Since everyone was on leave for the Lunar New Year, Matthew and Erica decided to stay at the Li family residence for a few more days. Over the next few days, the Li residence was filled with laughter.
One day, Erica seized an opportunity and snuck into her brother's room.
Gifford was working out with two dumbbells. When he saw her enter, he resisted the urge to kick her out. "Oh, it's you, Miss Troublemaker. What do you want from me?" he asked. His instincts led him to believe that she must be plotting something against him. However, fearful of how Wesley would react should he misbehave, Gifford curbed the urge to throw her out.
Erica ignored his sarcasm, closed the door, and jumped onto his bed. Oblivious to his growing annoyance, she lay down and crossed her legs. "Gifford, can we talk?"
He cast a sidelong glance at his sister, who seemed to behave as though this was her room. The more comfortable and carefree she appeared, the angrier he became. He firmly refused, "No!"
Only Erica dared to be so presumptuous in his room. Perhaps her confidence came from her knowing that he would not beat her.
"Don't be so heartless, Gifford. I did what's best for you. Think about it. You can't possibly continue to be a jerk now, can you?" Erica shifted her body, placed one arm under her head, and looked sideways at the man who was still immersed in his exercise.
Gifford stiffened when he realized what she was going to say. He put down the dumbbells and sneered, "If you hadn't tricked me, I wouldn't need to be a jerk. Since you dared to scheme against me, I will behave however I please!"
What gnawed at him was that he had returned three days ago, but he still hadn't decided how he would deal with the matter between him and Chantel.
He knew that there were only two options. The first was to be cruel and send her away as if nothing had happened between them.
The other was to marry her and take responsibility.
However, there was a considerable age gap between them. He was twelve years older than Chantel! The age difference, among other things, led him to believe they were unsuitable for each other.
"Well, does it matter that we tricked you? Think about it. I'm your sister. I always have your best interest in mind. What we did isn't as awful as you believe. And Chantel is so young. How could she scheme against you? Wouldn't you agree?"
Gifford mulled over Erica's argument for a while. But all he could focus on was Chantel's age. "She is so young," he whispered. Finally, he glared at his sister and reproached, "How dare you do something so stupid? What if I decide not to marry her? Did you consider that possibility? How could you take such a risk knowing that her life might be destroyed?"
Erica sat up on the bed and said, "Exactly! Now, you have no choice but to do the right thing. You don't have a girlfriend, do you? Why are you hesitating? Let me tell you; age is not a factor in love. I know a couple. The woman is thirty years older than her husband. Despite that, they are happy together. What's more, you are only twelve years older than Chantel. It's not such a big deal. Besides, you don't look thirty-two years old. At first glance, you could pass for a twenty-two-year-old! You can think that you are twenty-two years old. That would make you only two years older than Chantel. Doesn't that make it easier to accept?"
Gifford knew that Erica had always been a glib talker. After she married Matthew, she must have bickered with him a lot, which was why she was more eloquent now.
He walked over, grabbed Erica's wrist, and pulled her off his bed. "Go back to your husband. A kid must not interfere in adults' business!"
He was grateful that she and Matthew had a peaceful life, which meant he had nothing to worry about. But he couldn't stand the fact that she had dared to meddle in his affairs. How could she be so presumptuous?
"A kid? Gifford, don't forget that I am married. I'm not a child anymore. What I said makes sense. You must listen to me! Hey, stop dragging me and talk to me! Hey, hey, don't drag me by the collar. I'm suffocating!" But Gifford didn't listen to his sister's pleas. He'd had enough. He dragged her by her collar to the door, flung it open, and threw her out of his room. Then, he slammed the door shut.
Relief coursed through Erica when Gifford released her collar. It didn't matter that she had been so rudely handled.
After she caught her breath, she made a face at the door.
'You are such a jerk, Gifford. Well, my husband is a better man than you. When I told him that I was afraid of having sex, he was sensitive enough to put my needs before his. And you can't even think beyond yourself!
Well, I'd better return and find Matthew.'
Erica opened the door to her bedroom and found that Matthew was inside, working on his computer. She closed the door, and like a dainty butterfly, rushed to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She cooed, "Honey, you are the best husband in the world!"
"Ahem!" Suddenly, she heard someone coughing, and it wasn't her husband!
Erica raised her head and glanced at the screen. Matthew had been video-chatting with his father. What a surprise!
Her cheeks flushed crimson. She released Matthew and explained to Carlos, "Dad, you misheard me. I didn't say anything. Please go ahead with your work."
Carlos chuckled. "It's getting late. You two should go to bed early. Matthew and I will finish our talk tomorrow."
Matthew remained calm as he ended the video call.
When Erica was sure that the call had ended, she hugged Matthew again. "Hey, why didn't you tell me that you were going to video-chat with Dad? That was so embarrassing!"
Matthew didn't think it was a big deal. He turned off the computer and pulled her on to his lap. "Why would you feel embarrassed? At least this way, he knows that our relationship is a happy one. Now, he won't do anything against me because of you!"
It would infuriate Carlos if he learned that his son had mistreated Erica.
Erica placed her head on his shoulder and reassured him, "You are his son. He just said that he disliked you. But in fact, he loves you very much. You should know this!"
Matthew sneered, "If that's what you believe, then you don't know him." Ever since he was a child, he felt as though his father only cared about the women in their family. If Debbie hadn't treated him well, he would have thought that he was not Carlos' biological son.
Erica wrapped her dainty arms around his head and patted him as if she were comforting a child. "Honey, don't cry. I'll be good to you in the future. As long as you are obedient, I'll buy you whatever you want."
Matthew, who buried his face in her arms, was rendered speechless. 'What? Does she think I'm a three-year-old child? It doesn't matter. Her affection is a welcome change!'
On the afternoon of the second day, Matthew was engaged in his work in the study. As Gifford was not at home, Yvette took the opportunity to accompany Erica and Chantel on their shopping trip.
Before they returned home, the three headed to the supermarket.
In the supermarket
The three women separated to buy what they wanted. While Chantel and Yvette went to pick up drinks, Erica made her way toward the snack aisle.
As she pushed the shopping cart around a corner, Erica's curiosity was piqued by a man and a woman who stood before a shelf, whispering about something.
"Honey, we don't need them, okay?" the man said.
"We must use them. I'll get pregnant without them," the woman protested anxiously.
"No, you won't. I won't ejaculate inside you. Besides, it doesn't feel good to use them," the man rationalized.
"Then, we'll buy thin ones."
The man sighed helplessly. "Okay."
After grabbing a box of condoms from the shelf, the man began walking toward the payment counter. He turned and saw a girl standing in front of the aisle. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts.
The couple didn't dwell on what the girl was doing. They shot her a curious look and left.
Erica studied the condoms in front of her. They were full of different scents and sizes.