Take My Breath Away

With one of her disarming smiles, Erica put the rest of the money back into the bag. Her grip on the arm of the housemaid did not relax. "Please help me..."

She whispered what she had in mind into the maid's ear. As she listened, the maid's face went pale, until finally she tried to return the money. Shaking her head frantically, she stammered, "No, no, no. The Su family are not to be trifled with. If they learn of this, they'll make me suffer for it!"

Erica held her gaze and tried to be reassuring. "That doesn't matter. You have nothing to be afraid of. This is more money than you'd get in several years at this job. So even if they fire you, you can just take the money, go somewhere else, and find a new job!"

"Well..." The maid hesitated, her eyes wavering between Erica and the money. "No, I can't. What if they me to prison?"

Erica stuffed the cash into her hands again. "They can't do that," she insisted. "What I'm asking you to do is not against the law. The worst they can do is drive you out of the Su family. I'm telling you, don't worry. I'm Matthew Huo's wife. You saw us together. Even if they do throw you out for helping me, you'll be all right. I will ask my husband to find a better job for you!"

Biting her lip, the maid tried to think it over. She had seen Matthew before. At the time, though, she had thought that Erica was his sister or something—not his wife.

Fearing that she was still not convinced, Erica went on. "Look, I am not asking you to kill anybody or set something on fire. I'll give you my phone number. Call me if anything happens to you."

Another moment passed, and finally the maid nodded in agreement.

At ZL Group

After getting out of her afternoon class, Erica went to Matthew's office again.

As she navigated the maze of lobbies and hallways, she overheard a number of employees gossiping about herself and her husband. They seemed to think Mr. and Mrs. Huo had to love each other very much, since she came to see him so often at work.

Erica casually flipped her bangs and traded easy smiles with passersby. It occurred to her then that it would be best if she came by even more often. She needed to find more opportunities to cultivate her relationship with Matthew, so that she would be secured as Mrs. Huo.

As it happened, Matthew was not in the office. Paige said that he'd gone out to meet a client.

Left to her own devices, Erica produced her camera and wandered about the office, taking pictures of whatever caught her attention. First it was Matthew's ridiculously expensive, gadget-laden desk. Next came the wine rack that most people weren't supposed to know about. Eventually she got bored enough to even start photographing his trophies, one by one.

An hour later, there was the smooth click of the office door opening.

Reflexively, Erica p

heeks. Suppressing a laugh, he deftly took out a handkerchief, wiped his face, and pulled away from her.

Trying to look a little disgusted, Matthew said, "Look, why don't you be on your way? I don't want to see you, or anyone, for a little while." Seeing how she had reacted to the check, he wanted to test which was more important in his wife's heart: himself or his money.

Slipping the check into a pocket, she said, "Honey, if you don't want to see me, why don't you give me another million? I promise that I wouldn't go home tonight then!"

Her tone suggested that it was a joke, but it left Matthew speechless all the same. His expression froze in a broken sort of smile—really, it was more of a grimace.

There was no need for a test, he realized. The truth was obvious already. Money was more important in Erica's heart!

His mind spun with confusion. Wesley and Blair were not mean people. Not only that, but Gifford gave a considerable living allowance to Erica every month, despite the fact that his sister routinely drove him crazy. Why did this little woman still carry herself as if she was so poor?

Clearly, whether a person loved money was not solely dependent upon their financial condition.

Finally he spoke, his voice cold—he almost didn't realize he was speaking. "How about I give you a billion dollars? And in return you could give up the title of Mrs. Huo, and I'd let Phoebe—"

Before he could finish his words, Erica slapped the check heavily on the desk. "A billion dollars? Here's something worth a billion dollars: send Phoebe to the slum!"

Once again Matthew was speechless. It seemed like every word his wife spoke flipped his mood on its head. He asked her another question then. Privately he thought it was a very childish question, but he couldn't help himself. "Erica, in your eyes, which is more important: the title of Mrs. Huo...or me?"