To get back at Lilith, Erica swore to herself that she would marry her youngest son, Hyatt Li, who was her classmate at the time.
If she were to become Lilith's daughter-in-law, then she would make her take care of the children, wash clothes and cook for them!
That being said, she never expected that things wouldn't go according to plan. In the end, she didn't marry Hyatt. Instead, she got married to a man whom she thought she didn't even have anything to do with!
Letting out a helpless sigh, Hyatt knew it all along. But in his eyes, Erica was much like an angel completely beyond his reach. She was way out of his league, so he never really wanted her to marry him. "Is Mr. Huo treating you well?" he asked.
"Yes! He always treats me well. And he gives me a lot of money!" Erica couldn't hold back her excitement. "Let's go to the snack bar. I'll treat you to some sausages!"
'But a sausage only costs five dollars. Am I being too stingy?' she suddenly thought. So, she quickly went on and added, "And a cup of hot 'U Loveit.'" 'Ten dollars in total. I'm being quite generous, if I may say so myself!'
"Thanks!" Hyatt wasn't so hard to please. Truth be told, he was already very happy with just one sausage, what more if she threw in a cup of his favorite "U Loveit" as well!
From the moment the second class started, wherever Erica went, Hyatt followed her like a lackey. It seemed like they went back to their old days.
At lunchtime, Erica was thinking of inviting Hyatt for lunch. However, while they were on their way to the school canteen, she received a call from Matthew. "Where are you?" he asked curtly.
"I'm heading toward the canteen right now. What's up?"
There was only static on the other end of the line. It seemed that she had totally forgotten about the conversation they had that morning. "You promised me this morning that you're going to attend the seventh-day ceremony of Nathan's death."
"What? Oh… Did I?" Erica blurted out as she stood there in shock.
Cudgeling her brains out, she vaguely remembered that she indeed seemed to have promised that. Her eyes felt so heavy that she actually fell asleep soon after.
Looking at the pink sportswear she had on, she realized that it wouldn't be right to attend the seventh-day ceremony wearing that. "It slipped my mind. I have no change of clothes with me. What am I going to do?"
"I'll wait for you at the school gate."
"Okay!" Actually, Erica had no idea why he decided to ask her to go with him, but she didn't have any reason to refuse either.
After all, Nathan was a good friend of Matthew's, and it was the seventh-day ceremony after his death. As Matthew's lawfully wedded wife, she should at least come with him as well.
With that in mind, she said to Hyatt, "You poor boy, I have to go now. I don't have classes in the afternoon, so I guess I won't be coming back here. Let's just have lunch together some other time. You should fix your own schedule in the afternoon, okay? I'm leaving now."
"Why are you leaving in such a hurry? Did something happen?" Hyatt asked in confusion.
"There's some urgent matter I have to attend to. I don't have time to explain it right now. I really have to go! Bye!" With that, Erica hurriedly left.
A black Emperor pulled over by the side of the road. When he saw Erica running out of the school, Matthew immediately opened the door and got out.
The luxury car drew the attention of many people. And when they saw Matthew get out of the car, all those who were passing by were shocked. So much so that they even exclaimed in excitement.
Erica stopped in her tracks in front of Matthew, trying to catch her breath. "Why didn't you call me in advance? I would've come out much earlier!"
Casting her a quick glance, he flatly replied, "You've forgotten what you promised me this morning. Are you seriously trying to blame me for not calling you earlier?"
Upon hearing his response, Erica came to realize that she was indeed the one in the wrong here. So, she tried to put on a smile and said, "All right. It's my fault. We should hurry up. Get in the car!"
Matthew was rather satisfied with her attitude. For that reason, he didn't mind it anymore and just stepped aside to let her get in the car.
He brought her to a restaurant so she could have lunch first, then bought her a black outfit at the mall. After she was done changing into the black clothes, they immediately went to the venue where the seventh-day ceremony was going to be held.
By the time they arrived, many people were already standing there mourning Nathan's passing.
In the middle of the hall, there was a man's black and white portrait on display. He looked so young and handsome.
Although she never really had the chance to meet him, the passing of such a handsome young man still made Erica feel sad.
A woman was standing at the front right, with her long hair tied up behind her head. With a black suit and white soft cotton shoes, she stood there in silence with her back facing the crowd.
The sight of her back somewhat reminded Erica of the woman she saw in the underground parking lot of the mall. Matthew was helping the woman get in his car back then. Were they the same person?
Purely instinctively, she turned to look at Matthew. He was walking toward that woman while nodding his head to the people who were greeting him.
When Erica and Matthew were right behind the woman, he asked, "Is everything ready?"
Upon hearing his voice, the woman quickly turned around. It was only then that Erica was finally able to take a good look at her face.
The woman was very attractive. Her pale face made her look as though there was no blood flowing through it. Her thick eyebrows were slightly raised, and a pair of tantalizing eyes showing a hint of sadness, and her red lips were slightly quivering.
When Erica finally saw her face, her eyes were wide open in surprise and she cried out, "Phoebe?"
'So, Phoebe was married to Matthew's good friend, Nathan Tu?!' Erica came to the sudden realization in shock. 'How come I've never heard of that? On second thought, I've never really heard anything about the Su family's affairs since Tessie passed away. I guess it shouldn't be surprising that Phoebe is married.'
Glancing at her, Phoebe nodded her head slightly. Then, she immediately turned her gaze toward Matthew and said in a low voice, "Yes, everything is ready. We're just waiting for you."
As he stared at the two women, Matthew asked in confusion, "Do you know each other?"
To which, Phoebe answered in a cold tone without looking at Erica, "She's a friend of my younger sister. I've met her twice before, but I'm not really familiar with her."
'Not familiar?' Erica was rendered speechless. At that moment, she felt like Phoebe was trying to keep her at arm's length. However, she couldn't tell whether Phoebe just happened to be in a bad mood or she did it on purpose.
Being friends with Tessie Su, Erica had seen Phoebe a number of times, and they even went shopping together in the past. Why would she say that they were not familiar with each other?
Before Erica could even say anything, Phoebe suddenly looked at Matthew in surprise and asked, "Matthew, is she your…?"
She trailed off and ended up not finishing her words. Still, Matthew knew what she wanted to ask and simply nodded his head. He had no intention of discussing this topic any further. Looking at his watch, he calmly said, "Let's begin the ceremony."
With a perplexed look in her eyes, Phoebe cast Erica a glance. Then, she quickly turned her eyes away and nodded, "Okay."
Nathan was an orphan back when he was still alive. And since he grew up in an orphanage, none of the people present were actually related to him.
'If Phoebe really was married to Nathan, then the Su family members should be here as well, ' Erica thought. But after taking a look around the hall, she didn't see anyone from the Su family.
'What's going on here? That's strange.'
Out of curiosity, she cautiously tried to confirm it with Matthew and asked in a low voice, "Was Phoebe…" She was deep in thought for a while. Since Phoebe was acting as though she didn't know her, she shouldn't pry too much into it. When she noticed Matthew looking at her in confusion, she decided to ask again just to be sure, "Was Phoebe Su married to Nathan?"
"Yes."
'So, I was right!' Phoebe was good-looking, and she had always been like a kind elder sister figure in Erica's eyes. Considering that, she and Nathan were definitely a good match.
It was such a pity that Nathan died at such a young age, not long after their marriage.
The ceremony went without incident. Most of the time, Phoebe was busy taking care of the processes. Matthew, on the other hand, simply sat there, watching everything.
