Soon after, the little boy returned and sat on the small chair beside the hospital bed, swinging his legs and sighing.
"Do you have a dad?" the sudden question startled him, and he did not know how to answer.
But the little boy didn't wait for an answer and continued speaking: "It must feel good to have a dad, right? If I had one, he would protect my mom and me and not let anyone bully us. But I don't have a dad..."
Was this boy trying to confide in him?
Matthew sat down in front of the boy, their eyes meeting.
He hesitated a bit but asked, "Where is your dad? Why did he abandon you and your mom?"
"I don't know," the boy shook his head.
"Since I was born, I have never known who he is, and my mom has never told me. My grandma said he was dead, but my mom...every time my sister and I asked about him, she would cry, so I stopped asking. Can you tell me why my dad doesn't need us?"
Since he was young, the boy had been very understanding and caring for his younger sister, not whining or crying, or showing emotions. This was the first time he had spoken so much to a stranger.
For some reason, the person in front of him made the little boy feel very close, and he unconsciously revealed all the doubts in his heart.
And Matthew didn't feel uncomfortable being chosen by this little boy to confide in.
"Maybe...he passed away so that he couldn't be with your mom and you," Matthew said.
With a cute child like this, who could bear to leave them? If it were him, he might spoil his child to the sky and still not feel enough.
The atmosphere in the hospital room unexpectedly became harmonious, utterly different from the atmosphere in the advertising shoot area.
After Matthew hugged his secretary and left, his fiancée's face was highly unpleasant. She stomped her sharp, high heels on the ground, tightly squeezed her phone, and walked straight out.
"Who are you calling?"
The middle-aged man's voice echoed with laughter on the phone.
Selena let out a sigh.
"Dad, I feel a little worried. A strange woman suddenly appeared next to Matthew, and she even had a child who looked just like him..."
Logically speaking, she did not believe Matthew could have such a grown-up child. However, his actions today made her feel a sense of unprecedented danger.
It was not normal for such a cold and indifferent man to care about the life and death of an ordinary secretary.
On the other end of the line, her father didn't even bother to think and said directly, "My daughter, with such a good son-in-law, you must keep him firmly. My business success relies heavily on your relationship with him...! Or you could try to urge him to get married soon."
Selena's eyes darkened.
"Of course, I want to get married soon, but he..."
"No buts. Who else is more suitable for that position next to Matthew than you? It's normal for men to fool around, sit firmly in the position of the Charles family's mistress."
"I understand."
Matthew slightly lowered his head and looked down.
The little boy in front of him made him feel like he was looking at himself from ten or twenty years ago.
Perhaps because the two of them looked pretty alike.
After a while, he rubbed the boy's head and smiled, "Actually, you're fortunate. At least you still have your mother and grandmother to care for you, right?" There was a hint of sadness in his smile, "I don't have a father, and I don't have a mother either..."
It was Charlie's turn to widen his eyes in surprise.
No father, no mother, how could that be? The information he found on Google was different.
"Isn't Mr. Brian Charles, the CEO of the S.E.I. conglomerate, your father?"
"No, he's not."
Matthew shook his head, not knowing why he was even talking to this little kid he had just met for the first time.
Perhaps it's because the two look so alike, or maybe he also wants someone to share and understand with.
It's been a long time since anyone mentioned him, thinking only of the CEO of the S.E.I corporation, a successful man who can do anything.
No one confided in him about these things.
"My father's name is Christopher Lee."
The boy furrowed his brow as if thinking about something very perplexing, then pursed his lips, his face slightly reddening.
His small hand reached the tall man's head, clumsily but gently patting it a few times.
"Don't be sad anymore." His tone was just like comforting a child.
Experiencing the feeling of having a child pat his head for the first time, unintentional but not too bad, Matthew smiled and nodded.
"I haven't been sad for a long time... I was very stubborn when I was as young as you, but I didn't have a wonderful mother like yours."
Not discussing other matters, but the person lying on the other sickbed loves her child. That's a fact, an obvious point.
Matthew smiled and looked at the boy, seeing that the boy seemed to want to speak again.
"Do you have something you want to tell me?"
"Yes, but..." His eyes were a little hesitant.
"If you were my father, it would be so good."
The sudden statement surprised him a little, but this was also a good idea. After all, he liked this boy.
Having another obedient son who understood him and was so similar to him wasn't bad at all.
Without thinking too long, he nodded.
"If you want, then from now on, you can call me dad and... think of me as your dad."
The boy's face brightened as if he had just completed an important task.
Finally, the boy had someone to call dad, and he was someone handsome and cool like this.
As the doctor concluded, Flora only had a common cold, so she woke up before the entire bottle of fluids had been administered.
Upon waking up, she thought of the unfinished work.
"CEO, the advertising... I will take responsibility."
Not even in her dreams did she expect her son to come and take a photo shoot with child star Emma, let alone the two children causing trouble...
The man sitting next to the hospital bed grunted.
"Do you even know how much damage has been done to dare say 'take responsibility'?"
"H...how much?" She swallowed nervously.
Don't let it be too big of a number.
"Just the cost for today's photo shoot is two hundred thousand USD, plus related expenses,probably around three hundred thousand USD. Are you sure you can take this responsibility?"
Three hundred thousand USD? For her, that was an astronomical figure.
Her monthly salary was currently two thousand five hundred USD. Even if she didn't eat or drink and used that money to compensate, it would take her ten years to pay it off.
Her face turned pale, and her body shook, almost falling. She had to use her hand to prop herself up on the bed before she reluctantly regained her composure.
At this moment, her son, standing next to her, interjected.
"Daddy Matthew, my mom doesn't have any money. Can you think of any other way?"
What? She had just fainted for a while. How did her son call another man his father?
Before she could say anything, the man on the other side, called "Daddy Matthew" by the boy, calmly rubbed the child's head and nodded.
"Don't worry, and I know your mother is impoverished." He turned to look at her. "Even if you can come up with three hundred thousand USD for compensation, the advertising campaign will still encounter problems...Why don't you let the twins replace you in the photo shoot? The effectiveness may not be as good as a famous star, but it's better than nothing."
Of course, he didn't stop there. He added, "You also have to take responsibility for the damage. But seeing that you don't have any money, I won't make you pay. Starting tomorrow, come to my house and work for me. One month's salary should be enough."
Both parents were compensated, all within one month. That was already considered good for her.
"Dismissed."
At this moment, the hospital room door opened, interrupting the conversation.
A man with slightly long hair and a somewhat awkward posture walked in from outside.
Seeing everyone in the hospital room, he was slightly taken aback but quickly burst into laughter.
"What a coincidence, everyone is here?"
Matthew's face turned dark.
He didn't expect this man to be related to the mother and son in this room.
Especially the boy who just called him "dad," smiled and greeted the newcomer, and even amicably held his hand.
"Uncle Asher is the one who pursued my mom but got friend-zoned," the boy whispered to him, then pulled the other person closer to the bed.
The newcomer was also not shy, bringing a warm glass of water and asking Flora, "Would you like some water?"
Three adults and a child looked like a family of three.
Matthew felt annoyed to see the harmonious scene in front of him without a place for him.
But then he thought...
This has nothing to do with him. What does it matter to him whom the mother and son lean on? Why should he care?
There's no place for him here anymore... He sighed, glanced at his phone, and saw a missed call from a college buddy.
Along with it was a text message asking him to grab a drink.
Glancing at the image of the harmonious family of three, he sighed and left the hospital room, heading to the address in the text message.