Chapter110Stubborn
Madison woke up early on the weekend, leaving Matthew asleep as she slipped out of bed to head to the studio. She didn't want to disturb him, so she quietly freshened up in the guest bathroom before heading out.
Upon descending the stairs, she encountered Valerie and greeted her before heading out.
Matthew woke up, reaching out with closed eyes, only to find an empty space. He opened his eyes, sat up, and looked around. No sign of Madison in the room. Grabbing a jacket, he got out of bed and walked downstairs.
Valerie spotted him descending the stairs and took the initiative to say, "Mr. Matthew, the madam, was up early and headed to the studio. Quentin and Hannah had already had breakfast and went out to play with their friend WilTristan. I believe they're at the nearby park."
Matthew nodded and turned to go back upstairs, where he found his phone and called Madison.
It took a while for the phone to ring before she picked up.
"Hey, babe~~"
Madison was cutting fabric, her phone lying on the table. She put down her scissors and walked over, and just as she answered the call, she heard the playful tone from the other end.
"Matthew, what's up?"
"Why didn't you wake me up this morning? If you were going to the studio, I could have driven you," said Matthew, who hadn't seen Madison when he woke up and had heard she'd gone to work by herself. He felt a bit suffocated by the lack of her presence.
"I left early and wanted you to get some extra sleep," came Madison's gentle voice, which instantly dissolved the heaviness in Matthew's heart.
"When will you be free? I'll come pick you up."
"It'll probably be in the afternoon. I'll call you ahead of time."
"All right."
Madison remained focused on her work even after the call ended. Despite it being the weekend, the studio was abuzz with activity as they had a surge in business, prompting others to join her in working overtime.
At noon, Valerie cooked lunch in the kitchen while Matthew, who had been working in the study room all morning, came downstairs as Grandpa entered with Quentin and Hannah from outside.
"Dad~"
The two kids were clearly elated, with traces of dirt on their faces and clothes.
"Where've you all been playing?" Matthew couldn't help but ask. It seemed Grandpa had taken them on an adventure beyond just the park out front.
"Grandpa and Tristan took us fishing! Look, Dad, we caught several fish!"
"I caught three, Hannah caught one, and Grandpa caught some too!"
The children tugged on Matthew's hand, leading him to the backyard to look at the small bucket Tristan carried, which had several little fish swimming around.
After showing off their catch in the garden, Matthew went upstairs with the kids to bathe them and change their clothes.
Once they were bathed and redressed, they came down to the lunch, which was served in a timely manner.
Without Madison at the table, the kids asked, "Dad, where's Mom?"
"Mom's at work. She won't be home for lunch."
As soon as the old man heard, he had Valerie pack up the lunch in a thermal container and said to Matthew, "Why don't you drop off some food for Madison?"
Matthew hadn't planned on bringing lunch to Madison, as they had agreed he would pick her up in the afternoon. But with his morning work mostly sorted and having grabbed a quick breakfast, he saw an opportunity to visit her at work and spend the day together before heading home.
Matthew quickly ate something at home, grabbed the food carrier, and headed out to deliver lunch to Madison. Quentin and Hannah had wanted to join him, but they opted for an afternoon fishing trip with their grandpa instead.
Matthew drove his Rolls Royce to the studio, excited to surprise Madison with lunch. However, upon arrival, he found that she wasn't there. Instead, he encountered the young girl he had met previously, who was enjoying her lunch inside.
Startled by the sudden commotion, Sophie dropped her takeout and stood up from her chair. An awkward greeting followed.
"Matthew, are you here for Madison?" she asked.
Matthew, holding the food container, a far cry from his usual standoffish demeanor, nodded slightly and inquired, "Isn't she here?"
"Oh, Madison just got a call and stepped out for a moment around half an hour ago," Sophie hastily explained. "You could wait in her office if you'd like."
"Sure." Matthew went into Madison's office, placed the container on her desk, and took out his phone to call her. Getting no answer, he set the phone down and idly flipped through a magazine on the sofa.
Matthew sent Madison a message on Facebook, but she didn't respond right away. Bored, he started playing games on his phone. About an hour later, he heard Madison return and went out to greet her.
His mood soured instantly at the sight of Madison and the man who accompanied her.
Madison, upon seeing Matthew emerge from her office, hurried over and tugged at his sleeve, "Matthew, what brings you here?"
With a hint of frost in his tone, Matthew replied, "Hmm, Grandpa sent me to bring you lunch, but it seems you're already taken care of."
Nicholas stepped forward to greet him, "Hey, Matthew, how are you?"
Matthew responded with a chilly nod, his face a mask of discomfort.
Even the least observant person could have sensed that Matthew was upset, and Madison, tugging at his sleeve, felt it, too. Neither of them spoke.
Nicholas took the initiative. "Madison, I've got to head out, but let's hang out again soon."
Turning to Matthew, he added, "Matthew, next time, I hope you'll join Madison and me for a meal. Take care, goodbye."
"Nicholas, take care," they responded in unison.
Once Nicholas left, Madison pulled Matthew back to the office. Noticing the thermal jar on the desk and the cool demeanor of her companion, she asked deliberately, "Did you bring this for me?"
She opened the lid and exclaimed, "Wow, it smells amazing~"
Matthew couldn't shake the feeling that Madison and Nicholas had something going on despite knowing deep down that it wasn't true. Their close friendship and Nicholas's obvious feelings for her had always made him uneasy. From the moment they met, Matthew could sense the tension between them.
Matthew, sulking, took a seat next to Madison. The thermal jar had done its job well; the contents were still warm after such a long time.
"Didn't you already eat?"
"I didn't get full. How about you? Shall we have a bit more?" Madison suggested cheerily, seeming oblivious to the tension in Matthew's voice and expression.
She took out the containers one by one. Finally, they sat down at the desk and began eating.
"This is so good - Valerie's cooking is even better than what you get at restaurants," Madison said, intentionally sparking conversation.
Madison understood that Matthew was likely upset about seeing Nicholas and that Wes had waited for over an hour because she missed his calls and messages with her phone on silent.
Realizing she was trying to cheer him up, her enthusiastic enjoyment of the meal lifted Matthew, and his gloom dissipated with her laughter.
"It's not as good as when you cook," he blurted out, a subtle compliment escaping his lips.
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