Chapter 14 Girlfriend

• Clarissa fidgeted in her seat and shifted away from him. She reached up to scratch her ears in an attempt to hide the fact that she was blushing. It was an adorable sight.
• Matthew repeated, “Clare?”
• “Yep,” came Clarissa's reply.
• She thought he'd stop after calling her nickname, but his body was still leaning sideways. “Are you hot? Why are your cheeks red?”
• “Umm, a little. But I'm fine.”
• Clarissa was afraid he'd dig out her embarrassing secret, so she changed the topic instantly. “Uncle Matthew, where are we going?”
• Matthew glanced at her pinkish cheeks and ears before straightening his back.
• “My friend's new manor in the countryside.”
• The moment Matthew pulled away, Clarissa relaxed visibly. Finally, she could breathe more easily.
• Upon arriving at their destination, the car rolled to a stop. Both of them got off the car. A man wearing a white shirt unbuttoned to his chest and white slacks came to greet them. His slippers were slapping on the ground noisily as he came to them. He must think he's sexy in this outfit, Clarissa decided.
• His eyes lit up when he spotted Clarissa.
• “Oh, my! Matt, isn't this—Oh, I get it. Hello, you must be Matt's girlfriend. I'm Jeremy Smallwood, Matt's friend.”
• Clarissa waved her hands awkwardly and explained, “You've gotten it wrong. I'm not his girlfriend. I'm Ellie's friend. Uncle Matthew, Ellie's there. I'll go to her now.”
• With that, she scurried away.
• Jeremy glanced at her retreating figure before turning to Matthew with a cheeky grin playing on his lips.
• “Uncle Matt? Is this your new fetish?”
• Matthew ignored him and entered the manor. When Jeremy caught up to him, he noticed Matthew's gaze landing on the young lady.
• Tsk, this is interesting.
• Clarissa knew they were here to cool down from the summer heat, but she was surprised to find a swimming pool here.
• In the evening, when it wasn't scorching hot, Ellie forced Clarissa to change into a swimsuit.
• “Oh, Clare!”
• When Ellie saw Clarissa coming out of the bathroom in a bikini, she covered her mouth in exaggerated shock. After running her hands all over Clarissa's body, she dragged the latter out of the room. Even though Clarissa couldn't swim, Ellie insisted on bringing her to the pool.
• Clarissa was feeling uncomfortable in the skimpy bikini, so she wrapped a towel around herself, afraid she'd bump into others.
• Alas, what you fear would catch up to you.
• They had just stepped out of their room when they ran into Matthew.
• He was clad in a grey t-shirt and slacks. As his hair was wet, Clarissa guessed he had just taken a shower.
• “Uncle Matt, wanna come swimming with us?”
• Matthew said nothing. Ellie was wearing a swimsuit, but the young lady behind her was wrapped up in a towel. However, her slender legs were exposed to the air.
• Something gleamed in his gaze. Clarissa immediately gave him a lopsided grin as a greeting. “Uncle Matthew.”
• “Bye, Uncle Matt!”
• Ellie dragged Clarissa's arm and left. As they walked out, she even tried to remove the towel around Clarissa. Flustered, Clarissa finally gave up and dropped the towel. Behind them, Matthew watched as the young ladies sashayed away.
• As Matthew's gaze trailed over Clarissa's bare back, slender waist, perky hips, and mile-long legs, desire burned across his gaze.
• He strolled out slowly.
• In the pool, the attractive young people were fooling around. Clarissa didn't know how to swim and wasn't close with Ellie's friends. Hence, she sat by the pool and dipped her legs into the pool.
• Suddenly, someone grabbed her foot and dragged her into the pool. Clarissa let out a loud scream.
• “AH!”
• Her scream was immediately swallowed by the water. The young man who tugged her into the pool roared with laughter.
• Those who noticed what was going on said nothing as they enjoyed the scene.
• When they belatedly realized something was wrong, Matthew had already leaped into the pool to rescue Clarissa, who was sinking to the bottom of the pool. Startled by the turn of the events, everyone gathered around the pool. Ellie began shouting Clarissa's name in dismay.
• After pulling her out of the pool, Matthew gave her CPR without hesitation.
• Clarissa regained consciousness and coughed a mouthful of water out. She felt terribly unwell. Someone picked her up and headed into the manor.
• Looking up, Clarissa got the shock of her life.
• “Uncle Matthew?”
• I felt something on my lips earlier. Was it him?
• As she was blinking like a startled deer, Matthew responded icily, “You're disappointed because I saved you?”