Chapter 183 Gone Missing
Patrick drove in silence, with Madison and Willow sitting in the backseat. None of them spoke during the journey, each lost in their grim speculations, and the tension was palpable.
Patrick parked right outside the bar, spotting Mitchell and Liam's cars already there; it appeared they had arrived first. The bar was quiet and not yet open for business. The trio got out of the car and headed straight for the private upstairs room.
Upon entering, Patrick saw Victor, Mitchell, and Liam, along with a man who looked somewhat frail, seated on the couch. However, everyone was silent, their expressions somewhere between solemn and mournful. Reading the sad looks passed among his brothers, Patrick confirmed the bad news about Matthew and stood to the side.
Following him into the private room, Madison scanned her surroundings and felt a chill upon not seeing the expected face. She approached Victor, her voice trembling as she broke the silence, "Second Bro, where's Matthew? Didn't he come back with you? What happened to him? Did he get injured so badly that he couldn't fly back with you?"
Madison was clearly agitated and anxious, spilling out all of her worst fears in a breath.
Victor lifted his head, his eyes brimming with remorse. He made eye contact with the others before finally speaking in a slow, heavy voice. "I'm sorry."
Madison froze in place, nearly losing her balance, but Willow quickly steadied her from behind.
Managing to keep upright, Madison's voice cracked with emotion as she spoke again, "Why are you apologizing? I need to know who Matthew is. No need for sorry. I don't want sorry."
"Yeah, Victor," Willow urgently pressed. "What happened to Matthew? Did something happen to him?"
Standing to the side, Dorian found it difficult to speak. How could he tell this woman that her husband's speedboat had exploded, that he was currently missing, and the chances of his survival were slim?
Once more, Victor found the strength to speak, conveying in detail that Matthew was yet to be found following the speedboat explosion.
Standing beside Liam, Patrick had only just learned of the severity from Victor's words. He couldn't believe it and asked Liam, "Liam, is Matthew really…" His fear was palpable. Liam patted his shoulder and nodded silently, his face etched with sorrow. Patrick was in disbelief; they had just gone to the airport to see Matthew off a week ago. How could he be gone?
After hearing Victor's account, Willow's tears flowed uncontrollably. "No... it can't be possible, Victor. Could there be a mistake? How could this happen? If there's nobody, there's still hope, right?" She clutched Victor's arm, bombarding him with questions. She couldn't accept that Matthew, the one who loved her most, was suddenly gone. How could Mr. Johnson cope with sending another family member before his time, and what about Quentin and Hannah? They were too young to be without Matthew. And Sister... what would she do?
Victor bowed his head, eyes closed, hiding his grief. "Willow, I failed to protect Matthew. I'm sorry."
Mitchell stepped behind Willow, helped her stand, and silently offered comfort. Willow threw herself into Mitchell's arms and began to sob uncontrollably. "Jonah, Matthew can't be gone, can he? He must be missing for some unavoidable reason; that has to be it, right?"
All Mitchell could do was continuously pat her back, holding her close, letting her cry out her sorrow. No one could accept the truth, and no one wanted to believe it, but...
Everyone looked at Madison, fearing she couldn't withstand the blow and that something might happen to her. Now that Matthew wasn't there, they felt they had to take care of Sister and the two children on his behalf.
Madison didn't collapse or faint as they had expected; instead, she was eerily calm. The others were frightened by her unusual composure and were careful not to push her to do something drastic.
After hearing Victor's words, Madison calmed down further. She walked slowly to the couch and sat down. After a moment of silence, she said, "I'm going to Rome."
The people in the room were stunned. Patrick couldn't help but say, "Why don't we let Victor continue the search? You..."
Madison cut him off, "I am going to Rome. I'm going to find Matthew myself."
Everyone looked uneasy. According to Victor's description, Matthew was... Even with Victor's contacts and the police, they had yet to find him. How could Sister find him? Besides, with Sister being unfamiliar with the area, how could they feel at ease about her going to Rome?
But Madison was determined, and they knew they couldn't dissuade her.
Then Dorian, who had been quiet, spoke up, "Let her go. Victor and I will go with her." After saying this, he exchanged a glance with Victor and then swept his gaze over everyone else as if to say, you can't stop her, might as well let her go – who knows, there might be a miracle.
Madison looked at Dorian with grateful eyes.
Finally, Victor relented, "Okay, we'll take Sister with us to Rome."
*
As they left the bar, Dorian called out to Madison, "Hello, do you remember me?"
By now, Madison had regained her composure. She always felt that Matthew would be out there waiting for her to find him, so she held onto that belief and forced herself to calm down. However, she still had to face Mr. Johnson and the children once she returned.
"I remember. I remember what happened before and today. Thank you," Madison said, grateful to him for agreeing to search for Matthew.
Dorian felt a bit ashamed when he faced her gratitude; after all, he hadn't been able to protect Matthew and bring him back to her unharmed.
"I'm sorry," he said, finding that was all he could muster.
Madison found it strange that everyone felt the need to apologize. Matthew had chosen to go to Italy, and she understood this, blaming no one.
"There's no need to apologize; I believe Matthew will be okay," Madison stated firmly.
Her strength and inner fortitude struck Dorian. When she had spoken about her belief that Matthew would be okay, her eyes sparkled with a dazzling light.
"Yeah, I believe, too." He was willing to share her belief without any particular reason, clinging to the hope that Matthew was still alive.
"I should head back and pack my bags now," Madison said to Dorian as they said goodbye.
Dorian nodded in agreement, "Alright."
He watched her get into the car, and the vehicle pulled away, disappearing around the corner. It was only then that he reached out, opening the palm of his hand to reveal a long strand of Madison's hair resting inside.
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