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Novel Catalog
Chapter 93
Seeing that Veronica had finally ‘surrendered,’ Matthew stepped forward, positioning himself in front of the nearly vertical half-meter slope before extending a hand toward her.
Veronica shot him a glare but reluctantly accepted his hand and allowed him to help her rise to her feet.
However, as soon as she placed both feet on the slope, she slipped, letting out a startled scream. Before she knew it, she found herself in Matthew’s arms, her feet finally finding solid ground.
“Sigh… What kind of road is this?” Veronica muttered, frustrated. “It’s impossible to walk on it. Matthew, since you’re so wealthy, you should do some charity and build a proper road here.”
“Alright,” Matthew responded simply, though it was unclear whether he was just giving her a token reply. The next second, he wiped his hand across her cheek, smearing some mud on her face. “You’ve got some mud on your face. Let me help you wipe it off.”
“Really?” Veronica blinked, unsure if she should believe him.
“Really,” he said, still with that same calm demeanor. He then stretched out three fingers, dragging them across the left and right sides of her face. When he pulled his hand back, Veronica was left with muddy whiskers that resembled Hello Kitty on her cheeks. It made her look particularly adorable, and Matthew didn’t hide his amusement.
“There. Clean now,” he nodded with satisfaction, looking at her with a glint of joy in his eyes.
Despite the frustration building inside her, Veronica found herself holding onto his hand as they continued down the mountain. The road, slippery and steep from the rain, was treacherous, and she clung to his hand even more tightly as they went forward.
What was supposed to be a 4-to-5-hour journey had now stretched into half the time due to the slippery conditions and the one-hour delay caused by Veronica’s earlier struggle. They had barely made it halfway, and Almeida still felt a long way off.
As the sky grew darker, Matthew suggested, “Let’s rest here for the night and continue tomorrow.”
Veronica sighed in agreement. “After the rain, the road’s become even harder to walk on, and the slopes are much steeper. If we fall, the consequences won’t be pretty.”
With that, they decided to set up camp on the mountain. However, there was only one small tent—one Veronica had bought at an alley on the way up.
Looking at the single tent, she asked, “How are you going to sleep without one?”
Matthew pointed at the tent and replied, “This one’s for two people.”
Veronica raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “I’m a woman, and you’re a man. Don’t you know it’s inappropriate for us to sleep together?”
“We’re siblings,” Matthew replied casually, his expression unchanging. “It’s not inappropriate.”
Veronica crossed her arms over her chest, frowning. “You’re not my biological brother, though.”
Her gaze turned wary, and she eyed him suspiciously. Why did it feel like this guy was trying to take advantage of her?
Matthew raised a brow. “What’s the problem? This isn’t the first time we’ve slept under the same roof.”
“How is this the same?” Veronica shot back. “Your house is over 2000 square feet, and this tent is barely 20 or 30 square feet!”
She refused to believe his easy-going response.
Then, Matthew leaned in and held her chin lightly, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. “Your body’s nowhere near as good as Tiffany’s, anyway. I’m not…” His eyes swept across her frame. “I’m not interested in you.”
Veronica’s face flushed with indignation. She immediately shot back, “Shameless.”
Before she could say more, Matthew turned and walked into the tent. Veronica, still pouting, glanced down at her chest and mumbled to herself, “Is he blind? How is my body not better than Tiffany’s?”
She wasn’t sure why it bothered her so much, but she couldn’t shake the feeling. She had a slim body, just like Tiffany. If anything, her chest was bigger, so how could he possibly think Tiffany was better?
Rolling her eyes, she finally entered the tent, and Matthew was already lying down. The air between them felt awkward, thick with something unspoken, and it made her uneasy.
But with only one tent and mosquitoes swarming outside, she couldn’t exactly kick him out.
After zipping up the tent, Veronica lay down but soon sat back up to unzip the top of the tent. There was a transparent mesh allowing them to see the outside clearly, and she pointed toward the sky.
“Matthew, look at that. The stars are so beautiful. I’ve rarely seen such a clear starry sky since coming to Bloomstead.”
Matthew glanced upward, taking in the night sky through the mesh. Sure enough, the stars sparkled brilliantly against the dark canvas of night.
Veronica lay back down and rested her hands on her stomach, her gaze softening. “This feels great.” It had been so long since she had enjoyed a quiet moment, free from the usual chaos of her life.
After a while, she picked up her phone, only to realize there was no signal. She groaned, holding it uselessly in her hand. “What’s the point of having a phone if there’s no signal?” she muttered.
Matthew glanced over at her, not surprised. “There’s no signal on the mountain.”
“Well, that’s obvious,” she said, setting the phone aside. “I’m bored.”
Matthew shrugged nonchalantly and said nothing more. Veronica stared blankly at the sky, letting the quiet moment take over.
Her stomach rumbled, and she sat up suddenly, realizing, “We didn’t eat dinner yet.”
Matthew had already anticipated this. He reached into his bag and pulled out a variety of snacks and cookies, offering them to her.
“There are many wild animals on the mountain. We should avoid starting a fire that might attract them,” he explained simply.
Veronica eyed the snacks, pouting. “Sigh, well, I guess there’s nothing else to eat.”
If it hadn’t been for the sudden rainstorm, they wouldn’t have had to camp on the mountain in the first place.
Suddenly, Veronica heard the sound of a bottle opening. She turned to see Matthew holding a beer.
“Matthew, you’re so selfish,” she complained, grabbing the beer from his hand. “Why didn’t you bring one for me?”
Without waiting for a response, she took a large gulp, relishing the cold beverage.
Matthew watched her, an eyebrow raised. “You like beer?”
Veronica wiped the beer from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve and sighed. “My master loves beer. I always keep him company whenever I’m around.”
Matthew’s thoughts drifted to the night when she had been completely drunk. He gave her a knowing look. “Yup, you’re quite good at it.”
Veronica smirked. “Well, I’m not as good as you, but I can hold my own.”
She’d never gotten drunk before, but the amount she’d drunk that night had been enough to make her tipsy, and with her tolerance, that was saying something.
They ate in silence for a while. Eventually, Veronica turned off the flashlight and lay back down, settling in for the night. Matthew followed suit, the two of them lying under the stars in quiet companionship.
But then, Veronica suddenly asked, her voice uncharacteristically serious, “Matthew, if the Larsons decide to kill me one day, will you… help them?”
Matthew froze for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden question. He hadn’t expected her to ask something so raw, so honest.
Instead of answering right away, he asked, “Why would they want to kill you?”
Veronica’s eyes flickered with something unreadable. She knew why. Her very existence was a threat to the Larson family’s future. But even if she explained it to Matthew, she knew he wouldn’t understand.
In the dark, Matthew remained silent, his eyes studying her without speaking. After a few long moments, he finally spoke, his voice quieter than usual. “Is there something you’re worried about, Veronica?”
She hesitated before answering, “Just promise me this: If it ever comes to that, you’ll side with me. You can count this as a gentleman’s agreement between us, okay?”
Matthew glanced at her, his expression unreadable as he pondered her words. The stillness between them deepened, and for the first time, she felt like maybe she wasn’t as alone in this world as she had once thought.
