The car arrived immediately. Without any doubt on Erica, the bodyguard opened the door for her. After she had seated in the back seat, he sat in the passenger seat.
While they were driving out of the community, she suddenly said, "I'm hungry. I remember there is a restaurant selling fried chicken not far away from here. I want to eat there."
"Well..." The bodyguard was obviously hesitant.
To hide her guilt, she said coldly, "What's wrong? Am I not allowed to eat fried chicken? If you starve Matthew's babies, make sure that you can take responsibility."
Her threat worked because the bodyguard immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Huo. Where is that restaurant? Please give the driver directions so we can take you there." 'What is wrong with Mrs. Huo tonight? According to my colleagues, she is a nice and easy-going woman. She's not like other rich women who are bossy and arrogant. Why does she seem strict and demanding now?' the bodyguard thought inwardly.
Erica told the driver the address and he followed her instructions.
She also borrowed the bodyguard's phone, so he couldn't have the chance to inform Matthew. She just pretended that her phone ran out of battery.
The car stopped in front of the entrance of a high-end community. The driver looked back in confusion and asked, "Mrs. Huo, there is no restaurant that sells fried chicken here."
"Oh, Matthew just texted me that he is here. Just take me in. We will buy fried chicken together," she answered calmly.
The driver and the bodyguard were rendered speechless.
They could sense that something was wrong, but they couldn't afford to ask more questions since she was going to see Matthew inside.
The driver said something to the security guard, and the car went inside the community smoothly.
The bodyguard accompanied Erica to the elevator, and they stopped on the nineteenth floor.
She was about to ring the doorbell, but her hand froze in midair when she thought of what might happen next.
After taking a step back, she asked the bodyguard to ring the doorbell instead while she waited at the side.
The bodyguard pressed the doorbell many times before someone asked from the inside, "Who is it?"
Although she couldn't see the person behind the door, Erica could tell that it was Phoebe's voice.
Knowing that Phoebe would peer through the peephole, she didn't say anything but stood in front of the door.
If Matthew was really inside, Phoebe would surely open the door to show off.
As she expected, Phoebe opened the door in a short while.
Erica's facial expression changed slightly upon seeing her standing at the door, buttoning up her shirt. Her hair was a little messy as if she had just gotten up from the bed.
But that was not the most dreadful sight for Erica. The most horrible was seeing a man walking out of the bedroom while buttoning up his shirt too.
And the man was none other than Matthew.
A man and a woman were inside the apartment at night and buttoning up their shirts at the same time. What could anyone think?
Erica was thunderstruck. Her mind went blank, and her face turned pale as a sheet in an instant.
She had seen it with her two eyes. Her husband just got out of another woman's bedroom.
When Matthew saw her standing at the door, he was a little stunned. But then, he acted like nothing was wrong. He walked up to her and asked softly, "Didn't you go to the manor?"
Unable to utter a word, she just stared at him.
Finally, he noticed that there was something wrong with her. He looked down at his shirt and was about to explain, "Just now..."
However, Erica suddenly slapped Phoebe with her trembling hand. The impact was strong enough for the latter's head to tilt to one side. As her eyes turned red with anger, she yelled, "Phoebe Su, how dare you seduce my husband!"
Matthew's face darkened. He now understood why Erica was so mad.
All he wanted to do was calm her down, so he came over and hugged her. "Rika, don't be angry. I will explain everything."
But to his surprise, Erica shook his hands off and slapped him without hesitation.
Pak! The sound reverberated inside the quiet room.
Tears welled up in her eyes. At this moment, she was not afraid of his cold face anymore. "Matthew Huo, is this why you want to lock me up at home?" She then laughed bitterly. "Ha-ha! I'm actually still waiting for Phoebe to transfer the ten million to your account."
'I am such a fool!
How could I even believe that Matthew will give up the woman he likes and fall in love with a woman he didn't want to marry in the first place?
I overestimated myself. In the end, I was only fooled, ' she thought bitterly.
Since Matthew was also slapped, Phoebe, who wanted to fight back, decided to shut her mouth.
"Erica Li!" Matthew uttered her name slowly, giving pressure to each syllable.
Erica took a deep breath as she was choking with sobs. "Don't you ever call my name! Liar!"
He ignored her words and said calmly, "I came here to take Nathan's things."
"Take Nathan's things? Are his things on that bitch's bed?" she mocked and laughed sarcastically.
He stared straight to her eyes and said unblinkingly, "Nothing happened between Phoebe and me. It's not what you think it is."
If he was not mistaken, Erica and he fell into Phoebe's trap.
Wiping her tears, Erica stared at the woman next to her. "Phoebe Su, I declare that you are done!" She would not forgive her no matter what, and she would do everything to teach her a good lesson.
After saying those words, she held her head high, turned around, and left the apartment decisively.
Despite being slapped by Erica, Matthew followed her quickly. He didn't even bother to take his suit in the living room.
Fortunately, she didn't stop him from entering the elevator. Inside, he pressed her against the wall and coaxed her in a soft voice, "Rika, Phoebe told me that she found a box hidden by Nathan. There were important things in it, so I came to pick the box up. But when I arrived there, the pipe in her bathroom suddenly broke."
As tears still streamed down her face, Erica listened to his explanation without saying a word.
He continued, "The property manager came and fixed the pipe, but my clothes were already wet, so I went to her bedroom to change into Nathan's shirt."
"You're lying!" Erica suddenly broke out. Trying to suppress the pain in her heart, she retorted, "You are a neat freak. You won't wear clothes that others wear!" She knew what a neat freak Matthew was. He wouldn't even wear his best friend's clothes.
"Yes, you're right. But this one I'm wearing is new." Phoebe bought the shirt for Nathan before, but he didn't get the chance to use it. That was why he agreed to wear it.
Matthew thought of the whole scenario in his mind. Phoebe decided to sell the apartment and found the box while she was cleaning up. She then asked Matthew to get it. But when he was there, the pipe suddenly broke. His clothes got wet when he tried to fix it. She then offered Nathan's new shirt, and he changed right in time that Erica arrived. Obviously, things were preplanned. It was a trap.
He would definitely make Phoebe pay for this. But for now, he needed to focus on appeasing Erica. He couldn't do anything unless she forgave him.
"It seems that I am really a fool in your eyes," Erica murmured. She hated herself for being so stupid to fall in love with a man who loved no one but Phoebe.
When the elevator reached the ground floor, she pushed him away and walked out.
As soon as she got in the car, she dialed Gifford's number, ignoring Matthew, who sat beside her.
Every time she sent a message to Gifford, it would always take a long time before he replied. But when she called him, he would answer immediately. She knew that Gifford was always busy. After all, when Rhea called him for help last time, she had to call him more than twenty times before he finally answered.
As soon as he answered the phone, she immediately sobbed and said, "Gifford, I'm serious this time."