Sheffield was often punished by his wife to kneel on the keyboard, which was known to all of his friends.
He put his hand on Matthew's shoulder and told Harmon with a cheeky smile, "I'm doing this because I care about Matthew's happiness! He'll understand, I'm sure."
"Take your hand off me," said Matthew, deadpan, as he looked at the hand.
"Geeze. You're such a neat freak, just like your sister. You two have got germophobia, I tell you. You're sick in the head." With that, Sheffield shuffled a ways off, retrieved his glass, and took a sip.
As soon as his back was turned, Matthew took out his phone and sent his sister a text. "Sis, my brother-in-law said that you're a germaphobe, and that you're probably a neurotic."
When Evelyn saw the message, she replied, "It doesn't matter. I'll have a talk with him when he gets back home."
Meanwhile, Sheffield, who knew nothing about this, was still chatting happily with Harmon.
At eleven o'clock that evening, Erica was lying on her bed, playing with her phone.
Out of the blue, she got a call from Sheffield, who said, "Rika, Matthew is drunk. Can you come by and pick him up?"
'Drunk again?' thought Erica, frowning. She took no time at all to decide what to answer. "No, not a chance. I can't drive. Ask his assistant to come pick him up." The memory of what had happened the last time she'd gone to pick him up loomed large in Erica's mind. Trying again would surely lead to disaster.
Besides, she was still angry and didn't want to see Matthew.
Meanwhile, Sheffield wished the best for Erica and Matthew. He saw this as a good opportunity for the couple to improve their relationship. Since Erica didn't seem to realize this, he said, "Rika, why are you being silly? You know, if you don't come and see him, what if that gives other women the chance to do so? Just come over! When you pick up Matthew, I'll arrange for someone to drive you both back."
Erica's words were heavy and gloomy. "It doesn't matter whether I go see him or not. Other women will have the chance to get close to him either way."
That made Sheffield feel anxious. "How could that be possible? There are only the three of us here right now, all men. Now come here, quickly. I will keep an eye on him until you arrive. I promise no other woman will come near him."
Erica grumbled something and hung up. A moment of fretting came and went, and she slid from the bed. She went to the walk-in closet, changed into the first top she saw, and left the villa.
It was really a pain to have a husband who was incapable of holding his liquor.
After hanging up the phone, Sheffield looked over at Matthew, who had his eyes closed. "You're so pitiful," Sheffield said quietly, trying to sound sympathetic. "First your fat
er. "Matthew Xitala, look!" she shouted over the wind. "That's the country I have built for you!" Then she put her hands on her hips and laughed wildly.
Her husband stared at her, mortified. She had come to pick him up in the midst of his drunkenness, but now look at her. Compared to this madwoman, Matthew seemed completely sober.
For a moment he stared up at her in silence, and tenderness began to show in his deep eyes.
A blast of cold wind brought him back to himself. "Erica, come down!"
Erica stretched both arms out to him. "Carry me down!"
"Are you..." Matthew started. He was meaning to say, "Are you trying to earn a good beating for yourself?"
But even as he spoke, Erica began to lean backward on the balls of her feet, as though to let herself fall over the edge. Matthew's heart practically exploded as he leaped onto the wall beside her, where he caught her around the waist.
"How dare you jump!" he scolded, furious.
But Erica was not afraid of him. "If you dared to catch me, why should I not dare to jump?" She giggled, having never doubted that he would catch her. After all, if she got hurt, both of their fathers would hold him responsible, regardless of the circumstances.
That was why she felt confident enough to push Matthew's buttons.
Matthew helped her back down to the ground, only then to sweep her up in his arms and carry her back toward the car. "I'm going to settle accounts with you when we get home!" he hissed.
"Then I don't want to go home!" Erica retorted, squirming to get out of his arms.
Sighing, Matthew gave in and softened his tone. "No, I was just kidding. I won't settle accounts with you."
"Now, that's more like it!" With that, Erica closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her face in his arms. He didn't miss the triumphant smile on her face.
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