Although Erica didn't live with Ethan, she had kept Tessie company for the nine months she had been pregnant and had brought him back home after Tessie had given birth to him. Erica had a deep connection with that little boy.
"Okay, tell Mom not to be upset when Ethan leaves. If she's that sad, Matthew and I can give her a grandchild. Besides, my sister will get married soon, and so will my brother. You and Mom will have a handful of grandchildren sooner or later," said Erica, trying to comfort her dad.
Wesley sighed silently and snorted. "I am here with your mother and I will comfort her."
'This girl is so silly! She is kind-hearted and always does something that would make us feel bad for her. I hope she doesn't do anything that will hurt herself again, ' he thought to himself.
Erica nodded. She didn't need to worry about her mother while her father was around. "Good."
Just then, she heard a familiar voice. "Erica!"
Erica looked up reflexively and saw Watkins waving at her.
He looked handsome in his black casual coat and expensive sneakers.
"Who is that?" Wesley asked. He had sharp ears and clearly heard a man call out Erica's name. As far as he knew, Matthew was on a business trip. He hoped that his silly daughter wouldn't do something that would make Matthew misunderstand her.
"Just a friend. I'm outside with Rhea now. Talk to you later. Bye!" Erica had a clear conscience. After answering her dad's question, she hung up the phone without a second thought.
Wesley was rendered speechless. 'Where is this girl? And why is there a man with her? Never mind! I trust her. Better to leave her be, ' he thought.
When Watkins trotted over to her, he saw that she had been on the phone. He apologized as she put her phone away. "Sorry, I didn't realize that you were talking to someone."
"No problem. Why are you here?" she asked. Erica looked behind him and saw several rich young men standing there, waiting for Watkins.
With his hands in his pockets, Watkins raised his chin at them and then said to her, "Just hanging out with my buddies. What about you?"
Erica waved at his friends with a friendly smile and said, "My best friend from A Country is here for a visit. We were just having some fun together." Erica had a good impression of Watkins. She was someone who liked making friends, and Watkins was already kind of a friend. She had met him several times now.
He nodded and proposed, "Since we are all here, why don't we have fun together?"
"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea." She didn't know his friends, and they were all men.
Watkins saw through her discomfort and promised, "Don't worry, it's okay. You saved my life. I won't let anyone bully you. You don't have to be so wary of them. They are my good friends, and won't do anything to annoy you. And as for me, you can rest assured. I won't do anything stupid either, because I know you are Mrs. Huo."
Amused by his slightly humorous words, Erica nodded gracefully. "Okay! My friends are in the booth. Make sure to tell your friends not to mess around!"
"Alright!"
Bars tended to be unpredictable places, and some people would lose control after getting drunk. But with Watkins' guarantee of good behavior, Erica led the men to the booth.
Around that same time, Rhea was filled with regret because she had let Erica go out alone. She stood up from her seat and was about to go out to look for her friend when Erica walked in.
Rhea breathed a sigh of relief. Her hands flying all around her, she shouted, "Rika, you scared me to death! I was about to go out and look for you! Hmm? Who are they?" Rhea finally noticed the group of men behind her.
The man next to Erica was really handsome.
Erica introduced them. "Watkins, this is my best friend, Rhea, and this is my classmate, Hyatt. Rhea, Hyatt, this is my friend, Watkins."
After greeting each other, the group went upstairs to a luxurious booth on the second floor.
In the private booth
Standing in front of the French window, Erica and Rhea looked down at the men and women dancing madly on the first floor.
Behind them, Watkins ordered a couple of wine bottles for him and his friends. Hyatt was on his mobile phone, sitting silently in the corner.
Erica reminded Rhea in a low voice, "It's my first time hanging out with these guys. Don't drink too much." If they got drunk and these men turned out to be assholes, the girls would be defenseless.
"Got it!"
Watkins thoughtfully ordered two glasses of cocktail with low alcohol content for the two ladies, and the men had liquor, beer and wine.
Watkins casually told his friends that Erica was Matthew Huo's wife. The guys were shocked at first, but then they were quite respectful towards the girls. No one wished to mess with the Huo family.
They didn't dare play any of the drinking games which they usually played with beautiful girls. All they could do was shoot some craps and play some blackjack.
They had to drink liquor or beer when they lost; the girls could just drink their cocktail. The atmosphere was pleasant.
They were all about the same age and were quite open to each other. Soon, they became good friends and friended each other on WeChat.
After a while, Erica dropped her dices and said to Watkins, "Watkins, you guys carry on. We have to go. We have classes tomorrow morning."
Watkins didn't force them to stay. He stood up and put his hands into his pockets. "Okay, I'll drive you home."
"No, no, no. You stay. We can take a taxi home!" Erica put on her backpack and she, along with Rhea and Hyatt, began to walk toward the door.
Watkins turned around and waved at his friends. "I'll be back soon."
He walked out of the booth with the three of them.
When they reached the side of the road, Watkins stopped Erica. After hesitating for a second, he said, "Erica, we all know what happened between you and Tessie. She doesn't deserve to be your friend. You don't need to be sad for losing a friend like her. Okay?"
Knowing that he was comforting her, Erica nodded with a smile. "Don't worry about me. I've already moved on. Thank you, Watkins."
"Good to know. Let's go now. I'll drive you." Watkins' driver was waiting at the roadside.
Erica tried to refuse, but Watkins insisted on driving them home. It was late, so she got into his car with Rhea.
Hyatt got into another Mercedes Benz and the driver was told to drop him off at school.
The girls sat in the back seat, while Watkins sat in the passenger seat. The driver headed for the Pearl Villa District.
The car rolled to a stop in front of the villa. As soon as Erica opened the door, her phone rang. It was Matthew.
'Wow! Matthew, the aloof husband, is calling me on his own volition! This is so rare!' she thought. With a smile, she slid the answer key and gently greeted him, "Hello, Matthew."
"Where are you?" The man's low voice came from the other end of the line.