Chapter 27 The Little Kid Invades the CEO's Office
Madison and Rachel had been busy since sealing the big deal with Casey Grayson. They needed to complete all the gown production before Casey Grayson's birthday banquet. The timeline was tight, especially after adding two more gowns to the order, which meant working overtime. Some of the design details required finding special materials for hand-sewing, which Madison took care of, while Rachel oversaw sourcing fabric and manufacturing. Consequently, the two little tykes, Quentin and Hannah, were mostly left in Wendy's care at their apartment.
"Wendy, could you take us out today?" Quentin thought they'd been in the city for some time and hadn’t seen Dad yet. If they didn't act fast, she'd take them back to Frostpine once Mom finished her work, and it would be even harder to see their dad.
"Where do you want to go, an amusement park or the zoo?" Wendy thought the two darlings had been home too long and wanted to go out for fun.
"We want to go see Dad," Hannah said, her voice filled with longing.
"Ah, but what if we still can't meet him?"
Since the last time Wendy took them to the JK Group, she had begun to suspect that she was being tricked by the two of them.
"Wendy, please take us there one more time. I called in advance this time, and I know my Dad is there," Quentin had done his homework this time.
"Yes, Quentin said, once Mom's work is finished, we have to go back to Frostpine, and it'll be hard to see Dad again," Hannah said, feeling on the verge of tears.
"Okay, I'll take you there, let's go." Seeing two such adorable kids making a request, Wendy felt it would be against all reason to refuse. After saying that, she took them to hail a taxi to the JK Group headquarters.
As planned, they sent Hannah up first. Hannah entered the lobby, confidently approached the receptionist, and sweet-talked the young lady, who kindly let her into the elevator and even pressed the floor number. Reaching the top floor, she went straight to Jannis, "Pretty miss, I'm here again. Is my Dad in his office today?"
Jannis recognized her as the beautiful girl who had come looking for Matthew before, remembering she had said her name was Hannah.
"Hannah, you're here. Matthew is in today. Just wait, I'll check if he's available now," Jannis said, getting up and walking towards the CEO's office to knock on the door.
"Come in," Matthew's deep voice came from inside.
Jannis had just opened the door when Hannah, the little kid following her, dashed in, "Dad, I finally see you!"
Matthew saw a little bundle, like a bun, hurling itself at him, clinging tightly to his chest, refusing to let go. He was frozen on the spot for the first time with such a young child showing him affection.
Jannis was also taken aback, not expecting Hannah to burst in like that. Seeing the CEO's gaze on her, she hurriedly explained, "Matthew, this child has been here before. She claims to be your daughter, here to find her dad," Jannis said, telling the truth under the pressure of her boss's stare.
Matthew didn't say a word, looking down at the little bundle in his arms, her hair burying into his embrace. He had never considered himself a person who liked children, but he faced the little girl who had rushed to hug him. He found he didn't dislike it. Her unexpected embrace seemed to soften the deepest part of his heart.
Seeing Matthew keeping a straight face and not speaking, Jannis worried that maybe Hannah was mistaken and hesitantly spoke up, "Matthew, I apologize. Let me take the little one out."
"No, Dad, it took me so long to find and meet you. I won't leave," Hannah, hearing that she was going to be sent away, immediately lifted her head, her big eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Matthew. She had barely found Dad and had not had a chance to get close to him. How could she be sent away now?
"Dad doesn’t like me?" she cried out. Her sobs were heartbreaking.
Matthew, looking at the little girl in his arms crying herself into a tearful mess, felt somewhat at a loss and said stiffly, "I'm not sending you away." Then he looked up at Jannis and said, "You can go out first."
"All right, Matthew."
Jannis left, and then Hannah's crying slowly stopped.
Matthew carried Hannah over to the sofa, where she clung tightly to his arm, not letting him go, "Dad, where are you going?"
"I'm going to deal with some work first. You sit here, and I'll have someone bring you something to eat."
"Okay, Dad."
Matthew didn't argue and returned to his desk, picking up the phone, "Jannis, bring in some food and drink, something kids would like."
After hanging up the phone, he continued to work on the tasks at hand while Hannah sat quietly on the sofa, waiting and thinking about how to send a message to her brother to tell him she'd seen Dad.
It wasn't long before Jannis came in with a plate of small cakes, some fruit, and a glass of orange juice, placing them on the table next to the sofa, "Hannah, here are the strawberry cakes you ate last time. I brought them for you, go on and eat."
"Thank you, miss," Hannah said before grabbing a piece and stuffing it into her mouth.
Matthew looked over and saw Hannah's mouth stuffed full, her lips smeared with cream, and went over with a tissue to gently wipe her face clean, "Eat slowly, be careful not to choke. There's plenty more." His tone carried an unintended tenderness, like a doting father.
"Do you know her parent's info?"
Jannis was startled, thinking. “Isn't her father supposed to be you?”
"Not sure; last time, she said she came with a brother and a sister."
"You can go out first."
"All right."
Jannis had no further information, so they would have to wait for Carl to investigate it later.
"What's your name?" Looking at the little girl in front of him gleefully enjoying her food, the ordinary little cake seemed to taste exceptionally delicious in her mouth, and Matthew felt his mood brighten as well.
"My name is Hannah Johnson. Dad can call me Hannah. Do you want some strawberry cake too Dad?" Hannah saw her father staring at the small cake in her hands and figured he must also like strawberry cake as she did. She picked up a piece and offered it to Matthew.
"No thanks. I’m good."
"Please, Dad, I have plenty." Hannah, thinking maybe her dad was too shy to admit he also liked strawberry cake, insistently pushed a piece into Matthew's mouth.
"It's tasty, right? Mom loves it too," Hannah said with delight.
"Mhm." Matthew chewed on the piece of cake Hannah stuffed into his mouth, feeling it tasted different, a very sweet strawberry flavor.
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