Erica looked at her husband, her face pale. "Matthew, why are you holding your chest? Are you hurt?" she asked nervously.
Sheffield's eyes widened in disbelieve. His fists never made contact with Matthew's chest or anywhere near it! "Rika, don't trust him!" he yelled desperately. 'Matthew! You are such a scheming man!' thought Sheffield.
Erica was pissed. Matthew's face was twisted in pain; he looked very uncomfortable, and yet Sheffield was still trying to sow discord between them. She held Matthew's arm and glared at Sheffield. "Sheffield, don't deny it! You are making me really angry!" she threatened.
Matthew's eyes were filled with mischief.
Erica noticed nothing, but Sheffield saw it clearly. He was, once again, being accused of something he hadn't done, yet he had no way to prove his innocence. "Okay, okay. Take him for a CT scan, Rika, just in case my punch has damaged his rib or something," he mocked.
Erica gasped and held on to Matthew tightly. "So, you admit it! How dare you hit my husband! Sheffield, if I see you bully Matthew again, I will definitely tell Dad about this!" She knew that Sheffield was terrified of Carlos, and used his name to threaten the poor man.
This time, Matthew really did feel a pang in his chest—he tried his best to control his laughter, or his wife would find out that he was lying.
Sheffield sighed and hit his forehead. "Rika, do you really think that I am the kind of person who would bully others casually?" he asked Erica in an attempt to restore his good impression.
Erica was a little stunned. Before she could change her mind or think any further, Matthew distracted her. He said softly, "Rika, I'm not feeling good. Help me to my office."
His words successfully distracted her attention from Sheffield. She held his arm and said, "Come on. Be careful. Slowly!"
"Okay, honey."
Sheffield watched as the scheming man led the innocent woman back to the office, arm in arm.
Matthew was so good at deceiving Erica!
The employees had witnessed everything that had transpired among the three of them. When Sheffield passed by the secretary department, Owen tried his best to hold back his laughter and told the defeated man, "Mr. Tang, goodbye!"
Sheffield glanced at him gloomily. He couldn't help asking, "Is he always so scheming?"
Owen almost burst into laughter. "No, no, no! Mr. Huo is a good man."
'Even if he does scheme, he only targets his enemies, not us, ' he added inwardly.
Sheffield had nothing to say.
In the CEO's office
Erica carefully sat Matthew down on the sofa. Her heart ached so much for him that her eyebrows were almost knitted together. "Sheffield said that you need a CT scan. How about we go to the hospital right away?"
Matthew was amused. Sheffield couldn't deal him a punch in the first place, and even if he had, he wouldn't have had to go to the hospital for a CT scan for such a trivial thing. Sheffield had only said that to mock Matthew. "No need, I'm feeling much better now," he said.
"Oh, really? That's great! Aren't you two good friends? Why were you fighting?" Erica asked as she picked up a glass and poured some warm water into it.
When she walked back to him, Matthew's eyes were smiling. 'She is so caring, ' he thought happily. When he was about to reach for the glass, Erica sat next to him and drank the water herself.
Matthew was dumbfounded, not to mention, instantly distressed.
Erica had come to ZL Group in a hurry after receiving Matthew's message. She was thirsty and tired when she reached, and she had to stop their fight as well. She was parched. She waited for Matthew's reply, but he stayed silent. "What is it? Is it something you can't tell me?"
"No, it's nothing like that," Matthew said, clearing his head. "He deserved it."
"What do you mean?" 'What kind of reason is that?' she wondered. "Anyway, if he ever hits you again, you should fight back. Don't let him off so easy!" Matthew was good at martial arts too. If Sheffield had punched him, it could have only been because he had let him. 'Matthew is just too kind to fight back, ' she thought to herself.
Matthew was in a better mood now. "Yes, ma'am."
Looking at the empty glass in her hand, she suddenly realized. "Do you need some water too?"
'Finally, huh?' Matthew rolled his eyes. "No, thanks." He was already disappointed.
"Okay," Erica said with a shrug. She put down the glass and asked, "So, why did you ask me to come here?"
Matthew sighed and held her in his arms. "Didn't I tell you that everything that belongs to me is yours too?"
Erica smiled awkwardly. "Well, yes. You did say that."
"Then, why do you need to 'borrow' anything from me when it already belongs to you?"
"The thing is," she said sheepishly, "this item that I need is really yours." She lay down on his lap and looked up at him with a slight grin.
"What is it?"
"Your seal." She looked away from his eyes because she felt guilty. She didn't want him to know why she wanted his seal.
Confused, Matthew asked, "Why do you need it?"
Erica had already thought of an excuse. "I need your seal on the letter of commitment. I think it will be safer that way!"
"Haven't I already put my fingerprint on it?"
"Yes, but I still want to seal it. Will you give it to me or not?" she asked, pouting like a spoiled child. She was afraid that her lie would be exposed if he continued to ask her questions.
Matthew thought for a moment and guessed that she must be planning to use it for something else, but he still chose to give it to her. "Alright. I'll get it for you."
'Wow. That was easy!' Erica's eyes widened in excitement. "I'll give it back to you after I'm done!"
"Okay." He took out his seal from the safe and saw his wife's shining eyes. A smile appeared on his face and he said, "Come here."
Erica ran over to him. She half bent over his desk, one hand supporting her chin. "What?" she asked with a full smile.
Matthew waved the seal in front of her and asked, "Do you really want it?"
"Of course, I do!" She needed the seal on the documents, and then, she would secretly get his fingerprints too while he was asleep. She was going to sue Phoebe for him.
"Come here."
She jumped over to him obediently and kissed him on the cheek. "Honey!"
After hearing her call him like that, he thought that giving the seal to her was worth it even if she was planning to sell him.
Matthew handed over his seal to her willingly. He held her in his arms and lowered his head to plant a deep kiss on her lips.
Having achieved her goal, Erica left the company soon after.
Now, there was only one last step left.
That night, in order to make Matthew fall asleep early, Erica actively pestered him so that he would not go to work in the study.
Thinking that she was hoping to get laid, he did what he thought she wanted.
Erica sighed as Matthew started taking off his clothes. 'No! This is not what I have in mind!' But for her own sake, she played along with him.
After they had sex, Erica fell asleep. She woke up in the middle of the night with a start.
She grabbed the phone beside the bed and looked at the time—3:45 a.m.
She quietly looked at the man sleeping next to her. His breathing was even; he was fast asleep.
She carefully removed his arm from her waist and tip-toed out of bed.
She quickly grabbed a few A4 papers and a lipstick from her bag under the light of her mobile phone and crept to the bedside.
She opened the lipstick cap and rubbed it over the man's thumb. At that moment, he suddenly turned over.
