Chapter 239 Searching for Matthew
Lauren looked around. Matthew was a sensible child. If he was hiding somewhere in the villa and saw how anxious she was, he would have come out by now.
"No, Matthew is definitely not at home. I have to go find him!" Lauren was restless and got up to run outside.
Kimberly and Ethan quickly grabbed her, comforting, "Lauren, don't rush. Let's go back to the room and check if anything is missing or if Matthew left any other clues."
Kimberly pulled Lauren and quickly rushed back to the room.
Lauren was like a kite with a broken string. Her whole body was limp as if she had lost her soul.
Kimberly looked at Lauren worriedly. She knew that Matthew was all of her hope in life. If something really happened to Matthew, Lauren might never be happy again.
When they got to the room, Lauren was still in a daze. Sharp-eyed Kimberly immediately noticed that Matthew's piggy bank was gone.
"Lauren, look. Matthew's piggy bank is missing. He must have taken it. What does he need money for?" Kimberly exclaimed.
Ethan also stepped forward and looked at Lauren seriously. He said, "Lauren, could Matthew have gone to find Quentin or returned to the Robinson Estate?"
Lauren suddenly snapped out of it. She really hoped that Matthew was with Quentin. Frantically, she took out her phone to call Quentin, not caring about anything else and was about to press the dial button.
At this moment, Ethan stopped Lauren, saying, "Lauren, I know you're very worried about Matthew as I am. But don't forget that Quentin is scheming to take Matthew away. If you call him now, won't you be giving him leverage?"
Kimberly, in tears, said, "Yes, Lauren. Maybe Matthew hasn't gone far. Maybe he's safely at Robinson Estate. Stop panicing and search everywhere first."
Lauren broke down upon hearing this. She said, "Mom, Ethan, I can't care about that now. Matthew's safety is more important to me than anything. Although Quentin wants to take Matthew back because of this, as long as I can find Matthew safely, I won't regret it."
Lauren was resolute. Ignoring the grim faces of Kimberly and Ethan, she insisted on calling Quentin.
Quentin didn't know what was happening on Lauren's side. He looked at the caller ID and, after hesitating for a moment, answered the call.
Quentin asked, "What is it?"
Hearing Quentin's deep voice, Lauren's tears burst out. When she first discovered Matthew was missing, she was filled with anxiety but held back her tears. When listening to Kimberly and Ethan's analysis, she didn't cry either. But now, just hearing Quentin's voice, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
"Quentin, is Matthew with you?" Lauren treated Quentin as her last hope. She desperately wanted to hear a positive answer from him.
But Quentin's next response sent a chill down her spine.
He asked, "Isn't Matthew always with you? How could he be with me?"
Lauren was utterly desperate upon hearing this. She trembled so much that she couldn't even hold her phone, finally collapsing to the ground.
Quentin realized something was wrong and coldly asked, "What happened to Matthew? What exactly is going on?"
Seeing Lauren in pain, Ethan picked up the phone and said to Quentin, "Matthew snuck out, and we have no idea where he's gone. We're searching everywhere for him now. He's probably gone to find you."
Quentin was also shocked. Before Ethan could finish, he immediately ended the call and called Cecilia and Noah over to help search for Matthew.
Kimberly forcefully helped Lauren up and said sternly, "Lauren, it is not the time for self-blame and regret. We should immediately split up and search for Matthew."
Lauren wiped away her tears and said, "Yes, Matthew will be fine. I must find him immediately. He's alone out there... he must be very scared."
Lauren stumbled down the stairs and immediately ran out of the villa. She desperately hoped Matthew was standing at the door, crying and telling her how scared he was of the dark outside.
However, all of this was just Lauren's fantasy. Lauren cried and shouted Matthew's name as she searched. However, City A was too big to find a child aimlessly.
The hot summer night left Lauren and the others sweating anxiously. They frantically searched for half an hour and inquired the surrounding shops about Matthew's whereabouts, but to no avail. No one had seen Matthew or knew where he had gone.
Quentin drove quickly to the Robinson Estate, hoping to see Matthew happily playing by the fountain as before. However, the ancestral home also showed no sign of Matthew. Where could Matthew have gone?
To prevent Jessica from learning about Matthew's disappearance, he only told George. If Matthew came to the ancestral home, George was to inform him immediately.
Quentin knew he had to find Matthew quickly. He kept making calls, mobilizing all his connections and subordinates, all to find Matthew as soon as possible.
Despite making call after call, Matthew was still not found. In frustration, Quentin angrily pounded on the car, causing the horn to blare continuously, but no one dared to intervene.
Lauren got into Ethan's car, and at the entrance of the Robinson Estate, they met Quentin.
Quentin got out of the car with a grim face, walked quickly to Ethan's car, and loudly questioned, "What exactly happened? Why did Matthew leave your sight?"
Lauren couldn't speak, and Ethan stopped the furious Quentin, saying, "It's not Lauren's fault. I made Matthew unhappy."
"No, it's my fault for not caring for Matthew properly," Lauren said painfully, biting her lower lip.
Kimberly couldn't bear it. She said, "Now is not the time to assign blame. We need to find Matthew quickly!"
Quentin angrily kicked Ethan's car, making a noise, and shouted, "You only care about your happiness and don't care if Matthew lives or dies, do you?"
Before Lauren could respond, Quentin got into his car and disappeared as quickly as possible.
Lauren's face was ashen, and she felt even more miserable after hearing Quentin's words. If she hadn't ignored Matthew's feelings, he wouldn't have been angry. If she had comforted him properly, he wouldn't have run away. Ultimately, it was indeed her who had disappointed Matthew, making him want to leave.
However, Quentin's words that she didn't care about Matthew's life or death hurt her deeply. Lauren would rather trade her life for Matthew's safety. No one could understand her feelings. No one could know her pain.
