"Don't worry about it too much. After all, you have my dad as your backer. If Rika gets too troublesome for you, you can always ask Dad to punish her for you!" Gifford comforted his brother-in-law.
'Punish Erica? No, that's not what I want.
I want Rika to forgive me on her own or else what would be the point?' Matthew thought to himself.
Joshua poured himself a glass of whisky and took a few sips before saying, "Sheffield is right. The time and place are important factors that you must consider in these cases. My advice is to put your dignity aside and throw a durian and a keyboard on the floor in the living room in front of everyone and let Rika make the decision when Uncle Wesley and his family come to Y City to celebrate the New Year."
Sheffield knew what was on Joshua's mind so he decided to play along. He continued, "That's when we'll all persuade Rika together. She's definitely not going to turn down a room full of people, right?"
"Rika is not that unreasonable. She will definitely save your face. So this matter can be over!" said Joshua.
Raising an eyebrow at Joshua, Matthew asked, "Do you have any idea who Rika is?"
"What?" Joshua was confused.
Matthew flicked the cigarette between his two fingers and said, "When my wife gets angry, she won't even think twice about making me kneel on a keyboard at the entrance of the company!"
Joshua was rendered speechless, eyes widened with shock. Matthew was right. After all, Erica was not an ordinary girl.
Sheffield thought for a while and said, "Matthew, then you should be praying for yourself, my friend. I think it's time to accept that there's not going to be an easy way out of this!"
Gifford looked at the men in the room in disbelief. "Hold on! Aren't you guys blowing this out of proportion? Erica is not like that at all. Let me tell you something, Matthew. Don't listen to Sheffield. Just because he always ends up kneeling on the keyboard, he wants you suffer the same experience. He is not helping you at all."
"Hey, hey, Gifford, you better watch what you're saying?" Sheffield stared at the man discontentedly.
Ignoring him, Gifford continued, "In my opinion, if Erica gets too stubborn, just tell my dad. I promise my father will subdue her with one move, and if he can't, he'll definitely do it in two moves. Anyway, Dad will find a way to make her forgive you."
Matthew took another drag from his cigarette, as he let their suggestions pass from one ear and out through the other.
"Thanks guys, but I don't think any of those suggestions are going to be helpful."
"Do you have a better way?"
"Yes."
"What? Tell us."
Matthew suddenly revealed a mysterious smirk, which was out of character from his usual nature. "Sometimes people just don't get what couples go through," he said.
"Excuse me? You make it sound like we're all single over here!" retorted Sheffield.
Without responding to him, Matthew asked Gifford, "When are you going to give your wife an actual wedding ceremony?"
Gifford had a stunned expression on his face and he wondered what this had to do with him. "A wedding? What are you trying to say?"
"Have you ever thought of giving her an actual wedding ceremony?" Matthew enunciated every word slowly in a tone of condescension.
A man who was not romantic at all, like Matthew, knew he should give his wife a grand wedding. Gifford was not a fool. Why didn't he think of giving his wife a wedding?
Gifford didn't have a response.
His silence was his way of admitting his fault.
And from that day onwards, the word "wedding" got carved into Gifford's mind.
As time went by, passing away with each blink of an eye, the arrival of the Spring Festival came closer. Two days before the festival, Matthew and Gifford showed up at the Li family's house together. However, since they didn't inform their family of their arrival in advance, Erica went out shopping with Rhea.
The kids, however, were playing around in the back yard and Wendy was watching Damian drawing.
It wasn't until evening when Matthew's wife finally came back home.
When Erica saw Matthew, she was stunned. "When did you come here?"
Matthew came over to hold her hand and observed her expression carefully. "I came with Gifford at noon." There was no sign of anger on her face.
Erica nodded. She looked around and saw no one in the living room. The maid must have been cooking in the kitchen. Her facial expression changed as she complained, "I went skiing with Rhea this afternoon. I fell on the ground a few times. My butt hurts!"
This time, it was Matthew who was stunned. 'Doesn't she know that Michel is temporarily imprisoned? But how could she not know the news?' he thought. He quietly whispered in her ear, "Let's go back to your room. I'll rub it for you."
The woman's face turned red in an instant. "Go away! Don't think that I don't know what you are thinking!"
In truth, Erica admired Matthew very much because as a man with his insatiable sexual appetite, he hadn't had sex with her for more than two months during the time she was injured.
Perhaps now that she was healthy again, the man couldn't hold his urges anymore.
Matthew stopped the woman who was trying to escape from his arms and admitted his thoughts. "Since you already know, let's go back to your room!"
"No way! Let go of me! The maid will come out of the kitchen soon!"
While they were enjoying a moment of intimacy between them, they failed to notice Colman. He was on the staircase in silence, putting his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing, but in the end, his effort was in vain as laughter exploded from his mouth.
The two people in the living room looked upstairs at the same time in confusion. Erica quickly slapped off Matthew's hand and said, "It's all your fault. The kid saw us."
Matthew took her hand and went upstairs. "So what? We are a couple."
'What's wrong with me being intimate with my wife?' When they reached the second floor, Colman ran to them and asked, "Dad, where are you going?"
"Your mother fell down when she was skiing. I'm going to have a look. Why don't you go and play with your brothers?" Matthew replied with a straight face.
"What? Mom, are you hurt?" Colman asked. His eyes were full of concern.
"I'll let you know after I have a look. Go ahead and play outside!" Matthew answered on behalf of his wife.
"Oh, okay! Dad, don't forget to let me know!" Colman was certain that his mother was in safe hands.
Matthew nodded and took Erica back to their room.
The house was riddled with children and they were mostly playful, naughty boys. Matthew was afraid that one of them would suddenly walk in on them being intimate, so he shut the door and made sure it was locked.
He pressed Erica against the door, and without giving her a chance to say a word, he lowered his head and kissed her red lips.
He whispered in her ear, "Honey, I've missed you."
Erica smiled, stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I've missed you too."
Without giving her any chance to speak anymore, Matthew pressed her against the door and kissed her deeply.
About ten minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Bang! Bang! Bang!
Completely disregarding the person on the other side of the door, Matthew carried on with his work.
Adkins' voice came from outside the bedroom. "Dad, it's me, Adkins!"
However, there was no sound from the inside.
After mumbling something at the door for a while, Adkins twisted the doorknob again, but found it locked.
Matthew had his palm over the woman's mouth to stop her from making any sound.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Someone knocked on the door again. This time, it was Damian. "Dad, we are here to see Mom. Is Mom okay?" he asked.
"What are you doing, Adkins?" Gifford asked.
The commotion outside was starting to worry Erica so she tried to push Matthew away, but the man didn't budge an inch.
"Dad said that Mom got hurt and they're inside, but why aren't they talking to us?" Adkins looked completely puzzled.
