Take My Breath Away

Erica hastily tried to defend herself. "It's not my fault. Our Mr. Huo is too busy."

"Well, you're a bossy woman anyway. You should've tried those less-than-feminine charms on Matthew and forced him to come with you," Gifford said. Blair had already cautioned Gifford not to talk to Erica about Matthew. Her reasoning was that if they just backed off, things would happen naturally. Erica might eventually fall in love with Matthew if they quit pushing her.

"Come on! He doesn't do what I want! And he's not in love with me, so he's not likely to," Erica retorted. And she was quite good at bullying someone into doing what she wanted.

'I'm not wrong, though. He doesn't love me, and I can't intimidate him, either. So even if I tried that around him and pushed him to come back with me, he wouldn't listen.'

Gifford smiled slightly and draped his long arm around her shoulders. "Wow, my dear sister has gotten smarter in her old age. That's gotta hurt, knowing you can't play your old tricks."

"Of course, I'm a smart girl. Let's go back home." She figured someone would crack a joke about it. If anyone tried that, though, she'd stand up for her honor, and that of the Li family. She might not be able to influence Matthew, but she'd certainly verbally browbeat anyone else.

Finally, they returned to the Li family villa. It had only been four days since she had last been here, but it felt like four years.

Cecelia and Baldwin were also there today. They lived in the military base now, but came back for the occasion.

The moment they entered the living room, Erica was like a happy puppy as she hugged everyone and kissed them one after the other. She even cradled Feb in her arms and didn't want to let him go.

"Feb, call me 'Mommy.' I missed you so much!" said Erica, gently pinching the boy's smooth face. She knew the boy was too small to make real sounds, but she still said it anyway.

"That's Ethan now. Ethan Li. I renamed him. Ethan sounds so much better than Feb," Wesley corrected her.

"Li?" Erica cocked an eyebrow, and the joy on her face faded. "That's Ethan Wu, actually."

Wesley was displeased as he was aware of her change in mood. "You still thinking about the boy's father?" he asked in a cold voice.

Erica didn't answer his question.

Blair explained, "Rika, the household registration would be a pain if his last name were Wu. Also, we'd have to get the proper documentation for school."

The living room was quiet for a moment. After a while, Erica compromised

ean comments followed.

And of course, she encountered the mean girls, the ones who hated her. The news that she was back on campus had also spread fast. "Erica Li, how dare you come back! Have you no shame?"

The girl who just spoke was Reese Zhou, Erica's high school classmate. She was a student in the Art Department of A Country Film Academy.

She was really something, and she and her friends always made fun of Erica. This time, they weren't going to miss another opportunity.

Erica cast a contemptuous glance at Reese Zhou and snorted. "Got a problem? Why have I no shame? Go ahead, enlighten me," she said calmly.

Reese Zhou had known Erica for almost three years, but she was still a little afraid of her when Erica was angry. The young mom wasn't angry yet, so Reese Zhou had the audacity to mock her. "Your private life is an ugly affair. And you have the gall to marry Mr. Huo after giving birth to a bastard. Come on!"

"A bastard? My son has taken to Matthew. How dare you call Matthew's son a bastard? You may be not afraid of me, Reese, and that's okay. But you should be afraid of Matthew," Erica said. She was surrounded by six girls all told, but she wasn't the least bit scared.

"I have a healthy fear of Mr. Huo. But he's not here, is he? He should have come with you on this trip, but he didn't. So he doesn't give a damn about your feelings, does he? Tell me the truth! Was this a shotgun wedding? What did you blackmail him with to make him marry you?" Reese Zhou taunted.

She wasn't the only one who didn't think Matthew married Erica out of love. It was a popular belief that there must be some unspeakable reason for him to marry her.