Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Not a Dream

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.