"But how do you know all this?" Flora asked, slightly suspicious.
The wounds of a strong man are like scales on his body, the plucking of which causes a pain as if skin and flesh were being grated. Surely he wouldn't easily let others know about his past experiences.
"Patrick told me. They were very close back then."
It turned out that Matthew's childhood had never known the warmth of a family, which was why he craved it so much.
Hanging up the phone, she once again looked out at the distant night sky, where the city lights flickered. Her man was far away, but in her heart, she wanted to be close to him, to wrap her arms around his weary shoulders that had endured so many long years.
She wanted to give him all the warmth she possessed.
Perhaps there truly was such a thing as telepathy. As Flora was missing Matthew, she received a text from him.
"Flora, I miss you very much. Do you miss me?"
A simple line of text brought tears to Flora's eyes. Without hesitation, she called him. After a few seconds, his deep and attractive voice resounded.
"You've called right after my message, it seems you miss me too much, don't you?" He chuckled.
Flora blushed, quickly denying: "Who says I miss you?"
"If the wife doesn't miss her husband, she's being naughty." The man at the other end continued teasing: "I miss you so much... I miss you to the point of restlessness, feeling a void... wanting to hold you, to kiss you, to wrap around you in bed..."
"What are you talking about?" Somehow, the conversation had taken an age-restricted turn, and Flora, blushing, interrupted him.
She pretended to cough, then asked seriously: "Matthew, tell me, will we always be together in the future?"
"Mom, what are you secretly doing that you're still not sleeping?"
Following the sound of the creaking door, a boy with an innocent face walked straight into his mother's room, calmly looking up at the woman standing by the window. Flora blushed and stuttered: "I... I can't sleep... You are my son, why do you manage more than me?"
The boy snorted, smacking his lips:
"Are you secretly calling daddy Matthew in the room? Don't bother daddy Matthew anymore, let him work."
The boy's expression was one of resignation, out of options when his mother liked to bother others more than a child like him. Flora blushed even more under her son's gaze, hastily put down the phone, and ushered her son back to his room.
She wondered how she had given birth to such a headstrong and admonishing child. He's as soft and coquettish as his little sister, isn't that adorable?
Thinking about her daughter, Flora couldn't help but sigh. She hadn't seen her daughter for a few days, and she had forgotten to mention her when she called the United States earlier. She wondered when her family would finally be reunited.
"Mom." The boy frowned: "Don't take me back to my room. You go to sleep, you need your beauty sleep. If you don't get enough sleep, and you become ugly, daddy Matthew won't like you anymore, neither will we."
Flora looked dark. Where did her son learn these words? He even ordered her to go to bed early. But upon reflection, she realized that it seemed the little boy was worried about her not getting enough rest, so he had deliberately come to remind her. Suddenly, she felt that her somewhat unnatural son was very lovable.
Earlier, when she had asked Matthew whether they could be together forever, he had promptly given her a definite answer: "Of course, just a few more days and I'll be back with you. Then, we will live in our house, happily and never to part."
The prospect of being with the man she loved and their two obedient, beautiful children brought a smile to Flora's face as she drifted into a sweet slumber.
However, her dear friend was not as fortunate.
Layla, in a hurry, ran into the bar, her shirt soaked with sweat and eyes filled with panic. She scanned the room as quickly as she could, searching for a familiar silhouette among the crowd. Swallowing hard, she looked at the message on her phone, checking if she had arrived at the right place.
Suddenly, her phone rang. Without a second thought, Layla answered: "Hello, Director White, where is Patrick?"
"What have you been doing that you haven't arrived for an hour?" Selena's voice was stern: "At the bar, where else. Don't you bother reading my messages?"
Her eyes anxiously swept through the bar once again. The dim lighting made it nearly impossible to make out faces. She heard Selena's loud voice through the phone: "Over here in the corner."
As she said that, she raised her hand in a wave. Layla located her target and hurried over.
"You figure it out. Should I be responsible for your boyfriend's life or death as well?" Selena's face was grim as she stepped aside for Layla to enter.
Layla gently shook Patrick's shoulder, whispering: "Patrick... are you okay?"
She heard Selena scoff.
"Drunk as a skunk, what else? I'd bet nine times out of ten it's because of that brazen hussy, Flora... The kind of woman who is good at seducing men..."
"Director White, I appreciate you notifying me." Layla interrupted her: "But could you refrain from speaking about my friend in that tone?"
Selena laughed as though she'd heard the world's funniest joke: "Friend? You treat her as a close sister, yet she steals your man without you even realizing... Layla Gary, I'm not one for threatening others, but if you don't heed my advice, I will make this man choose between you and Flora. Let's see if you still consider her a good friend then."
Layla's hand on Patrick's shoulder involuntarily tightened, causing the man whose head was bowed over the table to jolt upright. His dazed and muddled eyes looked directly at Layla, giving her a silly smile.
"Flora... are you back?"
Selena's smile grew brighter. She shrugged: "Seems he loves Flora more than you... If I told him where Flora is, do you think they would immediately reignite their old flame?" Leaning into Layla's ear, she whispered: "One month. I give you one month to get that home wrecker out of my sight. After a month... you know what's coming."
Layla barely managed to get the heavily drunk man home. Regarding the reason for his drunken state that Selena had mentioned, Layla was half skeptical, half convinced.
But Selena's threat was undeniably true. Working at S.E.I, Layla knew exactly how ruthless she could be.
"Flora... Flora... Can you stay... please... I beg you... I can't lose you... Please don't go... My angel..."
The truths that emerge from a drunken haze are often the most sincere. And the words that Patrick muttered in his stupor plunged Layla into an abyss. A chill ran down her spine, her limbs frozen, tears welled up in her sorrowful eyes, one after another.
Yet the inebriated man continued to pour out his love for another woman: "I know I'm wrong. Please don't go! It's just one child, I can accept everything... As long as it's your child, I'll consider the child as my own... I won't force you to explain or choose anymore."
As he spoke, Patrick tightly embraced Layla. Layla sobbed soundlessly, her tears soaking Patrick's shoulder.
"Patrick... you forced me to choose..."
Early in the morning, Matthew's mansion welcomed an unexpected visitor. Ignoring the objections of the staff, Selena stormed in, roaring:
"Flora, come out here! Dare to seduce another's fiance and yet you lack the courage to face the consequences?" Her voice was loud enough to rouse the deeply sleeping Flora and her son.
"Yawn." The young boy yawned, looking at the woman who appeared as a sour old maid, furrowing his brows: "Who are you? Why are you scolding my mother?"
Selena snorted: "I dare not only to scold your mother, but also to hit her! Such a vulgar woman who lures men, even daring to bring her two illegitimate children here!"
One hand of her pointed at the boy standing at the top of the stairs, the other cradling her belly, she screamed at the maids who tried to stop her:
"In my belly is Matthew's flesh and blood, anyone who dares to stop me today will bear the consequences!"
Her belly bulged slightly, inside was a fetus not yet fully formed. The bystanders stepped back unanimously. She was indeed Matthew's fiancee, and there was indeed a child in her belly. If anything happened...
No one could bear that responsibility.
Flora's children were her weak spot. Others could insult her, but they could not insult her children. Like other mothers, she always thought it was wrong for adults to drag children into their affairs.
"Ms. White, don't take your anger out on the children..."
"Slap!" The sound of a sharp slap resounded. Before she could react, Flora felt a burning sting on her cheek.
Selena had slapped her squarely in the face.
The young boy stood in front of his mother, furrowing his brows. His expressionless face bore a strong resemblance to Matthew's, which irritated the intruding woman even more.
"Miss, you're pregnant, aren't you afraid that strenuous movements will affect the baby..."
"Shut up!" Selena snapped: "What's in my belly is Matthew's blood and bone. Who are you and your mother to dare live in his house? You shameless woman and your bastard children... if you don't leave soon, I won't let you be."
Flora frowned. How could a well-educated person like her spew out such uncultured words?
She pulled her son aside, keeping him away from the wrathful woman, then said: "Ms. White, you're an adult, you should watch your language in front of a child..."
"Watch my language?" She sneered: "Do I need to watch my language with the likes of you?"
Her gaze swept over the mother and son with disdain. What irritated her most was that a woman like Flora, with two children, could capture Matthew's attention, and that this illegitimate child bore such a strong resemblance to him.
She pointed straight at Flora's face and scolded: "Even a ragged woman dares to dream of ascending to a higher status? And even using her own child... Oh, I remember now, seven years ago you had an illegitimate affair with another man and that's why you were kicked out by the Jones family. Those two illegitimate children of yours are indeed the product of that year. No wonder... from mother to child, you're all despicable..."