Take My Breath Away

So Matthew had given the ear studs to Erica.

Even though Phoebe had expected this to happen, seeing it was something else, and she clenched her fists as jealousy ate away at her. She had never hated anyone so much!

"Of course I do," Erica was saying. "But why did you say that Tessie was short of money in school?" Hastily she put down her camera and phone, then drew closer. The shock in her eyes was obvious.

Phoebe was a bit confused as well. "I was just telling Matthew something about our Su family. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Indeed, Phoebe's only intention had been to complain to Matthew about family matters. She had no idea how her remarks could provoke such astonishment in Erica's heart. "But... Isn't Tessie dead? Why did you say she was—"

"Erica Li!" Phoebe interrupted. Her voice was as harsh as a gunshot.

Unable to ignore this exchange, Matthew frowned and got up from his chair. He drew near, and the three people stood face to face there in the office.

Erica was taken aback by Phoebe's unfriendly attitude. "You don't need to shout," she said awkwardly. "I can hear you just fine."

The flame in Phoebe's eyes didn't die down. "What nonsense are you talking about?! Erica Li, how can you be so vicious?"

"You..." Erica was too flustered to go on. 'How dare this woman yell at me in front of Matthew?' she thought. 'Just because Matthew loves her doesn't mean she can be so rude to me! I have to maintain my own dignity in front of my husband.'

"Phoebe!" Matthew's tone was cold; he was warning her to mind her manners.

Taking a deep breath, Phoebe said, "Matthew, you heard her too. She started it. She is so heartless that she even cursed my sister and said she was dead!"

"But Tessie is dead..." Erica insisted, more perplexed now than ever. The doctor had told her so.

"Erica Li, what did Tessie do to deserve this from you?" Phoebe demanded, shaking with rage. "Why are you cursing her like that?"

At this moment, it began to dawn on Erica; Phoebe must not have come to terms with what had happened to Tessie. Was it so painful that she was still in denial?

Thinking of this, Erica softened her tone. "Tessie was my best friend. Why would I curse her? I was there when she died—"

"Shut up!" Phoebe raised a trembling hand and pointed at the door to Matthew's office. "How could you say something so terrible? Get out

ocked—again. "That sounds like a real roller-coaster."

"Yes! It does!" cried Erica. She hadn't expected that her relationship with Matthew would turn out to be so dramatic either.

Her thoughts wandered again, and she touched the ear studs Matthew had given her. Part of her wanted to return them to him, but another part did not.

She didn't know if it was because she liked them too much or because she just loved money, considering how expensive they were.

Rhea broke the silence. "Listen, you need to get to the bottom of this. If Tessie is still alive, you need to ask her face to face what really happened." If Tessie was still alive, it meant that they had all been deceived by her.

Rhea didn't want to believe that her good friend would treat them like this.

"That's why I'm calling you," Erica explained, coming back to herself. "Do you know the Su family's address?" Naturally, she had to verify Phoebe's words. She couldn't trust her so easily.

"No, sorry," Rhea replied. "You know that Tessie never dared to take her friends to the Su family's house."

Erica had known that, actually. Tessie was not loved in the Su family. They had visited Tessie in Y City once or twice, but every time they stayed in a hotel. There had always been a distance between her and all of her relatives.

"I think Julianna knows the address," Erica said, thinking out loud. "Her home is also in Y City."

There was a problem, though: she hadn't spoken with Julianna in a long time. They'd had a falling-out some years ago, over a hooligan that Julianna had been involved with.