Chapter 19 Brushing Paths
On Madison's side, she was getting anxious because the two hadn't returned. While her son was with her daughter, he was still less than four years old, and she couldn't help but feel uneasy. She was about to call her son when she saw the pair holding hands, walking toward her from a distance.
Once they approached, she said, "You're finally back. What took so long? I was about to call Quentin."
"Mom, you don't need to worry. Quentin is very capable, and we wouldn't go off with strangers," the girl reassured her.
Madison looked at her two treasures helplessly. The clever pair had rarely caused her any trouble. Perhaps due to the absence of a father, the sister depended on her brother for most things. Quentin matured early and took on many responsibilities. Madison couldn't help but wonder whether that was good or bad.
"All right, Auntie said she can't park at the entrance, so she's taken the car to the parking lot to wait for us. Let's head there now."
"Okay, Mom, let's go!" Hannah raised her hand high in excitement because this was her first time leaving Frostpine with her brother for a trip. She had been looking forward to it and found everything new and exciting.
Matthew stopped and looked back, thinking he heard a familiar voice.
"Matthew, what's up?" Willow asked, seeing Matthew suddenly halt with a serious expression.
Matthew shook his head, his eyes narrowing slightly. For some reason, he thought he had heard Madison's voice, and he felt a slight flutter in the softest part of his heart.
He didn't see anyone when he turned back, He assumed it was because of the bad sleep he had, adding to his rough night.
"It's nothing, let's go." Willow followed, and the two of them walked toward the arrival gate.
A family of four just missed crossing paths with each other.
*
Madison, accompanied by Quentin and Hannah, found Rachel's car in the parking lot. Little Hannah ran to Rachel as soon as he saw her, "Auntie Rachel, I've missed you so much."
Rachel scooped up Hannah in an embrace, "Auntie Rachel missed you too," and gave her a big smooch, unable to resist his adorable little cheeks.
Quentin was actually very happy to see Rachel too, but he restrained himself, acting like a little man instead of being cutesy like his younger sister. "Hi, Auntie."
"Hi there, Quentin. Was it tough looking after your sister and mom on the way here?"
"Not at all. I'm the man of the house. It's what I should do." Quentin was still a child, and he blushed shyly at Rachel's praise.
"Rachel, I'm sorry to trouble you. I was planning to come alone, but the kids insisted on coming. I was worried they would be a handful at home, and Ximena can't keep up with them, so I brought them here," Madison explained. Deep down, she really didn't want to bring the kids to Horizon City, concerned about running into someone familiar. Therefore, she planned to finish what she had to do and head back home quickly.
"Don't mention it, Madison. It's the holidays, after all. They should get out for a bit. Let's get in the car. After we've dropped off the luggage, I will take you to eat something tasty, and tomorrow we'll go to the amusement park."
"Awesome!" Hannah, the little one, was absolutely thrilled to hear about food.
Rachel rented a small apartment with a master bedroom and a secondary room she usually used as a study. It has a little bed. She gave up the larger room to Madison's family of three and moved into the smaller one herself.
"Rachel, why don't let us take the small room? We can sleep on the floor," Madison suggested, feeling a bit guilty for taking the master bedroom.
"Madison, it doesn't matter where we sleep. I can't bear to let our little cherubs Hannah and Quentin sleep on the floor," she insists.
Hearing this, Madison didn’t argue further. "Okay then, I'll go pack our bags."
While Madison was in the room packing suitcases, Rachel kept Hannah and Quentin entertained in the living room, slicing up some oranges for them. Quentin challenged Rachel to chess, with Hannah watching. After losing five rounds in a row, Rachel couldn't take it anymore.
"Madison, are you done packing? Let's go out to eat. I don't want to play chess with Quentin anymore. I've never won once. It's so embarrassing to say that I can't beat a preschooler," she lamented playfully.
"Auntie Rachel, it's not only you. No one ever wins against me," Quentin consoled her.
"That's right, Auntie Rachel. We won't tell anyone," added Hannah, amusingly.
Feeling defeated, Rachel quipped, "Thanks, my treasures. I will go change my clothes and then take you out for some delicious food." She immediately stood up and headed into her room to get dressed, resolving in her heart never to play chess with Quentin again.
Returning to Horizon City after four years felt unsettling for Madison. Inside her room, she packed while reminiscing about the past. After finalizing the divorce proceedings with Matthew, she left that very day and settled down in Frostpine.
Madison spent the first night at a bed and breakfast before stumbling upon a vacant, old house the next day with exceptionally low rent. Madison quickly signed a five-year lease with the landlord, Mrs. Ximena Chapman, whose husband, unfortunately, had passed away early. Madison affectionately referred to her as Auntie Ximena. Auntie Ximena’s daughter, Rachel Chapman, had attended college in Horizon City and decided to work and stay there. She would routinely visit Auntie Ximena during holidays.
On one such visit, Rachel saw Madison’s design drafts for baby clothes she had made for the children she was expecting, and she was instantly attracted. Recognizing an opportunity, the astute young lady persuaded Madison to start a business together. Madison would handle the design and sourcing of materials to create prototypes, which they would sell online. At that time, Madison didn’t have any other significant skills or surety of success. Rachel's encouragement pushed her to give it a shot.
Surprisingly, their first batch of five designs did incredibly well in presales, earning them a hefty sum. As the business matured and grew, life gradually improved. Rachel decisively quit her corporate job to devote all her efforts to the burgeoning business. Later on, as they planned to legalize their operation, they decided to register the company in Horizon City for its available resources. Rachel would be the public face of the company, while Madison preferred to stay behind the scenes, in fear that Matthew might discover the existence of their children. Madison continued to focus on designing from Frostpine, leaving the rest of the business operations to Rachel in Horizon.
At that time, Auntie Ximena saw that Madison was pregnant and alone. She had never questioned why Madison came to this place, alone and pregnant. It seemed that Madison had a hard life. Auntie Ximena took special care of her, often bringing her food and necessities. Madison was carrying twins, so her belly was especially large later in the pregnancy, and moving around became difficult. She didn't have much money, and that year the business was just starting up. Rachel was running around everywhere and had taken on quite a few orders, so Madison toughed it out and worked until she gave birth.
When Madison was due, Auntie Ximena had someone take her to the hospital. The twins were fine, born full-term, although just making the weight standards. However, all their other indicators were good. So, after about a week in the hospital, Madison left with her two babies. After the birth, Auntie Ximena, seeing Madison on her own, took the initiative to help take care of her. Since there were two babies, even Auntie Ximena found it a bit difficult. In the end, Rachel went back home for half a year to help take care of them as well. As a result, the two babies treated Auntie Ximena just like a dear grandmother. Rachel, independent and never in a relationship, didn't want to marry. Instead, she took these two kids as her godchildren.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
