Erica casually patted the bag of fruits and said, "So make your choice now. Who will you stand with: your wife or your goddess? Think twice before you answer me!"

Matthew's answer came back instantly, as sudden as a gunshot. "My goddess!"

Against her will, Erica's hand went to her heart. He might as well have shot her.

Hating herself for even that momentary show of weakness, she steeled herself and told her husband, "Fine! Didn't you say once that you didn't care about the silly trifles between women? Then you will have to turn a blind eye to what I'm going to do. What do you think of that?"

"What do I think?" Matthew raised his eyebrows. "What makes you confident enough to bargain with me after you've beaten me?" Her arrogance astounded him.

Erica held her chin up, her smile full of pride and happiness. "Well, I was born into a rich family. I've been this confident since I was a child!" There was nothing in her life she was more proud of than knowing herself to be the daughter of Blair and Wesley!

Matthew lowered his head in a partial effort to hide the smirk on his lips. When he finally looked up, his face was blank again. "I suppose I'll just wait and see."

"Wait for what?"

He gave a little shrug. "See how you are going to deal with Phoebe."

Erica began, "My plan is simple. First, you have to get her pregnant again."

"What?" That was a far cry from what Matthew would have guessed. What was on this woman's mind? He had dealt with many bizarre and complicated problems in his life, but Erica's weird logic was something else. "Now, why should I do that?" he asked. "Shouldn't I be having children with you?"

"Yes, and you will. But you have to make her pregnant too, so that I can push her to the ground in front of you. You will see how I give her a miscarriage, just like she's accused me. Otherwise, I would be wronged!"

Matthew was usually calm in the face of danger and big events, but here, now, he was utterly flustered and furious. Trying to regain his composure, he sputtered, "Don't you mind if I make her pregnant?"

"Oh, yes, that reminds me," she said spitefully. "I don't want to share a man with others. How about this? You find another man to make her pregnant, and then I'll push her down. How about that?"

"Absolutely not! An unborn baby is also a life!" In the back of Matthew's mind, it struck him as bizarre that he was now the one trying to talk his wife into having a heart. Not only was this an awful idea, but he really had always believed her innocent of what she was accused.

But then again, if Erica insisted on getting Phoebe pregnant again, Matthew would ultimately find someone to

e asked. "Figure something out on your own."

"Well in fact, I have figured something out!" she said, undaunted. She leaned in closer and looked up at him. "You help me find a way to make him and Chantel sleep together again, just one more time. It would be great if she got pregnant."

Matthew snorted.

So this was what she wanted his help with? He had to admit that she was smarter now than before marrying him—for the most part. "I'm not God," he told her. "I don't have the power to make sure she gets pregnant after one more night with your brother." If there was really a way, he would get Erica pregnant first!

Her tone turned pleading and pitiable. "You are the god in my heart. Please! To let the Li family have a descendant as soon as possible, please help them!"

Looking down at her coldly, Matthew complained, "You are destroying my friendship with Gifford again!" How could he keep falling into these traps? Erica was always putting forward bad ideas, and he was the one who kept going along with them!

Was he really her husband? Why was she always so intent on getting him involved in her schemes?

"That doesn't matter. Even if your friendship breaks, you're still family," she argued. "He's still your brother-in-law, right? Honey, come on!" If he didn't say yes, she would lose her patience.

Matthew pinched her cheek with one hand, her mouth opened. "You're worrying a lot of things," he mused. "You haven't gotten pregnant yourself, but here you are, trying to get everyone else to have babies. Think about it now. How many nights are you going to have sex with me in exchange for this favor?"

"One..." When she was about to blurt out the words "one night," Erica corrected herself, weathering her husband's disdainful gaze. "One week!"