So Matthew had given the ear studs to Erica.
Even though Phoebe had expected this to happen, seeing it was something else, and she clenched her fists as jealousy ate away at her. She had never hated anyone so much!
"Of course I do," Erica was saying. "But why did you say that Tessie was short of money in school?" Hastily she put down her camera and phone, then drew closer. The shock in her eyes was obvious.
Phoebe was a bit confused as well. "I was just telling Matthew something about our Su family. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Indeed, Phoebe's only intention had been to complain to Matthew about family matters. She had no idea how her remarks could provoke such astonishment in Erica's heart. "But... Isn't Tessie dead? Why did you say she was—"
"Erica Li!" Phoebe interrupted. Her voice was as harsh as a gunshot.
Unable to ignore this exchange, Matthew frowned and got up from his chair. He drew near, and the three people stood face to face there in the office.
Erica was taken aback by Phoebe's unfriendly attitude. "You don't need to shout," she said awkwardly. "I can hear you just fine."
The flame in Phoebe's eyes didn't die down. "What nonsense are you talking about?! Erica Li, how can you be so vicious?"
"You..." Erica was too flustered to go on. 'How dare this woman yell at me in front of Matthew?' she thought. 'Just because Matthew loves her doesn't mean she can be so rude to me! I have to maintain my own dignity in front of my husband.'
"Phoebe!" Matthew's tone was cold; he was warning her to mind her manners.
Taking a deep breath, Phoebe said, "Matthew, you heard her too. She started it. She is so heartless that she even cursed my sister and said she was dead!"
"But Tessie is dead..." Erica insisted, more perplexed now than ever. The doctor had told her so.
"Erica Li, what did Tessie do to deserve this from you?" Phoebe demanded, shaking with rage. "Why are you cursing her like that?"
At this moment, it began to dawn on Erica; Phoebe must not have come to terms with what had happened to Tessie. Was it so painful that she was still in denial?
Thinking of this, Erica softened her tone. "Tessie was my best friend. Why would I curse her? I was there when she died—"
"Shut up!" Phoebe raised a trembling hand and pointed at the door to Matthew's office. "How could you say something so terrible? Get out of here! I can't stand to even look at your face!"
'This is my husband's office and she is kicking me out?' Erica thought. She wasn't without sympathy for Phoebe's pain, but she simply could not stand for this kind of humiliation. She gritted her teeth. "What right do you have to kick me out?"
As she said this, Matthew put an arm around Erica's waist, and the two faced Phoebe together. "Phoebe, you are pregnant," he cautioned. "You need to calm down. Think about the baby."
"I can't calm down. Tessie was so good to Erica!" cried Phoebe. "But Erica mistreated her, and here she is saying that she's dead! I really feel sorry for you that you married such a woman as Erica. She has always been a liar..."
"Phoebe Su!" Matthew snapped, his face darkening. "For the last time, watch your language!"
Faced with Matthew's anger, Phoebe flinched as though struck. Having no more stomach for arguing, she turned her back to them and sobbed, "I don't want to see her anymore. Please ask her to leave."
Afraid that Matthew would drive her away, Erica spoke before he could, desperate to maintain a shred of dignity. "I'm sorry that I came here without your permission. I'm leaving now!"
With that, she pried herself out of Matthew's hold, gathered up her phone and camera, and trotted away.
Matthew reached out to stop her, but the girl ran too fast.
When she was gone, a horribly uncomfortable moment passed. Phoebe stood framed before the window, miserable and still. Unable to stand the silence, Matthew said, "Phoebe, you've gone too far!"
Phoebe squeezed her red eyes shut for a long time. After finally opening them she choked, "Matthew, did you know about what sort of things Erica did on campus?"
Matthew kept silent. He hadn't known.
"My sister is one of the victims of Erica's violence," Phoebe went on. "They used to be good friends. But later, because of a man, Erica bullied her many times! Tessie was forced to transfer to another school just to get away from her!"
Matthew's eyes narrowed. "One cannot speak and make claims like that without having any evidence to present. You should understand such a simple thing!"
Tears stained Phoebe's cheeks, but she didn't wipe them away. "I didn't want to talk about this. But I was afraid that you fell for the wrong person!"
Matthew seemed emotionless, as usual. "Who told you that I fell for Erica?"
She ignored the question. "Did you?"
The warning in Matthew's tone was obvious. "She is already my wife. If you say anything bad about her again, it means you have a problem with me!"
"Matthew," Phoebe stammered, "how can I possibly have a problem with you? Back then, I married Nathan because of your words. Now that he's dead and I've fallen out with my family because of him, my child and I can only rely on you..."
"For Nathan's sake, I will give you everything you need. On the other hand, I won't give you anything that I shouldn't give you!" The man hardly raised his voice, but he didn't need to. The chilly aura that he gave off was menacing enough.
Phoebe knew what he meant by things he shouldn't give her. She knew that this man's heart had always been far beyond her reach.
Meanwhile, Erica hadn't gone anywhere after leaving ZL Group. She merely sat on the curb, deep in thought, ignoring the busy strangers passing up and down the street. After a while, she took out her phone and called Rhea. She didn't waste time with small talk. "Rhea, Phoebe said Tessie is still alive..."
Rhea sounded shocked. "What? How is that possible? Weren't you there when she died?"
"Yes," Erica confirmed. The doctor had told her personally that Tessie died in childbirth.
After an unpleasant pause, Rhea asked, "Have you seen Tessie?"
"Not yet... Rhea, Phoebe is really the woman my husband likes. She is even pregnant with my husband's child..." Erica trailed off, feeling desolate and empty.
She didn't know why, but she just couldn't be happy.
Rhea sounded shocked—again. "That sounds like a real roller-coaster."
Rhea sounded shocked—again. "That sounds like a real roller-coaster."
"Yes! It does!" cried Erica. She hadn't expected that her relationship with Matthew would turn out to be so dramatic either.
Her thoughts wandered again, and she touched the ear studs Matthew had given her. Part of her wanted to return them to him, but another part did not.
She didn't know if it was because she liked them too much or because she just loved money, considering how expensive they were.
Rhea broke the silence. "Listen, you need to get to the bottom of this. If Tessie is still alive, you need to ask her face to face what really happened." If Tessie was still alive, it meant that they had all been deceived by her.
Rhea didn't want to believe that her good friend would treat them like this.
"That's why I'm calling you," Erica explained, coming back to herself. "Do you know the Su family's address?" Naturally, she had to verify Phoebe's words. She couldn't trust her so easily.
"No, sorry," Rhea replied. "You know that Tessie never dared to take her friends to the Su family's house."
Erica had known that, actually. Tessie was not loved in the Su family. They had visited Tessie in Y City once or twice, but every time they stayed in a hotel. There had always been a distance between her and all of her relatives.
"I think Julianna knows the address," Erica said, thinking out loud. "Her home is also in Y City."
There was a problem, though: she hadn't spoken with Julianna in a long time. They'd had a falling-out some years ago, over a hooligan that Julianna had been involved with.