Chapter 51

Melissa turned to Joseph and gave a dry smile "Mr. Clarkson, you flatter me." She was just curious, what type of girl would an arrogant and annoying person like Joseph like? Probably the cute and delicate little lambs, she figured! Joseph was suddenly strangled by the woman sitting next to him. What did she mean by him flattery? Did he really lack charm? He's a handsome, capable heir to the Clarkson family, but he just doesn't rank in Melissa's eyes? Joseph was quite curious, what kind of man did Melissa like? "Melissa, do you realize how many women want to be in your position?" Joseph took the initiative to speak, even if she was worthless in Melissa's heart, there were still many excellent girls in the world who wanted to meet him. "So, are you trying to tell me that you have numerous pursuers, or should I thank you?" Melissa responded in a bored tone, different strokes for different folks, you can't be loved by everyone, she thought to herself. "You should indeed thank me." Joseph responded casually. Melissa looked at Joseph for two seconds, turned to face him, bowed down seriously and said "Thank you, is that good enough?" "Is that supposed to be your thanks?" Joseph looked at Melissa a bit surprised, that seemed rather perfunctory. "Yes!" Melissa smiled faintly and leaned back. "Melissa, what kind of man are you into?" Joseph blurted out; it was a long journey and it was nighttime, he asked her to prevent fatigue from driving. "I like men who are gentle, modest, courteous, have a gentleman's demeanor, love life and have a sense of romance, and are humorously soulful." This time, Melissa didn't beat around the bush, but answered seriously after thinking about it. "Most importantly, he must be of good character, can accept Alvin and Alvina, and treat them well sincerely." "I did not expect you to be a woman with an average appearance, but big ambitions. Your standards are so high, no wonder no one dares to choose you." Joseph finally had the chance to mock her. "It's not that no one wants me, I just don't want to find someone." Melissa rebutted immediately "Falling in love with someone is particularly challenging for me. After all, I've been used to living independently with my child all these years, and I always feel that I'm not suited to the constraints of married life." 
"It's inconvenient for casual hook-ups, I suppose?" Joseph said offhandedly, his eyes focused on the road ahead.

 Incredulously, Melissa replied "This man… really!" Melissa just couldn't stand Joseph's mode of conversation, implying as if she were some sort of loose individual. "If you keep speaking in this manner, I might choose not to accompany you in conversation. Worse comes to worst, when you're sleepy, crash straight into a tree and seek a claim from the insurance company." To his slight surprise, Joseph realized that Melissa had anticipated his intention for the conversation. He didn't expect Melissa to understand him so well. Steering the conversation back on track, Joseph asked again. "So, what about height, appearance, family background, do you have any standards for those?" "Those aren't important." Melissa was pondering what to say next, but she gently shook her head and sighed "Actually, all these don't matter now. If two people feel right together, any previous standards would be shattered." In his heart, Joseph agreed and couldn't help but chuckle slightly. He turned his head towards Melissa and asked, "Aren't you curious that I am asking you so many questions because I'm interested in you?" "Tch! I'm not as narcissistic as certain individuals." Melissa responded with disdain. Joseph was about to retaliate when a curious thought crossed his mind, so he asked Melissa "How did you and Liam end up together?" Upon hearing the question, Melissa's face immediately turned sour, her eyes turning icy. "Mr. Clarkson, don't you think you're asking too many questions?"
 "There's no secrecy about that, is there, Melissa?" Joseph purposely prodded her to reveal some of her past stories. After all, in his eyes, Liam was a person who did things by the book. How could he impulsively marry a woman full of plots and schematics? The past was like smoke in the wind to Melissa, she didn't want to bring it up again. But Joseph stirred up many of her sad memories. "I can only blame my young and naive self for not seeing that marriage was actually a trap. Thank god I managed to climb out of it, otherwise, I wouldn't even know how I died." Melissa calmly said. Her words were as mysterious as foggy mountains and clouds. From the start, Liam was manipulating Melissa's naivety and kindness to set a trap for her. The man that Melissa adored for ten whole years colluded with her best friend to go against her. If Melissa had insisted not to divorce earlier, would Liam and Nancy have created an incident to take her life? Joseph chose to interpret her words as if marriage were restricting her freedom. "I agree with your theory that marriage is a trap. Women are very hypocritical creatures, easy to take advantage of." "Stereotypical. That's because the people around you have ulterior motives. You just haven't found true love." Melissa decisively said, the problems she encountered were entirely different from the biased ideas in Joseph's mind. Joseph nodded as if he agreed "So do you regret divorcing Liam?" "I never regret, he should be the one who regrets." Melissa's eyes were filled with resentment. Joseph chuckled lightly "How arrogant!" Regardless of whether Melissa was truly arrogant, the woman had a stubbornness in her bones which made her seem unlike the idle, good-for-nothing person she appeared to be. Melissa glanced at Joseph through the rearview mirror, thinking to herself; 'One day, I'll show everyone from the Clarkson family whether I'm truly arrogant or not!' At around four in the morning, Joseph drove Melissa and her daughter to the Clarkson residence. Alvina was still sound asleep in her mother's arms. As they went upstairs, Grandma Julia happened to walk out of her bedroom. "Eh? Why are you guys here? What happened to Alvina?" Grandma Julia had no idea about the little girl's fever last night, let alone that they had taken her to the hospital. "Grandma, we took a trip to the hospital just now. Alvina had a bit of fever. We just got back after getting her an IV. She's much better now," Melissa explained to Grandma Julia, who quickly stepped over to touch Alvina's forehead, indeed no longer hot. "Oh dear, you must be tired Melissa, go and rest with Alvina" Grandma Julia urged with deep concern. After Melissa took the child back to her room, Grandma Julia looked at Joseph "Joseph, you must not have slept much either. Have a couple hours of rest. You have to go to work soon." "Alright, Grandmother. Take advantage of the early dawn and get some sleep too" Joseph, who from a young age had formed the habit of speaking respectfully to his elders, advised. Regardless how close the relationship, etiquette must never be abandoned. This was a rule that his father had instilled in him, hence Joseph never acted flirtatiously towards the elders from childhood. "Hmm, you should hurry and go." Grandma Julia truly felt pain for the children. Furthermore, the older one gets, the more they tend to worry. Today, she must instruct the servants to disinfect the mansion to prevent the spread of the virus and keep it from infecting others.