8 Protecting the Boy
1199 Words
“Little master!”
“Ms. Gabriel!”
Amid the sharp clank of the broken chandelier, the hotel staff yelled frantically.
At that time, the broken pieces of the chandelier were scattered everywhere in the living room. Anna protected Matthew with her body. Yet, her arm was crushed under the chandelier and blood splashed everywhere, looking quite terrifying. And she fainted due to the intense pain.
Just before Anna passed out, she seemed to hear Matthew utter faintly, “Mommy.”
Meanwhile, the rest panicked.
“Hurry up! Call 911!”
“But little master refuses to let Ms. Gabriel go! What should we do?”
“Let him go to the hospital together. We can’t just leave him here!”
“Okay, call Mr. Wright!”
***
Meanwhile, at the Pinnacle Private Club, Wayne had just signed a business contract and was waiting for Gabe to walk the guest to the door. He enjoyed a cup of coffee in the private room while he was waiting. It was a regular occurrence for him.
“Wayne.” Someone called out to him in a sweet voice. Hearing that, Wayne frowned.
A beautiful woman entered the room happily as she said, “It’s really you! I just finished a negotiation. I saw Gabe just now and I wondered if you’re still here.”
Wayne just nodded without saying a word.
“I went to see grandfather a couple of days ago,” Ada sat opposite him. Having made sure that Wayne didn’t look angry or annoyed, she continued, “Grandfather said that you had been taking care of Matthew by yourself over these years. He wondered if you are willing to let him take care of Matthew.”
Wayne’s face darkened, “Matthew is safer with me. You don’t have to speak for my grandfather.”
“I’m not speaking for Grandfather. I just want to tell you what he thinks,”Ada smiled and explained, “Grandfather also said that it would be good to have someone to care for Matthew. Then you won't have tp worry about Matthew when you work."
Before Wayne could respond, Gabe rushed in and said frantically, “Mr. Wright…” At the same time, Gabe was surprised to see Ada.
“What's wrong?” Wayne asked.
“The hotel called and said that there was an accident in little master’s room. The chandelier in the suite crashed down.”
Ada’s eyes lit up with joy momentarily when she heard it. But soon, she covered it up.
As his face darkened even more, Wayne sprung to his feet and demanded, “Where’s Matthew? Is he alright?”
“Don’t worry. Matthew’s fine. A hotel staff saved him. But Matthew insisted on going to the hospital with the staff member,” Gabe explained.
Without further delay, Wayne headed for the door. And Ada grabbed his jacket, ran after him, and said, “Wayne, I’ll go with you.”
When Wayne arrived at the hospital, Anna was still lying in bed unconsciously. At that moment, his precious Matthew was still in his pajamas and was drawing next to the bed.
Wayne was stunned by what he saw because he knew Matthew hated being with people, especially with strangers. And he called out, “Matthew!”
Hearing that, Matthew turned around, saw Wayne, and quickly raised his drawing for Wayne to see. Matthew could not speak and his vocabulary was limited. So he would draw if what he wanted to express was too complicated.
The first picture he drew was a lady feeding a boy. The boy smiled happily. The second picture was a lady leading a boy out the door. Next to their heads was a cloud-like bubble with a playground inside. The last picture was a golden chandelier that crashed. The lady protected the boy and her hand was crushed. There was blood everywhere.
“Okay…”
Then Matthew led Wayne to the bed. He pointed at Anna and then at the woman in his drawing, telling Wayne that Anna was the one who saved him.
Anna? Why did she protect Matthew at the risk of her life? Wayne wondered with amazement. He felt guilty when he recalled the scenes in which he was mean to her.
Noticing Ada, who was standing behind Wayne, Matthew’s face turned pale immediately. And he dodged her hand when Ada tried to pat him on the head, as if she was a monster who would eat children. He then released Wayne’s hand and backed towards the bed.
“Matthew, what’s wrong?” Wayne did not see the change in Matthew’s eyes and thought that Matthew was upset with him for not taking him out and the accident. Then he said tenderly, “Daddy’s sorry for what happened today. I guarantee you I won’t go back on my words from now on, alright?”
And yet, Matthew appeared reluctant and would not approach Wayne.
“Butler,” Wayne called out to the butler who had been standing by the door helplessly, “It’s late. Take Matthew home. He needs to rest.”
Matthew kept shaking his head and refused to let go of the sheet.
Wayne could not understand why and asked, “Matthew, what’s wrong?”
“Let me give it a try. Perhaps he was shocked by what happened today,” Ada said. She squatted and gently patted Matthew’s head, asking, “Matthew, shall we go for dinner?”
Matthew shuddered and looked terrified and tried to avoid Ada. He quickly ran behind Wayne and grabbed his leg.
“He must be terrified,” Ada sighed and said, “Wayne, why don’t you let the butler handle things here? We’ll go back home to put Matthew to bed. It’s getting late. And Matthew needs to rest.”
Hesitant, Wayne spared a glance at Anna, who was lying in bed. And then, he ordered the butler, “Make sure Ms. Gabriel is being taken good care of in the hospital.” After that, he left the hospital, holding Matthew's hand.
***
Because Matthew had been exhausted, the moment Wayne helped him get into the car, he fell asleep. Later, when they got home, Wayne came out of the bedroom after gently putting Matthew in his bed. Wayne still seemed to be upset about what happened to Matthew and Anna. And he frowned.
Meanwhile, Ada was still in the sitting room. At the sight of Wayne, she asked Wayne, pretending to be concerned about Matthew, “Is Matthew asleep?”
“Yes,” Wayne nodded and said, “It’s late, I’ll have the driver drive you back home.
“No, thanks. My driver is on his way to pick me up.” Looking up at the bedroom on the second floor, Ada continued, “Matthew is so young and he needs to be taken good care of when you work. Just look at what happened today. Grandfather’s right. You should find someone to take care of him.”
Wayne looked at her as if he was considering her suggestion.
Then Ada plucked up her courage and asked tentatively, "Wayne, Grandpa said that you should get married. What do you think?"
- Writer
