As soon as the car stopped, two tall young men in black suits and white gloves stepped out from behind the gates and opened the door with a polite greeting, "Mr. Quinn, Mrs. Quinn."

Serena was startled by the title and quickly waved her hands. "No, I'm not, I'm not."

Matthew immediately grabbed her hand, fingers tightly interlocked, and said in a low voice, "Shut up. From now on, you're Mrs. Quinn."

The second they walked in, Serena was stunned by the sheer luxury inside the villa.

Past the entrance garden, they stepped onto a massive rug that had to be over twenty square meters. The traditional-style sofa set and the tea table by the side looked expensive-not that Serena could tell what material they were made from. Nearby sat a marble dining table, and the staircase winding upstairs was tastefully matched with the overall color theme-low-key but high-class. Huge, blinding light fixtures lit up the space, and in one corner, there was even a private elevator.

Serena's eyes darted around the hall. The lighting made her a bit dizzy, making everything feel so surreal. She gave her thigh a hard pinch.

Ouch... Definitely not dreaming.

A middle-aged woman greeted them with a warm smile. "Mr. Quinn, Mrs. Quinn, welcome back," she said, taking the bags from Matthew and Serena.

Matthew gave a calm nod, "Hi, Susan."

Susan smiled kindly. "Mrs. Lawrence Quinn is waiting for you and the young lady upstairs, sir."

Serena glanced nervously up at Matthew. She suddenly remembered how on the rooftop Matthew had referred to Madam Quinn as "that woman." This kind of big family stuff seemed messy. Who knew what was waiting for her?

Matthew never let go of her hand. He leaned in and said quietly, "Don't panic. Just play along and don't say anything weird."

Serena nodded, worried sick.

"Mom, I brought Serena to see you." Matthew managed to force a slight smile as he greeted Vivian Moore.

Vivian's eyes shifted to Serena. At the same time, Matthew subtly tapped Serena's hand, as if nudging her to start acting.

"Hi, I'm Serena." Her voice trembled from nerves.

Vivian's face wasn't exactly welcoming, but she gave a polite nod and then turned to the maid beside her. "Okay, Susan, show Ms. Dawson around. Let her get familiar with the place. Matthew, stay and talk with me."

Serena's eyes lit up with relief. "Thanks, Susan," she said, immediately letting go of Matthew's hand and trying to leave quickly. But Matthew pulled her back into his arms and gently kissed her forehead with an unusually soft tone. "I'll catch up with you later after I talk with Mom."

That kiss and his strangely tender tone totally threw Serena off. Was he overdoing it or what? Her brain short-circuited, but she managed to nod, playing the part.

Vivian's face darkened. "You set the wedding up at The Grand Court Hotel, picked today on purpose, and blocked out all media. Only close friends from the Quinn and Garland families were invited. You did all that intentionally, didn't you?"

Matthew raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly, which said it all.

Vivian's hands trembled with anger. "From the beginning, you never planned to marry into the Garland family, right?"

Matthew shrugged, clearly unfazed. "Didn't you kind of push it yourself? You were the one who tried to set that up, not me."

Tears suddenly welled up in Vivian's eyes. "If I were your real mother, would you still treat me like this? Are you really still holding a grudge?"

Matthew dropped the casual attitude, now serious but still icy. "You took it too far. I'm heading to the first-floor study-need to talk to David."

Then he turned and left without another word.

In the study on the first floor of the Quinn family's villa.

Matthew and the old butler, David Chapman, both looked tense, brows tightly knitted.

"Mr. Quinn, are we overthinking this? Maybe we misunderstood Madam Quinn. I really think she meant well with this arrangement between you and Chloe," David said with worry.

Matthew walked to the window, stood there for a moment, and said coolly, "Misunderstood? If she hadn't set it all up behind my back, would I have ended up almost marrying Chloe?"

"Yes, I know Madam Quinn was strict with you before, didn't even let you see your father one last time, but maybe she had her reasons. Ever since you came back to the country after your father passed three years ago, even if she's not your real mom, you two have been getting along okay-"

"David," Matthew cut him off, clearly not in the mood to continue.

David quickly lowered his head. "Right, sorry, I spoke out of turn..."

Seeing how flustered David looked, Matthew's tone softened a bit.

"The only reason she treats me nicely is because it was Dad's dying wish. The only reason I've played the dutiful son is that I still feel guilty toward her in some way. If she can keep the peace moving forward, I'll treat her with respect, make sure she lives well-but she better not cross the line."

David looked pained. "Still, it's unfair to you. The last-minute call-off really offended the Garland family. They won't take that lightly."

Matthew let out a cold laugh, "Let them be."

Just then, a voice came from outside the window-Susan Greene calling out, "Mrs. Quinn, what are you doing here? It's dinner time."

Startled, Serena, who had been eavesdropping under the window, shot up in panic. She looked straight into Matthew's eyes-he was standing right inside by the window.

With a sheepish smile, she nervously called back, "Ah... right! Susan, I got a little lost." Then she bolted away like a frightened bunny.

Susan chuckled as she walked ahead. "Whenever Mr. Quinn and David are having a chat in the study, it's best to stay away. He doesn't like being disturbed."

"Yes, yes," Serena replied quickly, following along, heart still pounding. What did she just overhear?

So Matthew and Madam Quinn aren't actually blood relatives, and the engagement was her doing-that's why he called it off at the last minute. That cold-blooded, unreliable rich guy isn't so clueless after all-he's sharp, and clearly played his cards on purpose to humiliate Madam Quinn in public.

Wow. This man's not just a quiet CEO-he's got layers.

And now, stuck in this web of rich family drama, she-a total outsider who can't even defend herself-was right in the middle of it.

Serena suddenly stopped in her tracks, a new worry hitting her. Wait... I know too much now. What if Matthew decides to silence me?

Her voice was shaky as she turned to Susan, putting on a pitiful look. "Um... Susan, I think I left my bracelet back there. Mind if I run back and grab it?"

Thankfully, Susan didn't suspect anything. "Of course, but be quick. I'll go ahead and tell the kitchen to start dinner."

With a sweet smile, Serena chirped, "Okay!"

After Susan walked off, Serena looked around cautiously. With the sun setting, it was now or never to slip away quietly.

But the Quinn family estate was way too big. Everywhere she turned-big gates, side doors-they were all guarded and brightly lit. She'd have to find a dark path without lights to make her escape.

Back in the study, David and Matthew exchanged uneasy glances-they realized someone had heard them.

David hesitated, then asked, "About Ms. Dawson... what should we do with her?"

Matthew sat down at the desk, lips curling into a faint sneer. "It's not over yet. She's not going anywhere."

David nodded slowly, eyes narrowing in thought.

Serena had been walking down the dim, twisty path for a while now. No lights, just turns and more turns. She passed what seemed like a pond, a basketball court, maybe even a swimming pool and a gazebo...

Good grief, rich folks really live in another dimension of luxury.

She'd been running for at least ten minutes straight, her breath was coming in sharp gasps when she finally stopped.

Looking up, she saw a small, traditional-style house nearby. Only two faint lights glowed by the front door.

"Small" was relative - it only looked small compared to the Quinns' mansion. Compared to her own place? Yeah, this thing was massive.

She figured that after running that long, she must've finally made it out of the Quinns' main estate.

It was super late already, and cabs would probably be impossible to flag down around this private area, so she decided to try her luck and knocked on the door.

No one answered. After knocking for a good while and feeling completely worn out from the whole day, Serena just slumped onto the doorstep and dozed off.

The nights in Westbridge were starting to get chilly. Wearing nothing but a simple dress, the cold made her instinctively curl into herself for warmth.

Meanwhile, back at the Quinn mansion, in the study...

"Any... news about Austin?" Matthew asked with a deep frown.

Talking about Vivian had stirred up memories of his little brother who got lost at an amusement park when they were kids. Austin's disappearance had completely turned their whole family upside down.

Vivian had blamed Matthew for it, accusing him of purposefully losing his three-year-old brother out of spite. She even used her own life to press the fifteen-year-old Matthew into leaving for Veloria, strictly banning him from returning without her permission.

Ever since then, the name "Austin" had become a taboo no one in the Quinn household dared to bring up.

David shuddered slightly, then gave a slow shake of his head. "Just bits and pieces. Heard he was kidnapped and sold off to some remote mountain village. We've never stopped searching all these years."

Matthew leaned forward, rubbing his temples with both hands, his face etched with pain. "Got it. Keep looking."

Right then, a flurry of noise erupted outside the study.

He swiftly opened the door and stepped out. "What happened?"

Susan rushed over, panic written all over her face. "Mr. Quinn, your wife is missing."

Matthew blinked. "Missing? Wasn't she just with you by the study window?"

He tried calling Serena's phone - straight to voicemail.

"She was. Then she said her bracelet fell off and went back to look for it. I came to the dining room to prep dinner, waited and waited, but she never showed. I checked outside the study too and... nothing."

Susan's eyes were tearing up in anxiety.

Matthew's expression instantly darkened, a storm brewing behind his eyes. But noticing Vivian nearby, he quickly forced a neutral face. "She probably got lost. Turn on all the lights and start searching."

The Quinn mansion was instantly thrown into chaos.

Matthew turned to Vivian with a nod. "Dinner's ready. You go ahead."

Vivian gracefully took a seat at the dining table, smiling. "It's her first night here, right? It'd be awkward to eat without her. You all go look, I'll wait. No rush."

He just gave a cool "Sure" in return, but inside, he was burning up with worry.

He pulled aside one of the staff rushing around and asked quietly, "You checked the side villa?"

The maid hesitated, "N-Not yet... I'll go now."

Matthew gave a sharp smile and held her back. "No need. I'll take care of it. Tell Susan to go ahead with dinner."

They had already searched the entire mansion thoroughly. Given that the place sat halfway up a mountain with security at every exit and no reports of Serena leaving, that only left one possibility-she must be at the side villa.

This villa was tucked at the base of the mountain, kind of isolated but peaceful. The old man had used it as a recovery spot back in the day.

Matthew hopped on his motorbike and headed straight there.

Hearing the low rumble of the engine, Serena, still curled on the steps, perked up fast. Finally! Someone from the house was back. She might just be saved after all.