say I'm pretending, but can you tell me what exactly I've done? Why am I a good actress?"
Phoebe bit her lip and said, "Well, let me ask you, what happened to my younger sister?"
At the mention of Tessie, Erica fell into silence. She had promised Tessie that she would never tell her family anything.
However, mistaking her silence for guilt, Phoebe said, "I feel sorry for Matthew for having you as his wife! He is such an excellent man, but why did he marry a bad woman like you?"
For Erica, that was the last straw. "Phoebe, this is the last time I'll be nice to you. How can you say such words to insult me? Our friendship is officially over! But let me tell you this: Whether you believe it or not, I have no qualms about Tessie! I've nothing to feel guilty about," she snapped.
"Huh! You don't feel guilty? Aren't you afraid of karma, Erica Li?" Phoebe was getting angrier by the minute, and she felt sorry for her sister for having made such a bad friend like Erica.
Hyatt, who was standing next to them, couldn't help but cut in. "Phoebe Su, I think there's been a misunderstanding."
Phoebe shot Hyatt a cold glance. "Who do you think you are? How dare you interrupt us! I know exactly what kind of person Erica is. She does deserve to be called Miss Troublemaker."
Hyatt's face turned red in anger, but he couldn't say anything.
"Let's go." Erica touched Hyatt's arm, hinting for him to give up this conversation. After today, her last trace of fondness for Phoebe had disappeared!
The two of them began walking, but just as they passed Phoebe, she called out to them again. "Erica Li, you don't deserve Matthew. You're a woman who has an illegitimate child with another man! If you have any ounce of shame, you'll leave Matthew right now!" '
How could she call Ethan an illegitimate child?' A burst of rage bubbled up in Erica's chest.
She turned around and glared at Phoebe. "I don't deserve Matthew? What about you then? You're a married woman. It's not up to you to decide whether I deserve Matthew or not. All that matters is whether he and I are happy. I don't know why you've suddenly become so hostile to me, but whatever it is, you and I are complete strangers from now on. After this, if you keep appearing in front of me and speaking such nonsense, I will show you what a troublemaker can really do."
"Erica Li, you—"
"I what? Matthew really likes me. You don't have to worry about our business," Erica retorted, cutting her off. The way Phoebe kept bringing up Matthew was really getting on her nerves. If Phoebe wasn't married to Matthew's best friend, Erica would have suspected that she was in love with Matthew.
Phoebe took several deep breaths to calm down and said, "Matthew already has someone in his heart and he loves her deeply. You think he likes you? Don't flatter yourself!"
"So what if he has someone else in his heart? He married me in the end, didn't he?" Erica had never spoken so arrogantly to Phoebe before, but Phoebe had never been this aggressive toward her either. Until recently, Phoebe had always been like a warm and kind sister to her. But now, she was acting hostile as if Erica had personally wronged her.
Phoebe didn't know how to retort to Erica's question. In the end, she just said, "Remember, our Su family won't let you off." Then, she turned around and left.
Erica sighed. She had been so happy just moments before, but this encounter with Phoebe had completely ruined her mood! She wanted to analyze the abnormal change in Phoebe's attitude toward her, but she couldn't ask Hyatt about it because he was even more stupid than she was. In the end, she decided to call Rhea.
After briefly explaining everything to her, Erica said in conclusion, "I really don't understand why she was so hostile to me. Do you think that she is the goddess in Matthew's heart? Could it be possible that both of them love each other, but since I'm the one who got married to Matthew in the end, she's holding a grudge against me?"
Erica had racked her brains for an explanation but this was the only one she had come up with.
Rhea thought for a moment and said, "That's possible, but you're just grasping at straws here. There's no evidence for you to think that way. Besides, Phoebe was married to Matthew's best friend. Erica, you shouldn't say such reckless things."
"I know that, but I really have a feeling that I'm right! Last night, Matthew was drunk and tried to do something with me because he mistook me for another woman. I said Paige's name and he didn't stop. But then when I said Phoebe's name, he immediately stopped his advances." As she narrated the incident, Erica suddenly remembered how Matthew had called her "honey" at that time. His sweet voice had melted her heart then.
"If that's the case, then… Well, it is too much of a coincidence." 'The woman in Rika's husband's heart is the elder sister of Rika's best friend? That's really too dramatic!' Rhea sighed inwardly.
"But as you said, I don't have any evidence, so I can't be sure. Forget it! The point is, Phoebe was very rude to me today! She even called Ethan an illegitimate child! She'll definitely regret this one day."
"Exactly! By the way, where's Hyatt? Is he with you now?" Rhea asked.
Erica glanced at the man walking next to her with his head down. "Yes."
"Put him on the phone!"
"Rhea wants to talk to you," Erica said to Hyatt before handing him the phone.
Hyatt smiled as he put the phone up to his ear. "Hi, Rhea."
"Hi, good boy. Remember to take good care of Rika in Y City. If she gets bullied by anyone, I will get even with you!"
"Yes, got it!"
"Good. Go to class now. Call me when you come back to A Country one day. I'll buy you a cup of U Loveit." It was no secret that this was Hyatt's favorite brand of milk tea.
He scratched the back of his head shyly and said, "Thanks. But Erica already bought me a cup last time."
"That's her treat. It has nothing to do with me. As long as you take good care of Erica, I will treat you myself someday!"
"Okay then."
