Chapter 7 - The Shadows of Doubt
When Matthew returned to Beacon Hill at 6:00 PM, the house felt strangely quiet.
He walked into the foyer, holding a box of fresh pastries from a bakery in the North End, expecting to hear Daisy’s laughter or find Jenna reading in the library.
Instead, Arthur met him in the hallway, his face grave, holding Eleanor’s legal envelope in his hand.
"She was here, sir," Arthur said quietly.
Matthew’s smile vanished instantly. "Eleanor?"
"Yes, sir. Two hours ago. She left these documents regarding Mr. Vance's board injunction." Arthur paused, looking toward the staircase. "She spoke with Mrs. Carter."
Matthew felt a cold dread sink into his stomach. "What did she say to her?"
"I tried to intervene, Mr. Hail," Arthur said remorsefully. "But Mrs. Vance told her that you were using her and Daisy as publicity pawns to destroy her brother's position on the board."
"Dammit!" Matthew swore softly, dropping the pastry box onto the table and heading straight up the stairs.
He walked down the long corridor toward the guest suite and knocked gently on the door. "Jenna? It's Matthew. Can I come in?"
The door opened slowly.
Jenna stood in the doorway. Her bags—the same worn canvas duffel bags she had brought from 4th Street—were packed and sitting by the foot of the bed. Daisy was asleep under the blanket, her new winter coat already zipped up.
Matthew stared at the luggage, feeling as if someone had just kicked the air out of his lungs.
"Jenna... what is this?" Matthew asked, his voice strained. "What are you doing?"
"We're leaving, Matthew," Jenna said, her voice flat, emotionless, and distant—the voice of a woman who had pulled up her armor to protect herself from being destroyed.
"Because of what Eleanor said?" Matthew stepped into the room, reaching out for her hands, but Jenna stepped back, avoiding his touch. "Jenna, Eleanor is a bitter, vindictive woman whose family is about to lose forty percent of their net worth because of my board vote! She lied to you!"
"Did she?" Jenna asked, looking up at him with eyes that were red and raw from crying. "Are you voting to remove Richard Vance from the board tomorrow?"
"Yes! Because he's a corrupt criminal who starved tenants!"
"And will your press team be releasing a statement about your charitable housing trust for 4th Street residents tomorrow morning?" Jenna continued, her voice trembling with pain.
Matthew hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Yes... but that's standard corporate disclosure—"
"So it's true," Jenna whispered, a cold, bitter tear spilling down her cheek. "My daughter and I... we're your public relations story. We're the proof that Matthew Hail has a heart, just in time for you to win the board proxy vote against the Vance family."
"NO!" Matthew shouted, taking a bold step forward, his eyes burning with intense, desperate passion. "No, Jenna! That is NOT true!"
He grabbed her by the shoulders—not roughly, but with a fierce, trembling urgency that startled her.
"Look at me, Jenna!" Matthew demanded, his voice cracking with an emotion he hadn't shown in years. "Do you think I brought you into my house on Christmas Eve because of a proxy vote?! Do you think I sat on the floor building a wooden dollhouse with a five-year-old girl because of corporate PR?!"
Jenna looked into his dark blue eyes, seeing a raw, terrifying vulnerability that no billionaire executive could ever fake.
"I haven't cared about a proxy vote in three weeks!" Matthew confessed, his grip on her shoulders shaking. "For seven years, I lived in this house like a corpse in a gold coffin! I didn't care about anyone! I didn't let anyone touch my life! And then you walked into my dining room with dirty hands and red knees, holding your daughter's hand, looking at me with more pride and honesty than anyone I have ever met!"
Tears spilled over Jenna's lashes, her chest heaving as she listened to his frantic, ragged breath.
"I didn't rescue you on Christmas Eve, Jenna," Matthew whispered, his forehead leaning down until it almost rested against hers. "You rescued me. You and Daisy brought light into a house that was dying of cold."
Jenna looked up at him, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs, the dark clouds of doubt tearing apart under the sheer, undeniable heat of his words.
"Matthew..." she whispered softly.
"Don't leave," Matthew begged, his hands slipping down from her shoulders to entwine his fingers firmly with hers. "Please. Don't go back to the cold."
Before Jenna could answer, a loud, panicked cry shattered the quiet room.
"MOMMY!"
May you like
Jenna and Matthew turned sharply.
Daisy was sitting up in the middle of the bed, clutching her chest, gasping frantically for air, her face turning pale as a terrifying, raspy wheeze rattled through her tiny chest.
