Chapter 29 Reunion and Dinner
After Jannis ushered Quentin and Wendy inside, he stepped out. Hannah saw her brother had arrived and happily ran out to grab his hand, "You’re here! Dad just treated me to a strawberry cake. It was super delicious. I accidentally ate it all, but I saved some candy for you," she said, handing Quentin two pieces of candy from her pocket, "Wendy gets one, too."
Matthew looked up at the only adult among the three, "Are you their sister?"
"No, I help look after them...for the time being." Facing Matthew's imposing presence, Wendy stuttered nervously.
At that moment, Quentin turned around, and Matthew saw him clearly. He had the same familiar feeling with the little girl for some reason. "What's your name?"
"My name is Quentin Johnson." Quentin didn't call him Dad immediately, feeling like there was still some observing to do.
"Since you have an adult with you, she can take you back home."
"I don't want to go, Dad. I'm hungry and want to eat." If Matthew had not seen her devour a plate of cake and a glass of orange juice with his own eyes, he might have been deceived by her innocent, wide eyes. Finally, he caved, "All right, I'll take you to eat first, and then we’ll head back home, okay?"
"Okay, yay!" Watching the delighted Hannah, Matthew unconsciously curved his lips into a slight smile. Wendy declined the invitation to join the father and children for dinner. Quentin and Hannah’s father seemed too intimidating, and she felt she would freeze if she stayed longer. With the confirmation that he was the CEO of JK Group, Wendy felt reassured, gave Matthew the apartment address, and left first.
*
Matthew led the two kids out of the company with heads held high and drove them himself to the revolving restaurant on the top floor of the Crown Hotel. They took seats by the window, and the hotel manager personally presented Matthew with the menu.
He handed the menu to the two kids, "Pick whatever you like to eat."
Quentin and Hannah glanced at the menu, and their eyes widened in surprise. The prices here were exorbitant!
Matthew noticed their hesitation as they didn't speak up and said, "Don't be shy. I have a membership here so that we can get a discount."
The manager, well acquainted with Matthew, saw him joking and curiously observed the two children seated opposite him, wondering who they could be to Matthew.
Not entirely understanding, Hannah flipped through the menu with tiny fingers and chose a few dishes with appealing pictures, "I want these."
Quentin knew his sister's nature as a foodie was showing again, and although he hated to admit it, Hannah did have a big appetite.
Matthew looked at the siblings, a half-smile on his face.
After they had ordered, Hannah wanted to order a strawberry ice cream, but Quentin stopped her, "Hannah, you already had two ice creams this morning at home. You can't have more now."
"Okay..." Hannah deflated a bit. Although she knew that her mom and brother were controlling her ice cream intake for her own good, she really loved it and couldn't help herself.
Seeing the young girl lose her enthusiasm, Matthew said, "If you've already had some today, let's not have more. I'll bring you back another day for it."
"Yay, Dad's the best." Hannah's eyes sparkled as she looked at Matthew. Her affection for him soared.
Matthew let the little ones eat first when the appetizers arrived and casually asked, "Where's your mom? Isn't she worried about you two being out on your own?"
"Mom's been really busy with work and quite stressed, so Wendy is looking after us. We didn't come out alone, and Wendy brought us," Hannah explained clearly.
"So, your mom is that busy. What does she do?"
"She's a famous designer!" Hannah said proudly.
A famous designer?
Matthew frowned, seemingly lost in thought, gazing downward as if pondering something. Then he looked at Hannah. "What's your mom's name?"
Quentin spoke up hastily, "Rachel Chapman, my mom's name is Rachel. She's just an ordinary designer, not famous, Hannah doesn't understand."
Hannah looked up at her brother, confused. Her brother should be the one who doesn't understand their mom's name is definitely Madison, not Rachel. Rachel is the name of their godmother. Why would her brother say Rachel's name? But she trusted her brother had his reasons. As his loyal little follower, Hannah didn't voice any objections. But a godmother is also a mom, and even if dad finds out, they wouldn't be lying.
"Dad, you said you aren't married and don't have kids. Do you have a girlfriend now?" Hannah asked cautiously. Quentin also looked at Matthew anxiously as if the answer was essential to both.
"No." Matthew looked down. Brianna wasn't his girlfriend either.
Hearing his reply, a joyful smile bloomed on Hannah's face, "I knew it! Dad wouldn't leave Mom and us."
Matthew couldn't help but give a wry smile. It seemed that the little girl was really attaching herself to him. He glanced at Quentin, who appeared to be relieved the little boy hadn't called him Dad, which indicated that he knew Matthew wasn't their father. Quentin seemed pretty anxious about his reply, too, visibly relaxing when Matthew said he didn't have a girlfriend.
Matthew himself couldn't figure out how could he possibly not know he had children!
"My mom is single too, and she's beautiful. She has a lot of suitors. You look handsome, too. You'd be a good match for my mom, a real pair of talents and beauties," Quentin suddenly said earnestly, causing Matthew to spit out the water he was drinking nearly. So, these kids were really from a single-parent family and were trying to find a stepfather.
Matthew remained silent, his gaze lowered.
Indeed, Quentin and Hannah were both adorable. The woman who gave birth to these two must also be attractive.
Looking at the face in front of him, it felt increasingly familiar, and the little girl's eyes also seemed recognized. Could it be that being called Dad a few times by the girl made him want to embrace the role? Matthew shook his head to clear the messy thoughts from his mind.
"Have you guys had enough to eat? It's getting late, and I should take you back. Your mom must be worried," said Matthew, noting that the children had been out for a while, and it was time to return.
"All right, Hannah, let's go," Quentin stood up, calling his sister to follow Matthew out of the hotel.
Matthew drove them to the address Wendy had given them and dropped them off at the Platinum Apartments. Just as they arrived at the entrance, "Wendy, we're back."
Wendy opened the door to see their safe return and finally felt at ease, "Thank you, Matthew, for bringing them back."
"It's no trouble. Where's their mom?"
"Oh, she hasn't come back yet."
Matthew didn't say anything further. It seemed like they were right. Their mom was indeed very busy.
"I'll be going then," Matthew said, turning to leave.
"Dad, can you leave me your phone number so I can come find you another day?" Hannah ran to the doorway. She didn't want her dad to just leave like that, especially since today was the first day she had met him.
Matthew wrote down a number and handed it to Hannah, "Call me in advance next time, and I'll have someone come to pick you up. You can't just run out on your own."
"Okay, good night, Dad." Hannah quickly pecked Matthew on the cheek and ran back into the house.
Matthew was stunned momentarily, taking a little while to return to his senses.
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