Take My Breath Away

Erica wasn't going to talk about what happened this evening, and Matthew wasn't going to force the issue.

She wanted to go home, but he insisted she stay in the hospital overnight. He wanted to make sure she got a clean bill of health before they released her.

Erica was not happy about that. She'd gotten drenched in the heavy rain, and all she wanted was a hot shower and a soft bed. And she certainly didn't need to stay here. She needed to rest up, so she had enough energy for tomorrow. Tomorrow would be when she got her revenge. Someone had to pay for today's events!

The couple were fighting over this, and it looked like neither would relent.

The girl was forced to lie on the hospital bed. Looking at the man, she said in a pitiful voice, "All that's going to happen is that I won't get any sleep. You really want me glaring at you all night?"

"Don't worry. You'll fall asleep very soon." Matthew was sure of it, because she slept like a log every night. She was a pretty sound sleeper, and sometimes her eyes closed the moment her head hit the pillow.

"Aren't you afraid of the ghosts in the hospital?"

"No. I have you with me!" Besides, he was not a superstitious man. He didn't believe in ghosts.

The girl began to howl, "I want to go home, go home..."

"Not until tomorrow!"

Suddenly, something occurred to Erica. She looked at Matthew and demanded, "Let me see your phone for a minute."

She didn't forget that Matthew had been acting funny at lunch. She had to make sure that she wasn't just imagining things.

The man's expression changed when she asked him for his phone. After a moment of silence, he tried to distract her. "I changed my mind about the hospital. Let's get out of here."

Without saying another word, he picked up the girl from the bed and walked out of the ward.

That was really suspicious. Why would he all of a sudden take her out of the hospital when she asked about his phone? The more she thought about it, the more curious she became. What was he afraid of? The chat logs he had with another woman?

'He's hiding something. I know it! Is he having an affair? Is that it? It has to be!' Erica thought to herself.

Back at the villa, she took a hot shower. When she came out, she was sleepy, but her hair was still wet, so sleep would be denied her till she could dry it.

She had some regrets, coming back home at this hour. If she'd had more time to think about it, she would have stayed the night in the hospital. Right now, she could barely keep her sleepy eyes open, but she still had to dry her hair.

In the bedroom, when Matthew saw her come out of the bathroom, he put down the documents he was working on and said, "If you hadn't come out yet, I would have come in."

Erica's eyes widened. "Come in? Why would you do that?" 'Did he want to take a bath together?' she wondered. It was not that she didn't want, but that she hadn't been mentally prepared for that yet. She needed some more time to accept that kind of intimacy with him.

Matthew cast a cold glance at her, unsatisfied with her reaction.

"You've been in there for an hour. I was wondering if you'd fallen asleep."

"Well...I see." She breathed a sigh of relief.

She couldn't help yawning and said, "Your turn to take a shower."

Matthew went straight into the bathroom and when he emerged a minute later, he was carrying a hair dryer. The girl sat at the vanity, going through her skin care routine.

He put the hair dryer aside and waited for her.

Realizing that he wasn't in the shower yet, Erica turned and asked curiously, "Aren't you going to take a shower?"

"No rush."

"Okay." She put on the face cream casually and stood up to grab the hair dryer.

But Matthew put out his arm to stop her. "Not now. Just lie on the bed."

Remembering that he had helped her blow dry her hair last time, Erica reacted quickly this time. "You going to dry my hair?" The ma

n glanced at her indifferently. "Of course! Why waste time with stupid questions?" He had the hair dryer in his hand. Wasn't his intention obvious?

Erica pouted her lips. He was helping her and she should thank him.

But the word "stupid" made her not want to say thanks to him at all. She glared at him instead.

Erica lay on the bed, her long, wet hair hanging over the edge of the bed. She let him do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't hurt her.

It turned out that Matthew was better at drying her hair than he was the first time. More caring, savoring every moment.

A moment later, Erica was about to fall asleep, but she didn't forget to thank him. "Thank you, Matthew." 'Thank you for saving me today and drying my hair at this late hour.'

She didn't notice but, the man's eyes were full of affection. "Sleep tight, Night Elf."

"I'm not a night elf anymore. I've upgraded. I'm Queen of the Night now..."

"What?" He was confused.

Erica gave him a simple explanation before dozing off. "Queen of the Night sounds a lot cooler than Night Elf."

Matthew rolled his eyes at the childish girl.

After drying her hair, he gently tucked her in and walked back into the bathroom.

At noon the next day, Erica rushed downstairs like a gust of wind. She was dressed quite nicely, ready to head for Tam's company after lunch. The young woman could hardly wait.

Matthew had already looked into Tessie's situation. Erica had read the files he left upstairs, and finally got the whole story

'Tessie lost her memory? Rescued by the doctor after the shock? Everything she told me was a lie! All lies!' Erica thought angrily. It turned out that Tessie was safe and sound after the childbirth. She then told everyone that it was Erica who had beaten her, and done various other terrible things to her on campus! She said she was so afraid that she couldn't take it anymore, so she transferred to Y City University!

And Tam knew about this. But instead of coming clean, he chose to side with her to deceive Erica!

'Tessie bullied me, Tam bullied me, and even Julianna bullied me! When did I, Erica Li, get to be such a pushover?' Erica was pissed off!

The girl didn't know how she finished lunch. Through sheer force of will, she kept telling herself that she had to eat enough. If she ate well, she might have the strength to stand up to those who wronged her.

She devoured a large bowl of rice, a couple steamed buns, and a bowl of hot spicy soup before leaving home.

She asked the driver to take her to the Champion Group, the company where Tam worked. Before getting out of the car, she called Matthew. "Hi Matthew. I'm at the Champion Group. Can you get me past the gate and inside security? I'm right out front of their offices."

Three minutes later, Erica stormed into the office building of Champion Group alone.

She went straight to the department where Tam worked. The other employees stared at her, but she ignored them. She knocked on the door of Tam's office and shouted, "Tam Wu, get out here, now! It's Erica Li!"

Hearing her voice, Tam knew he couldn't hide anymore, but he wasn't about to open the door for Erica, so he had to pretend he was not there.

"Tam Wu, I know you're in there. Come out! Not so brave anymore, are you? I'll deal with you first, and then with Tessie. All of you are in for it now!" Tam and Tessie were both rotten people. Of course she had to start with this man!

Erica knocked on the door again and again, but Tam was still a no-show. She became more and more furious.

She felt like a villain in a TV drama, pounding and yelling incessantly at someone's door like an evil drama mama. 'No! I won't put up with this!'

She walked to the secretary's desk closest to her and yanked out the cords that connecting the monitor and tower. With her teeth gritted, she walked over to Tam's office door, lugging the screen with her.

The crowd was agape as Erica lifted the monitor over her head. "Tam Wu, my parents helped you raise your son, and how do you repay me? You're all a bunch of dickbags! Get out here now, or I swear to god I'll smash every machine you own!"

To prove she was not joking, Erica hurled the monitor into the door. It made a mark on the formerly immaculate door, and tumbled to the ground. It landed on the built-in stand, breaking it off. One of the corners of the device was also smashed in, and cracks began to form on the screen.

Bang! A loud noise startled Tam inside the office.

'Wow, she's really pissed. I guess I should have known better than to mess with the wife of a Huo, the youngest daughter of the Li family, ' he thought.

"Come out here, coward! You have the courage to take a mistress, so why are you hiding from the responsibility? Get your ass out here! I want answers!" The girl's clear, angry voice continued to echo through the operations department.