The doctor waved her off: "That won't do, Mrs. Flora.
Your presence might affect the treatment process, and won't help..."
Before the doctor could finish his sentence, Flora interjected: "She is my daughter, how could I simply abandon her.
I worry about her..." The more she spoke, the more choked up she became, a tear uncontrollably welling up and falling from the corner of her eye.
Matthew sighed deeply, reaching out to hold her close.
"Don't worry, the doctor said that Paul's disease is not that severe.
You must trust in the doctor's expertise..." He gently stroked her long hair: "You and Charlie should go home and rest, alright?"
As he softly comforted Flora, he signalled to his son.
The boy, catching his father's signal, hurriedly ran over to tug at his mother's hand: "Mom, Dad's right, let's go home."
"Alright, I'll take you home to rest." Flora wiped her tears, nodding in agreement to her son.
After mother and son hand in hand disappeared from view, Matthew once again turned his gaze to the doctor.
Now, his gentle facade from earlier was gone, replaced with his usual cold, distant demeanor.
"Tell me the truth, how is she really?"
"The situation... isn't good." The doctor reiterated what he had said a while back: "Her body is beginning to exhibit signs of graft rejection and side effects from the medications.
It could be due to her body not fully stabilizing post bone marrow transplant.
This situation... might require Dr. Andrey's direct intervention."
On this matter, Matthew was resolute: "Then bring Andrey here.
Replace all the medical equipment with the most advanced ones in the world, hire the highest qualified caregivers.
I need you to ensure her safety, at least until Andrey arrives."
After returning from the riverfront villa-cum-hospital where Paul was being treated, Flora spent the night restless and sleepless.
Upon the break of dawn, as she barely awoke, her thoughts drifted towards the necessity of a supermarket trip to procure nourishing goods for her children. The daughter, battling sickness, needed fortification, as did the son, being in the prime of his growth, too required sustenance.
"Allow me to accompany you." offered Matthew's subordinate, grabbing a cluster of keys off the table, volunteering for the duty of escorting the boss's woman to the supermarket.
"Swallow's nests, ginseng, lotus seeds, mushrooms... anything else?"
In the aisles of the supermarket, Flora ceaselessly picked and placed these nourishing items into her cart. Matthew's subordinate, who shared her venture, expressed with wide-eyed astonishment: "You're purchasing quite a lot of stuff, all very nutritious."
"These items are all beneficial for health, without the side effects of Western medicine. I wish to personally cook them for my little one." replied Flora seriously, as she read the description on a tray of swallow's nest, hardly acknowledging the man's words.
With a smile, he replied: "You truly are a good mother."
Suddenly, he felt a chilling sensation, a strange feeling from behind, as if locked in the gaze of a venomous snake. Without turning his head, he subtly leaned and glanced behind, cunningly blocking the line of sight directed at Flora, and simultaneously took her hand to lead her away.
"Miss Flora, we need to leave this place immediately!" His pace quickened, voice urgent. Flora, before grasping the situation, found herself whisked out of the supermarket.
Their abandoned shopping cart obstructed the aisles inadvertently, hindering the pursuit of their followers. Matthew's subordinate pulled Flora towards the underground parking lot where their vehicle awaited. Upon entering the car, he swiftly drove out, leaving their pursuers, who had just emerged from the supermarket's main entrance.
The car sped away, leaving behind a misty trail of smoke.
"What exactly is happening? Who were those people? Why were they following us?" Flora's voice trembled slightly, still in shock.
The man in the driver's seat, veins throbbing on his tightly gripped hands on the steering wheel, kept his gaze focused ahead, accelerating relentlessly. He manoeuvred through several streets, ensuring they had lost their tail before easing off the speed, turning to face Flora.
"Did I scare you?" He let out a breath: "Those people could have been from the underworld. In our line of work, who hasn't got their hands dirty? Danger lurks at every corner... I will report this to the boss, he will increase your security detail."
Flora's hand clenched the hem of her dress, trying to maintain composure. She had feared those men targeted Matthew. His identity must be complicated to encounter such situations frequently.
The underworld... In her over twenty years of life, she had never faced such peril. The man beside her sighed again, adding: "Our job is like a never-ending dance on the edge of a blade. Sometimes we bleed, other times it's our enemies."
In other words, danger was always present.
Flora's lips tightened, her face paled. Suppressing her urge to sob, her mind swirled with countless thoughts. The first thought that surfaced was: "Could Matthew, for me, for our children, abandon this path?"
He was the CEO of S.E.I Corporation, holding a prominent place in the business world. She could not fathom why he chose to live a perilous existence in the underworld. Just as his subordinate had said, it was like an incessant dance on the edge of a sharp blade. She dreaded the day she would receive news of him in danger, or abruptly disappearing due to conflicts in the underworld.
Matthew sat in silence on the living room sofa, lost in thought.
He had just received news from his subordinates, a warning that Flora was under surveillance and in potential danger.
The sharp "crack" of the front door breaking the silence was like a pebble being tossed into a tranquil lake.
Matthew looked up to see the woman he cherished elegantly pacing towards him.
"Flora... Are you alright?" His voice was tense, swallowed hard.
A thousand words hovered on his lips, but only one sentence found its way out.
Flora did not respond to his query. Instead, she walked up to him, seized his weather-beaten hand, and squeezed it tightly.
Her voice was hoarse with urgency: "Matthew... Can you leave all of this behind for me and the children? Can you stop being involved in this underworld? People say those who live in it always walk on the edge of a razor-sharp knife.
What will become of me and the children if something... if something happens to you one day?"
"At the moment... I can't." Matthew sighed heavily: "But don't worry, for now, the kids are safe.
The underworld doesn't know about my connection with them."
Flora found his assurance hard to believe.
Even an ordinary woman like herself had been noticed by those people, let alone Matthew's own flesh and blood.
Outsiders may not know, but his comrades did.
What if spies amongst them or someone carelessly let the information slip?
"What if..."
Just then, the man who had gone shopping with Flora burst through the door, clutching a bundle of documents, sweat pouring down his forehead. He stammered: "Boss... boss... I have... a report about those men."
Matthew nodded, gesturing for Flora to head upstairs.
Then he took the paperwork from his subordinate, reading it as he listened to the report.
The more he read, the deeper his brows furrowed.
The men earlier were Ethelbert's. They likely meant only to issue a warning, not to harm anyone, and thus had not used any weapons.
Still, the intimidation was enough.
"Assign more people to protect her." Matthew said nonchalantly.
His directive surprised his subordinate.
In the underworld, Matthew was known for his ruthless actions, never letting any affronts slide.
Matthew had an old feud with Ethelbert, who had repeatedly provoked him, crossing boundaries.
"It's like a ticking bomb.
Boss, don't you want to... defuse the bomb once and for all?"
The best way to prevent a ticking bomb from exploding is to dismantle it outright.
Yet, Matthew refrained.
He turned away, gazing distantly out of the window: "Amongst all our brothers, it's just me and him left.
Tell me, can I really take him down?"
Eliminating Ethelbert would be simple.
But what about the vows of brotherhood they once took?
His subordinate was taken aback, staring fixedly at the towering figure of his boss, eventually letting out a sigh.
Everyone considered Matthew a ruthless wolf, ready to sink his fangs into any daring prey.
Cold-blooded, cruel, inhumane... numerous frightening labels were attributed to him.
Yet, Matthew turned out to be a man of such loyalty and integrity that it was astonishing.
Another day passed in a flash.
When Flora woke up once again on the familiar bed, the man who was supposed to be beside her was long gone.
He had left her half of the bed cold and a note saying he had arranged for her protection.
Flora bit her lip and climbed out of bed.
Just then, her phone started to ring.
"Hello, Patrick... Yes, I'm free, where would you like to meet?... Perfect, I'll be right there. See you soon..."
Swiftly swapping into casual attire, she jogged to the park near the mansion.
She had a meeting scheduled with her best friend, Morela. If her chat with Patrick was not too long, there would be just enough time for both appointments.
As he came into her sight, Patrick still carried his usual gentle demeanor.
But today, there was a hint of melancholy that seemed more prominent than usual.
She pursed her lips, showing concern: "What's the matter? Is something troubling you?"
"It's nothing serious." Patrick replied with a weak smile: "It's just that my mother is sick, and is in the hospital nearby. I didn't have anything else to do, so I thought we could chat for a bit.
But let's not talk about her anymore, I wouldn't want to upset you.
The way she treated you all those years ago..."
Contrary to Patrick's assumption, Flora earnestly asked: "Your mother is ill? Is it severe?"
Patrick's eyes met hers with surprise, which turned to curiosity as she smiled: "Don't look at me that way.
It's true I once held a lot of resentment against your mother, but I've come to realize... every mother wants their child to be happy."
Only when she became a mother herself did she understand a mother's heart.
If she had been in Patrick's mother's shoes at that time, she would probably have been even angrier and overreacted more.
"So... do you resent me?"
Patrick knew he shouldn't bring this up casually, but he couldn't help but ask.
He sighed, feeling committed to his course. He had already spoken, and now he had to reveal all his thoughts.
"I keep thinking.
If we hadn't parted ways back then, would I be the one by your side now, helping you care for our children?"
"Patrick, what are you talking about?" Flora slightly furrowed her brows.
Patrick looked her straight in the eyes: "Actually, I've already called off the engagement with Layla.
She and I are no longer connected.
I'm still here, alone, and ready to welcome you... if you wish to return."
"Don't say that." Flora shook her head: "Layla was once my best friend, I understand her.
She loves you so much that she doesn't even care about herself.
Doing this, you are betraying the feelings of the girl who loves you most in this world... Can't men be a bit more responsible?"
She finished, stood up resolutely, and left without waiting for Patrick's response.