Dolores was taken aback. There was no anesthesia in the first aid kit, and even if there was, she wouldn’t know how to administer it. She had little knowledge of medications, but she understood that anesthesia should only be given by a doctor.
So how would she relieve his pain?
“Why don’t you go to the hospital? Your injury seems quite serious,” she suggested, feeling the warm and humid breath between them. But before she could finish her sentence, her mouth was sealed, leaving Dolores stunned. She raised her hand, but he firmly grasped it, preventing her from pushing him away. His kiss was more intense than before, and Dolores’s body tensed up. She closed her eyes, savoring the taste, wondering if it felt the same as that night. In that moment, her heart raced, as if it could burst out of her chest at any moment.
She wanted to forget that night, but the memory remained vivid. While Dolores remembered it clearly, Matthew seemed lost in a haze. He was barely aware of his surroundings and unclear about the details of that night. He only knew that he had slept with a woman and taken her innocence. He felt responsible for her.
The desire Dolores ignited in him was perfect, something Helen had never provided.
“Aren’t you afraid?” His eyes, sparkling and deep like water, were remarkably captivating. He looked at her profoundly. “Don’t you realize how dangerous it was?”
He was genuinely surprised by her boldness.
Dolores held her breath. Scared? How could she not be scared? But in that moment, she acted without much thought. If she had calmly considered it for just three seconds, perhaps she wouldn’t have done it.
Now she wondered how Beulah could act without considering the consequences. What triggered her actions? Had something happened when Matthew visited the Flores family with her the other day?
Matthew’s gaze shifted to her moist lips, and although she still despised him, it wasn’t as intense as before. Was she getting used to his kisses?
“What are you thinking?” Matthew took over the bandage and covered his wound.
Dolores was distracted, noticing that he was bandaging his wound. She voiced her doubts, “Has Beulah lost her mind? How could she dare to cause trouble here… That day, did you touch-”
Matthew stared at her coldly and profoundly. What did she mean? Did she doubt him?
This was a mystery to Dolores. Beulah causing so much trouble without regard for her own safety must have been triggered by something significant. There had to be a reason for her insane behavior.
“I didn’t!” he practically shouted. What did she take him for? Did she think he would sleep with any woman?
“Then why did she come here causing trouble, even putting her life at risk? Although what she did was incredibly foolish, she wouldn’t have acted so insanely if she hadn’t been pushed to the limit.”
Dolores couldn’t figure it out, but Matthew knew it must be related to Randolph. His eyes darkened. Matthew didn’t say anything, and Dolores thought he didn’t know.
“It’s fine. I’ll go back to work now.” She remained skeptical and packed up the first aid kit. Matthew acknowledged her, contemplating something, and reminded her, “Randolph might come looking for you in the next couple of days.”
Dolores froze and turned to him, asking, “How do you know?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she seemed to realize something. “Were you involved in what happened to the Flores Group?” She didn’t know the specifics, but she was certain that it had something to do with Matthew. Otherwise, Beulah wouldn’t have acted so recklessly.
“Why did you do it?” Dolores didn’t feel sorry for Beulah or Randolph, but she couldn’t comprehend Matthew’s actions.
Matthew scoffed, “You endured her abuse, but you won’t allow me to flex my muscles?”
Dolores took a deep breath, contemplating which incident this grudge was based on. After some quiet contemplation, she decided that this man couldn’t be offended.
Just as Dolores finished packing the first aid kit and was about to leave the office, someone knocked on the door.
Matthew stood up and returned to his desk, calmly saying, “Come in.”
Abbott entered with some documents and was surprised to see Dolores in the room.
“These are all the documents related to the Flores Group,” Abbott said, handing them over to Matthew.
Dolores paused upon hearing the mention of the Flores Group, curious to learn about what she didn’t know.
“Would you like to take a look?” Matthew asked, noticing her expression.
Dolores nodded, responding sincerely, “Yes.”
Matthew declined taking over the documents and instead nodded toward Abbott. “Give them to her,” he instructed, subtly signaling with his chin.
Abbott’s eyes and mouth widened in surprise. When did Dolores become so familiar with Mr. Nelson? His eyes twitched, momentarily failing to grasp Matthew’s instructions.
“Abbott?” Dolores reached out her hands and called out to him when he hesitated to hand her the documents.
“Huh? Oh, here you go.” Abbott handed over the documents, adding with a hint of disdain, “These are the sales figures of the Flores Group for the past few years. It’s been a downward spiral.”
It wasn’t that Abbott held personal contempt for Randolph, but he felt that the man hardly deserved any respect.
The Flores Group, originally a family business, had transformed into a corporation. It was Randolph’s grandfather who initiated the enterprise. Although their ascent wasn’t meteoric, their growth had been steady and consistent over the years.
However, under Randolph’s leadership, two major crises had struck in the past 20 years. The first occurred 19 years ago, almost driving the company into bankruptcy. Then he married Jessica and managed to avert the disaster. But this time, it was Randolph himself who had endangered the company, and even without Matthew stirring up trouble, there was a possibility it wouldn’t survive this crisis.
Dolores had sensed that something was amiss at Randolph’s company, but she didn’t realize it was so dire. She used to desire Randolph’s divorce from Beulah, but now she could see that his situation must be truly desperate for Beulah to go to such extremes. Dolores didn’t seek revenge, but a deep sense of sorrow washed over her.
She placed the documents down and left the office with the first aid kit.
As Matthew had predicted, Randolph was waiting for Dolores when she returned to the villa after work. These actions seemed like those of someone seeking help. He had brought the items he had failed to give her last time, along with the piano.
Coral, hearing that he was Dolores’ father, warmly welcomed him and poured tea.
“Your father has been waiting for you. He brought your favorite possessions, hoping to make you feel more at home,” Coral said as Dolores arrived.
Dolores glanced at Matthew, but he remained expressionless, unbuttoning his jacket with one hand. She reached out to assist him. “Your arm is injured. Let me help you.”
Matthew acknowledged her gesture, and Dolores proceeded to “serve” him.
Observing the scene, Coral’s smile grew radiant, her wrinkles deepening as she thought, they look more and more like a married couple.
Randolph stood up, feeling helpless. He hadn’t anticipated that Dolores and Matthew would have such a strong relationship. Even now, he couldn’t fathom how Dolores had caught Matthew’s attention.
Dolores hung Matthew’s jacket and walked over to him casually. “What brings you here?” she asked.
It finally dawned on Randolph that since her return, Dolores hadn’t addressed him as “father.” She persistently referred to him as “you.” Did she hold a grudge against him for sending her overseas?
“Lola…” Randolph hesitated before speaking. He was on the verge of losing everything, perhaps even facing imprisonment. Did his dignity still matter now?
Dolores sat beside Matthew, aware that she needed to put on a show for Randolph, demonstrating their amicable relationship.
“Last time, I didn’t bring all of your belongings. This was a gift from your mother. I brought it specifically for you…”
“Get to the point. I doubt you came here just to bring me these things out of fatherly love.”