"No, let me explain." Layla pleaded, her voice choked with tears: "Believe me... I had no idea she wouldn't show up. I tried calling her, but she wouldn't answer. I'll call her right now..."
Her hand trembled as she fumbled for her phone, but Patrick's words stopped her cold.
"Stop, don't play this charade in front of me... You claim not to deceive me, then tell me where she is."
"Patrick." Layla halted her search for her phone, lifting her eyes to meet his: "I am your fiancée. Be honest with me, why do you want to see Flora so much?"
Patrick didn't hesitate to lay bare his heart: "To me, 'fiancée' is just a title. I appreciate you and am willing to care for you. But Flora is my life, she is my breath. Without her by my side, I might as well be a walking corpse."
From Layla's eyes, transparent tears trickled down. Swallowing hard, she nodded.
"Alright then, I'll tell you the truth. If you want to find Flora, ask Matthew. He was her secretary before."
As the two argued about Flora's whereabouts, the woman herself was rushing as fast as she could to meet them.
"Room 201, room 201... Here it is..." Flora stopped to regulate her ragged breath before pushing open the door.
She peered inside, calling out: "Layla! You two... Go ahead, I'm sorry... I got the room wrong."
In the instant the door swung open, both figures inside turned their bullet-shaped gazes onto the unexpected arrival, Flora realized her rendezvous no longer held the people she had planned to meet. She patted her pocket, in her haste, she had left her phone behind.
There was no way to contact Layla now. She just hoped no more misunderstandings had occurred.
"I need to ask you something important."
Over the phone, Patrick learned Matthew was in the hospital. He rushed over, a mixture of alarm and worry knotting in his chest. He remembered Matthew's secretary, a woman he had met once.
According to Layla, this secretary was the woman he'd been seeking all along.
Matthew's stony face was unchanged, regarding the newcomer with a cool stare: "What do you want?"
"Where is Flora?" Patrick gasped for breath: "Your secretary, where is she? Please... tell me where she is, I can't live without her..."
"Flora? The woman you want me to find is her?" Matthew frowned slightly.
Fate had a cruel sense of humor, it seemed. The man who had once been Flora's boyfriend was his close junior. The woman Patrick had begged him to find was his own lover.
Patrick nodded: "Indeed, it is she. Please, dear sir, tell me where she is. I promise to treat her with the utmost kindness, to ensure that she will not be saddened anymore..."
Before he could finish, Matthew interjected:
"Seems to me that you might be mistaken. If my memory serves, it was Layla Gary who just got engaged to you. As for Flora..."
"No, elder brother. The one I have truly loved all this while is Flora alone. I was confused about my feelings before, but now that I've encountered her again, I will not let her suffer anymore, I will cherish her..."
Each word, every phrase resonated with his earnest affection. Matthew's brows knitted even tighter, as he realized the man before him spoke nothing but the truth.
Patrick indeed loved Flora. Unfortunately, he arrived a step too late.
Matthew curled his lips upwards, not quite smiling, just a simple, faint lift: "But Patrick Jones... She no longer needs you. I don't care what transpired between you and Layla Gary, but I will never reveal Flora's whereabouts to you."
Staring intensely into the eyes of the man who was both his junior and rival, he enunciated every word:
"Because she is now my woman."
Patrick's immediate reaction was disbelief. His brows furrowed: "Elder brother, this isn't something to joke about."
"I'm not a child with time to jest." Matthew reaffirmed.
It was then that Patrick understood that the man before him spoke the truth. Anger flared within him like a wild fire. So, that's why, Matthew was intentionally concealing her whereabouts, making his search that much harder.
Without much thought, he lunged forward, fist clenched, targeting Matthew's handsome face.
Matthew didn't flinch, managing to dodge the punch and retaliated.
While the two men were fighting, Layla was taken aback by the sudden turn of events. Then, an idea sparked in her mind.
The envelope containing intimate pictures of Flora and Ethelbert was still in her purse. Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, why not deal with it once and for all?
Thinking this, Layla quietly pulled out the envelope, clutching it in her hand. She then plunged into the fray to stop the brawling men.
"Both of you, stop it! Calm down... Stop fighting!" Layla grabbed Patrick's arm, trying to prevent him from assaulting Matthew.
But the strength of a delicate woman could hardly compare to a man's. Patrick pushed Layla aside: "Don't try to stop me! Today, I have to give this man a beating."
In his rage, Patrick failed to control his strength and accidentally knocked Layla over.
From her hand, the unsealed envelope fell to the ground, scattering the photos within. The pictures captured from various angles had only one male and female as the main characters.
All three were startled by the unfolding scene. Layla, rubbing her scraped elbow, pushed herself off the ground. The two men seemed to have an unspoken agreement, their gaze fixated on the scattered pictures on the floor.
Just then, a casual voice chimed in: "Isn't this Flora and Ethelbert? Why are they so intimate?" It was Selena.
While the two men were scuffling, Selena had been resting inside. The ruckus outside had easily disturbed her sleep.
Barefoot, she rushed out, surprised to witness such a scene.
Feigning surprise, she was actually steering everyone's thoughts. The photos were taken from a cunning angle, giving the impression of the two being intimate. The photography tricks used were similar to those of shooting kissing or intimate scenes in television dramas.
At that moment, Layla had risen from the ground. Disregarding her grazed and bleeding elbow throbbing with pain, Layla expressed a startled panic, snatching the photographs from Selena's hand. She then hastily bowed to gather the photos scattered on the ground.
"Layla, how do you come by these pictures?" Patrick asked, furrowing his brow as he directed his gaze towards Layla.
"I... I..." Layla feigned hesitation, only after a while and under the pressuring stares of those around her, she gritted her teeth and admitted: "I suppose at this juncture, I must reveal the truth to everyone. The fact is... Flora has always been in contact with Ethelbert. She has deceived everyone!"
Swallowing hard, Layla bowed her head, her voice trembling: "He has a very intimate relationship with Ethelbert, and he even wrote love letters to him. I happened to see it..."
"A love letter?" This time, it was Matthew who spoke up.
Patrick Jones was startled, his gaze landing on the speaker. The Flora they knew was not someone accustomed to writing love letters. There was certainly something amiss here.
True enough, Layla hesitated for a few seconds before continuing: "I know Flora is not the type to write love letters, but this letter of hers... it's very peculiar..." At this point, Layla once again bowed her head.
Patrick sighed deeply, dragging a nearby chair and slumping onto it: "Speak plainly."
Layla nodded.
"The letter resembles more a map than a love letter, it looks very strange... There are many red dots, and the symbols are very peculiar."
Matthew was taken aback by Layla's words. A strange map filled with numerous red dots, instinctively made him think of that particular map.
Selena, who had been standing on the sidelines, took this opportunity to interject: "Matthew, I told you, Flora is no good... Yet you trusted her. Now, she has betrayed you..."
"Shut up!" Matthew's face hardened. He didn't want to hear any more noise: "Get out! Everyone, get out!"
Patrick sighed, escorting the two women outside. He knew Matthew needed to be alone at this moment.
Stepping out of Matthew's sight, the two women exchanged glances, smirking simultaneously. The plan had succeeded beyond expectations, all the steps were executed smoothly. Now, even if Flora grew a few extra mouths, she wouldn't be able to argue her way out.
Exhausted, Flora dragged her feet into the mansion. The entire mansion was eerily quiet. She pursed her lips, looking around, when she spotted Aunt Laura coming from the back.
"Aunt Laura, where is Matthew?"
The smile on her face froze upon hearing Aunt Laura's curt tone: "Upstairs."
Flora slightly furrowed her brows, but chose not to say anything. She thought that Aunt Laura was just upset about something, hence, she stepped towards the staircase without making any comment.
Again, she heard Aunt Laura speak up from behind: "You still have the audacity to come back?"
"Aunt Laura, what do you mean by that? I..." She believed she hadn't done anything against her conscience.
However, her clueless expression seemed like pretense in Aunt Laura's eyes. Laura scowled, not sparing any courtesy as she said,
"Don't pretend anymore, your friend has spilled the truth. I can't believe... Our master trusted you so much, and yet, you betrayed him."
Laura had taken care of Matthew for many years, she considered him as her own. His childhood was filled with deceit and lies, so he developed an intense hatred for being lied to when he grew up. Laura knew this, hence her intense dislike for the woman who deceived him.
Flora's heart skipped a beat. It suddenly occurred to her... could he have found out about that map? But after pondering a bit, she regained her calm.
The map she gave to Ethelbert wasn't real.
Ascending the staircase, she pushed the door open. The room lay bathed in darkness, with Matthew, sitting silently in one corner, eerily resembling a stone sculpture. Flora reached out, flipping on the switch.
With a solitary "click", the room erupted into brilliant light. Flora's eyes found Matthew's face, stark and pale. She swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat, before stammering out: "Matthew..."
He remained seated, a silent sentinel, his gaze fixed on Flora, taking a considerable time before asking: "Do you have something you wish to tell me? Or perhaps... you're hiding something from me?"
She was unable to discern the reason for his attitude, nor could she predict if he had come across some unsettling information. She could only reply with measured ambiguity: "Why would you ask such a thing?"
"If there's something you wish to express, then do share. Otherwise, there's no need to worry." He let out a weary sigh: "You must be exhausted after a long day. Time to rest."
Saying so, he took it upon himself to turn off the lights, and climbed into bed, indifferent to Flora's reaction.