Erica didn't mind her gaze at all. She put her arm on Hyatt's shoulder and asked, "Hyatt said you owed him money and haven't paid him back yet. What's wrong with you?"
At the mention of the money, the girl's eyes began to fill with tears, and she tried to look away from Erica. There was sympathy in Hyatt's eyes, but not Erica's. "Come on, Hyatt. It's not like I don't want to pay you back. But I'm hurting for money now. Two more days. That's all I need."
She had a lovely voice—high-pitched and sweet, easy on the ears. No wonder her major was in radio and TV broadcasting.
Seeing that silly Hyatt was about to soften his heart, Erica pulled him behind her and told the girl, "No way! This is ridiculous! You've been playing this game for months. You can't even cough up two thousand? Maybe we should start charging interest!"
The girl named Pansy knew there was no way out. Erica would never let her off the hook. So she had to promise, "Okay, I don't have a job. I need to call my mom..."
Erica watched her wander off to make the call. Hyatt tugged at her sleeve nervously. "Erica, she just asked for a little more time. If she really can't get it to me now, it doesn't matter. I can wait. It's not like I need the money."
Erica rolled her eyes at him and said, "Don't be a jerk. This is all on her. You'll get your money quickly—trust me."
Erica was good at reading people. She was street smart. She recognized the brands Pansy wore, stylish and expensive. The simple outfit she was rocking cost thousands. And the phone in her hand was none other than ZL Group's iconic model, a super-private, high-end phone for the super-rich. Nearly unbreakable when dropped, featuring high-end encryption, made of black carbon and metal gold, the thing was worth more than twenty thousand!
So Erica wasn't buying it. A girl who could afford such luxurious items should easily be able to pay her friend back.
Sure enough, in less than three minutes, Pansy came back and asked for Hyatt's account number. "Mom transferred the money to me. I'll wire it to you now."
Hearing that, Hyatt was gobsmacked for a moment. He didn't think he'd ever see that money again. Prompted by Erica, he rattled off his account number.
Soon, he received two thousand.
The girl blushed and left. Hyatt watched her leave, a hint of sadness in his eyes.
Erica patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Don't be sad. She wasn't worth your time. Tell you what! I'll introduce you to some of my classmates. How does that sound?"
Although her friend was a little timid and shy, he was a good person, honest and moral. There must be somebody out there for him! He'd never hurt a fly, especially a girl he was going out with.
Hyatt blushed and answered shyly, "Just wait a little longer. I'm still in school. No hurry." He preferred to maybe have a job lined up first. That way he could treat her to whatever she wanted.
After he became a photographer and made a ton of cash, then he'd feel more confident finding a girlfriend.
Erica turned and waved at the bodyguard. The bodyguard immediately ran over and said respectfully, "Mrs. Huo!"
"I'm not taking the car today. I want to walk around with my friend. Please come with us." What she meant was that the bodyguard didn't have to stay too far away from her. He should follow them closely so he wouldn't lose them.
She was pregnant with twins now. What if someone wanted to hurt her? She'd be safer if the bodyguard was closer at hand.
"Yes, Mrs. Huo!" The bodyguard reported to Matthew by text, apprising him of the situation.
When she arrived at the school gate, the driver was already there, waiting for her. She didn't get in, but walked slowly along the road with Hyatt. The driver started the car, and followed as close as he could.
When she finished shopping and was about to go back home, it was already eight o'clock in the evening.
The driver parked his car nearby, so Erica could jump in any time.
After walking around for about three hours, Erica was getting fairly tired. She put her purchases in the trunk and was about to climb into the car with Hyatt.
Just then, she heard a woman shouting, "Help! Help!"
Their car was parked near an alley. There were street lights down that way, but the lights were dim.
Erica looked down that alley. She saw a group surrounding a woman. She had no idea what was going on.
The woman wasn't crying for help anymore. While Erica scratched her head, a figure ran towards her car. "Help!"
"Catch her! Don't let her get away!" A group of people began to run after the woman.
Erica didn't want to get involved, but as the woman approached, Erica could see her face more clearly. She recognized her.
It was Kaitlyn Dong, the roommate who had plagiarized her photos. Apparently, she'd gotten herself into trouble again.
The panic-stricken Kaitlyn also spotted them. Her eyes were filled with surprise and she shouted, "Erica, Hyatt, help me! Ahh!"
As soon as she finished shouting, a man caught up with her and grabbed her long hair. She cried out in pain.
Erica sat up straight in the car and figured she'd ignore it. It wasn't her business. After all, Kaitlyn framed her back then.
Kaitlyn turned and bit the man who was grabbing her hair. The man howled in pain, and had to let go of the woman in his hand. Blood flecked Kaitlyn's lips.
She used that slim window of opportunity to run to the car, grabbed the handle of the door and cried, "Erica, please, help me! I can't let them get me. Please!"
Maybe knowing that Erica minded what happened before, Kaitlyn continued, "I'm sorry for what I did to you, but Mr. Huo already punished us. We haven't been in school since then. Erica, they want to whore me out. Come on—ah!"
The men behind all rushed over, and two of them grabbed Kaitlyn in front of the car and glared at Erica. "Stay out of this. It's not your business. Hurry up and leave!"
Hyatt whispered, "Erica, isn't that Kaitlyn Dong?"
"Yeah." That was definitely her, as Erica had already surmised.
Kaitlyn shouted hysterically, and finally, Erica's heart softened. She ordered the bodyguard in the front seat, "Help her! Nothing too fancy, just run those guys off!"
"Yes, Mrs. Huo!"
After getting Erica's orders, the bodyguard left the car and pulled out a nightstick. He only had to whip it around a few times before the group dispersed. They left Kaitlyn there, alone.
Kaitlyn ran back to the car and thanked Erica with a smile, over and over. "Thank you, Erica! Thank you so much! I'll never forget what you did today!"
When the bodyguard returned to the car, Erica pressed the automatic window with an expressionless face. As it closed, she ordered the driver, "Let's go. We'll drop Hyatt off at school, and head home."
"Yes, Mrs. Huo."
After the luxury car rolled away, Kaitlyn took some deep breaths to center herself, and took a last look at the empty alley. She hailed a taxi, and left.
To Erica's surprise, when she returned to the villa, Matthew was already home.
He was talking on the phone in the bedroom. When he saw her come in, he just glanced at her and continued to talk about work with the person on the other end.
Erica didn't feel like talking to him, so she went straight to the closet, grabbed her pajamas and went to the bathroom.
When she came out, Matthew was still in the bedroom. But he wasn't on the phone now. Instead, he sat on the sofa, waiting for her.
Matthew wanted to dry her hair, but she turned him down. She took the hair dryer from him and sat in front of the dresser to dry her hair by herself.
Matthew didn't press the issue. He sat on the edge of the bed and simply said, "I'll go with you to your prenatal checkup tomorrow."