Matthew went to Erica's parents' place to pick her up in a chartered jet. So they both rode back in the same plane. When they landed, everyone disembarked. There was only him, Erica, and a few stewardesses and bodyguards on the tarmac.
Since they left the Li family's house, Matthew hadn't said a word to Erica.
He paid her no mind, because the moment he boarded the flight he opened his briefcase and his laptop and began working. He was still working when they climbed in the car, on the way to the Pearl Villa District.
What depressed Erica even more was that he went straight to work that day, without saying so much as a word. He didn't come back to the villa that night.
Erica looked down at her wine-red nightgown, feeling distressed. Her mother wanted her to be intimate with Matthew, to make the first move. Blair wanted grandchildren. But if Matthew wouldn't come home, how could she do that?
Erica waited and waited. She donned the same nightgown four nights in a row, but Matthew never came home. He used to be home every night, barring the occasional business trip. Now, he was nowhere to be found.
Blair called her to make sure she was getting busy, to make certain she hadn't chickened out. It was important to her mom that she did this, and it became important to her. Maybe she'd stop being scared if they finally did the deed.
Erica wasn't about to tell her the truth. This was too embarrassing, and her parents would worry about her. She had no choice but to lie, saying they did.
Blair was so happy. She could finally have a grandson.
Erica felt helpless. Why didn't her mom bug Gifford about having a kid? Why did it always come down to Erica?
Oh, right! Gifford didn't even have a girlfriend. How could he have a baby?
When she remembered that, she made a silent vow to herself to introduce Gifford to some of her friends. Maybe they'd hit it off. Maybe he'd get married. Maybe her mom would stop bugging her for a baby. It had to work, right? Yes! What a brilliant idea!
One afternoon, after class, Erica went to Matthew's office with her camera. When she arrived at the company, Paige told her that Matthew had gone out to have tea with the mayor.
Sitting in the empty office, she took out her phone and sent a message to him. "Sorry, Matthew, I was wrong."
Her life was kind of a mess right now. She was scared to sleep alone in the big villa, and no one sat down to watch horror movies with her.
However, her husband didn't reply to her even when she left the office one hour later.
Eventually, seven days went by, and Matthew still had not come home. Erica and Hyatt attended a meeting of the Photography Association. They had formally joined the organization.
When Erica went onstage to introduce herself, she was surprised to see Watkins sitting in the audience.
He was looking at her with a smile. When he figured out she noticed him, Watkins gave her a thumbs up.
On her first day, there was not much to do there. The chairman took her and Hyatt around to tour the place and meet some important people.
Watkins was one of them. That was when Erica figured out he had a very good reason for being there—he was the director of the public relations department for the organization.
Halfway through, Hyatt had to leave. Something urgent came up at the school.
But the meeting hall was a little far from the school. It was inconvenient to call a cab. Erica asked her driver to take him wherever he needed to go.
After the meeting, Erica got in Watkins' car.
In the car, she played with her camera and said to Watkins, "You must be quite good at this."
"Not really. Our department is mainly responsible for promoting the association, and collecting fine examples of photography."
"I see. What's your major?"
However, before Watkins could answer her, he suddenly stepped on the brake.
Accompanied by a harsh screech, Erica was thrust forward abruptly, and her camera fell to the floor.
She looked up at Watkins, who was gasping for breath. He was frightened and his face was pale.
Erica looked out of the car through the windshield. There was a car accident, and they were a part of it. Their car had crashed into someone else's.
But fortunately, it wasn't too serious. She and Watkins were fine.
Soon enough, two people emerged from the other car. Erica took a closer look and found that they were part of the Su family—the sisters Camille and Phoebe.
Watkins unfastened his seat belt and left the car first. Erica didn't have time to think about it; she had to follow him.
Judging from how she acted, Erica figured Phoebe was fine. Phoebe stood calmly beside her sister's car and took it all in.
Camille had adopted all of Fanya's nobility and power. She struck an impressive figure just standing there.
At this moment, she was frowning, looking at her damaged brand-new white Emperor. She glanced at Watkins indifferently and asked coldly, "Look what you did! Can you even drive?"
They were women, and not only that, Phoebe was pregnant. Watkins extended every courtesy to the pair. He bowed and apologized to them. "I'm sorry, are you alright? How's your car? I hope we didn't mess it up too badly."
Camille took a deep breath and said, "Can't you see it yourself? Go and start it for me!"
After saying that, she threw the car keys in her hand to Watkins.
He was forced to catch them and said, "Okay, I'll give it a shot."
Camille followed Watkins to the driver's side door. He sat down and tried to start the car. She climbed into the passenger seat next to him.
Erica's eyes were fixed on him the whole time. She didn't pay much attention to Phoebe. Before she knew it, Phoebe was stood right next to her. The woman said contemptuously, "Erica, I didn't expect to see you here. What a small world."
Erica shifted her gaze and looked at the woman in front of her. The other woman wore a form-hugging long dress today, and you could definitely tell she was quite pregnant.
Looking at her protruding belly, Erica felt annoyed. She couldn't forget that this woman was carrying Matthew's child.
Since she didn't get a reply, Phoebe turned her head to take a look at Watkins, who was busy starting the car, and then asked Erica, "Wow. Out alone with another man. In a car. Out in the boonies. Matthew know about this?"
Erica rolled her eyes at her. "What's wrong with you?"
Phoebe didn't get angry. Instead, she took a step forward and deliberately touched her swollen belly. "This is my baby. And Matthew's. It's growing nicely. Want to feel it?"
"No, thanks!" Erica refused decisively. She wasn't interested in the child her husband had with another woman.
She knew that Phoebe was trying to get her goat, and she wasn't in the mood.
To her surprise, Phoebe didn't give up. Instead, Phoebe held her hand and made her touch her developing baby.
And that was when Watkins and Camille got out of the car. Camille took out her phone and began to snap pics of the two cars as evidence, her back to Erica and Phoebe. Watkins went to call the insurance company.
Upon touching Phoebe's soft belly, Erica reacted strongly and scolded the woman, "What the hell are you doing? I told you I didn't want to feel it! God! Do you speak the same language?"
At the thought that the baby in her belly was Matthew's, Erica wanted to twist Phoebe's head off!
She tried to withdraw her hand, but Phoebe held it so tightly that she couldn't move it.