Chapter 24 Discovering Madison's Return
In the top-floor CEO office of the JK Group headquarters building, Matthew sat at his prestigious executive desk processing documents on his computer when his assistant Carl Leonard knocked and entered.
"Matthew, Mr. Grayson from Lustrous Legacy has sent over the ring and necklace," Carl said, handing over two elegantly packaged boxes.
"Put them on the desk," Matthew instructed.
Seeing that Carl hadn't left, Matthew looked up. "Is there something else?"
Carl presented a leather envelope. "The receptionist gave this to me, saying a lady brought it over yesterday to be passed on to you. The receptionist had forgotten to pass it to you when she saw you leaving for lunch with Ms. Brianna."
Carl wasn't sure if Matthew wanted to keep it, considering many who sought connections couldn't meet the boss directly and would leave items with the receptionist.
"Bring it over."
Hearing it was a woman, Matthew couldn't help but think of Madison for some reason, even though he knew she wouldn't come looking for him. Yet at times, he couldn't help thinking about her.
Carl handed the envelope to him, and Matthew opened it on the spot, to find a hundred thousand dollars falling out. Matthew was stunned.
"Who still gives cash? There's only a hundred thousand in there." Carl was astonished to see a hundred thousand in cash in the envelope. This amount was equivalent to just one meal for their boss. He then looked back at him, who kept staring at the cash in front of him, without uttering a single word.
Seeing the money fall out, Matthew was rooted to the spot. The moment he saw the money, he was almost certain it was from Madison. He knew it couldn't be anyone else. When they divorced, she only took a hundred thousand from the card he gave her, leaving the card in the study without taking it with her. She had said she wanted nothing else but a loan of a hundred thousand. Now, she had returned the money. This almost signified that they would never cross paths again. At that thought, Matthew felt a suffocating panic and hastily instructed Carl, "Find out immediately where the person who sent this money lives. Go now and tell me as soon as you find out."
Carl had never seen his boss so panicked and desperate to find someone. "All right, I'll look into it right away."
After Carl left, Matthew sat in his chair, motionless, staring at the cash in front of him. He cradled his head in his hands, his brow slightly furrowed in deep thought. The moment he saw the contents of the envelope, his first instinct was to know Madison's address, to see her, hence he arranged for Carl to investigate immediately.
Once Carl left, Matthew calmed himself down. There was nothing he could do even if he knew she was in Horizon City, even if he had her address. They were already divorced. They had no relation to each other. Perhaps she had a new family by now. Maybe not disturbing her was the best blessing he could offer.
Carl's efficiency was commendable. He quickly found out that Madison resided at the Platinum Apartments and promptly called Matthew. Only when he went to investigate did he discover that the money sent was from his boss's ex-wife. While his marriage wasn't celebrated with a public ceremony, it was no secret either. Those close to him were aware that Madison was the famed Mrs. Nelson.
However, for years Ms. Brianna had been by Boss's side, and the general consensus was that the marriage with Madison was a forced one due to family pressures, with no real affection involved. His boss was thought to harbor enduring feelings for Briana.
After her return to their home country, he divorced Madison for her. But considering his recent behavior, the divorce might have had other reasons. Their business, however, was not to pry into the boss' private matters but to perform the tasks set out by him.
"Boss, I've found out. it's Mrs. Nel--it's Ms. Madison Johnson, and she's currently staying at the Platinum Apartments with a friend..."
"I see. Send me the address," Matthew interrupted Carl. There wasn't really a need for Carl to send the address since he planned to have Carl deliver it personally. There was a card he had given Madison at the time of their divorce that he still wanted her to have, feeling she deserved it.
"Never mind, don't bother with the address. You can deliver this card for me."
"Alright." Carl found it peculiar. Initially, the boss had been anxious upon seeing the money in the envelope and wanted to track down Madison immediately. Carl had thought the Boss couldn't wait to see her after getting the address, but for some reason, now he didn't want to go himself and had arranged for Carl to do it.
Carl couldn't even convey newly acquired information about the two children living with Madison. According to the investigation, they were likely her children. He pondered whether Ms. Johnson had remarried and had children after divorcing Matthew. Perhaps his boss already knew this, which would explain why he felt it was inappropriate for him to go and instead had Carl deliver the card.
*
After Matthew hung up, he opened the top drawer on the left side of his desk where a bank card was kept. It was the very one Madison had left in the study room four years ago. He looked at it for a while, placed the gift box containing a ring inside the drawer, then closed it. Then, he carried on with his work. Not long after, Brianna called, "Matthew, I didn't want to bother you since you're busy with work, but I'm not feeling well and wondering if I should go to the hospital."
"How are you feeling right now? I'll come to pick you up and take you to the hospital. Stay in bed and rest. I'll be right there."
"All right, don't worry. Focus on your work. I've had some water and now that I'm lying down, I feel a bit better."
"No problem, work can wait. I'm leaving the company now." As Matthew spoke into the phone, he casually picked up the necklace gift box that Carl had brought in that morning and left his office.
"Okay, I’ll wait for you." Brianna hung up, feeling an understated anticipation. After the dinner auction ended, she knew the jewelry company would deliver the items to JK Group for Matthew today. By the afternoon, when she hadn't received a call from Matthew, her patience wore thin. She was so eager to wear the pink diamond ring that she made an excuse to have Matthew come over, confident he would bring it if it were for her.
Matthew drove himself to Brianna’s apartment. She opened the door in her pajamas. "Matthew, you're here."
"Yeah. How are you feeling? Let's get you dressed and I'll take you to the hospital."
"I'm feeling a lot better, I don’t want to go to the hospital." Brianna wasn't really sick. She just wanted Matthew to come over.
"Come on, be good. Let's go see a doctor."
"Matthew, I really don’t want to go. I’ll be fine just having you here." Brianna grabbed Matthew's arm and playfully swayed it back and forth.
"All right then, go lie down in bed. Have you eaten anything?"
"Not yet, I don't have much of an appetite," Brianna said as she went back to bed at Matthew’s suggestion.
"I’ll make some oatmeal for you. You shouldn't skip meals." Matthew headed to the kitchen. After a while, he returned to the room and took out the gift box from his pocket. "This is for you."
Trying to contain her excitement, Brianna took the gift box and immediately opened it, even before Matthew left. Her smile froze. It was the necklace, not the ring.
"What's the matter? Don’t you like the pink necklace from the auction?"
"No, I really like it, thank you, Matthew." Brianna quickly recovered and planted a kiss on Matthew's cheek. "Matthew, help me put it on, will you?"
Matthew took the necklace out of the gift box and placed it around Brianna’s neck. "Does it look good?"
"Yeah," Matthew nodded.
"Matthew, can you stay with me tonight?" Brianna asked softly.
"Patrick just texted me. They are at the bar, asking me to join them. I actually need to discuss something with Victor, so I'll stop by there for a bit. Help yourself to some food I prepared later. Make sure you eat."
"All right," Brianna said, her voice tinged with a sense of loss, but when Matthew mentioned he had something to discuss with Victor, it wouldn't have been right for her to ask him to stay.
Matthew rose from his seat and left Brianna's apartment, driving toward the Nightshade Bar. He had told Brianna he was going to the bar, which was true, but needing to talk to Victor was just an excuse.
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