Unable to stand it any longer, Andrey, standing by, interrupted: "At this point, none of us know where Matthew is, he may not even make it in time if he rushes here..." He gave Paul a warm smile: "Where did our little princess's bravery go?"
Paul didn't answer, seemingly ignoring Andrey's question, because her clear round eyes were fixated at the end of the hallway: "Daddy!"
Matthew, with a worn-out and dusty appearance, his hair a mess, approached with irregular steps.
His disheveled appearance stunned everyone instantly, Flora was even shocked: "Why do you look..."
"Why are you just getting here? Is there any father like you? Is there anything more important than your daughter's health?" Mrs. Smith, Flora's mother, looked at him with an unkind gaze, scolding without any respect.
He didn't argue, only nodded: "Yes, you're right, it's my fault." He still called her 'mother', knowing she hadn't accepted him as her son-in-law.
His eyes shifted back to the quiet child, he managed a smile: "Our little princess isn't scared, right?"
"Of course I'm not scared!" Paul affirmed: "I'm just a little worried about daddy! And Charlie..."
"Let me tell you a secret, don't tell anyone..." Matthew leaned closer to his little girl, whispering: "Your Charlie is surrounded by pretty girls, so he can't make it here yet.
You'll forgive Charlie, right?"
Paul was easy to deceive.
The little one nodded: "Charlie is going to have a girlfriend, that's great! You, mommy, and Charlie wait for me, okay? Uncle Andrey said it's only twenty more days before I can join everyone."
The door closed, separating two worlds.
Flora looked up at the tall man beside her: "Thank you for coming back." Just in time.
Matthew suddenly embraced her tightly.
He held her so tight that Flora could barely breathe.
A moment later, she remembered the question she had to ask: "What about our son?"
"There's a little trouble.
Selena wants revenge.
I'm using a few tactics to pressure her, as long as she releases the kid, Winky and the other things are not a problem." As he had predicted, dealing with Winky was not as difficult as dealing with someone gone mad like Selena.
Due to the troubles with Selena, he couldn't stay for too long, only trying to be there to send his daughter into surgery before leaving again.
Luckily, Flora didn't have any objections.
She fully supported him.
"Come with me." Matthew held Flora's hand tightly, pulling her into a room.
After firmly closing the door, he said to her: "Take off your clothes."
Flora's cheeks instantly turned crimson, the blush spreading to her ears.
She slightly lowered her head, closed her eyes: "At this hour, and you still..."
Matthew smiled warmly: "These twenty days may seem interminably long and excruciatingly challenging.
Every day, Paul has to endure immense pain.
To a child, every minute, every second feels like a form of torture..." He opened the closet, fetched a soft pink dress, and handed it to Flora: "I had just promised our little girl that we would greet her morning and night each day.
So, we need to record the videos beforehand, each featuring us in different outfits and hairstyles.
We'll send them to Andrey, for the nurses to play for her daily."
This was the only method he could devise to give their little girl the faith to triumph over her sickness.
Soon he would have to leave, so they needed to finish recording these videos as soon as possible.
Looking at Flora's glowing face, he teased with a chuckle: "Don't tell me you misunderstood something just now."
"Who would misunderstand!" Flora retorted quickly, her reaction revealing more than she intended.
Upon regaining her composure and understanding his intentions, she couldn't help but smile gently, feeling a warmth spreading through her heart.
It was unexpected that a man who seemed so cold and detached could also be so considerate and tender.
As she donned the outfit he had chosen, she said: "Do you know, I'm really scared... Terrified... But luckily, you're here. Without you, I truly wouldn't know what to do... I can't provide the kids with the same sense of security as you do..." After all, she was just a fragile woman; it was challenging to provide a sense of steadfast assurance as Matthew did.
"I am scared too, actually." Matthew moved closer, helping her zip up the dress: "I fear that Paul won't recover, or something might happen to Charlie.
I worry about the boy's heart. If he's not mentally stable, it's easy for problems to arise. I fear even more that Selena will harm him..." This was the first time he admitted his fears to Flora: "But I know, our children are more frightened than we are.
They choose to face it bravely because they trust us.
As parents, we can't afford to be anything less than strong, can we?"
His faith was fervent, almost blind, believing that everyone would eventually be safe.
Absolutely.
Having finished recording, Matthew hurried away, placing pressure on Selena while also tracking down any remaining leads.
His tactics were so "intense" that it quickly drove Selena to madness, and she proactively called him.
"Matthew, you've gone mad!" Her voice was shrill, almost hysterical.
Matthew nonchalantly nodded: "I thought you knew this a long time ago." He was a madman, and everyone associated with him knew it.
A rare gentleness in his life was reserved only for his loved ones.
"If you really want to save this little brat, don't have my father arrested! Do you think I'll spare him if you do this? Do you want me to let you hear how I'm torturing him?"
The voice of Charlie came at the right moment: "Ah!" Just a short cry, as if he couldn't suppress the pain and screamed involuntarily.
But Matthew's reaction was entirely beyond Selena's expectations.
Unlike other frantic or worried parents, he sneered: "If he can't withstand this small bit of torment, he's not worthy of being my son.
But..." He smirked, maintaining his nonchalant tone: "Thank you for letting me hear my son's voice.
I'll 'entertain' your father in a similar way."
"You dare..." Selena shuddered.
Her instincts told her that Matthew was really capable of doing it.
"What wouldn't I dare to do?" As she expected, Matthew's response was as calm and composed as ever.
The calmer his attitude, the more believable it was that he would dare to do it. To him, these were all everyday matters.
Selena gritted her teeth: "Alright, consider yourself good! I agree to exchange this brat for my father, but..." She exhaled heavily: "When you come here, bring Flora along."
"Why do you want to see her?" Matthew furrowed his brows.
Logically, it was a fair exchange, and she shouldn't insist on seeing Flora.
Or did she have another ace up her sleeve?
As he expected, Selena replied: "The person who wants to meet her isn't me, but Layla Gary.
Tell her that Layla Gary wants to meet. Whether she agrees or not, I won't force.
But..." She paused there, merely chuckled, and then hung up.
The relationship between Flora and Layla Gary was complicated. They were once close friends, but also had their share of fallouts.
Matthew couldn't make the decision on her behalf and had to tell her the entire story.
In the end, Flora decided to accompany him to the place Selena specified.
This time he was well-prepared, arranging for surveillance around the meeting point, ensuring even a fly would have trouble escaping.
At least he had to ensure Flora's safety.
"Boss, all positions around the area are filled. Everything's set up.
We just wait for her to show, then we'll act on your command.
However..."
"She is my wife, not a stranger, speak your mind." Matthew sensed the hesitation in his subordinate's demeanor, which was merely due to the fear that Flora could not be trusted.
With his permission, the underling instantly nodded in agreement: "Our people have informed us that Winky and Selena have taken the young master into the ancient tomb, their motives remain unclear.
I sense... Selena is incredibly dangerous.
As for Winky, he is a sharpened blade, and in the hands of someone like Selena, we need to tread with caution."
Matthew knitted his brow: "Why would she choose this place?"
The geography here was remarkably peculiar.
Selena must have had ulterior motives for insisting on this location for the transaction, coercing him into coming here, it's undeniably more than meets the eye.
His subordinate shook his head: "I'm not yet certain of their motive. But it appears they are quite familiar with the ancient tomb, easily bypassing its traps and reaching its center. They have stayed there ever since." Their intentions for staying there, no one knew: "They have not yet ventured out." It raised suspicions that they only intended to venture in and had no intentions of leaving.
Regarding this, Matthew didn't find it peculiar: "She has the map in her possession, and with Winky's assistance, it's understandable they could penetrate it."
"Boss, should we also bring her father along?"
Matthew smirked: "It would be a waste of a good show if he doesn't witness it... Bring him here!"
Daniel was taken aback, he hadn't anticipated that the mastermind behind his abduction would be Matthew.
As soon as he saw him, the old man widened his eyes, stuttering in disbelief: "It's you... why is it you... Why did you capture me?"
"Greetings, sir, it's been a while, you appear well." Matthew maintained his cold demeanor and steady voice: "Perhaps you misunderstand, your beloved daughter wishes to meet you here, hence I brought you. In other words, the one who wants to capture you is she, not me..."
Peering into the dark cavern ahead, he chuckled: "Haven't you always been investigating this ancient tomb? Now you can fulfill your desire." His daughter had helped him achieve his wish, but whether he could exit alive was a different matter.
"What do you want?"
"I want my son to return safe. As long as the boy is alright, I won't trouble you." In other words, if anything happened to his son, it was uncertain if the old man would remain calm.