Chapter 98
Chapter 98
When Andy learned that Madeline had awoken, he rushed upstairs and administered a battery of tests.
He finally felt his anxiety leave him after confirming there was nothing wrong with Madeline.
"Ms. Madeline, what the hell did you do yesterday? Your body was in such poor condition! Did you know you nearly scared me to death when I saw you like that in the morning?" Andy sighed deeply as a disaster was averted.
"I did nothing. Is there any food? I'm hungry." Madeline didn't want Andy to ask any more questions, so she changed the subject.
"Here, Ms. Madeline. There's food to be had, and it's delicious, but there are a lot of people here..." As he spoke in a somewhat cryptic manner, Andy cast a worried glance Noah's way.
"Huh?" Madeline wasn't sure she fully grasped that.
She didn't want to stay in bed after she finished the bottle of intravenous drip, so she got out of bed and changed her clothes. Then she grabbed Thomas' hand and led him downstairs.
"Wow, it smells amazing!" Thomas could smell delicious food wafting from the living room as soon as he walked down the stairs.
He hadn't eaten anything since returning in the morning, and his stomach was grumbling.
His natural reaction was to go and take a look when he realized that the kitchen was cooking some delectable food, but as soon as he took the first step, he pulled his foot back.
Madeline's hand was being held tightly and resolutely by a small hand.
Madeline realized the little brat was worried about her, so she leaned down and carried him up, saying, "Come on. I'll take you to the kitchen to see what's cooking!"
Thomas resisted being carried a little because he didn't want to put too much strain on his mother's frail body. He stated, "I can walk on my own, Auntie Madeline. Just put me down!" Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.
"Don't worry. All is well with mommy!" Naturally, Madeline did not let go of him but spoke softly in his ear instead.
Although Thomas was dubious, he stopped resisting and simply let Madeline carry him to the kitchen.
Madeline was shocked to the core when she saw what was happening in the kitchen!
In the open kitchen, there were about four or five apron-clad individuals, all of whom were well-trained and occupied with various tasks.
A succession of wholesome foods was laid out on the long dining table in front of her.
Even before tasting the food, one could tell from the exciting aroma that it would be a feast for the tongue.
The leader, Mr. Charles, stopped what he was doing as soon as Madeline came into view carrying Colt, and he respectfully walked over to her.
"Lunch will be ready soon, Ms. Madeline. Please come this way..." Mr. Charles invited Madeline to the dining table, and Noah, who was standing nearby, assisted her in pulling out a chair.
Thomas climbed the chair next to it and sat. His eyes glowed when he saw all his favorite foods spread out on the large table in front of him.
"Did you plan all of this?" Madeline raised her head slightly and cast a sidelong glance at the man beside her.
His flawless jawline was easily visible from her vantage point, and the sunlight shining on his body from the outside gave the impression that his entire body was glowing.
"It's just regular homecooked food. I'm not sure if this is to your liking, Ms. Madeline." Instead of responding to her query, Noah chose to take a seat next to her and put some Westlake-style borscht soup on the plate in front of her.
Madeline's eyes twitched violently as she looked at the Westlake-style borscht soup in front of her.
How did he know I like Westlake-style borscht soup?
Furthermore, judging by the way it was prepared, it was done precisely to her preferences…
Madeline's heartbeat quickened.
Without saying anything, she took a spoonful of the Westlake-style borscht soup and gave it a taste.
It smells wonderful.
It had the same taste that she liked.
Madeline's heart was feeling conflicted at this time.
She remembered how much she enjoyed Ozlido cuisine and wanted to make it for Noah, and this Westlake-style borscht soup was the first dish she learned.
It was a sad thing. She had cooked it every day until the day they parted ways, and even then, he had never had a bite of her cooking.
Her heart was filled with regrets as she reflected on it now.
For a brief moment, the Westlake-style borscht soup in her mouth tasted unpleasant. It was supposed to taste sweet and sour, but she detected a hint of bitterness.
With a plop, a teardrop fell directly into the bowl.
That startled Madeline and immediately brought her back to reality.
"It's delicious. It's very thoughtful of you, Mr. Quincy."
"As long as you like it, Ms. Madeline."
Noah kept staring at her. A sharp pain shot through his heart as soon as he saw the teardrop that had fallen into the bowl.
He was the one who owed her far too much!
Perhaps it was the immense guilt he felt in his heart, but Noah didn't "hang" around Maple Forest Villa after eating. He took Wayne with him as if he was fleeing. He didn't even bring Thomas with him.
Madeline was quiet, and in order to calm Thomas's worried little heart, she stayed with him for a long time, which finally put the brat at ease, and he fell asleep in the evening.
Madeline took out her phone after that little guy had fallen asleep and dialed Elise's number.
Following an unexpected incident outside last night, Madeline learned that Elise was stopped by a customer who unexpectedly showed up as she was leaving.
That had caused a delay in the plan.
However, she had a feeling that things weren't as straightforward as they appeared.
"Hello there, Maddie. Are you all right? I called you several times, and you never answered. I was afraid something bad had happened to you. I was about to call the cops!" Elise's voice came through anxiously on the other end of the phone.
"I'm fine, so don't worry. I also apprehended the assassin last night."
"Sigh. I wouldn't have been late if it hadn't been for that tricky and difficult customer last night, and you wouldn't have had to face danger alone..." Elise was filled with remorse. She was the one who chose the meeting place. She never imagined Maddie would come across an assassin.
She wondered which bastard did it. If she knew who it was, she would sew his face together with her sewing machine!
"It's all right. The three of us would have died there if you had been there last night!" Madeline was forthright in expressing her concerns.
"Three? Did you ask anyone else to meet up with you last night?" Elise's heart raced at the prospect of juicy gossip.
"Noah was there last night."
"Woah! Maddie, are you taking your ex-husband on dates with your best friend now? It seemed like you had a lot of fun!"
"Stop talking nonsense. He just happened to be passing through yesterday. Umm… He also saved my life..."
"What? Noah saved you yet again? Maddie, are you certain he doesn't harbor romantic feelings for you?"
"So what if he has feelings for me? When he discovers my true identity, he'll only think he was blind when he saved me!"
"How can you be sure he doesn't know, Maddie?"
Elise's words had a profound significance.
Madeline gripped the phone with such force that her knuckles had turned white.
"He wouldn't have saved me if he had known."
When Madeline said that, she felt as though she were being slowly dragged into the depths of the ocean by a large stone in her heart, leaving her gasping for air.