Clarissa stiffened slightly.
This is easy. I mean, we’re friends, of course, I’m worried!
That was what she thought, but looking at Matthew’s current demeanor, the undercurrent in his tone, and the way his gaze was boring into her, she did not know if it would be a good idea to speak her mind.
“I…”
“No. You’re not.”
A sneer tugged on Matthew’s lips as he tapped the ash off his cigarette with a slender finger. Then, he drew in another puff before speaking in a barely audible voice, “You pity me.”
His affirmative tone and the unconcealed mockery in his eyes instantly enraged Clarissa.
Clarissa shot up from her seat. Having worried sick for the past few days, she had a wan complexion and prominent dark circles on. However, her anger had replaced all trace of exhaustion from her face. She was exuding a murderous aura as fire danced in her eyes.
“Matthew Tyson! It’s almost been a week since I learned about what happened. I asked everyone, from W City to D City, who might know your whereabouts. Every day, they were so worried about you and worked their heads off for you. But me? I couldn’t do anything else other than to wait in Zen Highlands. I couldn’t sleep at night because I was worried sick about you! All that because I pitied you?!”
Clarissa was fuming and her voice grew sharp as she questioned him in a confrontational manner.
Even so, she wasn’t done venting out her frustrations.
“Did you say I pity you? Pray tell, what’s there to pity about you? Have you gone bankrupt? Are you penniless? Are you living on the streets begging for scraps? Or are you handicapped and can’t make a living for yourself anymore? You live in a villa, run your own company, possess assets worth billions, and have a wealthy and powerful background. Even if you go bankrupt and run out of money, you can still make a comeback There’s nothing about you that I would pity. Besides, I’m not that idle. My time is probably equivalent to thousands of words and I would spend all that just to pity you?”
Matthew was speechless.
“W-What are you looking at? Yeah, it’s only a few thousand words, but that’s still money! Although it’s nothing compared to what you earn, it still fits the bill for me.”
Clarissa ran her fingers through her hair, trying to ease her embarrassment for acting so condescending earlier.
Matthew gazed at Clarissa in silence. The layer of bitter contempt encompassing him seemed to vanish just then. He had only lashed out like that because of his wounded pride.
As Clarissa stared at him, albeit expressionless, her anger faded away in an instant.
In her heart, she came up with all kinds of excuses for Matthew’s behavior toward her, then willingly conceded defeat in their silent battle.
Releasing a sigh, she walked toward Matthew and sat beside him.
“We’re all very worried about you, but I believe that this is only a temporary drawback. Ellie said that ever since you took over Tyson Corporation, you’ve hit all kinds of snags but came out victorious, so it’s impossible you’d be bested by this single incident, right? Also, I thought about it. First, it was the problem with the real estate under Tyson Corporation, and then there was the demolition accident, followed by the corruption rumors. I don’t care whether they’re true or not, but it can’t be a coincidence that these things happened one after the other. It’s very likely that this is all part of a conspiracy.”
Matthew grunted lowly before stubbing out his cigarette and muttered, “It’s late. You should get some rest.”
Without saying anything else, he got up and went upstairs.
Clarissa felt dejected. After using so many words to express her worry for him, all she received in return was Matthew’s apathy.
Despite her disappointment, at least Matthew had finally appeared and seemed fine. But then again, a proud man like him would never show his weakness easily even under such circumstances.
Clarissa sighed again before returning to the guest room.
Unfortunately, she still couldn’t sleep. Before long, the sound of light footfalls outside broke through the silent night.
Clarissa got out of bed and opened the door. Poking her head out, she could vaguely see light coming from the living room. She hesitated for a moment but did not go out in the end.
It wasn’t until the wee hours of the night that she sensed him go upstairs. Once again, silence blanketed the villa.
The next day when Clarissa woke up, she quickly went out only to find that Matthew had already left.
“Ms. Quigley, did you and Mr. Tyson fight last night?” Julia asked with concern, having just finished preparing breakfast.
Clarissa winced with the color creeping up her cheeks. “Mm. What time did he leave?”
“Very early. Ms. Quigley, I noticed that Mr. Tyson doesn’t look too well. Why don’t you try talking to him? No matter how busy he is, he still has to take care of himself!”
Clarissa was plagued with worries as well, but she did not know how to care for him anymore.
She always had to be mindful of hurting his pride, worrying that he might misunderstand her words. All in all, she was in a bind.
Not in the mood to eat breakfast, Clarissa only ate a few bites. After deliberating for a while, she called Ellie.
“I saw him yesterday, but he didn’t say much. Do you know how things are going at his company? Is the company still in a precarious situation?
Ellie’s voice sounded grave on the other end of the line.
“I heard from my family that it’s a rather serious matter. Although it’s not serious to the point of bankruptcy, the company was still dealt a huge blow. This was likely an intentional act against Uncle Matt, and all signs point to Shermaine and the Wynters. Like what the f**k? Just because Uncle Matt doesn’t like her? Did she really need to go to such lengths? This is simply too much! All the more reason Uncle Matt shouldn’t marry her, seeing as she’s such a vile woman!”
Clarissa’s heart lurched painfully. So, Shermaine is the one behind this.
Clarissa couldn’t describe the emotions raging through her, but guilt and fear stood out the most.
As Ellie cursed at Shermaine on the other end of the line, Clarissa tuned most of it out. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts about how serious of a predicament Tyson Corporation might be facing.
And to overcome this predicament, Matthew had to choose between his happiness and his company.
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