Chapter 60 The Childish Matthew
Matthew sat in the upstairs study, computer on and documents sprawled across the desk, yet he couldn’t focus on the words in front of him. His attention drifted to the sounds from downstairs, straining to hear if Madison had returned. Quentin mentioned she went to visit their godmother, which was news to him. When had they befriended a godmother in Horizon City? And he remembered Madison mentioning going back to Frostpine, so had they been living in Frostpine all these years?
While lost in thought, he waited for Madison to return home. Since arriving at five, it wasn't until past eight that he finally heard her voice, coupled with Willow mentioning about him not having eaten and the chatter of the two kids, which brought peace to his restless heart.
Upstairs, Matthew was vigilant to each sound from below. After hearing Willow leave and Madison telling the children to pick up their toys, he listened for her steps coming up. He quickly took his seat, pretending to be engrossed in his papers. After a considerable wait without hearing a knock, he left the room and discovered all three had already returned to their room!
Didn't she know he hadn’t eaten? Why hadn’t she cooked for him or at least made some noodles? Did eating out mean they no longer cared for him?
He had forgotten that Willow had brought food home for him, which he had angrily refused.
Being hungry out of his childish temper, the Mr. CEO marched to Hannah's door and knocked.
Madison had just finished a bedtime story for the two little ones, who, exhausted from the day's play, quickly fell asleep.
She opened the door to find Matthew looking gloomy, still in his pristine suit. Was he busy? Why hadn't he taken a bath yet? She wondered what he wanted this late.
"I haven't eaten dinner," he said, his sullen expression betraying him as his tone matched the whiny demeanor of Hannah's and Quentin's when they craved snacks.
"I know," Madison replied, bewildered. She was well aware. Willow had told her he went upstairs after saying he wasn't hungry. So, what now?
"I want to eat pasta," Matthew proclaimed while Madison stood inside the doorway, looking up at him with confusion, sensing something off with him today.
Wanting pasta, he could have just cooked it in the kitchen. It didn't warrant a special announcement by knocking on her door. It wasn’t her house he didn’t need her permission. Even if it were her house, being hungry and wanting to cook pasta wasn't something he needed to report to her about.
Matthew looked at the dazed little woman in front of him and couldn't muster any irritation. The two of them just stood there, separated by a door.
Madison snapped back to reality and tried to speak up, "Do you want me to cook some pasta for you?"
At last, Matthew's expression softened, "Sure."
As he turned and went downstairs, Madison watched his leaving figure, thinking of him as a childish and petulant man.
Madison went to the kitchen and whipped up a simple dish of pasta with cooked with garlic and oil, topped with a fried egg. It was plain but looked quite appetizing. Matthew sat at the dining table, doing nothing but waiting for the food to be served.
After Madison set the pasta on the table, she prepared to head back upstairs.
Noticing she was about to leave, Matthew called out in a hurry, "Wait a minute."
Madison was puzzled. The pasta was served. Didn't he say he was hungry? Why wasn't he eating now, and what else could he want?
"What's up?" she asked.
Matthew didn't really know what he wanted to say. He just knew he didn't want her to leave when he saw her about to go, hence the impulsive call.
Madison, seeing Matthew remain silent, thought he was acting weird today. Actually, she found him strange ever since their recent reunion.
"If it's nothing, I'm going to rest upstairs. Once you've finished, just place the dishes in the sink," she told him.
"I'm planning to hire a housekeeper to clean the house once a week. What do you think?" Matthew blurted out as he saw her leaving again.
"That's fine. Whatever you decide," Madison thought that surely the villa's cleanliness was never his own doing—it must have been Carl, the executive assistant, who arranged for regular cleaning. Now, was he considering hiring a regular housekeeper?
"If you have no objections, I'll ask Carl to make the arrangements," Matthew said, worried whether Madison would be comfortable with strangers coming in. Since she didn't object, having someone to help with the housework could give her a break.
Madison felt this kind of thing didn't need her opinion. They were going to move out once they bought a house, so whether or not to hire a housekeeper was his business.
"Anything else?" Madison yawned. She truly wanted to retreat to her room to wash up and sleep. Who would want to eat and chat in the middle of the night?
Pretending not to notice Madison's lack of interest in staying outside her room, Matthew continued.
"I've found schools for Quentin and Hannah. They can start as soon as the term begins."
Perking up at the news, Madison felt energized. With the schools settled, she could start house hunting, preferably close to the schools for convenience.
Seeing Madison's interest, Matthew knew she was most concerned about their two children. While eating, he enthusiastically explained, "It's bilingual education with teachers of various backgrounds. They offer all sorts of extracurricular activities, so there's typically no need for additional classes. The school organizes international summer camps twice a year, and they have a program covering early childhood through high school."
Madison found the school quite impressive. She'd never worried about Quentin and Hannah’s education and was not surprised that Matthew had almost finalized the school choice in just a day. For the CEO of JK Group, it really was a trivial matter. Still, she guessed the tuition must be quite high.
"Is the tuition expensive?"
"You don't have to worry about the tuition. I'll have Carl send you the rest of the school's information tomorrow. You can review it, and if you're not satisfied, we can consider other options."
"All right." Madison felt sure she wouldn’t have any complaints. Such a prestigious school had to be better than the small kindergarten in Frostpine. She was mainly interested in the exact location to start looking online for nearby neighborhoods to see if there were suitable houses for sale.
"I'll head upstairs now. Take your time with your meal." Without waiting for Matthew to respond, Madison quickly excused herself, worried he might start another conversation she’d prefer to avoid.
Watching her flee, Matthew's lips curled into a smile before he turned back, finishing the last bite in his plate. Breaking his usual habit, he took the plate to the kitchen, washed it, and put it away before leisurely heading to his room for a shower.
After the shower, he casually draped a bathrobe over himself, loosely fitting, with water droplets trailing down from his jawline to his neck. His muscle contours were visible at the open collar, his hair blow-dried to a semi-dry tousled look. The evening's Matthew lacked his daytime austerity, exuding a kind of gentle softness. The yellow light by the bed bathed the room in a warm glow.
He lay on the bed and reached to open the bedside drawer, glancing at the medicine bottle inside, then closed it again. It had been over half a month since Madison and the children moved into the villa, and it seemed he could now comfortably sleep through the night without medication, knowing they were just in the next room. A deep-seated tenderness within him felt surrounded and secure.
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