Chapter 3 Uncle Matt

Matthew turned around gentlemanly, but her sexy body was already imprinted in his mind. Clarissa's face contorted with awkwardness as she jumped behind the door to hide her modesty. “I-I thought it was Ellie. What are you—” Clarissa was utterly puzzled. Why is he here? Is he a Tyson? “Uncle Matt? What are you doing here?” Ellie finished the sentence for Clarissa outside. Uncle Matt? He's Ellie's uncle? Oh, how Clarissa wished the ground would swallow her whole. “Am I not allowed to be here?” Matthew swept a glance at the door. “No, no, I thought you were out on a blind date.” Ellie chuckled. “Oh, this is my best friend, Clarissa. I see that you've already met her.” Gosh, we're much more than that. “Clare, this is my uncle...” Ellie went inside and saw that Clarissa was a quivering, embarrassing mess. She spun around and stood in front of the door. “Um, Uncle Matt? It's actually a little inconvenient for my friend right now. So... uh... what can I do for you?” Matthew was pensive for a moment. “Nothing. I was on a business trip and I bought you a gift.” “Thank you, Uncle Matt.” He left after giving his niece the gift. Then, shutting the door and turning to Clarissa, Ellie couldn't help but burst into laughter. Clarissa simply felt miserable. But because of the awkward nature of the situation, they soon put it all behind them and stopped talking about it. Getting dressed, Clarissa tugged at her clothes, feeling uncomfortable with Ellie's taste in clothing. With a crop top and a long slit skirt underneath, it exposed her small and slender waist to the air. “Isn't this a little too revealing?” “It's fine; it's so hot outside,” Ellie said. “All right, stop tugging. You're supposed to flaunt your splendid figure. There are no men in this house, anyway. You're mine to admire.” “Your uncle's outside. Isn't he a man?” Ellie shook her head. “He is, but he's my uncle and you should call him that, too. Uncle Matt has probably seen all sorts of women out there. To him, women are just women, you know? Besides, you're my friend and he's probably left already.” She pulled Clarissa downstairs. They had just taken their seats when they saw Matthew coming down. Clarissa was a bundle of nerves. Why is he still here? “Are you leaving, Uncle Matt?” Matthew looked over, his eyes landing on Clarissa's exposed waist and thigh. Her nerves were tingling again. Am I hallucinating, or is he staring at me? Matthew, who had wanted to leave, suddenly changed his mind as he sat on the couch languidly and crossed his leg. Is he not going to leave? Ellie could feel that Clarissa was trying hard to rein in her nerves. “Relax, Clare. My uncle is your uncle. Right, Uncle Matt?” Ellie looked at Matthew, then gave Clarissa a nudge. “You can call him 'Uncle Matt', Clare, just like I do.” Clarissa's heart did a somersault when her eyes met the man's cold ones. “U-Uncle Matt,” she mumbled sheepishly, averting his eyes. He simply uttered a response. “Oh, right, how long will you be staying for work, Clare?” Ellie changed the topic upon sensing the awkward atmosphere in the room. “At least three months or maybe six.” “That's great! But how I wish for you to settle down here. You could have worked anywhere, Clare. Stay with me in D City, please? You could get married, have children and settle down here. Then we can stay together forever.” Before she could speak, an idea struck Ellie as she clapped her hands and continued, “Yes, just get married here! Uncle Matt, you know a lot of young and handsome men, right? How about you introduce Clare to someone?” The bold suggestion scared Clarissa out of her wits; her heart almost leaped out of her throat. Not that she was uncomfortable about the proposal, but the person Ellie was proposing to. Clarissa dared not look at him as she wondered what he would think of her after today. Ellie didn't realize her friend was not feeling herself as she chattered away with Matthew. “Uncle Matt, Clare is pretty, talented, and smart...” Ellie went on introducing Clarissa as though the latter were part of their family. Matthew, on the other hand, was appraising Clarissa the whole time Ellie was talking, although he could only see the crown of her head. “What do you look for in a man, Ms. Quigley?” “No, no, no! Please don't be mistaken, Mr. Tyson. I have no plans to get into a relationship yet.” “Mistaken?” Matthew's voice was cold. Ellie was going to chime in, but Clarissa quickly shut her up by pinching her arm, lest she spouted any more nonsense that would only humiliate her further. “I'm still young, so I'm not in a hurry,” Clarissa quickly clarified. “Besides, I don't want to get into a relationship now; I want to focus on my career. Please don't listen to Ellie. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Tyson.” Ellie could only hold her tongue upon noticing the look her best friend had darted her. Matthew flashed a smirk and said, “With your talent and good looks, Ms. Quigley, you should, of course, look for the best man there is. Well, I do have a few suitable candidates. I'll arrange for you guys to meet someday.” Clarissa was stunned. Does this man not understand English? Why is he insisting on setting me up with someone?