Erica only stayed in the Li family's house for two days. She then set off from A Country to Cass.
Matthew had already calculated her arrival time. So, as soon as she got off the plane, she received a call from him. After telling him that she arrived safely, she hung up and went straight to the hotel.
At Orchid Private Club
In the dim VIP room, Matthew was seated silently, staring at the wine in his glass.
With a dissatisfied expression on his face, Sheffield sat down opposite him and said, "Just because you don't have a wife to sleep with tonight, we have to put aside our work and leave our wives to go out with you."
Joshua chuckled, "Don't provoke him, man. Be careful. He might have a life-and-death battle with you later." Everyone could tell that Matthew was not in a good mood.
"Then let's fight it out! Who says I'm afraid of him?" Sheffield poured wine into his glass leisurely.
Harmon echoed his joke and said, "Why not? Matthew has a lot of money anyway. Even if we smash his private room right now, he can have it decorated more luxuriously." They all knew that Matthew had a brawl with Watkins in this room last time. After the fight, he had it renovated, and it looked more luxurious than before.
Matthew shifted his gaze from his glass to Sheffield. His brother-in-law used to be a ladies' man, and he should understand women better, so he asked him, "Why Rika doesn't want me to accompany her?"
He felt like Erica had changed a lot recently. He couldn't even guess what she was thinking.
Sheffield grinned mysteriously and replied, "Look at your poker face. Why don't you learn from me? You should smile more."
"Fuck off!" he cursed ruthlessly.
Sheffield just crossed his legs casually and said, "If I leave now, who can you ask for advice? Joshua? Harmon? Do you think these two can help you analyze Erica?"
Unfortunately, Matthew had to admit that Sheffield was right. He took a sip of his wine. The burning sensation when the liquid passed through his throat was too stimulating.
Joshua and Harmon refuted their so-called ladies' man friend discontentedly. After all, they had been in love and married. They knew how women think too.
But Sheffield just ignored their interruption and said to Matthew, "Tell me what happened recently."
"I have nothing to tell." Too many things had happened recently, and he wasn't in the mood to narrate everything to him.
Sheffield shook his head helplessly and drank the wine from his glass. He thought of annoying Matthew deliberately, so he said to Joshua, "Joshua, do you know that Rika is a goddess to someone?"
Joshua took a glance at Matthew and nodded but didn't dare to say a word.
"Do you know who dotes on her and loves her so much?"
Joshua nodded again. This time, Matthew cast them a malicious glance.
Sheffield felt his sharp gaze but pretended not to notice it. Instead, he continued talking to Joshua. "Do you know who wants to give all the best things in the world to her?"
For the third time, Joshua nodded again.
"Do you know who wants to spoil her to be the most lawless woman in the world?"
Joshua gave him his fourth nod.
"And do you…"
Bang! Matthew slammed his empty glass on the marble table and looked at Sheffield coldly. "Yes! Yes, it's me. The answer to all your questions is me. But that is my biggest secret. How dare you expose it now! I feel naked in front of you now. Sheffield Tang, are you humiliating me on purpose?" He was annoyed that all the feelings he had hidden for so long were suddenly exposed.
Sheffield rolled up his sleeves and said threateningly, "Come on, let's have a duel. I am your brother-in-law, and I am older than you. What's your attitude towards me? Do you want me to beat you to death tonight?"
"Fine! Let's fight to death!" A murderous look flashed across Matthew's eyes.
Seeing the fury on his face, Sheffield chickened out at once. "No, no, no. I'm just kidding. We both have to live, so you can continue spoiling your Rika, and I can continue spoiling my wife too." He didn't want to do something that was not worth it. He had a wife and two children, and he didn't want to die.
Matthew ran his fingers through his short hair annoyingly. 'My Rika, ' he thought inwardly.
Fortunately, as soon as Sheffield mentioned his wife and Erica, the tension in the air instantly disappeared. Matthew continued to drink irritably. He was still in a bad mood because his wife was not at home.
Joshua and Harmon just ignored them and continued chatting happily.
A few moments later, Sheffield suddenly clicked his tongue and asked abruptly, "Matthew, does Rika know your feelings for her?"
Matthew fell silent.
One of the bodyguards had reported to him that Camille had already told Erica about it, but she hadn't mentioned it to him yet. He wasn't sure what she felt after knowing his true feelings for her.
Sheffield sighed and asked again, "Do you intend to let her discover it all by herself? Are you not going to tell her that you love her from the very start?"
He hit the nail on the head. Indeed, that was what Matthew had really planned.
With a smile, he added, "Based on her IQ, I think you may have to wait for at least ten more years."
It might even take more than ten years. Actually, he wasn't confident that Erica would find it out by herself if Matthew wouldn't confess his love for her directly.
But it was also possible that she would understand through time. After all, people changed as they grew older, and experiences taught them to comprehend things around them easily.
Matthew remained silent, so Sheffield continued, "Anyway, she's only twenty-two years old. She has not experienced the real harsh world yet, so it's normal for her to be naive. When she finishes her studies and exposes herself to the outside world, she will definitely change. So, if you are not in a hurry, you can wait for ten years or more. But if you think it's too long, you better take the initiative to confess to her. You can't treat her the way you treat other people. If you have something to say to her, say it straightforwardly."
"How can I wait for that long? If I'm not in a hurry to confide my feelings for her, I won't be drinking here with you tonight," Matthew said angrily.
"So what are you waiting for? Go home and confess your love! Who knows? Rika may also have the same feelings for you," Sheffield concluded.
After a while, Matthew drank his last glass of wine and decided to go home.
He would wait for Erica to come back and confess his love for her. This time, he would tell her everything.
If she didn't love him, he would accept it. Anyway, she already couldn't escape from him forever.
But if she loved him too… he would be the happiest man in this world.
It was a beautiful night in Cass.
Afraid that it might not be safe to go outside, Erica brought her camera on the balcony of the hotel and took pictures of the night sky.
After a while, the female bodyguard came to her and said, "Mrs. Huo, it's time for your midnight snack."
"Okay."
She washed her hands and sat at the table. There was a bowl of bird's nest and some desserts. Although she was in a different country, everything she had been eating was exquisite.
When the female bodyguard was about to leave, Erica suddenly stopped her. "Wait a minute!"
The female bodyguard turned around and looked at her in confusion. "Yes, Mrs. Huo?"
"I'm going to take photos in the Reed Mountain tomorrow. Please go downtown and buy me some rubber bands, a hairpin and a new backpack outside. I spilled water on my backpack just now, so I need a new one. Don't worry about me. I'll be just fine with the other bodyguard here." Her tone was natural and casual.
The female bodyguard hesitated for a moment. But after thinking that it would be awkward for the male bodyguard to buy what she needed, she nodded and said, "Okay, Mrs. Huo."
However, not long after the female bodyguard went out, Erica was gone too.
She went missing.
The male bodyguard reported to Matthew, and he immediately sent a lot of people to look for her even in the Reed Mountain. Unfortunately, they failed to find her.
Matthew had already transferred all his work in the next few days to Evelyn. He had planned to go to Cass to look for Erica and accompany her for the rest of her travel.
