Erica nodded and spoke frankly. "When we're not at home, someone will come to clean up. And there's also a chef cooking for us. Other than that, we don't hire any servants."
This was hardly the most sensitive kind of information a person could share. Nevertheless, Sheffield had a tiny suspicion that it was significant.
A short time later, Erica took Gwyn to the projection hall to watch a movie, and Matthew put a plate of sliced fruits and several bags of snacks in front of them. Seeing this, Sheffield thought that he was beginning to understand something about his hosts.
While Erica and Gwyn sat in the front row to watch the movie, Matthew and Sheffield stayed in the back and whispered about work.
In time, it became apparent that Erica was used to ordering her husband around. "Matthew, we're out of napkins!" she called at some point.
Without wasting a second, the man got up and went to get her some more tissues.
A little later, Erica said, "Oh, Matthew, can you come help me figure out this remote control?"
Sure enough, Matthew stood up again when he was called.
And again and again as the time passed.
Staying quite comfortable and munching on melon seeds, Sheffield paid close attention to Matthew's behavior. The man was very much under Erica's command and silently served her every whim. He showed no signs of impatience; on the contrary, he seemed to enjoy being given things to do.
Though no one else saw it, Sheffield's eyes widened as an epiphany struck him.
'I finally understand why Matthew hasn't hired any servants!" he thought to himself. 'It's because he is a weirdo! He actually likes Rika and wants to be nice to her, but for some reason or another, he doesn't want to openly express his true feelings for her. So instead, he's willing to just do these little things for her, without her knowing why.'
Sheffield couldn't help but click his tongue. He should have known all along! After all, back when Carlos had asked Matthew to marry Erica, Matthew had agreed—and he certainly was not someone who could be forced into anything. The saying "Erica is Matthew's goddess" was finally confirmed!
Sheffield was satisfied that he had not come in vain tonight. He uncovered a shocking secret about Matthew, one that he didn't think many people knew.
In spite of the movie, Sheffield and Gwyn didn't stay at the house too long. For one thing, the girl had to get up early and go to school the next day. Besides that, Sheffield wanted to let the young couple enjoy their romantic night.
When the two had left, Erica yawned and found that she was no longer interested in the movie. She ended up lying down on the bed and playing with her phone.
The next afternoon, she received a call from Watkins. He went straight to the point and said, "Hi, Erica, I've found the old man's address. Are you free now? Let's go see him together!"
"Really? Of course, I'm free!" she answered cheerfully. The sooner she was able to clear her name, the better. A short time later, Watkins drove over and picked her up.
The old man's home was on the third floor of a crummy living community not far from the scene of the car accident.
When Watkins and Erica knocked on the door, the old man opened it promptly. He didn't recognize the visitors. His voice trembled slightly. "Who are you looking for?"
"Mr. Wang, we are here to see you!" Watkins answered politely, raising the gifts in his hands that he had bought in advance.
Still wary, the old man looked them up and down, and his tone sharpened. "I don't recognize you. How do you know my surname?"
Watkins was not in a hurry to answer that question. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Mr. Wang, I have something to tell you. Can we come in and talk?"
Mr. Wang grunted an affirmative and moved aside, allowing the two younger people into the living room.
He seemed to be alone, and there were only a few pieces of old furniture.
The sofa was a little dirty, so Erica took a chair beside the table.
Watkins put the gifts on the table, then produced a photograph from his pocket and showed it to the old man. "Mr. Wang, is that you there in the picture?"
The old man's eyes were not so good. He took a moment to retrieve a pair of glasses from the table and inspected the image carefully—and his face suddenly changed. With an energy that he hadn't seemed to have before, he put the photo back in Watkins' hands and declared, "No, it's not me!"
Watkins and Erica looked at each other, dumbfounded. It could plainly be seen that it was him. Why wouldn't he admit it?
Erica wasn't about to give up, though. She gave the old man a sweet smile, hoping to disarm him, and said, "Mr. Wang, here's the thing. What happened the day that photo was taken is very important to me. I just want to ask you a few questions. You have nothing to fear from me. Don't worry!"
Without answering her, the old man gathered up the gifts from the table and carried them to the door. Obviously, he wanted them to leave. Watkins caught up with him and reluctantly took the gifts back, saying, "Mr. Wang, please talk to us!"
Mr. Wang thrust a bony finger at the door. "Get out, or I will call the police!" he demanded.
"Please don't call the police, Mr. Wang," protested Erica, drawing near. "Why won't you tell us what you saw that day?"
"I saw nothing! My vision is very poor, as you can see!" Mr. Wang yelled. "What do you want with me?! Do you want to see me dead?!"
'Want to see him dead?' Erica and Watkins thought. They were both so stunned that they didn't dare ask any more questions. The old man was obviously very upset, and for all they knew he might have just threatened to commit suicide so that they wouldn't bother him any further. With such haste that he dropped the gifts on the floor, Watkins opened the door and headed out, Erica close behind him.
The sound of the door slamming behind them echoed through the doorway. The two traded an uneasy look before heading for the stairs.
Neither spoke until they were outside. "Who else is in his family?" Erica wondered aloud, gazing back up at the third floor of the building. "
His wife died a long time ago," explained Watkins. "He has a daughter—she's married, but lives in another city. He's lived here alone for a long time, and has no other relatives that I'm aware of. His retirement salary is his only source of support."
"What a poor man," Erica remarked, downcast. Mr. Wang looked to be in his seventies, at least, yet he was alone in this world. She couldn't help but feel bad for him.
Sighing, Watkins put his hands in his pockets and leaned against his car.
Erica pulled her gaze away from the building and went over to him. "Do you think he's been threatened by the Su family? That could be why he wouldn't tell us anything."
Watkins took a moment to think, then shrugged. "It's possible, but not very likely. Camille had put her assistant in charge to deal with the traffic accident, and she didn't follow up anymore. Still, it's possible because she took the photo, so maybe she saw Mr. Wang before we did."
"What does Camille do?" Erica asked, curious.
Watkins glanced at her in surprise. "You don't know?"
"No, I don't. I didn't come to Y City until I married Matthew. I didn't know anything about Camille before that." Tessie had mentioned Camille a long time ago, but she'd never said much about her; Camille apparently had never treated her well.
"She'd been an actress for two years," explained Watkins. "Then she invested in a magazine company and became the boss and chief editor of their fashion section. She often appears on the covers of various magazines. Haven't you seen her?"
Erica thought it over and shook her head. "No, I haven't."
Watkins found that amusing for some reason. He stood up straight and patted her on the shoulder. "Let's go! We'll talk about it later. And in the meantime, we should make sure to not push Mr. Wang too hard."
"Okay!" Erica nodded, and they got into the car.
On the way, Watkins suddenly suggested, "How about we go to a cafe? I know of a good one that I like to go to. Let's have a cup of coffee there and discuss what to do next."
Erica didn't refuse. There were plenty of things to discuss, and it had to be done sooner or later.
It took a short time to reach the cafe.
After parking the car, Watkins took Erica inside.
Unknown to them, a certain black Emperor car was driving past the same cafe at that exact moment. The man in the back seat abruptly barked at the driver, "Stop the car! Pull over!"
Alarmed, Owen brought the car to a halt on the curb with a slight screech of the tires. He looked around and saw Erica and Watkins walking into the cafe together.
Harmon, who was in the passenger seat, looked at his nephew in confusion. "Matthew, what's wrong?"
Matthew's eyes were fixed on the door that Erica and Watkins had just disappeared through. "Nothing," he said calmly. "It's just a little hot in here."
