After getting the child settled into her room, he cautiously opened the door to Flora's room. She was lying on her side on the bed, it wasn't clear whether she was sleeping or awake, but as he neared, she sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"You're back, then?"
"You heartless woman... Why did you leave me alone in the bar?" He whispered into her ear, his tone both teasing and reproachful.
Flora had already thought up a perfect excuse.
"When I emerged from the restroom, you had already been whisked away by someone. I overheard the staff saying... the person who took you away was a close friend of yours." Flora shared with a soft smile: "I suppose they didn't take you to sell you off, so I wasn't too worried."
Matthew's emotions cooled slightly. He tenderly enveloped Flora, pressing her soft body into the bed: "Shall we continue where we left off last time..."
"What do you mean? Are you teasing me again?"
Matthew chuckled.
"If you wish, I can give you the opportunity to tease me. Go on... have your fun." He'd be thrilled if this woman could take the initiative to "tease" him.
The positions of the two were reversed. Flora sat atop the man, her cheeks flushed red, yet she retorted boldly: "You asked for this."
After her defiant declaration, Flora leapt off the bed and headed out. She wanted to find some alcohol. Only after drinking did she gather enough courage to tease the man lying expectantly on the bed.
Unexpectedly, she bumped into a stern-looking man at the door. He scowled at the disheveled woman without uttering a word.
"Miss Flora, the boss is here, he wishes to see young master Matthew."
Flora froze, pulling the hem of her nightgown, and gave an awkward smile to the unfamiliar man: "Could he possibly wait a moment? The CEO is asleep..."
"What right do you have to obstruct my path?"
The man didn't show any respect, continued to stride towards the room with its door tightly shut. Right then, the door swung open from inside, Matthew yawned and asked the newcomer: "Dad, are you here to quarrel?"
"Is this your attitude towards your father?" The man scowled at him from head to toe: "You and Selena are about to marry, and she's even pregnant. You are about to become a husband and a father, yet you still indulge in leisurely pursuits..."
Flora lowered her head, concealing the turmoil welling up in her eyes. Selena was pregnant, they were about to marry, and he hadn't told her anything.
She looked up, at Matthew, awaiting his response.
His words pushed her further into the abyss: "The wedding will proceed as planned, father, and the Whites can rest easy. I know what I'm doing."
Receiving a satisfactory response, his father quickly departed. He had countless other matters to attend to, and if it wasn't for the family's future at stake, he wouldn't have bothered coming here.
"Matthew... you bastard!" Flora's voice hardened.
What did he think of her? A replacement? A plaything? He still planned to marry Selena, yet he came to tease her.
And had the audacity to say he liked her.
Matthew furrowed his brows at her, suddenly feeling all this was nothing more than a tedious mess. He lacked the patience to deal with it piece by piece, let alone comfort a woman.
"Don't put on that aggrieved face in front of me. Seeing you like this, I get bored."
He strode back into the room, slamming the door shut, uninterested in how the person outside felt. Because, regardless of her feelings, his decision would never change. He did like her, but he wouldn't be foolish enough to do anything for her.
"Look... this is a picture of me in a wedding dress, do you think it's beautiful? And the ring too..." Selena leaned against the CEO's desk, showing Matthew the picture of her in the wedding dress, and the ring that she had ordered.
Matthew cast a fleeting glance at the phone screen before saying: "You're carrying our child, don't use your phone too much, and don't sit like that."
His consideration warmed Selena's heart and simultaneously twisted the knife in the heart of the unnoticed eavesdropper.
She didn't want to believe it, but all these happenings were undeniable. From start to finish, she was nothing more than an unwelcome interloper in their shared joy, even if Matthew had professed love for her, even if they had begotten two beautiful and intelligent children together.
Bowing her head to pretentiously arrange some paperwork, she couldn't stop the tears from welling in her eyes.
A hand, its nails painted a striking red, came into view. Selena managed a weak smile: "Isn't this Flora? Tell me... you exhausted all efforts to get transferred back here, but in the end, you didn't hook the golden turtle, it feels terrible, doesn't it?"
She covered her mouth, feigning interest in Flora's expression, before continuing: "Your face looks terrible... How pitiful, can't accept being discarded by Matthew, can you?"
Flora didn't reply. She merely bent her head to continue her work, waiting for the other to tire of the mockery and depart on her own.
Holding a project plan, she knocked on Matthew's office door.
"Director, this is the new plan. Please review it."
The plan was neatly placed in front of Matthew, and she didn't utter any superfluous words. He, however, couldn't help but abandon his work, furrowing his brow as he examined her.
"What on earth are you upset about?" He was confused, things were perfectly fine, yet she'd suddenly done a complete 180.
Flora scoffed: "Upset... how dare I be? I am just the director's secretary, what do I have to be upset about?"
Matthew's brow knitted further, her defiant attitude was clear. He reached out, grabbing her hand.
"Flora, can't you just tell me straight what you want? You're always like this, not saying anything, leaving me clueless... I don't have that much time or patience for you, you best learn some manners..."
"Let go." She said, decisively.
She didn't have the patience to listen to his criticisms when she wasn't at fault.
This man simply didn't understand love or family. Perhaps she was wrong from the start, hoping to provide their children a perfect family.
Perhaps... he would have a perfect family in the future, a wife, a husband, children, only she wouldn't be the one building that family with him. It was her fault, so she would have to bear the consequences of this mistake herself.
Just like that.
"Mommy, do you want some cake?" The little girl clung to her mother's legs, her big sparkling eyes looking up.
Flora gave a loving smile, stroking her daughter's head, shaking her head.
"You have the cake, Paul, mommy doesn't want any."
Seeing her mother decline, the little girl didn't say anything more. She ran to the table, picked up a small spoon and began eating the cake. The small, soft, and fragrant cake laid on the table was irresistible to her innocent eyes.
Flora sat beside her, eyes filled with affection as she watched her daughter. Her chaotic emotions seemed to calm down in the face of the small moment of happiness with her child.
As the child bent her head to eat the cake, a drop of fresh red blood fell from her nose, staining the white porcelain plate. Before the child could react, Flora rushed over to hold her. Her voice trembled: "What happened? Don't scare mommy... Does it hurt a lot?"
"Mom, I'm okay." The little girl shook her head: "A few days ago, I had a nosebleed... Daddy Matthew took me to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor said I had a heat stroke."
The words "Daddy Matthew" echoed painfully in Flora's heart. Perhaps, blood ties really possess a special power, capable of bridging the distance between strangers. In such a short period, her children had grown incredibly close to Matthew.
But at this moment, she had no room in her mind to worry about such matters, her child's health was the utmost concern.
She hurriedly hailed a taxi to the nearest hospital, going through a series of checks.
"The child is just physically weak, coupled with a heat stroke. Nothing too severe. Take care of her and ensure she gets proper rest." the doctor advised them evenly.
Flora nodded, thanked the doctor, and took her child home. Little did she know that as soon as she left the hospital, the doctor secretly called Matthew.
"Young master Matthew, Paul's condition is worsening each day. The anemia is quite obvious, and the blood test results are deteriorating. It would be best if we could arrange treatment in the United States as soon as possible..."
"Okay." Matthew's voice was steady, appearing calm, but only he knew what he was feeling: "Arrange for her to go to the US."
"But you want to keep this from Flora... If we move her to the US for treatment, I fear..." the doctor hesitated.
Matthew exhaled deeply: "That's fine, leave it to me."
He wanted to hide the truth about their child's condition from Flora, for as long as he could. To her, these children were as precious as life itself. If she knew about her daughter's dangerous condition, he was afraid she would collapse.
Paul's condition was significantly worse compared to the previous check. Matthew was so worried he couldn't work anymore, so he left his office and returned home. He knew coming home wouldn't solve anything, but he couldn't stay focused on work.
He had to return to check on his little girl.
"How's she doing?" His deep voice suddenly rang out behind Flora, startling her.
She turned around, seeing Matthew's handsome but emotionless face, she put a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.
"She's sleeping, let's talk outside."
With that, she walked straight into the living room. Matthew's worried gaze lingered on Paul's sleeping face before he reluctantly closed the door and followed her outside. He sat down on the chair opposite Flora.
Just yesterday, the atmosphere between them was fine. As intimate as the closest lovers in the world.
But now, sitting face to face, they couldn't bear to look each other in the eyes, let alone muster the mood to exchange sweet words. An intangible pressure weighed heavily on the air around them, making it hard for both of them to breathe.