Chapter 15 He Saw It at Once

Clarissa moved into the company’s dormitory. It was just opposite her workplace. She could save on transportation fees and rent.

Lily and two girls from the customer service department were assigned to the same apartment as Clarissa. The rooms that had sunlight were already occupied by the two girls because Lily and Clarissa moved in late. Initially, Lily wanted to argue with the two girls, but Clarissa said, “It’s not like we booked the rooms. Let them have it.”

Only then did Lily leave them alone.

Clarissa let Lily have the bigger room while she occupied the smallest room. There were no windows, so the ventilation was not good. Although it was not summer, the room was stuffy and humid.

The room that faced away from the sunlight was obviously not very good. It was an apartment-based dormitory. There were many other units along the corridor. Clarissa’s unit was already in a bad section and her room had it worse. After washing her clothes, she would dry her laundry in the bathroom before bringing them into the room to remove whatever leftover odor.

She did not have much choice. New East Corporation was situated in a business district. Renting nearby would cost a lot. Moreover, Genovia’s housing prices were one of the highest throughout the country. A fresh graduate’s salary could be completely depleted by just paying rent. Therefore, people had to be smart with their paychecks. Most employees in the New East Corporation would submit an application to rent a room right after they were hired. If they were slow, the results could be disastrous. Clarissa was aware of the situation, so she was not picky.

Her period came on Friday.

She thought to herself, ‘I don’t have to agonize about sex this time when we visit Damien’s grandfather.’

At night, Clarissa received a message from Damien.

[ Stranger: Be prepared. We’re going to my grandpa’s house tomorrow. ]

[ Yes, President Lawrence. Please wait for me near Windmill Cafe. It’s located at the end of the business district.]

She was scared that rumors would spark if her colleagues spotted her with Damien.

On Saturday, Damien went to pick up Clarissa as planned. She got into a different car this time.

It was a Mercedes-Benz with high specifications. Despite that, Clarissa thought it was not as cool as a Maybach. The Mercedes-Benz just looked just like an average luxury car.

Both of them sat behind just like before. They did not talk much.

Suddenly, Damien sniffed and said, “What's that smell?”

Upon hearing that, Clarissa snaps back to her senses. She inhaled but did not smell anything.

Damien frowned. He eyed Clarissa up and down.

“What is that smell coming from your clothes?”

Clarissa was used to her own odor, so she did not notice anything. She simply felt embarrassed because Damien said an unpleasant smell was coming from her.

After all, she was still a girl.

She thought for a moment before saying, “Is it a musty smell?”

“Something like that.”

“Oh, maybe it’s because my clothes have a hard time drying in the room I live in.”

Clarissa immediately put the blame on external factors. It would be worse if Damien thought the bad odor was coming from her body.

Damien observed her silently for a short time. He did not say anything else and continued to look outside the window.

His grandfather was delighted to see them again. He treated Clarissa like his own granddaughter.

In fact, Clarissa seemed to be the one who was related in comparison to Damien. Perhaps Damien was too mature for his age. He never whined about his hardships and handled everything himself. Thus, his grandfather could not help him even if he wanted to. It was not as if he was purposely unkind to Damien. They were more like people of the same age.

Clarissa was different. She always asked Damien’s grandfather questions. Additionally, she would talk to him about everything, no matter how big or trivial. The topics vary from university subjects to the times when Damien’s grandfather still taught. She would ask him if he had any problematic students who gave him headaches. Damien’s grandfather never talked about those things with his grandson. However, it was different with Clarissa. He was talkative and looked more radiant.

While Damien was quietly reading his book, he would hear bursts of laughter. It felt like he was third-wheeling.

Damien’s grandfather even joked with Clarissa, “Clary, aren’t you going to have a child? I want to see what mini Clary will look like.”

At that moment, Clarissa really looked like his biological grandchild.

Damien’s grandfather even changed the way he addressed her from Clarissa to Clary.

Upon hearing that, Clarissa’s heart felt warm. It reminded her of Zach and her parents. They used to call her Clary and she really cherished them.

Unfortunately, her dearest people were all gone. She did not know if her mother would still be able to call her Clary in this lifetime.

Hence, Damien’s grandfather was the only person in this world who currently called her Clary.

At that time, Clarissa was eating. Her hands paused for a moment. She felt guilty for tricking Damien’s grandfather. She agreed to have a conditional marriage with Damien, but they had no plans of having a child as it would only complicate matters.

“Grandpa, you’re an intellectual who has always demanded self-development. When did you start caring about having a child?” Damien helped Clarissa to smooth things over.

“Oh, I’m not…”

Damien’s grandfather’s gaze dimmed. The past was in the past. A person could change.

After seeing his grandfather’s expression, Damien did not say anything else. He knew the old man’s wish would never come true.

Clarissa's mood was also ruined. She recalled the time when her father was about to pass away. Looking at Damien’s grandfather, she became even more upset.

When they returned to their room, Clarissa deliberately placed a sanitary pad on the bed.

Damien spotted it right away and understood everything.