Chapter 56 The Other Woman Is Madison?
Willow glanced at Quinn, and then Quinn asked, "Hannah, where is your mom?"
"My mom is probably in her room. She might be drawing, reading a book, or maybe sleeping. Dad told us not to disturb Mom, so we didn't go upstairs," Hannah explained smartly to Quinn.
Madison, who was upstairs working on design drafts, was making good progress thanks to the quiet. Seeing that it was nearly noon, she got up to go downstairs.
Just as she reached the stairway, she heard the voices of other people. Were there visitors? After descending, Madison saw not only Matthew, Quentin, and Hannah but also Willow and Quinn seated on the couch.
Madison hadn't expected to see those two and felt a bit awkward for a moment. Looking up and seeing her mom coming down, Hannah called out loudly, "Mom."
The word "Mom" captured everyone's attention as they all turned to look at Madison in unison. Hannah and Quentin hopped off the sofa and ran to her side, each grabbing one of Madison's hands, excitedly introducing her to Willow and Quinn. Hannah also told Madison about the time they encountered Willow at the airport and the restaurant.
Matthew listened to Hannah's conversation with Madison, and a recollection clicked wasn't that the restaurant where he and Willow went to after picking up her parents from the airport? It must have been the same day Madison and the kids returned. They even dined at the same place! He had felt a familiar presence at the airport that looked like Madison but had dismissed it as his imagination. So, it really was her!
Madison, holding the hands of the two little ones, headed toward the living room sofa.
Only then did Willow and Quinn snap out of it.
Willow thought to herself, appalled, ‘The other woman I've been mentally cursing turns out to be Madison? So, the adorable kids are Matthew's and his wife's, yet they're getting a divorce even as she's pregnant. It seemed there's no mistress, but my cousin is still a jerk!’
Seeing Madison coming over, Willow and Quinn eagerly engaged her in conversation, mainly about the kids. Quentin and Hannah also joined in enthusiastically. Their warmth soon melted away the initial awkwardness Madison felt.
Matthew, watching the lively group, felt a bit like a third wheel.
Noticing it was getting late, Madison invited Willow and Quinn to stay for lunch, and they accepted without hesitation. They had always enjoyed her cooking and didn’t want to miss an opportunity for a good meal. Though they hadn't managed to dine at the new restaurant, they were thrilled to enjoy her homemade dishes instead.
After lunch, the pair continued to play with Hannah and Quentin, insisting that Madison take a break while they looked after the kids. Seeing them enjoying the company of their two 'aunties,' Madison went upstairs confidently to continue her work.
Matthew stood nearby with an indifferent and somewhat disdainful expression, astonished that not only had the pair stayed for lunch, but they didn't seem to be leaving afterward. "You two sure seem to have a lot of free time. Don't you have jobs to go to?"
Willow and Quinn were playing with such enthusiasm with Hannah and Quentin that Willow didn't even glance back at Matthew. "Not busy at all. Quinn doesn’t have to be on set today, so we both took the afternoon off."
"So why did you come here?" Matthew asked with a tone of displeasure when he heard that the two really weren't planning to leave.
Willow stood up excitedly, got defensive at her cousin's tone, and thought, Is he trying to drive us away? Well, we just won't leave, that’ll show him.'
Willow turned to Matthew and said, "We came to see you, of course. When I went to your office, they said you hadn't been to the office for a long time, and I called Patrick, who only knew you were on leave but not much else. I was worried, so Quinn and I came to check on you. If I had known... Madison was back, I would have..."
Matthew remained in his relaxed, reclined posture with his legs crossed, not feeling threatened or embarrassed in the slightest. He asked calmly, "What do you want to do?"
"Nothing, hmph, talk about ungrateful," Willow huffed, turning back to join the children in building with blocks, muttering under her breath, "If I had known Madison was back, with two adorable babies to boot, I would have come over much sooner, not waited till today."
Matthew knew Willow and the others cared about him, but they always overstayed their visits and freeloaded off meals, and even though he wasn't the one who cooked, it irked him.
He no longer bothered to stick around watching over the two small friends and the two big ones, and he climbed the stairs.
Approaching Hannah’s partially open door, he could see Madison under the desk lamp, her head bowed over her work, drawing something intently.
Under the bright light, her slender silhouette was cast on the floor, her beautiful hair spilling over her shoulders. Matthew stood outside the door for a while before heading toward the study.
Indeed, Willow and Quinn did stay for dinner that evening. Quentin and Hannah had already become chummy with the two aunties and had even made plans to go to the arcade the next morning. Quinn, needing to be on set, expressed her regret and insisted on making plans to hang out with the little ones next time.
After dinner, seeing Matthew with a sour face, Willow and Quinn didn’t feel right overstaying their welcome, so after confirming the time for tomorrow's outing with the kids, they left.
In the evening, after Madison had prepared the two little ones for bed, they still shared a room with her in Hannah's room. Once they fell asleep, Madison remembered how, earlier at dinner, Willow had asked Matthew when he'd return to work. He said he would go back tomorrow. With Quentin and Hannah's school starting soon, Matthew had been spending all this time with them but hadn't talked to her about any arrangements for the kids. She thought it might be time to have that talk.
Stepping out of the room, Madison saw the light in the study was still on. Matthew hadn't retired for the night yet, so she walked over and knocked.
Matthew's deep voice came through from inside.
"Come in."
Madison opened the door and entered to find Matthew at his desk, working on paperwork. Even though he'd been on leave, he hadn't indeed taken a break, as he had only skipped traveling. He'd handle work late into the night, dealing with the documents.
Entering, Madison saw Matthew absorbed in his work, pen in hand, and she hesitated, unsure how to broach her concerns.
Matthew looked up and saw it was Madison before setting aside his paperwork and pen.
"What is it? Do you need something?"
Madison was silent for a moment, and Matthew waited patiently.
"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about Quentin and Hannah."
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