Chapter 242: Confession Rejected
Faced with Noah's joke, Quentin, who always liked to appear serious, naturally wouldn't admit it. Quentin's expression became very unnatural, and even his movements froze.
"Noah, are you telling a bad joke? When did your joke-telling skills get so low?" Quentin stubbornly refused to admit it.
Noah didn't want to argue with Quentin at this moment. He looked at Quentin with bright eyes and said seriously, "Just take what I said as a joke. By the way, Sophia heard about Matthew and is on her way here. It's quite late, and she's been through a lot. Talk to her properly when she arrives. I won't disturb you two; I'll be leaving now."
Noah disliked disturbing others, especially Sophia and Quentin. Although he felt a bit jealous, he didn't show it at all.
Quentin watched him go and fell into deep thought.
Soon, Sophia hurried over. She looked concerned, and when she saw Quentin sitting relaxed in his office chair, she slowed her steps.
"Quentin, I heard something happened to Matthew. How is he now?" Sophia asked anxiously.
Quentin stood up and smiled slightly at her, saying, "He's fine now."
Sophia exclaimed, "You scared me to death! I tried calling you but couldn't get through, so I finally reached Noah. He told me Matthew had been found. Where is Matthew? Why don't I see him?"
Sophia walked up to Quentin, scrutinizing him seriously as if waiting for his answer.
Quentin looked back at Sophia, feeling a bit reluctant, but he still firmly said, "He went back with Lauren."
"What? Quentin. I heard from Noah that Matthew ran away because he fought with Lauren. I also heard that Lauren has agreed to be with Ethan. How could you allow Matthew to go back? Are you really okay with Matthew calling Ethan Dad?" Sophia was very emotional; she didn't expect Quentin to be so lenient with Lauren.
Quentin frowned. Noah had said a bit too much! He was annoyed.
"I have my own plans for this matter," Quentin said coldly, not wanting to continue discussing this topic with Sophia. "Alright, I'll take you home."
Sophia's face turned pale, and she looked at Quentin with tear-filled eyes.
Sophia advised, "Quentin, please bring Matthew back. I'm willing to help you take care of him."
Quentin glanced at her, interrupting Sophia, "Don't say that."
Sophia wasn't willing to give up and said, "Quentin, I'm serious. I've been waiting for you for the past three years. Can't you see? I've always loved you. Although I betrayed you before, I still loved you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so miserable. God gave me another chance to love you, bringing you back into my life. I don't want to give up."
"That's enough! Sophia. Don't bring up the past. I'm not considering these things right now," Quentin coldly refused.
Sophia continued, "No, I have to bring it up. Quentin, have you forgotten how wonderful we were and your promise that you would always be by my side whenever I needed you? Quentin, I know you care about Matthew. Trust me. I will be good to him!"
Quentin was getting impatient. Today's events were already complicated enough, and now, Sophia was crying and making a scene, and he felt more annoyed than sympathetic.
He had to find a way to get Sophia to back off. Quentin calmed his anger, looked at Sophia coldly and indifferently, and said, "Yes, I care about Matthew. I promised him I wouldn't find him a stepmother, so I'm sorry."
Sophia was stunned, hating Quentin's ruthlessness. Tears streamed down her face, making her look pitiful, but Quentin felt no pity for her.
Feigning despair, she wiped her tears with her hands and said in a defeated tone, "I hurt you before, and and now I'm paying the price for it. It's my own fault! "
With that, Sophia covered her face and ran out of Quentin's office in pain.
Quentin was worried about Sophia getting into trouble but didn't want to give her more hope. He quickly called Noah, asking him to take care of Sophia.
The night finally passed.
Lauren cherished the time she had with Matthew. She had already taken leave from Ethan and planned to spend a few more days with Matthew before he started school. The thought of having less time with him made her sad.
"Matthew, haven't you always wanted to go to the Water Park? How about we go today?" Lauren said with a smile, dressing Matthew and telling him the good news.
Matthew was naturally happy to hear this, but then he looked worried. He asked, "Mommy, is it just the two of us going?"
"Yes. What's wrong?" Lauren looked at Matthew in confusion.
Matthew then smiled and said, "Nothing."
In fact, he was afraid Ethan would go, too. Matthew didn't know what was wrong with him. He used to like Ethan a lot and enjoyed playing with him. However, now that he knew Quentin was his dad, all his dependence had shifted to Quentin.
Moreover, Ethan's repeated attempts to be with Lauren made him increasingly resentful.
Lauren patted Matthew's head and said, "That's Good, as long as it's nothing. Let's go downstairs for breakfast, and then we'll head out."
Matthew happily bounced around. He followed Lauren downstairs, only to find Ethan, who should have been at work, still at home.
"Ethan, aren't you going to work?" Lauren asked, holding Matthew's hand as they walked.
Ethan smiled. He hadn't seen Matthew last night because Lauren had deliberately arranged it that way. She didn't want Kimberly and Ethan to make a big deal out of Matthew running away and adding to his burden.
"No, I took the day off, too. Matthew, did you sleep well last night? How about I join you and your mommy at the Water Park today?" Ethan greeted Matthew.
However, Matthew's face immediately turned cold. He refused, "No!"
He responded to Ethan's enthusiasm with indifference, an attitude that closely resembled Quentin's.
Ethan sensed Matthew's hostility. He didn't know what he had done to offend Matthew or why Matthew disliked him so much.
Lauren noticed Ethan's awkwardness and apologized with a smile. She patiently said to Matthew, "Matthew, how can you be so rude? Apologize to your Uncle Ethan!"
Matthew turned his face away stubbornly, refusing to apologize.
Even the good-tempered Lauren would lose patience with a disobedient Matthew.
Seeing that Lauren was about to get angry, Ethan quickly stepped in front of her.
Ethan defended, "It's my fault. You two have your plans, and I'm just an extra. It's okay. I'll stay home and rest today. That works out well."
Matthew heard Ethan defending him and sneaked a glance at Ethan without saying anything more.
