Chapter 237 Pursuing Her

Chapter 237 Pursuing Her

After Matilda's figure disappeared from the doorway, the living room fell silent for a few seconds.

Thomas stood frozen in place, his right hand still suspended in the position from which she'd shaken free, fingers slightly curled.

Lorna slammed down her cup with a cold laugh. "She's got some nerve. You turned the Gray Family upside down for her, and she didn't even say thank you—just stormed off. This is the woman you're so desperate to protect?"

"What's so special about her anyway?"

Thomas turned to face Lorna.

The look in his eyes made her stomach drop, but she forced herself to continue.

"Are you really that desperate? Like she's the only woman on earth?"

Thomas didn't respond.

Wesley leaned heavily on his cane and let out a deep sigh.

"Enough. Everyone stop." Wesley tapped his cane against the floor, exhaustion written across his face. "Thomas handled this poorly, yes. But Matilda has every right to be angry. Anyone would be, after being hurt that many times. You can't expect her to just forgive and forget."

Lorna's expression shifted. "Dad, what are you saying?"

Wesley waved her off, too tired to argue further.

Rose watched Thomas's cold profile, a flicker of hope stirring in her chest.

Matilda had been so heartless to him—he must be devastated.

Rose stumbled to her feet and rushed over to Thomas, reaching for his sleeve.

"Thomas, I know I was wrong." She lifted her tear-streaked face, her voice dripping with remorse. "I only did those things because I care about you so much. Look—she doesn't care about you at all. I'm the only one who does."

Thomas glanced down at the hand clutching his sleeve.

The next second, he jerked his arm away.

The force sent Rose staggering backward. Her heel twisted, and she crashed to the floor.

"Get away from me."

His words were merciless.

Ethan rushed forward and caught Rose by the shoulders, frowning at Thomas. "Was that really necessary? She apologized!"

But Thomas was already heading for the door.

At the threshold, he paused and turned his head slightly, his voice devoid of warmth.

"From now on, I don't want to see either of you in Harmony City."

With that, he strode out of the living room.

Ethan stood frozen, his expression dark.

Rose sat on the floor clutching her reddened wrist, trembling all over.

She bit down hard on her lower lip—whether from pain or rage was unclear—as tears streamed down her face.

Wesley shook his head, pushed himself up with his cane, and left with the butler's assistance.

---

After leaving the Stuart Family estate, Matilda didn't stop. She hailed a cab straight home.

She sank down onto the floor by the entrance, leaning against the wall with her knees pulled to her chest.

Her mind was chaos.

The scenes from earlier kept replaying in her head.

She closed her eyes.

Forget it.

Just stop thinking.

That night, Matilda sent an email to her company saying she needed to leave town for a week due to personal matters and asked the other directors to handle things in her absence.

Then she pulled out her suitcase and threw some clothes in haphazardly. She needed to get out of here.

Away from Thomas. Away from Harmony City and all this mess.

Even just a few days would help.

---

The next evening, Thomas woke to sharp pain in his stomach.

He opened his eyes and found himself on the sofa in his study, empty bottles scattered across the coffee table.

He pressed his fingers to his temples and sat up, his head pounding.

He couldn't remember how much he'd drunk last night.

Only that he'd kept drinking until he blacked out.

He pulled out his phone. The screen was blank—no messages from Matilda.

For some reason, he just wanted to hear her voice.

He dialed her number.

It went straight to voicemail.

He tried again. Still nothing.

Thomas's brow furrowed. He drove straight to Matilda's place. Empty.

He went to her office next. The receptionist recognized him and let him through.

But Matilda wasn't there either.

Panic began to set in. He called Brent.

"Where is Matilda right now? Why isn't she answering my calls? Find out where she is."

Fifteen minutes later, Brent called back, his tone hesitant.

"Mr. Stuart, Ms. Beaufort took a flight out of Harmony City this morning. Her phone's been off ever since."

Thomas's grip on the phone tightened.

---

She left?

He shot to his feet so abruptly he nearly stumbled.

A wave of panic—unlike anything he'd ever felt—crashed over him.

He stood there, clutching his phone, something wild flickering in his eyes.

She wasn't playing games.

She really didn't want to see him anymore.

Thomas took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Maybe she just needed to clear her head. She was responsible—she wouldn't just abandon her company.

But what if she really wasn't planning to come back?

That night, Thomas did something unprecedented: he showed up at Brent's door.

Brent answered in his pajamas, certain he was dreaming when he saw who was standing there.

"Mr. Stuart? What are you doing here?"

"Let me in." Thomas walked straight inside.

Brent hurried after him.

Thomas sat down on Brent's sofa and stayed silent for half a minute before speaking.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

Brent blinked. "Huh?"

"A woman's angry. Won't answer calls or texts, and she left. What do I do?"

Brent was speechless.

He'd worked for Thomas for six years and had never heard him sound like this.

"Mr. Stuart, are you talking about Ms. Beaufort?"

Thomas didn't answer, but his expression said everything.

Brent swallowed hard and tried to think. "Generally speaking, if a woman leaves, going after her tends to work. And when you apologize, it has to be sincere. Not just words."

"What does sincere mean?"

"It means showing her you actually care. Not giving orders—really humbling yourself."

Thomas's brow furrowed.

---

He'd lived nearly thirty years and had no idea how to humble himself.

But right now, he didn't care about his pride anymore.

"Book me a flight." Thomas stood. "The earliest one tomorrow."

Brent hesitated. "It's late—first class is probably sold out."

"I don't care. Whatever gets me there fastest."

Thomas walked to the door, then stopped and looked back at Brent.

"Also, find out what women generally like."

Brent opened his mouth, but seeing Thomas's deadly serious expression, he swallowed the sarcastic comment on the tip of his tongue.

"Yes, Mr. Stuart. I'll look into it right away."

After the door closed, Brent stood alone in his living room, trying to process what just happened.

He felt like he was witnessing history.

Was Thomas actually about to start pursuing her?