Matthew watched as Flora entered the mansion before turning to leave. Right then, his phone rang. A familiar string of digits, yet one not saved in his contacts.
"What is it?" His voice was frosty.
A mirthful laughter emanated from the other end, unmasked and unabashed: "Is there a necessity for such coldness when conversing with me?"
"Spit it out." Matthew clenched his phone tightly, barely suppressing the urge to berate the caller: "If this is a casual call, I'm hanging up. I don't have time for your games."
The man on the other end seemed indifferent to his threats. They knew each other well. He knew the caller had a reason for calling and the caller knew his patience had its limits, but he wouldn't hang up until everything was clear.
"It's about your fiancée. Today, someone saw her lurking around your mansion, and unless I'm mistaken, she doesn't live nearby. Do take care of the beauties you're harboring there, after all, she is... the main consort."
Having said his piece, the man nonchalantly hung up.
Matthew gripped his phone, turning to the man following him: "Investigate why Selena appeared around here."
"I will inform Patrick Jones about Flora's whereabouts..."
"Interfering in other people's family happiness, she must bear the consequences. I absolutely won't let this slide!"
"Layla Gary, remove Flora from the S.E.I Corporation, immediately!"
Layla jolted upright in bed, her forehead drenched in sweat. A short nightmare, but utterly terrifying. In her dream, Patrick discovered Flora was Matthew's secretary, he decided to leave Layla at the altar to chase after Flora.
And the threatening, oppressive words of Selena from yesterday were still reverberating in Layla's mind.
Her sweaty hand reached for the cell phone next to her pillow. Trembling, Layla dialed Flora's number.
Flora's clear voice quickly answered on the other end: "Hello, Layla, what's up so early?... Go ahead, what's the matter?"
"I... I have something to tell you." Layla hesitated: "You won't blame me, will you?"
Flora was confused: "Why would I blame you? What happened, tell me."
"You know that I got engaged before, right? I even went to try on wedding dresses. The person I'm engaged to is Patrick..." Layla's words sped up, as if fearing the person on the other end might not have the chance to hear her explanation.
"I'm sorry, I know I've wronged you. He is... the ex-fiancé of your close friend, I shouldn't have been involved with him. I know he loves you, but... I couldn't control my feelings. After all, you don't need him anymore, but I... I love him so..."
Contrary to what Layla feared, Flora was not angry at all. In the past, when she learned that her close friend was getting married, she was worried that her friend would be deceived, or meet an untrustworthy man.
But today, those worries were no more. Patrick is a good man, she knows that for certain. Above all, she always wishes for him to find his own happiness.
"My dear, foolish friend..." she laughed: "He and I ended things seven years ago. There's no need for you to agonize over the past. As long as you two are happy, that's all that matters."
She had long let go of her past.
A sigh of relief escaped Layla. With Flora's blessing, the half of the burdensome stone that had been weighing her down for so long had been lifted.
"The patient's condition is critical, all three peripheral blood cell lines have drastically dropped since the last test. Doctor Andrey, what should we do now?"
Doctor Andrey furrowed his brow, adjusted his reading glasses perched on his nose, took a moment, then said: "We need to initiate a blood stem cell transplant. Have we received the DNA test results yet? If there is a direct blood relation, the compatibility rate will be much higher."
The DNA test results were quickly delivered to Doctor Andrey. His lips curved into a faint smile as he immediately dialed Matthew's number.
"Hello, Andrey, how's the little girl doing?"
Without any hesitation, Doctor Andrey disclosed the dire state of the child: "It's grim. All the stem cell donors we found aren't compatible with the child's HLA protein. They're unsuitable for transplantation. You, as the father, need to come here immediately."
"What do you mean?"
"If you don't come, your daughter is almost certainly going to die." Without compatible stem cells, a transplant surgery can't be performed, and the child would surely die from exhaustion.
Matthew shook his head: "You mean... my daughter..."
"Isn't she your child?" Andrey furrowed his brow: "Don't kid me. You're telling me you didn't know she was your daughter? I've seen the DNA test results. There's a ninety-nine percent chance that she's your biological child. There's no mistake."
The line went dead. Matthew felt like he was trapped in a dream. He had always adored Flora's twin children, silently cursing, even despising the man who abandoned Flora and her children.
But now, Andrey was telling him that he was that despicable man.
He recalled Flora's words: "You have to take responsibility for your child."
"It's true"... she had confirmed the identity of the twins more than once. Only now did he fully comprehend her intentions.
What had happened? How could the twins be his children?
"Flora, I need to ask you..." Matthew's usually calm voice wavered: "Who are the twins' parents?"
Flora hadn't expected this sudden question. Her wide-eyed surprise quickly morphed into a resigned sigh as she lowered her gaze.
"They are my children."
Yes, the twins were her children. Only hers. They had managed without a father in their early years, and they could manage now. He was free to take responsibility for Selena's unborn child, and needn't bother with her.
Matthew frowned: "I want to know the truth!"
"The truth? Does the truth even matter to you?" Flora's voice rose sharply, her suppressed emotions erupting uncontrollably.
"You said you're responsible for Selena's child, that you're going to marry her. So what's the point of me and my children in your life... Yes, the twins are your children, but so what?"
The DNA tests were conclusive, nearly one hundred percent accurate, yet hearing her own admission, Matthew froze, rooted in shock.
"What really happened seven years ago? Why don't I remember anything?" He heaved a sigh.
"You remember nothing at all?" Flora questioned with a touch of incredulity: "I don't know what happened either. That year... my boyfriend was about to leave the country, I went to the hotel to book a room, wanting to surprise him. But he didn't show up, and I got drunk... after that..."
She tried to piece together fragments of memory blurred by intoxication.
There was no need to elaborate on what happened next; Matthew could somewhat guess. Yet, the one question he yearned to understand, why he remembered nothing at all, she had no answers.
After mulling over, he posed his question: "That night at the hotel... you wanted to tell me about the parentage of the two children, didn't you? I'm not wrong, am I? Why did you stop?"
Reflecting on all events, her recent words and actions, it seemed perfectly reasonable.
Flora lowered her gaze, masking the emotions swirling within: "I... I gave you hints, but you stubbornly refused to understand... You're even planning to marry someone else..."
It wasn't that he refused to comprehend; her hints were too elusive, impossible for anyone to decipher. He stretched out his arm, pulling her closer, his hand encircling her petite waist.
"You refused to tell me directly. If I knew those children were mine, how could I marry someone else? Rest assured, I will break off my engagement with Selena and take responsibility for you and the kids."
"Can you... can you bring Paul back home?" Flora asked, her face burning.
Answering her pleading gaze, Matthew gently nodded: "She's my daughter; I won't harm her. I promise you, I'll provide the best I can for you and the kids. Just promise not to leave me."
It felt like a dream. Unsure who initiated, by the time Flora could think clearly again, she found herself in bed. The man above her was fervently drowning her in the intoxicating allure of love.
Soon, she was swept up in the rhythm of their passionate encounter.
"Stay here, wait for me to return."
Matthew bent over, planting a soft kiss on her smooth forehead, the woman deep in slumber. Before leaving the room, he drew the curtains, blocking out the rays of sunlight attempting to infiltrate.
Just as the door clicked shut, the woman on the bed opened her eyes, sighing softly: "Matthew, can I... trust you?"
She was no longer the starry-eyed eighteen-year-old, dreaming of Cinderella's fairy tale romance. She was a mother of two, understanding life was more complex than mere love stories.
Her heart yearned for Matthew, and her children needed a father. Yet, she hesitated, uncertain if she should put all her faith in a man. The gap between them was vast, so much that she found herself cautiously navigating each step.
"Miss Flora, someone's here to see you, claiming to be your close friend." Laura interrupted Flora's nebulous thoughts.
Taken aback, Flora turned around: "My friend? Who?"
As she hastened towards the door to see who had arrived, she was startled to find Layla standing outside the mansion.
"Flora, are you really being kept by a wealthy man?" Layla had heard a multitude of rumors concerning her friend.
Unbeknownst to Flora, rumors of her relationship with Matthew had been circulating. Upon hearing the term "kept", she instinctively frowned, intending to retaliate. But thinking it over, considering her current ambiguous relationship with him, it seemed the term wasn't entirely off the mark.
He had another fiancée, one carrying his child. Even though he promised to break off his engagement with her, to marry her instead, his promises were like sand slipping through her fingers, and she was unsure whether she should trust them or not.