Because she was completely blown away, Erica didn't hear all of what Gifford said. She asked, "You two know each other?"
Chantel thought for a while and asked Erica in surprise, "Isn't your surname Lin?" 'Could she be the Erica I've heard so much about?' she wondered.
Erica was confused by her question. "No. Remember? It's Li!"
"What? So you're Rika!" Chantel said with certainty. So at last, she had met the infamous Erica.
"Yeah. So how do you know my brother?" Erica shifted her gaze between Gifford and Chantel in suspicion.
'Why is my brother here looking for Chantel? Did she break the law?'
Ignoring the confusion and astonishment of the two girls, Gifford looked at Chantel and asked, "Why did you turn your phone off?"
"I lost it. It was stolen on the bus. I wanted to send a message to Uncle Wesley with Rika's phone, but her battery was dead," she replied honestly to Gifford.
The man was speechless. He patted his forehead helplessly. "So why are you two staying at this hotel?"
Chantel shot Erica a meaningful glance, and Erica replied instead, "We met outside the gate of the villa, went to dinner, and started talking. We became fast friends, and it was late, so we got a room so we could get some sleep."
'Met outside the gate? Became fast friends?' Gifford didn't believe her at all. He stared at his sister with a fake smile and said, "That's a strange coincidence."
Erica chuckled and nodded, "Yes, that's all it is—coincidence. So, again, how do you know each other? Is she your girlfriend?"
"Not exactly. Remember that girl I brought home? She's Chantel Ye."
Erica was shocked. She had heard from Blair that Gifford had rescued a girl and brought her back home. "What? You're that Chantel? I never knew! Nice to meet you, finally!" She ran to Chantel and looked her up and down.
Chantel chuckled. "So you weren't running away from another man. You were running away from home." 'I knew it! She's not a mistress at all.'
So Chantel wasn't lost. She had found Matthew's villa, and Erica lived there.
When she heard this, Erica smiled sheepishly. "I didn't mean to lie to you. I was afraid of being found out!"
"Oh, I see…" Actually, she didn't see. She had way more questions, but now wasn't the time to ask.
Gifford fished out his phone from his pocket and said, "Looks like you're okay. Mom's worried about you. Here, call her." He handed his phone to Chantel and looked at Erica. "Matthew's on his way here, as well. You might as well stay put!"
Erica pulled a long face and begged Gifford, "Oh come on. Don't you care about me anymore?"
Gifford didn't buy it. He smiled and answered, "You're just lucky you're his responsibility! If it were up to me, I'd tan your hide! But you've got Matthew now. I'm sure he's going to have words with you. I don't need to care anymore!" Since Matthew married Erica, Gifford felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. He didn't need to look out for his sister anymore.
Speak of the devil. They could hear several men approaching at a rapid pace, barking orders and stamping boots.
The man leading them was none other than Matthew.
With a cry torn from the depths of her heart, Erica rushed over to him with a smile on her face. "Matthew, you're here!" She held the man's arm fawningly.
Gifford looked at her with disgust. "Wow. That's a 180 degree turn if I've ever seen one." 'Such a capricious woman!' he thought.
Erica took umbrage at her brother's taunt. She raised her head and snorted at him arrogantly. "He's my hubby! Why wouldn't I be happy to see him?"
Matthew rolled his eyes at her. She was pretty convincing, though. If she hadn't climbed over the wall tonight, he would have believed her.
Gifford simply waved his hand at them and said, "Go ahead, Matthew, take her home and read her the riot act."
"Hey Gifford, you really need to relax more. Why not come and live with us for a few days? Chantel, let's get out of here. Don't worry about the hotel. Hey! Let go of me!"
Gifford pulled his sister away from Chantel and threw her into the arms of the silent man again.
When she barreled into him, Matthew nonchalantly draped an arm around her waist.
"I'll take Chantel back to A Country tomorrow," Gifford said. "Have a good night, you two!"
"Wait!"
"Wait!" Two women's voices rang out in unison. Of course, it was Chantel and Erica.
'If Erica takes off now, this would be a wasted trip, ' Chantel thought. She waited a long time to buy the discounted ticket and fly here. She couldn't waste the money or the time.
As for Erica, she wanted to argue some more and see if she could stay here tonight.
The two girls looked into each other's eyes and walked together with a smile. Pointing at the bathroom, Erica told the expressionless Matthew, "Give us a few minutes. Time for some girl talk!"
"Hold up!" Matthew finally spoke.
While Erica stood there confused, the man ordered the bodyguard behind him, "Go and check it out." He had to make sure Erica wouldn't try to escape from the bathroom.
"Yes, Mr. Huo!"
Erica watched the bodyguard enter the bathroom, feeling distressed. Did Matthew think she was superhuman? They were on the thirteenth floor! Was she supposed to sprout wings and fly out the window? She had no tools or anything else.
Two minutes later
Under the confused gazes of the two men, Erica and Chantel walked into the bathroom. Chantel closed the bathroom door.
Inside, Erica held Chantel's hand and whispered, "Tell me the truth, are you my brother's girlfriend or not? How long are you staying here? Can you come to my house?" If someone lived in the villa with them, then she had an excuse not to sleep with Matthew.
Chantel shook her head. "No, I'm not your brother's girlfriend, but… Rika, I'm here for you."
"For me?"
"Yes!" Chantel took a deep breath and said honestly, "Okay, l guess there's no easy way to say this. I want to sleep with your brother and have a baby. Can you help me?"
Erica was shocked by what she was asking. She admired her courage a lot. "But…are you even old enough?"
"What kind of question is that? I'm in college, remember?"
'Oh, that makes sense. But giving birth to a baby for my brother…' Erica hesitated.
Chantel understood her hesitation. This should not be taken lightly. She continued, "Since Ethan left, Auntie Blair's been sad all the time. I want to give her a grandkid to make her and Uncle Wesley happy. I swear I'm healthy. I've even been to the hospital for a physical. There's nothing wrong with me and I have the papers to prove it. And, if I can do this, the kid won't miss his grandpa and grandma. And they won't miss him. They'll have him all the time, if they want…"
And that was where Erica came in. She was integral to Chantel's plan.
She knew the Li family loved their two daughters the most. She couldn't go to Yvette; she'd never agree to a plan like that. But Erica, on the other hand…
Erica was different. As far as Chantel knew, Erica had always been fearless and was up for anything. Even if Gifford found out Erica had taken part in her plan, the brother wouldn't really do anything to his youngest sister.
That was why Chantel came to find Erica. She could discuss it with her. If Erica didn't agree, she would have to give up.
After hearing her explanation, Erica thought, 'She's got a point. Gifford's over 30, and it's high time he got a girlfriend.'
