Chapter70Hangover
Matthew woke up to find that it was already evening.
Mitchell hadn't felt comfortable leaving him alone. So, after dropping him off at the apartment, he decided to work from home.
Groggy, Matthew struggled to decipher how he ended up at Mitchell's place. His memory was a blur after drinking at the bar, the details lost.
He stepped out of the room to find Mitchell on the living room couch, immersed in paperwork on his laptop.
Mitchell looked up at the sound of footsteps, relieved to see Matthew awake.
"Matthew, you're up. I ordered soup from The Pepper Pot and just got it delivered—it should still be hot. I’ll get you a bowl."
Without a word, Matthew frowned, walked over, and plopped himself down at the dining table. His hunger was evident—he needed food!
Mitchell pulled the takeout bag onto the table. He hadn't eaten himself, so he served Matthew the soup and got himself some spaghetti.
Sitting face-to-face, both men remained silent. Matthew quietly focused on his meal, barely glancing at Mitchell.
Unable to hold back, Mitchell eventually asked, "Did you lose your phone, Matthew? I tried searching for it yesterday to call your sister to pick you up."
"I forgot to take it when I left," he replied, recalling that it should be on the study room desk back home. He hadn't grabbed it when he left the day before.
"So... do you want a ride later, or should I call you a cab?"
Mitchell figured it was time for him to head home now that Matthew had sobered up.
"Not going back yet. I'll stay here for a few days." While sipping the soup, Matthew’s deadpan expression did nothing to soften the bombshell he had just dropped.
"Why’s that?"
Was Matthew staging a dramatic runaway act, or had Madison kicked him out? Such childish shenanigans were unbecoming at his age.
"No reason."
Mitchell knew there was no prying the story from his lips if Matthew didn't want to talk, so he let it be.
Anyhow, there was an extra room. He could crash there for a while as long as he could tolerate the daily takeout routine.
After finishing their meals, the duo tied the takeout bags with the dirty dishes inside. No fuss, no washing up—takeout was pretty convenient for two guys not inclined to do housework or cook.
Matthew stood up and headed back to his room.
As he walked away, he said, "I'm not going to the office tomorrow. You handle the morning meeting."
"What—"
The sound of a door slamming cut off any further words.
Mitchell resigned himself to the fact that he was left outside. He settled back onto the couch with his laptop, diving into the spreadsheets and reports.
In the morning, Mitchell woke and noticed Matthew's bedroom door was still closed. Recalling the harsh words tossed his way the night before, and he decided not to knock and headed straight to the office.
JK Group's domestic market quarterly meeting was set to take place in the big conference room at headquarters.
The meeting was supposed to be led by Matthew. Not only did Mitchell have to haul a drunken Matthew home from the bar last night, but now he was taking over his duties, too.
Just as Mitchell stepped into his office, a call from Patrick buzzed in.
"Mitchell, the meeting's starting. Hurry up. We're just waiting on you and Matthew now," Patrick urged.
"I'll be right up."
He hung up, grabbed his laptop, and went to the top floor. The large conference room was on the same level as the CEO's office.
In the conference room, Mitchell noticed the usual attendees, except for Victor, who typically managed the international market.
Liam was seated at the left hand of the head of the table, followed by Patrick. Mitchell's spot was traditionally on the right.
But today, Mitchell made a beeline for the CEO's chair and sat down.
"Matthew isn't coming today, so I'll chair the meeting. Let's get started."
No one questioned Mitchell's leading the meeting as it wasn't the first time. Everyone settled down, and the meeting commenced.
Still, Patrick and Liam exchanged puzzled looks. They hadn't heard of any issue that would prevent Matthew from attending.
Patrick had initially thought Matthew was just running late, but now he was a no-show.
Liam raised an eyebrow but said nothing, as the meeting was already underway.
One by one, the department heads and project managers presented their summaries for the quarter and outlined their plans for the next one.
During the break, people began to file out of the room. Patrick sidled to Mitchell and whispered, "Hey, what's up with Matthew? He doesn't miss these meetings. I tried calling him this morning, and he didn't pick up."
Liam, sitting nearby, was all ears, his gaze fixed on Mitchell.
Mitchell let out a helpless sigh.
"Who knows what's gotten into him—looks like he's playing runaway. He's sprawled on my home, phone nowhere on him."
"Seems like Matthew's not on top of things," Patrick commented.
"So he was kicked out because he’s impotent?" Liam was starting to doubt, too, forming a plausible theory.
Mitchell just looked at them, exasperated, as more people trickled in. He stopped paying them any mind.
Patrick returned to his seat, not quite ready to let it go. He leaned over to Liam, muttering and gossiping in low voices.
*
Madison had a restless night and woke up early. Matthew still hadn't returned. Hearing a cell phone ring from the study, she walked in just as it stopped. His phone lay on the desk. About to leave, the ringtone pierced the silence again.
She glanced at the phone, stepped out of the study, and firmly closed the door behind her, leaving the persistent ringing inside.
Heading downstairs, she prepared breakfast for the two little ones, still asleep.
After breakfast was ready, she went upstairs to wake them up, and the kids came down on their own after freshening up.
The three sat down for breakfast, and not seeing Matthew, Hannah Garcia asked, "Mom, where's Dad?"
They were used to him joining them for breakfast lately, so his absence was probably striking.
"Hmm, he went to work," Madison replied.
She had no idea where Matthew went the night before, but he should be at the office at this hour.
In the middle of breakfast, Rachel called to invite Madison to take the kids shopping before the start of the new school term. They needed to get Quentin and Hannah supplies for the new school year.
Hearing their godmother's voice, the kids were delighted, shouting with all their might, "Godmother, godmother, we've missed you!"
It had been a while since they last went out with their godmother. The prospect of a fun outing made them finish their breakfast quickly, much faster than their initial pace.
The call from Rachel momentarily pushed aside the unpleasantness Madison had with Matthew the evening before.
Once the kids were done eating, Madison took them out, all in high spirits for the day ahead.
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