When they referred to Noreen, they were referring to the woman cozying up to Matthew, treating him like her boyfriend. She was a famous star, like Chantel. She had a fan base, and to them she was impossibly beautiful and elegant, a goddess, if you will. And her fans were primarily male.
Today, she wore a wine-red deep V-neck evening dress and a collar manufactured by Mikimoto jewelers. It was an amalgam of South Sea pearls, pink conch pearls, Tahitian pearls, white pearls, and so on. All of them cultured and set in various metals like gold and platinum, along with diamonds. This particularly pricey piece was on loan, meant to show off the line. Her wavy blonde hair fell over her left shoulder, revealing the long drop earring dangling from her right ear—a graceful rainbow pearl suspended by an 18k golden chain.
As Erica approached, Noreen clung harder to Matthew's arm, trying to get herself even closer to the man.
And just like everyone else, Matthew's eyes had never left Erica's lithe form. She was a thing of beauty, radiant and nearly unattainable. Especially today.
The voluminous skirt of the red bubble dress parted to reveal her shapely legs. She looked like a princess.
Matthew had a slight smile on his face, an enigmatic thing that was sometimes not there when you looked for it. Noreen thought it was for her. She was wrong.
Erica continued making her way through the guests. Before she could say anything, more people began commenting. "Mr. Huo's wife is here. What does Noreen think she's doing? Doesn't she know she should stay away from Mr. Huo?"
"Maybe she doesn't know Erica is Mrs. Huo? After all, Erica hasn't been in Y City for a while now."
"Maybe! I don't know!"
It was almost as if Erica couldn't see the woman with Matthew.
She quickened her pace when she was about to reach him. Finally, she gave him a hug in front of everyone and said in a sweet voice, "Hi honey!"
As soon as Erica put her arms around the man, Noreen went red with embarrassment. Her face almost matched the red of her dress.
Matthew and Erica were husband and wife. She knew that, and had to step back. She was merely his escort. Erica was his wife.
Noreen released his arm. But she stood still, as if she didn't want to leave.
The man's big palm stroked Erica's face, and his expression was unfathomable. Finally, he said in a soft voice, "You're so bad." She came here without telling him. Wouldn't that make her a bad girl?
Erica giggled and
names of the three men, Matthew stopped in his tracks. The woman on his arm was taken aback, and had to work not to stumble over her heels.
He stood, frozen, watching his wife hug the three men politely.
What was more, there were many male celebrities clustered around FC at the moment. His wife was so happy that she practically drooled over them like an anthomaniac.
Matthew felt jealous. She'd learned a lot in those three years she spent on the run. His wife seemed to have gotten better at attracting the opposite sex.
Seeing Matthew's dour expression, Noreen didn't say anything, let alone urge him to meet Mr. Li. She didn't want to tempt his wrath.
Fortunately, Matthew made the decision for her, and they went to meet Mr. Li.
Thanks to Orange, Erica had a good relationship with the other three members of FC.
After Matthew left, Yellow reminded her in a low voice, "I'd keep an eye on those two, if I were you. Noreen could hold a masterclass on seduction. I think she has a crush on your hubby. I'd hate to see you lose him, Erma."
Yellow was used to calling Erica "Erma." That was the alias she took after she left Y City.
Erica didn't follow Matthew because she wanted to find a good way to punish Noreen. And being around them was making her blood boil. Now she was cooling down and could think more clearly. "Agreed. But I'm handling it, trust me."
Her guts were telling her that this woman was going to compete with her for her husband.
It was not easy for Chantel to shed her hangers-on and find Erica. "Rika..."
As soon as Chantel called her name, Erica fell into a familiar embrace before she could react.