Matthew's absurd question made Erica want to laugh, but she didn't quite manage it. "Of course not," she said. "Tessie is my good friend. How could I do anything to bully her?"
Her husband studied her carefully. "Didn't you two fall in love with the same man?"
"Who gave you that idea? Well, let me tell you something. Tessie has good taste in many things—sometimes better than mine. But when it comes to taste in men, hers is really not as good as mine!" Erica said proudly.
Matthew arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Now, why is that?"
The girl was immersed in complacency as she explained, "She likes a man who is in his forties. But my husband is rich, handsome and powerful. And most important of all he is still young! Now, don't you think I have better taste than her?" She left off with a satisfied wink.
Her playfulness had a way of reducing the tension in the room. Matthew nodded in agreement, but there was something else that he couldn't help but say. "You know, I seem to recall you marrying me because of your father's taste, rather than your own. Not to mention that you lied to me, saying that you were pregnant again, all in the hopes of getting out of marrying me. Does my memory serve me right?"
Erica's chuckle was ruthless, and her answer was the same. "If I could turn back time, I still wouldn't want to marry you." After all, who would be stupid enough to willingly marry a man who didn't like her and who she didn't like?
Truth be told, though, she had never regretted marrying Matthew except when she was angry.
Matthew's smile fled in an instant. Despite himself, he was a bit hurt by her words. His wife really could be heartless sometimes.
Unwilling to continue the conversation, he disappeared back into the closet.
Some minutes later he emerged, now in his pajamas. It was only then that Erica thought she understood the point of their conversation. "Did Phoebe tell you that I bullied Tessie back in school?" she asked at length.
Matthew didn't answer her.
In her eyes, his silence was an admission. "So, you believe it's true?"
"Not yet." He wouldn't turn against his own wife just because of Phoebe's words. Phoebe didn't have that much influence on him.
"What do you mean by 'not yet'?" Erica asked, her heart beginning to sink.
"Because she's given me no evidence except for her word."
The girl continued, "So if she shows you some evidence, then you'll believe her?"
Matthew answered with a question of his own. "If there is solid evidence of something, shouldn't I believe it?"
Erica was speechless at first. He was right, of course. She didn't believe a person's word was enough to prove a case; nobody did.
"Well, you're going to be disappointed," she told him. "Phoebe can spend her life scouring the campus, and she'll never find evidence of any violence, let alone anything bad to do with me. Besides, I'm telling you the truth. I have never bullied Tessie. Phoebe was just jealous that I've become your wife, so she wanted to drive a wedge between us. So next time you see her, remember to tell her that if she has a problem with me, she can just come straight to me; she doesn't need to go tattling to you. Tell her to be brave, not a coward!"
'Humph!' Erica snorted in her mind. Even the mere mention of Phoebe could bring out her rebellious side like nothing else.
Her mind was made up that they would be enemies in the future! But to be exact, they were rivals in love!
'Matthew, you can just wait and see how I trample on this meddler," thought Erica.
She had no doubt that Phoebe also wanted to marry Matthew and to have him to herself. But Erica wouldn't let that woman's wish come true; she was Mrs. Huo, and she would not let that status go for anything.
Matthew gracefully rolled up his sleeves, revealing one of his arms, the blue veins on which were partly visible. "She indeed is not a brave woman," he remarked casually.
He meant it literally, but he didn't realize that Erica had a different way of thinking from normal people. She misunderstood him, thinking that he was saying that to protect Phoebe.
To be precise, she thought his meaning was, 'Phoebe is a weak woman that needs to be protected, so you don't have to go fight her.'
Erica spoke through gritted teeth. "Don't forget to bring her over for dinner sometime."
"What?" Matthew was very confused by this. Didn't she dislike Phoebe? Why did she want her to come to the house at all, let alone for dinner?
Erica saw no reason to hide her thoughts. "I want to make sure she knows that I'm your wife, and this is my house, not hers. I'm the hostess of this villa!"
'Well, that's a good idea!' Matthew thought happily.
As a matter of fact, though, Erica had only said those words in a fit of anger. She didn't think that Matthew would actually bring his goddess home to see her get hurt.
But this time, she was wrong.
Meanwhile, in A Country
Wesley finished his last bite of dinner and turned to Blair, who was feeding Ethan. "If everything goes well," he said, "your son will come back tonight."
"Why would he do that?" Blair replied with a frown. "He still doesn't have a girlfriend. I don't want to see him! You should call him and tell him not to come back unless he has a girl to bring home!"
Wesley was thoughtful. "I thought you just recently set him up for a blind date. Did that not work out?"
"No, it didn't work out. He refused even to go see the girl; every time I find someone for him, he resists. If he ever stops being so stubborn and agrees, or else finds a girl on his own, then he can come back for a visit." This was a battle that Blair had been fighting for a long time. She was more determined than ever to find a girlfriend for Gifford.
With a helpless shake of his head, Wesley turned to the girl across the table, who was eating silently. "How was everything at school today, Chantel?"
Chantel swallowed, wiped her mouth, and replied with a smile, "Everything's good. I'm doing well in my classes, and the teachers take good care of me. Thank you for your concern, Uncle Wesley and Aunt Blair."
It had been a while since Chantel was brought to the Li family's house. The girl was diligent, lively, and obedient, and Blair liked her quite a bit. So she had talked with Wesley about sending her to a college. Wesley, of course, would go along with just about anything Blair wanted.
With that settled, they had asked what kind of major Chantel wanted to study. Tentatively, the Li couple had planned to have her learn language, just like Blair.
The girl had agreed when they suggested that major, but Wesley was able to sense that she wasn't really interested in it. No doubt she'd just been unwilling to disappoint them.
So he had asked her what she really wanted to learn.
After hesitating for a long moment, Chantel had said, "I want to learn acting." She wanted to be an actress! Indeed, this had been her biggest dream. As she saw it, she had to seize the opportunity, now that it was before her.
After discussing it among themselves, Blair and Wesley had pulled some strings and sent Chantel to the Department of Performance of the School of Drama in A Country.
Chantel had never been to a university before, so obviously she had started out as a freshman there.
"That's good," Blair said. "If you need anything at school, just tell me. Don't be shy."
"I will, Aunt Blair. Thank you both," the girl said pleasantly. With that, she lowered her head and went back to eating, hoping they wouldn't notice her eyes watering. She had only been in the Li family house for a few days, but Uncle Wesley and Aunt Blair had shown her so much kindness. She really didn't know how to repay them.
After dinner, Chantel stood up and was about to clean up the table, but Blair stopped her. "Don't you have to practice dancing? We have maids here. You don't have to worry about the housework. Just attend to your studies."
Chantel had started slower than others, so she needed to work harder in order to catch up with her classmates. Taking Blair's point, she didn't insist on cleaning the table or the dishes. She touched Ethan's tender face, said goodbye to the two elders, and went back to her room.
