Chapter 3

Although Stanley thought it was all a bit rushed, he went along with Fred’s arrangements anyway. After chatting with Stanely and Lillian a bit more and confirming the arrangements, Fred took his leave with Rachel. … Meanwhile, Matthew had arrived at Sagewood Residences. As he gazed at the familiar front gate of the villa, he was overcome with a wave of complex emotions. After striking it rich for the first time, he had purchased a villa in this prestigious neighborhood. It had been the allure of this very villa that had sparked Tessa’s interest and led her to pursue him. Alas, years later, things had completely changed. As Matthew walked toward the front gate, his gaze was fixed on the courtyard, where three people were standing. At that moment, two of them stood with their backs to him. Based on their builds, he surmised they were his mother-in-law, Jennifer Baker, and brother-in-law, Xavier. Meanwhile, a little girl stood before the two, facing him directly. She looked to be about five or six years old. She was extremely beautiful, with a round, chubby face and a pair of large, sparkling eyes. She was as charming as a little fairy. With just a single glance, his heart skipped a beat. That little girl was none other than his daughter, Lorraine. It appeared Lorraine had done something wrong, and Jennifer and Xavier were reprimanding her for it. Matthew restrained himself from stepping in. After all, felt that it was important for children to learn from their mistakes, and he didn’t want to interfere prematurely without a clear understanding of the situation. As he recalled the saying, “indulging a child is the same as harming them,” Matthew suppressed his urge to intervene and quietly observed the situation. At that moment, Jennifer reached out and twisted Lorraine’s ear. “Are you deaf or something? I’ve told you countless times that your mother is the only one who truly cares about you. Those two good-for-nothing grandparents of yours must have deliberately badmouthed your mother.” Lorraine’s ear hurt so much that she stood on her tiptoes to relieve the pain. With tears streaming down her face, she retorted, “Granny! Grandpa and Grandma didn’t say anything nasty about Mom!” Jennifer chided harshly, “If they hadn’t spoken ill of your mother, how would you have gotten the idea that she doesn’t love you?” Lorraine sobbed. “All the other moms pick up their kids from kindergarten, but Mom never picks me up. All the other moms help their kids to sleep, but Mom has never put me to bed. “Whenever I cry for Mom because I miss her so much, she never comes to see me! She doesn’t love me! All the other kids say I don’t have a mom!” As soon as she heard that, Jennifer was momentarily stunned. After that, she quickly retorted, “Your mother loves you very much! And you’re not without a mother; you’re without a father! “Did your father even bother to visit you these past three years? Your father is the one who truly doesn’t love you!” With her small hands, Lorraine wiped away her tears and timidly argued, “You’re wrong. I know Dad loves me a lot! And I know he loves Mom too.” Jennifer flew into a rage. “You’re babbling nonsense, you little brat! You don’t know anything. Your father is nothing but a criminal—an ex-convict! And the police even arrested him and took him away!” Lorraine wailed, saying, “Dad isn’t a bad man! Dad went to jail for Mom! I heard everything when Grandma and Mom were arguing. I know Dad loves me! You’re not allowed to say bad things about him!” Matthew’s eyes glistened with tears as he listened to what Lorraine had said. She was indeed his precious little one, his heart and soul. As he reflected on how he had been absent from her life for three years, he was even more overcome with guilt. When Jennifer noticed Lorraine crying and throwing a tantrum, she became infuriated and shouted, “If I said your father is an ex-convict, then he is! “How dare a child like you talk back to me? It seems like you’ll be a handful in the future if you continue to behave this way. You need a good beating!” With that, she raised her hand, preparing to deliver the slap. When Lorraine noticed that, she hurriedly closed her eyes in fear, bracing for the impact of the slap that was hurtling toward her. At that moment, a large hand suddenly reached out and intercepted the incoming slap. When Jennifer realized the hand belonged to Matthew, she stumbled back in fright. Her voice trembled as she asked, “Y-you… What are you doing here?” Matthew bent over and gathered Lorraine up in his arms. He said, “If I hadn’t shown up, wouldn’t you have abused my daughter?” After taking a moment to collect herself, Jennifer said, “What is the meaning of this, Matthew? You better put Lorraine down this instant. You’re not leaving with her until you sign the divorce agreement!” When the divorce agreement was brought up, Matthew reflexively glanced at Lorraine, fearing she might be upset by the news. Yet, to his surprise, Lorraine was gazing at him intently, asking, “Are you really my dad?” Matthew’s heart ached with guilt as he replied, “Yes, sweetheart, I’m your father. I’m so sorry I haven’t been there for you these past three years. But I’m here now, and I won’t let anyone hurt you, not ever again.” Lorraine wrapped her arms around Matthew’s neck. “Please take me home. I don’t want to be here. Granny only yells at me and hits me. Please take me away; I’m scared.” Matthew embraced Lorraine’s small figure tightly. He could feel her tiny frame tremble. At that moment, his heart couldn’t help but wrench with pain. “Alright, Lori. I’ll take you away this instant.” As soon as she heard that, Jennifer immediately reached out to stop him. “Matthew, I’ve made myself clear. You’re not leaving with Lorraine until you sign the divorce agreement.” Upon hearing this, Matthew was enraged. But Lorraine was still hugging him, so he swallowed his fury and said, “I’ve already signed the divorce agreement.” Jennifer scoffed. “Do you think I’m that gullible? If you’d actually signed the divorce agreement, Tessa would’ve already told me. “Do you think you can just cling to us now that Tessa is worth nearly hundreds of millions of dollars and is now a successful president of a company in Lambda City? “Well, I’m telling you, this divorce is happening whether you like it or not! You’re not leaving with Lorraine until you sign the divorce agreement!” Matthew could barely contain his fury. After all, Tessa was the one who had forcefully taken away the company that he had founded. Yet, at that moment, these people dared to accuse him of being the clingy one. As he felt Lorraine trembling in fear, he inhaled deeply and forced himself to remain calm. When Xavier noticed Matthew holding Lorraine in silence, he gradually approached him, saying, “Matthew Grant! You’ve been avoiding Tessa for three years and stalling the divorce, costing her three years of her life. “As revenge, I’ve even thrashed your house dozens of times! But I’m getting sick of it! If you don’t sign the agreement today, I’ll end you!” A wave of anger washed over Matthew as he listened to Xavier. The veins on his forehead throbbed as he recalled the scene that had awaited him at home. He recalled the sight of the ruined front gate, the destroyed furniture, the disarray in the courtyard, Stanley’s hair that had turned completely white, and Lillian’s gaunt face etched with fear and exhaustion. Fury bubbled within him, and he coldly declared, “You’re not the only one with a score to settle!” A cold smile played on Xavier’s lips. “I’m a trained boxer. You wouldn’t want to mess with me, alright? If you’re really itching for a fight, I’ll be happy to give you a good beating!” With that, he lunged forward, aiming his right fist straight at Matthew’s face. A menacing glint flashed in Matthew’s eyes. As he cradled Lorraine with his left arm and covered her eyes with his right, Matthew’s leg muscles flexed with incredible force, unleashing their full power. His right foot whipped out like a viper, kicking Xavier’s stomach with lightning speed. A resounding thud resounded, followed by Xavier’s muffled groan. Xavier was sent flying backward for more than six feet. His body hit the ground so heavily that it sent up a thick cloud of dust. Xavier held his stomach, wincing in pain, and stared at Matthew in disbelief. “How the hell did you beat me to it when I was the one who threw the punch first? Fine, I’ll admit I was careless. But I’ll make sure you leave here crippled—” A steely look crossed Matthew’s face, and he swiftly delivered another kick. Xavier cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground. After that, Matthew rained down a relentless series of kicks on Xavier, each blow landing with punishing force. Agonized cries echoed through the air in succession. “Fucking hell! It hurts so much. Ouch, my stomach, and my legs… It hurts! Stop it! Please stop hitting me and let me go! It’s fine even if you don’t want to divorce Tessa. Please stop hitting me already!” Matthew stopped as he watched Xavier scream and beg for mercy. After that, he said coldly, “If you dare to cause any more trouble at my house again, I won’t even give you the chance to beg for mercy! And I’ve already signed the divorce agreement, so it’s a done deal!” Had he really signed the divorce agreement? Xavier clutched his stomach, his expression one of disbelief. He hadn’t believed Matthew when he’d said that earlier. But now that he knew he was no match for Matthew, he finally realized that there was no reason for Matthew to lie about it. As his body ached in agony, he was overwhelmed with regret. After all, he had suffered for nothing! Given that Xavier was a boxer and Matthew was scrawny and feeble, Jennnifer had assumed that Matthew wouldn’t dare fight back. As a result, she had decided to keep her distance from the fight. She had never imagined that, in a matter of seconds, Xavier would be the one left wailing in pain from the beating. With a practiced air of authority, she grabbed a nearby broom and charged at Matthew. Her voice was filled with rage as she shouted, “You’ve gone too far, you worthless piece of trash! How dare you lay a hand on my son? I’ll beat you to death!”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.