Chapter 105
Matthew paused mid-motion.
He looked down at the little girl in his lap.
Round face, bright eyes, and when she smiled, her mouth curved into a beautiful arc.
Did she look like him? He didn't really think so.
What he thought was that this child looked like Evelyn.
If he and Evelyn had had a child together, this is probably what she would have looked like.
He didn't respond to the comment. He simply held the candy to Chloe's lips. "Eat slowly. Don't choke."
Out in the hallway, Monica rushed over and glanced inside from a distance.
Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest.
The "handsome mister" Chloe had run into at the hospital—was Matthew?
She didn't dare go in.
If Matthew noticed something, everything would fall apart.
"Mon, what's wrong?" Caspian's voice came from behind her.
He'd seen her hurry out of the room, looking anxious, and had followed, using the restroom as an excuse.
"Caspian..." Monica bit her lip and lowered her voice. "Can you please bring Chloe out for me? Don't let Matthew know I'm here."
Caspian froze for a second but didn't ask any questions. He just nodded.
Monica ducked into an empty private room nearby.
Caspian adjusted his collar and walked up to the entrance of Matthew's room.
"I'm Caspian Sinclair from the Sinclair Group," he said to the bodyguards. "I'm here to see Matthew."
The guards recognized him and stepped aside.
Inside the room, Matthew was wiping Chloe's mouth.
Caspian walked over and gave a slight bow. "Mr. Perkins, apologies. A child from the family wandered off."
He reached out toward Chloe. "Chloe, I'm here to pick you up. How did you end up here? Ms. Lawson is going to worry."
Chloe stuck out her tongue and obediently stretched her arms toward him.
"Handsome mister!" Even as she was lifted away, she turned back and waved. "See you next time!"
Matthew's lap felt suddenly empty.
He watched Caspian carry the child out, and an inexplicable sense of loss washed over him.
Was this child Caspian's?
He had some recollection of Caspian—if he remembered correctly, he was the eldest son of the Sinclair family.
Matthew glanced down and noticed a small butterfly pin clipped to his sleeve.
Had Chloe given this to him?
He carefully lifted his hand and gently slipped the pin into his pocket.
Around the corner in the hallway, Monica peeked out. When she saw that no one had followed Caspian, she finally exhaled in relief.
"Thank you," she whispered as she took Chloe from him.
Caspian smiled faintly, said nothing, and turned to walk ahead of her.
When they returned to the room, Niamh and Wilder were mid-conversation. Seeing them come back, they didn't ask any questions.
By the time dinner wrapped up, it was past nine.
Once they were in the car, Pearl let out a soft gasp.
"What is it?" Monica asked.
"Chloe's butterfly pin is gone." Pearl searched frantically. "Mrs. Gray had that custom-made. There's only one in the world..."
"I gave it to the handsome mister," Chloe chimed in sweetly. "He bought me dinner."
Pearl froze, mouth open, at a loss for words.
Monica froze too.
When did this kid get so close to her own father?
After thinking it over, she decided to keep it from Evelyn for now.
By the time they returned to the villa, the workspace had emptied out, and the living room was quiet.
Caleb sat on the sofa with a book, his head nodding as drowsiness crept in. Still, he refused to go to bed.
When he heard the door open, he looked up. Seeing Chloe return, he finally set the book down.
"Chloe, why are you back so late?" he asked, his tone carrying a touch of restrained concern.
"Dinner ran a bit late," Monica answered quickly.
Pearl explained to Evelyn, somewhat guiltily, about Chloe running off to see the "handsome mister" and giving him the pin.
Evelyn listened and said nothing at first. Then she crouched down and looked at Chloe.
"Chloe, didn't Mama tell you last time?" Her voice was soft but serious. "You need to keep your distance from strangers. Why did you go eat with someone again?"
Chloe shook her head, completely confident. "That was the second time I saw the handsome mister, so he's not a stranger. He's a good person. And since he bought me food, I gave him the pin."
Evelyn was momentarily stumped by her daughter's ironclad logic. She nodded helplessly. Well... she guessed that sort of makes sense?
Monica, worried the conversation might spiral and lead Evelyn to figure out who the man was, quickly changed the subject. "Eve, aren't you taking the kids back to Seaside City tomorrow?"
Evelyn nodded, her gaze drifting to the urn resting above the fireplace. "It's time... to lay Mother to rest beside Grandpa, Grandma, and Dad."
The next day at noon, the plane touched down in Seaside City.
Monica was busy searching for a place to stay and establishing business connections, so she didn't come along.
This time, in addition to the bodyguards, Logan accompanied Evelyn and the children.
Since the kids were born, Logan had spent less and less time at Susan's side.
Instead, he'd grown closer to Chloe and Caleb.
Somehow, this grown man had become genuine friends with two toddlers.
After exiting the airport, Logan and Evelyn each pushed a stroller toward the parking lot.
The air in Seaside City was just as she remembered—humid, laced with the scent of the ocean breeze.
Evelyn held Linda's urn in her arms, her mood heavy.
In the final days before her passing, Linda had enjoyed a rare period of clarity.
During that time, she watched Chloe and Caleb every day, her eyes full of tenderness.
"Eve, I can feel that I'm going soon." One day, she'd held Evelyn's hand, her voice soft but strangely calm. "With the children here, you won't be alone. I can tell Susan cares for you and the kids deeply. That puts my heart at ease."
"It's just a shame... I won't get to see Chloe and Caleb grow up." She smiled—a smile without fear, only peace. "I'm going to be with your father now. Don't be sad. I'm just going to another world."
Evelyn didn't know if this was a release for Linda.
But she knew that at least when Linda left, she had been at peace.
The old caretaker of the cemetery had retired. His son had taken over—also getting on in years now, his hair half gray.
When he saw Evelyn, he greeted her warmly.
"Miss Arden, you've arrived."
"Everything's been prepared just as you requested. Please, follow me."