Chapter 4

"Maddie, long time no see."

Alec stopped in front of Madeleine, his gaze tender.

She hadn't heard that nickname in years. Slowly, she stood up. The once wild and headstrong boy had grown into a mature, polite man.

"Long time no see," she replied dryly.

"You know," Alec remarked. "Even after all these years, the way you drive is eerily similar to how you rode your bicycle. Your skills are still beyond help."

Madeleine was struck speechless. Even after all these years, Alec remained shockingly blunt and overly critical with his comments.

…

At Clearwater Bay, with no one to nag him, Sawyer had spent the whole morning playing video games.

When Bree reminded him it was time for lunch, he finally put down the tablet, rubbed his eyes, and followed her downstairs.

In the dining room, Sawyer immediately noticed Madeleine's absence. The dishes on the table weren't the ones he had asked her to make that morning either. He frowned, upset. "Bree, didn't my mom make lunch?"

"No. Mrs. Hartley hasn't returned home."

Bree had already sensed the unusual tension in the house, but as a maid, she knew better than to pry into her employers' private affairs.

Sawyer's frown deepened. He brooded inwardly, convinced that Madeleine's lingering anger was excessive, and in his indignation, he imagined she might even let her own son waste away.

"Bree, I'm going to call Mommy right now," he declared, fuming with indignation. He marched back upstairs, grabbed his smartwatch, and dialed Madeleine's number.

Meanwhile, Madeleine and Alec, who held Teresa in his arms, were heading toward the private room Alec had reserved.

When she received the incoming call from Sawyer, Madeleine slowed down and answered. "Hello?"

"Mommy, where are you? Why haven't you come home to make lunch for me? When are you going to stop being upset with us?" Sawyer asked brazenly.

Madeleine pursed her lips. Noticing Alec had stopped to look at her, she pointed to her phone and moved to a quieter corner.

She said flatly, "Sawyer, I'll say this one more time. This isn't about me throwing a tantrum. Daddy and I are getting a divorce, and I won't be spending all my time looking after you anymore."

She paused before adding, "If you want to eat my cooking, you need to ask me properly. I don't have time today, but if you give me a day's notice, I'll make the dishes at my place and you can come over."

Even though she didn't plan to fight for custody, Sawyer was still her son, and she intended to fulfill her obligations.

After ending the call, she continued to room 308.

Just then, the door of the nearest room swung open as a waiter was leaving after serving dishes.

Madeleine happened to look that way and caught a glimpse of Jonathan and Allison inside. Allison was smiling sweetly and raising a glass to the famous director, Bradley Zimmerman.

Madeleine calmly averted her gaze and walked on.

At that moment, Jonathan's phone rang. It was Sawyer.

Excusing himself, Jonathan stepped out to take the call. "Sawyer, what's wrong?"

"Daddy, Mommy didn't come home to make lunch for me. She said that if I want her food…" Sawyer relayed everything Madeleine had said.

Jonathan's brows were drawn together in a deep frown. From his perspective, Madeleine had engineered this situation so she could feel less embarrassed about returning home after creating such a huge fuss.

She left home on her own accord, yet she couldn't bring herself to swallow her pride and just come back willingly. Therefore, she had concocted this idea to manipulate Jonathan into coming over to her place and taking her home.

Jonathan found Madeleine's behavior petty and ridiculous. He decided to just wait and see how long she would keep up that stubborn front.

"That's enough. Didn't Bree already make you lunch? Does it have to be your mom's cooking?"

"Hmph! You prefer Mommy's cooking too! Don't you, Daddy?"

Jonathan was momentarily speechless. "You should eat your meals properly. Don't be picky," he said sternly.

Over the past five years, the one thing Madeleine had managed to do was get both him and Sawyer completely hooked on her cooking. No wonder she felt bold enough to threaten him with divorce.

…

In room 308, Madeleine had just sat down. She accepted the glass of water Alec handed her and thanked him, but her mind was elsewhere.

The last time she had seen Alec was nearly nine years ago. The cocky, arrogant boy had become a gentleman with impeccable manners.

"I've already ordered a few dishes. Take a look at the menu and see if there's anything else you'd like," Alec said, passing it to her.

Madeleine glanced at it, her eyelashes fluttering slightly as she noticed that some of the dishes were her favorites. "This is fine. It's more than enough."

Alec hummed in response and signaled to the waiter by the door to begin serving.

Teresa, sitting in a high chair, looked from Alec to Madeleine. "Ms. Smith, you don't have to worry about spending my uncle's money. Uncle Al told me he works hard so the girl he likes can spend it!"

Madeleine was at a loss for words.

Alec paused mid-sip of his tea, his gaze slowly drifting toward Madeleine.

Madeleine pretended not to notice his gaze and patted Teresa's head. "With how cute you are, Tessa, it's no wonder your uncle is willing to spend all his money on you."

It seemed her hint had gone right over Madeleine's head. Teresa blinked and tried to clarify. "Ms. Smith, my uncle—"

"Tessa," Alec interjected just as the waiter pushed the door open and started serving food to their table.

Madeleine got up. "Excuse me, but I need to use the restroom for a moment."

Once she was gone, Alec raised an eyebrow. "See? You'll scare her off saying things like that."

Teresa rested her chin in her hands, sounding like a miniature adult. "I was wrong. I shouldn't try to set you up with Ms. Smith. She's already married. It would be bad if you became her lover."

Alec was rendered speechless.

"I liked Ms. Smith from the moment we met. Why did she have to be married?"

Alec asked curiously, "Why do you like her so much?"

"She has the same scent that Mommy had."

Tessa's eyes reddened, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

A look of sorrow flickered in Alec's eyes. He picked her up and placed her on his lap. "Don't cry. I can tell how much you like Ms. Smith. I promise I'll work hard to become her lover first."

Now it was Teresa's turn to be speechless.

…

Madeleine was washing her hands in the restroom. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror and listened to the sound of flowing water, her mind wandered.

She couldn't help feeling a wave of melancholy wash over her as past memories surged back.

Before she was reunited with the Smiths, she lived with her foster parents in a small village in Sudston.

She first met Alec when she was 12, during a summer helping her foster parents at their fish stall in the market.

A group of thugs had tried to shake down Madeleine. They had picked out several fish, then swaggered away, refusing to pay.

Madeleine's face was flushed scarlet as she stepped directly into their path, demanding payment. But they just teased and laughed mockingly at her.

They were notorious for their petty crimes and mischief. While some bystanders considered intervening, the fear of retaliation kept them frozen in place.

It was in that tense silence that Alec appeared.

The boy, barely 15 or 16, carried himself with a palpable, coiled tension. He wasn't intimidated, even when the thugs circled him.

He ended up pinning one to the ground, beating him relentlessly, his tenacity and aggression scaring the rest away.

That day, the image of the fearless, haughty boy with bloodied clothes was forever etched in Madeleine's mind.

From then on, they grew closer.

Alec lived in the next village over and would often come to help at the stall when Madeleine was manning it. When she struggled with her homework, he would patiently guide her.

Whether sharing an umbrella in the rain or laughing under the red maple trees in autumn, the teenage Madeleine grew fonder of him with each passing day.

She thought he felt the same.

That was, until her second year of high school, when she overheard him tell someone, "You must be kidding me. Why would I like a fishmonger?"