"Selena." He called softly: "Earlier, my emotions were not stable, I apologize if I scared you."
His subordinate timely stepped back, giving him a quick wink as he passed.
When Selena wasn't paying attention, he subtly nodded.
Rising from her chair, Selena made her way to stand in front of him: "You... you're not really angry with me, are you?" she asked.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" He replied with a soft chuckle: "It's my fault. I'm preparing to go abroad on a business trip, would you like to accompany me? Consider it... an apology for my recent treatment of you."
"Are you kidding me? Of course, I want to go! Let me arrange for the luggage, passport, and even the visa!" Selena was ecstatic, oblivious to the ruthless disdain flickering in the eyes of the man who now held her close.
She leaned into him, murmuring: "Or perhaps we should take this opportunity to have a child. I know... the loss of our child is your biggest regret. Let's have another one, a child of ours."
Matthew's lips twisted into a smirk: "Indeed, a great regret... You're not wrong; this matter needs to be addressed once and for all." He had his own calculations, which he would undoubtedly explain to Flora later. For now, it was not the time. The game was getting more and more complicated.
Lately, he dared not contact Flora or visit her. Only when he heard from the man assigned to protect her that she had traveled to the suburbs where her mother lived, did he feel a flicker of relief.
Flora had lost all contact with the outside world. Her cell phone in this little house was nothing more than a brick; once charged, it could only run the few pre-installed games. The phone signal was entirely blocked, unable to make calls or receive any calls and messages from the outside.
She herself was confined in the basement, not even allowed to see her mother. The basement was fully furnished, no different from a normal room. Clearly, her mother had intended to lock her daughter up here all along.
"Miss, you should drink some water and eat some fruit, it's good for the baby in your belly." Emma pushed a tray with cut fruit and juice through the iron bars.
Flora sighed and shook her head, making no effort to reach for it. Seeing her listless, little Emma outside became worried: "Miss, are you bored? How about when the mistress isn't here, I secretly take you out for a walk?"
"No need. You'll get punished." Flora glanced at the flickering camera on the ceiling, knowing she was under constant surveillance: "It's just... I miss my children so much." It had been a long time since she'd seen her children, the last time she even went to their location, she couldn't meet Charlie. As for Paul, it must have been several months since she'd heard any news from him.
"Or I'll find a way to bring Charlie here!" Emma pondered: "I can't locate Paul at the moment, but I can inform the master and request him to bring both of them here."
But Flora's expression didn't ease. She shook her head: "No need, that would be too much trouble."
Emma looked at her mistress, bent her head and thought for a while before she exclaimed: "Ah, I got it! You miss that uncle! You've only been away from him for a few days, and you're already missing him this much!"
Flora's face turned bright red, and she quickly scolded softly: "Don't talk nonsense." She paused for a few seconds before adding: "Unless he admits he was wrong and gives me justice, I won't see him." Matthew had apologized for doubting her and not listening to her explanation, but he hadn't cleared her name, so she must refuse to see him.
She initially thought Emma was just making casual talk, but a few days later, the little girl actually brought Charlie.
The boy stared at the surveillance and security equipment in the house, then at the iron bars separating him from his mother, and finally at Emma: "If you don't get rid of this debtor's stuff, how can I go in to see mom?"
As the boy finished speaking, the iron bars began to lift. Without a second thought, he went in.
It had been such a long time since Flora had seen her son. He seemed to have grown up a lot, yet in some ways, he was still the same as before. He had the same expression and personality as his father, and with an impassive face, he told his mother: "You're really silly, mom!"
"This little brat, after such a long time, the first thing you do is insult your mom!" Flora wanted to hug her son, but halfway through, she ended up smacking him on the head instead.
"You're really silly, mom. If it were dad, he'd never be stuck in a place like this. Only you..."
"Don't you also get stuck here like mom? What right do you have to call me silly?" Flora pointed to the iron bars that had closed as soon as her son had passed through them.
The boy shook his head: "Even if I'm silly, it's because I inherited it from you."
"Why do you like your father so much? He's stern, cold, arrogant, self-righteous, doesn't regard others at all, and he's also hot-tempered and cruel, just like a comic book villain..."
"Are you sulking over dad?" The boy looked at his mother. Though his face was impassive, Flora could tell she was being mocked by her son.
"Sulking, for what! Why should I sulk?" Flora glared at him: "Charlie Paul, if you don't side with mom, mom won't love you anymore!"
With a dimpled smile, the young boy extended his hand, tightly gripping his mother's. In a whisper, he said: "Mother, have I ever told you how much I love you? Of course, I love father and Paul too. I just want us all to live happily and joyfully together."
Flora pressed her lips together, hugging her son tightly: "I know, I know... My dear Charlie, how are you so adorable today? Just as lovely as Paul!" Her son, since a young age, had been mature beyond his peers, always acting as a bona fide little old man.
His tender moments like these were rare.
"Matthew, where are you? I woke up and you were nowhere to be found. I wanted to go out and look for you but was stopped by little Mimi... I'm your wife, not some prisoner she's guarding... Dear..." Selena's voice, purposefully sweet yet laced with acidity, jarred his eardrums, causing Matthew to frown: "Or are you planning to keep me here, never letting me go?"
Matthew played along with her joke, but his voice was deadly serious, nothing like his usually teasing self: "That's a good idea. I'll consider it."
"Don't joke with me..."
At that moment, a childish voice rang out: "Daddy, daddy, look at this!" As Matthew hung up the phone and looked down, the little girl beamed at him, pointing to a flower beside her: "Paul, this flower is so beautiful! I love flowers, daddy."
The little girl was incredibly cute, but her pale complexion and thin body, compared to her age peers, betrayed her ill health.
She sat in a wheelchair, her legs hidden under a thin blanket, virtually void of any strength.
Matthew nodded: "Yes, it is beautiful. Do you like it? Daddy can pick it for you, we can find a vase, put it in, and place it on your bedside table."
"No, thank you." The girl shook her head: "Mom once said the flowers are at their most beautiful on the branches, I don't want to pluck them, it would make them sad."
Matthew was stunned.
He didn't expect that an offhand comment by Flora could be remembered by their child for so long.
It seemed that she had an immense influence over their children.
It was just a pity that she couldn't be here now.
For the first time, he had doubts about his decision, unsure if keeping Flora in the dark about their daughter's condition was the right or wrong move.
As he watched the sun slowly rise over the distant treeline, he sighed deeply, feeling uncertain: "Paul, the sun is rising, let's head back!"
"But we haven't been playing for that long, daddy. I want to play a little bit longer, can I?" Paul looked up at him with wide eyes.
Her face was the spitting image of her mother, a mini-clone in essence, making it hard for Matthew to say no.
However, this was about her health and life.
He remembered Andrey's warning, not daring to take any risks.
"Wait a bit longer, when you get stronger, daddy will let you play outside for longer, okay?" He consoled her: "Listen to daddy, okay Paul?"
"Okay." she responded in a weak voice.
Matthew followed the familiar path, pushing the wheelchair back to the hospital room, surrounded by a maze of medical wires and an assortment of different medications.
His heart ached with each throb.
Matthew had always been in a superior position, highly capable, used to getting his way.
He believed that with enough relentless effort, he could achieve anything.
Little did he expect that his first time being helpless would be over his daughter's health.
After landing, instead of rushing to see his daughter, he went to see Doctor Andrey first.
He remembered Andrey's regretful expression vividly.
"She's been very good, not crying or complaining despite the painful tests and procedures. Even I, as a doctor, can't bear it. It's just... You know, we might have to consider another surgery."
"What are the odds of success?" He couldn't bear to think about failure.
"I can't be sure." Andrey shook his head, unable to carelessly assess the success rate of a surgery that was almost certainly doomed: "Flora had a miscarriage, right? Without the umbilical cord blood, none of her relatives are a match right now. The chance of rejection after transplantation is very high.
I can't make any guarantees... I'm sorry..."
The wheelchair jolted to a stop in front of the hospital entrance.
As they prepared to enter, the child in the wheelchair suddenly turned around and looked up at her father: "Daddy, do you and mommy love me?"
Matthew, deep in thought about his previous conversation with Andrey, was taken aback but nodded: "Of course, we do.
Your mommy and daddy love you very much, and we love Charlie, too.
And Charlie loves you very much as well."
"I love mommy, daddy, and Charlie too." The little girl cracked a smile.
It seemed that the twins truly had a deep connection with each other.
Perhaps somewhere out there, her Charlie was telling their parents that he loved them, and his sister too.
Although Charlie often teased her for being a bothersome teddy bear, she knew he loved her dearly.
Having shared his heartfelt words with his mother, Charlie's face flushed a vivid crimson, his lips tightened as he turned and walked away, not caring to witness his mother's reaction.
This boy wasn't used to expressing such sentimental words, not being a girl.
He departed in such haste that he even forgot to bring along a light pink notebook that had been by his side since his arrival to see his mother.