Chapter 39 Turns Out She Has Two Children
Brianna was restless ever since returning from the banquet. Madison had shown up, and Matthew had even carried her off from the banquet. That night, Brianna's repeated calls to Matthew went unanswered, fueling the growth of jealousy and resentment in her heart.
Eventually, she found out that Matthew had been hospitalized due to an illness. Early the following day, she hurried to the hospital with chicken soup she had painstakingly prepared herself.
Upon pushing open the door, she found that Matthew wasn't lying in bed but was standing by the window, already dressed in a suit.
"Matthew, how are you? I heard you were in the hospital, so I got up at dawn to make soup and rushed over," she said.
Matthew turned around at the sound of her voice, his expression cold. The message from Hannah last night had left him quite disturbed. He hadn't slept at all, having forgotten his usual sleeping pills, and had arranged with his executive assistant, Carl, for an early discharge.
"Just a minor cold. I'm better now and ready to leave," he replied.
The thermos Brianna was carrying suddenly seemed out of place.
"I made you soup. At least have some before you leave," she insisted, quickly pouring a bowl and handing it to him with both hands. At that moment, Carl knocked and entered, slightly taken aback to see Brianna there, but quickly regained his composure, "Matthew, your discharge paperwork is ready."
"Good, let's go," Matthew said, turning to leave.
"But you haven't drunk the soup yet. I spent a long time making it, and you need to eat something nutritious to recover," Brianna insisted, holding out the bowl of soup.
Matthew took a sip, instantly realizing it didn't taste as good as Madison's soup. This was the first thing that came to his mind. He set the bowl down, "Let Carl take it with him. I can't finish it right now."
"I'll pack up the rest for you," she offered.
After Matthew left, Brianna stared at the untouched soup, her anger boiling over, and with a sweep of her arm, she smashed it to the ground.
It's definitely because of Madison. Ever since Madison showed up in the city, Matthew has become increasingly distant from her.
"Madison, I will never let you ruin my relationship with Matthew. I must secure the position of "Mrs. Nelson." Brianna stood amidst the scattered fragments and spilled chicken soup in the hospital room, her hands clenched tightly, her expression nearly contorted.
*
Carl drove the car, with Matthew sitting in the back, staring out of the window. Carl, too, noticed that his boss had been off lately. Could it be because Madison had returned? He thought of the card he had been given to pass on.
"Matthew, the card you had me deliver to Ms. Johnson — I tried twice, but she wasn't there, so I left it with someone living with her," It was a child, but still a resident with her.
"Okay."
Carl didn't talk further because the boss didn't ask further questions and seemed to be in a bad mood.
Just as he arrived at the office, Victor said, "Matthew, you okay?"
"Just a minor cold. Willow and Patrick are overreacting." Pushing aside the backlog of work after resting for a couple of days, Matthew sat down and opened the computer files.
"They can't be blamed. You collapsing suddenly gave us all a scare."
Seeing Matthew's state, Victor came up with a guess: "Still can't sleep, huh?"
Matthew didn't say a word, which was as good as a confirmation.
"Maybe see a therapist again."
"It's an old problem. I'll handle it."
Hearing this, Victor didn't say much more. Everyone knew Matthew was stubborn. Saying more would be pointless.
"We've been tracking 'Hawkeye' lately, who contacted no one. He stayed in Horizon City for a few days and went to the capital — then nothing. Any leads from Brianna's end?"
Matthew shook his head, "Nothing, no news."
"I get the feeling Hawkeye's appearance this time was intentional, like he was letting us know on purpose," Victor shared his speculation with Matthew.
"Keep an eye on it. Tighten surveillance on the two projects in the Middle East and Europe, and get Mitchell involved."
"Okay, Matthew, I'll get on it."
"Mhm."
After Victor left, Matthew stood up and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office.
Leaving the hospital, Brianna was in a low mood and decided to vent through a shopping spree at a mall. As she approached the entrance, she happened to run into Madison and saw her from a distance entering a toy store with another woman and two kids, busy picking out toys. Stealthily, she followed them inside.
"Mom, can I take two toys home?" Hannah clutched a Barbie doll and a doctor playset, and ran over to Madison.
"But we agreed to choose just one when we left the house," Madison remembered, thinking about their return to Frostpine. She and Rachel had taken the little ones out to buy presents and also planned to pick up some gifts for Ximena.
"But Mom, I can't decide. I love both," Hannah's voice was full of dilemma. At that moment, Rachel approached, "How about this? Your Mom will give you a gift, and I will give you one too. Hannah and Quentin will each get to pick two gifts. How does that sound?”
“Really? That’s amazing, thank you, Mom, thank you, Rachel!”
Hannah was ecstatic and overjoyed with the prospect of taking home both gifts she adored. Quentin, who had already chosen a toy car, heard the good news and promptly picked out another. It had to be said that the young Quentin really loved cars whenever it was time to choose a gift; he always went for the toy cars, and there were already so many different ones at home.
The group left the toy store and continued shopping, picking out gifts for Ximena.
"Mom, let's buy pastries for Grandma Ximena. The ones that Rachel always brings are her favorite," Quentin noted thoughtfully.
"You are so thoughtful, Quentin, remembering what Grandma loves," Madison said proudly, patting her son's head.
"Don't worry, I have got it covered. We'll buy the pastries first thing tomorrow morning. That shop is always popular. They're probably sold out by now."
Watching the group jovially depart, Brianna slowly emerged, her mind racing with confusion. She was sure she hadn't misheard the kids. They had called Madison "Mom".
‘Could it be that Madison had children? Had she remarried? That couldn't be. The kids looked to be over three years old. Could they be Matthew's? Was that she had been pregnant with them when she and Matthew divorced? Why hadn't she told Matthew or William? If the old man had known about her pregnancy, he never would've allowed the divorce. Did Matthew know about the children?’
Having just met with Matthew that morning, Brianna knew he would've been different if he had known about the kids. And there would've been some reaction from William as well. This meant Madison must have kept the children's existence a secret from everyone. No, Matthew must not find out about the children.
Brianna took out her cell phone and dialed a number she hadn't contacted in a long time.
"Hello, I need you to find someone for me."
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