In a bedroom of a sophisticated neighborhood, a man and a woman were having wild sex. They were suddenly interrupted by the man's cellphone, which had been thrown aside before they started.
With her hair messy, the woman reached out to grab the phone. Once she looked at the caller ID, a trace of anger immediately flashed through her eyes. Biting her lower lip, she handed the phone to the man on top of her. "Answer your phone!"
Noticing Erica's name on the screen, he slowed down his moves and took a deep breath before he slid the answer button.
The phone was about to hang up when his voice finally came on the line. "Hello, Erica."
"Are you busy now? It took you a while to pick up the call."
After a short silence, Watkins answered, "No, I'm not busy. I just didn't hear it ringing, that's all. What's up?"
Erica, who had always been careless, didn't notice anything unusual in his voice, so she went straight to the point. "Here is the thing. Mr. Fei just called and said that Phoebe's case isn't going well. Do you have any idea why?"
"I'll make a few calls and ask what's going on. I'll call you back later."
"Okay, thank you!" Erica felt very lucky that she had Watkins as her friend in Y City.
Now with his help, she could sue Phoebe without Matthew's knowledge.
After he hung up, Watkins threw the phone aside and urged, "Let's hurry up."
Hearing this, the woman pursed her red lips and asked with a hint of irony, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just bored." They went back to having sex until Watkins finished up a few minutes later.
In the evening, Erica got a message from Watkins saying, "Now I know why. Erica, someone is indeed holding off the case."
"Who?"
"Well, it's your husband."
Erica was shocked. 'So Matthew knows! When did he find out? How come I didn't know that he knows?' "Why is he trying to hold off this case?" she asked.
Watkins sent her a worried emoji, and replied, "You should ask Mr. Huo yourself. Maybe it's because Phoebe used to be the wife of a good friend of his. Anyway, I think you two should talk clearly about this matter."
Erica's heart sank. She hadn't asked for Matthew's help because she was afraid that he would show compassion towards Phoebe.
However, despite all the trouble that she went to keep her plans from him, he still managed to find everything out and interfere with the case anyway.
It's common knowledge that because of all the increasing hormones in their bodies, pregnant women can become quite sensitive.
Erica was no exception to that. With the phone still in her hand, all sorts of hurtful and enraged thoughts came through her mind. Even though she tried to calm herself down, it had no use.
Eventually, she couldn't hold it anymore and called Matthew. "Matthew Huo, what do you mean by interfering in Phoebe Su's case?" she inquired coldly.
Matthew froze for a moment. He was at an emergency meeting when she called, but due to the sensitivity of the matter, he immediately sought out the exit and walked away from the room with his phone before he answered her, "Rika, I thought you knew the reason why."
"What do you mean? Are you trying to protect her against me?" Thinking about this possibility, Erica got so angry that her mind went blank for a whole minute.
Matthew took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Despite his anger, he kept reminding himself that he needed to comfort her first. "Relax. Don't get too emotional..." He knew that pregnant women shouldn't get too anxious.
"How can I not get emotional?" she yelled. 'He's just a liar. Didn't he fall out of love with Phoebe? Why is he protecting her in such a big deal?' she thought furiously.
"Why didn't you come to me for help to begin with?" he asked. Since she wanted to sue Phoebe, she should have come to him instead of seeking another man's help.
"Why should I've come to you?" Erica believed that if she had asked for Matthew's help, she wouldn't even have found a lawyer yet.
'Huh? Did she dare to ask me why?' Matthew was really pissed off. "We'll talk about it when I get home!" he told her.
"No, you may sleep in the company tonight! And Matthew Huo, mark my words, I'll sue Phoebe Su with or without you getting in my way!" She swore that she would win the case and let Phoebe pay for her actions.
His face dim, Matthew said, "Honey, don't make a fuss."
His words were actually aimed at her first statement in which he should sleep in the company. However, Erica had taken it as a reply for her not to sue Phoebe, bringing great sorrow to her heart. "I'm going to make a fuss. I won't stop, no matter what." Then she hung up the phone, leaving no chance for Matthew to say anything further.
In the quiet bedroom, the only voices Erica heard belonged to her thoughts. Yet the more she paid attention to them, the worse she felt. At the moment, it seemed that all the sweet times that Erica shared with Matthew had been fake. After all, Phoebe hadn't been a part of any of them. However, on the first occasion that something had involved her, they not only had a horrible quarrel, but Matthew also picked the other woman's side.
Matthew kept calling her, but she refused to answer him. Instead, she called Gifford about ten minutes after their discussion. "Gifford."
As soon as Erica's voice came through the line, Gifford was quick to reprimand her. "Rika, you're pregnant. Why are you up so late?"
Erica grimaced. "Hey, it's only nine o'clock, okay?" Before she got pregnant, she would usually go to bed by midnight. But if Matthew wanted to have sex, they would easily stay up until the wee hours.
"Why are you calling me at this hour?" Gifford was caught up in a small mission. He was watching a situation not far from him as he talked to Erica over the phone.
"I want to go to court. Help me find a good lawyer." She hoped to find a lawyer that even Matthew was unable to intimidate.
Gifford frowned and asked, "What? What happened?"
"It's all because of Phoebe. I can't tell you the details over the phone. But I'll tell you all about it the next time you come to Y City."
"Shouldn't you ask Matthew for help?" It was much easier for Matthew to find a good lawyer for her.
Erica pouted and complained, "I don't want to ask for his help, and I don't believe I can't find a lawyer without him... No, no, no. I was wrong. Forget about what I said. I don't want you to find a lawyer for me. I already have one. The thing is that I filed a lawsuit against Phoebe, but my case is not moving forward. I need you to find someone to help me so the case can go smoothly."
All of a sudden, she realized that it was not a matter of getting a more powerful lawyer. The problem was Matthew. Her case would never move forward if he kept holding off the case.
"Did you quarrel with Matthew again?" He could feel Erica's temper through the phone.
"Well, he doesn't want me to sue Phoebe, but I decided to go through with it anyway."
"What on earth did Phoebe do to you?" Gifford was confused. Didn't Erica have a good relationship with Tessie before? Why was she turning against all the Su sisters now?
Erica didn't want to gossip, but she needed to get all that anger out of her chest before she exploded. "She was pregnant, but then she slandered me saying that I pushed her and caused a miscarriage. How can I let her get away with this?"
"Oh, I see. Did Matthew believe her?"
"I don't know." She was still confused by Matthew's attitude. He never said whether he believed Phoebe or not. But if he did, then why was he so kind to Erica? And if he didn't, why did he never tell Erica so?
"I'd rather not interfere in this matter. This is between you and your husband. Besides, it would be for the best if you persuade Matthew on this subject." Gifford was sincere with her.
"Gifford, why can't you understand that he is on Phoebe's side? Believe me, I didn't want to ask you this either, but to whom will I run to if you refuse to help me?" Erica's voice was full of grievance.
Hearing that, Gifford felt a bit distressed and finally surrendered. "I'll call Matthew and ask him about this, okay?" There must be a misunderstanding between them. Therefore, he had to understand what was going on before he took any action.