Matthew didn't speak. Unlike before, Erica neither naughtily urged him nor coquettishly forced him to answer immediately. After half an hour, he finally agreed, "Okay."
The corners of her mouth lifted in a brilliant smile. She kissed the man's face with tear-filled eyes, and said softly, "Thank you, Matthew."
'You are the man I love most. I love you, Matthew, ' she confessed in her mind.
Matthew acted quickly. First, he confirmed a destination for Erica's trip—a country named Cass. The country was in the opposite direction of the slum.
Then he arranged for six bodyguards to follow her. Two of them—a man and a woman—were assigned to follow her closely, while the remaining four bodyguards would protect her in secret.
He also ensured that bodyguards were available for every scenic spot she visited.
While his arrangements were extreme, they helped reassure Matthew of Erica's and their two children's safety.
As soon as Debbie learned that Erica would be traveling, she offered to accompany her daughter-in-law. Erica, however, refused. Although she always listened to her elders, this time, she expressed her desire to be alone.
Debbie tried to persuade her, but the pregnant woman's decision remained unshakable. Eventually, Debbie gave up.
Her concerns only settled when she learned from Matthew the steps he'd taken to ensure Erica's safety.
After all three sisters of the Su family had been sent away, Fanya tried her best to sue Matthew and Erica, but no lawyer dared to take her case.
Finally, a small-time lawyer offered to accept the case for the money. However, he disappeared inexplicably when he went to meet Fanya.
Before leaving for Cass, Erica visited the Li family house in A Country.
In the evening, Blair drove Wesley out of their room as she wanted a heart-to-heart talk with her daughter. "Rika, I feel as though you are in a bad mood after returning this time. Tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help."
The smile on Erica's face didn't lessen. On the contrary, her tone was as cheerful and naughty as always. "I'm fine. I just wanted to see you and Dad before I leave for my trip!"
Blair wasn't convinced. "Although I want you and Matthew to get along, if you have been wronged, you have to tell me. You know that I won't forgive him if he's done something awful, right?" Blair liked Matthew as her son-in-law, but on the condition that he was kind to her daughter, and that he would not betray her.
Erica was moved by her mother's concern. She leaned forward, hugged her mother, and rested her head on Blair's shoulder. "Mom, I'm fine. Really! I finally understand why you always said that I was lucky to have married Matthew. I know that I will live a happy life with him."
Blair patted her hand and said, "I'm glad that you have started to feel this way. Remember, you're going to be a mother of two children soon. So, don't do anything stupid. Travel safe and think of your babies, okay?"
"Yes! Don't worry!" She would protect the two babies in her belly just as Matthew would protect her.
When Erica left Blair's room, she saw that the door to the study was open and that Wesley was writing calligraphy.
She stood by the door and watched her father for a few moments. Soon, she teased, "Colonel Li, you can go back to your room to sleep now!"
Wesley glanced up, and when he saw his daughter, he smiled and waved her in. "Come in. See if your dad's calligraphy is good."
She walked closer to the table. In front of Wesley was a piece of Chinese art paper on which he had written a poem. "In the northern forest lived a pack of wild geese, with feathers as white as snow. Against the icy wind, they flew toward the south, wing to wing. As the rain poured and broke her wings, she couldn't do anything but mourn her lost dreams. Waiting in the gust of the howling wind, he vowed to never forsake or leave."
Wesley's handwriting was impeccable.
However, Erica's attention was focused on the poem. "Dad, you know this poem too?"
It was then that she remembered having asked Matthew to investigate Can't Do Anything. She decided to ask him when she retired to her room for the night.
"Yes. Do you still remember that year when you stained Matthew's shirt, and your mother asked you to buy him a new one?"
"Yes, I do. Why do you ask?" She was confused. What did this poem have to do with Matthew's shirt?
Wesley put down his brush and smiled. "I know this poem because I overheard Matthew recite it that year. It was so meaningful and poignant that I learned it by heart."
Later, he'd found that the poem was about love at first sight.
'Could it be that Matthew... knows this poem? Is all this a coincidence?' Erica wondered.
Since she didn't react the way he'd hoped, Wesley continued, "As you seem to be in a bad mood, I'll tell you a secret that should make you feel better."
"What secret?"
Carlos and Wesley often teased each other about their children. During one such conversation, Carlos had divulged to Wesley that Matthew's Weibo username was Can't Do Anything. This seemed like an appropriate time to tell Erica. "Matthew's Weibo username is Can't Do Anything," he said.
"What?!" Erica was stunned when her father told her. She couldn't believe what she heard. 'Matthew is...Can't Do Anything?'
Wesley couldn't imagine the impact of this revelation on his daughter. "Yes. I know that you are unaware of this. In fact, I didn't know either. It was Carlos who told me. Now, do you understand how much Matthew loves you? You're always disobedient and make him angry!"
Erica was at a loss for words. She stood still with tears in her eyes as she thought about what her father had said. A long time passed before she could speak.
The old man smiled helplessly when he saw her expression. His silly daughter had met a man who was incapable of expressing his feelings. They had been married for a long time, but she still didn't know how Matthew felt about her.
Erica was naughty and senseless, while Matthew was reticent and didn't like to express himself. It was normal for her to have doubts.
After a while, Erica finally found her voice. "Dad, you've known that Matthew loves me for a long time, haven't you?" That was why he insisted on her marrying into the Huo family.
"Well, that's not entirely true. I only found out a bit earlier than you did."
Wesley had hoped that after their union, Erica would figure things out. However, his daughter was a little slow in realizing such things. He had waited for this day for a long time, let alone Matthew.
Wesley felt sorry for Matthew. The young man must've hoped and prayed for this day ever since their marriage. Even though he believed that Erica had given birth to another man's child at that time, he still tried to get close to her and make her accept him little by little. Didn't this patience mean true love?
That was one of the reasons why Wesley always sided with Matthew.
It was understandable that Matthew would do so based on his personality. Many people did the same. They first lured their "prey," and then captured its heart. Gradually, they made it belong to them willingly.
Erica was confused. 'Did Matthew fall in love with me after he fell out of love with his goddess, Phoebe?
Or...could it be possible that I've been the goddess in his heart all this while?'
This realization sent a shiver through Erica. If it were true, didn't it mean that Matthew had hidden his feelings too well?
He was indeed, good at acting. She didn't know that he was Can't Do Anything until today.
No wonder he hadn't allowed her to touch his phone! He was afraid that she would find out his Weibo username.
Erica's mood should have lifted after this revelation. However, complex emotions surged through her as she believed that she knew very little about the man she had married. Matthew was a mysterious figure shrouded in mist, who had waited for her to see him clearly.
That night, Erica and Chantel shared a room. The two pregnant women touched each other's belly and smiled. How happy they were!
It was late night when they finally fell asleep.