"What about Miss Su's prenatal check-up tomorrow?" Paige asked.
Matthew frowned. Why was another prenatal check-up scheduled so soon? "Since I have another engagement, you need to accompany her. My instructions apply to all future prenatal examinations as well."
Paige nodded as she replied, "Yes, Mr. Huo." She thought, 'Mr. Huo is conscientious and always puts his work first. Why did he cancel his meetings for tomorrow? What's happening?'
"Don't call me for anything. If you need something, contact the general manager," he added.
Although puzzled by the situation, Paige had to suppress her curiosity. "Yes, Mr. Huo."
The evening inched closer to midnight.
At the Pearl Villa District
A camouflaged figure jumped down from the windowsill and ran toward the wall encircling the villa's courtyard. A glance showed the figure that two bodyguards were patrolling the main gate of the villa.
Erica had sensed that several people had been following her these past two days, and she was right.
A shiver went down her spine when she thought of what would happen next. She mumbled a quick apology as she felt sorry for Matthew.
Then, without further hesitation, she threw the rope in her hand upward…
At eleven twenty, Matthew's car slowly pulled into the villa's driveway.
The man stepped out and glanced at the two bodyguards, who had walked up to the car. "Where is Erica?"
One of the bodyguards immediately answered, "Mr. Huo, Mrs. Huo is inside. She hasn't stepped out since she returned tonight."
"Good." Matthew nodded with satisfaction.
After entering the villa, he made his way to the bedroom on the third floor.
Oddly enough, there was a piece of white paper stuck to the heavy wooden door. Matthew's brow furrowed as he read the note, "Please look at the bed."
A sense of foreboding coursed through him. It struck him then that the villa was too quiet, which was contrary to Erica's personality.
He pushed the door open and surveyed the room. The bedside lamp had been switched on, but there was no one in the room.
When he walked to the bed, Matthew saw that a brocade box had been placed alongside another note.
The handwriting on the paper matched the note he had found on the door. It said, "Happy birthday, Matthew! I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I will be gone for two days. When I return, I'll be at your disposal! I carefully selected the gift in the brocade box. I hope you like your birthday present! I promise that I will return after a few days. Please don't worry. Bye! From your cowardly wife, Rika Li Huo."
'Rika Li Huo? Humph!'
For the past two days, Matthew had felt that Erica would misbehave. Although he had taken all precautions, he hadn't thought that she would run away! The temperature in the room seemed to fall several degrees as fury coursed through Matthew. Slowly, he crumpled the note she had left him.
So far, Erica had been the only person who dared to play such a trick on him!
Perhaps he had treated her so well that she thought he could be easily bullied.
Matthew pulled out his phone and dialed a number. As soon as the call connected, he ordered sternly, "Search the whole city for my wife. Make sure you leave no stone unturned!"
Anyone who angered Matthew faced dire consequences.
Even though it was the middle of the night, all the hotel check-in systems in Y City were examined to see if Erica had made a reservation under her name.
But the search didn't yield any positive results.
She wasn't at school or any of the Internet cafes. They couldn't find her anywhere!
Matthew didn't sleep the whole night. As soon as the sun kissed the horizon, he left the villa and drove to one of their other houses in Y City. It appeared as though Erica had been here!
There were obvious traces that someone had slept in the bedroom. The corners of his lips hooked into a smile as he recanted his words. He had always said that Erica was stupid, but now he knew otherwise.
She was not stupid at all! She knew the most dangerous place was the safest.
From what he could tell, she had stolen the key to their other house from the study and come here. She had even tucked herself in the new silk quilt and slept comfortably for the night.
When he stepped into the bathroom, he noticed that she had used the toiletries that had been placed for his occasional visits. Finally, Matthew watched the surveillance video and saw that she had left the community in a good mood early that morning.
'Erica Niugulu, good job!' Matthew thought as he gritted his teeth.
Meanwhile, since Matthew had placed men in all the airports and railway stations, Erica had no choice but to spend thousands of dollars to hail a private car. When the car arrived, she instructed the driver to take her out of Y City.
In A Country
After several hours in the private car, Erica finally reached her destination. Stiff and uncomfortable during the car ride, she nursed her aching back as she stepped out of the vehicle. After thanking the driver, she hailed another taxi and went to the Li family residence.
Once she neared the neighborhood of the Li family's villa, Erica instructed the driver to stop. To her surprise, three men hailed her as soon as she got out of the taxi.
Even before they could speak, she turned and fled. But the men reacted quickly and tried their best to catch up with her.
In less than two minutes, a familiar man appeared in the middle of the road and blocked Erica's way.
'Oh, crap!'
Erica froze when she saw the man. She turned to glance at her followers before facing the man in front of her. She gasped for breath as she spoke. "Dad, please pretend that you didn't see me today!"
Without a word, Wesley reached out and grabbed her wrist. With an expressionless face, he barked, "Go home!"
"Dad, who is at home now?" Erica cautiously asked, even though she somehow knew the answer.
Since Matthew's men had appeared near the Li family's house, he must be there too.
Wesley didn't answer her. Instead, he began dragging her toward the house.
Panicked, Erica tried flattery. "Dad, my good dad, can we stop, please? You are my superhero!"
Wesley glared at his daughter. Her honeyed words and flattering smile didn't fool him. Instead, he retorted, "I'm not your superhero. It should be Matthew."
"Dad, don't be so humble. If you take me back now, he will bully me even more!" The relationship between Matthew and her father perplexed Erica. What did Matthew do to her father to make the old man side with him every time?
Wesley loosened his grip on her wrist and stared at his daughter. "Erica Li! Tell me again. Who bullied whom?"
"Of course, it's—" Although she started confidently, Erica couldn't continue the lie with conviction. She lowered her head and said weakly, "He bullied me…" Matthew always wanted to sleep with her. Was that the only important thing in a man's heart?
Had Gifford been standing in front of him, Wesley would have kicked him. After taking a breath to control his anger, Wesley said, "It was you who fled to your parents' house on your husband's birthday. You stood him up. You climbed over the wall to escape. Poor Matthew was worried sick when he didn't find you after searching for you the whole night. He eventually figured that you would return to A Country. So, he chartered a plane to get here and ensure that you were safe. What else do you want Matthew to do?" Wesley thought his daughter had gone too far this time! Her behavior was becoming more and more unacceptable, and he couldn't stand it anymore.
Wesley's harsh tone broke Erica's heart. She retorted, "It's his fault. He always wants to… wants to…" Erica blushed crimson when she thought of what she needed to say. How could she explain her situation to her father?
She was terrified of having sex with Matthew for the first time. Otherwise, why would she go through all this trouble?
As an experienced man, Wesley immediately understood what she had hesitated to say. With a gentler tone, he questioned, "Erica, don't tell me that you and Matthew aren't a real couple yet."
The truth had been exposed! Erica's mouth opened and closed, but she couldn't think of what to say. Finally, she silently lowered her head.
Wesley gritted his teeth as he glared at his daughter. Even though anger surged in him, he remained calm and asked, "Is it because Matthew is impotent?"
Erica's eyes flew open, and her face reddened. Instantly, she recalled all the times that Matthew had taken a cold shower after being with her. Finally, she shook her head. She was sure that her husband had no such problem.
"So, it's you! You're the reason why you and Matthew haven't become a real couple! You're the one with the problem."
Erica blushed and retorted, "You are the one who has problems!"
Enraged with her behavior, Wesley raised his hand threateningly. Erica turned and fled homeward. She screeched, "Mom, the old man is going to hit me!"
