Chapter 125
Seeing Chloe cry, Matthew's heart nearly broke.
He quickly crouched down, his large hands clumsily wiping her tears.
"Chloe, where are you hurt?" Matthew's voice was cautious.
"I'm not hurt..." Chloe sobbed, tears still flowing. "Handsome mister, I called you but no one answered..."
"I waited outside the building alone for so, so long..."
She cried breathlessly, her small body shaking with sobs.
Matthew's heart ached. He scooped her up, gently patting her back like he was soothing something precious and fragile. "It's all my fault. I promise I'll never miss your calls again."
Chloe nodded, burying her face in his shoulder, saying softly, "Handsome mister, I almost didn't get to see you..."
The guard watching on the side nearly had his eyes pop out.
He never imagined this child actually knew Matthew.
The head of Limbo Inc. himself!
Panicked, he stuttered, "Mr. Perkins, I really didn't know she knew you... really didn't know... if I'd known, I would never have..."
Matthew shot him a cold glance and walked straight back into the building with Chloe in his arms.
As he walked, he called Caleb. "Chloe's been found."
"Put her on." Caleb's voice was composed and calm.
Matthew held the phone to Chloe's ear.
"Caleb!" Chloe's voice still carried tears.
"Chloe, were you crying?" Caleb's voice finally showed a hint of emotion. "We're coming to get you right now."
"No need, Caleb. I can come home by myself." Chloe sniffled, speaking quite seriously.
Matthew took the phone back.
"I'll take care of her," he said. "Don't worry too much."
The other end went quiet for a few seconds.
When Caleb's voice sounded again, it carried a colder edge. "If you can't ensure you'll answer her calls, don't give her your contact information."
"And don't make promises like that again."
"We'll arrange to pick her up immediately."
Matthew felt his chest tighten at those words.
He wanted to say something, but the line had already gone dead.
As noon approached, more people came out to eat.
Matthew carrying a child through the lobby drew everyone's shocked stares.
Those gazes held curiosity, speculation, disbelief—they'd never seen Matthew hold a child before.
Realizing Chloe had left home that morning and must be hungry, Matthew had his secretary order a children's meal.
While Chloe ate, he confirmed she was emotionally stable before quietly stepping out.
The head of security and the head of administration stood ashen-faced at the door, the guard cowering behind them.
"Mr. Perkins, I really didn't mean to..." the guard was still making excuses.
"Enough." Matthew's voice wasn't loud, but it was cold as ice. "You should be grateful Chloe wasn't harmed. Otherwise, dying a thousand times wouldn't be enough."
He turned to the HR manager nearby. "Have all three of them leave Limbo Inc. before the end of the day."
"And they can never be hired by Limbo Inc. or any Perkins Group subsidiaries again."
The HR manager quickly nodded.
"Mr. Perkins!" The two supervisors' faces went white. "We didn't even know about this!"
"Inadequate training—isn't that your problem?" Matthew looked at them coldly. "Or do you have objections?"
Cowed by his presence, they nodded ashen-faced.
The three left dejectedly with the HR manager.
Matthew changed his expression and pushed the door back into the room.
Chloe had nearly finished eating, only broccoli remaining on her plate.
"All done, Chloe?" He smiled and sat across from her. "Why didn't you eat the broccoli?"
"Children need to eat more vegetables to stay healthy."
"I'm allergic to broccoli." Chloe answered sweetly.
Matthew froze.
He was also allergic to broccoli.
This allergy wasn't common, yet somehow...
"My oversight." He set aside that moment of distraction, his voice even gentler. "Tell me everything you like and don't like to eat, okay? I'll make sure to pay attention next time."
Chloe nodded and counted on her fingers, listing off dishes.
Matthew listened attentively, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.
He suddenly had a strange feeling, like he was raising a daughter.
Not metaphorically, but that real sensation of something inside him being filled.
After Chloe finished eating, her emotions stabilized.
She carefully pulled a puppy from her backpack—the little thing was listless and barely whimpering. "Handsome mister, I came to find you today because of something very, very important."
"What is it?" Matthew glanced at the puppy, unsure what she meant by "very important."
"Handsome mister, do you have a dog at home? Can you help me take care of this puppy? My brother's allergic, so I can't keep it." She looked up at him pitifully. "I found it in the garden. If I don't take care of it, no one will."
"I can give all my allowance to buy meat for the puppy!"
Matthew's heart melted completely.
He nodded solemnly. "Okay."
"But you can never leave home without telling anyone again."
"Your family will worry. Promise me?"
"Yes!" Chloe nodded vigorously. "Let's pinky promise."
She held up her pinky finger. Matthew carefully hooked it with his.
"It's a deal."
Seeing the puppy's lethargic state, Matthew decided to take it to a nearby veterinary hospital first.
He carried Chloe out of his office.
Passing the executive office, Chloe's hair tie broke and her hair cascaded down.
She had naturally thick hair, and when the tie broke, it exploded like a little lion's mane, covering half her face.
Matthew stood there helplessly. He'd never tied a little girl's hair before.
A quick-witted female employee immediately held up the hair tie on her wrist. "Mr. Perkins, let me tie her hair. I have a younger sister at home. I do hers all the time."
Matthew nodded and brought Chloe over.
The employee worked deftly, quickly tying Chloe's hair into two buns that made her round face look even rounder and cuter.
She even held up a mirror for Chloe. "Little one, do you like this hairstyle?"
"I love it! Thank you." Chloe smiled happily.
Matthew looked at the employee. "What's your name?"
"Mr. Perkins, I'm Delta Garcia."
"Have HR double your salary this month."
Delta bowed, overwhelmed with gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Perkins!"
Matthew nodded faintly and walked toward the elevator with Chloe.
As soon as he left, the executive office erupted.
"Delta, your luck is off the charts!"
"So many of us in the executive office and Mr. Perkins doesn't even know our names!"
Delta herself felt incredibly lucky and said she'd treat everyone tonight with a smile.
Someone suddenly asked, "But who is that child? Why is Mr. Perkins so good to her?"
"Yeah, I've never seen Mr. Perkins hold a child before."
Delta thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "Don't you think... that child looks a bit like Mr. Perkins?"
"But she might be a child from the Perkins family too," someone added.
"True, true."
The topic quickly passed.