Teaming up with Paige in the company offices, the party tonight on the cruise ship, the evening dress and expensive jewelry… Matthew had arranged every bit of that. Not her fits of pique, of course, but everything else, surely.
He couldn't help but shake his head. 'How naive she is! If Paige hadn't gone through me first, would she have even dared to lay a finger on such an expensive jewelry set? Of course not. She knew on which side her bread was buttered.'
Matthew had made a bet inwardly. It was a private bet, and no one else was in on it. The only payout would be how right he was about how things played out.
He laid odds Erica would head to the office looking for him, particularly if she found he wasn't home. He figured she would come to him first even though she knew the four boys were at the Huo family manor.
The CEO knew how jealous she got, so he had Paige imply that he would be at the party with another woman. That was all the impetus Erica needed to show up at the party. Not only would she attend, but she would make sure everyone there knew that he was hers and hers alone.
It turned out he was right. She did show up. And she did humiliate these other women.
But she had made one error in judgement. She hadn't noticed that Sheffield and Evelyn weren't there. Why would they skip a party like that? And why would Matthew go to a party that a playboy like Sheffield didn't care about?
The only reason so many business bigwigs were there was so they could schmooze with Matthew. Many of them had never met the man before, and they figured it was just good business to go.
Erica had no clue this was all arranged. She figured she was doing what came naturally, and was unaware of Matthew's machinations. 'My wife is still so adorable.'
Thinking of this, Matthew smiled.
Seeing his smile, Erica was shocked and snapped, "You're even smiling about it! So is it true?"
"No."
"Huh?"
"I'm not smiling, and you don't know the half of it!" Erica pinched his face heavily until it was deformed. "You are smiling, but you won't admit it!"
Looking at the woman in front of him, Matthew didn't say anything. 'I love how power and money haven't changed her! She's the same old Erica.'
Erica thought he was unhappy, so she loosened her grip on his face and stammered, "Well, it's fine if you don't want to tell me. But I have something to tell you." Speaking of this, she suddenly became very downcast. "I found it's hard for me to become a woman worthy of your love. I was gone for more than three years, and I missed you every day. I love you more than I did three years ago. I learned who I was, and what I wanted. Other than that, nothing much has changed. So don't hate me, okay?"
This time she really just wanted to settle down. That was why she came back. She wanted to just live with him and love him with all her heart.
She had been looking at him the whole time, expectation and cautiousness in her eyes.
The wary look on her face made Matthew's heart ache. He felt sorry for her.
Why did she feel she had to walk on eggshells around him?
Everyone has his or her own emotions. He hoped that she could laugh loudly when she was happy, lose her temper when she was unhappy, and cry when she was sad. She shouldn't have to feel like she couldn't express herself around him.
It was very quiet in the bedroom. No one spoke in what seemed like forever. Erica stretched out her arms and wrapped them around the man's neck. "Matthew, you know what? Life without you is like having no pepper or vinegar in hot and sour rice noodles…"
The man was at a loss whether to cry or to laugh. What kind of simile was that?
"I changed my name to Erma Huo while I was away from home. Erma is a portmanteau of Erica and Matthew, and I used your surname. That's how much I love you!"
This time, Matthew finally reacted. "So you do love me?"
The woman's face suddenly turned red. She was so anxious to express herself just now that she just started blurting things out. Now that Matthew suddenly asked the question, she suddenly became shy and faltered into his arms. "You're my husband. Of course I love you. I love you, and our sons…"
Matthew grabbed her hands with one hand and forced her to look at him with the other. "Do you love me, Erica?"
He must hear her answer now.
Erica took a deep breath and tilted her head to one side, refusing to look at him. "You know, it doesn't really matter who I love. You divorced me."
"When did I—" The man's voice suddenly stopped.
He couldn't believe his ears. Did he just blurt that out at one time? And when did that happen?
Erica suddenly looked back at him and couldn't wait to ask, "In Tow Village. I was pretty floored by the news, too. Don't you remember?" Although she didn't believe it at first, she was still excited when she heard the answer from Matthew.
A rare trace of uneasiness appeared on his face. "I didn't say that. Owen did."
"How could he say that without asking you?" she asked.
'I have to give her credit there. Sometimes she's smarter than me. But only sometimes…' He had to change the topic. "I'm serious, Rika. Do you love me?"
"Of course… I love you," she answered in a quiet voice.
Or what? How could she love anyone else? Smart, good-looking, rich…There was no one else good enough. And she was not that stupid.
Erica would never know how long Matthew had been waiting for her to say that.
And finally, she admitted she loved him. He couldn't be happier right now.
This was something he'd never experienced before. He was so happy he wanted to get up and dance.
He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head at the last minute, and his lips landed on her neck. It was still like lightning running through her. She shuddered from the passion.
"Wait a minute. There's something I need to know!" Now that she confessed her feelings for him, she wanted to know his feelings too.
"Ask." Matthew had to hold back his desire for her a little longer.
Erica blinked and asked in a clear voice, "Do you love me?"
The man paused for a moment, and finally responded with only a deep kiss.
If he didn't love her, he wouldn't even kiss her.
If he didn't love her, he would never marry her. Everyone believed it was a shotgun marriage. That Carlos had forced him to marry Erica. But they were wrong. He'd had his eye on her for a while. If he hadn't wanted to marry her, even his dad couldn't make him.
If he didn't love her, he wouldn't have missed her day and night. Every single hour of those three years was sheer torture.
'I love you, Erica. From now until forever, no matter how many ups and downs we go through, the only woman in my heart is you. It's always been you, ' he said inwardly.
Meanwhile, on the cruise ship, all the guests heard the screaming and pleading from the top deck as they disembarked.
"Help! Help me! Mr. Huo! Mrs. Huo! I was wrong… I don't want to be here…"
There were some who were naturally curious, so they climbed the stairs to take a look. Lucia was tied to one of the cell towers, bound tightly. The wind and rain lashed her in the cold, dark night.
A few bodyguards stood beside her, making sure she wouldn't break free. Not only that, they were there to stop anyone from rescuing her.
They weren't heartless. They got her whatever she wanted to eat or drink. Not like she had much of an appetite. But they would be the ones to blame if she died on their watch.
The party had been over for a long while, and everyone was still talking about it. Obviously, the guests enjoyed themselves. And they got an extra floor show—tonight, Erica had dealt with two women who had designs on Matthew. That was fun to watch. After everyone got off the cruise ship, the news spread like wildfire through the city. No one wanted to anger Miss Troublemaker.
