Chapter 202 Family Feast and Fellowship
When Matthew arrived home with Quentin and Hannah, the house was already bustling with activity. The kids greeted everyone politely, and Matthew took in the lively scene. Despite his stern demeanor, he felt a warmth inside, realizing this must be the feeling of family and friends Madison had talked about.
Ophelia arrived last due to a play she was in. Liam went downstairs to receive her, and they entered together. Madison whispered to Matthew, "This is Liam's girlfriend, a star." Matthew raised an eyebrow, but Ophelia greeted him. She knew about his amnesia and felt sorry that he and Madison had such a twist of fate. Yet she was glad that he came back; not everyone survived an explosion with such luck.
Once everyone was gathered and the food was nearly ready, Madison called everyone to the dining room to eat. Suddenly, Victor interjected, "Let's wait a moment; there's one more person." Madison looked puzzled. Who else could it be?
Patrick teased Victor, "Hey Victor, who else is there? Don't tell me you secretly found a girlfriend abroad and you're about to surprise us with her." Everyone looked on curiously as a knock sounded at the door.
Victor stood up and opened the door, revealing Dorian. Only Victor, Madison, and Matthew knew him well. Matthew regarded Dorian with suspicion, almost as a rival. Madison wondered why he had come.
Patrick blurted out, "Victor, do you swing that way?" Victor's sharp gaze silenced him, and he hid behind Madison. Dorian entered without embarrassment, joking about the timing of his arrival."Soup's on, huh? Seems like arriving later might actually be more timely," he said.
Victor explained that Dorian had called him, asking for Madison's address because he had something important to discuss. Madison welcomed him warmly, and they all sat down to with you, so I told him to come over."
Madison responded with a beaming smile, "No problem. We've prepared a lot of dishes so everyone can eat together." Dorian had helped them a lot back in Italy, so a dinner to express their thanks was indeed in order. The only thing was that Dorian mentioned he had something important to talk about, and Madison wondered what it could be. They would find out after enjoying the meal.
Since Victor and Madison were familiar with Dorian and his humorous wit, he quickly hit it off with everyone else. This little episode didn't affect the mood at all.
The dinner table was a treat, with Madison's skillful cooking pleasing everyone's tastes. Laughter filled the room, especially as the children playfully bantered. Willow and Patrick had bought beer, which quickly disappeared, prompting Madison to order more along with additional ingredients.
The evening continued in a merry atmosphere, with Dorian's humor fitting in seamlessly. Despite the unexpected arrival, the dinner was a success, bringing everyone closer together.
As Madison made the call, Matthew remarked they wouldn't be able to finish everything, but everything was polished off.
"It's so delicious," praised Patrick as he ate.
"Yeah, if we eat like this every day, we'll definitely put on weight," Dorian joked, despite ironically being a big guy concerned about gaining weight. This reminded everyone of Matthew's noticeable weight gain without realizing it.
Matthew looked around, confused, as everyone stared at him. Despite enjoying the meal, he didn't think he was overweight. With a snort, he decided not to take their teasing to heart.
The conversation shifted to when Matthew planned on returning to work.
"Matthew, when do you plan on going back to work?" Mitchell inquired, his stress evident enough to prematurely age him.
Matthew pondered a moment and replied, "Next week, I suppose."
Patrick exclaimed in shock, "That soon, Matthew? Are you sure you're... okay?" As he spoke, he gestured around his head, suggesting concern for Matthew's wellbeing.
"Matthew, I'm not rushing you. You can take it easy for a bit longer if you need to." Mitchell hadn't expected Matthew to consider returning to work so soon, and he was unsure if his amnesia might affect him.
"Yeah, Matthew, Victor's back anyway, and the work's getting done," Liam chimed in, echoing the sentiment.
Matthew glanced at them and somehow managed to make the simple, homey soup seem delicious.
"I've lost my memory, not my mind."
Dorian chuckled to himself on the side. These guys were really amusing.
Matthew's younger brothers didn't mind his bluntness; after all, he'd always been like that. It almost seemed normal for him to snap back at them like this.
Once Hannah heard that Matthew was considering going back to the office, she tilted her head and pouted her glossy lips in discontent, asking, "Matthew, didn't you say you were going to take us to the beach? Why do you have to go to work again?"
Matthew turned to look at the girl sitting beside him and instantly switched to doting uncle mode, patiently explaining to Hannah, "Matthew has to work for a couple of days, but as soon as you guys are on break, I won't go."
Inside, everyone's thoughts were wildly active.
Mitchell thought, 'Matthew, don't do this. You need to come back soon and take over your job.'
Liam was thinking, 'What's going on? Looks like Jonah's not out of the woods yet.'
Patrick nearly panicked, saying, "Help! If Matthew's not here, I'm the one who's going to suffer. But thank goodness Victor's here."
Victor considered, "Maybe... maybe I should leave sooner and continue my wandering."
Listening to Matthew's promise that he would not work during their vacation, Hannah contentedly ate the food.
Midway through the meal, the two kids craved dessert, and Willow and Daniel enthusiastically volunteered to make it in the kitchen. Daniel asked, "Are you still on the Marigold project?"
Willow, busy with the blender preparing a mango smoothie, nodded. "Yep," seemingly unfazed.
"What are you thinking? If you don't want to handle it, just let someone else take over. There's nothing to be scared of with my brother," Daniel said.
Willow smiled slightly. "It's nearly done anyway. She definitely won't be doing the remaining work hands-on. We probably won't run into each other much after this. I've certainly learned a lot from this project."
"Hmph, my brother can be such a blockhead," Daniel grumbled.
Willow just laughed, saying nothing.
After all, there was nothing wrong with not being in love.
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