Chapter 55 Willow and Quinn Pay a Visit
Originally planning to return to the villa the next day, William insisted Madison and the kids stay, saying to Matthew, "You go on with your work if you're busy."
Matthew sometimes genuinely felt as though Madison was Grandpa's real granddaughter. Seeing that the kids also enjoyed their time at Grandpa’s house, he decided to stay on. After another two days, the family of four finally returned to the villa.
Back at the villa, Madison noticed that Matthew didn't seem to be planning to go to the company and that he hadn't been seen working during the day recently, spending all his time playing with Quentin and Hannah instead, only retreating to the study room after dinner to attend to business.
Is the CEO of JK Group really this free now?
At the JK Group headquarters on the top floor, Willow came for three consecutive days only to find her cousin absent. On inquiring, Matthew's secretary revealed that he hadn't been to the office in two weeks. Willow urgently called Matthew's phone but got no answer, so she quickly dialed Patrick.
"Patrick, they say Matthew hasn't come to the office for two weeks, and he's not answering my phone call. Could something have happened? Has he been in touch with you?"
Willow was worried that Matthew might have fallen ill at home once again without anyone knowing. The mere thought made her anxious.
"Matthew's on vacation," Patrick said, his voice lacking enthusiasm, "We've been in touch, mostly video meetings at night. I haven't seen him in person, though."
"Patrick, what's wrong with you?"
"What can be wrong? With Matthew on vacation, I'm swamped with work—too many things to handle. Anyway, I can't talk now. Maybe you should go check on him. I don't have any idea about his situation." Although Patrick wanted to visit, he was too busy to leave the office, and he was amazed at how Matthew had handled everything in the past. There was so much to do. For now, it seemed best to let Willow take a look.
Willow had just hung up with Patrick when Quinn called her.
"Willow, where are you? Not at the office? I'm actually back at the company today since I don't have to be on set. Let's have lunch together. You mentioned wanting to try the newly opened restaurant last time." Liam primarily handled the entertainment division from the 10th to 15th floors of JK Group’s building, but Quinn was seldom in the office, usually out on fieldwork.
Willow was on the 20th floor with the headquarters project team. It was rare for Quinn to ask her out for lunch, but with Matthew on her mind, she was still worried. "Quinn, Matthew hasn't been in for two weeks. Patrick said he's on vacation, and I want to go check on him. I hope it's not like last time when he was sick and didn't go to the hospital."
"Matthew hasn't been in for two weeks? That's weird!"
"Yes, so about lunch..."
"Let's plan for another lunch then. I'll come with you. I'm free this afternoon anyway."
"That would be great. Let's meet in the underground parking lot, and we can take my car."
"Okay, see you in a bit."
After meeting in the garage, Willow drove toward Matthew's villa.
*
Upon arriving at the villa and parking the car, the two walked to the front door, and Willow rang the doorbell.
Inside, Madison was working on design drafts in her room. She had received a call from Rachel in the morning. There was a new order from a client, and it looked like she was going to be busy.
Unaware that Madison was immersed in her designs, Matthew thought she was tired and had gone to rest in her room. Meanwhile, he enjoyed a rare moment with Quentin and Hannah as they watched cartoons in the living room.
When the doorbell rang, Hannah sprinted to be the first to answer it. "Dad, I'll get the door."
The moment the door opened, the expressions of the people inside and outside the house varied. Willow stood frozen in place, Quinn looked on with curiosity, and Hannah was visibly excited.
“Pretty lady! How did you know I live here? Are you here to see me?” Hannah’s childish voice brought Willow back to reality, and Quinn grew even more curious. Did the two know each other?
“No, it's... how... why... why are you here!?” Willow felt as if she had stepped into a fantasy world, wondering why the adorable little girl she had met at the airport was in her cousin’s home.
“This is my dad’s house, so I live here with Dad, Mom, and my brother, right?” Hannah was puzzled by the pretty lady’s strange question.
Willow ran out to check the address and hurried back. She hadn’t made a mistake.
“So, pretty lady, are you here to see me?” Hannah thought the pretty lady was acting a bit odd today.
Inside, Matthew wondered why Hannah hadn’t come back after opening the door for so long, so he got up and moved toward the entrance. “Hannah, who is it? Why haven’t they come in?”
Hearing her dad’s voice, Hannah turned and called out loudly, “Dad, it’s the pretty lady, and she’s here to see me!”
Willow also heard the voice of her cousin and, together with Quinn, was rooted to the spot in shock. Matthew reached the front door and saw Willow and Quinn. “What brings you two here? Come on in,” he said, perplexed as to when Hannah had gotten to know them.
They followed Matthew into the living room with stiff limbs and saw a little boy watching TV, whom Willow recognized as Hannah’s brother. She had seen his face before when dining out with her parents and Matthew and thought he looked familiar. Could it be that he was really Matthew’s child?
They all took seats on the sofa, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward. Hannah spoke to Quentin. “Quentin, it’s the pretty lady from the airport, the same one we saw at the restaurant, remember?”
Quentin looked at Willow and recalled the kind lady who had helped Hannah in the airport restroom.
Matthew couldn’t help but chime in when he heard Hannah calling her “pretty lady,” “She’s actually your auntie, not just some lady.”
“Huh, why’s that?”
“Because she’s Dad’s cousin, so you and your brother could call her auntie.”
"Then it’s pretty auntie there. Is the pretty lady next to her also an auntie?" Hannah asked, blinking her big eyes with pure curiosity.
"She could be," Matthew nodded.
The two little ones sweetly greeted everyone, melting Willow and Quinn's hearts with their charm, winning them over completely.
Willow felt conflicted. The kids were already so grown up. Could Matthew really be a cheating scumbag who had an affair during his marriage? She had just heard Hannah mention that her mom also lived there, but she hadn’t seen her. Perhaps that woman was upstairs, which would explain why she found a black gown in Matthew’s room last time. Maybe it belonged to their mom.
She really hasn't misjudged Matthew as a scoundrel. She used to think that after Madison left, Matthew only let Brianna use his name to swindle people because, after all, Brianna never really made any progress with Matthew. Once, Willow accidentally overheard a meeting where it seemed that Matthew was investigating his parents’ death, which also seemed to involve Brianna. It might explain why she was so brazen.
But she didn't expect that the other woman's children would grow this big. She thought Matthew might have come to his senses after Madison left. Although the kids were adorable, she couldn't tolerate the infidelity.
Thinking all this, Willow looked up and stared at Matthew with a strong gaze, leaving Matthew puzzled by her look.
He thought to himself, ‘What’s that look? You can feel free to leave, ok?’
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