Soon, a message appeared on Matthew’s phone. He lowered his head to read it, and his heart sank as he absorbed the information.
Message: KS Club doesn’t have security cameras in the customer’s room for privacy reasons. Only the corridors are monitored. These photos are related to Ms. Flores.
Message: Maria was here before last night.
Abbott’s words were cryptic, but Matthew understood that Maria was somehow involved in what had happened to Dolores. It seemed that Dolores was being targeted by her. Dolores had sensed Maria’s ill intentions and needed to be cautious not to fall into her trap.
With a heavy heart, he clicked on the video link.
Download —- 100%
The video thumbnail appeared swiftly. Dolores was seen stumbling and running down the corridor, clearly in distress and panic.
“Lola…”
It didn’t take long for Matthew to spot who was chasing her. Sampson!
His expression changed, his gaze turning icy. He muttered under his breath, “You two… so audacious! Collaborating to harm her.”
Samuel trembled, thinking that Matthew was referring to him. Fear coursed through him, but he wanted to appear fearless. He stuttered, “D-d-don’t… don’t think I’m afraid of you!”
Matthew glared at him. “Boy, your mommy has been bullied. Do you want to seek revenge?”
Samuel blinked, someone had bullied his mommy? Apart from him, who else would dare to bully her?
“Do you think I’m a three-year-old kid? I won’t be fooled,” Samuel replied, lifting his head with pride.
He was five years old, two years older than a three-year-old, and couldn’t be easily deceived.
“Come here,” Matthew signaled to him.
Samuel hesitated, cautiously observing Matthew, but remained silent.
Matthew narrowed his eyes. How had Dolores raised this child? He was still young and so suspicious of others.
“I won’t lie to you.” Matthew opened the video and showed it to Samuel. “See for yourself.”
As soon as the video played, Dolores appeared on the screen. Samuel watched with wide eyes, his heart wrenching at the sight of his mommy. When he reached the end of the video, anger surged through him, and he clenched his fists tightly. Who dared to bully his mommy? And then he saw who it was, and his eyes widened further, almost popping out of his sockets.
Matthew pocketed his phone, but Samuel reached out to grab it. Matthew raised his hand, just out of Samuel’s reach, even though he stood on his tiptoes.
Looking down at the boy, Matthew asked, “What do you think? Do you want to come with me and seek revenge for your mother?”
Samuel’s anger blazed as he stared at Matthew.
“Think carefully. You’re just a kid, and even if you want revenge, you don’t have the abilities,” Matthew said, pocketing his phone and opening the car door. Then he turned back to Samuel and said, “Oh, by the way, your mother really was with me last night. We slept in the same bed, and she even mentioned having breakfast together.”
Samuel felt on the verge of breaking down, his eyes welling up with tears. Had his mommy gone mad? Didn’t she know she shouldn’t go back to him?
“Last night, I protected your mommy,” Matthew decided to quell his agitation.
Samuel felt slightly reassured after hearing this. So mommy wasn’t insane after all.
“You… you said you would seek revenge for my mother. Is that true?” Samuel glared at Matthew, his eyes full of intensity.
Matthew calmly met his gaze for a few seconds. “Yes, really, but…”
He crouched down, locking eyes with Samuel, who surprisingly remained composed. Matthew’s hand moved, but Samuel’s emotions were in turmoil. How he wished Matthew hadn’t abandoned them and they could have lived together as a family. He and his sister wouldn’t have been ridiculed for not having a father.
“You need to help me win your mommy back,” Matthew said.
Samuel was speechless. He pondered silently why they had divorced and left her if Matthew still liked mommy. Did it mean he loved her again?
Matthew raised an eyebrow, momentarily puzzled by Samuel’s use of the word “still.” However, he dismissed it as a child’s slip of the tongue.
“I like…”
“Samuel,” Dolores called out as she ran toward them.
Jessica had informed Dolores that he was waiting downstairs for her to return, but when she went upstairs, she couldn’t find him. She had his cellphone watch in her possession, and he seemed to have vanished. Worried that he might have gotten lost, she became anxious and even contemplated calling the police, only to discover him standing at the entrance of the apartment complex.
“Why did you wander off like that? Do you realize how worried sick I was when I couldn’t find you?” Dolores understood that her son held biases against Matthew and pulled him closer, shielding him behind her. “He’s just a child, please don’t take offense to what he said.”
“Of course,” Matthew leaned against the side of the car, gesturing with his chin towards Samuel. “I won’t hold a grudge against a child.”
Samuel’s positive impression of Matthew immediately faded with those words.
Samuel tightly embraced Dolores’ neck, planting a kiss on her cheek. “Mommy, I want to sleep with you tonight. Can I snuggle with you?”
Matthew was left speechless. What a little rascal.
Dolores was taken aback and glanced at her son. Why was he behaving this way today? He had been angry because she confiscated his belongings, yet suddenly, he no longer seemed angry at her? It felt so peculiar, she thought.
“Mommy, can we eat out? Can I come with you?” He clung onto Dolores’ neck, speaking in a coy tone. “Please?”
Dolores looked up at Matthew, seeking his approval.
Matthew nodded. “Let’s go.”
This time, it was Matthew who took the wheel, while Dolores and Samuel sat in the back. Samuel appeared to be flaunting his possessiveness over Dolores, emphasizing that she was his mommy and no one could take her away. Only he had the privilege to hold her and sleep beside her. Dolores was taken aback by his sudden actions.
“Samuel,” she called out, reaching out to touch his forehead with her hand to check for a fever. No fever. So why was he behaving this way?
“I’ll give you back your cellphone watch, alright?” Dolores felt uneasy about Samuel’s intense reactions. It was truly inconvenient not being able to reach him. She still couldn’t return the iPad to him because he hadn’t admitted his mistakes.
“Really?” Samuel’s eyes sparkled as he asked, “And what about the iPad?”
He had been getting bored without the iPad and not being able to play games.
“I can give it to you, but you need to understand…”
“I’m wrong,” he admitted, cutting off Dolores before she could finish.
He had already made up his mind to seek revenge against that scumbag for his mommy, so he wouldn’t make him look good. For now, he wouldn’t make things difficult for him. Today, Samuel surprised Dolores with actions he had never done before. He was a good kid in many ways, except for being incredibly stubborn. Once he set his mind on something, it was nearly impossible for others to change it.
“Over here,” Dolores said when she spotted a breakfast shop.
Matthew glanced at the shop, noticing the bustling crowd. He parked the car, and Dolores carried Samuel out. They entered the shop together, attracting some attention due to their appearance as a family of three. With a tall and handsome husband, a son who resembled his father and exuded cuteness and charm, and a young and beautiful mother, they made quite a striking trio.
Matthew rarely ate breakfast outside and wasn’t accustomed to such places.
“Find a seat while I check out what they have today,” Dolores said as she set Samuel down. She turned to him and asked, “Is there something specific you want to eat?”
“I want some pumpkin porridge and fried dumplings.”
“And how about you?” Dolores turned her gaze to Matthew.
“Anything,” he replied, uncertain about the available options.
The shop was packed with people.
“There’s a seat over there.” As someone vacated a table, Samuel tugged at Matthew’s arm, pulling him towards it. Matthew frowned when he noticed that the table hadn’t been cleaned.
Samuel picked up on Matthew’s dissatisfaction with the place, pursing his lips and saying, “Mommy and I often eat at places like this.”
“Really?” Matthew remarked.
“Of course!” Samuel replied confidently.
“I agree to join you in seeking revenge for my mommy.” Samuel clenched his hands as he watched Dolores carry his breakfast and spoke with determination, “Mommy has suffered enough. I want to protect her.”