Take My Breath Away

With Matthew not at home, Erica simply did not have the courage to watch horror movies by herself. She would be alone in the villa and therefore, horror wasn't a good idea. Apart from focusing on her classes, she mostly hung out with Hyatt, who was the only good friend she had.

Matthew had left on his business trip four days ago, and Erica was yet to receive a call from him. He hadn't even texted her once. The more Erica thought about it, the angrier she became.

But this anger was all she had. There was nothing else for her to do.

Without Matthew around, she was bored.

Some respite from the loneliness came in the form of Debbie and Carlos's return to Y City. That evening, Debbie came to see her.

The two women hadn't seen each other in a long time. They hugged each other and then walked inside, talking excitedly and choosing a new topic every step of the way.

Debbie was carrying a suitcase full of gifts for Erica. She couldn't wait to show her everything she'd got. And when she found out that she was going to have to repack and get it upstairs if she opened it downstairs first, she directly took the elevator to the bedroom. There was no point opening it twice and ruining the surprise.

"Come and see what I got for you," she told Erica excitedly.

"What is it?" Erica asked, curious.

"So... many... things! Come on. Tell me you like them or not?"

Erica watched her mother-in-law open the suitcase and saw that she wasn't lying. There really was everything in it. Food, clothing, knickknacks, everything she could need!

"Try this camisole on. Do you like it?" Debbie excitedly brought out a nightdress in the color of red wine and handed it to her.

But the color seemed a bit dull and formal. Erica hesitated for a second. After seeing the style, she refused, "Mom, this is not my style. I think Evelyn would like it more..."

It was obviously a mature woman's style.

But Debbie stopped her from saying anything else. "No. I bought it for you. I know it's not your style but hear me out, okay? Every man wants his woman to be sexy and charming. You can't always wear cartoon-based pajamas in front of Matthew. You have to change your style occasionally..."

"But, Mom. I won't even look good in this dress..." And to be honest, even if she didn't wear anything at all, Matthew might not even look at her, because he didn't like her. It didn't matter what kind of pajamas she was wearing, or whether she was wearing pajamas at all.

for the Huo family's manor that she remembered her agenda. But it was too late to just go back home only to throw the box away, so she decided to throw it away after coming back.

When they arrived at the Huo family's manor, Carlos wasn't there. Debbie was wandering around the living room still in her pajamas. When she saw Erica, she was surprised. "You're ready so soon?"

"Yes. Didn't you suggest half past ten?" Now, Erica realized that it always took Debbie much longer to get ready.

But now that she was here, Debbie hurried upstairs and waved at her. "Come wait for me upstairs. I'm going to change. We'll leave soon."

There was no one else in the living room. Erica would be bored sitting there all alone, so she agreed, "Okay!"

Then she followed Debbie to the bedroom. Before going to the walk-in closet, Debbie pointed at another door and told Erica, "If you feel bored, go inside and have a look around. If you like something, just take it!"

"What's in there?"

Debbie explained, "That's the lipstick room your father-in-law made for me. Go ahead and have a look."

"Oh!"

The moment Erica pushed the door open, she was shocked to her core. So many lipsticks! There were at least a few thousand in here. All from extremely popular brands!

When Debbie finally finished changing her clothes and came in to find her, Erica was examining a gift box.

And when she came in, Erica was still in shock. She exclaimed in admiration, "Mom, are you the devil? This collection is amazing!" And undoubtedly, it all must have cost a fortune! Every single item here was from a reputable brand! This was worth too much to just exist!