Chapter 28 Dad Doesn't Have a New Wife
Hannah quickly finished all the cakes on her plate and drank her orange juice. Matthew was surprised by the little girl's hearty appetite, looking at her round belly and worried she might make herself sick.
"Okay, do you have your parent's cell phone numbers? I'll arrange for someone to take you home."
"Aren't you my dad? Don't you like Hannah? Is it because I ate all the strawberry cake? I'll save more for you next time," Hannah said, her voice filled with hurt.
"It's getting late, and your family must be worried. Did you come out here by yourself?" Matthew wondered if she was a lost child from a nearby family.
"I didn't come alone. My brother and Wendy are waiting downstairs. My brother sent me up to see if Dad really didn't want us anymore. If you are already married and have your own family and baby now, we will return to Frostpine with Mom."
Hearing Hannah's soft, childish voice speak these words caused an inexplicable discomfort in Matthew's heart as if he were about to lose something very important.
"So, have you gotten married? Do you have a new baby?"
"No."
"That's great! I knew Dad wouldn't leave us behind. I'm going to call my brother right now," Hannah said, elated by the news that Matthew was not married and didn't have a new baby. She hopped off the couch and quickly used her smartwatch to call her brother.
"Quentin, come on up. Dad doesn't have a new wife or baby. We have Dad now."
Matthew didn't know how to explain to the excited three-year-old Hannah that just because he wasn't married and didn't have children, it didn't mean he was her father. Yet, it seemed the child had already decided for herself. Are kids these days really this precocious, already finding themselves stepfathers?
"Ask your brother to wait at the reception. I'll send someone to pick him up. He might not be able to come up on his own."
"Dad wanted you to wait at the reception. Someone will come get you," Hannah proclaimed loudly, and Matthew genuinely felt like he'd somehow become a father.
Downstairs, Quentin and Wendy were waiting. They had not heard from Hannah for a while and thought it might be a fruitless effort like the last time. They were just about to contact Hannah to come back when they received her call. To their surprise, it was good news. He would be going to see his dad, too. Quentin, trying to maintain a serious facade even at three years old, couldn’t conceal the smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Quentin, what does your dad do here? This is a big company," Wendy asked, unable to curb her curiosity. She had initially thought the two kids were just playing around, and she was merely tagging along for their outing, not expecting them to find their Dad.
"My dad is the CEO of this company," Quentin said proudly.
Quentin had believed his mom when she told him that his Dad worked on the moon and couldn't return, but he accidentally discovered an expired marriage license with his father's name and photo on it. So, the clever little boy searched the internet for information about Matthew and learned that his Dad was awesome, the founder and CEO of JK Group, definitely not working on the moon as his mother had claimed.
His parents had gotten divorced. Quentin understood that divorce meant his Dad and Mom wouldn't live together, and his Dad would have a new family with other children. This trip to Horizon also looked into why they had divorced and why his Dad didn't want him and his sister. He also knew about an old photo of his Dad that his Mom treasured and looked at often at night, showing that she still missed him. Grandma Ximena had introduced several possible suitors to Mom, but she had turned them all down.
If Dad and Mom could get back together, then the family of four could live together again, and he'd no longer be teased by the bully, who mocked them for not having a dad. But if Dad had his own family, they would go back to Frostpine with Mom after they met their Dad, and when he grows up, he'll take good care of Mom and his sister. Young Quentin has thought a lot about this. Perhaps it's the ties of blood because since he learned that his biological father is Matthew, and he's right there in Horizon City, he and Hannah can no longer accept anyone else as their dad.
"Are you... serious?!" Wendy swore that even in her wildest dreams, where she imagined what kind of high-ranking executive it could be, she never dared to imagine that the Dad they spoke of was the CEO of JK Group, that man she had only seen on TV. Quentin just said that the man was his dad, which meant Madison's husband. “OMG, what kind of hidden power players do I have around me?” Wendy thought to herself.
"Wendy, you can go back first. I'll go up and find Hannah, and Dad will send us back later."
"But..." Wendy was not entirely at ease. Although JK Group couldn't possibly be a dangerous place, she was responsible for the children, and leaving like that didn't seem responsible.
"I'll go up with you, and once I confirm your father is JK Group's CEO, I'll head back." Wendy thought if the CEO of JK Group was their dad, there was nothing to worry about, but she had to recognize the place for herself.
"Okay, let's go up together."
The two made their way to the reception area, where Jannis came downstairs to greet them.
The thoughts that crossed Jannis's mind upon seeing Quentin: The boss is impressive—having these children without anyone knowing, two such good-looking kids indeed, the boss is indeed awesome.
Quentin, being the boy, did indeed look more like Matthew.
"You must be Quentin," said the secretary, "Hannah is in Matthew's office. I came down to fetch you."
"Yes, thank you, miss. This is Wendy. She came with me."
Wendy quickly greeted her, "Hello."
"Hello, bringing the two kids over was kind of you. Let's go up then." Jannis had already recognized Hannah and Quentin as her boss's children. After all, she had never seen her boss dote on a child so much, and the older boy looked a lot like the boss.
"All right," Wendy said. She was still a bit nervous as it was her first visit to the famous JK Group, where she was to meet the boss. So, she carefully followed and took the elevator up to the top floor. Jannis led the two of them directly to the CEO’s office.
Several young ladies in the CEO's office murmured among themselves, "Oh my, is that the CEO's son? He's so cute! I just want to hug him."
"He's definitely going to be a gentleman."
"Our boss is amazing, isn’t he? Having both a son and a daughter explains a complete life."
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