Chapter 264 After Quentin Gave Up
Were they really flipping the script? Those holier-than-thou dudes thought they could just waltz in and make everything better. Dream on. Sure, they might've turned things around a bit, but they'd still be just regular folks.
Quentin didn't see any reason for Matthew to stick around. At first, he thought Lauren had a rare moment of decency, but then Ethan showed up and totally wrecked whatever good vibes he had about her.
So, even though it wasn't really necessary, he had to keep Matthew close. He wanted to figure out what Ethan was really up to by stirring the pot.
Matthew's world was all sunshine and rainbows. He barged right into Quentin's room without a second thought.
Quentin scowled. He'd told Matthew a million times to knock before coming in, but the kid never listened. Quentin fumed, thinking Matthew's scatterbrained ways were just like Lauren's.
"Daddy, you feeling better today? It's pouring outside, so no water play. How about we draw instead?" Matthew chirped, totally forgetting how Quentin had always been a cold fish.
Quentin looked at the bouncing ball of energy that was Matthew, and his mood lifted a bit. But he didn't want to get too close; he was scared he'd go soft. Matthew was like a mini Lauren, and Quentin couldn't help but see her in him.
Someone said that grown-up drama shouldn't spill over to the kids, emphasizing their innocence. Quentin understood that, but when it actually happened in his own life, he couldn't shake off the jealousy.
Quentin decided to stick to the deal Jessica made with Lauren before she passed. He'd let Lauren raise Matthew and wouldn't fight for custody. Knowing he'd soon lose Matthew for good, he should've cherished the time they had left, but it just felt awkward.
He grabbed a pillow and buried his head under it, mumbling, "I'm not playing. I need to rest. Go away."
Matthew, being the little rascal he was, yanked the pillow off Quentin's face. "Daddy, you've been sleeping for three days. If you keep this up, you'll start growing moss."
Quentin, not wanting to hurt Matthew, took the pillow away and shot him a glare. "Just leave me alone, okay?"
Matthew wasn't fazed by Quentin's grumpy face. Over the past three days, Quentin had been snapping at him non-stop, and he was used to it. Plus, he knew Quentin was all bark and no bite.
"Daddy, check this out, I drew a picture. Can you guess who it is?" Matthew teased, trying to get Quentin's attention.
In Matthew's kiddie drawing, a tall, scruffy guy stood next to a woman and a kid. It was pretty hilarious.
Quentin rolled his eyes but didn't bother responding.
"Who cares who it is? What's it got to do with me?" Quentin shot back.
Matthew didn't give up. He sighed and said, "It's you, Daddy!"
Quentin almost lost it. Was Matthew joking? That scruffy dude in the drawing was supposed to be him? Did he look like an old man?
Seeing Quentin's reaction, Matthew put on a sad face and said, "I've always wanted a family photo, but since that's not happening, I had to draw one."
That hit Quentin right in the feels. Ever since Jessica left, he'd been getting all mushy. He thought, 'Yeah, I want a family photo too, but that's never gonna happen now that Jessica's gone.'
Matthew's drawing was supposed to be a peace offering, but it just ended up reminding Quentin of all the bad stuff.
"Daddy, what's wrong?" Matthew asked, seeing Quentin's sour face.
Quentin didn't want to show any weakness, so he snapped, "That person isn't me; it's your Uncle Ethan."
"But Daddy, I want it to be you," Matthew said sincerely.
"That's not happening, Matthew," Quentin cut him off, harshly.
Matthew started bawling, and Quentin felt his irritation spike. He jumped out of bed and stormed out of the room without a backward glance.
'Me and Lauren? Never gonna happen!' He had to keep reminding himself of that.
Three days had passed, not too long, not too short, but a lot had gone down.
Even though Quentin was ignoring the company, Noah was still holding down the fort at Robinson Conglomerate. Ethan had tried to mess with their architectural design company, and in those three days, Noah had started hitting back without informing Quentin.
Ethan was dead set on starting a business war with Quentin. He got Ryan to introduce him to a bunch of Quentin's clients. Quentin's funk made those clients jittery, so Ethan scooped them up easily.
Seeing Ethan's success, Noah wanted to put the squeeze on him but hesitated. It was Quentin's call to make.
He headed to the Robinson Family Villa and found a gloomy Quentin. It was the second time he'd seen Quentin this low. The first was when Sophia betrayed him; back then, he also holed up at home, like he'd given up on the world.
This time, Quentin was even worse off. Jessica had meant the world to him. Noah had tried everything to snap him out of it, but Quentin still looked defeated.
In the end, Noah decided to take the Ethan issue to Lauren. Quentin had agreed to let her raise Matthew, so she owed the Robinson Family big time.
Noah sneakily checked Quentin's phone, snapped pics of all the unfamiliar numbers, and started calling them. Sure enough, he found Lauren.
Lauren was deep in sleep when her phone rang. She'd never deleted Noah's contact, so she immediately recognized the caller. After a long pause, she finally picked up.
"Hey, Lauren, it's Noah. Can we chat?" Noah's voice was clear and direct.
Noah knew Lauren was living with Ethan, so it wasn't cool to go to her place. But he didn't know she'd already skipped town.
Lauren stayed quiet for a bit before saying, "Mr. Martin, I'm sorry. I'm in Pariz."
Noah didn't see that coming. He felt a lump in his throat, struggling to get the words out.
Lauren knew Noah well enough to know he wouldn't call unless it was serious.
"Mr. Martin, just lay it on me," she said, sensing it was about Quentin.
'Quentin? What's going on with him?' Lauren couldn't help but wonder.
