Clarissa placed her hand on Matthew’s mouth to stop him from speaking and making her flustered.
Pressing on top of him, she rejected his teasing in a serious tone, “I’m going to get very, very angry if you continue acting like this.”
Matthew’s expression softened as he held Clarissa’s hand.
Staring attentively at Clarissa’s face, he smiled and said, “But that’s the truth.”
The corner of Clarissa’s lips twitched. After scoffing at Matthew, she turned her back on him.
Wait. Why am I arguing with him on the bed?
Before Clarissa could even get out of bed, she was pulled back by Matthew.
As she let out a cry, Matthew pressed himself on top of her and kissed her again.
This time, he stopped talking and started doing what he was planning to do in the first place.
Clarissa didn’t go to Justin Yates Studio the next morning because she was ordered by Matthew to rest in Zen Highlands.
That included not mentioning Justin every now and then.
Clarissa found Matthew funny, but she obeyed his instructions anyway. It was also a chance for her to rewind and chill.
Clarissa was enjoying the refreshing autumn breeze while drinking a cup of tea and reading a book.
However, her serene moment was interrupted by someone else.
Hilary called Clarissa to inform her that Jonathan was back from overseas and asked her to come home to meet her brother.
Since Clarissa couldn’t reject her mother’s request for her to meet her half-brother, she had to go out to get a gift for him.
She might as well get something for herself too since she was going out.
D City was such a small place that she could even meet someone that she didn’t want to see while trying on some clothes.
“Isn’t this my stepmother’s daughter, my dearest sister?”
Yvonne’s voice rang through the store. Her exaggerating attitude stood out in the high-end boutique.
Clarissa’s attractiveness was distracting enough, but Yvonne’s action drew everyone’s attention to the former instantly.
Yvonne had a few friends accompanying her when she stood beside Clarissa and looked at the clothes she tried on.
A hint of jealousy flashed across Yvonne’s eyes as she taunted Clarissa, “This is a beautiful dress, but it is very expensive. Can you afford it with whatever little money that your mother gave you? Not to mention, my father is the one supporting your mother.”
Clarissa wanted to refute Yvonne badly, but it would only make herself seem as uncultured as Yvonne.
Recalling the time Matthew witnessed her disheveled state when she was fighting with Yvonne, Clarissa turned around and went back to the fitting room.
However, Yvonne grabbed her arm and stopped her. “Why aren’t you saying anything? If you can’t afford the dress, don’t come here and waste the sales assistant’s time and effort.”
Yvonne let out a snort and turned to the sales assistant. “I’ll pay for the dress on her.”
Clarissa turned around and stared right into Yvonne’s eyes. “You need to get a larger size than this.”
When Yvonne’s face darkened after she heard someone snickering behind her, Clarissa had already shoved her away and gone back to the fitting room.
After exiting the fitting room, Clarissa returned the dress to the sales assistant and said smilingly, “Thank you.”
The sales assistant didn’t appear unhappy as Yvonne said. She simply walked back to the counter
When Clarissa followed the sales assistant back to the counter, Yvonne taunted her smugly, “How pity. You can have the dress I bought earlier.”
“Thanks, but no thanks.”
“Don’t act so tough, Clarissa,” Yvonne snorted, “Keep the dress if you like it. It’s not like you have to pay for it. You’ll regret it if you walk out of here without it.” Yvonne continued urging Clarissa, “Take it. I will be spending a lot in this boutique anyway. Remember not to show up in some shabby clothes whenever we throw a party, you’ll be laughed at. Can someone pack the dress for my sister?”
Yvonne was looking forward to witnessing the reluctant yet compromising look on Clarissa’s face.
That must be very satisfying.
As Clarissa glanced back and forth at the sales assistant who was handling the dress and Yvonne and her friends, she couldn’t help but snicker, “Thank you then.”
Not showing any tense emotion, Clarissa accepted the dress wholeheartedly and left the boutique, leaving the disappointed crowd behind.
It was only when Yvonne paid for the dress that she realized how expensive it was.
Yvonne gritted her teeth as she thought of her allowance. Her father didn’t give her much allowance nowadays, and her habit of squandering her money didn’t help. Luckily, she still had the occasional allowance from her grandparents. However, the thought of Clarissa’s happy expression after receiving the dress angered her.
Despite feeling unwilling, Yvonne couldn’t do anything about it because Clarissa had already left with the dress.
In fact, Clarissa didn’t really like the dress and the fact that it was paid for by Yvonne.
An idea suddenly popped into Clarissa’s mind. She had been writing for years and had a loyal fanbase. Although the fanbase was fewer than a hundred people, unlike her million-follower Twitter account, they were the ones who helped her during the online rant. Since she didn’t really like the dress, she could just give it away as a lucky draw to her fans.
When Clarissa posted a picture of the dress and announced the lucky draw on her account, her fans supported it immediately because Clarissa was always so nice to all of them and regularly showered them with gifts. They entered the lucky draw because it was fun, not because the prize was an expensive dress.
In the end, the winner was selected. Although the dress was a size too small for her, she promised to go on a diet for it.
……
Clarissa brought a gift to the Garretts.
To her surprise, the Garretts were holding a party in their mansion. No wonder Yvonne mentioned a party earlier at the boutique.
Clarissa didn’t attract unwanted attention because she wore a casual shirt and skirt that looked like a dress.
Upon seeing Clarissa’s arrival, Hilary frowned and pulled her aside. “What are you wearing? Didn’t I ask you to wear something nice and look pretty tonight?”
“Am I not pretty enough?”
Hilary couldn’t think of anything to retort Clarissa because she was indeed getting prettier and prettier as time passed.
Something odd crossed Hilary’s mind, but she shook the thought of immediately.
“Come. I’ll show you around and introduce you to Jonathan.”
It was the first time that Clarissa met Jonathan. Jonathan was a twelve-year-old boy who looked more mature than his age. Perhaps because of his eating habits, he was taller and fitter than boys of his age.
Sitting alone in a corner, he had his hoodie covering his face and appeared to be sleeping.
“Wake up, Jonathan. Your sister is here.”
After Hilary shoved him a few times, he finally opened his eyes lazily.
Jonathan fixed his defiant gaze on Clarissa for a moment, then looked away coldly.
“What’s with your attitude, Jonathan? She’s your sister!”
“I’ve never said she isn’t,” Jonathan replied indifferently.
Apparently, Jonathan was as unhappy as Yvonne with how Hilary regarded this matter.
Smiling, Clarissa said, “Hello Jonathan, I’m Clarissa. Nice to meet you. Here’s a gift for you and I hope you like it.”
Glancing past the present, Jonathan stared right into Clarissa’s eyes and straightened himself. After stretching himself in his seat, he muttered, “Thanks.”
After Hilary went downstairs to cater to the guests, Clarissa was left sitting with Jonathan at the corner.
None of them said anything for a long while. Jonathan was quite surprised that his sister had such a calm and quiet demeanour.
“You… Do you like D City?”
Jonathan’s question threw Clarissa off, but she recovered quickly and smiled at him. “I don’t.”
“Oh, I see. I don’t like it here too. How about the Garretts?”
“Nope.”
“So why are you here?” Jonathan asked mockingly.
Clarissa turned to him and chuckled, “I’m here to see you.”
Jonathan blushed at the sight of Clarissa smiling so sweetly at him. As he turned away from her and coughed awkwardly, he asked, “Why are you being so enthusiastic? What is your motive?”
Shrugging, Clarissa refuted, “Why does everyone in the Garrett family always think that I have an agenda? Do I really look like someone who’s eager to suck up to the Garretts and marry into a rich family?”
“That’s what comes to people’s minds,” Jonathan replied honestly.
“Alright then, but I don’t have to marry into a rich family. I’m already rich.”
“You?” Jonathan looked at Clarissa unbelievably.
When Clarissa whispered something into Jonathan’s ear, he gasped in shock.
Patting Jonathan on the shoulder playfully, Clarissa chuckled, “It’s a secret between us! Mom doesn’t even know about this. You do know she’s bad at keeping secrets, don’t you?”
Still gaping at her, Jonathan asked, “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you’re my brother. Not to mention that you’re… good-looking,” Clarissa teased.
Jonathan blushed again and found that he was unable to relax around Clarissa.
Soon, a maid came up and told them to go downstairs. Whilst Jonathan went to change his clothes reluctantly, Clarissa found another corner to hide at.
Clarissa wasn’t sure how Zach’s business was doing exactly, but the way the party was attended by many prominent people suggested that his wealth wasn’t just an overnight miracle.
“Are the Harrisons here too?”
“Yes! I’ve heard that the Garretts and the Harrisons are working together closely for now.”
“The Garretts are also working with Mr. Payne. I saw him at the entrance just now.”
“Mr. Payne? I didn’t know that the Garretts are so capable.”
Having overheard the conversation, Clarissa was wondering who Mr. Payne might be when she spotted a chubby man.
Clarissa’s lips twitched as she pondered whether she should avoid Yarick Payne since he was talkative and kept saying the wrong things.
Unfortunately, Yarick noticed her just as she was about to hide. His eyes lit up as he made his way to her quickly.
Oh no! Clarissa turned around instantly. To her dismay, Luke was standing behind her and grinning wickedly at her.
