Chapter 29: Why Should Take Care Of Flood Victims?

"What brings you to me so early?" Flora yawned, looking at the man sitting cross-armed on the back seat of the car.

He turned to her, squinting at her.

"We're registering our marriage. The lawyer is waiting... You two, get off and let my sister-in-law come up here." The latter part was directed towards his two underlings sitting in the front seats.

At their boss' command, the two men exited the car. One of them was a youth Flora had encountered a few times before, rubbing his hands together and laughing nervously.

"Sister-in-law, don't make it difficult for us. Get in the car, otherwise our boss will be angry."

If the boss was angry, the sister-in-law might not suffer, but the young man would surely not have an easy time.

Of course, Flora wouldn't comply with their demands so easily. She glanced nervously around, hoping to find someone who could help. But the two men didn't have the patience to wait and attempted to grab her.

"Let go of me!" Flora shouted: "What you're doing is illegal!"

The two men ignored her resistance, insistently trying to drag her into the car.

"What do you think you're doing? Kidnapping a good girl in broad daylight?" Morela ran over, pointing at the two men and scolding them. She was just short of picking a fight.

Flora paled. She hadn't expected her best friend to suddenly show up. However, this was a dangerous situation, she didn't want her involved.

"Morela, go home. This is..."

"This is what?!" Morela almost yelled: "Let go of my friend now, or I won't be polite!"

The car door was still open. The man inside looked out with amusement, a smirk on his lips: "Just you... you could hardly be impolite, could you?"

A lazy, slightly dissonant voice sounded from behind: "What if she had me backing her up?"

The newcomer was dressed in a long cloak, wearing white gloves. His aura was at once ominous and yet carefree, suggesting he was no gentleman.

As he approached the car, he gave a slight smile.

"Regrettably, our boss has taken a liking to this woman. She won't be going anywhere with you today."

The young man accompanying Ethelbert hurriedly pulled a gun from his pocket. But the other man was faster, producing a knife to Ethelbert's throat.

"I'd like to see whether your bullets are faster than my blade." he sneered: "If we were to be beaten by the likes of you today, the reputation of the Blood Falcon would be ruined by my hand."

Ethelbert remained silent, his body stiffening. It was his first encounter with someone from Blood Falcon, a name he had heard long before.

A rapidly rising underworld organization founded five years ago, known for their ruthless efficiency and fearlessness. Those who dared to provoke them all ended up with the same fate - death.

The small movement of the man did not escape the piercing gaze of the other. He squinted: "You must know what to do, right? She belongs to our boss."

"Rest assured, I know the rules of the game."

With that said, the car zoomed away.

Flora narrowly escaped, breathing a sigh of relief. Before she could thank the stranger who came to her rescue, she heard her best friend beside her whisper: "He's so handsome, does he have a girlfriend yet?"

The man raised an eyebrow: "Why? Have you taken a liking to me?"

She cleared her throat, shattering the bubblegum-filled atmosphere, and asked the man.

"Who are you? Why did you save me?"

She knew it was somewhat rude to ask such a question to the person who just saved her. However, his previous words provoked her into deep thought. A criminal organization wouldn't save an ordinary person without a reason.

They must have some purpose.

The hospital corridor was filled with the sterile smell of disinfectant. The doctor in the white coat bent over to read the files and test results in his hand. The more he read, the more his eyebrows furrowed tightly.

"The situation seems... quite grim. The symptoms of anemia and sepsis are quite evident. The blood test results show a significant reduction in all three lines of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, reversed leukocyte formula..."

The doctor rattled off a list of medical jargon as soon as he opened his mouth. Matthew asked: "Do we know the cause?"

He hadn't expected that the child's slight fever would turn into such a major issue when they brought her to the hospital.

The doctor shook his head: "Preliminary assessment is there, but more testing is needed. I recommend that the family admit her for further marrow tests and bone marrow biopsy to confirm the diagnosis."

It was clearly not a simple matter. Matthew nodded gravely.

"Alright, take good care of her."

He opened the door and entered the patient's room. The little girl sat on the bed, clutching a small doll. Seeing him step in, she greeted him with a smile.

"Daddy Matthew, am I okay?"

"Are you scared?" Matthew pulled a chair to the side of the bed, running his hand gently over her head, filled with affection and love.

Holding her doll tightly, the child shook her head, then nodded: "A little... Where is mommy? Is she not here because I get sick often and she doesn't like me anymore?"

The twins had completely contrasting temperaments and health conditions. The girl had been frequently ill since childhood, each illness lasting half a month.

Matthew let out a sigh. It pained him to see his child like this.

"That's not true. Mommy has some business to handle and couldn't be here with you..." He stroked her head again: "You must remember, mommy is the person who loves you the most in the world."

She was young but, living in a single-parent family, was more sensitive than her peers.

"Daddy Matthew, have you ever seen someone abandon their own child? Will you abandon me and Charlie when you have a child in the future?" Her innocent voice sounded prematurely anxious.

Matthew moved to sit on the bed, pulling her into his embrace: "That will never happen. Daddy will never abandon you or Charlie."

After some contemplation, he resolved to bring the child home tonight, to assuage Flora's concerns. Tomorrow, he would take the child back to the hospital for further examination.

"The Boss only ordered me to rescue you and take you home to your mother. No additional instructions were given." the man shrugged, his face an epitome of innocence as he faced Flora.

She stared at him in astonishment, querying: "Did you also save my mother?"

Receiving an affirmative nod from the man, she spun around and sprinted straight home. As soon as the door opened, an unexpected face greeted her.

"Matthew? What are you doing in my house?" she demanded, her face clouding as she eyed the man nonchalantly sitting on her sofa.

After yesterday's events, the last thing she wanted was to see him again.

"The kids missed you, so I brought them back."

The little girl slid off the sofa, dropping her favorite strawberry flavored cake, and ran to embrace her mother's legs: "I missed you so much, mom!"

Matthew looked fondly at the little girl, then shifted his gaze to the boy standing beside them, his hand stuffed into his pocket.

"Don't you miss your mother?"

The boy shook his head: "I'm not as sentimental."

With that, the boy walked over to his mother and sister, his expression stern and unchanging. His hand emerged from his pocket, patting his mother's shoulder gently.

"Go and see your mother first."

Even if Matthew hadn't said anything, Flora wouldn't have forgotten this crucial matter. Letting go of the little one in her arms, she walked directly into her mother's room.

Her mother was lying on the bed, her face gaunt and worn, a stark contrast to her usual lively spirit. Seeing her daughter enter, she managed a feeble smile.

"Are you alright, mom?" Flora rushed to the bedside.

Her mother shook her head: "I'm fine... Ethelbert didn't harm me."

The mention of this name got Flora thinking. Who exactly was he, and why was he targeting her family?

As if reading her daughter's thoughts, her mother began to recount: "Ethelbert is your father's adopted son. He wanted to use you to inherit the Tremblay family fortune. After all... your father only had one daughter, you. There's no one else to legally inherit his property."

It all made sense now; this involved her absent father.

Flora exhaled deeply and embraced her mother.

"Don't worry, mom. No matter what happens, I'll always stand by your side. If you love dad, then I will too, and I won't blame him."

After the day's unexpected events, her mother was both physically and emotionally exhausted. They talked for a while before her mother drifted off to sleep. She carefully closed the bedroom door behind her as she left.

"Today... thank you." she said in a low voice as they sat in the car, her gaze resting on the man in the passenger seat.

"No need for thanks." Matthew bowed his head: "Who is the father of these children?"

Flora turned to him in surprise, stuttering: "Why are you asking that?"

She thought he might have discovered something. But perhaps she was overthinking. He shook his head and sighed softly: "Such adorable kids..."

Such adorable kids... how wonderful it would be if they were his and hers. She couldn't help but wonder who that heartless man was who could possibly abandon these two charming children.

Upon Flora's lips was a gentle smile: "Indeed, the children are adorable. They are practically my entire world."

"Really? Does your 'everything' also include Ethelbert?"

Matthew's question took Flora aback, prompting her to retort with an elevated tone.

"Ethelbert? It's all because you took me to Australia, that's why all of this happened. You... you have to take responsibility for this!"

The words slipped from her mouth, leaving her stunned at her own declaration. The man beside her chuckled.

"How should I take responsibility?"

She refused to be his woman, yet demanded his accountability? He leaned closer, trapping her in the narrow space between his arms and the leather-backed seat.

"Flora... tell me, how do you want me to take responsibility?" His deep voice uttering her name made her blush.

Her mind felt heated, she didn't know the right way to answer him.

At that moment, the steady voice of her son echoed from outside: "Mom, are you inside? My teddy bear is looking for you all over the house."

Flora jolted and hurriedly pushed the man away. What a scene it would be if the children saw them.

As she stepped down from the car, Matthew abruptly said: "Come to the head office for work tomorrow... We need to finish what we started today." With that, he waved at the small figure outside and drove off.

Her son looked up at her, puzzled: "What didn't you and daddy Matthew finish, mom?"

Flora was momentarily taken aback. That outrageous man, saying such inappropriate things in front of the child. She could feel her cheeks burning and it took quite a while to cool down.