Erica believed that Matthew had no reason to love her.
Since that was the case, she was relieved.
There were many people in the Huo family manor. It was as lively as a family reunion dinner on the Lunar New Year's Eve. Before the lunch began, Sheffield offered to bring drinks for everyone.
Since he didn't know what Erica preferred, he asked, "Rika, what would you like to drink?"
"Coke!" Erica answered without hesitation.
Terilynn took a sip of her juice and said excitedly, "What a coincidence, Erica. Matthew likes coke, too!"
Erica glanced at the man who was silently sitting beside her. She didn't expect him to like coke. She thought he was fond of red wine.
Joshua smiled and said, "The coke at home is prepared especially for Matthew. Well, it looks like someone is going to give Matthew competition for his coke from now on."
After grabbing two cans of coke, Sheffield placed them in front of Erica and Matthew. Then he walked to Joshua, patted his shoulder, and said, "How can you say that? Since Rika is Matthew's wife, he will happily share his coke with her. Right, Matthew?" Sheffield winked at Matthew.
Matthew glanced at Sheffield before he turned to Evelyn and said, "Evelyn, Sheffield mentioned that you've been in a bad mood lately."
"Hey, hey, don't get me into trouble, Matthew!" After saying that, Sheffield trotted briskly back to his seat and put his arm around Evelyn's shoulder. "Don't listen to him. I did say that you've been in a bad mood recently, but I also said that you've become more and more adorable!"
Without the slightest change in her expression, Evelyn poured some juice for Gwyn and said in a gentle voice, "Okay, I see. We'll talk about it later tonight."
Sheffield wanted to cry.
They knew that Evelyn preferred to talk with her husband behind closed doors. Given her temperament, Sheffield would end up on his knees, begging for forgiveness. This made everyone else burst into gales of laughter.
Carlos gazed at his son for a long time. When he sensed that his son didn't get his hint, he said gruffly, "Matthew, open the can of coke for Rika."
With widened eyes, Erica leaned forward, grabbed her can of coke, and said to Carlos, "Thank you, Dad. But I can open it myself."
Erica would never admit to being weak or vulnerable. How could she allow someone else to open her can of coke? She used to crush an apple with a single punch!
Matthew picked up the can of coke before him, opened it, put it in front of her, and stretched his hand.
Erica understood what he meant. Since the opened coke was in front of her, she didn't want to be pretentious. So, she handed the can in her hand to him. "Thank you!"
Debbie gazed at them, and asked with a smile, "Matthew, do you think Rika looks like a girl made of coke?"
'What?' Erica stared at Debbie as confusion coursed through her. She wondered what she was going to say.
Matthew, on the other hand, simply hummed. He had nothing to say!
"You think so, don't you? Evelyn is bossy and domineering, like a girl made of red wine. Rika is like a princess made of coke, who will explode if you don't treat her properly. So, you should be careful with her, Matthew." Debbie was subtly hinting at something. She was afraid that Matthew, who was similar to Carlos in character, might unwittingly hurt Erica.
Debbie's kindness deeply moved Erica. Before Matthew could say anything, she picked up a piece of baked chicken and placed it on Debbie's plate. "Mom, you are so nice to me!"
"Thank you, Rika." Debbie smiled as she lifted the chicken and put it into her mouth.
"You're welcome, Mom!"
Carlos was very satisfied with Erica. She was so adorable, filial, and generous. When Debbie was younger, she resembled Erica. "Rika, your mom is right. If Matthew dares to bully you again, you can call us, and I'll beat him with a stick," he said.
Tears welled in Erica's eyes. As her father had said, everyone in the Huo family was nice to her.
Brushing away the awkward moment, Erica stood, spooned a meatball onto his plate, and said, "Thank you, Dad." After a brief pause, she reluctantly added, "Dad, you and Mom don't need to worry about me. Matthew treats me very well, and he never bullies me. Am I right, Matthew?"
She winked at Matthew.
Now that people were watching him, Matthew could no longer stay silent. He put down his chopsticks, looked at Erica, and nodded, "Yes."
Although Carlos knew the young couple was just acting, he was thrilled that they were willing to play along. "Good girl. Sit down and eat," he said cheerfully.
"Thank you, Dad!" Erica returned to her seat and continued with her lunch.
Just then, Terilynn spoke up. "A man like Matthew needs a wife like Erica. Only in this way can his future life be wonderful! Am I right, Mom?"
"Exactly! Terilynn is right!" The more Debbie studied them, the more she believed that they were a perfect match.
Terilynn nudged Erica and said, "Rika, you may not know this…no, you must have seen it already. Matthew's closet is full of black, white, and grey clothes. He is so boring, just like my father. He needs a wife like you to make his life more interesting."
To Terilynn, Matthew and Erica were indeed a perfect match for each other!
It was a pity that they didn't have feelings for each other before. However, now that they were married, everything had turned out for the best!
Guilt tugged at Erica's heart, and she bowed her head. She began to wonder whether she and Matthew had acted too well. Everyone else in the Huo family seemed to believe that they loved each other very much.
Carlos wasn't pleased with what Terilynn had said. He cast a stern glance at her and grumbled, "Why am I boring? If I was so boring, how could your mother like me in the first place?"
Terilynn giggled and said, "Dad, everybody knows that Mom married you because her family ordered it. She had no choice!"
Debbie nodded, "Terilynn's right. When Carlos and I were young, we were just like Matthew and Rika. And our situation was worse back then. We had never seen each other in three years after we got our marriage certificates. When we finally met, he wanted to bury me alive or throw me into the sea. I was lucky that I survived all that misery."
Guilt coursed through Carlos when Debbie mentioned the past. He picked up some food and poured a glass of juice for Debbie before saying, "Why did you talk about that? Let bygones be bygones."
"Ha-ha." Everyone knew what had happened between Debbie and Carlos back then. They couldn't help but laugh when they saw Carlos' frustrated expression.
After a pleasant lunch, everyone went to the living room to rest.
Since everyone was concerned, Erica updated them about recent events in her life. "The procedures of entering Y City Film Academy are complete. Tomorrow, I will start classes…"
"Well, that's good!"
Clang! At this moment, a loud noise came from the other side of the living room.
It sounded as if something had broken. Before anyone could figure out what had happened, the maid cried, "Miss Gwyn! Are you okay?"
When the family heard the noise, they stood and walked to the other side of the living room.
At the mention of Gwyn's name, Sheffield rushed to their location. By the time everyone reached, Sheffield had already squatted before the young girl. He asked anxiously, "What happened, Gwyn?"
An expensive flowerpot had fallen to the floor and broken. The exquisite plant it held, lay on the floor beside her. Gwyn seemed to be staring at the broken flowerpot innocently.
