《Fated To Love You Forever》


 Chapter One

    *****Prologue


    ¡°He is not here.¡± The strange woman said to her.


    She looked round the house she had be so familiar with but now it just felt cold, nk and empty.


    ¡°What do you mean by that.. I mean¡­¡± She started to say but the stranger raised her hands effectively cutting her off.


    ¡°It seems you¡¯ve got the wrong ce, young girl. The name you just called is strange to me. I¡¯ve not heard it before. You can go and ask around maybe you are lost.¡±


    ¡°No ma, I am not.¡± Madison insisted.


    She was very sure of what she was saying.


    This was the house she¡¯de to call her second home.


    It was in this same brown bricked house she¡¯dughed, she¡¯d cried, she¡¯d moaned in pleasure, she¡¯d¡­.


    She had to stop thinking about all those now.


    ¡°Ma, sorry to disturb you but I¡¯m very sure of what I¡¯m saying. I¡¯m looking for Dam¡­¡± She trailed of because the woman didn¡¯t even allow her finish.


    ¡°Young girl. You are lost, I don¡¯t know who Damien Daniel is, or La or Grace or whatever other person¡¯s name you are calling. I just packed in here new, I don¡¯t know what you are saying.¡±


    The woman just packed in here newly. A new tenant. It had been a few days since she¡¯d seen Damienst, standing in front of this porch and they¡¯d talked, more like argued but still¡­


    She couldn¡¯t believe her ears, with the thoughts going on in her mind, she prayed that what she was thinking was not the situation here.


    When had he left? When was the house put up for rent? When, when, when? She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but the woman standing in front of her didn¡¯t look like she was going to give her the answers.


    ¡°But¡­¡± She began again and the woman who was already getting annoyed as shown on her facial expression said, ¡°No buts. I don¡¯t know who Damien Daniel is, I have not heard that name before in my life, and I was actually arranging my things and cooking. So if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± The woman said and without even allowing her to say anything, she banged the door loud and square on her face.


    She blinked once, twice, thrice and then she pinched herself to know if this was real.


    Did he leave without telling her just as he¡¯d said, no he just couldn¡¯t. He¡¯d said it to her face, that he was going to leave and when he did he wouldn¡¯te back.


    He had said it to her face that he didn¡¯t care about her existence anymore, and he was sorely betrayed by what she did, but she had begged him to stay.


    She told him she woulde back, and exin every single thing to him, she would tell him the truth, but what did he do? Leave without looking back!


    But the truth was staring at her right at the face. A truth that was so hard toprehend, she was more than confused.


    Who was she going to ask? What was she going to do? All these and more ran through Madison¡¯s mind as she fell down to the floor in tears, her heart breaking, shattering in pieces.


    This couldn¡¯t just be happening to her. She didn¡¯t want to believe it at all, and she pinched her skin for the umpteenth time wanting to wake up from this dream. It was a dream, this wasn¡¯t real at all.


    Her hands instinctively went to her stomach, and she squeezed the little bump growing tightly, as the stream of tears continued to fall down her face.


    She was in a huge mess, a very big one at that, that had no solution at all.


    He had been her only hope, herst chance at surviving this mess, and now she had pushed him away with her ignorance and callous lies. She had refused to listen to the voices in her head, and she was going to suffer heavily for it.


    Now, the reality of the whole situation was staring back at her now.


    She¡¯d caused this, and now she had to pay!


    *****


    10 YEARS LATER


    ¡°Sir we have the list of the hostesses, and ushers for tomorrow¡¯s event.¡±


    Damien looked up at his secretary, and giving her a warm smile he listened to her belt out schedules, while he stretched his arms out collecting a file from her.


    Dropping the files on the table, as he was going to go through itter, he cleared his throat and then said dismissively, ¡°I think that would be all for now, Nina.¡±


    ¡°Okay sir, and lest I forget, Ma¡¯am Katherine said she was going to stop by your officeter. She called to inform me.¡±


    Sighing, Damien let out a fake smile and waved his hands.


    He wasn¡¯t expecting Katherine anytime soon, as he had spent thest weekend with her.


    She was his girlfriend, on and off girlfriend rather, and now they might soon be engaged.


    It was her father¡¯s choice not his, and Damien was even thinking about it in order to foster a deal with her billionaire father, and whereas she loved him, Damien couldn¡¯t say the same for himself, as he had only ever loved one woman all his life.


    Discarding his thoughts, not wanting his pasts thoughts to overshadow him like they usually did, Damien said to his secretary, ¡°I¡¯ll be here waiting for her, once shees. You can leave now.¡±


    Nodding her head politely, Damien watched as the pretty redhead walked out of his office, and immediately she closed the door he stood up and walked to the wine bar in his office, and took out a drink.


    Pouring some wine in his ss cup, he took arge sip as he walked outside the balcony of his office.


    The cool breeze fanning him, his well gelled hair already scattering Damien¡¯s mind wandered away back to the past albeit immediately.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way you would make it in this town young boy. Unless you stay away from my daughter, and even if you do I promise to make life unbearable for you.¡¯


    Mr Connor¡­Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    He smiled briefly as he remembered the man, who had propelled him to where he was today.


    The man who had hardened his heart, made him so cold and striving for sess and the man whom he had gotten his motivation from.


    He still couldn¡¯t believe how far he hade.


    He was now one of New York¡¯s most eligible bachelor, billionaire yboy and one of the top richest men in the world.


    The CEO of DD Incorporation, enterprise, real estate mogul and oil tycoon, Damien had quite the reputation for himself.


    Amidst the scandals, the hustle bustle of business, and the fact that hemanded so much respect in the business world, Damien could never forget his haunting past, and what he had gone through in the hands of that old man.


    And he was going to make him pay!


    No he was already making the whole family pay, Damien smiled as the investigations were already underway.


    He was going to burn the Connor¡¯s to earth, and he was going to make sure they paid for every damn thing they made him and his mother go through.


    He would make them pay, he would get his answers and maybe just maybe he could have peace for a moment in his life.


    Smiling Damien walked back inside his office, and dropping the wine ss, he picked up a cigarette from his ash tray and lighting it up, he puffed on the heady scent as he picked up files in the office and started flipping through.


    He needed to get some work done before Katherine arrived, because he knew once she did she would suck away his energy with her insane demands.


    A smirk on his lips, Damien started to work!


    ¡­.


    Madison stretched her arms out, as she washed theundry of the uniform she was to use for the event tomorrow quickly.


    Stomach growling painfully in hunger, she knew there was no way she could abandon what she was doing just to eat her dinner of protein bar and orange so it would most definitely have to wait.


    She had done all she could to secure her position in this top notch event as a serving waitress, and she had even used all her money in getting the ne ticket down here, because the tip was top notch, and she would add it to her resume back at home, in London.


    She just couldn¡¯t wait to be done with the gig, and then move on with her normal lonely life, back in the suburbs of downtown London scouring for jobs and making ends meet.


    A tear rolled down her eyes, her hormones fucking her up as she  thought back to her horrid past.


    Who would have thought that she, the daughter of a well renowned politician back then wouldter be a waitress, hostess and usher always looking for side gigs.


    Who would have thought that, she would be living in a dingy apartment in downtown London, so different from the mansion she lived back then as a kid?


    Who would have thought that at 27, she would still be single, feeding from hand to mouth, estranged from her family and struggling to make money looking for menial jobs with no qualifications?


    Who would have thought all these? She asked herself as she sniffled, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.


    Her life hade crumbling down, ever since she clocked 18, and ever since then she hadn¡¯t been able to pick herself up again.


    She couldn¡¯t bring herself to fall in love again, after the damage that had been done to her heart and soul back then, and despite the advances from leech looking men, and horny guys Madison knew she could never get to experience love again, not with her battered soul.


    Not when she had nothing to offer, and her pure existence as a woman was no more.


    Her heart squeezed in pain as she thought back to the only man she had ever loved.


    The man she had given the world too, and her heart but he had shattered her feelings by walking away from her without even sparing a nce or listening to her¡­ Damn!


    He hadn¡¯t even let to her exin herself at all, choosing to adhere to what people said and turning the love he had for her to pure hatred and scorn.


    She tried believing in miracles, that one day they would meet again under good circumstances thus time around, be united and one she would call him his, but she was aiming too high it seemed because she had no idea where he even was.


    One thing she just couldn¡¯t understand was why she was suddenly thinking about him these days, when she rarely did.


    Was it because this month was the anniversary of the death of their child, or because she was on her period she just didn¡¯t know, but she was just bing so emotional ofte, and she hated it.


    Damien would be wherever he was right now, having the time of his life, and here she was unable to move on from the past, just because there was this harsh voice in her head telling her it wasn¡¯t yet over when she knew it was.


    She was just so tired of thinking about him, sulking for days with the memories they had shared back then and drifting off to the past.


    Besides the fact that he had left her damaged and irreparable beyond repair, she even wondered if he would still love her just the way he had back then, or if what her brother had told her was true.


    shing back to the past, Mason¡¯s mocking words resonated deep in her ears, ¡°You think he loves you. Someone that fucked my girlfriend, and is known to have fucked so many girls in the town, and here you are, thinking that he still has feelings for you. He hates father, I hate him, and he¡¯s just using you to get back at the both of us.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± She had stammered back then, her hands clutching her pregnant but not so visible belly, as he wanted telling him the doom she had gotten herself into, but the words had died in her lips.


    ¡°Madison, Damien does not love you. The scandal you both are in now, should be enough to have you thinking right this time around. He does not love you¡­¡±


    ¡®Damien does not love you. He does not love you.¡¯


    The words kept resonating in her ears as she brought out her uniform from the washing machine, and walked outside to spread her clothes in the back of the motel she was staying at.


    ¡®Damien does not love you.¡¯ The words kept echoing even as she picked up the sachet of protein bar and orange she had bought earlier for dinner.


    ¡®Damien does not love you.¡¯ It resonated even as sheid on her small bed for the night, the nkets barely covering her in the cold motel room.


    ¡®Damien does not¡­¡¯


    ¡°Fuck!¡± She yelled loudly, and flung away the half peeled orange she was yet to eat.


    Tears streaming down her face, her hands clutching her womb, Madison gave way to the tears as the memories from her stricken past eluded her and she cried her pitiful self too sleep.


    She was tired.


    So, so tired!

 Chapter Two

    ¡°Do I look pretty enough Damien?¡± Katherine asked, and giving her a warm smile he nodded genuinely.


    Appraising her, and looking up and down at the pretty evening exquisite dress that he had personally selected for her, Damien couldn¡¯t deny the fact that his partner and date tonight for the event looked so gorgeous.


    A blonde haired beauty, Katherine had caught Damien¡¯s eyes the first time they had met at a social gathering where she had apanied her father, and from there on their rtionship had blossomed.


    Her enchanting blue eyes had drawn him towards her.


    No not him, but his dick rather and all through the night they had exchanged flirty winks, his sexual innuendo egging him on as he wanted to have those beautiful eyes of hers looking at him, while he fucked her deep and hard.


    At first, it had started with a fling, as Damien had used his effective yboy talks on her, wanting to woo her and have her spend the night with him, and luckily his antics had worked quickly.


    That same night, taking some permission from her ever willing father who was one of his business partners, they had first disguised talking about business butter on when they were really alone he had scored a date with her for the night, and after the event he had driven her to one of the ssic hotels he owned and he had fucked her deep and hard for hours.


    Till this day, he knew she was amazed at his sexual prowess, and her feistiness was what had kept them glued till this day.


    After that one night stand, they had continued to meet, and he started taking her out on dates, spoiling her with gifts , taking her on vacations and making his intentions clear that he wanted to date her however short their rtionship might be.


    Soon the media got wind of it, and at a public business event much to the agreement of her father, they had both made their rtionship official amidst cheers, and that media going gaga.


    She was his first public girlfriend in years, and widely known for his yboy ways the media had been more than surprised and some weeks even after their announcement Damien kept on making headlines.


    Now, they were not really stable, but she was rather possessive of him and she was the forte keeping their rtionship afloat.


    Her father wanted them to get married, saying it would seal so many¡­


    ¡°Damien darling¡­¡± She drawled seductively, interrupting his thoughts, cing her well manicured hands on his shoulders, and he used his bare tattooed hands to retain herposure, cing them gently on her waist.


    ¡°Yes Kathie¡­¡± He replied curtly looking up at her, and he could see her irises darkening.


    ¡°No, no¡­¡± He shook his head furiously knowing what she wanted.


    ¡°But we still have up to thirty minutes before we leave for the event.¡± She pouted, her red lips in full disy, and despite having an effect on him Damien controlled himself.


    ¡°You¡¯re already dressed up, and the make-up artist just finished doing justice to your gorgeous face. If I take a hold of you now, you and I know that you would be roughened up beyond repair, and you wouldn¡¯t want to go through the stress of dressing up again would you?¡± He asked, and gently disentangling her arms from his shoulders, standing up he added, ¡°I¡¯m not even dressed yet.¡±


    ¡°I can dress myself up, and¡­¡±


    She stopped, as someone knocked on the door of the hotel suite they were staying at.


    ¡°Come in.¡± Damien said, and in walked Alvarez, his bodyguard, right hand man and best friend too.


    Alvarez was Damien¡¯s childhood friend, and while Damien had struggled in college, wanting to get a good business degree and understand the fundamentals of finance, Alvarez who was not really interested in education had worked menial jobs, and security positions for restaurants and clubs using the money gotten to take care of them.


    His husky build, and his fierce look had helped in securing the jobs, and when Damien had established his reputation he had appointed Alvarez as his head of security, cing so much trust on his best friend and the only brother he had ever had.


    Despite how serious Alvarez looked, he was a man of so much love and an affection, and to think he was already married, and had a family he loved dearly was enough to make Damien happy for him.


    He was happy that they were both doing well, just like they had nned when they were little.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    ¡°The limo is ready Damien, and the guards are in ce. We¡¯re good to go, but you aren¡¯t good to go.¡± Alvarez added sarcastically and his eyes flickering to Katherine, he gave her a short wave, which she reciprocated reluctantly.


    They never got along, the duo and Alvarez had told him one time that he was just tolerating her.


    Sometimes Damien thought that Alvarez hated her, because she was not the person he wanted for him, but he had moved on from his past, and that Alvarez needed to know.


    Back then, they had been friends, Alvarez and Madison¡­


    Just the mere thought of her name, was enough to bring a sour look on his face, and he shook his head rigorously discarding every thought.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get dressed soon, and we¡¯ll be downstairs.¡± Damien said, and bowing a hearty smile on his face, Alvarez left the bedroom.


    ¡°So nothing?¡± Katherine pouted, but Damien was far of in the bathroom, choosing not to answer her at all.


    He heard her grumbling, and pacing restlessly around the room, something she always did when she was angry, or frustrated but he was already engrossed in his duties.


    There was nothing he could do again.


    ¡­.


    Madison looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, of the suite she was at.


    The exquisite interior of the bathroom, rivaled any she¡¯d ever seen, and if she had just been here on a normal visit Madison knew she would have taken her time to study the gold ted and flowered marble designs, but no¡­ she was here because she wanted to instill, some sort of confidence in herself.


    She needed to focus on the job at hand, and that was that! She had arrived earlier at the hotel given to her, and following the instructions of the manager all the ushers, waitress and waiters of the day¡¯s event, had all jumbled together in a room, as they all dressed and prepared for the uing asion.


    They had already been addressed, and given instructions on what to do and how to do it, the only thing remaining was for them all to file out, and begin to do their work.


    The event was already underway, downstairs in the hotel¡¯srge banquet hall, and Madison knew that soon her job would start. This was not the first time, she was handling a waitress gig abroad, but she couldn¡¯t exin the feeling she was having now.


    She was so nervous, palms sweaty, and her confidence was detoriating rapidly, due to reasons unbeknownst to her.


    She hade into the bathroom, to have some form of privacy, away from the bustles of activities going on in the suite, and also wanting to regain herposure and confidence.


    Rubbing her sweaty palms together, she breathed in and out heavily and said slowly, ¡°It¡¯s just an event, serving pompous assholes and rich socialites. Madison you can do this!¡±


    She looked herself in the mirror, arranging her hair well, dusting of her uniform and pping on a confident smile and look, she repeated her mantra again, this time adding some more words, ¡°It¡¯s just an event, serving pompous assholes and rich socialites. Madison you can do this! Soon, you¡¯ll be done and off to London. Back to your lowly and cool life.¡±


    Yes! She could do this, she thought to herself as the door to the toilet opened, and someone called her name from outside.


    Yes, she could do this! The words echoing in her head as she walked outside, to receive the final briefing before embarking downstairs to the event.


    Yes, she could definitely do this!

 Chapter Three

    Damien walked inside the event which was already underway, with Katherine by his side, their elbows intertwined together, looking like the ultimate celebrity power couple which the media portrayed them as.


    They had arrived some minutes ago, and he had just finished giving his wee speech, going up the stage as he had been called with Katherine as usual by his side, and he had weed the guests to the business function.


    He had left for outside, wanting to get some fresh air, and Katherine obligingly had followed him too, and now they were both back inside going straight to their seat.


    The crowd stilled as he entered yet again, and it felt as if he was arriving just for the first time because he could feel the stares of the guests on him as he walked in, and scanning the crowd he duly waved them as expected once again.


    While he waved, at the same time he looking for the VIP seat that had been kept for him and Katherine.


    The seat they had both sat on, some minutes back.


    Music ying in the background from the live band that had been hired, Damien hummed softly to the popr song of Tim Jones, that was being yed, all the while directing his date Katherine, to her seat.


    He was about getting there, when he felt a tap from behind, and he froze.


    Turning around, wanting to see who had interrupted him, Damien came face to face with an elderly couple, and looking at the man amongst them, he smiled recognizing the fellow as one of his business associates.


    Mr Ramon, he could remember the man¡¯s name, and ncing at the grey haired pretty woman standing besides him, d in expensive clothes and jewelries, Damien who was albeit amused bowed his head in respect.


    ¡°Mr Damien.¡± The old man greeted, pulling his hands out for an handshake, one which Damien immediately partook in, removing his arms from Katherine¡¯s, and sping the fragile veiny hands in his as he replied back, ¡°Mr Ramon. How nice to see you today.¡±


    ¡°Same here, same here.¡± The elderly man said with a smile, and carrying on Damien proceeded to introduce his girlfriend, to the old man, and his wife who weed her with open arms.


    A nearby waitress passing by, Damien signaled for the blonde haireddy¡¯s attention, and as she arrived, bearing a tray of drinks in her hand, he simultaneously collected four sses, handing each and everyone a ss and taking a sip of his own drink, he looked up at the man again, and asked, ¡°What brought you by? You rarelye out and¡­¡±


    ¡°Honey.¡±


    Damien stilled, as Katherine patted him, and raising his ss towards Mr Ramon, taking a slight excuse, he turned to face her slightly irritated but using his will power to mask his feelings.


    He hated interruptions, of any kind, and worse still this man in front of them was one of Italy¡¯s most revered and respected business man and billionaire, but of course she had no idea.


    Even if she had an idea, she wouldn¡¯t care¡­


    Sighing gently he asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling pressed, I need to use the bathroom, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± She muttered slowly to him, and he just gave her a curt nod and turned back to resume with his discussion while she scurried away.


    ¡°I know thatdy. Her father worked under me before¡­¡± Mr Ramon started to say, still looking at Katherine¡¯s retreating figure and smiling, Damien turning to look at her again before facing the old man again said, ¡°Of course I won¡¯t be surprised if you know him. That man is a jack of all trades¡­¡± Damien added, and the old man chuckled.


    Discarding the topic of Katherine, they continued talking business while Ramon¡¯s wife excused them too, and soon it was just the two of them, wine ss in hand, and whiling away time.


    ¡­.


    ¡°Finally we would get to serve this pompous assholes.¡± Madison muttered loudly, much to the amusement of her colleagues who marched the stairs down with her.


    ¡°You are so funny, you know right?¡± One of them said, and rolling her eyes she repliedically, ¡°Of course I am. I am aedian, a drama queen, atleast it takes me away from the jumbled thoughts going on in my head.¡±


    Finally she was to get on with her gig, Madison thought to herself as she walked down the stairs, wine tray in hand, filled with sses of juice, and various cocktails.


    She was marching down confidently, as this was the time that she was actually starting her waitressing gig, instead of earlier on.


    Something unexpected had happened, and so she and some other of her colleagues had been dyed and ordered to help out in the kitchen beforeing out to do their job.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    She had been a little bit unhappy about the development, because she had wanted to see the host of the party give his wee speech, but due to the order she hadn¡¯t been able to.


    The tip, she was going to get after though, didpensate her a bit and she was somewhat grateful that she would have some additional money after everything.


    She needed it¡­


    Looking around, at the hustle and bustle of the evening, Madison soon stepped down the stairs, alongside her colleagues, who were waitresses like her, and after saying a short goodbye and good-luck gestures, they all separated, each and everyone going their separate ways to begin their activity.


    Madison, walking straight, immediately blended in the crowd, and in minutes with her cheerful smile ced impably on her face, hiding her worries away, she was off serving guests, and carefully fending of men who were trying to make passes at her.


    She was collecting tips from them though, because she could use the spare cash going around, and whistling away to the song ying in the background,ughing care freely and enjoying her self, she didn¡¯t realize when she bumped into an iingdy, and then her tray of wine sses fell on thedy, staining the dress she was putting on, as well as shattering on the floor, whilst Madison¡¯s eyes widened in horror.


    No, no! This couldn¡¯t be happening¡­


    Surely this was an hallucination, and she was just dreaming probably but the murmurs from the crowd, the stares of the guests boring a hole in her back, the hysterics from thedy she had bumped into and the shards of ss that were already digging into her feets, were a stark reminder that all this was real and she had just gotten herself into a big mess.


    Quickly dropping to her knees, not caring about the sses scattered all over, Madison knelt in the floor, sweating profusely, with beads of sweat gathering around her neck and shoulders, and muttering some apologetic words she started to pick the sses that had broken.


    She had no idea what the time was, as she continued picking the broken pieces, no one wasing to her rescue, or to help at least and worse of all thedy was shouting angrily and ranting.


    ¡°I am sorry ma¡¯am.¡± She said slowly, finally taking her eyes of the floor to look at the woman and beg her for mercy but the youngdy rather was so adamant as she kept on screaming.


    Damn it! She thought to herself, her face dropping downwards again, not even properly looking at thedy she had seemingly had an encounter with.


    From the way thedy was shouting, causing chaos, Madison could tell that she was one spoilt brat, or wife of a rich billionaire obviously because¡­


    Fuck! She shouldn¡¯t be thinking of this.


    She was supposed to be thinking about how she was going to get this under control, because she knew she was surely going to pay for this, and apart from being disgraced and embarrassed right here, she would still be scolded very well once this party was over.


    This was one of the minor ills of her job, and she was always supposed to be attentive and focused so as not to create this kind of scenario, and now she had fucked up really bad.


    Crowds were already beginning to form, the event already in disarray, and the dawning fear of what was going to happen should this be worser than it already was made her frantically try to pick these sses and just disappear away from here, but she knew she just couldn¡¯t do that.


    She would probably be called to exin, and her tip for the night would be collected from her, and withheld since she had vited some rules.


    Tears burning at the back of her eyes at the waning situation, Madison was still trying to salvage the situation when she heard someone¡¯s voice, a deep baritone voice belonging to a man rather, shouting from the crowd as he came close, ¡°What the fuck is happening here?¡±


    ¡°Katherine darling, what happened?¡± The man was saying again, and this time the whispers from the crowd increased a million fold, as she heard thedy say, ¡°Oh honey, I am doomed. That brat, that foolish waitress she soiled my dress. She has sessfully made all the time I spent looking good, feel like a waste and now¡­¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± The man asked again, this time whisperingforting things to thedy¡¯s ear, and from the words he was uttering it was obvious that they were lovers and immediately Madison¡¯s heart squeezed a little in jealousy.


    Oh well, she had been right before.


    Thedy was surely the wife of a rich, and pompous billionaire.


    Useless people all of them! Madison sweared in her mind, cursing at the same time crying painfully as shards of sses continued to pierce her skin, and flesh.


    ¡°There¡­ there she is.¡± Thedy shouted, obviously pointing at her, and not able to contain her shame any longer, Madison decided to face the couple, ready to apologize, or likewise give them a piece of her mind, as all this was just some stupid mistake when her hands froze¡­


    No, no this couldn¡¯t be yet again!


    The sses that she had sessfully gathered atop a tray, scattered yet again and the tray fell of her hands as she matched gaze with the lover of thedy she had bumped into.


    Eyes widening this time around, another tear flowed down her face in shock.


    No it wasn¡¯t true! This was a dream, she kept on telling herself, but as they held gazes, their mouths both opened in shock, Madison knew that this night was definitely a doomsday, because standing in front of her was him¡­ Damien Daniels, the man who had broken her heart and shattered her dreams.


    The man who had left her, and turned her into a scorn.


    The man whom she loved, and cherished ever since childhood. Damien Daniels, the poor mechanic boy she had given her heart and body too¡­


    ¡°No!¡­¡±

 Chapter Four

    shbacks, 2011¡­ 11 years earlier


    ¡°The most beautiful thing in our hearts about young love, is the truth in our hearts that it wouldst forever ~ ATTICUS ~


    ¡°Would youe to the shopter today Maddie?¡±


    Looking up at him shyly, Madison gave a small smile as she nodded gently.


    Anytime he called her Maddie, she always got weak to the core, and his husky deep voice did things to her inside.


    Oh, if he would just kiss her now¡­ She wondered, biting her lips, looking up at him shyly, her eyes blinking softly trying not to meet his gaze but she failed.


    They had just started dating, some weeks back and still they hadn¡¯t shared their first kiss.


    Every single day though, she kept on falling deep in love with him, and the cute gestures he showered on her every time.


    From taking her to little spontaneous dates in his workce, kissing her cheeks and forehead so gently whenever they wanted to part in the juncture before she would go home, and sending her love textste at night that made her swoon like a fool every time before sleeping, Madison just didn¡¯t want this feeling to end.


    Their love was forbidden, and whenever his texts came in when she was with her parents or brothers, she made sure to keep her phone hidden sometimes switching the phonepletely off.


    Her brothers were still not aware of her new rtionship, likewise her parents and Madison knew that once they caught wind of it, she would literally be skinned alive, but what did she care?


    She was in love, and she wanted to bask in this feeling of bliss till whenever.


    She never wanted this feeling to stop at all¡­


    Rumors were already going around, and considering their different social sses, andrge age difference (She was 17 and he was 22 bothering on 23 soon), she knew people were bound to talk in this little boring town of theirs and that was another main reason why Damien, had not taken her on a full proper restaurant dinner date just like she had always envisioned and imagined too.


    They were keeping things secret.


    It hurt her, that they had to hide so much just because they weren¡¯t the perfect pair for each other, but was anything perfect in this wicked world? She wondered.


    She¡­


    ¡°Madison? Maddie? What are you thinking about? Why are you so silent?¡± Damien cing his hands on her shoulders started to shake her lightly, breaking her out from her supposed reverie.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I must have zoned out.¡± She said softly, looking up at him yet again, her lips stretching a little bit as she stared into his shiny deep blue eyes.


    Her eyes wandering down from his face, she started to ess him, as she smiled deeply this time.


    He looked so handsome in his work clothes of faded jeans, and a dark polo, with the shirt doing justice to his muscles making his chest stand out, and she blushed immediately, dropping her eyes from his body and looking at her feets, her hands suddenly intertwined as she made work of them.


    ¡°Maddie, look at me.¡± He said in that deep tone of his, and she did as he ordered, despite her eyelids blinking yet again, her gaze not steady.


    Why the fuck was she feeling so shy? Why was¡­


    ¡°Whenever you do this thing¡­?¡±


    ¡°What thing?¡± She asked cutting through his speech, but he didn¡¯t answer as he said with a deep growl before dropping his lips on her hers. ¡°¡­ makes me want to kiss the shit out of you. Fuck it!¡±


    ¡°Oh Damien¡­¡± She moaned softly unashamedly, as they kissed for the first time, and lost in the moment Madison didn¡¯t want it to end.


    Not at all¡­


    ¡­.


    Present Day, 2022 (At the scene of the party)


    ¡°This dress costs 2000 fucking dors, and that bitch just spilled red wine on it. She just ruined my dress honey, she just¡­¡±


    Damien had no idea what Katherine was saying anymore, even as he patted her back slowly in afortable manner trying to calm her down, but his mind was not with her at all.


    He was shocked and gutted to the core, staring at his worst nightmare. Time seemed to standby, as he stared straight at the woman who had gued his dreams insanely in thest ten years.


    Her strawberry blonde curls, which hadn¡¯t changed one bit was still on her head, fanning her somewhat skinny face as they stared at each other in shock.


    To say he was surprised was an understatement, as he was more than shocked as different questions ran in his head. What was she doing here? As a waitress for that matter?


    Where was the quirky princess of the Connor family, thedy who had everything she wanted at her disposal, thedy that had shattered his heart, and made him leave Birmingham without looking back twice?


    Where was she? Surely she was not this person, picking sses, with tears streaking down her face, as she stared right back at him¡­


    He felt likeughing at the absurdity of the whole situation. He just couldn¡¯t believe it at all. She looked so small, and she had changed too, that he could note as he stared at her, using the short time he had, to take a good look at her.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Her full rosebud lips that he had kissed, suckled and ced his dick cap on and¡­ fuck it! She looked startled too as her mouth was open and tears were still streaming down her face profusely.


    One and only Madison Connor, now a waitress and¡­ ¡°Honey, you¡¯re not saying anything. I¡¯m ruined, thisdy has just spoilt my night honey and you¡¯re just staring at her without doing anything. People are staring, the cameras¡­¡±


    At the mention of cameras, Damien snapped out of his trance, giving Madison onest nce before dragging his gaze away from her. His look immediately turned from confusion, to one of pure disgust and hatred, as the pasts came rushing back. The hurtful things she and her family had done to him, how she had betrayed him and¡­


    His hands on Katherine¡¯s arms gripping tightly, he asked harshly, ¡°What do you want her to do? You don¡¯t want to calm down love.¡±


    He was patting her back slowly, trying to speak to her endearingly all the while his gaze kept sliding back to Madison, who he could hear muttering sorry albeit slowly and picking up the shards of sses despite how dangerous it was.


    He could see some drops of blood on the floor, and at the same time the crowd was dispersing as security and help started to appear.


    ¡°She has to pay for the dress and extra damages. The dress cost a freaking 2000 dors and¡­¡± Katherine said, huping and bawling and cutting her off, Damien said in a loud voice making sure she would hear him, ¡°You want the pathetic bitch to pay for it right?¡± He asked and Katherine nodded shakily.


    The pathetic bitch on the floor, yes he was talking to her, and looking at her a wicked smirk on his face, as the hatred returned he uttered, ¡°Done! Yes she would pay for it. She would pay for every single dime used in making this dress. She would pay for every thing, and if she doesn¡¯t, we¡¯ll sue!¡±


    Katherine was happy instantly giggling, but as Damien held Madison¡¯s gaze looking back at her , he saw pain, or was it hurt shing through her eyes. Her lips dropped open in shock and she let out a gasp at the same time, inaudible but he could hear it.


    Tears streamed down her face this time in folds. but Damien had no care in the world.


    She would pay¡­ Her and her family, and this was just the beginning!

 Chapter Five

    ¡°Done! Yes she would pay for it. She would pay for every single dime used in making this dress. She would pay for every thing, and if she doesn¡¯t, we¡¯ll sue!¡±


    As she heard these wordsing out from his lips, Madison felt likemanding the ground to open up and swallow her.


    2000 freaking dors! Where the fuck would she get that money from?


    That was almost half of her tip for this job, and the meager 800 dors that she was going to get after everything she would do here, had already been budgeted.


    Asides from the tip also that these horny looking cheating men, had given her after she served them drinks, Madison knew that should she pay for the dress, then she would be utterly broke and stranded in New York, and she did not want to go through that nightmare.


    She had even decided on taking the train back home, as she wanted to save up the money she would use to book a flight back home, and now this had to happen!


    She started to sob uncontrobly, and a bit loud too not caring if she was attracting any attention.


    She sobbed not just because of the money she had to pay for the dress, but she was more deeply hurt at the way Damien had talked to her.


    Definitely, he remembered her.


    The look of recognition and longing had shed in his eyes one time, that she could attest to before it was finally reced with something way way opposite.


    Sure he would recognize her as she hadn¡¯t changed much, since childhood that was for sure.


    She still had the same shade of strawberry blonde curls atop her head, that he had loved so much, and her face still looked the same, safe for the freckles that were no longer there, and the sses she no longer wore, as she didn¡¯t have enough money to take care of her dully eyes.


    She was a bit skinnier, no more chubby like those times, when she had been all ass, thighs, and bosoms, and she could attribute the insane weight loss to days of starving without having good food to eat, and stressing herself out with little or no rest for her poor body.


    He still hated her, just as he had told her thest time they had held a proper conversation back then, when they were still young, carefree and foolish.


    She could remember that night, that fateful day¡­ where he had crushed her heart into pieces and shattered her dreams.


    It had been a cold rainy night, and she had ran to his house wanting to apologize but he had refused to listen, all the while chanting this same words over and over, while she had confusedly stared at him, with no idea of what he was saying.


    No, she did have an idea and she wanted telling him the truth¡­ how she had been foolish and how she would follow him wherever he was going to but he didn¡¯t listen.


    Instead he had kept on saying to her,


    ¨C ¡°You betrayed me Madison, and I would never forgive you and your family for this.¡¯ ¨C


    She never forgot those words, even till this day, and at the reminder that he had the same uncanny and unchanging hatred from years past, Madison had no idea how to react to it at all.


    Damien still despised her.


    The look he had given her, as he said those words were one of pure disgust, spite, loathing and so much detest that she had been ashamed to still defiantly hold his stare.


    She was sniffling now, as she tried to forget about the past, instead she focused on the work in front of her and the huge amount of money she had to pay his girlfriend.


    2000 dors! A shiver ran down her spine just at the mere mention of the money.


    Did he think her father was still rich, and that she could afford the money?


    She was here waitressing, surely he would have put two and two together, but still he hadn¡¯t even begged his insatiable girlfriend, and worse of he had threatened to sue just because of a freaking dress.


    If she had been controlling her tears before, now it came running down her face in full force and she tried to sniff it back, using her blood stained hands to wipe the tears away but her eyes just wouldn¡¯t stop streaming down the fucking liquid.


    ¡°Hey, hey, that¡¯s going to injure you girl, you have to stop picking this sses.¡± She heard someone finally say to her, and as she looked up at the kind human, she saw that it was anotherdy.


    An elderly one surprisingly, who obviously was from the party crowd and she was collecting the tray from her hands.


    ¡°No ma¡­¡± She stammered, refusing to give thedy the tray as she added, ¡°I¡¯ll be fired if I let you do this. This would stain your clothes and it would¡­¡±


    ¡°Mrs Roman?¡±


    He was back again, his deep voice washing over her, and she bent her head slightly as she didn¡¯t want to meet his wicked gaze at all.


    ¡°Damien, she¡¯s bleeding. What yourdy did, was uncalled for, and you supported her? 2000 dors, just because she spilled wine on her dress mistakenly. That¡¯s too much son, too much.¡± The elderly woman, or Mrs Ramon rather said, and Madison let out an audible gasp.


    To say she was shocked was putting it lightly, and Madison looked up as the elderly woman started to make way signaling for help with her hands.


    She could hear murmurs, she saw phones being brought out and people were already taking videos as security and some waitresses started to appear from nowhere.


    Dragging her gaze slowly, Madison looked at Damien, who was staring at her with so much anger.


    His girlfriend was still in his arms, her face buried in his chests as she was still pathetically sobbing, and removing her eyes from his stern face she started to ess the supposed gown which she had ruined.


    It was a cream colored dinner gown, and the wine had really stained the dress, changing the color to something she couldn¡¯t even put a name too.


    The dress was really ruined, and mentally cursing herself for being so careless she just sighed in disappointment.


    What had evene over her?


    Why hadn¡¯t she looked at where she was going?


    Or was this some sort of spiritual karma, an incident that was meant to bring her and Damien back together? She wondered to herself foolishly.


    Now she had to source for money to pay for the goddamned dress, before going back to London.


    Sigh¡­


    The chaos in the crowd was already bing much, and she watched as waitress knelt down with cleaning aids as they tried to pack the shattered sses.


    ¡°Careful, careful¡­¡± She could hear them say, as they tried to calm the crowd, doing their best to make sure no one got injured.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Mrs Ramon said again.


    The elderly woman cing a hand in her shoulders started to help her up, when suddenly she heard Damien saying again, ¡°The security will escort you out Mrs Ramon¡­¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    He had not even finished speaking when some hefty men, surrounded them both and gently with the help of another man who was her husband it seemed, Madison watched as the elderly woman left, at the same time looking back and telling her to stay safe still.


    Now it was just her, Damien and his girlfriend who was not even looking at her, her face still buried in his chest.


    She was already standing, and the scrutiny of his gaze had her weakening again and she felt like going back to the floor, when he said something that made her froze, and gutted her so badly, ¡°You think you can charm my associates by pretending, just like you did back then. You don¡¯t faze me and I know all your tricks. You¡¯re just a pathetic whore, and bitch who keeps ying the pity game but I won¡¯t fall for it not this time. You might have even tracked me to this event, and if you think I will forgive you after what you did back then then¡­¡±


    ¡°Darling do you know her?¡± Madison heard his girlfriend ask, and she looked back at him stricken waiting for his reply when he said, ¡°No, no I don¡¯t know her. Let¡¯s leave here!¡±


    She didn¡¯t even wait for his speech to end, as she was already taking her own leave.


    If she had any doubts about him hating her before, well his words now just confirmed to her with no doubt that he hated her so much, and loathed her to the core.


    The crowd were a blur to her already teary clouded eyes, and as she breezed past them, her whole body and soul bleeding, she held her tray tightly in her hands running away.


    Madison knew that karma had definitelye back.


    Her past was now here to haunt her, for eternity¡­


    ¡­.


    Damien watched Madison scurry away in tears, her face swollen, her knees bleeding, dripping of blood profusely, and his heart squeezed a bit.


    Why did he feel this way? Why was he feeling this pity, when he was not supposed to feel so?


    He had said those harsh words to her, surely he was supposed to be feeling satisfied and egoistical so why was he feeling the opposite?


    He should not have called her those names, maybe maybe¡­


    He had given themand, that she was to pay for Katherine¡¯s dress, but had he gone too far by calling out in front of the guests, embarrassing her in front of the crowd, and hurting her somehow, so that she had to leave the scene in shame.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± He belted out loud, almost startling Katherine whom he held by the shoulders as he directed her outside the banquet hall.


    The night was already ruined, and Damien knew he couldn¡¯t continue going around talking to business associates after this very embarrassing scenario, and with Katherine in such a mess he knew there was no way he could continue the night all carefree and social.


    They had to leave, and that he was doing.


    Luckily it seemed the whole situation had caused a standstill in the party, because before they stepped out the ss doors, Damien could hear something about the crowd leaving and the eventing to an end.


    Well, it was better because he didn¡¯t want to be seen in catalogues and magazines tomorrow as leaving the event early, because he was saving his girlfriend.


    Damien knew how dramatic these blogs and publications could be, and it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise to him tomorrow if his face and Madison¡¯s was sshed all over magazines with different headlines and story just because they wanted to make some quick money.


    As they stepped outside, immediately they were ustomed by shlights and cameras as well as journalists who began asking them question.


    Alvarez appeared all to soon luckily for Damien, and as he led them to the car he asked, ¡°I saw her, did you see h¡­¡±


    Gritting his jaw tightly, already knowing whom he was talking about Damien said curtly as he led Katherine gently in the jeep, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about her.¡±


    ¡°She looked hurt, tears wereing down her face. She¡¯s a waitress too, she¡­¡± Alvarez continued to say as Damien shut the door, turning round to get in too.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about her!¡± He yelled startling Alvarez, who looked at him bitterly before nodding, ¡°Okay boss. But this is not over and¡­¡±


    Damien didn¡¯t listen as he banged the car door straight in his friend¡¯s face, a sense of bitterness overcrowding him, as he looked straight ahead.


    It took some time, before the ignition started, and with Katherine who was still sulking, nestled in his arms, the car drove away from the charity event.


    The blissful evening breeze blowing by, Damien¡¯s thoughts took him back to Madison, and back to the past¡­

 Chapter Six

    ¡°Thatdy, was the girlfriend of the owner of this building! How dare you be so careless?¡±


    Madison stood as the chaperone and the manager of her agency berated her.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    If there was anything she hated in this world, it was being yelled at.


    She was so fragile, so light hearted that even back when she was young, and had still been living with her parents and siblings, any little berating from them, would make her drop down in tears.


    Now, as the manager of the establishment where waiters were being recruited chastised her, as if she was but a little girl, Madison just couldn¡¯t help the sob that escaped from her lips, as he continued throwing insults at her.


    The constant reminder of the cost of the dress, which he kept on repeating, did nothing in alleviating the situation instead it worsened everything.


    She was the only one in the office with him, because the waitresses and waiters who had served today at the event had all collected her tip and left her here.


    No one had stayed to even console her, or ask about the unusual urrence between her and the prestigious Damien Daniel¡¯s, as she had heard them referring to him as.


    Instead, they had murmured at her, some of them throwing jabs and ming her for being so careless and even the girls she had been with before starting her job, turned against her.


    As usual, she was all alone¡­


    Her knees were bandaged roughly with a spare towel she had seen at the bathroom, and she knew she looked like a mess, but still no one took a pity on her.


    They never did¡­ The solely reminder of this shed in her head, and she subtly recalled the elderly woman that had almoste to her rescue, tonight.


    Well¡­ after everything that had happened, from leaving the hall after Damien¡¯s insolent remark, to crying her hearts out outside, and then looking for where to clean her wounds, Madison was just tired.


    She desperately wanted to go back to her cold motel room, cry herself to sleep and forget about all her worries but she knew she couldn¡¯t do that, without collecting her tip.


    She just couldn¡¯t forget about the tip at all, because she needed it badly and so she hade back for it, hoping that the manager would be pitiful enough and maybe give her some additional change to spare but now she was just regretting her decision.


    She could have left, and forget about her tip of almost 800 dors, no way!


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡± She said slowly, wiping away her tears still hoping that the manager would have some atom of pity for her, but instead he gave her a sneer and then a look full of contempt and was it lust¡­


    ¡°You know, you did some damages not just at the hall, or the utensils you broke, but you also soiled the reputation of my recruiting agency, and with this news and scandal traveling wide and far you have to know that it¡¯s a big cost to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, really sorry.¡± She said again trying to apologize.


    ¡°Your apology wouldn¡¯t do anything at all. But there¡¯s a way you can apologize though¡­¡±


    The manager stood up from his chair, his gaze unwavering at her as he walked towards her, his gaze darkening and even in the dimly lit office Madison could see him lick his lips with so much contempt and disgust as he approached her.


    ¡°No¡­ no¡­¡± She muttered as he ced his hands on her bodice, the hem of her shirt with his fingers flickering on her bare chest, and he wandered down to her bosoms.


    ¡°Sleep with me tonight, and I will save you not only from the damage you¡¯re to cause but we¡¯ll also cover the expenses of the dress you spoilt. It¡¯s 2000 dors right?¡± He asked, his slimy breath fanning her neck and nodding shakily she muttered, ¡°Yes, yes sir.¡±


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t sle¡­¡± She didn¡¯t even finish her question when he replied crudely , ¡°If you don¡¯t allow me fuck your tiny body, then just get ready to pay for the damages yourself, and have your sry rescinded. No way I¡¯m going to pay you a dime for these you¡¯ve caused me. Give me your body mamacita, or leave my office and cklist yourself from my agency.


    She was trembling furiously, and she had no idea what to do.


    There was no way she would sleep with this man.


    No way she would have him touch in the body, that had been sacred for one man only, and no way was she going to turn into a slut just because she needed help.


    He even disgusted her.


    With his pot belly and mustache, his hands wandering to the hem of her short skirt as she stood frozen, Madison felt like puking her guts out on him but she held herself.


    ¡°I won¡¯t sleep with you.¡± She said defiant and she felt him remove his hands instantly from her body affording her the luxury of moving backwards, walking slowly towards the door.


    ¡°Really? You would pay you know that right?¡± He said but she just didn¡¯t care, as her body hit the door and she quickly unlocked it.


    ¡°I will¡­¡± She paused stopping as tears fell down her eyes, and she continued saying herst words before leaving the office, ¡°I don¡¯t care about the fucking sry, I¡¯ll try my best and pay for everything.¡±


    Running away from the office, leaving her sry and taking her pride with her, as she sobbed unashamedly down the hallway Madison lost all hope yet again in this cruel world that she lived in.


    At least she had given him some words from this brazen tongue of hers, and so she was satisfied a bit, but still yet the realization of what was toe started to dawn on her bit by bit.


    With no tip, a hefty 2000 dor dress waiting to be paid by her, an iing materialwsuit, and stranded in the city of New York with no dime in her, Madison knew she was done for.


    Utterly and thoroughly done for!


    ¡­.


    A ss of hot scotch in his hand, Damien paced restlessly in the hotel¡¯s suite balcony where he had chosen to spend the night.


    A hotel he owned actually.


    After dropping a pouting and sulking Katherine¡¯s off at her house, and promising to make it up to her soon, consoling her about her dress, he had ordered Alvarez to drive him around town a bit, as he wanted to get some fresh air and maybe free his mind off some things before going back home to sleep, not that he intended on doing that tonight.


    The ride had been tense, and Alvarez had driven him around just like he had asked, but his friend and partner hadn¡¯t so much as uttered a work to him at all.


    It was evident that Alvarez was annoyed, probably because of Madison, and the news already circting in the media as he was seeing already when he had switched on his phone, but he just didn¡¯t care.


    He didn¡¯t want to talk about her, nor did he not want to think about her, but all through the ride, with Alvarez driving him aimlessly around, Damien just couldn¡¯t help his thoughts from wandering back to his time in Birmingham.


    In that little street, of Kettlesworth, where Madison had lived with her family in theirrge gated mansion, and then his street which was just a short walk way from hers.


    He remembered the secret hideout, or shortcut route rather where they met almost every day in secret.


    He also remembered times in his mechanic shop, their little dates, the passionate cold rainy nights they shared in the oily smelly building as he¡¯d fucked her timelessly and with so much love and vigor.


    He remembered how she¡¯d smile at him when he¡¯d crack up some jokes, and how she always made time whatsoever making the effort to spend some time with him in his home.


    His home, where his mother Grace and his sister La always weed and adored her with open arms.


    Again he remembered those days in his bedroom when he¡¯d spent most of the most blissful and happiest moments of his life, with her in his arms talking about the future and how they would be together forever.


    All through the car ride, he had thought about all this and many more, with tears burning at the back of his eyes at the reminder of her betrayal and the horrible things her father had done to him and his family, and as those memories descended, he had given Alvarez the order to drive him to one of his hotels and not his home at all.


    He didn¡¯t want to go home, as he had no one waiting for him in the stark cold and empty mansion safe for his maids and guards, and even though he had them around, he still felt that should he go home he would be plunged with so many memories of Madison which he didn¡¯t want at all.


    He needed a change of scenery, maybe it would help.


    Well, giving him a curt yes in response, Alvarez has did as told and now he was in one of his suites, drinking into the night, his eyes void of sleep as he started to think bitterly.


    Fuck! He didn¡¯t want to think about her, but still yet was it his fault that she was the only thing on his mind tonight.


    Probably because he had seen her, and then the waning question of what she had been doing as a waitress tonight.


    Was her father no longer a rich politician, or¡­


    Or what? He wondered a smirk curling up his lips


    This alcohol was making his heart strong, his features darkening and all he could think about was how he would make her and her family pay for everything they did to him.


    As for his harsh treatment, the one he had meted out to her back at the event, he felt bad a bit, butpared to what she did to him, it felt as if he had done nothing.


    He needed to do more, and yes he was going to show her hell, and this was just the start! He thought bitterly, spitting out!


    Walking inside his suite and straight to the nearby alcohol bar, he poured himself another cup full of scotch and instantly downed the drink bitterly all in one go, his jaw gritting bitterly.


    Tomorrow, he would begin his investigations surely!

 Chapter Seven

    ¡°Tell me everything you¡¯ve got.¡± Damien said to his headwyer, Mr Rudiger and the man he had hired to further delve into the Connors case.


    He had abandoned the case some years back, after his mother had told him to drop it, but with the recent appearance of Madison, and the memories that were plunging in his head, Damien couldn¡¯t let it off any longer.


    He was reopening the case, and just like he had promised himself the night before after the event, and after drinking himself to sleep, he had decided to begin the investigations today.


    He was going to bring the Connors down, but first he was going to make each and every member of the family pay before he would then face the head of the household, ruthless politician and the man who had sired the woman he had loved since time immemorial, Mr Connor.


    For the ruin that elderly man caused his family, the death of his father, banishing then from Birmingham after winning aw suit against him, and making his life a living hell before his leave, Damien just couldn¡¯t wait to begin his mission.


    Madison¡­ she had unleashed the fire in him, that was for sure, and a smirk on his lips Damien listened as thewyer began to narrate his findings.


    ¡°The Connors empire seems to have depleted and nopany in the whole of Ennd, and Birmingham most especially bears the name Connor. It should be noted that they seem to have sold their shares though it is just an assumption, but the empire has fallen, and that I have no idea as to what and why it happened, though I¡¯m still digging deeper.¡±


    Damien was shocked at what he was hearing.


    Was this the exnation to why he had seen Madison working as a waitress or was there more to this story? He wondered to himself as he lit up a cigar cing it in his lips as the Lawyer continued to speak.


    He was more than confused at this news, but at the same time he was happy.


    The Connors had crumbled down, and he was going to find out more about this.


    He had to know the cause of their downfall, as well as make sure Mr Connor paid for every single thing he caused him.


    He was going to make sure of that!


    Standing up from his chair, and grabbing his suit, he said to hiswyer, ¡°I think that would be all for now. I have some personal needs I have to attend too and also dig deeper into the case. I want to know where every single rtive of the Connor is staying back at Birmingham, and I need the information as fast as I can get it. Do you get me?¡± He questioned.


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± Mr Rudiger said, bowing his head and at the same time taking his leave as he dismissed him.


    Sighing as he took his car key, Damien decided to check on Katherine too.


    She had been calling him all day, and he had refused to pick her call, but now he wanted to check on her and maybe spend some time with her too.


    Maybe, she could help relieve his head off the other woman upying it.


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison paced restlessly in her motel, as she cast a nce at her luggage arranged on the bed already.


    She was to leave the motel, because she had only rented the bed space for just two days, and now with no more money to renew the room, the manager of the motel had kindly asked her to leave.


    She had begged him, saying that she woulde up with some little cash today to pay her bills, but he had refused bluntly, not even listening to her and after giving her an hour to pack her things and leave and well here she was.


    She was still thinking of what to do, her hands on her hair rubbing furiously scattering the updo she had arranged, when she heard some footsteps sounding and then a knock resounded on her door.


    ¡°Knock, knock.¡± A masculine voice came from behind the door, and freezing up in her steps, trying to trace if it was the managering back again to send her out, Madison walked slowly like a tip toe to the door, and cing her hands on the door knob she stopped herself again from opening the door.


    She still needed more time to herself, and she was still thinking of where she would stay in this brazenly busy city of New York. She had no friends here, nor did she have any rtive she could ever recall as staying in New York.


    Tears falling down her eyes, sniffing back the tears that burned at the back of her eyes, Madison summoned some courage and she was about to open the door to face the man when she heard, ¡°Hello, Madison¡­ Madison Connor are you there.¡±


    And she froze, her face paling, her mouth open in shock as she shook her head, trying to silence the voices in her head. This voice¡­ she knew who this person was.


    Her brain was trying to reconnect, trying to recollect where she had heard that all to familiar voice.


    It was a voice from her past, her head kept telling her, this voice and it came again, alongside a knock and murmurs, ¡°Are you sure she hasn¡¯t left? You said she was here! Hey Madison, open up. It¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°You who?¡± She asked herself slowly still not wanting to open the door, afraid of seeing who was on the other end.


    She was terrified! Why was her pasting back in all shades, and forms these short time that she was spending here in New York.


    She had to leave, this goddamned city, that was the only solution now, but she had bills toy, and she barely had any cash strapped on her to even feed for three days.


    ¡°Madison¡­¡±


    Her grip tightening on the door, Madison swung the door open and then she saw him.


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡±


    A sob escaped from her lips, as she left the door wide open, moving back further into the small room as he walked in.


    ¡°No, no. Did he send you here? To take me to the police for the dress? Howe you¡¯re in this city too? Surely you must work for him right, what are you doing here?¡± She asked terrifying afraid at the same time as she moved slowly backwards while he walked in, his eyes darkening, hisrge build filling the whole room.


    He hadn¡¯t changed not one bit. Safe for his voice that had been deeper, Alvarez had grown huskier and maintained the hefty build he had had since little.


    She could see the manger of the motel from afar¡­ The manager was with him too, standing behind and Madison watched as he said some things to the man, who nodded before shutting the door tightly and then he faced her.


    ¡°What are you doing here Alvarez?¡± She asked slowly, tears flowing down her eyes still as she kept moving until her back hit the brisk hard wall behind her and she stopped walking.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t send me here Maddie. I came here to see you, and inquire about your well-being. How are you Maddie? It¡¯s been a long long time¡­¡±


    Of course it had been a long long time, and Madison had no idea when he walked closer to her, and dragging her off the wall, he pulled her in a soft embrace while she sobbed her eyes out.


    This was so good to be true, and as they hugged a lot of questions ran through her mind as to why he was here.


    What was he doing here? Where had he seen here? Was itst night at the party? She had not set her eyes on him, so howe he had seen her then if it was at the party that is¡­?


    How had he located her? She asked no one but herself as she hugged him tightly biting her face in his broad chest.


    She was no longer feeling scared surprisingly, and she felt safe in his presence.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Right from childhood, back in Birmingham she had always felt at ease with him.


    He had always been her best friend. Always had, always will¡­

 Chapter Eight

    shbacks, 2011¡­ 11 years earlier


    ¡®If I had to sum up friendship in one word, it would befort.¡¯ ~ Terri Guillements.


    ¡°Hey Alvarez,e on in brother¡­¡±


    Madison watched with delight, and a blush creeping up her cheeks, as Damien invited her best friend into the shed where he had been busy working.


    Dropping the spanner she had been holding on the a work table nearby, and walking over to meet him, she smiled enveloping him in a hug almost immediately, as she said, ¡°Hey Alvarez, what brings you by.¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s enough between you too.¡± Damien said roughly, his hands on her back as he dragged her of Alvarez¡¯s arms, and both him and Alvarez chuckled softly, while she swooned uncontrobly.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    It really amazed her how rather possessive Damien was of her, to the extent that he never allowed any of his or her male friends toe in contact with her, talk more of hug her tightly just the way she was doing with Alvarez.


    ¡°He is my best friend for goodness sake Damien. I met him before I met you¡­¡±


    She pouted walking back to the table, and she heard themugh as they began to talk too while she turned to watch them.


    Watching the love of her life, talk to her best friend.


    Here, she felt at peace and not scared at all.


    Present day, 2022 (At Madison¡¯s Motel)


    ¡°Oh Alvarez thank you so much foring.¡± Madison said softly, a painful smile on her face, as she sniffed back the tears she had been shedding ever since she began to tell him her tale.


    When they had hugged tightly earlier, with different memories from the past barraging the both of them, as they¡¯dughed and talked about it, Alvarez had brought up the topic of how she had fared ever since their leave (He had left for the states with Damien too back then).


    At first, she didn¡¯t want to tell him.


    He could be here on behalf of Damien, for all she knew and she had bluntly told him that she didn¡¯t trust him at all, not to snitch on her and so she had kept quiet.


    No way in hell, was she spilling out everything she had gone through, just for him to go back and tell Damien, so the two of them could mock her together.


    Her heart squeezing painfully in agony and mortification, she had vehemently refused to say anything, standing her ground on her non insistence, and it had taken a whole lot of convincing as well as persuasion from him, to have her open up.


    He had sworn that Damien knew nothing of hising here.


    When asked, how he had located her whereabouts, and where he had seen her then, he had bluntly told her the truth and nothing but the truth.


    He worked as Damien¡¯s head security now, and so he had ess to so many secret details in the curt.


    When he had seen her yesterday at the hall looking lost, and running out in tears without even stopping for him to call out to her, he had gotten his way, and it didn¡¯t take him long to get her much needed information from the manager whom he had tipped and well here he was.


    He had told her everything about himself, how he was earning a very good sry as Damien¡¯s head of security, and already opening up small start up security and personal aidpanies amongst other things.


    Alvarez had also dly informed her that he was now a husband to a lovely woman who had his back always, and father of a young lovely child.


    Tears tearing down her face, Madison had congratted him telling him how happy she was for him, and also on how sessful he had be.


    She was really really happy for him, deep down she was so excited for him.


    Back in those days, he had been but a poor friend, both him and Damien struggling to make ends meet, and now that he had almost everything given to him in a tter of gold, it was far off Madison¡¯s mind to feel any pang of jealousy at all for him.


    If there was anything she felt, it was not jealousy instead it was pride.


    She was so proud of him, so proud of her best friend.


    After talking about himself, excluding talks of Damien, he had urged her her again to tell him everything that had happened to her too.


    She recalled his words from earlier, ¡°I don¡¯t understand Maddie, what¡¯s all this? You working as a waitress is just do hard for me to believe, that when I had saw you that night, I had tried to convince myself that it was not you at all, but I saw your name and there was nothing different at all from the Madison I used to know. The quirky, intelligent and always ssy eyed Maddie I knew and loved as a friend. My best friend, even till now. Whatever happened to you Maddie?¡± He asked and sniffing yet again, she had proceeded to tell him all about how things had changed from good to worse for her, in just a space of a short time.


    Summarizing it quickly, making no mention of her pregnancy, herte child, amongst other secret details  she had told him a brief story of how her father¡¯s empire had crumbled, shortly after their leave, and how she had been disowned from them all because of one great ill she had.


    The ill being that she was pregnant, but she dared not say that at all.


    She had told him every single thing, as they had sat down in the motel room binge listening to each other, and she felt so muchfort and at ease all the same time.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing Madison. You¡¯re still my best friend and I would do anything for you.¡±


    Those heartfelt words went straight to her heart, stamping themselves deeply in her chest and she started to sob again.


    ¡°What is the matter Maddie. Stop it, I¡­ We have to talk better. You¡¯re leaving here right?¡± He asked her pointing at her packed luggage and she nodded positively.


    ¡°Okay, why don¡¯t you juste to my house and¡­¡± She didn¡¯t allow him finish as I say, ¡°No no I can¡¯t Alvarez. You¡¯ve done a lot justing here.¡±


    ¡°Madison you know there¡¯s a lot we still need to talk about. You are leaving today or what or?¡±


    ¡°Leave?¡± She asked dumbfoundedly as she muttered , ¡°I can¡¯t leave I have to pay for the dress and¡­¡±


    ¡°Just a minute.¡± He interrupted, standing up and adding with a dismissive wave, ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    Madison watched as he walked out of the room, to God knows where, her hands still clenched tightly and confusedly but at the same time she felt light.


    Maybe all hope was not lost then¡­


    She was to ashamed and embarrassed to ask Alvarez for any kind of help, but maybe she would swallow her pride and ego and just say something¡­


    Maybe, just maybe!

 Chapter Nine

    ¡°Sure.¡± Madison assented, nodding to Alvarez¡¯s idea of having some coffee at a nearby shop he had sighted on his way to her motel. ¡°I do need some fresh air after all this crying,¡± She joked.


    She didn¡¯t think it necessary to tell him that the said coffee would be the first thing she was having today. If she did, she knew he would insist on getting her something to eat. And she didn¡¯t wish to be anyone¡¯s burden.


    The worried look on his face told her that be didn¡¯t think it was that amusing, but she waved it off, d that he was here as he helped her pack her luggage into the trunk of his car.


    Madison turned to face Alvarez as he suddenly began tough heartily. ¡°Hey, watch the road,¡± She warned jokingly, joining in his contagiousughter although she wasn¡¯t sure the reason for it. ¡°What¡¯s so funny anyways?¡±


    ¡°I just remembered when I used to help you sneak out to watch those circus shows your father thorough despised.¡± Heughed again. ¡°We really were some trio weren¡¯t we?¡± She joined in hisughter, the memories pouring in.


    Something clenched in her chest as she was suddenly filled with a mixture of nostalgia and pain. Nostalgia for those times when she had not a care in the world, when she was happy and free. And pain, because all those memories were associated with the one person she wished to forget.


    ¡°Whatever happened with your family? I mean it¡¯s still quite a shock for me that the Connor empire would fall, just like that. That¡¯s terrible. Where is everyone?¡± Alvarez asked, taking a sip of his ck coffee.


    She began to fidget in her seat. Thest thing she wanted to do was delve into the past or talk about my family. And although he had promised her that none of the information she gave him would get to Damien, she couldn¡¯t shake off that feeling.


    Damien had his ways of getting what he wanted. She knew that all too well. She couldn¡¯t justy all that out for them to see. Especially the fact that she was pregnant¡­


    No. She wouldn¡¯t do that. She couldn¡¯t¡­


    So instead she waved her hands in the air. ¡°All of that is in the past now,¡± She said, avoiding his questions. ¡°I¡¯m tired of reminiscing and feeling bad for myself. I just want to enjoy my time with my best friend.¡±


    From the worry in his eyes, she knew he would still bring it upter, but for now he let it go.


    Quickly, she raised her coffee cup to the lips to hide the tears that had begun to form in her eyes. Talking about her past always reminded her of the very things she wanted out of her memory, no matter how hard she tried to forget them.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    She didn¡¯t realize that her hand was instinctively clutching her abdomen tightly under the table until she looked down.


    Holding her stomach, feeling pain cut through her chest as the memory of her miscarriage came to mind, Madison¡¯s lips quivered embarrassingly.


    For a moment she was tempted to tell Alvarez about it.


    She didn¡¯t want to keep this secret anymore, and she felt like telling another soul about her pitiful tale but she held herself back at thest minute.


    She snuck a nce at him from across the table, and she saw the huge,passionate smile on his face. She knew he would understand, she knew he would understand her pain, and probably offer her a shoulder to cry on, but she couldn¡¯t say anything.


    The same way he was her best friend, he was also Damien¡¯s best friend. And anything could happen, something could slip. So she couldn¡¯t afford to take that risk. That was the one secret she wanted to take to her grave. Besides, Alvarez had already felt bad enough for her today. That was enough pity for one day.


    Straightening up and putting on a smile, she asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t we talking about how amazing it is that you¡¯re married?! And with a kid? That¡¯s so cool. How are they doing?¡±


    Alvarez chuckled. ¡°Thanks, Madison. What can I say? I fell in love. She and my daughter are the light of my life. I don¡¯t know what I would do without them. And my wife is two months pregnant again as well.¡±


    Madison felt a painful pang at the mention of the word ¡®pregnancy¡¯ but she swiftly brushed it aside.


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you Alvarez, so freaking happy.¡± She mumbled with a smile, reaching out to rub his arm from across the table. ¡°I always knew you¡¯d be the perfect family man. It looks great on you.¡±


    In a short span of about thirty minutes, Madison found herselfughing more than she ever had in years as Alvarez fed her with anecdotes from the past few years of his life.


    Stillughing, she checked her phone, jumping up immediately. ¡°Shit! It¡¯s been over a hour,¡± She announced rushing to her feet. She still needed to find a ce to stay.


    Alvarez noticing that she wanted to leave, asked her to wait as he paid the due bill for the coffee they had and soon they were out of the coffee house and walking down the streets.


    Some minutester they were both seated in his car, with Alvarez starting the ignition and zooming into the road.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want this to be thest time we keep in touch. I lost my best friend once, and I¡¯m not ready to lose her again.¡± Alvarez said, passing his phone to her to input her number. She smiled, doing the same.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be.¡± She promised but her mind had already begun to wander to her present situation.


    What on earth what she supposed to do now? She wondered. She had nowhere to go, no money to spare. She waspletely stranded.


    She looked up in surprise when he stopped in front of a motel.


    ¡°Why are we¡­¡± He interrupted before she could finish, ¡°I know I should¡¯ve asked first. But Madison I can¡¯t bear to see you living in that rundown motel. Please let me help. Please let me.¡±


    Her face heated. She had been too embarrassed to ask him for help although she was in desperate need, and here he had seemingly read the situation and need of her lips.


    She stared at the motel and back at him again, her jaw open lost for words.


    She couldn¡¯t even reject it because if she did, where would she go?


    She felt tears prick the back of her eyes as he handed her the keys to the room he had paid for.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She muttered, holding back the tears that threatened to fall.


    In response he enveloped her in a tight hug. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. You¡¯re my best friend, it¡¯s not a big deal. It was nice seeing you again.¡±


    Madison melted into the hug. The first warm embrace she had received in years.


    ¡°I¡¯ll visit before you leave for London. That¡¯s a promise.¡±


    As he waved her goodbye and drove off, she turned on her heels, rushing into the motel.


    When she located her room, talking to the receptionists who seemed kind up her she quickly rushed in shutting the door behind her.


    When she was safe within the room, she let the bitterness in her heart fall free, clutching at her chest as tears streamed down her face.


    Falling to the floor, dropping her bag Madison cried her heart out, the agony and pain tearing at her chest¡­

 Chapter Ten

    Damien had been trying his hardest not to feel so impatient, but it was obvious that he was as he continuously tapped his palm against his thigh, waiting for Mr Rudiger¡¯s arrival again today.


    After a few moments of checking his watch at intervals, his secretary finally rang to inform him of Mr Rudiger¡¯s arrival. He immediately ordered her to him in and looked up in anticipation when the door swung open.


    ¡°Give me good news,¡± He said, ignoring the presence of the other man who apanied Mr Rudiger.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    He frowned when he saw Mr Rudiger take off his sses and rub his forehead. ¡°We have been tracking the Connors like you requested, but so far we haven¡¯t been able to get any information on the immediate family, or how their empire crashed. It¡¯s almost like they all vanished into thin air.¡±


    Damien¡¯s face crumpled in anger. ¡°That¡¯s all you¡¯vee up with? It¡¯s been days. I¡¯m starting to think you¡¯re not the right person for this job. I need something beneficial.¡±


    Mr Rudiger nodded. ¡°Fortunately we were able to get a hold of some of the shareholders of the dissolvedpany.¡±


    Damien leaned forward at the mention of the positive piece of information. He needed something, anything at all. If he didn¡¯t know how the empire crashed, or where the rest of the Connors were, he would not be able to carry out his sweet revenge.


    And that wasn¡¯t something he could leave with.


    ¡°But unfortunately, no matter how hard we prodded, they tantly refused to disclose anything to us.¡±


    Damien¡¯s brows furrowed in confusion as he wondered what they were so adamant about. All of this was getting moreplicated with each passing day.


    ¡°Mr Paul here has a reasonable exnation for that though. Which is why he¡¯s here with me. He will be aiding me in the investigation from now.¡±


    Damien nodded briefly at the other man who had already taken out a document from the folder he held.


    ¡°That is an NDA,¡± Thewyer exined promptly as Damien looked through the document. ¡°A non-disclosure agreement. That¡¯s a sample of what it looks like. The most probable exnation for their silence could be this. My theory is that Mr Connor made his investors sign this. After signing this, under no circumstances are they allowed to disclose any sensitive information regarding certain business deals. Probably due to media purposes.¡±


    Damien nodded. It made sense that Mr Connor wouldn¡¯t want whatever it is he was trying to hidee out in the open.


    But Damien had sworn to get to the bottom of this as it was crucial. No matter what it took.


    Opening his drawer, he procured a checkbook, flipping open a page and writing a check of one million dors. He swiped it across the desk to Mr Rudiger.


    Facing him sternly, he said, ¡°That should help with whatever investigation you want to carry out. I don¡¯t care how you use it, just bring back the necessary information. And if you show up empty handed a second time, you won¡¯t have a ce to show up to anymore,¡± He warned.


    Mr Rudiger knew what those words meant and so he nodded in understanding before leaving with thewyer.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Damien yelled, hitting his hands against his desk in frustration. He hated how the investigation was beginning to seem stagnant. It had gone nowhere at all. And the slow paced only postponed his ns further.


    He needed to bring the Connors down. Every single one of them.


    As he thought of the family he thoroughly despised, the only one he had once loved came to mind.


    Madison.


    He hated the way his memories of her easily came to mind. Without knowing exactly why, he thought of the younger version of her. All the times they had spent together.


    He remembered how the sight of her used to take his breath away. How she always smelled ofvender and primroses, her strawberry blonde hair that perfectly framed her face, and her smile¡­


    She had always had a beautiful smile.


    He felt a twinge of pain as he remembered the night of the event. She had looked nothing like the Madison he knew. And thest image of her was one of her sobbing, her eyes swollen as she picked up pieces of the ss that cut into her skin. She was obviously in pain.


    His face hardened.


    She was in pain, just like he was. She had hurt him, betrayed him.


    She deserved every damn thing that she was going through, he decided. And he would make sure that it would get a lot worse when he was done with her.


    The sound of his ringtone brought him out of his thoughts and he picked up on seeing the caller ID.


    ¡°Mom,¡± He answered, trying to sound a bit excited. The whole thing with the investigation was still pissing him off.


    ¡°How are you doing, baby?¡± He heard his mother¡¯s voice from the other ended. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you. We haven¡¯t seen you in a long while.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, Mom. I¡¯ll make it up to you, I promise.¡±


    When there was silence from the other end, he knew she was about to ask him something.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re having a family dinner in a few days. It would be nice if you came. And bring your girlfriend as well.¡±


    .


    Damien shut his eyes, trying not to groan out loud. He wanted to refuse but he knew it would hurt her. ¡°Fine,¡± He gave in, although reluctant.


    ¡°Great! It¡¯s going to be so nice having you home after so long.¡±


    He wanted to remind her that it had only been a few weeks but he didn¡¯t, listening as she began to list out the things she wanted to prepare.


    He chuckled. ¡°Yes, Mom. Chicken is fine.¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison could feel her lungs hurt with each shaky breath as she tried to keep her teeth from chattering to no avail.


    She clutched some of the money Alvarez had given her in a tight grip.


    She still felt terrible for epting the money.


    But there was nothing she could do about it. She had to eat. She crossed the street to the tiny eatery across the motel, still shivering.


    The only protection she had against the cold was a thin coat, which was ridden with tiny holes from wear.


    With the little money she held, she got a tiny piece of bread and a hot bowl of soup. She feared that she had gotten a cold, and she couldn¡¯t afford to get medicine.


    Hopefully the soup would do the trick.


    Since she had gotten the soup as takeaway, she hurriedly crossed the street back to the motel, desperate to get out of the cold.


    As she walked through the doors, she saw one of the two receptionists look up at her and begin to chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s her,¡± Sheughed, going to the extent of pointing a finger at Madison.


    The other receptionist quickly looked down on a magazine on her desk, breaking out inughter when she looked back. ¡°Oh my god, she looks even worse in person.¡±


    Taken aback in surprise and embarrassment, Madison looked down at their desk to see the reason for all of this ridicule, and she nearly dropped her food in shock.


    A picture of her in tears, picking up shards of ss with bloody fingers was stered on the front page of the popr magazine.


    The memory of that night flooded her head and she felt tears formed in her eyes.


    The entire world was reveling in her humiliation.


    Just because of one mistake. And one person¡­


    How could she show her face in public after this?


    Would anyone even want to hire her?


    Tears streaming down her face, she stormed down to her room, theughter of the two women ringing in her head the entire time.


    She slumped to the floor once in thefort of her room and sobbed for everything that she had lost.

 Chapter Eleven

    Madison woke up with a start, as the noise of the incessant banging on her door resounded heavily through the room.


    As she hurried to her feet, wondering who could possibly be knocking like that, a sharp ache ran through her head, making her grimace in pain.


    She still had the searing headache from yesterday, and she hasn¡¯t done anything to treat it, as she wasn¡¯t sure if she could afford to get some painkillers with the little change she had.


    Her eyebrows cocked in surprise when she unlocked her door to reveal the motel owner.


    She knew he was the owner, because she had seen him the day she moved in with Alvarez.


    Rubbing her hands up and down to warm herself up, she greeted him. ¡°What can I do for you today?¡± She asked, puzzled as to what he could want so early in the morning.


    Her heart skipped a beat as a thought crossed her mind.


    But she waved it away.


    Alvarez had paid for the room already, so it couldn¡¯t possibly be because she was owing. ¡°You have some visitors waiting to see you outside.¡±


    ¡°Visitors¡­?¡± She trailed off, wondering who could possibly be here to see her. She didn¡¯t know anyone in this state, and it definitely couldn¡¯t be Alvarez.


    He would have called.


    She was confused though but nheless, she nodded as she followed behind him, trying in vain to rub sleep out of her heavy eyes, gripping her robe around her tightly.


    As she walked, Nikita reminiscing was reminded of the fact that she couldn¡¯t remember thest time she had had a proper eight-hour sleep, and with these thoughts on her head keeping her upte at night more often, that eight hour sleep had reduced drastically.


    Still walking through the exit of the motel with the manager in front of her, she nearly stumbled to her feet in shock as arge number of camera clicks and shes blurred her vision, making her raise her hand, in a bird to shield her eyes.


    Her heart thumped in fear as the mass paparazziunched at her, entrapping her in the midst of strange faces, questions and camera clicks.


    Tears stung the back of her eyes as she realized that the manager had tricked her intoing out here.


    But why? Why would he¡­ She suddenly remembered the receptionists fromst night.


    The mockery andughter in her eyes¡­the magazine.


    They must have tipped off the media, or was it vice versa and now they would make some money of her humiliation.


    She had been living her quiet life, suffering silently in her misery, but now, in a split second, she was suddenly the most infamous person in the state of New York.


    All because of Damien, and the added reminder that he was a well known public figure.


    Madison felt like her world wasing to an end as she struggled to escape the swarm of people, who continued taking snapshots of her and throwing questions her way.


    ¡°You¡¯re the waitress fromst week¡¯s event, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the most talked about women on the inte this week. How do you feel about your sudden bad reputation?¡±


    ¡°Anyments on the two thousand dor dress? Have you been able to pay for that yet?¡±


    ¡°Rumor has it that you knew yboy billionaire Damien Daniels from the past. How true is this? Can you tell us anything about it?¡±


    At the mention of his full name and recollecting the past, Madison felt her heart clench, and just like that the tears began to fall freely.


    She shut her ears with both palms to block the sound out as they continued to throw questions at her.


    It felt like her heart would explode from how much hurt she was feeling.


    She looked behind her into the motel only to see the manager and two women she recognized as the receptionists from yesterday huddled at a side, each grinning widely as they counted the bundle of bills in their hands.


    Just as she¡¯d thought she could see just how much money they must have mad, from selling her out.


    She couldn¡¯t control the tears any longer as she finally managed to push her way out of the hordes of paparazzi and back into the motel with lightening speed.


    She didn¡¯t even have the strength to confront the manager too, knowing that was a lost cause and with thest bit of solidity she could muster, she rushed to her room, locking the door behind her.


    Tears blurring her vision, she took out her phone and dialed the number of the only person who woulde to her aid without a second thought.


    He picked up on the first ring.


    ¡°Al-Alvarez.¡± She whimpered, her voice shaky. Unable to hold it back in, she broke down in tears, trying desperately to wipe away the tears that ran down her face in torrents.


    ¡°Please¡­pleasee pick me up. I-I need to leave. Pleasee take me out of this hellhole. P-please¡­¡± She broke off as her heart squeezed in her chest. ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± He assured her, not even asking what the matter was alreadying to her aid as he hung up.


    Tears flooding down her face, Madison sobbed one and over again.


    ¡­¡­.


    Damien eyed the door as Alvarez hurriedly excused himself from the office, walking out to the balcony to take a call seeing that his phone had rung up.


    He couldn¡¯t help but feel a growing suspicion suddenly at the nature of this call.


    Alvarez had been his best friend and head of security for many years, and Damien couldn¡¯t remember a time when he had excused himself to take a call. He even took his wife¡¯s calls in front of him.


    So who was this person? What was the nature of this call?


    ¡°I have to go take care of some things. I¡¯ll be back in a few hours.¡± Alvarez announced when he walked back into the room.


    The worry that lined his face didn¡¯t escape Damien¡¯s notice but still he nodded, holding back all the questions that were at the tip of his tongue and saying nothing he raised his hand dismissively watching his best friend leave the office briskly.


    As soon as Alvarez left the office, Damien quickly rang one of the security guards, and belting out the order when the burnt young man came in, he said, ¡°Follow him. Find out where he¡¯s going and who he¡¯s with, thene back and report to me. Be discreet too, make sure he doesn¡¯t see you in any way.¡± He finished, waving the guard away.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but he was suddenly having a feeling that whoever had called Alvarez, it must have been rted to her¡­


    Alvarez had been in contact with Madison Connor, probably ever since the night at the event.


    Damien strongly believed this, because his friend had been so concerned about her that night, andtely with the way he had been acting so weird, Damien suspected he was seeing Madison behind his back.


    Standing up from his chair, pacing round his office and finally going into the inner room where his wine bar was located, Damien took out a drink.


    He was so stressed out at the moment, the only thing that could calm him down was a drink, and his mind traveling back to Alvarez he took a sip of scotch and had poured it out for himself in a ss cup.


    Wondering what Alvarez was up to and considering the chances of Alvarez truly meeting Madison, he took another sip of the drink and sank into a sofa.


    As his mind continued to wander, his phone rang, bringing him out of his thoughts and prompting him to ce his drink down on the ss table that stood in the middle of the room.


    He frowned when he saw who was calling, and for a moment he thought of letting the phone ring away.


    He really did not feel like talking, most especially to her. He didn¡¯t pick up at first then, but after two rings, he saw that she was not going to give up that easily and so he picked up at the next ring.


    ¡°Hey babe.¡± He heard Katherine¡¯s soft voice from the other end. He wondered why she was calling this time. She had just spent thest two nights over.


    ¡°Hey Kathie.¡±


    ¡°What do you think about meing over to the office?¡± She breathed in that low, sensual voice that always seemed to have an effect on him, but surprisingly he didn¡¯t really feel like it today.


    ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡± He lied, hoping she would let it go, but she didn¡¯t.


    ¡°It¡¯ll only be a few minutes. I¡¯lle work you out, strengthen you a bit you know¡­¡± She drawled, and he could already envisioned her pouting as she begged.


    Finally with a sigh, knowing that the talk was a lost cause he gave in.


    Before he could ce his phone back on the table, she had breezed into his office, and he looked her over shocked. She had been right outside his office, making this call and brows quirked Damien started to wonder what she had in mind.


    As he made to question her, she ripped off the trench coat she was wearing and let it drop to the floor.


    Damien swallowed, letting his eyes rake over her almost naked body save for a flimsy piece of lingerie that left little to the imagination.


    Despite his surprise, he couldn¡¯t deny her sex appeal as his cock throbbed in anticipation, and he cursed abrasively within him.


    As she led him into the inner office, unbuttoning his shirt and melding her lips to his in a heated kiss, he made her face him, ripping the flimsy see-through brassiere she had on, and reveling in the delicious moan that escaped her lips as her full breasts fell free.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    He stared down at her taut, pink nipples, squeezing one tightly to Katherine¡¯s immense pleasure and leaning down to trap the second in his mouth.


    Reaching down, he ced a finger in between her folds, and as she began to squirm begging him to finish what he started, he grinned inserting two of his fingers deep into her.


    Her mouth fell open as she moaned louder.


    As he unzipped his pants, taking out his throbbing cock and pumping it a little, he wore a condom quickly, and swiping everything off his desk, turning her over he ced her against the table, shifted her panties to the side and prated instantly.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± She moaned, her head bobbing as he pushed harder and deeper into her.


    He went faster, reaching out to spank her ass at intervals just the way she liked it.


    With onest moan as she orgasmed, he heaved, pulling out of her and letting her slump to the desk, he came in the rubber.


    ¡°That was amazing.¡± Her knees were still shaky as she said this, holding onto him for support as silence descended between them.


    Damien didn¡¯t say anything, half naked, his eyes astray and she leaned in for a kiss.

 Chapter Twelve

    Madison sat crouched on the floor of her small motel room, her hands ced tightly over her ears in an attempt to block out the distant sounds of the hoarded paparazzi who still swarmed outside her room actually, asking for her reappearance.


    Her hands pressed harder over her ears as she sobbed, the residue of tears at the back of her eyes falling down helplessly, she kept hoping for someone toe take her away from all of this misery.


    She was already fed up with the series of unending challenges she had to face, but now it only worsened by the day.


    She just wanted it all to end. She was tired of everything.


    As she shut her eyes tightly, tears streaming down her face, she continued crying, pouring out her pain so seriously that she didn¡¯t even hear the door of her room swing open, until a very familiar husky called out, ¡°Madison!¡±


    Alvarez¡­


    She looked up seeing him barge in, panic and worry visible on his face, and quickly she scrambled up to her feet the moment she saw him.


    ¡°Al-Alvarez¡­¡± She broke down sobbing and falling into his firm grip.


    ¡°God, what happened? Paparazzi¡­ I see paparazzo outside and¡­? What happened damn?¡±


    She cleared her throat, managing to wipe some of the tears away before she could speak, ¡°The motel manager and some of the receptionists tipped the media off. I saw them counting a stack of bills on my way back in. Seems they sold me of and I just can¡¯t even¡­I-I can¡¯t exin the shock that I felt¡­they kept asking so many questions, it flooded my brains, Alvarez.¡±


    She paused to catch her breath as she felt her throat tighten even worse than it initially was, ¡°There was a m-magazine too¡­I was on the front page. Everyone is talking about m-me¡­ They are all saying harsh things about me. They are¡­¡±


    Stuttering, her face still dripping wet, Madison clutched hard as her chest when she remembered the reporter who had asked about Damien.


    All she wanted was to move on and forget him, but like always he kept on popping up indirectly in her head. ¡°I¡¯m so tired¡­I¡¯m tired-¡±


    ¡°Shhh-¡± Alvarez cooed, pulling her into a tight hug before she could say more.


    Embittered by her situation, she continued to sob into his shirt, words failing her for some time.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Madison. It¡¯s okay¡­¡± He mumbled reassuringly, his hold on her and never letting go of her.


    He was also rubbing her back, and he kept on urging on, ¡°Let it all out. I am here for you, okay?¡± Nodding, still burying her face in his chest, she was so grateful for his embrace and he let her cry for a while, before pulling her face up, and making her look at him.


    Stillforting her, he wiped her tear-stained face, pulling her hair which was now damp from away from her face.


    When she had calmed down, he helped her down into a chair and not even saying another word, she watched as he began to move around the room, grabbing every strange item that belonged to her and piling them into the small suitcase she had.


    She tried to protest, mouth open already wanting to ask what he was doing, but he stopped her by raising his hand, ¡°You are in no condition to say do anything right now. Okay? I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± She eventually nodded, grateful to have Alvarez back again in her life.


    She had called, and he had arrived already understanding the situation without asking much questions.


    He was basically her only friend, and although he had work and other things to do, he hade running to her aid, and she was forever grateful for that.


    She had no idea how to repay him back, and at the thought a tear slid down her face shamelessly, but she sniffed it back straightening herself instantly.


    Soon he was done packing, and extending his arm, he said softly, ¡°Come on.¡±


    Madison took his arm without hesitation, not saying anything as they walked out of the room into the empty corridor, and she heaved a huge sigh of relief, thinking that they had left but she was soon put to shock, because as they neared the motel exit, her eyes widened in shock.


    They were still waiting for her, and now it was worse because it seemed like the number of paparazzi had increased by ten.


    The fear, humiliation and exhaustion from facing them the first time resurfaced, and she felt tears sting the back of her eyes.


    She couldn¡¯t do this. She couldn¡¯t, and she was going to break down.


    She could feel it, and just before she could do something embarrassing, Alvarez clutched her hand in his, pulling her behind him leading them straight out of the door.


    Her breath hitched, when they were attacked by the questions and cameras shing.


    ¡°Sir, are you in any way rted to her?¡±


    ¡°Is this your boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Anyments on your involvement with Damien Daniels?¡±


    That name again¡­


    Fresh tears began to stream down her face as she held on tightly to Alvarez, who easily made his way through the crowd with his huge form, using his body to try to shield her from the cameras.


    Eventually after much struggle, they made it to his car, and Madison settling into the passenger seat tried to wipe the tears from her face.


    She was still busy cleaning her face, when Alvarez reached out to squeeze her hand reassuringly.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Madison. I¡¯m really sorry. You don¡¯t deserve any of this¡­¡± As he spoke, she could hear the pain in his voice, and that offered some kind offort to say the least.


    At least someone truly cared about her, but still it didn¡¯t stop the tears from falling.


    ¡°I have nowhere to go¡­now the paparazzi are after me as well. I have no idea what to do¡­ I¡­¡± She buried her face in her hands, her mind racing as she began to calcte the amount of money she had in her purse.


    It wouldn¡¯t take her anywhere. It wouldn¡¯t even buy her a full meal for dinner.


    ¡°Come home with me.¡± She heard Alvarez say all of a sudden, and she gasped out loud.


    She turned in shock, facing him with wide eyes, ¡°W-what?¡±


    ¡°I know how you must feel bad about all of this, and you wouldn¡¯t want toe but it¡¯s okay. Also my wife won¡¯t mind. You can stay for as long as you need. At least, just until you find somewhere else to go. Or until you go back to London¡­¡±


    Madison shook her head vigorously, the negative answer on her lips already springing forth.


    There was no way she could ept this. She had already taken enough from him, and it was enough.


    Besides there was no way she would also intrude into his home, and stay there invading in his privacy and that of his family.


    That wasn¡¯t fair to him, and her too.


    She had suffered enough shame already, vowing within herself to pay back every penny he had given her, although he had said there was no need to.


    Her face reddened in embarrassment as she remembered all the favors she had epted from him, her chest tightening too.


    But no. Not again, Madison wouldn¡¯t ept this. ¡°I¡¯m grateful for your offer, Alvarez. I really am. But I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t ept it. I¡¯ll sort things out myse-¡±


    ¡°Madison¡­¡± He called gently.


    ¡°You have nowhere to go. I¡¯m your best friend. I¡¯d rather have you in my house where I can keep an eye on you and make sure you¡¯re truly okay than let you go out there on the streets. It¡¯s dangerous okay, just think about it¡­. please let me help you. Please¡­¡±


    She said nothing, looking down at her hands.


    She knew Alvarez only had her best interest at heart but it still hurt.


    She was tired of being this person, of being such a leech.


    Blinking her eyes still, Madison couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that as much as she wanted to keep her pride intact, he was still right.


    He had inly told her that she had nowhere to go.


    She had no money too, and even if she did, she was still afraid of lodging in a motel because of the paparazzi.


    ¡°I beg you. This one time¡­please¡­¡±


    Another tear escaping her eyes, Madison continued to fiddle with her hands as her thoughts ran wild.


    ¡­¡­.


    A smile slowly escaping her lips, as Alvarez opened the door to his apartment for her to step in, Madison walked in albeit timidly, her eyes roving through her surroundings.


    She could hear some noises, a baby crying and then as she stood looking around, she saw a heavily pregnant woman waddling towards them, appearing in front of her, a chubby kid by her side, clutching her hands tightly.


    Well, she was here now, in Alvarez¡¯s house after so much persuasion from him.


    The pregnant woman¡¯s eyes wandered from Alvarez and then back to her, and then the pretty but tired lookingdy smiled at her warmly, the same time Madison heard Alvarez shut the door loudly behind him.


    Taking quick strides towards thedy who was obviously his wife, and pulling her in a passionate embrace, he kissed her forehead and took the chubby little girl in his arms.


    Madison watched him turn again to face her, and then he began the necessary introduction, ¡°Honey, this is Madison Connor. My childhood friend, I told you sometime ago that I lost contact of years back and¡­¡± Thedy interrupted with a squeal, cing her hands over her mouth and eximing, ¡°Maddie, you mean the Maddie you normally talk about?¡± She questioned and Alvarez nodded with a smile, while Madison just raised her brows inquisitively.


    Seems, like she was already known in this household, and offering the friendly woman a smile, Madison was about to say something, when she heard the little chubby girl who was now standing in front of her taking her hands, and saying, ¡°The same pretty Maddie, Uncle Damien talks about too?¡±


    Oh jeez¡­ the grip she had on the child¡¯s chubby fingers froze, as she looked straight at Alvarez confused already.


    What the hell was going on? She asked herself, as a panic started to build up in her, and she wondered, her mind already spinning.


    Damien talked about her, and this little girl knows?


    Was this a trap or?


    Instinctively her hands dropped from the girl¡¯s own, and she could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on her, but she couldn¡¯t even say anything.


    ¡°Oh Ma¡¯am I¡¯m so sorry. Ivy, you talk too much. Come here¡­¡± Madison heard Alvarez¡¯s wife say, not that she was paying any attention, and she saw the pregnantdy taking the small child out of the room until it was just her and Alvarez alone in therge sitting room.


    ¡°What was the meaning of that?¡± She questioned almost immediately, her steps moving backwards slowly as if she was about to leave, and sighing, Alvarez responded, ¡°Yes I told my wife about you, and it seems my daughter must have heard us talking about you one time and¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this some kind of trap Alvarez?¡± She cut in, her hand on her forehead rubbing slowly as she tried to calm herself, and she then said, ¡°Please tell me, so I can leave here, I¡¯ll just get my things from your car and I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    Her heart had already begun to thump hard in her chest as different possibilities raced through her head.


    What if Damien was aware?


    Was it possible that he knew about it and on his behest, Alvarez had just tricked her intoing with him?


    She had kept that thought in mind, and now her doubts resurfaced with lightening speed.


    Run, her mind kept saying. And Madison began to think if she should really listen to it.


    ¡°Madison, stop saying that.¡± Alvarez cut in but she interjected, continuing to talk, ¡°Back then, we were friends but you were more of Damien¡¯s friend, and I know you can work for him now and¡­¡±


    She had no idea when he took a step but now he was standing in front of her, and she felt his hands on her shoulders.


    He was was shaking her furiously, perhaps to stop her from talking further and have her listen to him and well it worked because she shut up almost immediately and looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say these things Madison. I assure you Damien has no idea you¡¯re here, or anything. I¡¯m doing all this because I¡¯m concerned about you as I always have been Maddie. You should know that. I know there are still a lot of things you haven¡¯t told me, but I want you to know that you¡¯re safe here. I¡¯m here for you, and even when you go back to London we¡¯ll still keep in touch. Remove the thoughts of me snitching and whatever you¡¯re thinking in your head. You¡¯re wee here, and you just arrived. You need to rest. Stop thinking to much.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I have not had much rest and I¡¯m used to staying without rest and¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop saying that Maddie.¡± He chided, and grabbing her wrist he started to lead her away to the couch in the sitting room.


    ¡°Here¡­ sit¡­ I¡¯ll go bring your luggage, from the car, and then we¡¯ll talk more okay? What do you want, snacks, juice, wine?¡± He questioned looking at her and waiting for her opinion but she replied with a curt no.


    Madison watched him leave, and then she sank back into the couch, rubbing her fingers to her temples.


    She was exhausted.


    As she looked up to try and distract herself from the thoughts, her eyes started to survey his house.


    It was a small butfy family apartment.


    From the beautiful exterior, the gardens decorating the outsidepound which she had marveled over to this interior now, Madison could only open her mouth in awe.


    It was somehowrge with nice furniture and so many essories and from what she was seeing, Alvarez was doing pretty well for himself and deep in her heart she was once again so happy for him.


    He hade with Damien, and now the both of them was doing fine.


    She could remember back then when Damien had pestered her, to follow him, so they could run away and¡­ no¡­ no¡­ she didn¡¯t want to talk about Damien not at all.


    Sighing she smiled thinking of Alvarez and she was so happy for him¡­ So, so happy.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    He had all he had ever dreamed of¡­ achieved everything he had vowed to do, and it was blissful seeing this.


    He was married with a beautiful wife, had the most adorable little girl she had everid eyes on, and he had a happy home.


    He was happy. They all were.


    He had worked for this and he deserved it.


    A small smile framing her lips, Madison couldn¡¯t help but be proud of her best friend.


    He had done really well.


    ¡­¡­


    Damien groaned in disgust as the taste of the pudding filled his mouth.


    He let the spoon in his hand drop to the te, and spitting out the pudding in his mouth in a napkin, he growled his face in disgust.


    This had to be the most disgusting thing he had ever tasted. Hissing, he tossed the entire te into the trash, and hissed silently.


    Of course he should have expected this. When Kathrine had offered to make him lunch today, he had tried not to let his surprise show.


    All through the time they had spent together he had never seen Katherine step into the kitchen, not to talk more of preparing a meal.


    She couldn¡¯t cook, always hiring chefs and so far she had hired three different chefs over thest month.


    For someone who didn¡¯t know her way in the kitchen, she was always full ofins, sacking the cooks and always grumbling that the food wasn¡¯t properly cooked or about something else.


    With all these though he never said a thing, allowing her do whatever it is she wanted.


    She had called him earlier today asking what he wanted for lunch. He didn¡¯t particrly care and that he had told her.


    The line had gone silent for a while, and he thought that she had already hung up on him when she abruptly announced that she was making lunch to be sent to him nevertheless.


    He had cocked an eyebrow in surprise but not wanting to hurt her feelings, he had said nothing, expecting her meal of course.


    Now looking at the discarded tes, Damien shook his head and downed a ss of wine to kill the taste of the rubbish he had just ingested.


    A knock at his door made him look up.


    ¡°Come in.¡± He ordered, still wiping the corner of his lips with the napkin.


    Straightening up when he saw it was the guard he had sent to follow Alvarez, he questioned impatiently, eyeing the envelop in the guards hands, wondering what was in it, ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I followed him on your orders. And I found out he had gone to meet someone. It was a woman.¡±


    As he heard that, he felt his breath hitch in his throat.


    He felt like telling into thin air, but not wanting to embarrass himself he said nothing, and also he just couldn¡¯t jump into conclusion of what he had in mind without proof.


    He stretched his hands towards the guard who handed him the envelop, and quickly he tore the sheet open.


    His hands shook with anger as he began to flip through the pictures ¨C Alvarez and Madison in front of a tiny motel.


    Alvarez shielding a seeming crying Madison as they pushed through paparazzi.


    Alvarez and Madison getting into his car and zooming off.


    His jaw began to tic as he squeezed the photos in his hands.


    So Alvarez had been going behind his back all this while to meet Madison, just as he¡¯d thought?


    Although he knew how much she had hurt him? Still he had betrayed their best friend bond¡­


    He knew all of this. So why?


    Was Alvarez siding Madison instead of him? He knew what he had gone through in the hands of the Connors, and still he had gone and done this.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He yelled not caring about anything again, kicking his legs hard against the desk and heaving as anger pumped through his veins.


    He stared down at the photos once more, rage boiling through him as he swiped them away from his face, dumping the envelope angrily on the table.


    He needed answers though¡­ He thought within himself as he began to pace restlessly.


    He needed answers, and he was going to get it.

 Chapter Thirteen

    Damien furiously tossed his phone to the passenger seat, hissing loudly as he turned on the ignition and started his car.


    He had no care in the world that the wind was ruffling his hair, which he hadn¡¯t even bothered to style today.


    He was so angry, the fury in him increasing every second and as he stepped on the gas, driving at high speed, his mind wandered away to the various issues bothering him.


    It was as though everything happening today was meant to frustrate him and make him furious. First, one of the maids had prepared a different coffee than the one he usually took, giving him a ten-minute allergic reaction, where he had to go to the toilet at intervals beforeing to work. Next, there was no signal on hisptop back at home, and he had a project to finish, and this was why he was heading to the office this early to do it on hisputer there.


    His car safe in the parking lot, he stood at the entrance of hisrgepany, his mind miles away from the present. Sighing deeply, he began to make his way into the building, but then he froze in his feets, as the screeching sound of a caring to a halt caught his attention, behind him and made him look back.


    When he sighted Alvarezing out of the car after making sure the doors were locked, Damien instantly clenched his fists, as he quickly remembered the news the guard had brought to him previously.


    The pictures¡­Alvarez and Madison¡­ Alvarez arms around her as they walked to his car and¡­


    Oh shit!


    His rage grew as he watched Alvarez walk towards him, a smile on his face. And he couldn¡¯t help but feel betrayed.


    What freaking audacity!


    Why would his so-called best friend do something like this to him? Going behind his back, and so something he definitely wouldn¡¯t support?


    Damien watched as Alvarez raised his hand in a wave of greeting at him, but he did not return it.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Alvarez greeted when he finally got to where Damien was standing,  ¡°Wow, you¡¯re here early. What¡¯s the emergency?¡± Heughed adding still not spotting the cold stoic look Damien was giving him.


    ¡°Why did you betray me?¡± Damien asked, his voice cold.


    ¡°What are you talking abo-¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Madison!¡± Damien hissed, rage boiling through him.


    He hadn¡¯t wanted to say her name in the first ce, but now he did it made him angrier than he initially was, and he made a step forward as he half yelled out the words, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t even look like you have no idea what I¡¯m talking about. You¡¯ve been talking to her since the night of the party, haven¡¯t you? Even after everything I said¡­ everything that went on. You knew everything that went on between the Connors and I, but you still went behind my back to see her, and talk to her! You even went to the extent of taking her to your house! You gave herfort and shelter? What the fuck!¡±


    Alvarez¡¯s eyes widened as he staggered back in shock.


    For a second he did nothing but stare at Damien in shock. Obviously he hadn¡¯t expected Damien to know, and the stark realization hurt but Damien kept his cool staring back at him defiantly.


    When it seemed like he had finally recovered from his shock, Alvarez faced him and asked shocked, ¡°How¡­how do you know about that? You¡­ followed me? Or better still, you had me followed? You sent your security after me?¡±


    Damien hissed, ¡°What does it matter?¡± He spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°How I found out about it does not matter. Besides your pictures with her in front of that dingy motel is all over the fucking media too! Can¡¯t you see the media is having a field day, turning the whole to a circus, and now you are in it. They are digging deep into this case, and smearing my freaking name, but I¡¯m not even bothered about that¡­¡± Pausing, he cleared his throat and continued, ¡°Why would you do that? What¡¯s your thing with Madison? What are you still doing with that stuck up betrayer? You¡¯re supposed to be my best friend for goodness sake and¡­¡±


    ¡°Damien, I am your best friend.¡± Alvarez interjected but Damien was not having any of it, ¡°Well then start fucking acting like it. Because right now, I don¡¯t even know what the hell you think you¡¯re doing! Friends don¡¯t do this to each other. Friends don¡¯t go behind each other¡¯s back! I know you have your history with Madison, but did you even put me in consideration before making your silly decisions!¡±


    His voice was loud and stark clear, echoing all through the garage and even attracting stares from the few people around them, but Damien just didn¡¯t seem to care.


    He looked at Alvarez, and seeing him clench his fists as he moved closer to him, words started spewing out of his lips, ¡°Look, I know how you must feel about all of it. And I swear to you I¡¯m not doing any of it just to deny you or what not. You know I have always been your  number one supporter, and I still am. But you have to understand¡­Madison is-¡±


    ¡°Stop mentioning her fucking name! I don¡¯t want to hear her name! Hell! I don¡¯t want to hear the name of anyone from


    That damned family!¡± Damien yelled, his chest heaving, and fists clenching.


    He felt like he was going crazy at this point, and hearing her name was really not helping.


    It was bringing back memories he just didn¡¯t want to recall at all, and he hated it!


    ¡°Bullshit! She¡¯s my friend too, okay!¡± Alvarez yelled, his face red and Damien watched his countenance change all of a sudden.


    ¡°Madison is my friend, and that¡¯s never going to change! Ever! We¡¯ve been friends for so many years. We were friends even before I met you, and I can¡¯t just throw away the memories I had with her, just because you have your issues with her. Do you have any idea how many times I looked for her, when I lost contact with her? I was so damn worried. Now I finally got to see her after so long, and you want me to just let her be. She¡¯s not even a good state, and it turns out she¡¯s suffering. She¡¯s going through so much, and I couldn¡¯t just abandon her after seeing her like that, I couldn¡¯t do it. I know about the things you went through with her family, and I¡¯ll never forgive them for it either. But no, not Madison! Leave her be!¡±


    When he finished he was still breathing hard as he and Damien stared each other down. Furious, Damien backed away from his best friend. He hated the fact that Madison hade from nowhere, and somehow managed to drag his best friend over to her side as well, but at the moment he was more than pissed at Alvarez.


    He was thoroughly disappointed.


    ¡°You have the effrontery to amodate the woman whose family ruined my life?¡± He thundered, ¡°The daughter of my greatest enemy and the woman who hurt me so much back then, and I almost plunged into an unhealthy depression? If you don¡¯t throw her out on the streets where she belongs, I¡¯ll make sure you lose your job instantly. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯d still have a home for your friend to live in!¡± He spat, but it didn¡¯t take seconds for him to utterly regret the words the moment he said them, and instantly Damien wished he could take them back.


    ¡°W-what?¡± Alvarez asked, shock apparent on his face, ¡°You¡¯re seriously going to fire me? Knowing fully well I have a pregnant wife and kid to support? After everything we¡¯ve been through? You¡¯re going to throw away years of friendship because of this? You have the audacity to threaten me this way?¡±


    Words already left Damien¡¯s train of thought and at the moment, he had already begun to storm off into the building so he would not answer.


    There was nothing he could do, than mask his utter regret and leave a still shocked Alvarez watching after him as he barged in through the ss doors.


    Fuck!


    ¡­¡­..


    Madison rubbed her hands up and down ufortably, as she sat in a couch in Alvarez¡¯s living room.


    Although Alvarez and his wife had been trying their best to make her feel morefortable, she still couldn¡¯t help but feel like some sort of intruder.


    Earlier today, she had calcted all the cash she had left with her and it hadn¡¯t amounted to even half of what she could manage at all. It wasn¡¯t enough to feed her for a week, or transport her to any far distances not that she even knew any ce in New York at all.


    She had considered options she had, which included getting a job, but after the media incident, and the fact that she had been painted in such a bad light she doubted if she could show her face in public again.


    Even if she did would anyone be willing to hire her? She was so tired of living like some kind of fugitive.


    All because she had identally spilled drinks on a two-thousand dor dress and¡­


    She was so lost in thought that she didn¡¯t notice Alvarez¡¯s pregnant wife walk into the living room, a bag of groceries in her hand.


    ¡°Madison?¡±


    Snapping out of her thoughts, as she heard her name, Madison quickly raised her head to see the pretty young woman standing opposite her with a worried look on her face.


    Her face reddening embarrassment, she quickly stood from the sofa, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, did you say something?¡±


    ¡°No, no. I just came to see if you were okay. I¡¯m about to make dinner. I was going to ask if there was anything you would specifically prefer.¡± Madison cringed at the thought of requesting a certain kind of food in someone else¡¯s house, when she was squatting and not the other way round.


    Who was she to request a food, adding to their upkeep burden? Besides, she had epted a lot from Alvarez but she surely wasn¡¯t that shameless to even think of making choices!


    She shook her head, a small smile on her face, ¡°Anything you make is fine by me.¡± Moving forward, she relieved her of the grocery bag, ¡°I¡¯ll take that. Let me help you with dinner. I can be off help to, instead of sitting here idly.¡±


    The kind woman smiled, and said warmly, ¡°Sure. Thank you, that would be lovely. Honestly I have been craving somepany. It gets really lonely at home here sometimes. My daughter is engrossed with whatever in her room, and Alvarez is over at work. I¡¯m bored.¡± She said jokingly as she led Madison into the kitchen, ¡°You can start by slicing these.¡± She added, moving a bowl of vegetables toward Madison and nodding, pulling up her sleeves and washing her hands first then the vegetables, she took to work.


    As she began to slice them, with the other woman at work too, she heard out of the blue, ¡°So how did you meet Alvarez? I¡¯m just curious to know how he was as a teenager.¡± Alvarez¡¯s wife asked andughed.


    Madison froze, her chest squeezing in pain as the memories of the past shed through her mind. She thought of the best way to tell Alvarez¡¯s wife about his teenage self, without mentioning the other person she didn¡¯t wish to think of but it was so freaking impossible ¡­ After a few moments of silence, she smiled, ¡°Alvarez is pretty much the same, to be honest. Of course he¡¯s even kinder and gentler than before, which is surprising but great because most people change as they grow older, and for some, those qualities be worse instead of better.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± His wife beamed with pride continuing, ¡°That¡¯s great, I¡¯m d he changed for the better. What else though? Let¡¯s not forget I really want to know¡­ How did you guys meet?¡±


    Madison gave another small smile, her heart tugging as she began her tale.


    ¡°He used to work at this tiny shop. The first time we met, we instantly clicked. And he was the goofiest person I have ever met.¡± Madison narrated, unable to control herughter now. ¡°He used to help me sneak out of my house, to watch these amazing circus shows. And he was the one who taught me how to ride a bike for the first time. There was this crazy dance he used to do when he got excited, we shared so many wonderful moments.¡± Madison giggled genuinely this time around, surprisingly warm and happy.


    Alvarez¡¯s wife looked surprised, ¡°Wow. Goofy? That¡¯s definitely a first for me.¡± Sheughed but quickly added, ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong he¡¯s a sweet husband and father. But I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen him as goofy as you¡¯re describing. Well except when he¡¯s ying with our daughter, Ivy.¡±


    Madison shrugged, ¡°Life changes people, I guess. But Alvarez is still great the way he is. He had so many dreams, so much determination. And now he¡¯s achieved every single one of them, including being married to a beautiful, amazing wife, I¡¯m so proud of him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s all right. Alvarez¡¯s wife shrugged in mock indifference, bursting into a fit ofughter when Madison looked at her, ¡°I¡¯m just joking!¡± She quickly defended, and this time Madison facepalmed, as they both began to giggle uncontrobly.


    The sound of the front door opening caught their attention, and Madison looked up to see Alvarez walk into the kitchen. The smile on his face looked somewhat forced, Madison noticed but didn¡¯t ask immediately.


    ¡°Hey honey.¡± His wife greeted, turning on the tap to rinse her hand first before wobbling to Alvarez as fast as her heavy stomach would let her. She leaned in for an embrace which he dly gave, kissing the top of her head lightly.


    Madison watched the couple, a faint smile on her face. When Alvarez¡¯s eyes met hers though, he just raised his hand in a weak wave before giving his wife onest kiss and exiting the kitchen.


    Madison clutched the kitchen towel tightly in her right hand, as she felt a bad feeling going down her spine. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong, she was very sure and she could feel it. That look in Alvarez¡¯s eyes¡­she was almost certain that something had happened and it was not good. Worse off she had a sinking feeling, that it had something to do with her.


    rmed and deciding to get to the bottom of it, she turned to Alvarez¡¯s wife who was now stirring the steaming tomato sauce in the pot, singing to some song in her head. Dropping the kitchen towel on the counter after thoroughly cleaning her hand, she turned to her and mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Not waiting for a response, Madison swiveled towards the kitchen exit, and with worry and fear in her heart, she quickly followed behind Alvarez.

 Chapter Fourteen

    Madison swallowed nervously, her heart pounding as she hurriedly ran after Alvarez.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    She silently prayed that whatever had him in such a mood, was not as bad as she had already begun to imagine, because a lot of different scenarios had already started to y out in her head.


    Deciding to hear from Alvarez first before jumping into conclusions and giving herself a heart attack, she walked faster to get to him, and soon she sighted him.


    He was just about to go into his bedroom, and she caught him on time.


    ¡°Alvarez!¡± She called out, making him pause in his steps, as he turned to look in her direction.


    He frowned, a bit surprised to see her, she could see it in his countenance but that was the least of her worries now.


    Already out of breath from racing so fast after him, she finally got to where he was standing, and exhaled in relief slowly.


    ¡°Madison¡­ What¡¯s the matter? Did something happen in the kitchen?¡± He asked, panic already obvious on his face.


    She shook her head quickly, ¡°No, no, nothing happened.¡± When he had visibly rxed, she faced him fully and said again, ¡°I¡¯m here to see you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± He frowned.


    Madison shook her head, ¡°Yes, I want to talk to you. I saw the look on your face when you walked through that door, and I immediately sensed that something was wrong. What¡¯s the problem? Talk to me¡­and don¡¯t even dare try to deny it too. I have a feeling that it has something to do with me and¡­ Just talk to me Alvarez, and leave nothing out.¡± She warned, ignoring her pounding heart and the voice in her head that kept telling her this was something really bad.


    The fact that she still had the feeling that it had something to do with her, made her curiosity much worse.


    No, there was no need to jump into conclusions, she chided herself. She needed to hear from him first. Maybe he was just having a bad day, and here she was being jumpy about everything.


    Madison decided that she should be more supportive, after all she was his friend before she was his guest, but still he had to tell her what the matter was.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±  Alvarez finally replied after some time, bringing his hand to his forehead and rubbing hard on it, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Madison. Work was just really stressful today.¡±


    ¡°Alvarez¡­¡± Madison said in a warning tone.


    She had known Alvarez long enough to decipher and differentiate when he was telling the truth, and when he was lying.


    And right now though, as she was clearly seeing, he was lying, and tantly at that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. I know that¡¯s not it. Something¡¯s the matter, I can read it on your face. So please talk to me¡­I¡¯m worried about you, really worried.¡±


    Sighing, Alvarez raked his fingers through his hair.


    ¡°It¡¯s Damien.¡± He finally said after a few minutes, and she nearly reeled back.


    Damien? Just as she¡¯d feared, and now her breath caught in her throat as thoughts flew into her head.


    No, no, no! She shouldn¡¯t panic, it could be something else, but what Alvarez said next was thest straw that broke the camel¡¯s back.


    ¡°He found out¡­ about everything. As expected he isn¡¯t too happy about it. Apparently, pictures of us leaving that motel are all over the inte. I think he must have seen them there. We got into a huge disagreement at work this morning. He knows you¡¯re here, in my house. And he threatened to fire me if I don¡¯t have you out soon.¡± When he finished, he let out a loud sigh adding, ¡°But it¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t need to worry about anything.¡±


    He finished but Madison wasn¡¯t listening to the rest of his statement, or his assurance.


    Instead she had her hands bunched around her chest as she stood still, a tear escaping her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.


    This was the very thing she had feared¡­the very scenario she had dreaded, and it was all ying out right before her eyes.


    Damien had found out she was staying here, and now she had gotten Alvarez into trouble.


    The tears continued to fall uncontrobly and her hands shook violently, unable to stay still. She wondered if she was cursed. Maybe that was it, because she was yet to understand why she always became a problem to the people around her.


    Alvarez had only tried to help her, and not get himself into trouble of any kind, but just see¡­ She had also managed to put the one person who still cared about her in trouble, and that aside Madison knew within herself that she couldn¡¯t stay here anymore.


    She had overstayed her wee, and Damien¡¯s intrusion in the matter was a stark reminder to this deathly pull.


    Taking a hand through her packed strawberry bun, Madison started to imagine what would happened if Alvarez was fired just like Damien had threatened, and she she shuddered from the thought.


    His family¡­his pregnant wife and little Ivy. What would be of them? The fact that they would be  trouble all because of her was too much to bear, and she let out a soft almost inaudible whimper.


    No. She wouldn¡¯t let that happen. On no ount could ite to that.


    Trying her best to wipe her tears away she sniffed, clearing her throat, ¡°Alvarez, I¡¯m really sorry for putting you through so much trouble. I shouldn¡¯t have even called that day, I should have dealt with my problems. I should have known that something like this would happen. I¡¯m truly sorry, it wasn¡¯t my intention. But I¡¯ll rectify that now.¡± She said, trying to keep her voice steady and not let herself break down in tears again, but her voice was wobbly.


    Alvarez waved away herment, taking a step close to her and staring at her intently and with something akin to pity, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Madison. You don¡¯t need to worry about any of that. Okay? I¡¯ll sort it out.¡±


    As Madison began to shake her head profusely, he ced a hand on her shoulder, steadying her as hr continued, ¡°I understand why you¡¯re worried. But trust me, you don¡¯t need to think about any of that. I have never thought of you as a burden, and I never will. So please¡­I¡¯ll handle this and-¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Madison stopped him, cutting through his speech, and the pain in her voice evident, ¡°No, no, no. The answer is no, Alvarez. No, not anymore¡­¡± She trailed off, her heart clenching, ¡°I can¡¯t keep living like this.¡±


    ¡°Madison please¡­¡±


    She shook her head vehemently, ¡°No.¡± Unclenching her fists slowly, she looked up at him, ¡°I¡¯m leaving first thing tomorrow morning. I already put you in trouble, and I¡¯d be damned before I let it happen again.¡±


    His face fell, and his disappointment was stark clear but she was not going g to change her mind.


    ¡°But Madison¡­what will you do? How will you take care of yourself? I can¡¯t let you just go out there not knowing if you¡¯ll be okay. Please don¡¯t do this to me.¡±


    ¡°I called my mom earlier this afternoon.¡± She said ignoring his talks, ¡°We talked for a while and I exined the situation to her. After she listened, she promised to send me some money for food and a motel. That will do me for a while, I guess before I get my feets back.¡±


    Alvarez didn¡¯t look convinced but there was nothing he could do about it, ¡°Are you sure about this?¡±


    Madison nodded more confidently than she really was, when she was actually crumbling into tiny little pieces inside with the lies she was already spewing.


    There was nothing she could say though and she was done letting Alvarez hang her on apron strings, getting him into trouble just because he wanted to help.


    He had already done too much, and she would never forget that.


    ¡°What about the paparazzi?¡± He suddenly asked, ¡°Your face is basically all over the media at the moment. Is it safe for you to be out there all on your own? Please think about this¡­at least if you¡¯re here I¡¯d be able to keep an eye on you and make sure you¡¯re safe.¡±


    Madison had momentarily forgotten about the paparazzi, but she decided she would be able to handle it.


    So shaking her head, looking at him defiantly with a small smile she said, ¡°I¡¯ll be as discreet as possible. Stop worrying, Alvarez. You should know you can¡¯t protect me forever.¡±


    Alvarez swallowed, a pained look on his face, ¡°What will you do then, when your money finishes?¡±


    Madison shrugged even though she was feeling anything but indifferent, ¡°It¡¯s New York, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to find a few jobs, however menial. And if I work hard enough, I¡¯d be able to save up enough money to pay for the dress and then they¡¯d finally leave me alone. I would then save up and leave for London. Everything would work out well, I¡¯m a tad bit positive.¡±


    Alvarez didn¡¯t look like he wholeheartedly agree with her, but he didn¡¯tment. Instead, he reached out to squeeze her hand.


    Madison forced another smile again, suddenly remembering something she had to ask.


    ¡°Could you maybe¡­talk to Damien for me?¡± Her heart squeezed as she said his name, but she ignored that brief tinge and swallowed a huge lump of saliva after it.


    Alvarez frowned, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just help me plead with him to give me a little more time to pay for the dress. Three weeks¡­ four at most but before the next month I promise. I just need more time to work so I¡¯d be able to clear the debt.¡±


    ¡°You know you can always stay here, Madison. I still think you should stay¡­¡± Alvarez began, but she shook her head.


    Finally he sighed and said obligingly, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll talk to him.¡±


    Madison smiled weakly, moving forward and widening her arms to embrace him, ¡°Thank you¡­¡± She whispered, unable to stop the tears from falling this time, ¡°Thank you¡­for everything. Thank you for all the trouble you had to go through, because of me.¡±


    He tightened his arms around her as he quietly patted her back, and as she pulled away, wiping her face, a voice rang from the kitchen.


    ¡°Honey, Madison, dinner¡¯s ready!¡±


    Offering a sad smile, Madison faced him, ¡°I think we should go.¡±


    ¡°I need to take my bath, and get dressed. I¡¯m sweaty and all¡­¡± Alvarez said with a small smile, and she nodded, walking away from him and back to the kitchen to continue helping us wife set the dining table.


    All the while, as she walked she struggled to keep her tears at bay the entire time, trying her best to be strong.


    She had to be strong.


    ¡­¡­.


    Damien settled down on an ottoman in his bedroom, reaching up to undo his tie.


    He had just gotten back from work since he left this morning and he was exhausted, both physically and mentally.


    As he took off his shoes, he first moved toward his wine cab, grabbing up one of the sses and emptying some of the dry gin out of the bottle.


    Raising it to his lips, he emptied some of it in his mouth, liking the feeling it gave as it burned his throat.


    cing the cup down on the drawer, he took off his shoes first and then his shirt. This done, he took another sip from his ss his mind wandering.


    His mind went to Alvarez and he sighed. Through out the day he had been feeling guilty about everything that went on between them that morning, and he didn¡¯t anyone to tell him that he had gone too far by threatening to fire him.


    It was a low blow, and it was uncalled for too, but But more he thought about Madison¡¯s involvement in all this, the more he decided that maybe he shouldn¡¯t feel so guilty after all.


    Maybe Alvarez woulde back to his senses after this confrontation. Because right now it was obvious that he wasn¡¯t thinking straight. So yes, he had no reason to feel so guilty.


    Everything that he was doing, and everything going on was for the best.


    After he had assured himself, wiping every other thought from his head, he walked to his drawer, swiftly opening the bottom and dipping his hand in for his pack of cigarettes.


    As he started to withdraw his hand, his eyes flitted to a strange white paper turned over.


    Flipping it over curiously, he sucked in a sharp breath immediately almost dropping the photo when she saw it was a picture coge of himself, Alvarez and Madison.


    He should have know it was a picture of her, because he still had their photos together, treasuring every moment he spent with the only woman he had loved.


    Now though with the events going on, pain squeezed in his chest as he continued to stare at the picture.


    The three of them were all smiling, and he remembered the memory just like it was yesterday his thoughts wandering away¡­


    shback, 2011¡­ 11 years earlier.


    ¡°Maddie!¡± Damien tried his best to whisper, as he tossed another small pebble to her window.


    When a few minutes passed and nothing happened, Alvarez tapped him, whispering, ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯sing today. I heard Mr Connor¡¯s voice earlier this morning when I came over to remind her. Maybe he didn¡¯t leave for his golf game after all.¡±


    Damien sighed, his face falling as he turned away with a scoff, ¡°Let¡¯s go.. before someone sees us.¡±


    As they started to walk a few meters away, they heard the window open, ¡°Were you two really going to leave without me? Tsk, tsk, tsk.¡± Madison giggled, mbering out of the window, dropping down the house with the help of the trees nearby and apologizing for the dy. Walking over to them, she hugged them in turn, blushing as  Damien leaned in for a quick kiss.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go.¡± She whispered and they all tried to giggle as quietly as possible, as they escaped or sneaked out rather from the backyard and down to the part of town where they usually met. On the way they got ice cream, and talked while they thought of what they were going to do today.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Damien protested as Madison suddenly tossed a spoonful of cold ice cream at his face.


    As heughed, trying to wipe it away, Alvarez tossed another spoon at him moving backwards as he and Madison burst into a fit ofughter.


    ¡°Oh, the game is on,¡± Damien smirked, scooping a handful and running after them as Madison squealed. At the end of it all they were all covered in ice cream walking down the street.


    Damien had his hand across Madison¡¯s shoulders though, licking of the creamy pudding from her face and sneaking kisses here and there while Alvarez jokingly mocked them.


    ¡°Ooh! Look at that! A photo booth.¡± Madison squealed, gripping them both and before they could even say anything, she dragged them off toward the booth. The attendant gave them a weird look seeing the way they were all scattered, looking jumbled at the same time but Madison didn¡¯t seem to care.


    ¡°We¡¯re literally covered in sugar, Maddie. Oh stop this!¡± Damienined although he still stared at his girlfriend in admiration, the smile on her face adorable and making her look more then gorgeous at the same time.


    ¡°The fuck we are.¡± Sheughed, making them all sit down, ¡°We¡¯ll take lots of photos and thenpile them into one big one.¡± Madison grinned.


    After much persuasion, they finally took lots of pictures and his favorite picture was the one where Madison was licking the ice cream clean off the corner of his lips¡­


    They had kissed passionately after, not caring about the looks from the photographer or Alvarez.


    Lost in the love they had for each other, it was enough.


    End of shback¡­ (Current day- Damien¡¯s bedroom.)


    Damien struggled not to let the tears which burned at the back of his eyes fall. He was stronger than that, he thought but as he continued to stare at the photo, pain shot through every fibre of his being and he let out a soft whimper.


    All of a sudden he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and he realized it was Katherine, due to the scent of her heavy perfume he had be ustomed and instantly his muscles froze and his jaw ticked angrily. What was she doing in his house, he wondered. And why hadn¡¯t he even noticed?


    She was wet, he could feel the water drip from her body and it was evident that she had just stepped out of the shower and he was too lost in his thoughts to notice. ¡°Who are those people?¡± He heard Katherine ask, and realizing that he still clutched the photo in his hand, he quickly put it away, tucking it away safely into the confines in his drawer.


    ¡°No one you have to worry about.¡± He replied curtly, turning over to face her.


    ¡°Are those your friends? Or your distant family members? I¡¯ve never seen any of those photos, can I see them?¡±


    Damien gritted his teeth, and although he had no desire whatsoever to sleep with her tonight, he leaned forward, kissing her neck, wanting to take her mind of the photo, ¡°I think there are other things we can do instead of asking questions.¡±


    When Kathrine¡¯s eyes lit up with desire and anticipation, he forced out a smile, and reaching out, he tore the towel wrapped around her off and tried to hide his irritation by leaning in for a kiss.


    He carried her bridal style and gently cing her on the bed to which she responded by moaning and pulling her fingers in his hair, he took to work.


    ¡°My mother called some day before, she invited me over for dinner and personally requested that I bring you along.¡± He told her, unzipping his pants quickly.


    ¡°Really? I¡¯d loved to attend. I need to get close to that woman.¡± She smiled widely even when Damien had no idea what that meant, and blushing she said again pulling him close, ¡°Let¡¯s concentrate on here, right now.¡±


    Damien ripped out his pants, snaking his around around her waist, and in no time he began to pleasure her.

 Chapter Fifteen

    Damien¡¯s fingers moved feverishly over the keyboard of hisputer, as he typed out all the information he needed for a project at hand.


    He needed to forward it to his business partner as soon as possible, and he couldn¡¯t afford any dys at all.


    He was supposed to have finishedst night, but of course he had to entertain Katherine, who like always never got enough.


    He had woken up as early as possible this morning, partly because he had to rush down to the office and finish up his work and partly because he also really didn¡¯t feel like talking to Katherine first thing in the morning. He had a feeling that talking to her would put him in a bad mood, and he was doing his best to avoid that.


    As he neared thest paragraph of the document he was writing, the office phone rang stalling him down for a while, and Putting it on hands-free, he listened as his secretary informed him that Mr Rudiger and thewyer were here to see him.


    Instantly, his fingers on the keyboard paused, as he said, ¡°Let them in.¡±Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    They only had one job, so if they were here this early then it surely had something to do with the Connors.


    Trying to round up the file he was working on quickly, so he would be able to pay  attention to whatever they had to say, his fingers resumed their typing, and he finished just as they walked in.


    Shutting hisputer close, offering them seats right across his desk which they immediately too, Damien folded his arms across the table as he stared at them.


    ¡°Morning sir.¡± They greeted in unison.


    He was already beginning to get impatient, wanting them to belt out the details of their visit already, but he warned himself to calm down as he replied curtly, going straight to the point, ¡°Morning. Were you able to get anything on them?¡±


    To his surprise and relief, Mr Rudiger nodded promptly, ¡°Yes. After some days of digging, we managed to coax a few people into giving us information, with some of the money you gave us.¡±


    Damien nodded.


    That was the reason why he had given them the hefty cheque. People would always talk as long as there was money involved, and scrunching up his face in disgust, Damien¡¯s mind wandered back to the past when money had been his biggest problem, and how he had almost lost his life too.


    Shaking his head slowly and discarding the thoughts, he furrowed his brows lightly as he listened to Mr Rudiger who continued talking.


    ¡°We were finally able to locate the current residence of the Connors.¡±


    Damien held his breath. Finally, the information he craved was here. After months of waiting, and searching irrelevantly.


    ¡°They still live in Kettlesworth, Birmingham. However, Mr Connor put his mansion on sale two years ago, and it must have been bought we have no idea about that. Now though they live in a two bedroom t, it¡¯s rented property and amounts to quite a measly pay for rent.¡±


    Damien was taken aback for a few seconds, with what he just heard.


    Yes, something bad had happened to them.


    Something that warranted Madison, working menial jobs and waitressing here, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be so terrible that they would  move to apletely different ce than what they were used to. And as tenants at that!


    Wow! Just wow! He mused within himself, a smirk on his face as he exhaled in relief.


    He felt like he could breathe properly now.


    Oh how the mighty have fallen, he thought smiling to himself.


    This was progress, very good progress and he would make sure to dig into the root cause of whatever had made the Connors lived this way.


    With all the pride Mr Connor had, Damien didn¡¯t think he would stoop to the extent of being a tenant but life really was full of surprises, wasn¡¯t it.


    Turning to Mr Rudiger, and clearing his throat, Damien asked. ¡°And their finances? What about their finances?¡±


    This time, it was thewyer Mr Paul who answered.


    ¡°From our investigations, he¡¯s obviously no longer powerful or influential like he used to be. Most of his partners have no idea where he is now. His political career seems to be in shambles too, and upon deeper investigation we found out that, he¡¯s a local town chairman now. His family lives on the stipends he receives, and it¡¯s such a small amount that it¡¯s barely enough to cover their living expenses. They are basically living from hand to mouth now, to put it lightly.¡±


    Damien ced a hand over his upper lip in disbelief, as he listened to the second shocking news today.


    A local chairman? Oh this was even worse then he had imagined.


    Finally a semnce of karma on the Connors, and honestly this was great! Mr Connor better get ready, because there was a whole lot more that was yet toe from him actually.


    ¡°Good job, good job.¡± Damien said after some time, to Mr Rudiger, ¡°Do a little more digging. I want to know who he¡¯s in contact with, and more about the rest of his family too. I need to know every little detail about their present life so leave no stone unturned okay.¡±


    When Mr Rudiger nodded, Damien turned to thewyer, Mr Paul, and said, ¡°What I need you to do now is gather more information about their current residence, the rented property and the former mansion too. I need to know the owners, the nature of the documents and ownership, how much it would cost and if the owners are willing to sell any of the properties. If they aren¡¯t, coax them with numbers, and huge offers. Money won¡¯t be a problem, all I just care about is gaining ownership of those properties.¡± Pausing, he coughed a bit before adding, ¡°I need this information as soon as possible.¡±


    Both of them nodding, Damien waved them away, thanking them profusely and dismissing them.


    He was suddenly in a jolly mood.


    The first thing he did as soon as they left was walk to his wine cab. This new piece of information called for celebration, and he would do so by  popping some champagne all to himself.


    So the Connors were finally suffering, living like paupers. The mere thought if it made Damien smile, and he was more than ted that they would finally get a taste of abject poverty and know how it felt like.


    More so, if they thought this was how bad it could get for them then they were in for a big surprise, because he wasing for them.


    Damn! But he would make them suffer¡­ Make Mr Connor, and his children suffer more than they could ever imagine.


    The promise ringing within his head, Damien grabbed an expensive wine of the counter, taking a huge gulp of the drink, he began to rejoice.


    His day, was fucking made.


    ¡­¡­.


    The rays of the sun which had been mild at first, now beat down heavily on Madison as she walked down the semi-busy streets of New York, but she was too happy to care.


    It was surprising how d she felt now, as opposed to his surly she had feltst night, when she had left Alvarez¡¯s house.


    The trio, consisting of Alvarez, his wife and their little daughter had been sad to see her go, but Madison had been adamant, her mind already made up.


    After she had thanked them for their hospitality, she quickly boarded a taxi and waved them goodbye quickly so they wouldn¡¯t see the tears in her eyes, and looking forwards as the cab passed the rowdy street.


    At first she wasn¡¯t exactly sure where she was going, but she knew she just had to find a roof over her head, and then a job too.


    She finally found a tiny motel that was hidden from the city, enclosed in the tiny shops around the streets, and she wondered why she hadn¡¯t seen this motel the first time she had scouted the city looking for a ce to stay in.


    It was very small, dingy, and basically in a state of disrepair, but it was cheaper, with little or no ess to the public, and she had quickly paid for it. It was the kindest to her budget, and she didn¡¯t exactly have a choice. Besides, the people around this area didn¡¯t seem to care so much about the media, so she doubted that she would be noticed here, which was exactly what she needed at the moment and she was more than grateful.


    Next in line, was the job she had to find.


    If she wanted to survive in this ce, then she had to work and make some money to take care of herself, till she got herself together, paid of her debt, and drag herself back to London again.


    To Madison¡¯s greatest surprise, shended a job at the first ce she had walked into that night.


    She had decided to start her job hunting the night she moved into the motel, and luckily for her after walking for hours with no luck, she finally sighted a night club.


    It was huge, with a VIP lounge at the top floor, and the minute she had entered she was instantly filled with doubt that she couldn¡¯t get a job here, and coupled with the fact that she didn¡¯t exactly fancy clubs, it would be hard to manage her, but she had no choice than to try.


    The interview hadsted for a short while, and the moment she had been given the opportunity to work, Madison felt like squealing in embarrassment.


    It still felt unreal when they hired her as a waitress to work at the bar which was situated at the ground floor of the club, although the employment would onlyst for a month, but still she had taken it sharply. She had been hired, so so quickly, and that was the only thing that mattered!


    Suddenly she felt optimistic, that maybe things were finally working out for her!


    She looked down happily at the certificate of employment clutched in her hands which she had collected this morning, and as she remembered it all, a smile formed on her face.


    She still couldn¡¯t believe her luck, and then the added fact that the pay was nice was enough to put her in cloud nine .


    The only downside to working at a club was the unwanted attention and leering from men, who were almost always drunk or horny, but she decided to swallow all of that and toss it aside.


    After all she had no choice in this matter, and the pay was so good that she would be able to pay for the dress in about two weeks, if she saved well and didn¡¯t spend thriftily.


    She still needed another job though, na sir one would not be able to sustain her, and this was why she had continued to scour for a second job until she found one this morning as a baker.


    The job was  at a pastry shop about three blocks from her motel.


    The only avable job had been one as a baker, and reminiscing back to the moment, Madison thanked the heavens for her mother who had forced her to learn baking when she was a teenager.


    Having gotten the job after baking some cookies as a test, Madison had concluded with the olddy who owned the shop, before leaving.


    She already had her schedules mapped out for her, and she would be at the pastry shop in the mornings, and then at the club in the evenings everyday.


    Now though she was strolling toward the ATM machine to withdraw the money her mother had sent her, earlier today.


    Swallowing her pride, and basking in the lie that she had told Alvarezst night she had called her mother, and in the confines of the motel room, crying her heart out she had narrated her situation, leaving some parts out and instead telling her mother that she was stranded in New York and needed some money.


    Her mother had taken pity on her, promising to send her some money from her savings and luckily for Madison, she had gotten the alert early this money.


    She couldn¡¯t help the happy smile that formed on her face, as she recalled it all and once again she thought to herself that maybe things weren¡¯t looking so bad after all.


    Getting to the ATM, she withdrew the money, and counted it. It wasn¡¯t much, but it would do at least for the time being.


    She began to walk down to her motel, a smile still stered on her face, when the sound of someone yelling made her look in that direction.


    She frowned when she saw two little girls who had their hair in ponytails and looked about the same age fighting. Looking around and seeing that no one seemed to be paying the kids any attention, Madison quickly hurried to the scene when they began to pull on each other¡¯s hair, in a bid to separated them.


    On getting closer to them, she realized they were twins, and sharply pulling them apart, she picked one of them up just in time to avoid the other girl wing at her twin¡¯s face.


    Using her free hand, she grabbed the other girl gently, pulling her to the side, as she started to dissolve the sibling spat.


    ¡°Okay girls, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s all rx, okay?¡± Madison cooed as she pushed them further away from each other, ¡°Why are you fighting? You both should be best friends seeing as you¡¯re twins. You¡¯re to pretty to be fighting girls.¡± She mumbled and they just stared at her in amusement.


    The two girls still red at each other making Madison hide a smile, and after some persuasion she was able to get the issue of the fight out from then and after she had listened to both sides of the story, she pacified each of them, exining each person¡¯s side of the story to the other person.


    Soon enough they were best friends again, hugging and apologizing to each other.


    Madison smiled, pinching their cheeks affectionately as she put the one in her arms down, handing them some money for sweets which they gratefully epted, their faces beaming.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± A middle aged woman who Madison realized was their mother from the resemnce, suddenly appeared from nowhere, pping the money out of the girls hand before ring at Madison.


    ¡°What did I tell you about epting gifts from strangers?¡± She hissed haughtily at the twin sisters, and looking at Madison essing her from head to toe, she gave another hiss before dragging her girls away from Madison as if she were going to harm them.


    ¡°You don¡¯t go about touching people¡¯s kids.¡± The woman mumbled inaudibly but Madison heard her squarely, watching as she took her children with her.


    A tear slid down Madison¡¯s cheek as she watched them leave. Her heart squeezing as the thought of how much she liked children, and the painful reality that she would never be able to have any of her own.


    She didn¡¯t realize her hand had flown to her stomach as she stood as if in a trance, with tears falling down her cheeks and her head shaking absentmindedly.


    Wiping her face, she picked up the money the woman had thrown away and slowly, trudging back she continued her walk back to her motel.


    This time though, she was no longer happy anymore, and the sun did not look as bright through the tears in her eyes¡­

 Chapter Sixteen

    ¡°You¡¯re sure I¡¯m not underdressed, babe?¡± Katherine asked for the tenth time since she left Damien¡¯s house that evening, staring up at him with a pout on her face.


    She had been worrying nonstop about looking too basic the entire day, and so far as Damien could count, she had already changed three times tonight; twice when he was already dressed and ready, waiting for her makeup artist to finish working on her face and fixing her hair, then the third time when they had driven a short distance from the house.


    Something was wrong with the dress, so she had said and she had made him drive back to the house after pleading incessantly.


    Though he was irritated and a bit annoyed, he had agreed, taking her back home and waiting for her to change.


    Thest time though, when she asked about her outfit again in his car, he had simply ignored her, to avoid saying something the both of them would regret.


    Now, they stood outside his mother¡¯srge house, and she had just pressed the doorbell when she asked about her dress once more.


    Taking a moment to breathe, and building up all the patience he needed for dealing with her tonight, he spat out, trying his hardest to keep his sanity intact, ¡°It¡¯s a family dinner Katherine, not the fucking Met G.¡±


    It was evident by the look she gave him, that she was already offended, but as she parted her lips to say something, the door swung open to Damien¡¯s relief, and someone approached him.


    He resisted the urge to abandon her at the front door, and instead choosing the easy way out, he begrudgingly intertwined his arm in hers, and walked inside thefy house.


    The first person he saw was his little sister, La and grinning widely he said, ¡°Hey, La. Look at you, growing taller by the day. You change every time I see you.¡± He teased, leaning in for a hug she dly returned.


    When they had chatted for a while, Katherine joined in their discussion, feigning a smallughter even though she wasn¡¯t involved in the conversation.


    ¡°Hi, L. Nice to see you again.¡±


    If La was pissed by the interruption, she tried her hardest not to show it and smiling up at Kathrine as if she had just noticed her, she spoke, ¡°Same here. Meanwhile it¡¯s La and not L.¡±


    Without waiting for Katherine to respond, she walked away, grabbing ahold of her elder brother¡¯s arm and pulling him toward the table, chatting away, ¡°Mom will be out soon, she¡¯s just getting ready. She¡¯s been busy all day making all of your favorites.¡±


    Damien couldn¡¯t help but smile at the memory of when his mother used to make his favorite foods, andvish him with so much delicacies whenever he came back from working at the mechanic shop.


    Back then, the only difference was that they had been unable to afford all they needed and she had to make due with the little she had.


    However, she would always scrape up the little she could afford and prepare half a decent meal, for the whole lot of them and it had always been enough for him.


    Always..


    When the woman he was currently thinking of made her entrance into the dining room, a wide smile on her face, his face breaking into a grin, and he stood up from the chair immediately.


    Getting up to meet her halfway, he enveloped her in a tight hug, inhaling her motherly scent and basking in her warm embrace as he greeted, ¡°H mother, it¡¯s so nice to see you.¡±


    Kissing both his cheeks, and whirling him around she said, ¡°So nice to see you to son. You look dashing, like always.¡±


    Damien heard his sister groan, after his mother made that statement as she blurted out, ¡°Mom, no one says dashing anymore.¡±


    All of them bursting into fits ofughter, as they ignored her speech, Damien stood still as his mother inspected him from head to toe, and she asked him how work was going.


    ¡°Hello, Mrs Grace.¡± Katherine greeted from her chair, when she walked over to the dining table, and as usual Damien watched him mother put on one of her fake smiles that were usually reserved for his girlfriend.


    ¡°Hello, Katherine. How are you doing?¡± She asked surly, the words sounding a bit bitter.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m a little under the weather but I couldn¡¯t let my babye to the dinner all by himself. So excuse my outfit, I know it¡¯s terribly simple but I was just too tired to pick out something morevish. I couldn¡¯t disappoint Damien after he had begged me toe along, you know.¡± She chuckled, taking a sip of her wine although dinner hadn¡¯t even started yet.


    Damien and his mother, incidentally attempted to mask the death res they were both throwing at her at the same time.


    As for Damien he quickly controlled himself, offering her a smile, but his mother gave a smallugh that was anything but nice, ¡°How thoughtful of you, Katherine.¡±


    ¡°Anything for my baby.¡± She giggled cing her long manicured nails on Damien¡¯s shoulders and rubbing him gently.


    As his mother gave another forced smile to his girlfriend, Damien didn¡¯t hold back his sneer and slight disappointment at Katherine¡¯sck of manners.


    Also he didn¡¯t need to be told that Kathrine wasn¡¯t exactly a favorite in his family, and although his mother and sister tried their best to put up with her for his sake, he just couldn¡¯t understand Katherine sometimes either.


    She always felt the need to put up that fake, nonchnt appearance, and she never gave the respect as to when due.


    Swallowing down a lump, and clearing his throat, he decided to say nothing as he sat upright in his chair, as his mother began to share the food.


    They ate in silence for a while, the clinking of cutleries  the only sounds to be heard in the room, when all of a sudden Mrs Grace looked up at Damien as though she had just remembered something.


    Chewing on a cherry fruit, she cleared her throat, and then said the sentence that had Damien¡¯s fury instantly rising.


    ¡°That reminds me, son¡­ I was looking through a magazinest week, and guess whose picture I saw? Madison¡¯s.¡±


    His hands freezing halfway to this mouth, and petrified, he dropped his fork gently on his te, as his mother said again, ¡°It was such a weird photo and she was in a somewhat strange circumstance, but it was nice to see her.¡±


    He cursed mentally.


    He hadpletely forgotten that those stupid pictures were everywhere, and he had not even practiced his speech back at home, should in case this came up.


    He looked at his mother wishing he could somehowmunicate to her that thest thing he wanted to talk about was Madison, but she didn¡¯t seem to get him.


    It was not only that he didn¡¯t even want to talk about her at all¡­ he just didn¡¯t think about her. And also why had she picked now of all times to bring this up?


    ¡°Oh my god, Mom, that¡¯s true. I hadpletely forgotten about that as well.¡± La squealed looking in her brother¡¯s direction, as she started bbing, ¡°Have you seen her yet? I think she¡¯s in New York now. She seemed a bit different, but I could recognize her by her pretty signature strawberry blonde hair I used to like back when I was small. Have you guys talked? Are you getting back together? It¡¯s been so long since I saw her, I really miss¡­¡±


    ¡°Will you fucking shut your mouth, La.¡± Damien warned angrily, ring at his sister hoping the conversation would be bright to an end, but it was toote.


    Katherine had picked interest already, and frowning scooping some frozen yoghurt in her mouth as he watched, she asked softly, ¡°Who¡¯s Madison?¡± She frowned, scooping some frozen yogurt in her mouth.


    Instead of answering, Damien took her left hand in his and squeezed gently, smiling briefly at her before continuing his meal.


    Why couldn¡¯t he just have one decent meal now, without a dose of drama in the form of ady called Madison?


    ¡°Is she a family friend?¡± Kathrine asked again, directing her question at La, but  La lowered her head to face her food, not daring to speak as Damien¡¯s re burned through her.


    They ate in awkward silence for a while, and then Damien wiped the corner of his lips with a napkin and stood.


    Fixing his eyes on his mother, he announced. ¡°Mother, can I talk to you for a second?¡± She nodded, immediately wiping her lips, and following him out of the room.


    He turned to Katherine, kissing her lightly on the forehead and rubbing her shoulders, he whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll only be a few minute. Enjoy your food, okay?¡±


    Ignoring the confused expression on her face, he walked out of the dining room, with his mother hot on his heels.


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison slumped down on her tiny motel bed, exhausted as fuck.


    Work had been as hectic as ever, and what she needed right now was a cold shower and some hot te of food. Her bones hurt as she got up, stretching and pulling off her work clothes.


    As she was starting to learn, two jobs was definitely not a child¡¯s y, but she had to keep up with them, because it would be worth it in the end.


    She had already begun to scrape up some money, and even though it wasn¡¯t a lot, Madison was proud of her hard work and effort nheless.


    As she pulled her hair into a ponytail, a knock at her door resounded, making her pause in the middle of taking off her shirt.


    Her chest started to pound as she pulled her shirt back down. Questions ran through in her head, as she wondered who could possibly be at her door?


    It wasn¡¯t toote, but with thetest events in her life she was scared nheless. The memory of thest time someone had knocked at her door in a motel made her even more hesitant, and recalling how she had been lured and disgraced, a chill ran down her spine.


    Different thoughts sped through her head ¨C Was it the paparazzi again, or the police maybe. What if Damien¡¯s girlfriend had finally decided to have her arrested for taking too long to pay for the dress?


    She was overthinking, she thought to herself, clutching at her arms, knowing she couldn¡¯t avoid the door forever.


    As the knocking persisted, resounding again Madison  swallowed, walking to the door and unlocking it with shaky hands.


    She peeped from the door, and a gasp dropped from her face when her eyesnded on Alvarez¡¯s huge bulky form standing in front of her room.


    The gasp was quickly followed by a sigh of relief, and cing a hand over her forehead, she instantly remembered that had given him the address of her new motel some days back when she¡¯d moved in, after he had called to inquire.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He asked when he saw the look on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m just surprised to see you, that¡¯s all.¡± She blurted out, taking a step back as she said, ¡°Come on in.¡±


    Madison knew that all Alvarez would do was worry about her, and probably convince her to move back to his house if she told him she was paranoid about the paparazzi or the police, and so she kept that bit of information to herself.


    Alvarez¡¯s eyes roamed around the room, and Madison felt shrews as she waited for his honest review.


    If he disapproved of her new ce, he didn¡¯t say it, instead he smiled, handing her the stic bag he had brought with him, and with a smile on his face he said, ¡°My wife wanted me to get this specially to you.¡±


    Madison sniffed the bag instantly, and as the scent of homemade food attacked her nostrils, she mumbled her gratitude.


    Just exactly what she needed, and she couldn¡¯t be more happy. She was so famished, and dly epting the bag from him, she thanked him and extended her greetings to his wife.


    ¡°Have you made any progress? Job wise, I mean.¡±


    Madison nodded happily, facing him as she plopped down next to him on the bed, ¡°I found two actually. One at this bar downtown, and another at a pastry shop a few blocks from here. The paycheck isn¡¯t huge, but I¡¯ll be able to pay off the debt from the dress in maybe two weeks depending on how hard I work.¡± She finished, grinning.


    ¡°Wow that¡¯s nice, Madison. And in such a short while, you would be freed from the shackles holding you back here.¡± He said looking surprised, andughing, rubbing her forehead and smiling she muttered, ¡°I know right? I couldn¡¯t even believe it myself. Let¡¯s say, I guess I just got lucky.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a lot of luck.¡±


    They both burst outughing.


    After a few moments, Alvarez observed her. ¡°How are you though?¡±


    She knew he wasn¡¯t just asking that as a casual question, and so she tried to be as honest as possible.


    ¡°It¡¯s still really difficult. Sometimes it feels like I¡¯m dreaming and I¡¯m going to wake up anytime now and see myself back at London in my small cottage¡­¡± Sheughed bitterly, a sad look in her eyes, ¡°But I¡¯m not doing as terribly as I was some days back, or week rather. Time seems to be flying, and at least I have a job now.¡±


    Alvarez nodded in understanding, reaching out to squeeze her hand.


    Madison tried to wave off the sad atmosphere by talking about other lighter stuff, and soon they were so lost in conversation that he didn¡¯t know when time flew past again.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Shoot!¡± He eximed, standing when he noticed staring at his wristwatch, ¡°I have to start heading home, it¡¯s gettingte.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Madison agreed, apologizing for keeping him this long, which of course he waved away.


    ¡°Wait, wait..¡± She stopped him, walking toward her drawer and taking something out, ¡°These are for Ivy.¡± She smiled, cing the sweet snacks and chocte she had gotten earlier today for herself.


    Since she had some homemade food, she might as well give his little daughter this.


    Thanking her, Madison proceeded to escort him out of the dingy motel, walking with him to his car, talking all the way.


    ¡°Take care of yourself, Maddie.¡± Alvarez smiled, pulling her in for a bear hug and patting her head, ¡°You¡¯re doing great, and I¡¯m so proud of you.¡±


    ¡°You too, Alvarez you too. Thank you so much.¡± Madison whispered, holding back the tears that pricked the back of her eyes.


    As she waved him goodbye, watching him drive off, her chest tightened painfully as little memories resurfaced in her head.


    Tears still stinging the back of her eyes, Madison sighed and slowly walked back to her room.

 Chapter Seventeen

    Madison smoothed down the front of the brightly-colored uniform she was currently putting on, trying to make it look as presentable as possible.


    This was the waitress uniform she had gotten, when she had been hired to work in this bar or was it club rather, and all her colleagues also were required to wear it too.


    Her palms mmy as she rubbed them over the dress, Madison let out a hiss at how the cloth looked tonight. It was rumpled after she had washed it earlier, and since there was no electricity, neither did she have a pressing iron she could use, she had left it there to dry and stretch like that.


    There was the alternative of taking the clothes to the dry cleaners, but well she couldn¡¯t exactly afford, and weighing her options she had decided to just wash and leave it.


    Sighing for the umpteenth time again, she flipped out the dress again, smoothing it down with her to take out all the creases, but all her attempts was proving futile.


    Frustrated already and sighing yet again, she grabbed her purse and raced out of the motel, in order not to bete. If she stayed any longer, or a minute more she would definitely get to her workce at the worst time, and this was something she didn¡¯t need, especially now that things were going good for her.


    She couldn¡¯t afford to make any silly mistakes that could cost the job, and so she was trying her possible best to get there on time.


    Her hair roughened and cascading a little bit wetly down her back, she smoothed out the tangled strands as fast as she could, sitting upright in the taxi that was taking her to the club, and arranging herself properly.


    This style would have to do, she decided within herself sessfully packing therge hair bundle into a bun, andying back in the car seat, enjoying the breeze and the cool evening that whooshed past.


    Soon, the taxi got to the club, and taking out some cash and paying the taxi driver, Madison quickly climbed of the taxi, ready to face the day.


    Seeing that it was already ten minutes to her shift, she raced into the the bar before anyone could notice her absence.


    As soon as she came in, she sighted one of the other waitresses, and a smile flickered on her lips when she heard a girl whose name she had forgotten, greet as she approached, ¡°Wee. You came right on time.¡±


    From the look of things, her shift was over as she had torn her apron away, turning to face Madison yet again, she bbered, ¡°You should get to work immediately though. There are a lot of people here tonight, and we are two people short tonight.¡±


    Madison quickly nodded, and after talking for  a few minutes, as the girl showed her around, she started to work continuing right from where the previous waitress had stopped.


    As she served drinks round with a smile stered on her face as required, she would asionally straighten the hem of her dress, still feeling a little bit ufortable even though she tried her best not to show it. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a little self-conscious about her rumpled dress, and she kept on wondering if the creases were noticeable under the shing club lights.


    After she had served her first two rounds of drinks, she went round, packing up empty trays and sses sprawled on the tables, and taking them up to the back of the bar where the kitchen was located.


    Having done that, she re-emerged, and continued her routine seeming drinks, with a smile stered on her face.


    She made sure to serve well, not wanting to get in trouble with anyone, and also because she wanted to make a very good impression.


    Who knows, the club manager might decide to keep her after the one month had psed, if she did pretty well not that she intended on taking the offer since she had to leave for London though, but she could only imagine..


    As she moved to carry up another tray of drinks, her phone vibrated in her apron, and she froze instantly.


    Letting out a string of curses, and sneaking a nce around to make sure it was safe to check her phone, she procured it from her pocket and unlocked it swiftly. She smiled wide and genuinely a little when she saw that it was a text from Alvarez asking what she was up to and how she was doing.


    ¡®I¡¯m okay. At work.¡¯ She texted back, slipping her phone back in her apron. Her phone buzzed again as she served drinks again but she didn¡¯t take it out until she had finished the round.


    ¡®Oh. Damien and I are headed somewhere tonight. Has something to do with work too. Don¡¯t forget to be careful, okay? I¡¯ll visit tomorrow. Take care.¡¯


    Madison stared at the name on her screen, her grip on her phone tightening at the sight of the one name she hade to dread.


    Even in words, just like the way it sounded, the name always had the same effect on her. Why? She pondered, sniffing a little and trying to hold herself together.


    Squaring her shoulders, and discarding her thoughts she quickly texted him back, ¡®Okay, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then. Bye.¡¯


    Pushing the thoughts of Damien out her mind yet again, she slipped her phone back into her apron, and pushed herself back to work.


    She couldn¡¯t afford to get caught texting on her shift, as that would be disastrous and dent her name. When she had gathered herself again, she stered a smile on her face and resumed her serving.


    ¡°Hey hotdy¡­¡±  Some of the men hooted as she walked past them, catcalling and patting out her ass, waving their goodies at her, as if she would make out time for them, but she just shot them stern looks and continued on her way.


    She felt disgust flow through her as their eyes raked her up and down as she worked, but she gritted her teeth trying her possible best to ignore them.


    She was here to work, and that¡¯s exactly what she was going to do. She already knew it would be like this when she epted the job, so she was ready to face it.


    So head held high, she moved round the bar, serving and taking orders and masking her irritation with a smile.


    She was here for the money, and nothing else!


    ¡­¡­.


    Damien sat in the back of his car deep in thought, as Alvarez drove him to one of the clubs he owned in downtown New York.


    He needed to meet some partners in the VIP section today, and this was also a good opportunity to check on the club and see how well business was faring.


    He had bought the bar a couple of years ago,  and so far it was booming just like the other businesses he¡¯d bought, and it had also recorded tremendous sess, bing one of the most popr clubs in town.


    He scrolled through some documents on his phone, as he prepared himself for the meeting at hand, not wanting to be caught off guard on any area.


    He was so engrossed in the documents he was reading, that he didn¡¯t realize when they arrived until Alvarez called out to him.


    Quickly getting out of the car, his eyes roaming through the exterior of the building, trying to get the outlook of thinks, and from the crowd of people still waiting to get in, he knew it was extra full today.


    He smiled, because this meant that things were looking good, and extra money meant extra customers.


    He had good eyes, buying assets and turning them into flourishing business sites.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I need to use the restroom. You can go ahead, I¡¯ll be right up.¡± He heard Alvarez say from beside him, and nodding Alvarez diverted to the back of the club where the restrooms were located.


    Damien watched him leave, his jaw set tightly.


    Things were still a bit stiff between them after the incident of st time, but just like now every time the guilt came, he would brush it off.


    Soon Alvarez would see that the threat had been the best thing to do, and that the woman in particr who was the cause of their strife was not just worth it at all.


    The buzzing sound of his phone alerted him, and he whipped it out to see a mail from the partner he was supposed to meet, informing him that they had to cancel because an emergency hade up.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Damien mumbled to himself, ring at the screen, annoyed at this cancetion.


    So this meant that he hade all the way for nothing? Eyes burning bright red, he shoved his phone back in his pocket, trying to see the bright side of things.


    Well, maybe this was a blessing in disguise as he wasn¡¯t even fully prepared yet for the meeting anyways, and with them cancelling he would have more time to prepare.


    Maybe this could also serve as his night off,  He needed a drink or two to cool off after the rough events of this week.


    First heading to the bar to observe and maybe have a few drinks, his eyes roamed round the room carefully, checking to see if everyone was carrying out their respective jobs like they should.


    He didn¡¯t want to go meet the manager for now, wanting to survey things from his end and check out the activities of the club now that he was opportuned to.


    His eyes still roaming around, theynded on a waitress whose hair color, seemed oddly familiar.


    Unsure, he headed to the scene where the waitress in question was being osted by a much older man, his white hair gleaming in the lights and his teeth bared as his hands moved swiftly down to her waist.


    ¡°Stop! Get your hands off me.¡± He heard her yell continuously as she tried to break free from his grip, while the other men seated around broke into a round ofughter.


    Damien stopped in his tracks, his ear perking up instantly.


    He knew that voice, and now he could remember where he had known that hair from.


    The hair he had loved, touched, caressed, gripped while fucking her and¡­


    No!


    Just as he was still thinking, the waitress turned halfway, her face red as she shoved the old man away from her, and instantly spotting her, his doubts confirmed, Damien bounded in her direction in anger.


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing here?¡± He yelled, making here to a standstill as she slowly turned to face him.


    ¡°My establishment, my club, and you have the guts to step foot in here! What the fuck, are you doing here sleaze? Security!¡± He boomed, his voice carrying round the room, as chaos erupted.


    He watched her stumble back in surprise, a horrified look on her face when she recognized him, and then the words bursted out of her lips, as she covered her mouth in her hands, ¡°Da¡­ Damien¡­¡±

 Chapter Eighteen

    ¡°My establishment, my club, and you have the guts to step foot in here! What the fuck, are you doing here sleaze? Security!¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Madison froze at the sound of that voice.


    She knew that voice¡­ and no it couldn¡¯t be, but it was.


    She held herself, her feets trembling as she slowly turned around, and then her mouth dropped open in surprise, as his name flew out of her lips in a stutter, ¡°Da¡­ Damien¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t believe it, and she was taken aback when she saw the face of the very man that haunted every part of her brain, ingrained in every fragmented memory she had, and the effect had her nearly staggering back in shock.


    She repeated the words he¡¯d just said over and over again, and her mouth widened in shock as she came to the stark realization that this was his club.


    His bar, which he owned.


    He was the owner of this establishment? Madison pondered, her stomach beginning to churn in fear.


    Her head spun as she clutched a nearby chair, almost spilling up the contents of the tray she held, but staying strong.


    How did he always manage to show up in times like this, although she honestly did not want to see him? Since the first time she had seen him at the event, he kept reappearing in her life in some way or the other.


    If it wasn¡¯t through Alvarez¡¯s texts or conversations, it was in some magazines or whatnots and now this?


    Tears were already beginning to sting the back her eyes, the residue gathering as he continued to yell at her to leave.


    ¡°Are you freaking deaf?¡± He questioned, his voice booming through the room, and shaking Madison to the core as she began to crumble at the spot.


    She was petrified, scared, and utterly embarrassed to say the least.


    ¡°I¡­ what¡­¡± She began to murmur, looking around and seeing that they seemed to be causing small trouble, because the eyes of everyone in the club was on them.


    After a few moments of silence as they stared at each other, she heard him hiss and call out thunderously, ¡°Security!¡±


    The reality of the situation began to dawn on Madison, and she began to think of what to do.


    She couldn¡¯t let him throw her out of this ce, because that would mean loosing her job, and she couldn¡¯t afford it because this was her major source of ie at the moment. What would she do if he fired her now because of this? Where would she even go to? How would she start all over again?


    More so letting go of this job meant she would no longer afford to pay for the dress in time, and she couldn¡¯t bear to think of that.


    Tears spilled out her already swollen eyes, and dropping the tray in her hands on the nearby ranks, putting both hands together in a sign of plea, she started to say, ¡°P-please¡­I beg you. It took me a while to finally find a good job here. A-and the paycheck is nice too. I had no idea you owned it, I just¡­¡± She paused to gather herself as her throat knotted, every single pride she had fleeing away as she continued,  ¡°I know you hate me, and don¡¯t want me in your life but I really need this job. Please I-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck! I don¡¯t want to hear whatever lies you have to say anymore. I just need you out of here¡­security!¡± He yelled out again, his eyes bloodshot red and from the look of things he was not moving back on his decision.


    Madison¡¯s hand shook violently, as she ced it over her mouth. She was really going to lose the job, before she had even started.


    All her thoughts of creating asting impression vanishing away, and even her pay for the night would be automatically cancelled that she knew, because she was not yet done with her rounds.


    Her heart squeezed in pain, as torrents of tears continued to cascade down her cheeks.


    How would she pay for her next motel rent? How would she feed? The pay at the bakery was too little to support her, and most especially once again how would she pay for the freaking 2000 dors dress?


    Her eyes fixated on Damien and her hands ced together, still trying to see if he could have even a shred of pity on her, she walked a bit closer to him, and lowered herself to her knees, proceeding to plead once more. She was sobbing so bitterly that she felt like her chest would explode, or cease and her chest was also tightening in pain at the same time.


    ¡°I beg you¡­I have nowhere to go. P-please hear me out, just give me a chance. My certificate of employment is for a month only. I¡¯d be gone before you know it. I will leave with no trace whatsoever. Please¡­¡± She trailed of, sadness and pain overwhelming her, and sobbing bitterly, bending even lower as she clutched the hem of his trousers, she added,  ¡°Just.. this once, let me just-¡±


    She let out a gasp as he pulled himself away from her, kicking at her arm and making her fall backwards as he stared down at her with so much loathing, that it gave her chills.


    ¡°Take your filthy hands of me, you fucking gold-digging whore!¡± He spat, ¡°What did you expect? That I would let you work here, if you begged me? You¡¯re just reaping the seeds that you sowed, and you¡¯re going to get exactly what you deserve. Get out of my club, you bitch!¡±


    Madison¡¯s eyes stung.


    His words were cutting deep. If it was anyone else she would still feel as hurt as helpless as she did right now, but the fact that it was Damien made it hurt ten times more.


    The look in his eyes as he said those words¡­ hepletely despised her, and he was still holding on to the grudges from the past.


    He was still hurt, he hadn¡¯t forgotten at all, and as it stood he didn¡¯t give a fuck about her pain and suffering now. He didn¡¯t want to know, he didn¡¯t even care and her begging was outrightly useless¡­


    Damien didn¡¯t care about her, and it wouldn¡¯t bothered him either if she was out helpless and begging on the streets.


    He would still treat her the same, and with so much spite and loathing.


    Tears streamed down her face once more, as she remembered that he had seen that old man molesting her¡­ Damien had seen that he was all over her although she kept on protesting, and he had tried slipping his hands into her panties from her skirt.


    Damien saw that she had been stranded¡­ helpless, and had been mocked.


    He had seen the way the rest of the men had onlyughed, and no one had bothered to lift a finger nore to her aid, but he hadn¡¯te to her rescue.


    The only thing he had cared about was the simple fact that she was working here, in his club and the fact that her very presence irritated him.


    Where was the man that had always been protective and possessive of her, back then when they were younger?


    The man that had loved her endlessly, and was always jealous whenever he saw her with any malepanion?


    The man that had engaged in unnecessary brawls and spats just because of her?


    She even recalled the time, he had got into a bloody fight with her brother Mason, and how she had cried her eyes out until they had separated.


    Now, where was that man? She wondered, as tears slipped down her face.


    ¡°Please!¡± Madison begged, sobbing harder as she saw two bouncers approach, ready to drag her out, ¡°Please, please, please¡­¡± She continued to beg, even as they already bundled her in a tight grip, facing Damien for their next orders which he dly gave.


    ¡°Throw her out, and make sure she never steps foot in this establishment ever again. Rescind her employment, and tell the manager to wait for me, I would love to have a word with him.¡± Damien spat out, and nodding they began to cart her away.


    No! No! Madison struggled in their grip, yelling as she nced back at him, ¡°Please, please don¡¯t do this. I beg you¡­ just let go of the past, and give me one chance.¡± She screamed, but he wasn¡¯t listening.


    No one was listening, and as she stared at him, she could only spot the scowl on his face, as he watched the guards cart her away from the club, passing through the throng of people gathered around, taking pictures of the humiliating scene.


    Surely, tomorrow her pictures would be sttered again on¡­


    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡±


    Madison looked up through the tears that blurred her vision, and with the bouncersing to an abrupt halt, she saw Alvarez who had just walked in, a shocked look on his face.


    How?¡­ Then she remembered his text from earlier ¨C


    ¡®Damien and I are headed somewhere tonight. Has something to do with work too. Don¡¯t forget to be careful, okay? I¡¯ll visit tomorrow. Take care.¡¯


    He must have been talking about the club, and since she had no idea, she wouldn¡¯t have known.


    If only she knew, or had spotted him earlier and not vice versa, maybe she would have hidden or something.


    Madison began to sob afresh, as the thoughts rolled through, but this time she was somehow crying in relief. In the midst of all this chaos, atst the sight of Alvarez standing there made her feel like she wasn¡¯tpletely alone.


    ¡°Let her go this instant!¡± She heard him yell at the security bouncers.


    His face was flushed in anger, and as she watched Damien whip around in shock to stare at Alvarez, her heart clenched in fear at the thought of how many possible things could happen.


    How many possible things could go wrong¡­


    ¡­¡­.


    Damien red at Alvarez, and his fists clenched as he watched Alvarez shove the guards away from Madison, taking her hand and pulling her behind him as she continued to sob her heart out.


    He could hear the murmurs of the people in the room, as they took snapshots and video recordings of everything that was going on.


    He hid a smirk of satisfaction.


    Of course, this would be in the media soon.


    He knew it would go down like this.


    Everyone loved a good, nice confrontation, and this would really pass of as a juicy story, that the media wouldn¡¯t be able to resist.


    Especially since it involved a popr billionaire, and the same waitress who had ruined his girlfriend¡¯s dress, they would go wild, and now that he thought about it, this  was exactly what he was going for.


    This kind of public disgrace, was the most satisfying way to bring shame onto the Connors in a way.


    When they saw one of their own being publiclyshed at, it was sure to strike a nerve.


    After all, the only thing Mr Connor valued more than his money was his pride, and here syed out was his pride, in the form of his daughter being matched on.


    Damien wondered if the news would get to the media, but he didn¡¯t need to bother much because he knew that people would jump at an opportunity to make money by selling this escapade.


    All the media craved was their daily dose of drama, and the other scandal with the dress was already beginning to wear off, so they needed something more.


    This was sure to spark the gossip once more, Damien thought smiling to himself, and making a mental note to send a publication to the Connors in London when it was released.


    He would track them down, and gave one possibly delivered to their doorstep.


    The look on their faces, especially that of Mr Connor and Mason was something he so much wished to see, but he would settle with knowing that they were being dragged in the mud, and that they wouldn¡¯t react to the news lightly.


    He wasing for them, and he needed to give them subtle hints!


    Looking back up, he watched as Alvarez red at him, shaking his head in disappointment, and without a word, he turned back to Madison, took ahold of her right hand and led her safely out of the bar, with his other arm draped around her shoulder while he whisperedforting words probably in her ears.


    Damien¡¯s jaw gritted, his eyes narrowing on the manly hand on Madison¡¯s shoulders.


    He couldn¡¯t be jealous of Alvarez, but he was subtly reminded of the time when he couldn¡¯t bear to let any other person of his gender touch Madison.


    He¡¯d been overly protective of her, watching over her like a hulk, and making sure she was out of trouble and safe, but now the tables had turned over for good.


    Still watching them leave as cameras continued to sh, recording the entire scene, Damien let out a nonchnt hiss, as he didn¡¯t care about anything and even as his chest twinged in pain slightly, there was nothing that could happen again, as the deed was already done.


    Satisfied, he turned in the other direction, smoothing out his jacket as he made his way upstairs into the VIP section of the club.


    He was going to rx, and have a good wine or two to take his mind of her.


    As he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself from all the excitement in his blood, he swirled around looking for where to sit, and that¡¯s when he saw Alvarez storm in his direction, walking briskly in a fit of rage.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Alvarez¡¯s voice thundered, grabbing the attention of onlookers, and Damien watched his hands shake violently at the same time, as they stared at each other.


    ¡°Please exin to me what just happened out there, because I don¡¯t understand why you would do something like that.¡±


    Damien red at him, ¡°I believe you understand what just happened, and I don¡¯t need to exin anymore. How dare Madison think she could work here after everything? In my own club? No, that¡¯s not possible. Now if you¡¯d excuse me..¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you even saying? What facts do you have, thinking she came here for you? She had no freaking idea this ce was yours for goodness sake!¡± Alvarez shot back, and continued after a pause, ¡°You think if she was aware you owned the bar, she would want to even work here? She wouldn¡¯t even step foot here, just like she keeps telling me that meeting you at the event that day was a mistake. She had no idea, and she just got a job here. What¡¯s the harm in letting her stay? What¡¯s the harm in letting her work here and striving for a living? You hardly evere here. You won¡¯t even need to see her, so why send her out? Have you no pity for her condition?¡± He fumed, finishing his statement.


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck about her condition, or whatever lie she¡¯s feeding you on!¡± Damien thundered, ¡°She could be jobless and helpless on the fucking streets and I still wouldn¡¯t give a fuck. It is not my problem, and it shouldn¡¯t be yours too.¡± Damien watched Alvarez stagger back in shock, as an awkward heated silence brew amongst them.


    ¡°When did you be such a monster? When did you be this person? So stone cold, and heartless? This is not the Damien I know, and became friends with. This is a devil, standing in front of me.¡± Alvarez spat out after some time and Damien chuckling said, ¡°You mean the friendship you are willing to destroy, just because of that sleaze? That bitch? Well, here you have it. I¡¯m the devil.¡±


    ¡°Yes you are the devil. If you willing and ready to torment the same girl, you had loved with all your heart in the past then you are deem fit to be called one. You¡¯re so willing to see her suffer? You have no conscience¡­whatsoever? Although you see how much she is suffering, you don¡¯t care and you don¡¯t want to listen to her. What on earth is fucking wrong with you? What has blinded your eyes?¡±


    Damien¡¯s face heated at the mention of the past, and the memories of him loving on Madison, treating her so fragile and tenderly shed through his head, and his heart tugged.


    Gritting his jaw firmly, he blurted out, ¡°You are talking about the past, and that¡¯s why it¡¯s called the fucking past! It¡¯s something that happened a long while, and would never happen again! So don¡¯t you ever mention the past to me again, do you understand? Whatever you do¡­ no matter how many times you keep dragging this on and on, it is never going to change. She is out of my life and right now she has lost her job, and that is final! If you keep talking I¡¯ll assume you want to lose yours as well!¡±


    Damien¡¯s hands clenched into fists as he stared his best friend down, his chest heaving. He watched Alvarez jaw open and close at his threat, but this time he didn¡¯t even make a move to rescind the threat, or feel guilty about his words unlikest time.


    This time, he meant every word he had just said and he wasn¡¯t going back.


    If Alvarez was so willing to ruin their friendship and his job along the line, then so be it!

 Chapter Nineteen

    ¡°Yes, of course. I look forward to working with you.¡± Damien spoke into the receiver, smiling as he concluded a deal with Antonio Garcia from Antonio Enterprises.


    For years he had aimed at making this tough man one of his partners, and after he had delivered the rough draft of his ideas for an ongoing project to the board, they had been so sessful that some otherpanies and tycoons had begun to reach out to him, including Antonio.


    As he reced the receiver, Damien had a wide grin on his face, his first genuine smile in weeks.


    Landing this deal would distract him very well, as it would mean that he was to be busy checking through and it would also make him think of something else other than the past that hade back to haunt him.


    Checking through his schedule for today and seeing that there wasn¡¯t any urgent business to take care of, he decided he would take the rest of the day off to rest and celebrate.


    After all this deal, called for some kind of celebration and he was in for one.


    He began to put away the files thaty scattered on his desk in the drawer, whistling all the while when the door suddenly swung open, and taken aback his face lifting up, he looked up to see a somewhat furious looking Kathrine storming to his table.


    His  secretary Nina, was scurrying behind and trying to stop her.


    ¡°S-sir, I tried to tell her I had to inform you first, but s-she¡­¡±


    He nodded, raising his hand as a sign of dismissal, and waving the youngdy off.


    When she was gone, shutting the door behind her, he looked back up at Kathrine in confusion.


    What was happening? He began to ask himself, parting his lips to say something, but before he could utter a word, Katherine flung a copy of a magazine down at his table, and folded her arms in anger.


    Looking closely, Damien saw that the magazine was from an entertainment blog, and right on the front page was himself, and a tearful Madison kneeling at his feet.


    Of course, he should have known about this, and since Katherine was a faithful reader of blogs of this kind actually, she would most likelye across it.


    More so, even if she wasn¡¯t, news traveled fast and somehow she would get to hear about this.


    He was a hundred percent sure that the pictures were already stered all over social media. It was good publicity for the ns he had for the Connors, but bad for the questions he was expected to answer from Katherine.


    ¡°What the hell is this? Please exin to me because right now I don¡¯t get what¡¯s happening.¡± He heard her say, bbering, and from the look she had on, it was obvious that she was pissed and seething too.


    For a moment he deliberated on what to do, and what lie he had to tell her.


    On one hand, he didn¡¯t feel like he owed her an exnation, but on the other hand, ignoring her would make her suspect even more and if if that happened, he knew she wouldn¡¯t stop digging for answers until she found what she was looking for, and he couldn¡¯t have that either.


    ¡°What? You¡¯re not going to say anything now?¡± She asked again, her voice dangerously low, but he just kept quiet, his mind spinning.


    When he still didn¡¯t say anything, she scoffed, and then began to say in an outburst, ¡°I knew it! I knew you¡¯ve been hiding something from me. Right from the event, and how strange you¡¯ve been acting, I suspected you were hiding something, and I knew it had something to do with her. With this bitch, sttered all over the media with you, so don¡¯t you even try to lie to me. Don¡¯t lie because I would definitely find the answers, and when I do, it would be bloody for the both of us.¡±


    Was this a threat? Damien asked himself, raking his hands through his hair and trying to decide how best to handle the situation.


    He knew she wouldn¡¯t leave until he came up with a reasonable exnation, and herst statement had irked him badly.


    A sigh escaping his lips, he began, ¡°Look, you¡¯re making it a big deal. I saw her working at the club, my club actually and it was so strange, I had to send her out. Why on earth would I let her work there after everything with the dress and-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all of it, Damien.¡± She cut in rudely, rolling her eyes at the same time, ¡°I might be a lot of things but I definitely am not stupid. You know her¡­I¡¯m certain of it. And you¡¯ve been acting all suspicious for a while too. That picture¡­the one you were looking at the other day at the house¡­¡±


    Damien tried to hide his shock as he stared up at her, dreading her next words.


    ¡°You acted so strange that day, putting the picture back into your drawer immediately and it piqued my curiosity. I had to go back to the picture, and guess what I saw. That same freaking woman, the waitress with you and Alvarez. The three of you had smiles on your face and you were staring at her adoringly like you were in love or something, so you can¡¯t tell me it¡¯s just a coincidence. She¡¯s someone from your past and we both know it.¡±


    Damien shut his eyes tightly.


    He wanted to shout at her, and get angry with her for snooping through his things.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    The one thing he valued was his privacy, and she knew it, but now if he fired up at her it would only make things worse, especially since she had him by the neck already.


    Thankfully she didn¡¯t make mention of the event at his mother¡¯s house, when he had been asked about Madison¡¯s well-being, and Damien hoped within himself that she must have forgotten about it.


    Exasperated, he red down at the magazine on his desk, sucking in a sharp breath, and then he blurted out without even thinking, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to talk about it at first because I absolutely hate remembering this but, we used to be friends years ago. Thedy, her name is Madison. She used to be friends with Alvarez and I.¡± He finally said, finishing the words at a go and looking up at her.


    ¡°Your friend? I don¡¯t understand how that could possibly be-¡±


    He shook his head, and raising his hands he added, ¡°Let me finish, okay?¡±


    She didn¡¯t say a thing further, her mouth in a thin line and he watched as she reluctantly took a seat, her arms folded in front of her, listening as he continued.


    ¡°Back when we lived in Kettlesworth, Birmingham, her father¡­he humiliated me. Not just me, but my family all epassing. My mother, my sister and I, he hated the three of us badly due to reasons best known to him. He threw us out on the streets, even when he was well aware that we had nothing. Ipletely despise every member of that family, you see and that¡¯s why


    I¡¯m treating Madison badly now seeing her resurface after all these years. You might not believe it, and I don¡¯t even have the strength to begin narrating everything that happened back then, but in summary I personally went through hell those years.¡±


    Kathrine folded her arms, her chest still heaving, as she asked again, ¡°So nothing went on between the both of you?¡±


    Damien tightened his grip on the edge of his desk, his jaw gritting. Why did he suddenly feel so bare¡­ so flushed? Why was it increasingly difficult to answer the question?


    He wanted to say yes. He wanted to tell Katherine that at one time, in his life he had loved Madison so much and treated her with care and affection.


    She had been the bane of his existence¡­ The one thing he couldn¡¯t live without.


    He wanted to tell Katherine about the blissful moments he had spent with her, and how she seemed to be the only thing sparking up his dark soul back then.


    He wanted to tell Katherine tales of how he had sneaked into the Connors mansion, climbing through the fence, with Alvarez and calling on Madison.


    He wanted to say all these and more, but his lips wouldn¡¯t move¡­ they wouldn¡¯t cooperate.


    After some time he finally blurted, shaking his head and walking around the desk to face Kathrine, ¡°No!¡± He paused and then continued, ¡°That¡¯s not even remotely true. I hate her¡­I hate all of them, for all the things they did to me, everything they put me through. It was because of her father that I had to leave for New York, and work my ass off to be who I am today. That man humiliated me, and he treated me like a nobody, and if I ever have the chance to, I would destroy them. I would shred them to the skin, and feed their body to vultures. Especially the two men, in that household who made my life a living hell. Mr Connor and his first son!¡±


    By the time he was done talking, his chest was heaving slightly, and his expression was dark, his eyes rimmed at the sides.


    Kathrine¡¯s expression softened after his speech though, and she moved closer to him, ¡°Wow. They really hurt you¡­ oh my goodness but that¡¯s terrible.¡±


    He nodded, pulling her closer to him and cing her head roughly on his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if all this upset you, I didn¡¯t mean to. Talking about it always puts me in a bad mood, that¡¯s why I was hesitant to talk about it at first. But it¡¯s all over in the past now, and my feelings haven¡¯t changed because  I intend to make them pay for everything. You don¡¯t have to worry about thatdy anymore, okay?¡± He rasped, meaning most of the words he had just said, and she nodded, burying her head in his chest and caressing his back as she melded into his embrace.


    As he tightened his hold on her, the memory of Madison crying and begging at his feetst night shed through his mind.


    He shut his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth trying to push the brief image away, but it only became more vivid.


    More so, this time rather than the pure hatred he had feltst night, when he saw her, now it was only an atom of guilt that tugged at his heart as the sounds of her cries floated through his ears.


    Why was he feeling this way? He asked himself again, remembering how weak and tired she had looked, and now he was feeling sorry for her.


    Even though it was tote, he was suddenly having the urge to pick her up and protect her and¡­


    ¡°Fuck. No, no, no!¡± He blurted out loud absentmindedly, startling Katherine who was already asking what the matter was, but he just silenced her, saying that he was hallucinating and nothing more.


    He shouldn¡¯t be thinking about her.


    They were over, and what happenedst night was something he should bask in and not the other way round.


    He hated this feeling so much!


    Why the fuck did he always soften at one point, or the other when it came to her? She meant absolutely nothing to him anymore, she was nothing¡­ He kept on consoling himself with that fact even when it sounded like a lie even to his own ears.


    Hissing softly and blinking back the tears that threatened to flow down his cheek, Damien embraced Katherine longer than he had meant to, hoping that at the end of it, the thoughts of the other woman in his mind would vanish already.


    He just hoped¡­


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison¡¯s bones ached as she walked out of the motel this morning, and headed to the bakery.


    She was thankful that at least she didn¡¯t need to board a taxi, as the bakery was only a few blocks away.


    Also, she needed the little exercise and energy she could derive from walking down the block, as it would aid her today.


    Her eyes were swollen as a result of sleep deprivation sincest night, and she had barely ate anything this morning, choosing to be solemn. She tried to shake off the fatigue she was feeling as she crossed the road, making a turn that would lead her to the bakery almost instantly.


    The incident ofst night had been running through her head all night, and although she tried hard not to think about it, it kept bringing tears to her eyes each time the images reyed itself in her head.


    She was tired of the repetitive urrences of bad luck that seemed to follow her wherever she went, but the one thing she was d of was that she still had a job no matter how measly it was.


    She had lost the one at the bar, and even though this pay at the bakery meant that would take a little longer now to pay off her debt for the dress, and scrape up her money for her next motel rent, Madison deduced within herself that it would have to do, at least for now.


    Still in her thoughts, Madison soon reached the bakery, and looking up suddenly she froze in her steps, her eyes narrowing in confusion at the crowd that gathered in front of the small shop.


    What the hell was going on? Madison wondered, her mind already beginning to race, and looking left and right she wondered if she was making a mistake, and maybe that really wasn¡¯t the shop, but a different one.


    As she walked forward though she was put to shame, because she spotted the small signboard that clearly said ¡®Chu¡¯s Bakery¡¯ ring back at her, and she nearly staggered at the realization that the crowd in front of the shop, was the paparazzi.


    On catching sight of her, they immediately swarmed her, clicking cameras in her face and throwing questions at her left and right, while she struggled to walk intently on getting to the bakery.


    After much difficulty, she finally managed to escape them, shutting the door of the bakery behind her, and her hands shook violently as a barrage of questions assaulted her senses.


    The incidentst night was sure to reach the media, and she had expected something like this happening but she didn¡¯t think they would arrive so soon.


    She knew that what happenedst night must have struck up their interest in her again, and seeing that she was the same person having the issues with self acimed billionaire Damien Daniels, then a scandal was sure to loom, but it was just to early.


    How had they even located her? How did they know she worked here?


    Madison felt frustration well up in her as she rubbed her forehead, struggling to hold back the tears that threatened to spill out from her eyes.


    Why couldn¡¯t they just leave her alone? Why was she being attacked left and right? What the hell did they want? She pondered quietly to herself, wishing she could just end this once and for all but she didn¡¯t know how too.


    Taking steady breaths, she looked up, strengthening her shoulders and putting her purse aside, she picked up her apron that was hanging by the sides, and proceeded to get back to work.


    As for the paparazzi they would eventually get tired and leave, and she wouldn¡¯t let them ruin her day.


    Quickly, she tied her hair into a high bun and putting on her gloves, she started to walk into the kitchen, only toe to another abrupt halt, when she saw Mrs Chu standing at the counter, a worried look on her face.


    She immediately stood when she heard Madison walk in, and faced her squarely all the while, Madison could only shake terribly as dread filled her immediately.


    ¡°Good morning, Mrs Chu.¡± Madison greeted forcing a warm smile on her face, that appeared quite genuine actually and that she was grateful for.


    ¡°Did youe in through the front door?¡± Mrs Chu asked, her tone sharp, and swallowing a huge lump of saliva that seemed to have been stuck down her throat, Madison nodded uttering out an almost inaudible yes.


    ¡°Good. So I assume you must have seen the spectacle out there? The paparazzi in so manyrge groups¡­and from what I heard they¡¯re here because of you. You seem to have been all over the newstely.¡±


    Madison wished she could deny it, but she couldn¡¯t.


    All she could do was nod as she stared down at her feet, and began, ¡°You are absolutely right Ma¡¯am, and I¡¯m really sorry, it won¡¯t happen ag¡­¡±


    The olddy stopped her by raising her hand, cutting her of rudely as she began yet again, ¡°Look, I¡¯ve had enough experience to know that anything that involves a scandal and the media is never good news. I¡¯ve had this bakery for years and I¡¯ve been loving it. I am okay with the way things are going, and even though it¡¯s small, it caters to my every need. Thest thing I need now to spoil or tarnish my business name in any way, is this kind of attention, and I¡¯m sorry to say this but I¡¯ll have toy you off. You have to leave.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± Madison let out a strangled cry, her chest squeezing as tears began to drop from her eyes, ¡°P-please¡­I.. I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t know what else to do. You can¡¯t just let me off like that and I promise to-¡±


    Mrs Chu shook her head vehemently, dipping her hand into the front of her apron and taking a wad of cash which she tossed at Madison, ¡°I¡¯ve worked way too hard to let this scare my customers away, so please take that for all the trouble you¡¯ve spent here and leave. You¡¯re fired.¡±


    ¡°Mrs Chu, please¡­¡± Madison began, but the olddy was adamant and standing straight, she swiveled around and began to go about her duties as if no one was there.


    ¡°Please ma¡¯am¡­¡± Madison continued to beg, knowing that she just couldn¡¯t ept this but what happened next, shook her down bad to the core.


    Mrs Chu rinsed her hand, and walking towards Madison, and saying nothing she started to peel the apron of her back, and cing her purse back in her hands, the old woman extended her hands pointing at the door, and sending her out of the small building through the back door.


    ¡°But ma¡­¡± Madison began again, casting onest nce into the bakery as she stepped out, breaking down in a mess of tears as the door was shut in her face.


    She slumped to the floor in disbelief, another heavy stream of tears tearing down her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands.


    How had she lost two of her jobs in less than three days? Why was it that every single time things started to look good for her, something happened to change it¡­to take it all away.


    At this point she began to wonder if she was cursed, or she started to believe it rather because this past few days had been so tough on her.


    Why¡­why was all this happening to her?


    All she wanted was to make a decent life for herself, have three square meals to eat, and a roof over her head, nothing less.


    Was it too much to ask? Couldn¡¯t she dream about it for once? Now she had no means to pay for the dress, no job to work her ass off, and take her mind of the worries in her head, and most importantly the motel manager would waste no time in kicking her out as soon as her rent expired.


    With tear-filled eyes and a hollow heart, Madison marveled at how she was back to square one in less than a week.

 Chapter Twenty

    ~A Dream¡­ 11 Years Earlier~


    ¡°Is anyone home?! Open up!¡±


    Damien frowned at the urgent tone of whoever was knocking on the door, and getting up from the chair he walked straight to the wooden door, that housed the small cottage he lived in with his parents.


    The knock resounded again, and without wasting any more time he unlocked the door, revealing three men, who had a look of rm on their faces.


    As he was about to ask what the problem was, his eyes flew down to what they were carrying, and he nearly fell to the floor in shock when he sighted the crumpled figure of his limp father.


    The sight was an eyesore to behold, and lips dropping open in shock, Damien noted that his father was nearly unconscious with a huge gash in his thigh, feets and both his hands injured as well, bleeding profusely.


    The sight of these wounds threw Damien off bnce, and he began to wonder what could have happened. His father had been fine this morning. He had been perfectly okay¡­ so, so  what the hell was this?


    ¡°What happened!¡± He yelled, falling to the floor and cing an arm on his father.


    ¡°Dad?¡± His hands shook, as he tried desperately to rouse him awake but he was unresponsive, saying nothing, his eyes open but nk.


    ¡°There was an ident at the factory.¡± One of the men volunteered in exnation, sweating heavily as he added, ¡°One of the machines had a malfunction and it¡­ it fell right on top of him while it was working. It¡¯s a miracle he wasn¡¯t cut into two, and rolled over before more harm could be done.¡±


    ¡®Before more harm could be done?¡¯ Damien gasped in horror as the image of his father in two halves, formed in his mind and he almost cursed out loud.


    His heart pounding in his chest, he hurriedly locked the door and cing a hand underneath his father to help carry him up, he began to ask the questions that were on the tip of his tongue.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take him directly to the hospital from there? Why bring him home this way?¡± Damien yelled, tears threatening to spill from his eyes, as he continued the words forming furiously, ¡°The hospital isn¡¯t too far from the factory so why bring him here?¡±


    ¡°We wanted to¡­ but¡­ but Mr Connor ordered us to take him back to his family. He said you people would sort him out. If I could quote, he did say we should dump your father at home, ande back to work immediately.¡±


    ¡°Wait what? Mr Connor¡­¡± Damien trailed off in disbelief, his face whitening and the name chilling him to the core. Why would that man do that? The hospital was right there, few miles away from the factory, and he had ordered them to walk the long distance to their house?


    Tossing the thoughts out of his mind for the meantime, knowing that pondering on the situation was going to do no help, Damien begged the men to help him lift his father up and take him to the hospital, before they could go back to their workce. He was the only one at home, and it would be increasingly difficult for him to take his father alone.


    When they finally got to the hospital, the first thing Damien did was to call up his mother, and bitterly with tears flowing for his face, he informed her about everything that had happened, trying to keep his tone strong as she sobbed over the phone and informed him that she was on her way over.


    ¡°Mom, we need to get the money so they canmence treatment, please. I don¡¯t¡­I don¡¯t know what to do. I¡¯ve scraped up my life savings but it isn¡¯t nearly enough to foot the hospital bills. The money from the mechanic shop will barely do nothing, and I¡¯ve gotten some money from Alvarez too but still we have a long way to go interns of finances. What do we do?¡± He asked, already close to breaking down but he held himself steady.


    She had sobbed over the phone, having no money with her too, and after a while, wiping his hands and drying the tears on his face he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll ask a few people, but before then, juste over to the hospital and stay with Dad, okay?¡±


    Without waiting for her response, he hung up, and racing like his life depended on it, Damien ran helter skelter, meeting everyone he knew in town, begging for some kind of support, and promising to pay back at an agreed date. After he had gone all over, he raced back to the hospital, with the meager sun he had been able to gather, and adding everything together he saw that he had managed to get half of the hospital bill. He was going to plead with the doctor tomence treatment, and then he would find a way toplete the money before the end of the day.


    The moment he got into the hospital, he raced toward his father¡¯s ward with the cash in his hand, intent on meeting the doctor but he came to an abrupt halt when he saw the gory sight in front of him.


    The first person he saw was his mom kneeling on the floor, her hands over her head as she sobbed countlessly over and over again, and a feeling of dread coursing through him, the bills fell from his hand as he looked from his mother to the doctor who stood gravely beside her.


    He shook his head furiously, refusing to believe what his mother¡¯s tears ryed, fearing the worst but still he picked up courage and started to say in a stammer, ¡°Doctor¡­ I¡­ I¡­ I have the money now, we canmence treatment and¡­¡± He sprang to the floor, picking up the bills that had somehow  scattered all over and stretching his hands to the doctor, he repeated defiantly, ¡°I have the money¡­¡±


    The doctor sighed, and clearing his throat he dropped the bombshell, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Mr Daniels, but we couldn¡¯t save him. He lost a lot of blood before he was brought here, and we did our best to curtail the blood flow, even infusing him with some blood and antibiotics but it was already toote. I¡¯m very sorry.¡±


    Damien staggered backwards, his knees giving way as he fell to the floor, the words from the doctor rting itself one raked over again in his head but he didn¡¯t want to believe it. It can¡¯t be¡­ it couldn¡¯t be¡­his father. The man he saw this morning, and had wished a hearty goodbye just couldn¡¯t be dead.


    There was no way he could be fatherless in the blink of an eye, and his mother a widow. No way! What would happen to his sister La? How would they cope? Surely this was some kind of a joke! Damien said to himself but the words of the doctor kept reverberating in his head, again, and again, and again.


    His father Mr Daniels was dead. ¡°NO!¡±


    ***


    Damien sprung from his pillow with a gasp, the scream from the dream echoing loudly in the room. He was sweaty and his hands shook as the, scream echoed in his head over and over again.


    Looking around he saw that he was in his bedroom, not at the hospital, or that ce where he had received one of the most hurting news of his life.  He ced a hand over his forehead and shut his eyes tightly, as he began to murmurforting words to himself.


    It was just a dream, nothing more, nothing less. This was not the first time he was having a dream about the past, but ever since she hade, it had be more frequent and he hated it with passion. cing a hand over his chest, trying to calm his beating heart, he heaved slowly as he also tried to regain his bearings.


    ¡°Babe, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Katherine¡¯s soft voice filled the room, as she shuffled a bit, and hissing silently, he recalled that she wasying right next to him on the bed.


    He had forgotten already, and now at the moment, she had a hand ced on his shoulder as she observed him with a concerned look, her eyes dimmed with curiosity, even in the dark lit room, ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    He raked a hand through his hair, reaching out to stroke her neck, ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± He whispered, hoping she would drop the conversation as he further borated curtly, ¡°Just a nightmare. Okay? I¡¯m fine now. You can go back to sleep.¡±


    Leaning forward, he ced a light kiss to her forehead, cooing her until shey backfortably on the bed, and even when she closed her eyes he continued to stroke her hair, slowly¡­ slowly and gently until she fell asleep again, snoring lightly and knocked outpletely.


    When he was sure she was really sound asleep, he quietly climbed out of bed, making his way to the balcony, wanting to get some fresh air to cool his wandering thoughts. Besides, there was no way he could fall asleep again after that, scared that the dreams would gue him again and he didn¡¯t want to relieve that horrific memory.


    What would help him now, was a ss of wine and the fresh air, which was being providedrgely.


    Tiptoeing slowly, he procured a wine bottle from the cab in his room, and quickly finding afortable spot at the balcony to sit in, he let his mind drift away as he took small sips of the wine.


    The dream was making him think of the Connors once again, but more so the one person that upied his mind at the moment was Madison.


    Not a coincidence at all, but his thought was instantly snagged with memories of the night at the club. The image of her begging helplessly at his feet, appeared vividly and a bitter smirk formed on his lips when he remembered how he had mercilessly kicked her away, the cameras perfectly capturing that moment.


    As soon as the smirk faded away though, a huge atom of guilt tugged at his heart, and a sigh escaping his lips, the wine burning at the back of his throat, Damien finally admitted to himself that he had fucking gone overboard.


    Looking through the photos in the media, one he had seen in his phone, it was enough to make him realize that the extent of his behavior was uncalled for, and now he was somewhat regretting it.


    Sighing yet again for the umpteenth time, he downed a huge gulp of his drink and willed his thoughts to go in any other possible direction than towards Madison, the only woman he had ever loved and the mess the past few weeks had been.


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison was in tremendous pain.


    All through her journey from the bakery, back to her motel earlier this morning, and the long hours in which she had changed her clothes, cleaned her motel and sat listless in her bed the entire day, she had not fully realized this till now.


    She had sat up all through the evening brooding, but she did not feeling any emotion except for the obvious emptiness in her chest.


    Now though as night began to fall, the events that made up Madison¡¯s week began to rey in her head once more, and with each cmity, she felt a renewed kind of pain, her heart shattering and that was when the overfilled dam burst. She clutched at the sheets sheid on, her chest tightening as she sobbed painfully.


    She had felt pain before but this time it was so overwhelming, that she didn¡¯t know what to do with it other than to let it out through her tears.


    Overpowered by her pain and tears, she dialed the number of the only person she could be vulnerable with.


    ¡°M-mom?¡± She whimpered through the receiver, tears filling her eyes as her mother demanded what the problem was in rm, hearing her cool voice, ¡°I-I have no idea what to do¡­I¡¯mpletely lost, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Shh, it¡¯s okay. Calm down¡­take deep breaths okay?¡±


    Madison nodded shakily, shutting her eyes and imagining her mother stroking her hair affectionately like she used to do in the past, when shey on the bed in her room when she was still a kid. It made her feel slightly better, when she was done and now it was having the same little soothing effects on her. ¡°Good girl¡­now, tell me everything. Talk to me. What is bothering you? Money problems? Health problems or what?¡±


    As steady as she could keep her voice, she narrated the whole story to her mother, this time not leaving out the part with Damien and Alvarez, the dress, what happened at the club and at the bakery.


    She hadn¡¯t mentioned Damien to her mother the first time, because she wanted to leave him out of any conversation and she had only told her of the misfortune that had befallen her ever since she arrived at New York for the gig, but now she couldn¡¯t hold it back. Yes! At this point she was so helpless and in so much sorrow, that she had to tell someone close everything¡­ to get it off her chest, and there was no other person than her mother.


    ¡°God, Maddie. Baby¡­¡± Her mother whispered through the phone, pain and worry evident in her voice, her voice breaking, as she asked slowly, ¡°You met Damien after all these years, and he didn¡¯t this to you? How will you survive all this? What is happening?¡±


    By the time she finished asking the questions, Madison could hear her sobs and this time it made her cry even harder.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Mom. I have nothing to do¡­ nowhere to go and nothing to do. I am nowhere close to gathering enough money to pay for that damned dress. With the two jobs I secured I would have been able to, but all I have left is seven hundred dors, from all the work I¡¯ve done, and the remaining half of the money you sent me the other time. W-what am I supposed to do now? I¡¯m just tired!¡± She burst into fresh wave of tears, the reality of what could happen if she failed to clear off her bills sinking in, and her chest squeezed in enormous pain.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    ¡°Shh¡­it¡¯s okay, baby. It¡¯s okay. Calm down.¡±


    Her mother let her sob for a while, and after a few moments had passed, she spoke up again, ¡°What about that friend of yours, Alvarez? I remember him back then, and he was good to you. You mentioned him right? You met him right?¡±


    Madison sniffed, ¡°What about him?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­from everything you told me, he seems to have your best interests at heart seeing as he paid some of your bills, and insisted you stay at his house some time. Right? What do you think about asking him for some money?¡±


    Madison froze in shock, ¡°What? Mom, no. Why would you even ask me that? He has done so much, and I still feel like a terrible person. You know me, and there¡¯s only so much my ego can take, mother.¡± She began to state firmly, her face already beginning to redden at the thought of begging Alvarez for help, ¡°I know I¡¯m in a terrible situation at the moment, but I still have my pride. I can¡¯t ask him for money, worse still an amount this much. I don¡¯t know if he even has it, and his friendship with Damien is even strained because of this and¡­¡± She stopped abruptly seeing that she was revealing to much, and she prayed that her mother wouldn¡¯t ask her to finish that statement and luckily she was lucky.


    ¡°Maddie¡­ look I understand where you¡¯reing from, but this is bigger than your pride. He¡¯s the only person who could be of help to you. You have no other options and no choice. If you could just cast your pride aside and do this, we might be able to get at least half of the problem solved.¡±


    ¡°Mom, I can¡¯t do-¡±


    ¡°If talking to him is the problem you can send his number to me. I¡¯ll call him, talk to him, and when I exin everything to him I¡¯m sure he¡¯d see reasons with you.¡±


    Madison¡¯s eyes widened in horror, ¡°Mother! Please don¡¯t talk like that. Give you his number? Absolutely not. For what!¡± She eximed, but Madison knew her mother wouldn¡¯t give it up so easily so she sighed and replied, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my girl. Anything youe up with, don¡¯t hesitate to let me know. Take care of yourself, honey. I miss you so much.¡±


    Madison¡¯s grip on the phone tightened as tears welled up in her eyes yet again.


    She missed her mother so much, and it had been long since she saw her.


    With the current distance between her and her father, the fact that she was a prodigal daughter and had been disowned made the situation much to bitter.


    She longed to be close to her mother, especially now that it seemed like everything was going wrong but well wishes weren¡¯t horses that she could ride so well.


    ¡°I miss you t-¡±


    ¡°I-I have to go now. Your father¡¯s home. Bye, I love you.¡± Before Madison could get any other words out, the line had gone dead.


    She knew her mother had to be careful every time she spoke to her, which was why they had specific days when they talked.


    Her father would flip if he found out that any member of his family, from his wife to his sons was still in touch with Madison.


    For all he knew she was dead to him, and he cared less about her well-being. She only spoke to her mother on arranged days, usually when her father would be at work, or out of the house.


    Pain shot through her as she began to sob afresh, cradling her pillow in her arms. The cold, empty motel room seemed even emptier today, the vast space eating her up.


    She was alone¡­pletely alone, but then she had always been.


    She couldn¡¯t even talk to the one person who couldfort her without standing the risk of angering her father, and rocking back and forth clenching her fists, tears continued to streamed down her face.


    Like every other night since all of this started, Madison cried herself to sleep, heart twinging painfully¡­

 Chapter Twenty One

    ¡°Tell me something nice.¡± Damien said as soon as Mr Rudiger and thewyer Mr Paul, took their seats.


    They had informed him earlier this morning that they would be here first thing today, and he eagerly anticipated their arrival, already waiting to hear whatever news they had for him..


    Clearing his throat, Mr Rudiger nodded, ¡°We started a background check on each member of the family to enable us get more information, or anything at all that might be linked to their downfall from power. Just like you ordered actually¡­¡± The grey haired man said, and cleared his throat before continuing, ¡°But¡­we indirectly found out something else. Something that is shocking and personally I couldn¡¯t just pass it so, so I decided to bring it to you at once.¡±


    ¡°Okay, and what is this thing about?¡± Damien asked impatiently, his hands tapping away at his thighs.


    ¡°Sir¡­ It¡¯s about Madison Connor.¡±


    Damien inhaled sharply, his mind racing at the mention of that name, and his chest squeezing in that nostalgic way that he truly despised. That feeling of pain, hurt, betrayal and anger that always passed through him whenever he heard her name.


    Flustered for some reason he couldn¡¯t quite understand, Damien shook his head dispelling any thoughts, and raising his palm up in protest, he said, ¡°No, hold that information. I don¡¯t wish to hear anything about her. Give me some other news. Anything asides from that. What about her father? Her mother? Her brothers?¡±


    He clenched his fists under the table, pretending not to notice when he caught a glimpse of thewyer and the private investigator exchanging looks. It was as if they were waiting for him to think things through, they didn¡¯t speak for a few moments, and he appreciated that grave silence somehow.


    Damien was torn between wanting¡­ no, needing to discard every thought of her or anything that required him to think of her, and sheer curiosity of what they could possibly have on her.


    Deep inside him somewhere he was curious about what she had been up to in the past years, how she had lived, how she had been, and what must have warranted her to be in this pitiful condition she was in now. More so, whatever this was, if they had brought news about her and tagged it this way, then it must be something important.


    Looking back at them with a sigh, he waved his hand, already making a decision, ¡°Go on. We do need all the information we can get. Proceed with what you have on her.¡±


    Mr Rudiger nodded again, his facial expression changing to something Damien couldn¡¯t quite ce, he started, ¡°From all the sources we gathered, we discovered that Madison no longer stays with her family in Birmingham. This is backed up by some of the close family friends, we managed to get in contact with. We still don¡¯t know the full story yet as we are still digging, but currently we know that her rtionship with her family now is sort of estranged.¡±


    Damien leaned forward, a frown on his face,  ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, as we gathered she is in bad rtionship with her father mostly, as she was disowned by him a couple of years back for reasons we are still trying to find out. No one in her family is in contact with her at the moment either, safe for her mother whom sources say frequents her ce in Birmingham. I think it¡¯s safe to say that she has be sort of¡­ ermmm how do I put this? Let¡¯s say a lost sheep.¡±


    Damien stared at them both, baffled.


    He couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. Madison, disowned? And by her father? What could possibly have made them take such a huge step, by casting her aside and throwing her out? Whatever it was must have been pretty serious for them to turn against her so suddenly, and now he was mostly intrigued, wanting to know.


    Damien could vividly remember how protective Mr Connor and Mason her elder brother, used to be of her.


    Yes they had been a bit overprotective, but Damien knew it was only because they loved and cared for her so much, and whenever they weren¡¯t being so protective, their rtion and conversations were so warm. The only time they were cold towards her, was when it had anything to do with me, and now¡­this?


    What on earth could have happened topletely turn this rtionship upside down? Damien couldn¡¯t think of anything as it  waspletely baffling.


    If Damien thought he had been curious at first, then he was wrong. Now he was nearly bursting open with curiosity, to find out the whole story of what had happened. Whatever it was would exin why Madison was living in New York from hand to mouth, and doing petty jobs in halls and bars.


    It would exin why she looked so worn out¡­ and thinner then she had been while younger, even though she had filled out her curves nicely, that he did note. At first he had assumed her looks, and situation was as a result of her father¡¯s empire falling, and maybe she had to look for menial jobs to feed herself now that they had nothing, but  now he knew that there was more to the story.


    A story that he was determined to find out.


    He faced Mr Rudiger and thewyer, ¡°This is the kind of news I want you to bring whenever youe here. Now, as for this information about Madison Connor, I need to know more. So I need you to dig deeper. Spend money if need be, but when youe back here, I need you to have every single detail of what went on in that house and why she was disowned.¡±


    They both nodded, ¡°Understood. We¡¯ll keep digging, and we¡¯ll make sure to return with the required information.¡±


    Damien nodded, watching them as they exited the office.


    Alone again, he let his mind wander, already forgetting the loads of files he had to sort through as he had just heard the most baffling news, since a while.


    Madison Connor¡­ One and only star girl, and most pretty girl In Kettlesworth back then, disowned by her family¡­


    As he shook his head in disbelief, he vowed to get to the bottom of this.


    Yes, he would!


    ¡­¡­.


    Damien scrolled through his phonezily, in search of the contact of one of his business partners.


    He had been working all day and hadn¡¯t had even a minute of rest, as the little time he had to himself was spent on thoughts of Madison and the news he hadn¡¯t seemed to get over.


    Now though, he needed to round up for today to enable him have time for something elseter that night and the next morning. He had nned on going out for drinkster this evening, his throat hungering for some alcohol but he had been so swarmed with work that it had skipped his mind.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Recalling it now, he decided he would make up for it tomorrow night, and he held back a yawn as he finally found the number he was looking for, he clicked on it to reveal the details, and quickly forwarded the email address enclosed in it to his secretary and another partner of his.


    The phone chimed, indicating that the mail had been sent sessfully and with a smile, Damien acknowledged that he was done for today.


    He scrolled through some of his unread messages on the phone,ing across one from Katherine asking if she should bring him lunch today. She had also left a missed call, and he thanked the stars that he had put his phone on silent, not answering her calls or text knowing that he couldn¡¯t refuse her gesture.


    After thest time she sent him lunch, thest thing he needed was a repeat of the horror, and speaking of thest time, he still hadn¡¯t gotten round to telling her about it. She would be deeply upset if he did, but to be fair, it was a terrible meal and now he  almost shuddered as he remembered the taste.


    Still deeply engrossed in his thoughts, a knock sounded at his door and looking up from his phone, a question flickered across his brow as he saw Alvarez walk inside, with some files in his hand.


    He sat up straighter on sighting him, and cleared his throat at the same time. Ever since their little tiff at the club, they had been rather cold to each other and things were sort of still awkward between them.


    ¡°I already took care of the problem in the security section. It¡¯s all sorted out. All I have to do now is interview more guards and test out their abilities before they are hired. As soon as I do that, I¡¯ll get back to you.¡± Alvarez said, barely greeting, and opening the files he had brought with him.


    cing them on the table in front of Damien and pointing to some figures, he exined the current situation in his section of thepany, and all the way Damien nodded, although it was a little bit visible that he was somewhat ufortable with the stiff, professional tone Alvarez was using.


    He decided he didn¡¯t like it, and now he was going to speak up. It was almost like they now strictly shared an employer and employee rtionship now, or even worse and Damien couldn¡¯t quite say that it sat right with him.


    ¡°Have you had anything to eat today? You¡¯re so cranky.¡± He began teasing, desperate to break the ice between them. It had started to get quite ufortable for him, and he needed everything to be back to normal now. After all, everything that happened in  all in the past already.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know if anythinges up and I¡¯ll keep you updated as well. I have to get back to work now.¡± Alvarez stated,pletely ignoring Damien¡¯s teasing remark concluding the short brief of the affairs he had brought to him.


    Damien furrowed his eyebrows in surprise, ¡°Really? That¡¯s it? That¡¯s all you¡¯re going to say?¡± Alvarez swiveled his gaze on him, his face expressionless as he stared directly at him, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Damien almost let out a scoff, ¡°Seriously? I know this is about Madison and the incident at the club. You still haven¡¯t forgotten. It¡¯s been days, when are you going to finally get over it?¡±


    ¡°Get over it?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s obvious you¡¯re still stiff about it. It¡¯s been days. Please drop it.¡±


    Alvarez¡¯s face heated up but he said nothing. Leaning down, he made to grab for the files,  ¡°I don¡¯t have the time nor the energy for this.¡±


    As he retreated, Damien started to feel a little annoyed, and scoffing he began, voicing out a bit to harshly, ¡°Really, man? That¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be? You¡¯re going to walk out on me? All because of a woman? I¡¯m fissioned honestly, and I think you can do better.¡± Alvarez froze in his steps, whipping round to face him at that statement, ¡°A woman? You call Madison a woman, like she is some stranger?¡±


    A searing pain shot through Damien¡¯s chest, and he opened his lips to say something, when Alvarez cut in saying, ¡°Well, it might interest you to know that, this same woman was my best friend in the past and your lover as well. She might have ceased to be your girlfriend, but she will always be my best friend!¡±


    ¡°Why is this so-¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t!¡± He cut him off again, ¡°So yes, I have a right to be upset on her behalf. If you decide you want to keep treating her like crap, the way you¡¯re doing right now although it¡¯s clear to see just how much she¡¯s suffering, then that¡¯s your business and yours alone. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have things to take care of.¡±


    Damien stared at him in shock, taken aback by the cutting tone he was using. But as he stared at Alvarez in the face he knew that he meant every word he said.


    Damien swallowed, not knowing what else to say, but even if he finally recovered it would be toote to say anything as Alvarez had already left him to the files he had ced on the table, and grabbing it once more, he turned away from Damien, and stormed out of the office.


    He watched him leave, still stunned from everything that had just happened.


    It was just evident, that Alvarez still really cared for Madison and that nothing he would do could stop him from checking up on her or looking out for her.


    Now alone, Damien had no idea how to feel about it.

 Chapter Twenty Two

    The thing Madison liked about the beach was the sort of freedom that came with it.


    From the feeling of the sand beneath her feet, to the cool air that billowed through her clothes, and her hair, Madison couldn¡¯t deny the fact that everything was peaceful, putting her at ease¡­


    At ease¡­ That Madison wasn¡¯t sure about, and as she stood at the shore seemingly enjoying the scenery and the cool evening air, her mind was miles away from here.


    She had her mind in the past, during times like these when things had been different, and the thoughts all rushed through her mind¡­ There was this particr one Madison had drifted off to.


    It was to painful, and she longed to forget this memory, bury it deep where she couldn¡¯t reach out to it, but just as she kept running away from it, it kepting back¡­


    shback¡­ Some years back¡­


    ¡°You dare disrespect me in this manner? How dare you!¡±


    Madison shook from head to toe as her father thundered over her, pure rage dripping from his tone as he stared down at her with a furious look that she had never seen in his eyes.


    Tears streamed from her eyes down to her chest as she begged at his feet, her heart pounding, lips trembling at the same time, unable to say the right words too.


    ¡°Get up! Fucking get up!¡± He roared, cursing something he never did at all.


    His eyes bloodshot as he stared down at her, Madison let out a wistful whimper when she saw him bend down, and forcefully dragged her from the floor of her room where she was kneeling.


    He pushed her out roughly into therge corridor, making sure shended badly on the floor, with her arm grazing the wall painfully.


    ¡°Dad, p-please¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Madison begged, tears streaming down her face as she slumped to the floor, gripping the hem of her mother¡¯s dress nearby and sobbing at her feet.


    She begged and begged, but her father wasn¡¯t listening, and before  Madison could evenprehend exactly what was going on, he had bounded across the room in two steps, flinging her wardrobe open and grabbing the first two bags his hands touched.


    No! He wouldn¡¯t do this, she thought to herself, the horrific realization dawning in her as she began to beg again, ¡°No, no, Dad please¡­!¡±


    When he got to where she was standing, as she had managed to get up from the floor earlier, he grabbed her roughly by the arm, tugging on it and pulled her out of her mother¡¯s grip, separating the both of them instantly.


    She could only cry as he dragged past the corridor and down the stairs, until finally he was by the exit pass of the living room,  pushing her toward the door, ¡°Get out of my house, this instant!¡±


    Madison pped a hand over her mouth in shock, shaking her head as tears poured down her face, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­


    I¡¯m sorry¡­ p-please. Father you can¡¯t do this to me. I¡¯m your only daughter.¡±


    Her mother who was also sobbing ran to her aid, using her body as a shield between Madison and her husband, and with her hands pped together in a sign of plea, she dropped to her feet, ¡°Honey, I beg you, in the name of everything we believe in, p-please.. she¡¯s so young. You can¡¯t just cast her out like this. Where would she go? Who would she turn to? Who would take care of her? Yes she made a mistake but she¡¯s still our-¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± Mr Connor cut in rage dripping from his look, as he spat out, ¡°Do you have any idea what this means? She¡¯s been sleeping around like a slut! To make everything worse, of all the men in this town, she had to carry the child of that low-life? That insignificant excuse of a man? That don of a bitch? Disgusting! You, and that thing in your belly have no ce in this house. Now get out. I won¡¯t repeat myself.¡±


    Madison wobbled slowly, cing her hands on her dress, and holding on to her mother, like her life defended on it. Still sobbing helplessly, she continued to beg.


    She pleaded, her mother also continued to cry and beg on her behalf, but still her father, formidable Mr Connor, wouldn¡¯t listen at all.


    ¡°Mason, p-please¡­¡± Madison sobbed, turning towards her older brother who stood by the other end of the room watching the whole thing, saying nothing at all.


    He also had the same look of disgust in his eyes, and shaking his head, he made his way upstairs.


    What should she have expected though? He was like their father, and he wouldn¡¯t even pay her any heed at all.


    If only Micheal was here, he was her immediate elder brother, and he would have done something on her behalf, but he wasn¡¯t at home. Probably out ying with his friends, or doing something else.


    She was still lost in her thoughts, when her father gripped her arm firmly, and unlocking the front door he dragged her out until she was a good distance away from the house.


    Furious, he tossed the bags in his hands at her, and without a single word, he walked back into his house, and dragging her crying mother back with him, he shut the front door close. Thest thing Madison saw and heard, was the crying form of her mother as she called out for her but her father wouldn¡¯t let the poor womane out.


    She had tried to avert this, she had tried toe clean to Damien, and tell him about the pregnancy but now he was gone.


    She was all alone, hopeless and ridden with despair.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Walking out of the gates with her bag, Madison began to roam the streets. It was a cold night, and the only thing she had on was a pair of jeans and a thin sweater. The cold wind bit through her skin as tears welled up in her eyes, her thoughts still running wild on what to do.


    She had nowhere to go, no one to turn to, and it was already so dark now.


    After aimlessly walking around, she found an empty, deserted car where she could rest her head for the night and continue her aimless journey tomorrow.


    As Madison bundled up into the car and began to cry silently, she wished she could just disappear into the night, or maybe wind back time taking her to the moment when she felt happy and in love.


    Why had she been born into this family? Why couldn¡¯t she love freely? Her father had ckmailed her into breaking up with Damien, lieing to him, and now that he was gone and she was currently carrying his child, he had turned his back on her.


    Disowning her, and casting her into this cold wicked world. For the first time since forever, as she whimpered silently, Madison felt truly helpless and alone¡­


    Present day, 2022 (At the Beach)


    ¡°Madison!¡±


    Madison whipped around at the sound of her name, startled instantly. She had been so engrossed in thought that she forgot where she was for a moment, and when she saw that it was Alvarez calling, she quickly rxed, her nerves settling.


    She had almost forgotten that she had called him earlier today toe meet her here, somewhere far away from the public eye, and at least she thought it was the safest ce to meet up to avoid any encounter with the paparazzi.


    She had been thinking about everything her mother had said the other night, and finally she was deciding to swallow her pride and give it a try.


    That was why she had asked him to meet her here, so she could beg for his help, but now she suddenly began to have cold feet.


    How could she shamelessly ask him for money? Even when she hadn¡¯t even repaid him for all his help.


    For a second, Madison considered making up a lie to exin why she wanted to meet up. She could tell him that she missed him, and just wanted to have a hearty conversation with that was all.


    Yes! She needed to divert the topic, because she didn¡¯t think she could do this. There was no way, she could beg him for money¡­


    ¡°Are you good?¡± Alvarez asked when she faced him, his eyes curious as he observed her,ing to stand in front of her and pulling her in a warm embrace.


    ¡°W-what? Yeah, I¡¯m okay.¡± She lied, faking a smile and pulling out of the hug, ¡°Why do you ask that?¡± She tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, and folded her arms.


    ¡°Well, I called your name twice actually before you turned. I was also standing pretty close you too, watching the beach waves but you didn¡¯t notice, so¡­ it¡¯s obvious you were thinking about something. What could distract you that much that you¡¯d forget where you are?¡± He asked, a look of concerning over his face.


    At his words, Madison¡¯s face fell, and clenching her fists she stared at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it. Just some random thoughts, but don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing you have to worry about.¡± She said curtly, making Alvarez frown a little.


    ¡°Really? Madison¡­¡±


    ¡°I said I don¡¯t want to talk about it!¡± She snapped without meaning to, but she had already made the statement, and the hurt look that came over his face made her look away, and she began to feel guilty for reacting that way, ¡°Look, Alvarez, I¡¯m sorry. Really really sorry, but a lot has happened already, and I really don¡¯t want to keep thinking about it. It¡¯s all in the past, I¡¯m trying to stand by that motto.¡±


    ¡°Madison, I hope by now you know that I am your best friend, now and forever. I care about you, and you should know that you can trust me with anything. You can confide in me about anything whatsoever and not have to feel weird or judged. Okay? I won¡¯t tell a soul too, I promise you that. Whatever secret you have, it¡¯s safe with me.¡±


    Madison¡¯s heart melted at his words, but she knew she couldn¡¯t say it. She just couldn¡¯t. No matter how much she wanted to share it someone, and ease her burdened heart a little.


    ¡°I¡¯m here for you, Maddie. Everyday I wonder how you¡¯re doing and worry if you¡¯re doing okay. I care about you, Madison. And that¡¯s as genuine as it gets. I honestly want you to believe me.¡±


    Madison clutched at her dress.


    She was this close to giving in. He really did care. He was her only friend, after all. Maybe she could trust him. Maybe¡­


    ¡°Maddie..¡±


    ¡°If you care that much and you¡¯re that concerned, then help me pay off Damien for the dress.¡± Madison blurted out without thinking, and as soon as she said it she felt shame well up within her.


    Tears stung her eyes as she began to sob quietly, wiping her eyes at intervals.


    ¡°I think that came of the wrong way, so I would¡­ I would¡­ I would paraphrase it again.¡± She mumbled, still crying and stuttering, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to ask you for anything else because you¡¯ve done so much already. You¡¯ve done too much¡­ and all I¡¯ve done so far is take, and take¡­¡± She trailed off, sniffing back her tears to no avail, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to beg you for money anymore. To be honest, it was my mother¡¯s idea. She knows about everything, and I told her about how much you¡¯ve been helping out, and so she urged me to beg you for this. We cane into an agreement, and when I get enough money I¡¯ll pay you back in every fold.¡±


    ¡°Maddie, it¡¯s okay¡­¡± Alvarez cooed, cing a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°I also want to tell you that I¡¯m going back to London.¡± She said after a while, sniffing and looking surprised, Alvarez asked with a lift of his brow, ¡°What? When?¡±


    ¡°Very soon. I have some money with me, it¡¯ll be enough to transport me if I use the public train. So, I guess that¡¯s it. Once I¡¯m there, I¡¯ll find a good job and I won¡¯t stop working until I¡¯ve paid you back every cent that I owe. At least back there I won¡¯t have to worry about the paparazzi, and I could even-¡±


    ¡°Maddie¡­ Madison, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay, you are talking to fast,¡± Alvarez stopped her, squeezing her arm gently and offering her a small smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to be slow Alvarez. Everything that¡¯s happening, is taking ce all to fast and¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhhh¡­ I know how extremely difficult this must be for you, and epting help so many times must hurt your pride and that¡¯s normal but honestly I want you to know that anyone would feel that way so don¡¯t beat yourself up, about it.¡± He paused and smiling still he asked, ¡°Your mother is a genius though.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Madison said confused and he finished his statement by asking, ¡°Do you have any idea how long I¡¯ve been wishing for you to ask me that?¡±


    Madison looked on, speechless, a tear rolling down her cheek, and her lips quivered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel to bad please. I want to help¡­ move you into a better ce, pay for the dress, and I also truly want to take this burden off your shoulders because you truly don¡¯t deserve it. I would be d to help you, and sincerely you don¡¯t even need to beg for it. Okay? Also you don¡¯t need to worry about paying me back. I¡¯m not expecting anything in return.¡±


    Wait what? She just couldn¡¯t believe her ears, and shaking her head vehemently, she protested, ¡°No, no¡­it¡¯s something I have to do. Please, let me do this. That way, my conscience would be settled. You loan me, I pay back and that¡¯s it.¡±


    She was expecting him as usual to pick up a fight, but instead he nodded, squeezing tighter on her arm, ¡°If you say so Madison.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done so much for me, Alvarez,¡± She said, tears rolling down her cheeks. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve you, I really don¡¯t.¡±


    As he drew her into a hug, she melted into a pool of tears, ¡°I¡¯ll never forget you! Ever, ever¡­¡±


    ¡°Shh¡­¡± He cooed, rubbing her back in circles as he let her sob in his arms, ¡°I¡¯m always here for you, always.¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    Damien stared down at his phone as a notification, made it ping.


    Wondering what it could be, he picked it up, tapping on an icon to reveal a mail from his private investigator.


    On normal circumstance he would have ignored the text, seeing that he was in a very important meeting with some of his clients, but then the mail was also important too. Only that fact that it was from his private investigator, caught his full attention, and clicking on the mail, it opened up to reveal two attachmentsbelled, ¡®The Connors¡¯ and a few pictures that were yet to load.


    His breath caught in his throat as he stared down at it the mail, a sudden  surge of anticipation rushing through him and he felt his fingers tingle.


    Finally, he had more information, one that he had been patiently waiting for. But not yet.


    Gingerly, and even though he didn¡¯t want to, Damien turned off the phone screen and ced it back on the table. Looking back up, he said a short apology to the members of the board who sat at a round table, and urged them to go on with the conversation. He had scheduled a meeting to discuss a few important issues at hand, and he couldn¡¯t afford any diversion now.


    ¡°Please, go on.¡± He said, sitting up straighter in his seat and trying to listen to the suggestions they were bringing to the table.


    Every few seconds though,  his eyes drifted  from the board to his phone, and he tried his damndest way to stop it, every fucking time.

 Chapter Twenty Three

    Come in.¡± Damien said as a knock resounded at his office door.


    Without waiting to see who was walking into his office, he resumed his typing on theputer, sighing when he came across some errors on the document.


    He had been so caught up in other things this week that he was unable to concentrate on work, hence all these errors.


    For the first time since this whole Madison saga started, he felt disappointed in himself for miscing most of his priorities.


    Now though, he was determined to focus more on work and let everything else be, at-least for the time being.


    When he finally looked up from theputer, he saw that Alvarez was the one who walked in, and instantly the atmosphere became tense.


    The memory of their unresolved tiff from thest time shing through his head, Damien kept a straight face, choosing not to say anything as he was equally annoyed about the way Alvarez had spoken to him thest time.


    ¡°Yes?¡± He snapped adding,  ¡°I¡¯m quite busy so whatever you want to say, make it quick.¡±


    Alvarez stared at him for a few moments, and then with an emotion in his eyes Damien could not decipher, he dipped his hands into his trouser pockets and procured an envelope. He dropped the envelope on the table in front of Damien.


    ¡°That¡¯s the money for your girlfriend¡¯s dress. Now the both of you don¡¯t have to keep having sleepless nights, over some mere two thousand dors.¡± Alvarez remarked cuttingly, and Damien could feel the sarcasm drip from every word.


    Damien¡¯s face flushed and he felt anger flow through him, ¡°You¡¯re speaking to me this way because of everything that happened, aren¡¯t you?¡± He asked.


    Alvarez shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean. Everything that happened was because of the dress. So now you have the money back, maybe you¡¯d be satisfied.¡±


    Damien felt a need to snap back at him but he held himself back, ¡°Hand it over to Kathrine and not to me. It¡¯s her dress, have you forgotten? You know where to find her.¡± He snapped, and with that he concentrated on his work again, but his ears were still drumming from the initial anger.


    He heard Alvarez scoff as he picked the envelope back up and ced it back in his pocket, ¡°Of course, why did I even bother? I almost forgot how great you were at diverting your responsibilities. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡±


    Damien could not hold back the anger at this point.


    ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡± He asked, ring at Alvarez, who quickly turned back to face him as if he had some speech prepared for him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the first time, nor the second, or the third. You always do this. At this point, I wonder why I¡¯m still surprised. It¡¯s the exact same way you treated Madison, not even bothering to hear her side of the story, diverting your responsibility and not even thinking of the proper thing to do back then at the event. You just cast her aside like she didn¡¯t matter, disgracing her in front of everyone, ruining a bit of your reputation to if I might add. Well, you should also be satisfied now, she¡¯s gone. She has left for London, and out of your life for good.¡±


    Damien looked startled at this piece of information, all his anger suddenly forgotten, as a feeling of angst cut through him, ¡°She¡¯s gone? When?¡±


    Alvarez red at him, ¡°Why does it matter when? After everything you did to her she obviously couldn¡¯t take it anymore that¡¯s why she left. Besides she has a life over there, and away from you if I remember vividly.¡± As Alvarez said those words, he looked Damien over, ¡°You know, I still don¡¯t get how it¡¯s possible for you to do everything you did to Madison. A woman you imed to love in the past for that matter. I mean, I have evidences, and I still recalled how you treated her like she was the one who gave you life. People change, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. That doesn¡¯t change the fact, that you have no right whatsoever to treat her the way you did.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you a million times that I don¡¯t want to talk about her!¡± Damien half yelled, even though he was the one that had asked about her.


    Hearing her name distracted him, messed up his head, and the fact that Alvarez was questioning the love he had for her in the past upset him deeply.


    He had loved her so much, even more than his life, but he could never forget the deep cut betrayal she¡¯d given him, prior to his leave. She had treated him like trash, throwing their rtionship in the gutter, so what did it matter.


    He didn¡¯t want to think about it, he didn¡¯t!


    ¡°Why not? You had no problem making more than three weeks of her life here miserable, so why shouldn¡¯t I talk about her? And all this because of a silly misunderstanding, you don¡¯t even know the full story about? There¡¯s so much more to this story, and if you had been kinder towards her, maybe she would have exined. You and I know that pretty Maddie wasn¡¯t only like that. Whatever she must have done to you, something must have warranted it.¡±


    The full story? Damien frowned, confused at the same time. Pretty Maddie, not like that? He wondered, his mind spinning, as he tried to grasp what Alvarez was trying to say.


    ¡°What did she tell you? Tell me everything you know, I want to know.¡±


    Alvarez shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know too. She was adamant, she wouldn¡¯t tell me. But I could tell it was something huge, by the worried look that was always on her face. Something happened! Back then In Kettlesworth, while we were trying to move on with our lives here in New York, Madison was going through hell¡­¡±


    Damien felt curiosity and guilt poke at his heart. Hearing that she had left, made him feel like he really had gone too far. For her to go all the way to London to escape all of this, she must have felt quite terrible.


    It was to sudden, to soon, and coupled with the fact that there were so many things he didn¡¯t know, he was beginning to regret his actions.


    All through her stay here, he hadn¡¯t for one day thought of talking to her. No matter what had happened in the past, at least for good times sake, he should have talked to her, asked questions and¡­


    ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t curse and bang your hands on the table, like you care now, Damien. The deed has been done, and she¡¯s gone.¡± Alvarez spat as he watched Damien get lost in his thoughts, ¡°You know what I¡¯ve realized from all of this huh?¡±


    Damien didn¡¯t say anything, his brain awash, and he heard Alvarez said the worst words that were never true.


    ¡°In all these, I came to realize that you never really loved that poor girl.¡±


    Damien red at him in shock, his fingers tightening over the edge of his desk.


    He wanted to stand up, grip Alvarez by the chest and warn him never to question his rtionship with Madison. It wouldn¡¯t matter if he stood up now, and told Alvarez that Madison was the only woman he had ever loved.


    Yes, he had been in rtionships here and there, but most of themdies were just after his money, or his looks, or his prowess in bed and nothing more.


    None of them had ever loved him the way his Maddie did.


    None of them ever gave him that spark he got whenever he was with Maddie!


    Even that night, while looking into her eyes, recognizing that strawberry blonde curls from time past, he had felt the spark again but he had tamped it down due to the rage he was feeling.


    ¡°As usual you are saying nothing, which just proves my theory all the more.¡± Alvarez continued again, ¡°If you did love Madison, you would never have done all this. All you did was use her like a pawn in your plot of revenge, against the Connors. You knew how terribly it would hurt her family, bruise their ego if they saw how Madison was being humiliated in public for the whole world to see. That¡¯s why you pulled that shit you did at the club, and the exact same way you had used her back then. You knew Mr Connor hated you and your father with passion, and that¡¯s why you dated his daughter just to spite him! Makes me wonder, if the gossips back when we were younger were all true. Why Mason resented you not only for sleeping with his ex girlfriend, but also dating his sister.¡± Alvarez shook his head, ¡°I thought you were better than this, Damien. But apparently I was wrong.¡±


    Damien stood rigidly, his hands shaking with anger as he faced Alvarez.


    ¡°I have never been so disappointed in anyone like I am in you at the moment. I expected better from-¡±


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡± Damien yelled, striking the desk with an open palm as he red at Alvarez, his heart pounding, ¡°They¡¯re lies! All of it! Everything you are thinking about my rtionship with Maddie are all lies¡­¡±


    Finally he said her name, and his heart squeezing, he continued, ¡°How dare you question what Madison and I shared? How would you believe that I could use Madison that time? Didn¡¯t you see the way I treated her? How could you say I pretended to love her? Is that how low you think of me?¡±


    His heart pumped with anger and hurt as he stared at his best friend, ¡°Why would you even say that? I did love Madison, more than anything else. I have never, ever loved any woman the way I loved her. She was everything to me, Alvarez! I loved her so-¡±


    The sound of his office door swinging open cut him off, and left him gaping in shock at the figure walking in.


    Annoyed, he faced the door to dismiss whoever it was but nearly reeled back in shock when he saw Katherine storm in, a furious look on her face.


    ¡­¡­.


    KATHERINE


    Katherine shook from head to toe as a rush of anger shot through her.


    She couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing, or what she had just heard whilst eavesdropping.


    At first she wanted to leave when she realized Damien had a visitor, but when the secretary had told her that it was Alvarez her interest piqued for a strange reason.


    Then she had walked to the office, and heard them talking about someone named Madison.


    The name sounding oddly familiar, almost too familiar, she had thought and thought before it finally clicked in.


    The same bitch from the dinner event, that had ruined her dress. The same one that Damien had humiliated at his club. The same one whose picture Damien had safely hidden in a drawer, somewhere at his house. He had told her that she was an old friend and that talking about her upset him, so why?


    She had proceeded to listen more closely, ears on the door, and nearly staggered to the ground when she heard Alvarez mention that Damien and Madison used to be together.


    That they had been lovers, but Katherine chose not to believe it even after everything she¡¯d heard. She was still in denial.


    It couldn¡¯t be¡­ it couldn¡¯t possibly be. Damien had told her the whole story. He told her everything, that he hated Madison¡¯s family for doing something bad to him in that past and that was all there was to this case. It was the truth she wanted to believe¡­


    And just at thest time believing her inner voice, she heard Damien yell, ¡°I have never, ever, loved any woman the way I loved her!¡±


    What the heck! Now she knew there was more to the story that met the eye, and anger raging through her, she swung the door open, barging in and staring at the two men who had suddenly cut off their conversation.


    ¡°Someone exin to me what the hell is going on here!¡± She yelled, her hands clenching as she red at Damien.


    ¡°Oh, good, you¡¯re here.¡± She heard Alvarez say, a look of annoyance coating his face as soon as he saw her.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    She had always known that the hefty bodyguard or security man rather disliked her and she had been pretending to be nice all this while for Damien¡¯s sake, but now she wanted to blurt out to him that she felt only hatred towards him too.


    She was barely tolerating him too, and as she opened her mouth to retort the words, he fished out an envelope from his pocket, and tossed it at her like it was some piece of trash.


    Watching the envelope fall to the floor, he spat out,  ¡°There! That¡¯s for your dress, with some extra money for damages. Now you have your whole fortunes dress back, and hopefully you can rx.¡±


    Without waiting to see her reaction, or hear what she had to say, he stormed out of office and banged the door behind him.


    Fury built up to her neck as she stared after him, but he wasn¡¯t her main problem at the moment.


    Katherine turned to Damien who was still taken aback by her intrusion, and the obvious look of deceit and guilt in his eyes infuriated her the more.


    ¡°Look Katherine I can¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She cut him off, ¡°Whatever it is you want to say, I demand to know the truth. I need an exnation for what just went on inside this office. I overheard you two talking right before I walked in here, so don¡¯t you dare even consider lying to me.¡±


    ¡°I can exin. Just calm down for-¡± ¡°Exin what!¡± Katherine yelled, ¡°What exactly do you want to exin to me? How you tantly lied to my face? How you left out the most important part of it all, that she was your ex? How dare you lie right to my face and keep something like that away from me? How dare you make me look like a fool?¡± She seethed.


    ¡°Look, I know I lied, and I¡¯m so sorry about that. I should have been honest with you right from the start. It¡¯s true¡­ Madison and I were together. But like I said before, it was years ago. We¡¯ve been separated for a long time.¡±


    Katherine scoffed, ¡°I see you still take me for a fool, don¡¯t you? Even after I asked you countless times about your rtionship with her which you denied, over and over  again. Do you think I¡¯m an idiot you can manipte? You want to im this woman means absolutely nothing to you, but I¡¯m pretty sure the whole darn office heard you profess your love for her less than two fucking minutes ago! Okay tell me she means nothing to you.¡± She fumed, arms folded waiting for him to say something but he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Oh now, I get it.¡± He shook his head, running a finger through his hair, ¡°Katherine, please. I¡¯m sorry, Madison has no ce in my life anymore. I hate her and her family, and I want to take them down. Madison is a thing of the past-¡±


    ¡°Oh, please Damien. You can spare me the borate lies.¡± Nodding her head as thoughts ran through her mind, she looked back up, ¡°This is thest time I¡¯ll ever question you about her, so you don¡¯t have to worry. Since you¡¯re obviously quite desperate and you keep lying about her right to my face, I¡¯ll carry out my own investigation, find out what I have to and what I need to. And you already know that I never bluff. Let¡¯s see who the smart one is now.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean Katherine?¡± Damien asked, looking at her with dimmed eyes but she just smirked and replied, ¡°She is a thing of the past, and I¡¯m the present one in your life and I¡¯m not going anywhere. The world would know that pretty soon!¡±


    She was done being deceived and lied to. Whatever she needed to know about this Madison character, she would find out for herself, and nothing absolutely nothing¡­ was going to stop her.


    The shocked look on Damien¡¯s face told her that thest thing he wanted was for her to dig into his past, but she had made up her mind already and that was exactly what she was going to do.


    Casting onest re at him, before he could say anything, she let out a hiss, and walked swiftly to the door storming out, and leaving him to whatever thoughts he had in his head.

 Chapter Twenty Four

    Madison recounted the wad of cash in her hand for the fourth time this morning, and it still amounted to nine hundred and ten dors.


    She mentally calcted the estimate of the money she would spend on transport back to London and the misceneous expenses, and she breathed in relief when she saw that it would do.


    Still she needed to have some cash on her when she got back to London, at least until she managed to get another job. To cut costs, she decided to skip breakfast this morning, and maybe just get a burger or a doughnut and a bottle of water, instead of a full course meal.


    Not now though, she would have that when she had stayed at least an hour on the train, so the snack wouldst her until she got to her destination. Nodding in agreement to herself, she took out roughly fifty dors and stuffed it safely into her purse.


    After Madison packed up her belongings which weren¡¯t so plenty, she lugged her bags outside the motel and hailed a taxi that would take her to the train station.


    Feeling nostalgic, as the car drove to the train station, the cool breeze whipping past Madison still couldn¡¯t believe she was finally leaving New York. It almost seemed like she had been here forever, but still she was d.


    Since she had been here she felt like she had not been able to rx, like she was choking and not having any peace of mind at all. Being in London would do her some good, she decided, and again at least she wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the media or the paparazzi.


    She would go back to her home in Birmingham, where she could finally walk round in the streets without the fear of someone shoving a camera in her face or tossing a silly question about the past days event to her.


    Madison was exhausted and nervous, but she was grateful.


    Soon she got to the train station, and looking down at her phone again to check the time, she saw that she had arrived pretty early so she would have to wait for some time before her boarding train woulde. Well, she didn¡¯t mind waiting, and this in mind she lowered herself into a chair as she waited.


    Letting her mind wander, she was lost in thoughts until she heard, ¡°Madison!¡±


    She turned around in surprise when she heard the familiar voice call out, her eyes roaming through the crowd so she could spot the person. There was quite a number of people around so she had to search thoroughly, and she had almost giving up when her eyes finally sighted him.


    It was Alvarez and his little girl who was skipping toward her, and tears started to fill up in her eyes. Alvarez had asked her to keep him updated on the date and time of her departure, and so she had, but she hadn¡¯t expected him toe see her off.


    She didn¡¯t expect him at all, but here he was with a warm grin on his face, and her chest squeezed lightly.


    As soon as he got to the chair, she stood,unching herself at him in an embrace burying her face in his bulky shoulders.


    Alvarez began to chuckle, holding her in a tight embrace, as he whispered, ¡°How are you?¡±


    She pulled away wiping the tears of her eyes and nodding she started to say, ¡°You came¡­¡±


    He nced at her weirdly, knowing the line she was going to and cutting her off he said, ¡°Did you seriously think I would let you leave New York, without seeing you onest time? Come on, I literally miss you already. If I could get you to stay here, Lord knows I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do it.¡±


    Madisonughed at his words, smiling and squatting a little to be on eye level with Ivy, she pulled the small girl her into a light hug, ¡°Hey Ivy.¡± She smiled, pinching the little girl¡¯s cheeks lightly, as she added, ¡°How are you?¡±


    Ivy nodded, still clutching at her father¡¯s fingers tightly, ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you for asking. Dad says you¡¯re leaving, but when would you being back?¡±


    Madison smiled wryly, sniffing back the tears that were threatening to fall down her face yet again, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know yet. I have some things to take care of at my ce. Maybe when I¡¯m done, I woulde visit you again. Is that okay?¡± She finished asking, and the little girl nodded, moving forward for another hug.


    Madison grinned, holding on to her and smoothing out her hair. She was already beginning to feel emotional, and even though she didn¡¯t want to cry she couldn¡¯t help the stray tear that fell down her cheeks.


    Clearing her throat, and making sure she was okay, Madison stood. She took out some money from her purse and handed it to Ivy, ¡°Here. Get yourself some candy, or a chocte bar. Whatever you like.¡±


    She smiled when the little girl thanked her, and then she turned back to Alvarez.


    Smiling sadly, she saw the remorseful look on his face, and immediately asked, ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just a little worried about you, and I miss you already.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too.¡± She said with all honesty.


    ¡°It¡¯s just, I don¡¯t know when next I¡¯ll get to see you. We lost contact for so long, now I found you again after so many years, and then you are leaving. I don¡¯t want to let go of you again. When will you be back Maddie?¡±


    Guilt poked Madison in the chest as she stared at the floor, ying with her fingers for a while.


    The silence stretching between them made things awkward, but thenter Madison broke the silence by clearing and saying softly, ¡°Alvarez, I need to tell you something.¡±


    When he nodded urging her to go on , she swallowed and began, ¡°I don¡¯t want to promise that I¡¯ll be back, because I¡¯m not sure yet, but I just want to leave first. If things work out in London then I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯d be necessary for me toe back¡­¡± She trailed.


    ¡°What? Wow, um, I don¡¯t know what to say, Madison. I just don¡¯t want to lose you for years again. I have a nagging feeling at the back of my mind that this might be thest time I would see you.¡±


    She nodded slowly sniffing, ¡°I know, I know, but let¡¯s see how things work out. Just like I said before lest I forget, I¡¯ll pay you back for all your help as soon as I get the money. I promise it won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    Alvarez frowned, ¡°Why are you changing this conversation? Besides we¡¯ve talked about this before Madison. I¡¯ve told you countless times that you don¡¯t need to pay me back. Okay? Still you keep insisting and I know how stubborn you can be. So, fine. But take your time. I¡¯m in no hurry.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Madison nodded.


    Tears stung her eyes as she faced him again. She felt so much guilt for what she was about to say, but she knew it couldn¡¯t be helped, it was the best way to go about all of this.


    ¡°Alvarez¡­ I¡¯ve been thinking about everything a whole lot and how much of a toll it has had on me, and I came to a decision.¡± She paused, her fingers clutching the hem of her jacket, ¡°I think it will be best if we cut all ties, every form of contact. And no, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong, you¡¯ve been so helpful on the contrary, but I really just don¡¯t want anything to do with my past. It has haunted me, for weeks now. And it¡¯s putting me in a terrible ce that¡­¡±


    She saw Alvarez stare at her for a few seconds and then he shook his head, interjecting, ¡°No. Absolutely not, Madison. I understand why you would want to move on from the past, but we¡¯re friends. You¡¯re my best friend, Maddie. You don¡¯t expect me to just say yes to this silly decision of yours. So please¡­ I know the events of thest few days must be taking a toll on you, but you still need to think about this first.¡±


    The pain in his voice brought tears to her eyes, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Alvarez. I¡¯m not trying to hurt you, but.. this is something I have to do. Something I actually want to do.¡±


    ¡°No, Madison. Please¡­ I won¡¯t allow you do that. If this is about Damien, then rest assured you won¡¯t get to see him at all. I know I¡¯m still in close contact with him, but I promise you don¡¯t even have to see Damien. You won¡¯t cross paths with him, I assure you that.  would hate to put a gap in our friendship when we just started to rebuild it. No! That won¡¯t be fair to me, and you to.¡±


    Madison shook her head, the sound of Damien¡¯s name pushing her farther, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ but I already made my decision.¡± Soft sobs escaped her lips as she began to cry, wiping away her tears, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, Maddie-¡±


    The warning sound of the approaching train resounded over and over again, urging passengers to begin boarding, and the rowdy noise cutting through the busy station, made Alvarez to stop speaking.


    ¡°Maddie¡­¡±


    She was silent, tears spilling out of her eyes as she picked up her luggage already bading goodbye, ¡°Thank you, for everything. Thank you¡­¡±


    Struggling to hold back her tears, she waved to Alvarez and Ivy and then without another word she turned away.


    Scurrying off so she wouldn¡¯t miss the train and trying to keep the flood of tears away, Madison¡¯s heart shattered into pieces.


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°Want me to keep ¡¯eming?¡±


    Damien downed another shot, hissing through his teeth when the hot liquid burned his throat. When he mmed the ss back on the table, he faced the bartender and nodded, ¡°More, please give me more.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty then.¡± The bartender said, expertly mixing up another batch and sliding six more rounds of strong vored scotch whiskey towards Damien on the table. He picked them up dly, downing them one after the other as his mind raced.


    He had been seated at this bar for almost an hour, and all he had done was drink and drink. He drank because he was tired, because he was confused, and because something bothered him.


    Yes, the conversation he and Alvarez had had, just couldn¡¯t get out of his head at all. He couldn¡¯t seem to stop thinking about it, as more guilt racked through him.


    All these weeks that had passed, he had let himself bathe in his anger, his pain, and now¡­


    All that upied his mind whenever he saw Madison these past few days, was to make her suffer. He had longed to see her cry, to see her beg, until she felt drained and empty, and for a while it had felt good, save for the asionally guilt he felt but managed to wave away each time.


    But now¡­ Now, after speaking with Alvarez, he hade to realize something. He hadpletely refused to give her a chance, to exin herself. He had convinced himself that whatever she was going through was none of his concern, but¡­


    What if he had given her a little chance? What if he had just let her exin, what had happened with her and her family and why she was in this position. He had so many questions about her current situation. Like why she was all the way in New York? What happened that made her parents forsake her?


    What if none of it was her fault? Even what happened in the past¡­ Was Alvarez right about him being too harsh on her?


    Damien tugged on his tie as he took another shot, raking his hands through his head.


    He was already starting to feel dizzy, but he needed to drink¡­ maybe he would stop thinking so much.


    Keep drinking¡­ Yeah, the liquid would make him feel better.


    He closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to get lost in his thoughts, when suddenly he felt someone run their fingers over his jacket.


    He opened his eyes, turning around slightly and squinted at the figure who happened to be a blonde woman he did not actually recognize. Her lipstick was so red that Damien felt his stomach churn in disgust, at the sight of it.


    ¡°Hey, handsome.¡± She winked flirtatiously at him, pushing her chair close to him as she ced a hand on her jaw, watching him curiously, ¡°Long night?¡±


    Who was this freakingdy? Damien thought to himself, wishing for her to disappear into thin air.


    Ignoring her, he took another shot of his drink. He wanted to clear his head of everything that bothered him. Everything¡­ and determined to do that, he ordered around round of shots, drinking until he felt his knees go weak.


    The woman who hadn¡¯t gotten his message, still sitting there, ced a hand over his thigh, trailing upwards as she fixed him with a seductive look, ¡°If youe outsider with me, or to the bathroom rather, I promise I¡¯ll make it worth your while. I will take away your worries.¡± She whispered in his ears adding, ¡°And if you double the pay, I can be with you all night long.¡±


    Damien stared at her shaking his head as he realized what she wanted, ¡°No, thank you.¡± He answered curtly.


    Her face reddened, and after a few seconds of him ignoring her still not saying anything, she finally got the memo and angrily pushing her chair backwards with a huff, she started to leave. Straightening the short ck dress she was wearing, she stormed away, but Damien couldn¡¯t care less.


    He felt his eyelids grow heavier as his thoughts went back to Madison, yet again. All the guilt he had been feeling earlier returned, leaving a hot burning feeling in his chest.


    He needed to know what went wrong. Now more than ever he was curious, wanting to know why she had been disowned. He needed to know everything, and for him to get that information he knew that he needed to talk to her.


    She didn¡¯t owe him anymore, so maybe she might be willing to talk to him. He needed to clear everything up.


    Yes! He would talk to her¡­


    He suddenly groaned in pain, clutching his head as pain shot through him, his knees feeling weak and wobbly.


    He would find out where she was staying in New York, and they could talk about everything. He had a smirk on his face for a grief second but then something shot through his head, and he paused suddenly¡­ Didn¡¯t Alvarez say she had left already¡­? And?


    No, he shook his head. Madison wouldn¡¯t leave just like that, he was sure and Alvarez was just ying some kind of trick.


    She was still in New York, after all hadn¡¯t he seen her just a while ago?


    Gulping down thest shot, he made a mental note to ask his private investigator to run a check on her, and find out the exact ce she was staying. Finding out her location in New York wouldn¡¯t be too difficult at all, with the resources he had.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Damien squinted up at the bartender who was observing him carefully.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve had a lot to drink for tonight. You¡¯ve been here for a while. You should go easy.¡± The young man said again, and Damien just waved hisment away.


    The bartender was right though, and he had taken to much alcohol, that now he was feeling very weak and disoriented ay the moment.


    Sighing, he whipped his phone out of his pocket, punching some buttons and dialed his driver to bring the car around.


    It was time to go home!

 Chapter Twenty Five

    KATHERINE


    Katherine forcefully fluffed her pillow on the bed, for the hundredth time since she woke up.


    It was still the early hours of the morning, and so she saw no need to get out of bed and do anything. Readjusting herself on the bed, she pulled the duvet up to her neck as she shut her eyes, and tried not to listen to the soft sound of Damien¡¯s light snoring.


    She was still quite pissed at him, and she had expected him to do more to prove that he was truly sorry.


    She wanted him to beg for her forgiveness, take her out, treat her like the queen she was amongst other things, but instead what did he do? He had gone out drinking and came back so drunk, he could barely stand on his own two feet.


    What if she had not been at home to help him inside? It was like he didn¡¯t even notice her sulking still, and it hurt her.


    Kathrine felt her jaw tic as all these thoughts ran through her mind.


    She hade over to his house with the hopes, that he would at least act remorseful and beg for her to forgive him in regards to theirst spat, only for her to get to an empty house.


    After hours of reading her entertainment magazines and bingeing on her favorite reality shows, she had started to feel bored and irritated. She even felt a little worried, wondering where he was by that time of the night.


    Damien stayed outte sometimes, but it was the weekend and he never stayed out this long. So where on earth was he? She was tempted to leave messages for him. But no¡­


    He might start to think she had let him off easily, and that was the least of what she wanted.


    She needed him to be aware that it would take a whole lot more than that, to be back in her good books.


    She had finally given up when he was still not home by 11PM, and the she had proceeded to send a message, but just as the sms had gone through, the doorbell had rang and she quickly opened up to see a dead drunk Damien supported heavily by his driver.


    Katherine had gaped at him in shock.


    He never drank this much, so why? After she had ordered the driver to carry him up to his room, following closely behind she had grudginglyid beside him.


    She had wanted to get answers out of him, but his words were so sloppy Kathrine couldn¡¯t make them out and after a while of turning and tossing, she had finally fallen asleep.


    Now shey beside him this morning, still very much annoyed at him and waiting for him to awaken.


    She had no idea how many minutes or seconds passed as she waited, and at some point yet again, her eyes began to droop as sleep gradually began to take over her.


    ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t leave me¡­¡±


    Startled, Katherine opened her eyes, turning over on the bed to face Damien, as all the sleep from earlier was gone from her eyes. She frowned in confusion when she saw that his eyes were still shut, and he was still fast asleep.


    Then what the hell had she heard?


    ¡°M-madison¡­¡± She heard him gasp again, his voice beginning to break, ¡°I love you, Maddie¡­ I still love you¡­ Don¡¯t do this to me.¡±


    Her chest tightened in anger, as the words from his mouth resonated in her ears over and over again.


    Love¡­ Madison¡­ The same fucking name of that bitch. After he had imed she meant nothing to him, she was still obviously constant in his heart if he went to the extent of dreaming about her, and at this realization Katherine¡¯s fury doubled up a notch.


    She clutched at the sheets furiously, her face reddening as she stared down at Damien¡¯s troubled expression.


    How dare he call out that slut¡¯s name, even after he had sworn he was over her? And in his sleep as well? She meant nothing to him, but she was in his dreams and he was confessing his love to her.


    Oh shit!


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me and¡­¡±


    Unable to take it anymore, she reached out, pping his arm repeatedly to wake him up.


    ¡°Damien¡­get up, now!¡± She was seething already, tapping his shoulders furiously.


    It was already bad enough that they hadn¡¯t resolved the initial issue, yet here he was calling out another woman in his sleep.


    What the fuck did he take her for? Was she that much of a joke to him? Now that she thought about it, she was beginning to see some signs in their rtionship that she didn¡¯t like at all.


    He no longer replied to her texts sharply, he no longer called her frequently as he used to these past few days. They had been perfectly fine, until this Madison girl came into the picture. It was because of her that Damien had disrespected, and lied to her.


    It was all because of her.


    ¡°Get up!¡± She yelled again, shaking him until he roused from his sleep in surprise, his eyes swollen.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about her in your sleep as well? How dare you do that? And also in front of me? What the heck is wrong with you?¡± Kathrine raged, her chest pounding as she watched him try to regain his bearings, and observe his surroundings.


    He was crossing the line, he really was, and she wanted to make sure he was aware of that.


    She didn¡¯t even care that he was still trying toe to consciousness or that, he might be having a terrible headache and hangover.


    All she cared was that he answer her, and put an end to this rubbish, and so she yelled like a crazed being, ¡°You are not saying anything? Answer me!¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°Get up!¡±


    Damien groaned in pain as he jumped from bed, rmed.


    His head still hurt badly and it was pounding, an aftermath of yesterday¡¯s drinking. When he had gotten himself a little, he looked to his left side, in Katherine¡¯s direction actually and he became startled.


    The sound of her voice had awakened him, and he stared at her in surprise, wondering what she was doing in his house so early in the morning.


    Last night¡¯s events were still very fuzzy in Damien¡¯s head, and he couldn¡¯t recall everything.


    The only thing he remembered was drinking through the night, and then calling his driver to take him home.


    After that, everything else was still very blurry, and he surely didn¡¯t remember seeing Kathrinest night.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Was his brain ying tricks with him right now or¡­


    A sharp pain in his head interrupted his train of thoughts, making him gasp out in pain and clutching his head, he whispered a curse to himself, ¡°Fuck.¡±


    He should have thought about these pain, which was always happening whenever he got wasted, and now he was regretting it.


    Why hadn¡¯t he just gone straight home from work.


    Hangovers irritated him because they slowed him down and distracted him from work, so much that he was unable to focus.


    Well, it was toote to regret now as the deed had already been done.


    ¡°Are you even listening to me?¡± He heard Kathrine shriek from beside him, and raising a a hand to his ears tiredly, he began to wonder why she was so angry this morning.


    He still wasn¡¯t sure why she woke him up, or why she was raving like a crazy person, and now her yells wasn¡¯t helping his headache at all.


    ¡°What is it, Katherine?¡± He really did not have the time for her today.


    All he wanted or just needed was to rest.


    She red at him, daggers in her eyes as she spat, ¡°Well, now you¡¯re finally awake after getting dead drunkst night, care to exin why you were muttering that low life¡¯s name in your sleep? Care to tell me huh?¡±


    Damien frowned, bing confused at what she was talking about.


    He knew she was angry about him getting drunkst night but at the moment he was too tired to care, but then what on earth did she mean that he was talking about a low life in his sleep?


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He asked, raking his hands through his pounding head as he thought of what he was going to do today.


    There was a lot of things he needed to do this morning, and also take a coffee and some cold shower, but definitely not this.


    Definitely not waking up to a furious looking Katherine first thing in the morning, was what he wanted.


    ¡°Oh so you don¡¯t remember now, huh? Well you were surely having a good time when you continuously professed your love for her. Talking in your sleep like some crazy, lovestruck person. Here¡¯s me thinking you don¡¯t feel anything for her, but now I have my answer.¡±


    Damien frowned again, as he pondered over her words.


    He was talking in his sleep? That seemed unlikely.


    He wondered if Kathrine was only making a story, just so they would have an excuse to argue this morning.


    He wouldn¡¯t put it past her, as it was her expertise after all, but the anger in her face was so evident that he began to doubt it.


    It seemed surreal, that he was talking in his sleep?


    He watched Kathrine flip her blonde curls over her back, scoffing in disbelief as she red at him, ¡°Really? Now I start to get the feeling that maybe you just enjoy disrespecting me. That¡­ that low-life waitress? A fucking waitress, Damien! You imed she¡¯s history to you, so why do you keep thinking of her, to the extent of calling out her name in your sleep? Tell me what is this?¡±


    Damien rubbed his temples, pulling the duvet off his lower body.


    He was getting tired of her nagging, and he would give her a piece of his mind.


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. If something like that really happened, the  I don¡¯t remember. Please, let me be. You should know that I¡¯m having a terrible hangover, and thest thing I need right now is this fight you¡¯re trying to create.¡±


    She gasped. ¡°Why would you speak to me like that? That¡¯s all I get? You¡¯re not even bothered to exin anything and-¡±


    ¡°I already said I don¡¯t remember, Katherine. Jesus..¡± He raked his fingers through his hair for the umpteenth time again.


    Turning back to face her, irritation beginning to peek into his demeanor, he asked, ¡°How did you get in here anyway? Why are you on my bed this early morning?¡±


    She looked taken aback for a moment, but then it was quickly reced by anger, ¡°If you weren¡¯t so hungover from that stupid drinking session you might have remembered that I have a spare key to your house.¡± She snapped, folding her arms over her chest as she stared him down. Damien sighed, this time pulling the duvet offpletely and climbing out of the bed.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to walk out on me too? What, you¡¯re going to kick me out of your house now? Is that why you¡¯re asking about the key? All of this because of that-¡±


    ¡°God! No one is kicking anyone out. Why are you taking everything so personal¡­¡± Damien trailed off, before adding, ¡°I¡¯m done here.¡± Shaking his head, he decided he was not in a good shape for his morning to begin like this.


    Putting on his house slippers, he walked into the bathroom to wash his face, ignoring Katherine¡¯s voice as she continued to nag on.

 Chapter Twenty Six

    Two Days Later


    LONDON


    Madison tried and failed to stifle her groan, as she climbed out of the train, one hand lugging her bags behind her and the other supporting her waist.


    To describe her situation in one word, she was simply exhausted.


    She was so tired, and the two days spent on the train had felt like two years to her, especially since she had to ration the cash she had so she wouldn¡¯t spend all of it on food.


    This was also one of the reasons, why she felt like there was a huge hole was forming in her stomach.


    Despite her legs hurting so much from sitting for so long, she continued the journey from the train station to outside, noting that she still had a long way to go.


    She gged down a taxi that would take her closer to the town where she lived, and praying silently that it wouldn¡¯t cost too much, luckily for her she got a really affordable one, and after about thirty minutes of driving round the busy street, she finally arrived.


    She was home atst.


    The tiny house was even shabbier than Madison remembered.


    The piece of wood one of her friendly neighbors had put up for her for easily walk-in and ess her house had fallen in, and the swampy, soggy surroundings was only made worse with the asional rains here and there. Now she was extremely grateful she was wearing boots.


    Her heart clenched painfully, as she stared at the exterior of her tiny home.


    It was in such a state of disrepair that Madison knew it was no better than those run down cheap motels, she had stayed in while she was in New York.


    There was no difference at all.


    The green paint from the wall, had peeled off so much that the soft wood which was already beginning to be raided by termites was peeking through.


    Although she had not even opened the door yet she could already discern the musty odor emanating from the room from a distance.


    ¡°Madison?¡±


    She swiveled around, startled to see an elderly woman who had a huge smile on her face. From the way she wiped her hands on the material of her skirt, Madison could tell that she had been washing.


    ¡°Mrs. Sterling.¡± Madison grinned widely. ¡°Good to see you.¡±


    The older womanughed, appraising Madison, ¡°You too! It feels like forever since you told me you were going for youst gig. I missed you so much.¡± She paused for a while and then continued, ¡°How are you doing? You look great, by the way.¡±


    Before Madison could reply, the woman had turned back in the other direction, calling out her fellow woman, ¡°Jerry! Landon! Guess who¡¯s here?¡±


    Madison chuckled as the other neighbors slipped out of their houses to wee her back.


    After asking how she was and talking for a little bit, they bade her goodbye and moved back to their houses.


    Madison wiped her eyes from how hard she had beenughing, and now she was only just realizing that she did miss her neighbors. She missed the people that made her every day life worth living. Her house might be a mess but she was d for her neighbors.


    They had always been nice and supportive, and Madison found no reason to feel ashamed in front of them.


    She smiled once more, turning to walk back into her house when she heard a loud squeal. As she turned in surprise, she didn¡¯t get the chance to do anything because little John, one of her neighbors son hadunched himself at her.


    It took her whole stamina and stoicposure not to send her sprawling to the ground as she began tough, taking him in her arms,  ¡°Hey, hey, hey¡­¡± She giggled, ¡°Johnny boy, hey tiger.¡± She pretended to roar, blowing cold air into both his ears until he began tough.


    Positioning him firmly at her side, she pinched his cheek, ¡°Where¡¯s your Mummy?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s out back.¡± He answered, sucking on his little finger, which Madison gently pulled out with a warning  ¡°Don¡¯t suck on your fingers, okay?¡±


    When he nodded, she questioned him about school and his parents, and Madison couldn¡¯t stop herself from smiling at his detailed replies. After a few minutes of listening to him describe his first day at school and giving her feedback and encouragement the best way she could, Madison finally picked him up again, ¡°Okay, now let¡¯s get you back to your mother now, shall we?¡±


    He nodded, not saying anything again and she began to make her way to their house. It wasn¡¯t hard to find his mother as she stood in front of the door, a clothes hamper in her hand and her protruding stomach in full view.


    Madison felt a tiny nudge of sadness hitting her at the sight of the pregnant woman, but she kicked the solemn thought aside.


    ¡°ire?¡± She called out, smiling.


    When the other woman faced Madison, she gasped, ¡°Gracious Lord, when did you get back?¡±


    ¡°A few minutes ago actually.¡± Madisonughed, as they exchanged pleasantries, talking for a little while before Madison announced that she had to leave.


    Pausing, she slipped out some cash from her purse and handed it to the little boy. To his mother she said, ¡°For treats or anything else he might like. Just get it for him.¡±


    The woman gasped in surprise, fixing Madison with a smile, as she said, ¡°Wow, thank you so much. You didn¡¯t need to do that, but nevertheless thank you so much Madison.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Madison smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll see you around.¡± With that she spun on her heels and walked to her house.


    Her legs felt like lead and it was as though all the fatigue she had felt at first, was beginning to manifest.


    Quickly she unlocked her door, grabbed her bags inside, the dusty, humid air attacking her nose as she switched the lights on and popped open the only window in the room.


    She sighed, dropping her bags in the small room. She had quite a lot of cleaning to do, she thought to herself, her eyes wandering as she plopped herself down on the bed, which was a very short distance from the door.


    Now looking around, she saw how small this ce was, and well she had initially wanted to get a morefortable ce, but this was the only ce she could afford here in Birmingham.


    Suddenly remembering something, she extracted her phone from her purse and dialed Alvarez¡¯s number. He had made her promise to call him as soon as she got home safely, and although she had wanted to cut off ties with him, she knew it was decent enough to at least inform him of her arrival.


    As she stared at the ceiling, waiting for Alvarez to pick up, Madison prayed to the heavens that it wouldn¡¯t rain tonight because she still hadn¡¯t gotten round to fixing her leaky roof.


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    Damien heard a voice float around in his head.


    As he slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the curious expression on his secretary¡¯s face, as she gently called out his name.


    His head hurt as he raised his head to face her, and the urge to yell at her for waking him up suddenly surfaced but he ignored it.


    No matter how tired he was, he still knew it was bad sumb to sleep while he was at work.


    He had fired people for the same thing he was doing right now.


    Trying not to sound as groggy and disoriented as he felt at the moment, he looked up clearing his throat as he asked, ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± As he spoke he looked through the files on hisrge table, trying to find the one he had been working on.


    ¡°Um, I just wanted to remind you of your schedule for today. The meetings you moved to today are about three, and then you have a lunch reservation with one of the new partners at six. Would you like me to move any of them?¡± She asked timidly, but Damien knew she was asking with him in mind.


    He was quite sure he looked as terrible as he felt, but he didn¡¯t want to move or procrastinate his responsibilities anymore. He had already done it for two days, and not again.


    ¡°No, no.¡± He shook his head, ¡°Don¡¯t move any of my appointments. Just forward the schedule to my email as soon as you leave.¡± When she nodded, he waved her away, dismissing her off.


    ¡°Sir?¡± She said again, moving closer to his desk.


    Damien was confused for a second and he was about to ask her what the matter was, but he stopped himself when he saw the cup of coffee in her hand.


    A small smile formed on his face as he gratefully took it from her, and said warmly, ¡°Thank you so much, Nina.¡±


    With onest small nod, she finally took her leave, and Damien taking a huge gulp of the coffee in his hand, he carefully ced the cup on the desk.


    His head still ached terribly but he tried to concentrate on the work in front of him.


    Before he had gone far with anything at all, a knock sounded on his office door and giving his assent nonchntly, he looked up to see Mr Rudiger and Mr Paul walk in.


    They nodded at him and greeted when they saw him, and Damien replied back with the same nod, a wave of tiredness beginning to hit him at the thought of the extra work this investigation would be adding to him.


    He didn¡¯t need this kind of stress at the moment.


    His head was hurting still from the terrible hangover some days ago, and he had about a million things he had to do already.


    He wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind.


    As Mr Rudiger opened up a file, Damien raised a hand to stop him, shaking his head. ¡°I appreciate the work you¡¯ve been putting into the job, I really do. But I have quite a lot of other things to focus on at the moment. I¡¯m going to need you to stop the investigation.¡±


    ¡°Stop the investigation? But we¡¯ve been making quite a lot of progress regarding the investigation. I really think we¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very busy at the moment.¡± Damien cut in, rubbing his forehead, ¡°You¡¯ll be able to carry on with it soon. I just need some free time.¡±


    The investigation was just quite frankly thest thing on his mind, and now he just didn¡¯t have the time.


    ¡°But notpletely, of course.¡± Damien added, ¡°Just¡­halt the process for a week, or two. I have so much I have to do, and I need to get everything sorted out then after that, we resume, harder than ever until we¡¯ve gotten to the bottom of it all.¡±


    Mr Rudiger shut the file he was about to open, nodding in understanding, ¡°Okay, sir. May we get a specific date? On when we are to resume the investigation?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just¡­ I¡¯ll give you call when I¡¯m done taking care of business. There are a lot of meetings and appointments to keep up with at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The investigator stood, motioning to thewyer who did the same.


    ¡°By the way, here are some files.¡± Thewyer stated, examining the files he held in his hand and dropping them on Damien¡¯s desk, ¡°I think you need to look through them as well. They¡¯re information regarding thepany.¡± He added, when it seemed like Damien was about to dismiss it.


    Damien nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll look through it as soon as I can.¡±


    Rubbing his temples, Damien dismissed them.


    He gulped down the rest of the coffee and looked down at his desk.


    First things first, he had to clear his table and separate the files into sections.


    A notification sound from his device showed him, that Nina had forwarded some details and ringing her for a second cup of coffee, he slowly began to work his way through everything on his schedule.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

 Chapter Twenty Seven

    KATHERINE


    Slicing red apples before eating them usually calmed Katherine down, the reason being because that she was terrible at anything that concerned kitchen work.


    So if she kept struggling to cut the shiny fruit, it would take her mind off other troubling things today, but today it did little to calm her down. If anything, it only made her think of other satisfying things she could be doing with the small kitchen knife.


    As she deliberately cut through each slice, carefully as though it was a kind of ritual, her eyes flew over to the picturesid on the table in front of her.


    The picture irritated her to no end, and the huge grins on the faces of Damien and his ex lover seemingly mocking her. Her anger beginning to resurface again, she kicked hard against the lowly kitchen table making every single thing she had struggled to peel, along with the tes to fall to the floor, nging heavily and making loud noises.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± She yelled, grabbing up the pictures and ripping through them. After hours of searching through Damien¡¯s room, she had finally found the small box where he had stashed the rest of the pictures from his childhood.


    She had known he would have more memories of that bitch, and she had been right when she had seen the small box. Her heart had pounded in anger when she continuously pulled out different pictures, with Madison always present in each of them.


    They were either hugging, kissing, ying or doing something else that didn¡¯t resonate with Katherine, and only pushed her fury to the core.


    It was obvious in those pictures how close they had been, how much he had loved her, and yet he had tantly lied to her. He had pretended not to care about her anymore, but Katherine was not fooled by that act anymore.


    If he didn¡¯t care just like he said, then why would he stash away all their memories after all these years? Why would he still keep it?


    There was still something else that was very unclear to her.


    She knew that Damien had been from a lower ss and status in the past. She had even heard this from Damien himself, but he never told her the full story, and whenever she brought it up he would always wave of her concerns saying it was a thing of the past but now she knew better. There was more to this story than he was letting on.


    The Mr Connor he always talked about was his ex¡¯s father, and whatever he had done to Damien must have so despicable to make Damien hate him so much till this day.


    She needed answers, she needed to know.


    What had this man done to make Damien burn with so much hatred? To make him strive and work his way to sess twice as hard?


    All these were unanswered questions that Damien kept avoiding, ever single time.


    Also what part had Madison yed in this? Whatever it was, that made Damien this ruthless, well as long as they were rted to Madison in some way, then she decided that she had to know.


    It was starting to get moreplicated and baffling with each passing day, and now it  urred to Katherine that she really didn¡¯t know Damien as much as she thought she did. His past was still a mystery, one she was yet to uncover and she didn¡¯t like it at all.


    But¡­it wouldn¡¯t be for long again. She had the right resources in her reach, soon she would have all the information she yearned for.


    As she sighted a picture of Madison grinning as she stood in the sunlight, she angrily picked it up. Her eyes moved over Madison¡¯s strawberry blonde curls and she hissed.


    Katherine couldn¡¯t even understand what Damien had seen in her.


    She wasn¡¯t even that pretty, Katherine mused. She herself, was ten times hotter and ssier than this bitch, so what exactly was the problem? Why would Damien still consider her, or even think about his ex when he already had someone like her?


    She shook her head violently, as she mumbled under her breath, ¡°No, no!¡±


    She would not let some trampe between her and Damien. Things were going great, things were going just fine with her and Damien, but now this bitch had decided to show up out of the blue.


    As she squeezed the picture of Madison in her hand, she wondered how she had not even noticed a thing.


    She should have known. That dinner event, the way he had stared at Madison as if he had seen a ghost, the first time.


    How Damien suddenly began to act so strange, so distracted and inattentive. She should have known it had something to do with that waitress. If she had been more observant, she would have noticed and done everything in her power to keep that bitch far away from Damien.


    Damien was hers, and only hers and no one would take him away from her.


    Now after she heard the exchange between Damien and Alvarez the other day in his office, she had gotten scared. She was starting to feel insecure, as it was so obvious that Damien still had feelings for Madison.


    The passion in his voice, the anger when Alvarez questioned his love for her. It had cut through Katherine¡¯s heart like a butcher knife, and that¡¯s when she began to have these waning doubt.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    What if somehow those two reconnected? What if some stupid y of nature somehow made Damien realize that, he wanted Madison back?


    What would now happen to her? What if Damien dumped her? What would she do, what would people say? He was nning on engaging her, her father was in talks with him, and now this?


    No! It wouldn¡¯t happen, except she was dead and that was so unlikely.


    That would not happen. She would stop it at all costs.


    It wasn¡¯t even a probability anymore, and that¡¯s because she wouldn¡¯t let it. Whatever it would take to prevent anything from happening, to bring Damien back to his senses, then Katherine knew that she would do it all.


    When a notification pinged her phone, she smiled staring at the screen seeing who it was.


    Bringing it to her ear, she listened to the voice on the other line, nodding once as she replied, ¡°I¡¯ll meet you there in ten.¡±


    As she hung up she slipped the phone back into her purse, taking her time in the mirror to smoothen out her hair and tie on the scarf. When she was done with that, she ran the red lipstick she had picked out over her lips twice, and then put on her designer sunsses.


    It was important that she would not be recognized at all, which exined why she was in these clothes she considered drab and too disgusting for her taste, save for the sses.


    But she was doing this for Damien, and to save her rtionship, and because of that¡­ Katherine would do just about anything to keep Damien all to herself.


    ¡­¡­.


    Katherine slowly pulled her car into the deserted car park, waiting a few minutes to observe the surroundings before she stepped out.


    She could not afford to be seen, at all since she was somewhat popr with the paparazzi.


    If that happened it would cause a lot of problems for her, and worse off if she was caught on camera in this attire and in such a lowly ce, it would be cause for suspicion.


    She waited in the car for a while, staring at the surroundings and seeing that the coast was clear, she grabbed up the magazine tabloids that sat in the passenger seat and walked out the car.


    She pulled the scarf she had on closer to her face, as she marched toward the abandoned warehouse. She would usually never step foot into a ce like this, but again she reminded herself that this was for Damien, and to put that bitch in her ce.


    Furiously, she squeezed the tabloid in her hand which was actually one of the gossips about Damien and Madison, almost tossing it angrily in a pool of muddy water nearby, but she held herself back since she would use make use of the pictures in it.


    She made her way into the warehouse, immediately.


    Katherine didn¡¯t even know what the people she had hired looked like, nor did she care.


    She just needed people who were capable of doing the job she needed to, and clutching  the duffel bag she held in her other hand tightly, she got into the warehouse.


    The first person her eyes caught was a tall, beefy man. Muscr and tattooed, a cigarette hungzily from the corner of his lip. His dark eyes raked Katherine from head to toe, and then he huffed.


    Raising his fingers in a signal, three other men emerged from the corner of the building, all of them simrly dressed except for the one who had an eye patch.


    Katherine exhaled in relief when she saw they had guns tucked safely in their pants. Good! It showed that they were people who could take care of themselves, and also they were perfect for the job.


    She tossed the duffel bag on the nearest table, and said, That¡¯s half of the money as requested.¡±


    ¡°Half?¡± The one who seemed to be the leader chuckled,  ¡°Sorry to break it to you princess, but that¡¯s not how we work around here.¡±


    Katherine knew very well that these men were trying to intimidate her, with their size and the underlying threats in their voices, but she would not be undermined. They had no idea what she was capable of at all.


    Walking towards him until she was well in his face, she snatched off her sunsses, ¡°Now, this is how I do business. You get half, do your job, report back with tangible results, and then you get the rest of it. It¡¯s either a deal or it¡¯s not. Now, do we understand each other or would you like to keep talking?¡± She spat, her voice cold.


    In response, he snatched the duffel bag, opening the zipper and nodding at the huge stack of bills it contained, he said gruffly obviously having no choice, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Katherine said, tossing the tabloids in her hand to him and watching as he passed it round to the rest of his men, ¡°Her name is Madison Connor, daughter of Mr and Mrs Connor. The only information I have on them is their location Birmingham. She lives in London or Birmingham, I don¡¯t even know but you are to find out.¡±


    The man nodded, ¡°What kind of information are we digging for exactly?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Absolutely everything, anything at all you can get on them. Every single thing, their history, what they¡¯ve been up to in the past eleven years, who has lived with them, scandals, rumors, stories. Anything at all. I need to know who the Connors are. Can you do that?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°Good. And as for the daughter¡­¡± Her jaw clenched as she thought of Madison, ¡°Last I saw, she was in New York. I need you to find her, trace her, keep me updated on what she¡¯s up to. Find out every single thing you can about. Especially those she would want to keep a secret, and then we can deliberate on what to do to her.¡± Katherine finished, her chest heaving.


    It was time to bring the bitch down.


    ¡°Understood. Anything else?¡±


    Katherine thought for a second, ¡°None of this should ever be traced back to me. Inside the duffel bag you will find a burner phone. Whatever you find, youmunicate to me through that phone. My number is saved there already.¡±


    The man took up the duffel, and tossing it to one of the men who took it inside the warehouse, he said, ¡°Everything you ask will be done. If there are any more questions I might have, or any updates, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Katherine nodded, making a u turn before leaving, ¡°One more thing¡­ Do not fail me.¡±


    The man smirked, smacking his lips as he stubbed on the cigarette he was smoking.


    ¡°I never fail.¡±

 Chapter Twenty Eight

    Damien fixed his tie once again, checking to see if his hair was still slicked back.


    Satisfied with his reflection in the mirror, he grabbed the files he would need for the meeting today, tucking them under his arm as he waited for Katherine to finish up.


    Like always, her hair stylist and makeup artist took hours following her instructions until they¡¯d dolled her up. This was why he had instructed that theye hours before.


    Of course, Katherine hated being made to wake up earlier than she intended when taking a nap, but she had no choice if she truly wanted to escort him to the meeting.


    It was a business lunch date with Mr Ramon, the Italian man they had met that day at the event, and Katherine insisted she woulde along.


    After thest time they had argued, Damien had expected her to be quite cold and distant to him, so he couldn¡¯t hide his surprise when she had been all smiles and flirty asking if she coulde along.


    Of course he gave in, as he couldn¡¯t refuse for no just reason.


    After about ten minutes, she emerged from the inner room.


    ¡°How do I look?¡± She asked, smiling.


    Damien gently held onto her waist, leading her to the door as he kissed her lightly on the cheek, ¡°You look beautiful, like always. We have to go now, we can¡¯t bete.¡±


    When Katherine nodded without sulking about the fact that he had not given her morepliments, he exhaled quietly in relief. Great! He didn¡¯t want anything changing his mood before his day even started.


    They got into the back seat of the car, and he ordered the driver to take them to their destination. They would have lunch in the VIP sections of one of Mr Ramon¡¯s five-star hotels.


    Damien had only been there once, and the ce as he remembered was an excellent taste. He humored Katherine by telling her about it when she asked, although he knew she was only trying to make small talk.


    Soon they got to their destination, and walking in Damien saw that there were only a handful of people in the restaurant.


    Damien sighted Mr Ramon from a distance, as the old man sat talking to his wife at one of the tables, and quickly with arms around Katherine¡¯s waist they both made their way to their table.


    ¡°Mr Ramon.¡± Damien greeted with a smile, bowing a little to clutch the older man¡¯s hand in his.


    ¡°Mr Daniels, how good to see you.¡± Mr Ramon smiled, ¡°And the beautifuldy.¡± He added when his eyes moved to Katherine.


    ¡°Mrs Ramon¡­¡± Damien greeted his wife, the grey-haired woman, and smiling pleasantly, she stretched our her hand which Damien nted a light kiss on.


    After pleasantries had been exchanged, both couples sat across the table from each other, and as they carried on with their discussion the waiters served champagne, and then continued with the three course meal.


    Damien began to run Mr Ramon through his ideas from the new business deal while Mrs Ramon and Katherine spoke.


    All through the convo, Mr Ramon nodded in agreement to everything he said, always finishing with, ¡°That¡¯s a nice idea, Damien. Tell me more about it.¡± It was pleasing to say the least.


    ¡°Erm lest I forget.¡± Mr Ramon coughed after a while, ¡°Congrattions, I heard about your new partnership with Antonio Enterprises. You should be proud of yourself. That¡¯s more than huge.¡± The old man smiled and Damien thanked him profusely, raising his ss to his lips.


    As for Katherine she was beaming at him with pride, not that he paid her any heed.


    Damien continued his discussion with Mr Ramon as the second course meal arrived.


    The waiter in charge served them all, and as he tipped the wine bottle to refill Katherine¡¯s ss, his hand wobbled a little, making the drink almost spill on Katherine.


    Damien was too busy to notice but the cutting re Katherine gave the waiter who quickly apologized, was not lost on Mrs Ramon and suddenly, as if she had just remembered something, the olddy said, ¡°This reminds me of thest time we met¡­¡± She began, herment directed at Katherine, ¡°What ever happened to that waitress? The one who spilled drinks on you.¡±


    Damien instantly froze, surprise coating his features as he stared at Mrs Ramon without a word, and just immediately she faced him questioningly.


    He wanted to brush it off quickly, and continue his chat with Mr Ramon, but he couldn¡¯t possibly ignore the man¡¯s wife in front of him. He wondered why she was thinking about it, or even asking him about that.


    Thest thing he needed right now was to remember Madison, and this woman was sorely reminding him of that.


    He cleared his throat, ¡°I think I remember who you mean. What about her?¡± He asked, hoping he sounded believable enough, as he cleared his throat suddenly thinking Madison. What about her though?


    ¡°You tell me.¡± Mrs Ramon continued, ¡°When I was in Italy a few weeks ago, there were so many tabloids about you and her. I saw one which said she was working at your club? Rumor says you kicked her out or you fought. Something like that, is it true?¡±


    Damien felt his chest begin to tighten. How did she know about all of this? And why did she seem to even care so much?


    He could already see Mr Ramon ncing at him as if he was waiting for him to answer, and Damien struggled for something to say, but his head was nk.


    ¡°Oh, Mr Damien, You really have nothing to say?¡± Mrs Ramon chimed in again breaking the ufortable silence as she continued, ¡°I doubt you would make a good business partner if you really treat women like this though.¡± She finished,ughing a little as she wiped the corner of her lips with a napkin.


    Damien clenched his fists under the table, as his brain was still racking up what to say. He knew that Mrs Ramon had meant what she said as a joke, but what if that statement somehow got to her husband? It would be the end of him, and Damien could not afford to lose this business deal over this.


    He just couldn¡¯t. But again what could he do? He felt Katherine ce a hand on his thigh, giving it a light squeeze as she tried tofort him, but now her touch only irritated him.


    Damien saw that Mr Ramon was not saying anything, only watching the whole scenario and he began to wonder if his reputation was not already ruined in this old man¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Mrs Ramon, I¡¯m sorry about the misunderstanding¡­ if it seemed like I¡¯m the kind of person to mistreat women. I assure you there is nothing of that sort.¡± He said, but she in turn kept him mute for a while.


    ¡°I assure you I don¡¯t treat women that way.¡± Damien tried again.


    ¡°Did the poor waitress manage to pay for the dress like you ordered? If I could recall clearly you said something about 2000 dors, while your girlfriend babbled and cried.¡±


    Damien could hear the disdain in the elderlydy¡¯s voice and he could feel the business deal, slipping from his hands so quickly, ¡°I-I apologize for that-¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Mr Ramon finally spoke up, waving his hand in the air to halt the conversation. He cast a brief sideway nce at his wife, cing his hand on hers for a moment and then he turned to Damien, ¡°I apologize for my wife¡¯s questions. She tends to remember past things, and can be quite emotional and a handful about it sometimes. Please, excuse her.¡±


    Damien nodded and managed a smile, releasing the breath he didn¡¯t know he had been holding.


    ¡°Now, back to business. What were you saying again?¡± Mr Ramon added.


    Damien could still feel the tension thick in the air, but he ignored it and resumed the conversation with Mr Ramon.


    At the back of his mind though, he knew he had to end all of this.


    He needed to find Madison, talk to her. He needed to right some wrongs maybe, and then move on with his life.


    Worst off, he needed to resume the investigation. The sooner he sorted everything out with Madison, the better it would be for everyone.


    He knew he had gotten lucky today. But how long would thisst? Mrs Ramon was obviously interested and concerned about Madison, so this wouldn¡¯t be thest time she would ask him about him, since her first opportunity had been thwarted by her husband. Now knowing he wasn¡¯t in her good books, thest thing Damien wanted was any form of feud with the Ramons.


    As they finally continued to eat in silence, Damien could feel Mrs Ramon¡¯s eyes on him every once in a while.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    He could feel his inner self shrink under her burning gaze, but to his brain it was a quick reminder that he had to get on with the investigation and bring things back to normal.


    ¡­¡­.


    LONDON


    Madison peered down at the address scribbled on the piece of paper, Mrs Sterling had handed her this morning.


    She had heard them discussing about a vacancy in a bakery downtown. Madison recognized the name of the bakery but she couldn¡¯t quite remember where it was.


    When she asked them for more information regarding the job, they had encouraged her to go for it. ire her neighborhood friend, had wanted to go for it, but she was heavily pregnant and the bakery had a policy against maternal mothers, so she urged Madison to go for it instead.


    They had given her the address earlier today, and Madison saw that it was a few miles away from where she lived.


    When she had packed up everything she needed, including some certificates of employment from her previous jobs, even the brief one at New York, although she knew she might not need it, she boarded a taxi to the bakery.


    Madison looked down at the address again as the taxi dropped her, and sure enough it was the same.


    The bakery was not as small as Madison had expected. It was actually quite big, and Madison realized that the reason why the name sounded so familiar was because she had been here sometime before. Probably to get something, she couldn¡¯t quite remember but then she recalled that she knew someone here.


    She smiled widely as she walked in, her eyes sweeping all over the buzzing small reception for the person she was looking for.


    She moved over to her table when she sighted her, chuckling as she punched her friend in the rib, ¡°Gina Adams.¡±


    Gina looked up with a frown which immediately vanished as soon as she saw who it was, her eyes instantly widening in surprise.


    ¡°Oh my goodness, Madison?¡± She yelled, wiping her flour-coated hand on her apron as she grinned at her, and quickly they both caught themselves in an embraced, as they regarded each other carefully.


    Ginaughed, ¡°Where on earth have you been? It¡¯s been so long. It¡¯s also really nice to see you. You look great!¡±


    Madisonughed too, ¡°So do you. It¡¯s been months. How are you and the kids? And Thomas? God, I¡¯ve missed you. It¡¯s been a while since you came over to my ce.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all good.¡± Gina nodded, ¡°We¡¯re surviving like always. I¡¯ve been really busy. I¡¯ll make out time toe visit when I don¡¯t have a lot of work. What about you? I heard from the neighborhood that you traveled for a while. How did it go?¡±


    Madison swallowed. She wanted topletely forget about her trip to New York, and she wanted to let it go until it stopped haunting her memory forever, but always came up. Every single time, one way or the other, almost as if it was mocking or haunting her. It would always be in her mind.


    ¡°It was great.¡± She finally managed to blurt, ¡°It¡¯s was okay. How have you been? How¡¯s work?¡± She quickly asked again, desperate to change the subject. ¡°Work is the same. Oh, there¡¯s this new recipe we¡¯ve been working on. You should try it¡­¡± Gina suddenly trailed off, stopping as she frowned, cing a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Madison asked, a bad feeling running down her spine.


    ¡°Seeing you today just reminded me of something too. I should have remembered the minute you stepped in here, but it¡¯s been so long I saw you and I just had to greet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Over the past few weeks, some strange men havee into town.¡± She paused, looking around as if to make sure no one was listening.


    She brought her voice a notch lower, pulling Madison closer to her, ¡°They¡¯ve been asking about you, and your family.¡±


    Madison gasped in shock, ¡°W-what? I-I don¡¯t understand, asking about me? What are you talking about?¡±


    Gina nodded, a look of concern on her face, ¡°They were here a few weeks ago scouring for information about the Connors. From what I heard from some of my colleagues, they¡¯ve been asking around town as well. I don¡¯t know why they didn¡¯t go to Kettlesworth, but they seem to be snooping about looking for any information about you and your family.¡±


    Madison was speechless, fear twisting her insides as she instinctively cast a gaze around the building. All of a sudden she had the eerie feeling that she was being watched. Scared, her eyes swept over the room, but nothing looked off and no one seemed to be paying her any close attention safe for Gina in front of her.


    Her heart was beginning to pound furiously in her chest at the same time. Who could possibly be looking for her? Her mind raced as different thoughts popped in her head. She wondered who she could possibly have offended.


    No, no, no.


    Not now, Madison thought. She was just trying to piece her life back together, after everything she had gone through thesest few weeks, and she definitely didn¡¯t need this. Not now! She thought again, her chest tightening and it suddenly became difficult to breathe as she held a hand to it.


    ¡°Madison, is everything okay? Why do you think these people are looking for you? Do you know anything?¡± Gina asked curiously, but Madison didn¡¯t respond, her head still swimming with thoughts.


    She needed to leave here. She needed to leave now. She didn¡¯t care that she hade to look for a vacancy, or that she had to scour for a job to keep herself afloat, she just had to get out of this building.


    If people had been searching for her then they could be anywhere. Fuck! They could even be following her. Turning to Gina she said, ¡°I-I need to leave. It was nice seeing you again.¡±


    Without waiting for her friend to respond, she hurried out of the bakery, bumping into workers and muttering apologies as she ran out.


    ¡°Take care!¡± Gina called out as she watched Madison flee the bakery, but Madison was too buried in her thoughts to hear.


    She needed to get as far away from here as possible.

 Chapter Twenty Nine

    Damien leaned into his chair, listening closely as his secretary ran him through his schedule for the week. There was nothing too serious to do, but he needed to have all the info, just to make sure.


    ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± She finished finally, looking down at the tablet in her hand to make sure she was right.


    When she had confirmed that she was she added again, ¡°That¡¯s all for this week, sir.¡±


    Damien nodded slightly. Things were looking pretty great so far, and of course it could only be better, but still he needed to make some few changes.


    ¡°That reminds me, schedule a few interviews. We need to find a recement for Mr Carson. We almost lost that Wilder deal because of him, so I need him out of thispany.¡±


    His secretary nodded, ¡°He ims he didn¡¯t know the man was Mr Wilder.¡±


    Damien waved it off, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Whoever walks into thispany and isn¡¯t a member of the staff, should be respected. He should have known better. Send him his termination letter as soon as you leave this room.¡±


    She quickly nodded, jotting his words down so she wouldn¡¯t forget.


    Wilder Industries was anotherpany Damien was only too happy, to partner up with and he had the deal right in his grip until a marketing officer had disrespected Grant Wilder by speaking over him and not apologizing when he bumped into him. Damien had almost lost it when the news came to him, and he¡¯d had to apologize profusely to Mr Wilder so he could keep the deal.


    Although Mr Wilder¡¯s guards had already taken care of Carson by beating him to a pulp, Damien decided that he still needed to fire him. It would be a lesson to others.


    He needed serious, dignified people who knew their ce in hispany and not arrogant ungrateful employees like Carson. Anyway, that was done.


    Turning, he dismissed his secretary off, watching as she left his office.


    Alone again, he leaned back into his chair, raking his fingers through his hair in exhaustion. He wasn¡¯tplete sure why he was feeling so tired all of a sudden. Maybe it was work, or maybe it was the events of the past weeks.


    Damien had a feeling that he would never be able to rxpletely, or ever feel like he was getting enough rest until all of this was over.


    Sighing, he arranged the files on his desk and walked to his wine cab. After running his fingers over the bottles, he finally picked out the wine he was searching for. Pouring some of it into a cup, he proceeded to the balcony, allowing the fresh breeze whip past through him.


    Damien stared at the wine ss in his hand as he sat on an ottoman, in the balcony of his office and swirling the wine in the ss taking a sip, absentmindedly he studied the intricate designs on the ss cup.


    He was trying to focus, maybe he would forget his worried but still his mind was miles away. Ever since the business lunch date with Mr and Mrs Ramon the other day, he hadn¡¯t been able to stop thinking about Madison.


    Every once in a while he would wonder about the real reason, why she was in this position. He wondered if she would even be willing to talk to him, and with this question unanswered he knew he had to try.


    He would never know until he tried.


    Making up his mind, he let out a sigh, dipped his hands into his pocket bringing out his phone as he proceeded to dial his private investigator, once again cing the phone to his ear as he waited.


    Luckily for him without dying, Mr Rudiger picked up on the first ring, ¡°Good day, sir.¡±


    Damien heard him greet from the other end, as he then asked, ¡°I hope I¡¯m not interrupting anything?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, sir. What may I do for you today?¡±


    ¡°Good. I need you to look into something for me. I need you to find the whereabouts of Madison Connor and report back to me¡­¡± He paused, his head suddenly spinning as he tried to recall something, but nothing came to his head and he continued, ¡°I suppose that she is still in New York at the moment, so find out where exactly she¡¯s staying, or where she¡¯s working. Meet her manager of that hall, where she was working as a waitress the first time we met in New York. Talk to him, find out where she stays, and if that doesn¡¯t work, and he doesn¡¯t provide any tangible information you can then scour through all the motels in the city. I need you to find her, and report that back to me.¡±


    He quietly hoped to himself that she would be willing to speak to him, but Damien decided he would cross that bridge when it came. Whatever it took, he would do it as long as it would bring him to the bottom of all this.


    ¡°Madison Connor you mean?¡± He heard Mr Rudiger say, and Damien curtly replied with a yes.


    ¡°Oh¡­ She¡¯s rted to the Connor case we are working on, the one we were asked to put on hold. Does this mean we are to resume the investigation as well?¡±


    Damien considered it for a moment.


    He had halted the investigations earlier because his schedule had been looking tight, but now he wasn¡¯t as busy as he was before, and that lunch with Mr Ramon had been thest of the extremely important meetings he had to take care of.


    Since they were going to be looking up information about Madison and her whereabouts, it wouldn¡¯t hurt so much and also they actually needed to round up this investigation soon.


    ¡°Yes, resume the investigation in full force. But first work on finding Madison¡¯s whereabouts for me. It¡¯s your priority now. When that¡¯s done then we continue.¡±


    ¡°Noted, sir.¡± Mr Rudiger said.


    ¡°As usual, keep me updated on everything youe across. I¡¯ll get in touch through phone call if anythinges up.¡±


    Mr Rudiger was silent for a few seconds, ¡°Sir? Speaking of keeping you updated, I¡¯m yet to hear from you regarding the email I forwarded to you.¡±


    Damien frowned. An email? He didn¡¯t remember anything like that. ¡°You sent me a mail?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Several days ago. I¡¯ve been waiting to hear your feedback on it.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Damien was confused for a moment as he tried to remember, and then it clicked.


    The day he was in a meeting, he had received an email from Mr Rudiger bearing several attachmentsbelled ¡®The Connors¡¯, and he had been so busy that he had forgotten to go through themter on.


    ¡°Oh. I haven¡¯t been able to look through them yet. I was in a meeting when I received it. But I¡¯ll do that as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir. It¡¯s something that you would want to see. It¡¯s quite urgent as we are awaiting your feedback on it, to enable us know which way to head regarding the investigation.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Damien assured him. His curiosity had been sparked by the urgency in Mr Rudiger¡¯s voice.


    What could it contain that could be so urgent? He wondered and eager to get to it, he said finishing the conversation, ¡°Okay, you can start working now. And as usual,e back with tangible information or don¡¯te back at all.¡±


    When Mr Rudiger had assured Damien that he understood, he hung up.


    Damien finished thest sip of wine just as he stood from the ottoman, walking back into his office and switching on his phone he began to click on his recent mail. He scrolled through previous ones and just as he was about to tap on the one from regarding the Connors, the sound of his door opening made him look up. His finger lingered on top of the screen and then he slipped his phone back in his pocket, staring in surprise as Katherine entered his office. He wasn¡¯t expecting her today, and he had been with his phone all day so he would have known if she called or messaged but she hadn¡¯t.


    ¡°Katherine? What are you doing here? I wasn¡¯t expecting you today.¡±


    She only smirked, flipping her blonde hair which was curled today over her face and letting some of it cover her eyes a little. Slowly, she unzipped the tiny red dress she was d in, sying her hands over Damien¡¯s chest and pouting as she tugged on his tie.


    ¡°Kathie¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhh¡­¡± She stopped him, trailing her finger down his lips and then to hers. She held onto his neck and leaned into him, making sure her breasts were pressed against his chest. Twirling her fingers in his hair, she stood on her tiptoes long enough to ce a soft kiss to his lips.


    ¡°Babe¡­we¡¯ve been fighting so muchtely, and I¡¯m tired of fighting.¡± She pouted, her voice low as she kissed him lightly again, ¡°I decided to surprise you today, because I miss you so much¡­ I miss you and I want you.¡±


    She bit on her bottom lip seductively and she began to pop the buttons off his jacket, and then his shirt. She ran her fingers over his muscr chest, trailing light kisses over it while he just sat limp, allowing her do whatever she wanted.


    He wasn¡¯t really in the mood to have sex, but he knew he couldn¡¯t no to her seeing how she had gone extra lengthy just to be with him. She was in a good mood today, refusing her would bring up discussions he didn¡¯t want to have also and so he yed along.


    He helped her pull off his shirtpletely, and then his pants. He pulled her hair away from her face, iming her mouth in a heated kiss.


    As she began to weaken under his touch, he nipped on her neck, carrying her up in his arms bridal style. When he got to the couch in his inner office, he pulled the rest of her clothes off, holding onto her waist and as they became naked together in no time, he began to prepare her before thrusting into her.


    He didn¡¯t stop until she finally climaxed, and he satisfied her thoroughly.

 Chapter Thirty

    Madison wiped her sweaty palms on the faded jeans she was wearing, as she tried to reassure herself that she could do this.


    She could leave her house, go outside, and get some things done, after all it was broad daylight. She had nothing to be scared of, she decided, but the more she kept convincing herself that she could make it, the more afraid she felt.


    Ever since Gina had told her about those people monitoring her, Madison couldn¡¯t help but feel paranoid about the whole thing.


    She could remember how she had ran home that day, forgetting everything she hade to do, and it was not until she was safely locked up in her house that she realized that she had not even done what she had went out to do.


    The main reason why she had gone to the bakery had escaped her memory after Gina had given her that upsetting news, and slumping on her bed tears filling her eyes, she had chided herself when she realized that after all the money she had spent on a cab, the enthusiasm and excitement she had felt, nothing hade out if it.


    Which was why was off to the bakery again today. She wanted to try her luck, and also she really needed a job, to make sure she could take care of herself, pay her rent, and most importantly, keep herself sane.


    She would go crazy if she stayed cooped up in this four walled room, and also she needed to inquire about the employment vacancy, stalker or no stalker.


    Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her small purse and walked out of her house, making sure the lock was secured tightly before leaving.


    She didn¡¯t have enough money for a taxi so she decided to take a bus which would drop her halfway, and then she would walk the rest of the short distance to the bakery.


    Soon she got to her destination with the public bus dropping her of as nned, and then she began the short walk to the bakery.


    Suddenly, while she was walking, she felt herself go cold all over. It felt like someone was watching her, and unable to shake off the feeling that someone was following her, she increased her pace, walking faster.


    She could already see the entrance of the bakery, and just as she took another step she heard the soft but recognizable sound of a camera clicking and instantly she made a turn.


    Right there before he could disappear into the bushes, Madison caught a slight glimpse of a man dressed in ck. She blinked her eyes twice telling herself that she must be dreaming, but the camera sh had been as clear as day and she had seen that bright white light before he ran away.


    Instinctively, already feeling cold all over and afraid she quickened her steps the more as she fled towards the bakery, her hands clutching the sides of her jacket as she tried to calm herself down.


    The moment she got into the bakery, she stared behind her to see if anyone had followed her into the building, but the entrance was empty and looking round she could see that there wasn¡¯t a strange person present.


    What she was seeing instead, were the workers moving around the bakery and engrossed in their chores.


    Fear gripping Madison immediately, she tried her possible best to blend into the crowd just in case the person outside tried anything like following her or what not.


    She walked up to one of the workers, already deciding that she had to get on with her life.


    ¡°Good morning, how may I help you today?¡± The worker recited their customer service mantra, stering a smile on her face, but Madison was not listening, and her eyes continued to roam around the room.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡±


    She quickly turned around, ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry,¡± She blurted out, ¡°I was just wondering if¡­sorry, I got some information from a friend of mine. She said there was a vacancy here, and I was just wondering if it was still avable?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± The worker nodded, looking through something on theputer close to her and finally after some time she looked up at Madison, ¡°Yes, it says there¡¯s a vacancy here. What position would you like to apply for?¡±


    ¡°What positions are there? Meanwhile, I have worked as a pastry chef and as a waitress, so anything simr would be perfect.¡± As Madison spoke, she slipped out a copy of her resume and some other qualifications, and handed to the clerk. She added, ¡°This is a copy of my resume and my employment certification from my previous jobs.¡±


    Thedy nodded, looking through them, ¡°Okay then, thank you foring in. I¡¯ll take these to my supervisor. We¡¯ll need you toe in this Tuesday for an interview.¡±


    Madison breathed out in relief.


    The worker was nice, also sounding positive and this gave her a little bit of hope. If she got this job it would be really helpful, and it would help take her mind off some things that worried and nagged at the back of my mind.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± She said, offering a smile as she turned around and headed out.


    She still had that eerie feeling from earlier, and she still did not feel safe in any way so she quickly made her way through the crowd in the room heading straight towards the exit.


    At least she had done what she came for, and the money spent was not in vain. All she hoped for now was that it worked out for her.


    ¡°Madison!¡±


    Stopping in her tracks, Madison turned to see Gina her friend running up to her. Gina ced a hand on her knees as she got to where Madison was standing, head slightly bent as she tried to catch her breath, ¡°Madison¡­I¡¯ve been calling out for you but I guess you couldn¡¯t hear me. You¡¯re here again?¡±


    Madison gave a polite smile and nodded.


    ¡°Oh, I see. Well, I just wanted to say hi. And I brought you this.¡± Gina added, stretching her hand out to ce the stic bag that contained a loaf of bread to Madison. On a regr day, the scent of freshly baked bread would have tingled Madison¡¯s nose and even put her in a good mood, but today she was too distracted to feel giddy.


    ¡°Thank you so much.¡± She muttered, a polite smile on her face as she took the bread from her.


    ¡°Anytime. I thought you might like some bread, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I do appreciate this, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Um, about thest time¡­ you just upped and left without saying anything. Does it have something to do with the men asking about your family? The ones I told you about?¡±


    This question only reminded Madison of the man that had been following her, increasing her worry and sighing she said gently not trying to sound rude, ¡°Look Gina, I¡¯m really grateful for your concern, but I¡¯ll have to take my leave now. See you around.¡±


    ¡°But Madison¡­¡±


    She turned on her heels swiftly and without saying another word she walked out of the bakery.


    She knew Gina cared, but right now she did not have the time to start giving her the details of everything. She would apologize some other time, and maybe exin but for now she had to go home, her safe haven.


    The man who had been d in ck clothes was nowhere to be found to Madison¡¯s relief, as she looked around but still her heart didn¡¯t stop racing with fear.


    With no time to waste, she quickly began to walk, as she had no money left to take a taxi back home so he still had quite a long way to go. At intervals, her head would snap over to the sides of the road, and when she came into a lonely area she would walk even faster being more alert than ever.


    She didn¡¯t feel safe anymore, and she had no idea what to do about it.


    She didn¡¯t like this at all, and she also had a strong intuition that whatever this was about, it had something to do with her stay in New York.


    Yes! Taking deep breaths, she made a mental note to call Alvarez as soon as she got home.


    She needed to talk to someone who would understand, and since he was also aware of everything that went on in New York, he might have an inkling on what this was about.


    That settled, she hurried forward, breathing out in relief when she saw a group of people she recognized around her neighborhood, walking with her.


    Luckily for her they were going the same way, and trying her best to remain calm, Madison joined them and began to make conversation to distract her from the thought of a possible stalker.


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°Congrattions again on partnering with Antonio Garcia. He has had only good things to say about you so far.¡± Damien heard Mr Scott say.


    As usual whenever his friends and partners in the business circle congratted him on this same partnership, he smiled. It truly was a great feat, and Mr Scott was one who never really liked to talk about hispetition, so for him to have brought this up, then Damien knew that he must have been really impressed, and that was something to be proud of.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± He said, smiling as he resumed his pitch for thetestpany they were going for.


    Mr Scott was his long time business partner and they always worked best when they teamed up to score a business deal, just like they were doing now. Damien usually did note over to his office very often, because apart from being a longtime business partner, Mr Scott was also Katherine¡¯s father.


    Whenever he was here it was almost as though Katherine hung more onto him, as if she was trying to stake her im on him but Damien knew she would not be here today.


    ¡°So, I have spoken with the otherpany and a date has been fixed. They will meet with the board in a week to discuss finance for the new deal.¡± Damien said, hiding his surprise when he caught the old man staring curiously at him.


    He nodded subtly at his words, smiling and then leaning closer to Damien across the desk.


    ¡°All of that is fine, alright. But¡­speaking of sealing deals.¡± He started, his lips curling into a smile, ¡°When do you n on sealing your rtionship with my daughter permanently?¡±


    Damien froze instantly as his jaw ticked, ¡°Permanently?¡± He asked, cursing internally.


    He was hoping that this kind of conversation would note up today, but of course it just had to.


    Mr Scott leaned back into seat, ¡°Ohe on, you know what I mean. You and Katherine have been together for a while now, and I think it¡¯s about time you both made things official. So¡­when¡¯s the wedding?¡± He grinned widely while Damien struggled to hide his shock.


    Marriage? That was thest thing he was thinking of. It wasn¡¯t even on his mind to begin with.


    Before he would have even given it a thought but now, he only gave an awkwardugh and then said, ¡°Katherine and I¡­we haven¡¯t thought about that yet. But you¡¯ll be the first to know as soon as we do. Now about the Wilder deal-¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you started thinking about it?¡± Mr Scott chimed in looking horrified, ¡°Now that won¡¯t do. As you can see, I¡¯m not getting any younger. And with Katherine being my only child, I do want to hold my grandchildren in my arms before I die. It¡¯s been a long time, and I¡¯ve been steadily thinking about it.¡±


    Damien swallowed, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°You both already know my intentions of retiring soon and handing thepany over to the man Katherine marries, and still I haven¡¯t heard anything from you two. You love her, so what¡¯s stopping you?¡±


    Damien was beginning to get ufortable with the discussion.


    Marriage was thest thing he wanted to discuss. He couldn¡¯t even picture himself getting married to Katherine at this point, not with everything going on.


    ¡°Mr Scott¡­¡± He started to say, but was cut off by the office door swinging open, and in shock with curses springing from his lips, Damien watched Katherine walk in.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± Sheughed, walking over and cing a kiss on her father¡¯s cheek, ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you. I¡¯ve missed you so much.¡±


    Mr Scott smiled, cing a hand on her shoulder, ¡°Katherine, my darling. You¡¯re looking beautiful like always.¡±


    Laughing lightly, Katherine faced Damien, ¡°Wow, babe. Fancy meeting the both of you here! What a coincidence.¡±


    Damien could bet that she knew very well her father was here and this little show she was putting on was so it would look like a coincidence, one he just didn¡¯t like. He knew all her tricks, and even though he was disappointed a bit, he forced a smile, ¡°Your father and I had some business to discuss, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Katherine nodded, smiling as she walked over to him, embracing him and cing a kiss to his lips. Damien did not pull away although he was surprised, and as she ended the kiss he had to turn away to keep himself from ring daggers at her.


    ¡°So¡­what are you boys talking about?¡± She asked again, taking her ce beside Damien.


    ¡°I already told you it¡¯s business.¡± Damien started to say at the same time Mr Scott interjected, ¡°Yes, business as you can see, but I was also asking Damien here when you two were nning on tying the knot. I think it¡¯s about time.¡±


    Katherine squealed in surprise, flipping her hands as she ced a hand over her mouth to muffle her excited screams, ¡°Oh my goodness, Dad! That¡¯s a good idea. I¡¯ve been thinking about it too.¡± She pped in excitement and quickly turning to Damien she continued, ¡°Babe, I think dad is right. It¡¯s high time we discussed our wedding. We actually have waited long enough, right? What are your thoughts? I have so many-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to talk about a wedding or our rtionship.¡± Damien spoke through gritted teeth.


    This whole conversation was beginning to piss him off, and he knew that once Katherine got wind of this discussion she would refuse to let it go. This was what he was trying to avoid, but it had already happened.


    His jaw set tight and firm Damien said again, ¡°I¡¯m here to discuss business with your father. And only business. Everything else cer. But for now, you should allow us to carry on with the meeting.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Suddenly everywhere in the room became so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Damien took a deep breath, ignoring the hurt look on Katherine¡¯s face as he finished, because he just didn¡¯t care.


    Resignedly, she folded her arms without a word, her lips shut and asionally shooting res at Damien which he deftly ignored.


    Mr Scott finally cleared his throat, ¡°Damien is right. This is time for business and that we shall discuss.¡± Facing Damien squarely, he nodded a sign to him, so he could resume telling him about the ns they needed to make for the next meeting.


    Damien breathing out in relief,pletely disregarded Katherine, and he began to pass some documents across the table to Mr Scott.

 Chapter Thirty One

    KATHERINE


    The incident at her father¡¯s office had taken ce hours ago, but as Katherine slowly brushed her hair in front of her dressing table, her chest bubbled with rage.


    Needless to say, she had been extremely excited and grateful when her father brought up the talk about her and Damien getting married. To be honest, it had been at the back of her mind the whole time, and at one point she wondered if Damien even thought about getting married and settling down with her at all.


    She had been dropping subtle hints to him for months, and once she even told him about her father¡¯s wishes of her getting married quickly but if she could recall vividly he gave no positive reaction to any of her talks.


    Even when she mentioned matter of factly that her father would hand over hispany to whomever she got married to, it had not moved him at all and back then she had wondered if the hints were way too subtle and t, or if he just chose to ignore them but now¡­ She was convinced that there was more to his neutral behavior that meets the eyes.


    They had been together for quite some time and never for once did he hint at marriage, even though she so much wanted that.


    Which was why she had been so happy to hear her father say they were discussing marriage and a wedding, and her hopes had soared to the high heavens.


    It was about time as well, and the fact that her father was present made her even morefortable.


    Now he had to make his intentions clear, but to Katherine¡¯s greatest surprise Damien had brushed her and her father off.


    She had wanted to say more but she knew her father would not appreciate her causing a scene in his office, or even anywhere near hispany¡­ So she held her peace, boiling inside as she listened to them discuss business at length.


    When they finally concluded, Damien greeted her father and then he was off, without as much as a nce at her!


    Ridden with shock, Katherine watched his retreating figure, but as if a switch had clicked inside her she ran after him.


    After she had screamed her head off at him, asking why he was being so brutish to her, he was still so unapologetic, looking like he didn¡¯t care, and it hurt so much.


    He just didn¡¯t care about anything at all. The fact that he had hurtfully brushed off the marriage talk, and literally acted like she didn¡¯t exist was nothing to him and as she watched him drive away from thepany, she had stood, anger building up within her.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    What was happening to him? What was happening to them?


    She couldn¡¯t understand Damien again at all, and he was acting so weirdtely!


    Was he getting tired of her already? Things had been just fine, so what the hell was going on?


    She paused in the middle of brushing her hair, thinking and thinking until finally it all started to piece itself together, ¡°That fucking bitch!¡± She muttered under her breath.


    There was no other suitable exnation to Damien¡¯s surly behavior, than the fact that it was became of that bitch! It was her! It was all because of her.


    Since that bloody waitress had somehow materialized into their lives, Damien had begun to act so different towards her.


    Days following that event, he started to show her signs by not giving her any attention, and also snapping back at her so easily whenever they argued.


    Now that she noticed, she also noted that he stoppedplimenting her like he used to! It was like¡­ he was only tolerating her, just managing her presence and it was all because of this Madison girl.


    Katherine clutched her hairbrush as she wondered if her greatest fears wereing true at all, and if thedy was truly the cause of this all.


    Damien had stopped showing interest in her, and this was because he was obviously still in love with his ex, who had returned after so many years stirring up feelings inside him.


    For the umpteenth time again since this whole thing started, Katherine wondered what he saw in that bitch. She wasme and of lower ss, she wasn¡¯t even fit to be in their line of sight or their status at all, yet all of this was happening.


    That bitch! That Madison was single-handedly ruining her rtionship with Damien.


    ¡°FUCK!¡± She yelled, her clenched fist connecting with her bedside mirror, which instantly shattered into tiny little pieces.


    Seeing the damage she had caused, Katherine felt shock at first but then ncing up at her uneven reflection on the ss to her bruised knuckles which had begun to bleed, her look turned evil.


    She took short fast breaths, her hands shaking as she tried to calm herself, and counting from one to ten in her head until she finally calmed down she finally rxed a bit.


    Anger still making her shake, she stood to her feet making her way to the bed to pick up her phone. She needed to check up on things, and know if her ns were going like she ordered.


    With everything that happened with Damien today, she needed the investigation to be faster and she needed the answers quickly.


    Suddenly she remembered that she wasn¡¯t supposed to use her normal cell phone, and popping open her bottom drawer she took out the small burner phone she had purchased for this sole purpose, and the  dialed the only number saved on it.


    After it had rung twice, someone finally picked the call and slowly bringing the burner phone to her ear she said, ¡°Give me some news.¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    As Madison scoured through her tiny kitchen in search of something to have for dinner, a loud sound from the back startled her, making her nearly fall over in shock.


    Her heart beginning to pound, she snatched up the first thing she saw on the tabletop; a small kitchen knife.


    ¡°Sorry, Madison! It¡¯s just the cat.¡± She heard Mrs Sterling call out from outside.


    Madison leaned back against the door, a hand ced over her forehead as she greeted Mrs Sterling from the window.


    She had never been this scared before, and as she breathed heavily trying to regain herself, she then remembered that she had forgotten to do something important.


    She had forgotten to call Alvarez.


    Rushing to her bed, she quickly grabbed out her phone from her purse, wanting to go through with it before it would escape her mind again. She was so tired after the long walk back home earlier today, that she hadpleted forgotten about the stalker not until this startling incident.


    The first thing she did when she returned home was to take a cold shower, and jump right into bed. It hadpletely skipped her mind, that she was supposed to call Alvarez.


    Her heart falling to the pit of her stomach now, she nced back at her door, cross-checking it and her window too, making sure they were locked and secure and then after she dialed Alvarez¡¯s number.


    As usual he didn¡¯t waste time in picking up. ¡°Madison? Hey, what¡¯s up? It¡¯s nice to hear from you?¡± He sounded so happy that Madison felt bad, that she was as going to bring him this kind of bad news, but he was her only hope now and she really needed to talk to someone.


    ¡°Alvarez, how are you doing? How¡¯s your wife, and Ivy?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all great.¡± He replied albeit enthusiastically and she could picture him smiling, ¡°We¡¯re good. How¡¯s London treating you?¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡± She managed to croak out.


    There was silence on the other end for a few moments, before he broke it off asking with an rmed tone, ¡°Madison¡­is something wrong? Are you okay?¡±


    Madison rubbed her forehead, ¡°Yes I¡­ No ¡­nothing is fine, Alvarez. I have something I need to tell you.¡± She began, ¡°S-some strange men have been asking all over town for information about me, and the whereabouts of my family.¡±


    ¡°Strange men?¡± He asked, surprise coating his words, ¡°Since when?¡±


    ¡°Weeks now, I heard from someone close to me actually and then today¡­I saw someone sneaking behind the bushes and trying to take pictures of me while I was walking down the road.¡± As she said it out, recalling the memory, chills went down her spine and she shivered a little bit.


    ¡°What?¡± She heard Alvarez yell, ¡°Are you safe?!¡±


    ¡°I-I am. But I¡¯m scared, Alvarez. I¡¯m so scared. I came here to get away from everything that happened in New York, and I just want to be free and live in peace, but why is all of this happening? I know it has something to do with what happ¡­¡± Her voice broke off, and for the first time since forever, hot tears stung at the back of her eyes.


    ¡°Hey, Maddie¡­it¡¯s okay. Just rx okay? Please be careful from now on, and try not to go outte at night.¡±


    Madison sighed deeply, ¡°Please, Alvarez¡­I think we both know who¡¯s behind this.¡± She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, ¡°It¡¯smon knowledge just how much Damien despises my family, and I¡¯m sure seeing me brought back lots of memories of how we treated him back then and now he wants to get his revenge.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you think Damien is behind this?¡± Alvarez sounded confused, and sniffing Madison replied, ¡°Seriously, Alvarez? This should bemon knowledge, and yes he is behind it. Like I said earlier, you know how much Damien hates my father and how bad he was treated. Even if he forgot about it all, seeing me in New York must have rekindled all the memories.¡±


    ¡°God, Madison¡­I¡¯m so sorry.¡± He trailed off.


    ¡°Alvarez, I need your help,¡± She finally said, ¡°P-please plead with Damien on my behalf. I know my family did so many shitty, heartless things to him in the past and none of us deserve his sympathy.. but, I am so sorry for everything. I know it¡¯s not enough but please¡­ I apologize on behalf of all of us. Please, Alvarez. Beg him to just¡­ to just leave us alone. He should leave me alone, please.¡±


    Madison¡¯s voice broke and she raised her hands to her face, wanting to stop the tears from falling.


    She knew exactly what would happen if this somehow got to her family, and they heard about her going to New York, and meeting their arch enemy. Her father and brother wouldn¡¯t hesitate to me her, and they would all use her of being the cause of it all.


    ¡°If¡­if anything happens to any of them, my family, they woulde for me. They will point fingers at me, and me me for it. I really don¡¯t want to get into any sort of trouble with them. So please, I need you¡­in any way you can, just talk to him.¡±


    She heard Alvarez finally sigh, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best Maddie, but I can¡¯t promise you anything. I don¡¯t even know what to say all these seriously, but I¡¯ll try.¡± Madison nodded shakily, her heart filled with a little bit of gratitude. He would try at least and that was all that mattered.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Maddie¡­ I know you don¡¯t like it when I bring this up, but what really happened with you and your family? You still haven¡¯t told me anything and I¡¯m really worried on your behalf. Please Maddie, talk to me.¡±


    Her heart suddenly clenched, and there wasn¡¯t enough air to fill her lungs anymore. Tremors passing through her, she realized that she didn¡¯t want to talk about this.


    ¡°Last I remember, you were so close. What went wrong, Madison? I still can¡¯t seem to wrap my head around it. It¡¯s so strange¡­¡±


    ¡°Alvarez please¡­¡± Madison cut in, trying to hold back the tears that had already started to spill down her cheeks. Talking about the past meant talking about her family, talking about the baby she¡¯d lost and everything she had gone through. She didn¡¯t want to¡­ No! She couldn¡¯t say anything. She wasn¡¯t ready.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I really don¡¯t want to talk about it¡­¡± She sniffed back her tears, wiping her face.


    From the stoic silence from the other end, she knew Alvarez was hurt. But she didn¡¯t know what else to do.


    ¡°Thank you for being so helpful today,¡± She whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Take care of yourself Maddie.¡±


    ¡°Take care, Alvarez.¡± After they had exchanged somewhat awkward goodbyes, Madison hung up.


    The tears spilled from her eyes, andying on her bed she tried to muffle her sobs with a pillow. She was keeping this secret from the one person who truly loved and supported her, and even though it wasn¡¯t right all she just wasn¡¯t ready. She didn¡¯t want to talk about it because it hurt too much.


    It really hurt.


    Burying her head in her pillow, Madison sobbed her heart out, struggling and failing to take the thoughts out of her head until she sessfully cried herself to sleep.

 Chapter Thirty Two

    To put it all in one word, Damien was stressed.


    Frankly, he had been stressed for weeks, with everything that had been going on, the frequent arguments with Katherine, and then work as well.


    He had already decided within himself to take a vacation as soon as all this was over, but that time wasn¡¯ting anytime soon, because he still had a lot to do, especially with all the meetings and projects he had to round up with before the end of the month.


    It was extra pressure because he had to put in twice the work to impress his new partners, and prove to them that he was capable of handling whatever he was required to and so far it was going quite well.


    As he clicked the button to forward a document to one of his business associates, the office phone rang. He reluctantly picked it up, and blurted out crudely, ¡°Yes? Speak, I¡¯m busy.¡±


    ¡°Mr Rudiger is here to see you, sir. Nina his secretary say from the other end adding, ¡°I called because you said you didn¡¯t want to be disturbed, so I wanted to make sure before I sent him in.¡±


    Damien cursed internally. He hadpletely forgotten that Mr Rudiger was due to see him today, and even though he was more than busy right now he knew that this couldn¡¯t wait.


    If he was here now, then it meant that he had information on the case.


    ¡°Send him in.¡± He ordered, recing the receiver and awaiting Mr Rudiger¡¯s arrival.


    It didn¡¯t take long before Damien heard a knock at the door, and giving his assent, the private investigator walked in greeting while he pointed at a chair for him to sit.


    ¡°Yes? I assume you bring news?¡± Damien asked, already beginning to get impatient.


    ¡°Yes I did and it¡¯s about Madison Connor, sir. I spoke to the manager of the cateringpany where she worked. He had no idea of her whereabouts. We finally managed to sweep through all the motels in the city. And it seems like-¡±


    Damien hissed as his office door opened, and looking up to see who had interrupted them without even knocking, he froze instantly when he saw the huge form of Alvarez barge into his office, anger discernible on his features.


    ¡°Alvarez?¡± He began to say but he couldn¡¯t continue his speech because chaos erupted.


    ¡°So¡­after everything you did that poor woman, it still wasn¡¯t enough for you? You still went ahead to send people after her?¡± Alvarez bristled, not even paying Mr Rudiger any heed at all.


    Damien frowned, wondering what Alvarez was going on about.


    At this point he thought he would be used to Alvarez barging into his office, and the arguments they had afterwards but now he could see that it still ticked him off, and it was causing a huge strain on their friendship as well.


    ¡°What on earth are you talking about?¡± Damien snapped.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about you sending those men to stalk Madison!¡± Alvarez said, ring at him, ¡°Haven¡¯t you had your fun humiliating her in front of the whole world. Now you send people to stalk her as well? What is wrong with you?¡±


    Damien frowned, his face scrunching in surprise as he and the private investigator exchanged looks, ¡°Look, you must be mistaken. I never sent any of my men to stalk Madison. I only keep tabs and have my eyes on her family, and you already know this. So I don¡¯t understand what all of this is about.¡±


    Alvarez stared at him, shaking his head, ¡°Some people have been stalking her¡­ how do you exin that then? I know you want revenge on the Connors so just admit it an-¡±


    ¡°I already said I didn¡¯t send people to stalk her! How lowly do you think of me?¡± Damien insisted, ¡°I¡¯m only keeping an eye on her family. Good, Mr Rudiger, my private investigator is here and he¡¯s in charge of the investigation. You can ask him.¡±


    Mr Rudiger turned to face Alvarez, ¡°Good day sir. Yes that¡¯s the truth. We have eyes on the rest of the Connors, and some slight tabs on Madison, but I want to assure you that we¡¯re definitely not stalking her.¡±


    Alvarez stared from the private investigator to Damien, confusion peeking into his features. Damien felt as confused as he looked, because he didn¡¯t quite understand this talk about Madison being followed.


    Where was all this evening from?


    The room went silent as they all exchanged looks, and Damien suddenly remembered why the private investigator was here.


    ¡°The only big move I¡¯ve even made regarding Madison is that I asked my investigator here, to bring me news of Madison¡¯s whereabouts in New York. I only asked them to find out where she stays. No one is stalking her, so just chill.¡± He said again.


    ¡°New York?¡± Alvarez cut in, ¡°What do you mean? Madison is back in London already, and she has been there for a while. Did you forget? I told you about it a few days ago, in this very office.¡±


    What?


    Damien¡¯s eyes widened in shock, his head spinning as he tried his possible best to remember if Alvarez had told him anything.


    Madison was back in London? But how? When? If Alvarez had really told him¡­then how had he forgotten? His head was spinning and he just couldn¡¯t understand it.


    Madison, in London. He had no idea whatsoever, but he just asked his private investigator to look into it.


    Turning to Mr Rudiger with a confused expression, he frowned and said softly his fists clenched, ¡°Where is Madison?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in London. I was just about to tell you before we were interrupted. Madison Connor is no longer in New York, and she left, days ago.¡± Mr Rudiger said quickly.


    Damien fell back against his chair in surprise. His head was spinning wildly, and he definitely wasn¡¯t expecting to hear all this.


    Suddenly a vague memory of Alvarez mentioning something about Madison leaving came to his mind, and blinking twice he wondered how he had forgotten?


    ¡°So what am I supposed to make of the people stalking Madison, then? The woman is practically scared to death. And you¡¯re here telling me you have nothing to do with it?¡±


    Damien held back from rolling his eyes, a pained chuckle escaping his throat, ¡°I already told you, I don¡¯t know what you are talking about. Look, she¡¯s obviously having some kind of hallucination, or just being in paranoid. So whatever means ofmunication you both are using, let her know that. No one is stalking her. I¡¯m only keeping tabs on her parents, and that¡¯s it.¡±


    Alvarez watched him carefully as though he did not believe him one bit.


    ¡°You know this doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re innocent or anything. Why are you suddenly searching for Madison in New York then? Haven¡¯t you hurt her enough already? She already paid for the dress, so what do you want?¡±


    Damien felt his jaw tic, ¡°This is none of your business, and I don¡¯t want to even have this conversation.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well Madison is my friend and whatever concerns her, concerns me. What do you want from her? You said you were keeping tabs on her family as well, what do you want with them? Are you not tired?¡±


    Damien immediately red up, his fury rising to the surface.


    He could handle and understand Alvarez being protective about Madison, but not her family! Not after everything they put him through! Hell no.


    ¡°Whatever I want to do with the Connors is none of your business!¡± He spat, ¡°The sooner you know that, the better it¡¯ll be for all of us. I hope you understand that!¡±


    Alvarez didn¡¯t get to say anything because the door had fallen open again, to reveal Katherine who slowly made her way into the office, curiosity written all over her face.


    Great! Just great!


    ¡­¡­.


    KATHERINE


    It felt like d¨¦j¨¤ vu to Katherine as she walked into Damien¡¯s office, only that this time, she had not gotten the chance to hear what they had been talking about.


    Her eyes narrowed, and slowly she observed the men in the room.


    The atmosphere was obviously tense, and she was itching to find out why, and what was happening. Murmuring a short greeting to Alvarez which went unanswered and the other man seated, she moved to where Damien was standing.


    ¡°Babe.¡± She smiled, cing both hands on his chest and smoothing out thepels of his jacket, ¡°Are you okay? What¡¯s up?¡± She asked, leaning forward to ce a kiss on his lips, but he subtly refused her advances.


    He sent her a stoic look, gripping her hands and pulling it off his chest, and snapped harshly, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Katherine cocked an eyebrow in surprise at his tone, and staring at him she asked, ¡°What am I doing here? Do I need an invitation toe see my boyfriend? Why would you ask me that?¡±


    Damien raked a hand through his hair, and much to her disappointment again he said, ¡°Katherine you gave to leave now. I¡¯m busy at the moment, and I have important things to take care of.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± Katherine sputtered, her jaw dropping in shock.


    She couldn¡¯t believe her ears, and her face reddening she whirled around to see the strange man and Alvarez watching her.


    ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡± She thundered again, not caring that they weren¡¯t alone and facing Damien fully, ¡°Why would you talk to me like-¡±


    ¡°I said, leave. This instant!¡± Damien shot back, his chest heaving as he red at her, and Katherine staggered backwards in shock, her ears reddening in embarrassment as he stood ordering her out.


    How dare he talk to her like she was a child? She asked herself, still standing stiff and unmoving until he once again motioned across the room.


    ¡°Alvarez! Escort her outside.¡± He snapped and Alvarez who looked only too eager to follow his instructions started to approach her, cornering her away from Damien and leading her out the door.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch me!¡± She yelled, rage bubbling in her chest as she red at Alvarez,  ¡°Don¡¯t you daree near me!¡±


    She knew Alvarez had been hoping for an opportunity like this, and it was apparent from the proud glint in his eyes as he approached her. She felt the urge to smack him in the face, but she knew that was a terrible idea and now her hate for him only intensified.


    She bit the inside of her cheek as she stood in the middle of the room, walking steeply.


    Her face flushed from all the anger and shame she was feeling, she cast onest re at Damien and huffing loudly she stormed out of the office, making sure to bang the door behind her.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter Thirty Three

    Madison forced the nearly stale piece of bread into her mouth and forced herself to chew on it.


    It was all she had at home now and she had no wish to spend the little money she had left with her, as it would barely be enough to feed her for a week, so she was trying to manage.


    When she finally managed to get the bread down her throat she downed two sses of water and then lowered herself onto the bed. She was exhausted.


    Her talk with Alvarez had triggered her and now she was in a phase of self loathing and pity. She had no desire to do anything either.


    Earlier this morning, Mrs Sterling hade knocking to check up on her, but Madison had pretended to be asleep until she gave up. She felt bad about the whole thing but she couldn¡¯t help it. After a while ofying on the bed Madison decided to get up, and stretch her legs a little.


    She had done literally nothing the whole of today, and even though she had thought of taking a stroll outside, she had decided against it since the weather was too cold for that right now, and coupled with the fact that she wasn¡¯t safe out alone anymore given the strange man in the bushes from the other day, Madison could already see that her idea was a lost cause.


    As Madison tried to make up her mind, a knock sounded on the door, jolting her from her thoughts. Thinking it might be Mrs Sterling trying to check up on her for the second time today and already feeling bad, Madison quickly opened the door.


    ¡°Mrs St¡­¡± She broke off, words failing her as she stared at the male figure in front of her.


    Sucking in a sharp breath, her legs suddenly felt wobbly like it would give out from under her, and it took all the strength she had in her not to shrink away from him and bang the door close.


    ¡°Mason?¡± She finally managed to say.


    Her eyes roamed over her elder brother¡¯s face, noticing the subtle changes, and her chest tightening painfully at the same time. She hadn¡¯t seen him in a long while, neither had she had any form of contact with him whatsoever, so what was he doing here? She wondered.


    He was staring back at her too, his expression cold, and Madison couldn¡¯t help but suddenly feel like a little girl again. She instinctively wiped her sweaty palm on her clothes, and made way for him to get in all whine without saying another word.


    epting the invitation, Mason walked into the house and from the way his eyes scanned the room when he got in, Madison could clearly see the contempt and disgust in his eyes.


    The house was suddenly feeling smaller than it was with Mason standing in it, and Madison swallowed heavily.


    ¡°Would you like to s-sit?¡± she asked, hating that her voice was trembling, and instead of Mason to say anything he only red at her.


    He scoffed as he looked through the room and then at Madison.


    ¡°Um, would you like some tea?¡± She tried again, also remembering the biscuits she had gotten in the train some days back but forgotten to eat them.


    Hopefully they would still be good, and she quickly moved to her bed, ransacking her purse trying to get ahold of the packet of biscuits.


    ¡°Give me a few seconds to put the tea kettle on¡­¡± She said, hurrying to the kitchen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with any of that.¡± He said, speaking for the first time and Madison froze in her footsteps.


    ¡°Oh! Well¡­ you¡¯re my guest. Wouldn¡¯t you like some tea too?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯te all the way here to eat or drink Madison.¡± He snapped, making Madison look down at her feet, fingers folded together.


    She always hated it when he used that harsh tone, and even though she thought after all this years she would have gotten used to it, she still hadn¡¯t. The tone was just simr to the one their fathers used, and it made her feel useless¡­ like she was always doing something wrong.


    Madison felt tears welling up in her eyes but she pushed them back, and in a shaking voice still desperate to change the subject she asked, ¡°How are you doing? What about your wife and kids?¡±


    Honestly, she couldn¡¯t care less about his family, as all she really wanted to know was why he was here, but then she had to take it slow.


    One thing was obvious though¡­ He wasn¡¯t here to check up on her or go easy with her. She knew that something really important must¡¯ve happened for him toe all the way here, but what could that possibly be?


    Whatever it was, by the looks of things didn¡¯t seem to good, and he didn¡¯t look so excited to be here either.


    Ignoring her question perfectly, Mason tucked out a couple of magazine tabloids Madison had not noticed him holding before.


    Cursing out incorrigibly, he flung the papers at Madison¡¯s feet, the cover openly disyed to reveal pictures of her and Damien.


    Even as she stood, she could see it all. The disgrace at the dinner event. The club, the motel paparazzi pictures with Alvarez and as she stared at the tabloids, her lips fell open in shock.


    No, no, no! This couldn¡¯t be happening.


    How had they seen it? The tabloids had gotten to them as well, but how?


    Madison shivered as she tried to imagine her father and brothers reactions when they first saw this. She shook her head repeatedly as she looked up from the tabloids to face her brother, ¡°Mason¡­ it¡¯s not what you think.¡±


    He shot her a disgusted look, his temples throbbing with anger  ¡°Really? It¡¯s not what I think? Well in that case please exin to me what the fuck is going on between you, and our family enemy? Damien fucking Daniels! It¡¯s bad enough that he¡¯s someone we despise, and then you went ahead to shamefully appear in these magazines disgracefully with him? Bloody hell!¡±


    ¡°It- it¡¯s not like that!¡± Madison cried, ¡°You¡¯re taking it the wrong way. You have no idea what really happened and I can-¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, Madison! Shut up!¡± He thundered, making her stagger backwards. Tears burned the back of her eyes, as she tried to regain herposure. How would she tell him everything that had truly happened if he wouldn¡¯t even let her speak?


    ¡°Why do you always have to be so stupid? Just tell me why?¡± Mason thundered again, ¡°You know our family¡¯s history with him and yet you do this? You know we all hate him, and after all these years as if he hasn¡¯t put you to scorn, you allow him do this? Tell me, what are you two involved in? What business do you have with him?¡±


    A tear dropped from Madison¡¯s eyes, ¡°If you¡¯d just let me exin¡­¡±


    He scoffed, moving closer to her. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare even think of pulling any stupid moves honestly!¡± His voice was low now and almost in a whisper he added, ¡°If you so much as think about it, then just know we will cut you off for good. If there¡¯s still a drop of love and affection left for you anywhere in our family, I promise you it will die offpletely.¡±


    Drop of love left for her? Cutting her off for good? Madison almost scoffed out loud as she tried to decipher the meaning of his words. They had already cut her off. They rarely visited or called, and she was like the prodigal child of Mr Connor, so what was he talking about.


    However, tears washing down Madison¡¯s face as she shook her head, she tried to forget all about that as she said, ¡°You don¡¯t understand anything, and you won¡¯t let me exin. I met him at this event¡­ and I identally-¡±


    ¡°Just stop with your excuses, okay? It¡¯s pathetic!¡±


    The venom in his voice shook Madison to the core, and as she stared at him, she could see just how much he hated her.


    Ever since her involvement with Damien back when they were still young, he had seemingly cut her out of his life.


    The loving older brother she had was gone, and right from then there was always something wrong with her.


    Madison, this. Madison, that. She was always either dumb or pathetic in his eyes, and he was showing that same attitude and hatred today too. He hadn¡¯t even given her a chance to exin herself, just walking into her house ready to condemn her and see faults.


    Her chest heaved as she felt a sudden anger creep into her and swiping her hand, across her teary eyed face she began, ¡°What did I ever do to you? Why do you hate me so much? You, dad even Michael ¡­ all of you!¡± Tears streamed down in torrents but Madison didn¡¯t bother to wipe them away this time, ¡°You lots tossed me out in the streets, disowned mepletely and now you im to have an ounce of love for me? I never call to ask for anything, any favors whatsoever and it¡¯s been so many years since you visited or we even see each other. Now, youe after all these while, and you still talk to me this way? You still despise me¡­¡± Her voice broke, ¡°You hate me, Mason. I can see it in your eyes, I can feel it all around you. W-why is that why¡­¡±


    If she was expecting him to feel any iota of remorse she was already in for a shock, because Mason only red at her in contempt.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    ¡°Oh I hate you right? You want to know why I hate you?¡± He began, ¡°Take a look in the fucking mirror. You¡¯re a sick excuse of a sister. You don¡¯t even deserve to bear the name Connor. You¡¯re a disgrace¡­ to yourself and to your family. I can¡¯t even stand to look at you. You disgust me.¡± He spat at her feet, shaking his head.


    Madison¡¯s eyes stung and she bit her tongue to stop herself from sobbing.


    ¡°You brought shame onto our family, you practically ruined all our lives because of your stupidity! Ruined our family, ruined our name, the family business as well because of the scandal. And this all because you¡¯re a fucking slut, who couldn¡¯t keep herself under control!¡±


    Madison was crying heavily now, his words cutting deep into her. Her chest hurt as so many emotions ran through her, and she could see how angry he was, his eyes wild.


    He walked closer to her, menacingly and with a sneer on his lips, ¡°I warn you again¡­ If you dare to pull any stunts, I promise you¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡± She broke, her hands stretched out as if to touch him but he scooted away from her.


    Giving her onest nce over, he spat again on the floor and with that, he was gone, storming out of the house and banging the door behind him.


    Madison fell to the floor in a heap, staring at the door, unable to move or do anything.


    She knew she waspletely alone, but now that piece of information hurt like hell.


    They all hated her, everybody hated her. Including her own family, and if Madison thought she had felt great pain in the past few weeks, with everything happening but this¡­ This was more than pain.


    It was heart-shattering numbness, and she just wanted to float away.


    Letting herself cry her heart out, choking on her tears as her hand moved to her stomach, Madison wondered if things would have been different with a baby.


    What if her baby had lived till this day? She wouldn¡¯t have to be alone, and maybe she would have been better off than she was right now.


    Maybe she would have been happier.


    Another heavy blow to her chest, Madison became riddled with the feeling that she knew that she would never experience this, or ever know what it would feel like.


    She would never be able to get pregnant again, and she would never be able to hold her own child in her hand ms again.


    At this point it seemed like all she attracted to herself was pain, heartache and she was tired of it all.


    She was so so tired¡­


    ¡­¡­.


    Damien raked a hand through his disheveled hair, as he took another sip of the whiskey in his hand.


    He had decided toe home earlier than normal, so he would be able to rest his head for a while.


    Alvarez¡¯s revtion about Madison leaving, kept reying in his head like a loop and he wasn¡¯t quite sure how to feel about it.


    Why now? Why did she have to leave, only when he was realizing his subtle mistakes? He wondered.


    He wanted to talk to her¡­ he needed to but he had taken so long to get his pride over with, and now that he was finally ready she was gone.


    Worse still, he had no idea how to get to her. Even if his private investigator found out her current location, what could he do about it? It¡¯s not like he could fly to London or¡­


    He shut his eyes tightly as the thought came to mind.


    Madison was not some ordinary person in his life, and there was a time he would do anything for her. So what if¡­ what if he did fly to London? What if he did go back to that ce, that haunted him madly? What if he returned to the past?


    He needed to talk to her, and he didn¡¯t know why but he was having a nagging feeling that there were so many things he needed to resolve with her, and the first step would be having a conversation to foster things.


    If flying to London was the only way to do that then¡­


    No!


    ¡°No, no!¡± Damien muttered, shaking his head.


    London! Only the name of that city felt bitter, and he just couldn¡¯t go back there.


    Pain squeezed his insides at the thought of going back to that city, and revisiting his past just like he had thought earlier.


    He just¡­couldn¡¯t. His years there had been the very worst in his life, and every single ce he would look at, everywhere he would pass would hold a bad memory.


    Memories that he longed to forget. Memories of poverty, of pain, of hunger and suffering¡­ he couldn¡¯t.


    When he had gotten the opportunity to leave back then, he had done so without a second thought, and Damien remembered the promise he had made to himself to never, ever go back there.


    Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he pondered on the entire situation. What was he to do? What could he possibly do to get to her? As different thoughts raced through his mind, he immediately stood from the stool he was sitting in as he recalled something.


    Of course, there was something he hadpletely forgotten about. The mail from Mr Rudiger.


    Damien sighed¡­ He had told his private investigator that he would have a look at it, but he hadn¡¯t gotten round to it due to how busy he had been. Snatching up his phone from his dresser, he scrolled through it, tapping on the mail once again.


    As he clicked on the first attachment and waited for it to load, his phone screen suddenly turned dark to reveal an iing call.


    As soon as he saw the caller ID he let out a loud hiss, annoyance raging through him.


    It was Katherine!


    Why couldn¡¯t she just let him be? She always made an entrance at the wrong time, interrupting him especially when it had to do with something important and now as he thought of what had happened in his office earlier, he was bing more angry.


    He clicked on the red button, ending the call before it could ring for too long.


    He knew that she would still call back a million times ready to start nagging again, and Damien didn¡¯t want that at all.


    Not even caring about the mail again, he switched his phone off and tossed it back on the nearby table.


    He needed peace and quiet for a while, and also he didn¡¯t feel like seeing or talking to anyone right now, least of all Katherine. His patience was too thin for that now.


    Sighing again, he stood, tugging off his tie and slipping out of his work clothes as he stepped into the bathroom.


    A shower and a hot cup of coffee would do a lot of good now.

 Chapter Thirty Four

    KATHERINE


    Katherine was more than fed up.


    She was fed up with the way Damien had been treating her these past few weeks. She was fed up with the fights, the non-stop arguments, and she was fed up with having to constantly lower herself to the point of begging for attention from her own boyfriend.


    She was fed up and angry, and she was going to do something about it.


    Stepping harder on the brake, and increasing her speed as she drove to Damien¡¯spany, she thought of what to do.


    After thest time he had embarrassed her in front of Alvarez and his investigator she was still sore from it, and worse still he never even bothered to call her or apologize.


    She needed answers from him, and no matter what happened, she was going to get them today.


    Soon she got to the building, and parking at the front, she mbered out of the car, grabbed her purse from the passenger seat and started to make her way straight to his office.


    As she neared his office, she saw his secretary jump to her feet at the sight of her. ¡°M-miss Scott, Mr Daniels is busy and asked not to be disturbed. If you could give me a moment to inform him of your arrival, I would¡­¡±


    Katherine eyes shot daggers, as red at her. ¡°If you¡¯d like to know what happens when you try to keep a woman away from her man, stop me from going in.¡± She spat, venom coating her every word.


    Slowly, the secretary moved away, fear evident in her eyes and bowing her head, she shuffled back to her seat, while Katherine with a loud hiss, walked into the office.


    The minute she saw Damien, his expression changed to that of irritation as their eyes locked, and cocking his eyebrows he demanded albeit harshly, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    This only made Katherine more angry, and she blurted out, ¡°What am I doing here? Since when do you ask me questions like that? I am your girlfriend for crying out loud! What is going on with you Damien? Is this how you wee me?¡±


    Silence descended the minute she finished talking, and for some seconds the only sound in the room was that of theirbored breathing before Damien finally rubbed at his forehead and started to say, ¡°Look, Katherine¡­I really don¡¯t have time for this okay-¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She yelled, ¡°No! Not this time, okay? And you can go ahead, call security if you want to, but I¡¯ll tell you straight to your face that I¡¯m not leaving.¡±


    When Damien only staredzily at her, she scoffed, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you pick up when I called you?¡± She suddenly asked, ¡°I called yesterday and you ignored me. You never ignore me unless you¡¯re at work, and it waste back then. I also knew for for a fact that you weren¡¯t at work! So what happened?¡±


    ¡°Are you keeping tabs on me now?¡± Damien shot back, not answering her question at all.


    ¡°And why would you say that? I called the office and you weren¡¯t in. This¡­¡± She gestured at him spreading her arms all around, ¡°This is exactly what I¡¯m talking about. You¡¯ve been acting so strange with metely, and you know it. You don¡¯t call, and when I do call you ignore me. Okay fine, you don¡¯t text me, and when I do text or confront you on your silly behaviors you act like I annoy you or something. I mean¡­the other day at Daddy¡¯s office, you brushed off talk about our wedding. We are supposed to be engaged for crying out loud! What¡¯s all this?¡±


    ¡°Katherine¡­ I¡¯m really not in the mood for any of this right now. Please, I have a lot to do and¡­¡±


    Katherine gave a bitterugh, ¡°Of course you¡¯re always busy even though now, I highly doubt that. It¡¯s always work, work, all the time. I can¡¯t even remember whenst we spent time together, just me and you. You¡¯ve been so busy with work, and your so called investigation, it¡¯s like I don¡¯t even exist and¡­¡±


    She saw guilt materialize on Damien¡¯s face and she knew her charm, was working. She had made the right decision bying here, and she had wanted him to feel the guilt, see how much she felt abandoned  by him. And then just like he should, he would them work to earn her forgiveness.


    Damien stared at her from his seat and then he sighed, slowly turning off hisputer and getting up from the chair. He approached her, cing one hand on her shoulder.


    He had a neutral look on his face though, as his expression was not to remorseful and she didn¡¯t know what to make of it.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t say that¡­ don¡¯t talk like that. You¡¯re right¡­¡± He rubbed his forehead, ¡°I¡¯ve been so distractedtely, and about yesterday, I put my phone on silent because I was working. Then I had to switch it off when you called, because I didn¡¯t have any battery.¡±


    Katherine folded her arms unsatisfied and faced the other way, still clearly hurt or at least feigning to be. She pulled a face when he ced a finger below chin, making her look up at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being so distant these past few weeks, and making you feel this way. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    When she still didn¡¯t react, he rubbed her cheeks between his fingers, pulling her to him in a hug which she reluctantly melted into, and holding onto her, rocking back and forth he continued to mutter some apologies, until finally she beamed, unable to hold herself back.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to make it up to me, you know right?¡±


    Damien nodded instantly, ¡°Definitely. Dinner tonight? Anywhere you want to go.¡±


    ¡°Yeah dinner. That sounds nice.¡±


    ¡°Settled then.¡± He pulled her forward again, tucking her hair behind her ears and leaning in, he trapped her lips in a soft kiss which she quickly responded to.


    She leaned in for another hug, liking the feel of Damien¡¯s soft lips on her neck, and just like that knowing she was satisfied today, the wheels in her head started spinning as she began to cook up a n.


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison was startled by the sound of someone knocking at her door.


    She swallowed, staring at the door and not making any move to open it at all.


    She was still quite shaken up from Mason¡¯s visit, and thest thing she needed right now was another episode or any more surprises.


    She breathed out in relief when the knocking stopped.


    She just wanted to be left alone.


    She was tired of the bad luck and the constant confrontations, and now she just wanted to rest.


    The knock resounded again, after a while stopping Madison who was just about toy down in her bed.


    ¡°Madison? Madison? Are you in?¡±


    Immediately she froze, already recognizing that voice.


    Gina? It was Gina.


    Quickly she rushed to the door, unlocking it and bbering out apologies as she saw her friend standing outside the door, she lied at the same time, ¡°Oh goodness Gina, I¡¯m so freaking sorry, I just heard the knock. Have you been standing here for too long?¡±


    Gina smiled, shaking her head, ¡°No, not really. I was worried you weren¡¯t home that¡¯s why.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry about that. Come on in.¡± Madison quickly ushered her in, shutting the door at the same time.


    She remembered how herst meeting with her friend had gone, how she had left abruptly and now she suddenly felt so guilty.


    ¡°Gina¡­¡± She began after her friend walked in, ¡°I never apologized for thest time we saw, and I had to leave in a haste. I realize how weird I must¡¯ve acted back at the bakery, and that day I was not really in my right frame of mind. I was just really confused and trying to make sense of some things you know, but¡­ But I don¡¯t want you to bother now, cause I¡¯m fine already. I¡¯m so sorry if I made you feel weird in anyway.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Maddie. I understand.¡± Gina smiled, making Madison feel instantly relieved.


    Leading her to her bed, which was the only ce to sit as Madison didn¡¯t own really any furniture, she said again, ¡°It¡¯s so nice to see you. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d ever have any time toe see me, seeing as you are so busy with work at the bakery.¡±


    Ginaughed, ¡°Nah, I only worked for a few hours today and besides, I had an excuse toe see you.¡± Smiling, she unzipped her purse, taking out a white envelope and handing it to Madison, ¡°Here.¡±


    Madison took it carefully, wondering at the wide grin on her friend¡¯s face, ¡°What is this?¡± She asked but Gina was suddenly quiet, just beaming widely at her.


    Slipping her finger between the folds Madison tore the envelope, bringing out a paper and opening it she read through and¡­ ¡°Oh my God!¡± She yelled, her handing up to her mouth, jaw dropping slightly open, ¡°Certificate of employment? No, someone tell me I¡¯m dreaming. I.. I¡­ This is from the bakery right and¡­¡±


    Gina nodded intermittently,ughing at the expression on Madison¡¯s face, ¡°Yes you read right. You got the job! You¡¯ve been employed at the bakery!¡± She squealed as she finished her sentence.


    ¡°B-but how?!¡± Madison began to wonder, ¡°They asked me toe back a few dayster.¡±


    Gina nodded, ¡°Yeah. But apparently, everyone else who came for the job was rejected. I offered to bring the letter to you myself when I saw it on the board.¡±


    Madisonughed in disbelief, ncing down at the letter once more. She had gotten epted and was required to resume next week. She almost couldn¡¯t believe it. She had a job now. At a huge bakery with a very good pay, and it all looked like some kind of miracle.


    Things had been going so shitty for her these past few weeks, that she had half-expected to scale through this as well, but here she was, suddenly employed and with a stable job.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    For once things seemed to be going right. Fuck it! She had a job! And a good one at that, and she began tough uncontrobly, feeling tears sting the back of her eyes. She didn¡¯t bother to wipe them away, the moment they began to stream down her face.


    She really couldn¡¯t remember thest time she received positive news. It was so heartwarming that it felt unreal.


    ¡°Madison, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Gina asked, shocked to see her crying obviously and as she scooted closer to Madison, cing one arm over her shoulder, she said again, ¡°Why are you crying? Is something wrong?¡±


    Madisonughed through her tears, shaking her head as she waved her hand, ¡°I can¡¯t even exin how I¡¯m feeling Gina. Everything is fine though, it¡¯s just that¡­ I¡¯m just s-so happy, you know? These liquid streaming down my face are tears of joy.¡± Sheughed again.


    ¡°Aww, I understand¡­ Come here.¡± Gina cooed slightly, patting Madison¡¯s back as she helped her wipe her tears away, ¡°Cheer up, okay?¡±


    Madison nodded continuously, finally managing to wipe her tears away.


    ¡°I¡¯m so excited for us to work together!¡± Gina squealed, ¡°It¡¯d be nice, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Madison agreed, ¡°Yes, yes! I was just thinking about this too. I¡¯m d I know you. At least I won¡¯t feel so much like a stranger, on my first day there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly! Tell you what, after you¡¯ve worked for some days at the bakery we¡¯re going to go celebrate. Drinks, dancing, bowling, karaoke, whatever you want, we are sure as hell going to do it.¡±


    Madison found herself giggling, feeling warm and happy all over.


    It¡¯d been long since she felt this way, and giggling she answered, ¡°Sure! That¡¯d be nice. I can¡¯t remember thest time I went out just to chill and loosen up a little bit, and I could use one now. So yes, we should do that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a date, then!¡± Gina winked, and Madison found herself giving her first genuineugh in months. Even if she wasn¡¯t sure how long it wouldst, she didn¡¯t care.


    She was happy and she decided she would live in the moment!

 Chapter Thirty Five

    ¡°I¡¯m making lunch. I¡¯ll bring some over to the officeter.¡±


    No! Damien wanted to yell this from his end of the phone call, but he bit his tongue and swallowed his words back. He didn¡¯t want to offend her at all, and so he listened to Katherine call out the list of things she was considering making for lunch.


    Even after he had made up his mind to tell her about the lunch disaster from thest time, he had forgotten, and yet again she was about to do the exact same thing for him.


    After they made up thest time at his office, Katherine had been trying ever so fervently to bring things back to normal.


    She was spending almost each night with him since that day, calling him, and leaving romantic messages that he barely replied to.


    Theirst dinner date had gone pretty well and Damien was convinced that she was over it all, maybe she outs give him some space now that he¡¯d apologized but his hopes were short lived because now it seemed she was trying so hard, which he didn¡¯t expect at all.


    He longed to tell her that herst ¡®lunch¡¯ had scarred him, but he didn¡¯t want to risk getting into another fight and he didn¡¯t even have the energy to bear one.


    ¡°Okay, that sounds great. But I have a meeting right after my usual lunch break, so I don¡¯t think you cooking again would be necessary.¡± He said, hoping his words would dissuade her at least.


    ¡°Oh okay, I¡¯ll just send someone to drop it off then.¡± She said and added, ¡°But you have to promise to send a picture of you eating it.¡±


    Damien shut his eyes in relief a bit. This was good. If she wasn¡¯t around she couldn¡¯t force him to eat, and he could pretty much look like he was eating the food when he took a picture. ¡°Okay then, bye I have to go now.¡±


    ¡°Bye, see youter love!¡±


    As soon as he ended the call, he tossed his phone on the table and leaned back into his chair.


    Picking up the office phone, he ordered his secretary into his office, and in less than two minutes she appeared.


    ¡°Sir¡­¡± She greeted, ¡°You rang for me?¡±


    Damien nodded, ¡°I need you to get my lunch arranged from the restaurant.¡±


    ¡°The usual?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the usual.¡± He nodded, pushing away the guilt that had begun to prick him in the chest. He couldn¡¯t possibly work for ten hours straight, and then proceed to eat garbage because his girlfriend was experimenting her culinary skills.


    His secretary nodded and was about to leave when Damien remembered something, ¡°Oh, and Mr Rudiger will be here soon to see me so don¡¯t bother checking in, just let him in.¡±


    The private investigator had informed him earlier this morning that he had some news, and this was part of the reason why Damien had not gone back home already since he was already done with work.


    An hour after Damien had eaten his lunch and was reviewing some of his notes, Mr Rudiger walked into the office. Damien looked up offering him a seat as they exchanged greetings.


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping you have something for me?¡± Damien asked, ncing curiously at the files in the private investigator¡¯s hand.


    Mr Rudiger nodded, ¡°Yes, sir I do have something interesting that you¡¯d most definitely want to hear. It concerns Mr Connor directly.¡±


    Damien adjusted in his seat, ¡°Yes? Go on.¡±


    Now the case was underway again, and more than ever Damien realized how much he actually wanted this. With everything that had happened in the past several weeks, it was almost like he had taken his eyes off the important thing but not anymore.


    The investigation was back in full force, and he needed to know every single detail¡­ He wanted to know just enough to slip in unannounced, and destroy that dastardly family that had made his teenage life a living hell.


    ¡°Remember you asked me to run a check on his worth now, and everything regarding his business right? Ranging from public shares, investments, property? Well we did that and it turns out he has sold off everything he owned. Including the processing factory you mentioned one time, and his old mansion, but luckily I managed to find the people he sold it to.¡±


    Damien sat up straighter, his mind racing with ideas as he formted a n in his head.


    So Mr Connor had nothing more to his name. That exined a lot already, and the news was more than good.


    He could buy back the factory and their home¡­ that would hit them most.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Mr Rudiger slipped a printed map out of the files he was holding, turning it so Damien would get a better view. ¡°This¡­is the spot where the mansion was located. The buyer was going to build a hotel in the area, but for the right price, he¡¯s willing to sell. The same goes for the factory as well.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ve discussed with these people?¡± Damien asked.


    Mr Rudiger nodded, ¡°I had it in mind that you might be interested in the property so I  scheduled a meeting with them as soon as I could. And we¡¯ve alsoe to a sort of agreement.¡±


    Damien was still buried in his thoughts.


    ¡°The factory and the mansion, are two of the very things Mr Connor built from his blood and sweat. He would be furious if hees to know they are in your possession, because even if it¡¯s no more his, it would still mean that they would remain indebted to you forever.¡±


    For the first time in days, Damien smiled. This was the best way to start a revenge plot. He could already imagine the look of astonishment on Mr Connor¡¯s face when he came to realize this, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile to himself.


    He faced Mr Rudiger, grinning widely,  ¡°Then it¡¯s is settled. Meet with these people, draft up a sales contract and finalize everything. We¡¯re buying it!¡±


    Damien threw his head back, jubting internally. He decided that this was a sess¡­ one step closer to where he wanted to be. It was perfect!


    ¡°Right away, sir.¡±


    ¡°And remember, all of this must be done anonymously. Do not reveal to them who you are working for. Just in case they happen to still be in contact with the Connors. There will be no names mentioned, just contracts and cash. Understood?¡±


    Mr Rudiger nodded, ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    ¡°Good, thank you!¡±


    As the private investigator proceeded to pack up his files, Damien rxed into his chair, his mind somewhere else.


    Speaking of the Connors had made him think of Madison. He still had not made up his mind about the whole thing, of visiting her to talk and all.


    He couldn¡¯t go to London, and he couldn¡¯t just sit back here and do nothing either. The thought of going to London made him sick to the stomach, and he sucked in a sharp breath trying to make up his mind.


    ¡°One more thing, Mr Rudiger.¡± He called out just as the private investigator neared the exit, and he quickly turned.


    Damien felt his chest tighten as the investigator waited for him to speak, but he was busy weighing his options.


    Going to London was a big step he wasn¡¯t sure he was ready to take yet, but there was a lot on the line and he couldn¡¯t move any further if he didn¡¯t get to talk to her first.


    ¡°While you¡¯re at it with the buyers, I need you to do something else in London.¡±


    ¡°Okay sir¡­?¡±


    Damien swallowed, ¡°I need you to find Madison Connor¡¯s current location. Where she stays in London now, and whatever piece of information you can find as well, you do so and get back to me.¡±


    ¡°Okay. That can be done.¡± With onest nod at Damien, the private investigator exited the office, leaving Damien to his thoughts.


    Maybe this would be his first step to facing his past, he decided, trying to steady his breathing once more.


    A step that he wasn¡¯t so excited to take.

 Chapter Thirty Six

    Madison licked the whipped cream off her fingers as she tossed thest piece of donut in her mouth.


    She shut her eyes, nearly moaning at how good the snack tasted.


    Working at a bakery had its perks after all, and as she licked her fingers once more, she walked into her kitchen, putting away the loaf of bread she hade back with safely in the only drawer in her kitchen.


    She secretly prayed that the mice that usually roamed around the house wouldn¡¯t find it.


    Walking back to her bed, she sighed, pulling off her shoes and tugging her clothes off. She had started work at the bakery officially a few days ago and so far it was going pretty great. The job was a little stressful as she had expected for such a nice pay, but well she wasn¡¯tining.


    She had no choice, and moreover, she had also made a few friends these past few days, with Gina being there another huge bonus for her.


    She was also delighted that she had someone to hang out with during lunch breaks, and also someone who walked with her back home. Everything was going fine, and Madison was slowly starting to believe that things were now going good for her.


    However with all her experiences she knew not to get her hopes too high, because just as she was feeling positive, something coulde tarnish this joy and she shuddered at the thought.


    Tapping on her phone she saw that it was almost 8pm.


    Time seemed to go by whenever she was was in her thoughts, and now she still needed to shower and get some rest which she absolutely needed.


    As she wrapped her towel around herself and headed for the bathroom, her phone began to ring and whirling around to check who it was, she swallowed when she saw that it was Alvarez calling.


    She just remembered that she had asked him to do something for her as regards the men stalking her, and now she didn¡¯t know why she was suddenly feeling worried that he might have bad news although she wasn¡¯t sure why.


    ¡°Hello, Alvarez.¡± She greeted immediately she picked up, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. Is this a bad time to talk to you?¡±


    Madison frowned, wondering if her voice had given her worries away, ¡°No, no, of course not. I¡¯m just a little tired, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay.¡± There was silence on the other end for a few seconds and then she heard Alvarez sigh, ¡°I did as you asked. I spoke to Damien.¡±


    Madison¡¯s fingers clutched tightly at her towel, the second she heard the name she detested, and trying to steady her voice she asked, ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°He knows nothing about the men stalking you. He didn¡¯t send any men to stalk you, and honestly he was telling the truth, I could tell that.¡±


    Her brows furrowed in surprise.


    If it wasn¡¯t Damien then who was it? She shook her head, not quite understanding what was going on.


    Damien was the only person interested in her and her family, since he still wanted his revenge. So if questions were being asked about her family around town and people were following her, then it had to be on Damien¡¯s orders, and now she was more than shocked by what Alvarez was saying.


    Did this mean that there was someone else after her? She felt chills run down her body as she thought about it, her fists clenching tightly.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not Damien then¡­ howe I was being followed? Who is following me, or am I just hallucinating and thinking things?¡± Madison asked, unable to keep the tremor out of her voice.


    ¡°Madison¡­ I don¡¯t think you were being followed. Maybe it was just some sort of misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°No, No!¡± She cut in defiantly shaking her head sporadically as if to assure herself that she was not crazy, ¡°I know what I saw. I was not hallucinating, yes I did see that man in the bushes, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    She was sure, so very sure that she was being followed. Now, every time she left the house she always had this weird feeling as though she were being watched, and it made her so ufortable.


    ¡°Look Madison, I know I am not supposed to say much, or try to convince you but then Damien only has tabs on your family. I even got a chance to speak to his private investigator in his presence. They¡¯re asking about your family and getting information about your parents for reasons which you already know, but that¡¯s all. There¡¯s not much I can do about that also if not I would have told him to stop, I¡¯m sorry, so sorry. But no, he didn¡¯t send anyone after you. You can rx, okay?¡±


    Madison still wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    She felt cool all over, already having a very bad feeling about all of this. ¡°Are you sure?¡± She whimpered, her voice breaking as she continued, ¡°I¡¯m scared, Alvarez. I¡¯m really scared. I keep looking over my shoulders every time I¡¯m walking down the street, and now because of this I feel unsafe in my own neighborhood. That¡¯s not how I want to live my life and¡­¡±


    ¡°Rx, Maddie. Rx¡­ Just calm down okay. It¡¯s okay. Damien didn¡¯t send anyone after you okay? Look, I know you¡¯ve been under a lot of stresstely, and it¡¯s not your fault. I think that you might be having hallucinations of some sort due to this-¡±


    ¡°Hallucinations?¡± Madison almost yelled. ¡°Alvarez, I know I said that earlier but please stop repeating it and making me look like a fool. I actually know what I saw and¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re stressed out, Maddie. Can¡¯t you see that it¡¯s obvious? You being stressed also causes a lot of things, and you were away from London for a while. You probably just need a few weeks to adjust and get used to your environment again. Okay? No one is after you, stop worrying about that. Don¡¯t think too much, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Madison shut her eyes tightly, her mind going back to the day she had seen that strange man. Could she have been mistaken? What if Alvarez was right and she was just being paranoid?


    ¡°Madison, are you there?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes?¡± She blurted out quickly. She had forgotten she was still on the call, zoning out and letting her thoughts carrying her away,  ¡°I just¡­ I¡­ I still don¡¯t feelfortable.¡±


    ¡°Everything I told you, Madison, I¡¯m sure of it. Okay since that day you said you were being followed have you seen anyone following you clearly? Or you just have hunches and feelings?¡±


    Madison stared at the floor, realizations dawning on her that she hadn¡¯t. Since that day she hadn¡¯t seen the strange man again, or any other person but it still didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t being followed.


    But she didn¡¯t say this to Alvarez. Maybe he was right¡­


    ¡°Okay then. Since you¡¯re sure Damien didn¡¯t send his men, then I¡¯m sure it¡¯s okay.¡± She said, although her stomach still squeezed in fear.


    As she rubbed her mmy hands on her towel, her mind began to wander.


    From what Alvarez had said, Damien was still making investigations on her family, and she was still quite unsettled about that piece of information. She remembered Mason¡¯s visit the other day, and she couldn¡¯t even imagine what else would happen or the news he would bring if he paid her a second visit.


    Despite all this though she knew there was not much Alvarez could do.


    Damien would not listen to anyone, he was set on getting his revenge, and just like that all of a sudden an idea came to her mind.


    What if¡­ What if it could work.


    ¡°Alvarez¡­¡± She began trailing off. Alvarez might be able to help if she told him what she was thinking. But¡­ there was still a high chance he would disagree.


    ¡°Yes Madison?¡±


    Madison swallowed, andposing herself she bit the inside of her cheek changing her mind and said instead, ¡°Um, I just wanted to ask how your wife was, and your little daughter Ivy?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Ivy is fine, and my wife is due very soon, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Madison said, smiling wide and genuinely this time, ¡°That¡¯s great. Good luck to the both of you, and I wish her safe delivery when the timees. Also I want to be the first to hear the good news, alright?¡±


    Alvarez chuckled for the first time since he called, ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t need to remind me.¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡±


    ¡°How are you, Madison?¡± Alvarez asked after a few seconds of silence, and she suddenly remembered that she hadn¡¯t told him about her new job.


    Quickly she ran through all the details of how she had been faring all these while, how she managed to get a job at a huge bakery in town, about the good pay, and how well everything seemed to be going for her.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Alvarez breathed when she finished, ¡°That¡¯s amazing, Madison! You found a job pretty soon, Damn it, but I¡¯m so proud of you.¡±


    Madison couldn¡¯t stop herself from smiling, ¡°Thanks, thank you so much.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°Yeah, I wish you the best of luck too, Madison. You¡¯re doing great and I¡¯m happy to hear that. I have to go now though, duty calls. Take care of yourself okay?¡±


    ¡°You too. Bye.¡± Madison whispered just as the line went dead.


    Sighing heavily, she tossed her phone on the nearby bed and walked into the bathroom, the idea she had thought about earlier whirling inside her head.


    She still had not given up on it, even though she had chose not to tell Alvarez at least for now. It may not be the best thing to do, but as it stood now she had no other choice, and so she would do it.


    She was thinking of writing a letter to Damien.


    She was nervous, wondering how he would take it, or if he would even read it, but she had already decided that she needed to try, since she was doing it for the good of her family.


    She wanted to beg him to stop the investigation.


    They would not let her hear thest of it if anything happened to them, and her only hope now was to talk to Damien herself and hope he would agree.


    But only time would tell. She still had to weigh her options and ponder heavily about it all.


    ¡­¡­.


    As soon as Damien gulped down thest few drops of coffee from his mug, he fell heavily on his bed, yawning and stretching himself out.


    Today he decided to have some rest, and quickly rounding up all his work in two hours, he had came home early, showered and had the best lunch he had had in a long while.


    Now he was rxing after having coffee on a Tuesday evening, and he was suddenly feeling better than he had in the past few weeks.


    His mind didn¡¯t race with thoughts and he wasn¡¯t worrying about anything else today. He felt good.


    There was just onest thing left to crown it all up though, and that was a peaceful slumber. He stretched out further, burying his head in his pillow as he shut his eyes and tried to fall asleep.


    Minutester though, all to no avail nature¡¯s call had deserted him, and he had gone from lying on his chest, to his back.


    Now he was seated upright, staring at hisptop and wondering what else to do. So much for getting rest today, Damien thought to himself, hissing.


    When his phone began to ring, he immediately picked it up from his dresser, grateful for the distraction, and cocking an eyebrow in surprise as the caller ID shed on his screen, he quickly swiped the answer button.


    It had been a while since she called him, and wondering if everything was okay, he asked as soon as the line got through, ¡°Mother? How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Hello, honey. I¡¯m okay, how are you? How is work?¡± His mother¡¯s cheery voice sounded from the other end, and Damien smiled to himself, already at ease from his earlier worries.


    She sounded upbeat, and that was what he wanted.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing okay, Mom. Work is the same.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Damien agreed, and after a little while he asked, ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was wondering if you could¡­lend me some money? Before you say anything else, I assure you I¡¯m not nning to spend recklessly. I saw this really nice kitchen equipment on sale today and..¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡± Damien cut her off, his voice low, ¡°How many times have I asked you to stop calling to ask for money? You have a ck express card, Mom. Which you¡¯re well aware that I add money to every month. Why do you keep forgetting? Get whatever you want. Whether it¡¯s reckless or necessary¡­ that¡¯s what it¡¯s there for.¡±


    Damien clenched his fists as he spoke.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if¡­¡± His mother started to say but he stopped her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to think, mother. Okay? The card is yours, the money is yours, you can have anything you want. I worked my ass off to get us out of London for a reason, and now it has paid off. We were in need for so long¡­¡±


    Damien trailed off as a lump formed in his throat. All the times when they barely had enough to eat, and how they would stay hungry for days on end resonated in his head. They hadn¡¯t been able to afford anything they wanted, as they all lived from hand to mouth ¡­ all they had back then in London was each other, and that tiny rented house infested with rats and a leaky roof.


    ¡°We¡¯re done with that time, Mother. We¡¯re out of that phase of our lives and we¡¯re never going back. Ever. S-so¡­ get what you want, do what pleases you okay? There¡¯s no limit at all.¡±


    He heard his mother sniff from the other end and he could tell that she was sobbing.


    ¡°Thank you so much son, thank you.¡± She whispered.


    He waved her words off muttering some incorrigible stuffs and she justughed, resuming her enquiry about work and his health.


    When he had answered all her questions, sheughed again seemingly satisfied.


    ¡°What do you think abouting over for dinner sometime next week?¡± She asked, ¡°It¡¯ll be just you and us. It¡¯s been a while since we had something together as a family with no outside interruptions¡­¡±


    By outside interruptions, Damien knew that his mother was talking about Katherine and augh threatened to burst out of his lips but he held himself back.


    He began to consider her request, almost saying yes but at thest minute he changed his mind.


    He had way too much to do. So many meetings and projectsing up, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to make it all.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t, Mom. At least not next week. I¡¯m really busy.¡±


    The sound of her huffing made himugh, ¡°It won¡¯t be long. Just an hour or two? It¡¯ll be nice to see you. Your sister misses you too, you know.¡±


    Damien smiled at the thought of La, his little sister. He missed her too, and he would definitely see her, but he just couldn¡¯t ept this invitation. Not right now.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, Mother. You know what, let¡¯s reschedule. Some other time. I¡¯ll let you know when I¡¯m free. Is that alright?¡±


    Chuckling when his mother reluctantly agreed, he listened to her begin to rmend a list of herbal teas she had recently discovered and how good they would be for him.

 Chapter Thirty Seven

    Once hiswyer called him in the early hours of the morning telling him that the deal was done and all there was left was to draft up a contract and deposit the payment, Damien had gotten out of bed in high spirits.


    Finally, the day was here.


    He still couldn¡¯t believe how good of an opportunity this was.


    This was a major step in his revenge n, and he was already imagining the look on Mr Connor¡¯s face when he found out that all the properties he had worked for all his life was now Damien¡¯s to do as he pleased.


    For years he had waited for this day, and now it was finally here ¨C Finally he had a leverage on the Connors.


    Damien had a feeling today would go well and getting out of bed, he began to prepare for work. There was no rush today so he would take his time.


    A few hourster he was done and ready.


    He had already sorted out some of the work he needed to do before he left the house, so he would have time to draft the contract with hiswyer.


    He still had an hour before thewyer would arrive so he decided to continue working, taking care of his files and other important things.


    Damien looked up from his seat when a knock sounded at his door, ¡°Come in.¡± He saw his secretary walk in, bowing her head a little and then offering her pleasantries.


    ¡°Mr Paul is here to see you, sir.¡±


    Damien cocked an eyebrow in surprise. So soon? Well, that was efficient.


    ¡°Let him in.¡±


    As soon as his secretary left, he moved all the files on the desk away to create space. Thewyer walked in a few secondster, some documents in his hand.


    ¡°Morning, Mr Daniels,¡± He greeted and nodding, Damien offered him a seat. He was already getting a little impatient, he needed to get on with it as soon as possible.


    ¡°Do you have everything we need?¡± Damien asked, stretching out his arm to receive the files Mr Paul had offered to him from across the desk, and thewyer nodded positively in response.


    Damien flicked his eyes over what was written one after the other, and shaking his head in satisfaction, he handed them back, ¡°All that¡¯s left is to draft out a contract right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Thewyer nodded, ¡°I have something here with me.¡± He said, digging through the files and slipping out one of the documents, ¡°This is a sample of a sales contract we can work from and add whatever we need to.¡±


    After Damien had gone through it, he handed it back with a nod. ¡°Good work. Now, let¡¯s get to business.¡± Thewyer nodded, moving the other files out of the way as they began to work. At intervals he would exin the legal consequences or the benefits of certain things in the contract and, Damien would nod as they continued.


    There were two contracts for both properties, the processing factory and the estate where the family mansion was built upon, and Damien was soon to have both in his possession.


    The processing factory¡­ His heart clenched whenever he went through the contract concerning that particr building. A shback of his father in a pool of his own blood filled his head, and shaking his head erratically he discarded the image, trying to forget about that sordid event. Well, it was just another reason for him to hate the Connors more.


    After they had worked for a while, a knock sounded and his secretary walked in, ¡°Excuse me, sir. I know you didn¡¯t want to be disturbed but Mr Rudiger is also here to see you.¡±


    Damien only nodded, waving her away and giving her the permission to let his private investigator in.


    Soon after, Mr Rudiger walked into the office, and he offered greetings to both me in the room.


    Damien nodded absentmindedly, his head still bent over the contract, ¡°Give me good news.¡± He said.


    ¡°There is none for now, sir,¡± He heard Mr Rudiger say. ¡°The progress we are making this time around seems to be quite slow.¡±


    Damien wondered why it was taking so long, as his patience was beginning to run out. He always asked the private toe over with news or note at all, and even though he seemed a bit irritated by this, he didn¡¯t say anything this time. He just concentrated on the contract.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    After a while he suddenly remembered something he should have asked already, and he cleared his throat and proceeded, ¡°And what about the investigation on Madison Connor¡¯s whereabouts?¡± He asked, his chest tightening as he said her name, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you say anything about that.¡±


    ¡°We are still working on that too, sir. We don¡¯t have a location yet, for now.¡±


    Damien felt his jaw tic.


    Why did it feel like they were too fucking slow in the investigation this time around. He didn¡¯t like how long it was taking to get her location, and turning to Mr Rudiger he said hoarsely, ¡°While you¡¯re at it, I need you to get some additional information regarding her as well.¡±


    ¡°Of course, sir.¡±


    Damien swallowed. He didn¡¯t need to know any of these things¡­ but then again he just wanted to. They didn¡¯t matter, that was what he told himself. Yes, all he needed was her location so he would know where to find her, but the  he couldn¡¯t stop his inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Get more information about her. I need you to find out if she¡¯s working, where she¡¯s working and who she is working for¡­ and¡­ and if she¡¯s currently in a rtionship with any man.¡±


    As thest words rolled out of his tongue, he felt a sort of bitterness m up in his throat. The words felt strangeing from him, and he wasn¡¯t quite sure why he had even bothered to include that.


    Giving the private investigator a dismissive wave he finished, ¡°I expect news from you next time.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± Mr Rudiger said and with onest nod he exited the office.


    Damien faced thewyer, and the contract he was drafting out, his ears burning as he tried to push away the thoughts of Madison and another man out of his head.


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°Just in case Ie back a little bitte, could you please cover for me?¡± Madison begged Gina as they both sat eating. They had just gone on lunch break and Madison knew this was the only chance she would get to do what she nned to do before going home.


    ¡°Late?¡± Gina asked, staring at Madison curiously as she tossed a cookie in her mouth, ¡°You know you need to be on good behavior right? Coming backte after the lunch break won¡¯t be good for you.¡±


    ¡°I know that. I¡¯m not saying I¡¯ll bete, I¡¯ll be back any time soon. It¡¯s just the post office and it¡¯s not too far away. It might be a few minutes, but I¡¯ll be fast I promise.¡±


    Finally Gina nodded albeit reluctantly. ¡°Okay fine, but hurry.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, and I will.¡± Madison smiled at her friend as she stood up dusting her clothes, and took off.


    ¡°And take your lunch!¡± She called out as Madison all but raced out of the hall and toward the exit, but she was too far off to hear her.


    Madison tore off her apron at the door, tossing it into a stic bag as she made her way out of the bakery toward the post office. It wasn¡¯t too far from the bakery so she could make it on foot. She only hoped she would be back on time.


    She hurried down the road, her fingers grazing the paper stuffed deep in her pocket. It had taken her long hours to get the courage to write this letter, and at some point she wondered if she was making a mistake.


    The event that had urred in New York shed through her mind once again, and the look he had given her was imprinted and stuck in her head. How bitter he had been, the hate and disgust in his eyes when he kicked her out of his club and even back when he had ordered her to pay for the dress.


    Did she expect him to even listen to what she had to say? Would he even read this letter? It was a big bet, a risky one at that but Madison knew she had no other choice.


    She wrote the letter with hopes that reading the words, instead of seeing her face would make a difference to him. Maybe if he didn¡¯t have to see her face, he would be calm enough to read and listen to what she had to say.


    Taking a deep breath, Madison soon got to the post office and walking in she immediately went to the first official she saw, ¡°Hello, good day,¡± She greeted, ¡°I would like to send a letter¡­?¡±


    She saw the postman look up from what he was doing, a smile forming on his face when he saw her. ¡°Hello there. A letter¡­ yes I can help you with that. Where is this letter headed?¡±


    Madison looked down at the paper in her hand. It wasn¡¯t toote to turn back now, stop herself from making what might end up being a huge mistake, but again she sucked in a breath and ced the letter on the counter sliding it across to him, ¡°New York.¡±


    The postman nodded, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll fetch a form I¡¯ll need you to fill out and then we¡¯re good to go.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Madison nodded with a small smile.


    As they waited for one of the workers to fetch the document, the postman smiled at her, ¡°So¡­you¡¯re new in town?¡±


    Madisonughed, ¡°No. I¡¯ve lived here for a while.¡±


    He faked a frown. ¡°Really? Are you sure? Surely I would have spotted a face so pretty by now if you lived in town. Well, I¡¯m honored, Mrs¡­¡±


    Madison knew where this was going. Something she definitely didn¡¯t want to entertain but she didn¡¯t want to look or sound to rude and so she replied, ¡°Miss¡­ and it¡¯s Madison.¡±


    ¡°A pretty name for a prettydy. And you¡¯re single obviously as well?¡±


    Madison smiled, shrugging already feeling a tad bit ufortable. She exhaled in relief when the worker brought the document which she immediately began to fill and she was done, she handed it over to the postman, ¡°That¡¯s all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She added when he nodded and as she turned to go she heard him call out her name.


    ¡°Yes?¡± She asked, turning back.


    ¡°I was wondering if you¡¯d like to meet sometime. Maybe we could go out and visit this nice restaurant about a mile away¡­ what do you say?¡±


    Madison smiled at him but then she shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll have to decline. I¡¯m really busy with work and all but thanks for the offer.¡±


    Without waiting to see his reaction, she swirled around, breezing out of the post office and hurried back to the bakery.


    She only had ten minutes left till lunch was over and she had to walk real fast to meet up.

 Chapter Thirty Eight

    KATHERINE


    Katherine stretched herself out as she woke up, yawning and tying her hair back up in the ponytail it had been inst night.


    She felt strangely refreshed this morningpared to the way she had been feeling in thest few weeks, and she knew exactly why.


    She had spent the night with Damien, and it had been more than blissful.


    Turning over on the bed, she snaked an arm around Damien¡¯s torso, leaning in to nt a kiss on his cheek, lightly so she wouldn¡¯t wake him up.


    Ever since they¡¯d reconciled back at his office, Katherine felt like things were almost back to normal, and she was readily basking in this spare time.


    These days he was now  more than willing to take her out on dates, he was also starting to pay more attention to her and give herpliments when she wanted to hear them. Heck, he even let her make him lunch! What more could she possibly ask for? All that was left now was to slowly ease him into the talk about their marriage.


    Katherine was already tired of waiting.


    She had daydreams about how grand their wedding would be. It would be the talk of the town and would probably trend on social media for months. Her stomach bubbled with excitement from the thought. But she wasn¡¯t too bothered, since it wouldn¡¯t be long now as things were going really great for them.


    She just had to go easy on him, and in a few months or even weeks there would be a diamond on her finger, and she would be officially his.


    This thought bringing a smile to her face, she climbed out of the bed and made her way into the kitchen to find something to eat. She was rather hungry and because she was in high spirits today she decided she would have some meat.


    Humming to herself, she sliced up some wheat bread, added her vegetables and ham, and poured herself a cup of coffee.


    As she carried her sandwich off to the balcony, a knock sounded at the door. Katherine frowned as she wondered who could possibly be at the door. m this early.


    From what she knew she wasn¡¯t expecting any visitors, and so was Damien to.


    Tightening her robe around herself, she slowly unlocked the front door. Her brows furrowed in surprise when she saw that it was a postman. Why would the postman be here? She wondered.


    It had been so long that she couldn¡¯t even remember thest time Damien received a letter.


    ¡°Mail for Mr Damien Daniels¡­?¡± The postman said, rousing her from her thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯m his girlfriend. He¡¯s asleep now so I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    The postman nodded, digging a hand into his messenger bag and slipping out a single letter which he handed to Katherine.


    ¡°Please, sign here.¡± The man said and Katherine nodding, picked up the pen and signed.


    When she was done, she hurriedly shut the door, still wondering why Damien had a letter in the mail. Out of curiosity, she turned the letter over to see who it was from, and her eyes fell on the name ¡®Madison Connor¡¯.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± She muttered, her hands beginning to shake as rage pumped through her.


    Why would that bitch send a letter to Damien? She wondered seething.


    For all she knew Damien was not in contact with her, so what did this mean? Without a second thought she tore it open and began to read.


    She paused in the middle of reading, as another st of fury coursed through her.


    Madison sounded extremely desperate with her words, and she could see that the letter was about the investigation and the bitch begging a rather serious Damien to stop what he was doing.


    Why the hell was he still investigating about the damned family? Katherine thought that by now he would have stopped the investigation, but no he still continued. He was still having something to do with the damned family, with the stupid bitch! Fuck!


    Katherine felt anger run through her once again. After their talk the other day when they reconciled, she thought he would end the investigation, but he hadn¡¯t.


    They were doing so well now. Wasn¡¯t that enough for him? Why was he still keeping tabs on the surly waitress family. Yes, they had been close but it was in the past, and what did he want again?


    Managing to calm herself and pushing her anger aside, Katherine started to see things clearer a bit.


    Damien had set his mind on getting revenge on these people and he was working fervently on it, yes that was it.


    Katherine knew that this family must have treated Damien so badly, for him to be consumed with so much hatred. And now she was faced with the question of what they did? What the hell did they do? What really happened?


    She needed to know¡­ she needed all these facts.


    Sighing, she made a mental note to tell the men watching Madison to also hasten their investigation on the Connor family too.


    Turning back to the letter she continued to read the end, ¡°I apologize for everything you went through. Please try to see from my point of view. I¡¯m truly sorry, Damien. For everything. I¡­¡± Katherine read out, shaking her head as she came to the end of the letter.


    She scoffed, ¡°Pretentious fucking bitch. Stupid thing.¡± She muttered under her breath as she began to rip the letter into pieces, squeezing the paper tightly in her hands.


    She couldn¡¯t believe Madison had the audacity to send Damien a letter. How dare she even think of doing that? She was so desperate that was obvious, and it disgusted Katherine to the core. Turning back to the kitchen, Katherine grabbed a lighter from the drawer and lit up the pieces of the letter in her hand. Satisfied, she watched it burn, the mes increasingly making her more happy.


    Thest thing she would allow was that low-life womaning in contact with Damien in any sort of way, be it physically or through a letter. She didn¡¯t want to even think about what would happen if Damien eventually began to warm up to her again, or think of reconciling with her.


    What if he had even seen this letter? Damn! She would not let anyone snatch her man from her, she was going to make sure of that.


    Eyeing her sandwich still seated on the counter, she pushed it away into the sink, turning on the tap and watching the bread soak. She had already lost her appetite, all because of that witch.


    She needed to make ns.


    Her mind racing frantically, she remembered that she someone at the post office, and she used to pay him in the past to intercept letters or do some other sort of things for her.


    She knew what she was going to do. She was most certain that even though this was the first letter from Madison, it definitely would not be thest and she had to put an end to it before it was tote.


    What she needed to do was intercept each letter before it got to Damien. Meaning they would have to be delivered to her and not him. Soon, when Madison saw that Damien was not replying at all, then she would definitely get tired of sending any more letters.


    Sliding out her phone from the counter, Katherine dialed the number of the man from the post office, and brought the phone to her ear.


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison took a deep breath as she stared at Alvarez¡¯s name on her phone.


    She was too nervous to call him, but she didn¡¯t feel good keeping things from him either. She hadn¡¯t told him before she sent the letter to Damien because she knew he would try to dissuade her, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do now if he found out, and she had promised to keep him updated about the whole thing with Damien.


    Finally she dialed the number, and it didn¡¯t even ring twice before he picked up.


    ¡°Hey, Madison. What¡¯s up?¡±


    She swallowed, trying to gather her words, ¡°I¡¯m okay, thanks for asking. How about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m great. What¡¯s up? Is something wrong?¡±


    How he was always having the hunch that something was always wrong with her, baffled her sometimes and it brought a sad smile on her face.


    She took a few seconds to gather herself before she spoke, ¡°Nothing is actually wrong though but I know you¡¯re going to be pissed at me for this¡­¡± She trailed of pausing a bit before she continued, ¡°I wrote Damien a letter, and I already sent it to New York some days ago.¡±


    An ufortable silence took over for a few moments and Madison started feeling guilty for not telling him before.


    ¡°Why?¡± He finally questioned, his voice slow and concerned as he exhaled a breath to, ¡°You know how Damien is with these things. At best he wouldn¡¯t even read the letter once he sees your name written on the parcel. You shouldn¡¯t have done that, Madison.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± She replied her heart clenching painfully, ¡°But there was nothing else I could do. I had no choice, Alvarez. Maybe he¡¯d be more willing to listen if I¡¯m not standing in front of him. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t be so ¡­ so angry. I just don¡¯t want him going back at my family again. I already have to much on my te and my bro¡­¡± She instantly paused hoping that Alvarez wouldn¡¯t ask her to finish what she had started to say, and luckily he didn¡¯t.


    Alvarez gave a deep sigh, one she could hear from the phone. ¡°I don¡¯t like it¡­ but I guess it¡¯s toote for my opinions now. At best the letter must have gotten to him.¡±


    Madison wasn¡¯t sure what to say so she didn¡¯t speak. She just prayed that everything would work out ordingly, and all she could do was keep her fingers crossed.


    ¡°What were the contents of the letter? What did you tell him?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Madison tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, as she narrated everything, ¡°It¡¯s about my family, and I also exined the whole thing about my family the same way I did to you. I pleaded with him to stop the investigation and I¡¯m hoping he¡¯ll see reason with me and maybe¡­¡± She sighed, ¡°Maybe he might listen to me. Well, I haven¡¯t gotten a response yet, but I still keep my fingers crossed, you know?¡±


    From the silence on the other end, she could tell that this still didn¡¯t didn¡¯t sit right with him.


    ¡°Look, Madison. I know you¡¯re only trying to get yourself out of this situation, but you know how Damien is. I don¡¯t want you begging at his feet or anything like that. I¡¯m hoping you didn¡¯t make it sound too pathetic lest he starts to think you¡¯re at his mercy, and does something even more harmful to you. He will bruise you Madison you know that.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Madison breathed, hisst statement about Damien bruising her tugging at her heart. He had hurt her back then, and even till today she was living with the scars he left her so she knew first hand what he could do. Well at least she didn¡¯t think her letter sounded too pathetic.


    She had simply asked him to consider her and her situation, as well as asking him to stop the investigations on her family. He had all he wanted now, what more could he need again?


    ¡°Just¡­be careful, Maddie. I don¡¯t want you getting hurt in any way. Okay?¡±


    ¡°I will, I promise. I am careful.¡±


    ¡°Okay then. I hope you¡¯re doing okay. Generally, and at work¡­?¡±


    Madison smiled, as they diverted the topic from Damien to other important things, ¡°Work is going great, actually. I feel really good about this one, you know? If I keep working this hard I might be able to move out of my small apartment in a few months. This should be the most stable job I¡¯ve had in years, and I¡¯m so happy.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± Alvarez sounded excited for het, ¡°That¡¯s amazing, Madison. More grease to your elbows then.¡±


    Madison chuckled.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    She wondered how she had gone from worried and sombre to chuckling at Alvarez¡¯s jokes all in a minute, and ording to his requests, she went on to tell him about her experiences at work which they bothughed about.


    ¡°I have to go now, it¡¯s gettingte.¡± Madison said after a while, ¡°It was nice talking to you. Say hi to your wife and Ivy for me okay?¡±


    When they had bade each other farewell, Madison hung up, falling into her bed and shutting her eyes, feeling a little bit of relief.


    She had this hope that all would go well. Maybe not now, but soon¡­

 Chapter Thirty Nine

    Damien waste for his meeting.


    From the moment he had woken up, he knew today was going to go horribly.


    He raced up from the bed, apologizing to a grumbling Katherine whoy by his side,ining when his arm grazed her. He muttered his apologies, quickly jumping into the bathroom to get ready for work and when he was done he grabbed the first suit his fingers touched and quickly pulled it on.


    Fully ready, he cast onest nce in the mirror before walking out of the closet.


    ¡°Hey babe. I made breakfast for you.¡± He heard Katherine say as he stepped out of the closet.


    He wondered how she had woken up so quite early and made breakfast for him, but then he was not one to say anything or question her. He looked over at where she was seated on the bed, and saw a tray which contained what looked like toast and scrambled eggs carefully ced on the bed, and Damien shook his head negatively indicating that he was not going to have any food.


    He waste for work already, and thest thing he wanted to eat was the burnt toast and undercooked eggs he was currently staring at. He thought to himself, internally grimacing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just get something at the office, okay. I¡¯mte as it is now.¡± Walking back to the bed to give her a kiss on the forehead, Damien gave a dramatic bow and moved  walked out of the room, pretending not to see her face which was pulled into a frown.


    Quickly he drove off to work.


    Once he got there he settled into his office, and began to go through his schedule for today.


    He had a lot to do and he didn¡¯t even know what to get started with at the same time. Calling his secretary in to fetch him a cup of coffee, he grabbed some files and then began to work. When he had marked off half of the things on his schedule, he decided to go through his mails and check for new ones.


    His eyes widened when he saw an unread mail from Wilder Industries. Quickly tapping it open, he went through it, breathing out in relief when he saw it wasn¡¯t anything too important. His eyes skimmed through the rest of the mail box, skeptical at first to close it.


    He was already done checking them all but as he made to exit the app, his hand hovered over the exit button.


    He knew there was something he had been forgetting, but he couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on it, until¡­


    Yes! He instantly recalled. It was the mail he had received from the private investigator. The one concerning some important infos about the Connors that he had forgotten to check yet again.


    It had been so long ago Damien began to wonder why he never got a chance to go over it, and as he thought about it he realized that every time he wanted to open it, one thing or the other came up. Sighing, he tapped on the button to open the mail, and just as it began to load, albeit slowly his restless finger moved over a key on the screen, and poof¡­ He deleted the mail by ident.


    ¡°No, no, no¡­¡± Damien inhaled sharply, trying to undo it, but it was already toote, ¡°Fuck! Fuck! What the hell!¡± He yelled, raking his fingers through his hair as he searched for a solution but to no avail.


    Now that he had finally remembered to read it, it had gotten deleted.


    What kind of bad luck was this? Damien wondered, cursing internally. He knew that email was important, and the investigator had touched heavily on the fact that it was very important, but now he had lost it and he had no idea what to do at all.


    Cursing himself over and over again, Damien grabbed his phone from his desk and quickly dialed Mr Rudiger¡¯s number.


    ¡°Hello?¡± He spoke into the receiver when the investigator picked up.


    ¡°Mr Daniels, good day. How may I be of help?¡±


    Damien rubbed his forehead, still panicking, ¡°Remember the mail you forwarded to me sometime ago? Well I never got round to opening it. Now I tried doing it and it just got deleted by ident. Can you resend it?¡±


    ¡°The one which had the addiction information on the Connors? Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have them anymore, sir.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Damien breathed, his hands tightening on his desk, ¡°So it¡¯s gone? I haven¡¯t gotten a chance to even go through them.¡± He still didn¡¯t know why he had been so absentminded. How had he forgotten? Dang!


    ¡°It should be somewhere on my other systems though. So don¡¯t worry, sir. I¡¯ll start searching for it as soon as I get off the phone. Once I find it, I¡¯ll forward it to you.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re still around somewhere?¡± Damien asked.


    ¡°Yes sir, of course.¡± Mr Rudiger said, aying Damien¡¯s fears, and letting out a breath he didn¡¯t even know he had been holding, he felt his muscles loosen up at the same time as he rxed into his seat, ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll be waiting,¡± He said to the investigator before hanging up the phone.


    ¡°Fucking hell!¡± Damien cursed, raking his fingers in his hair in annoyance.


    How could he have been so clumsy? So if it couldn¡¯t be recovered he would have lost something so important?


    Letting a loud hiss escape him, already hating the whole day all over again, he stood from his chair and made his way to the wine cab. Grabbing a bottle of whiskey, he poured out a cup for himself and downed it in one gulp.


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison paced around her tiny room, her hands buried deep in her pocket and worry etched on her face.


    It was nearly a week since she sent the letter to Damien, and she still hadn¡¯t received a response. Her mind raced with so many possibilities, as to why she didn¡¯t get a reply.


    Maybe the letters from London to New York had been dyed, maybe he still hadn¡¯t received the letter nor checked for new mails¡­ but the most terrifying thought to her was the fact that he might have seen and read the letter, but chose not to reply to her.


    His hatred might have increased all over again and now that thought stung, it really did. Another emotion that came over her at that possibility, was fear.


    What if he did choose not to reply her? It meant that there was no hope, and that he would go ahead with the investigation.


    That would only spell trouble for her. She was the one who would bear the brunt of it, and she was already quaking in fear before anything could happen. She couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine what Damien would do. He hated her family with such a passion, that she knew nothing good woulde out of it.


    If he did read the letter, and discarded it then one thing was only obvious¡­ He had it in for her family so bad.


    The sound of rain sttering on her roof brought Madison out of her thoughts, and quickly she fetched the iron bucket she normally ced in the room because of the leaky roof and put it in its ce.


    Her heart was heavy and as she sat down on her bed once more, her mind began to race.


    She didn¡¯t know what else to do. The thought of asking Alvarez to find out if Damien had received any letters crossed her mind, but she killed the idea at once. It would be a stupid thing to do. Alvarez was already wholly against the idea of sending the letter in the first ce, and sending a second letter would be pushing it too far, but she just didn¡¯t know what else to do.


    Trying to distract herself from the thoughts, she walked into her kitchen, cutting up a slice of bread and preparing a fish sandwich for herself.


    She took a huge bite of the sandwich smiling at how good it tasted, and for a brief moment she forgot all about her worries.


    Madison could not remember thest time she had eaten good fish, and picking up her te of sandwich and a ss of water she moved back to her bed, chewing on her food as her mind continued to go back to the letter.


    She managed to kill the thoughts until she was done with her dinner.


    Afterwards shey on her bed, staring at the ceiling as she wondered what to do now.


    She tried to be realistic about the whole thing and determine what possibility was the most probable. There was no way she would know that, she didn¡¯t have some sort of magical power to know anything, and she was beginning to get frustrated all of a sudden.


    She cast a guilty nce at another letter whichy on her table.


    Just some days ago, when she hadn¡¯t gotten a response, Madison had written out a follow up letter yet again.


    She had been hesitant to send it for obvious reasons ¨C It would make her look pathetic if indeed he had gotten and read the letter, and decided be didn¡¯t give a shit.


    Well thest thing Madison wanted was to look pathetic in front of him, but she tried to see it in another light.


    She was always weighing two options. If he hadn¡¯t gotten the first one, then it would be a good idea to write another one. Maybe if he saw that she was insistent, he might actually start to listen, but still she wasn¡¯t sure and¡­


    Heck she needed him to listen to her. At this point, she wouldn¡¯t deny the fact that she was desperate, and if being insistent would get him to hear her out, then so be it.


    She had no choice.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Shakily, she stood to her feet, grabbing up a thicker coat and pulling it on before she would change her mind.


    There was a slight drizzle outside and the weather was so cold, her fingers shook, but still she snatched up the letter from atop the table, carefully putting it in the pocket of her coat, as she began to prepare.


    She would have waited for a while to see if the rain would cease, but Madison had a feeling that if she didn¡¯t do this now¡­ if she didn¡¯t go now then she might change her mind before then.


    Sucking in a sharp breath, and breezing out of the house, she locked her door behind her and jumped into the rain.


    As she pulled her coat tighter around herself, she made a mental note to ask the post man of the whereabouts of the first letter, and if it had been delivered sessfully.


    Yes, she would ask that, but for now she had to get to the post office first.

 Chapter Forty

    KATHERINE


    Katherine waited impatiently until the coast was clear before she walked out of her car.


    The men she hired had sent a message to her, telling her they had some information regarding the investigation on Madison, and Katherine had only been too happy to hear it.


    As soon as she sorted out all she needed to do that morning, she hurried down to the address they had given her.


    Getting there she turned her nose up at the surroundings, disgust coursing through her and she was even angry.


    It was another abandoned building with a rundown garage built underground, and as she made her way through she wrinkled her nose.


    Of course, what else had she expected. She just hoped for their sakes that they came with meaningful information, else they were going to regret it for making her pass through these slums.


    The men were already awaiting her arrival when she stepped in, and they instantly stood from their seats, nodding at her when they saw her, but Katherine had no time for pleasantries and so she waved their greetings off.


    ¡°Talk to me.¡± She ordered, cutting straight to the chase. She saw them exchange looks and then the one who she recognized as the boss, stepped forward.


    ¡°We have information on thedy¡­Madison Connor?¡±


    Katherine nodded impatiently, ¡°Yes? What have you got for me?¡±


    ¡°We found out the city where she is, and where she stays too. It¡¯s a rtively small town in London. I had her followed for a few days, and it turns out she recentlynded herself a job.¡±


    Katherine looked up, ¡°A job? What kind of job?¡± She asked, furious that Madison had gotten a job already, seeming to move on with her life. How did that even happen?


    Katherine had expected her to be living in abject poverty still, since she had abandoned all that she had toe to New York, but then¡­ She didn¡¯t like this news one bit.


    ¡°It¡¯s at a bakery in the town. It¡¯s a huge bakery, apparently. So I guess it¡¯s a pretty decent job, with a good pay for anyone who works there.¡± He finished cutting through Katherine¡¯s thought, and she felt her face redden.


    No! She couldn¡¯t possibly allow this. She didn¡¯t know why but she didn¡¯t like the idea of Madison having a veryfortable job.


    Having a job meant that she would be able to cater for her needs, and maybe even start to live better, and if it was at a huge, well-known bakery then she would have a lot of opportunities like promotions and all. Also it would give her ample opportunity to take care of herself, and have more resources to send letters to Damien or even try to see him.


    Distance would not be a barrier, when she had money to pay for train tickets or even flights and all that.


    No! Katherine vowed not to let that happen. Madison was nothing but a low-life and she would keep it that way. What she deserved was to beg, and even if she got jobs then she had to work really menial ones all her life, and live permanently in poverty.


    Katherine for no reason wanted to see her suffer¡­ Well she had established the fact that she loathed the bitch right from the first day she had seen her, but now the hate was only increasing. Now, Katherine just wanted to watch her struggle and work until she couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and then she would break, give up on contacting Damien and just continue to live her poor miserable life. Only then would Katherine be able to rest.


    She looked back up at the men.


    Pointing at one of them, she motioned him forward, ¡°Get the contact info of the bakery manager. Business card, whatever. I would like to have a word with him.¡± She needed to get ahold of the manager. She could not rest until she was rest assured Madison was without a job, at least for now and also suffering.


    The man gave a slight smirk, digging his hand into the pocket of his jeans and slipping out a business card which he handed to Katherine, he said, ¡°I knew you would ask for this so I prepared it beforehand.¡±


    Katherine cocked an eyebrow in surprise, a squeaky evilugh escaping her lips as he stretched out his hand to give her the card, ¡°Wow, wow wow. Very efficient. I like it!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Katherine said again, stillughing as she took the card from him.


    The men exchanged looks, staring at Katherine in shock. She was hardly ever polite to them and they were pretty sure they¡¯d never heard her say thank you, so now it felt a tad bit strange not that she cared.


    Katherine, oblivious to the shocked look on their faces quickly slipped the card into her jacket smiling to herself. As she faced them tomend them on their work, her phone began to vibrate. Her initial reaction was a feeling of irritation, but then she saw who the caller was, and a quick feeling of interest took over.


    She picked up instantly, ¡°Yes?¡±


    It was the man from the post office, and he briefly informed her that another letter had arrived from London which was directed to Damien.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Another anger resurfaced, as Katherine patted herself knowing she had been right to think that the bitch would try to send another letter.


    Obviously the bitch hadn¡¯t given up. She still had the effrontery to keep sending the letters.


    Well unluckily for her, Katherine would continue to get her hands on it first and soon she would have no other choice but to stop writing.


    ¡°Okay then, thank you for informing me. Well you know what to do right?¡± She asked and the man replied positively.


    ¡°Good then, that would be all.¡± She spoke into the receiver, cursing under her breath as she ended the call. She quickly slipped her phone back into her pocket, readjusting the turban on her head, and turned to face the men with her.


    ¡°Okay boys. Good work today. But remember, I need more information, and reach out if anything elsees up, you know the drill.¡±


    ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am.¡±


    She dipped her hands in her bag and bringing out a small envelope of money she gave it to the boss, and after he thanked her profusely, she twirled on her feet, putting her shades back on and took short steps out of the garage.


    She was done here.


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°Come on in.¡± Damien said as soon as he heard the knock on the office door.


    Quickly he put away all the files he was currently working on, as he had more important things to do for now.


    He had been waiting for Mr Rudiger since this morning when he had called to inform him that he had gotten the information in a sh drive, and inviting him over he was finally here.


    Damien felt a rush of anxiety and excitement that he could not quite exin, but he calmed himself down taking steady breaths.


    ¡°Good day, sir.¡± Mr Rudiger greeted walking in and taking the seat Damien had offered him.


    With no time to waste and just like Damien liked, he began to speak, ¡°I finally have another information about Madison Connor too, that¡¯s why I quickly epted your invitation toe over.¡±


    Damien felt his muscles stiffen but nevertheless he nodded, asking the investigator to continue. After all, he had asked him to look into it.


    ¡°She currently lives in a small town in London, some miles away from where she used to live with her parents when she was younger. It¡¯s a one-bedroom apartment, nothing too fancy. It¡¯s dpidated too, actually in need of repairs.¡±


    Damien nodded thoughtfully. That meant she was still having a hard time surviving. Damien felt a stubborn stab of guilt in his chest but he chose not to dwell on it, ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Mr Rudiger nodded, extracting some colored print outs from the files and a sh drive, handing it over to Damien, ¡°You wanted to know where she is working at. She recently got a job at a big bakery in town, and from my findings, the pay is decent enough. Apart from that, there aren¡¯t any other drastic changes or events you should know about.¡±


    Damien stared at the photos of the bakery in his hand.


    It didn¡¯t look familiar but the name did sound familiar so Damien figured it must be well-known. So she had a job now.


    That was¡­ good. He sucked in a breath when he came across a picture of Madison standing at the entrance of the bakery, with someone.


    It wasn¡¯t a rather clear picture so he figured she must have gotten into the image by mistake, and she even looked unawares too. Not wanting to act strange in front of his private investigator, he faced the pictures down on his desk, and turned back to Mr Rudiger waiting for him to say more.


    There was still one question which stood at the back of his mind had not been answered yet, and as of the investigator had read his mind, he said once more, ¡°And as for her marital status, Madison Connor remains unmarried, neither is she seeing anyone at the moment.¡±


    Damien did not understand why he felt so much lighter and relieved at Mr Rudiger¡¯s words, and it was for some reason that he just couldn¡¯t exin.


    He was happy that Madison was not dating anyone at the moment. He knew it shouldn¡¯t be a big deal nor matter to him, but he couldn¡¯t understand why that piece of information made him d.


    Nevertheless he waved it out of his mind, and thanking Mr Rudiger, he put the files and the sh drive he had been given on his desk.


    He nced briefly at the sh drive in relief, happy that the information was there already. He had been so relieved when Mr Rudiger told him he had recovered the files earlier this morning and as he watched the investigator pack up his files he smiled and said genuinely, ¡°Thank you, you¡¯ve done a lot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem, sir.¡± The investigator insisted, giving a short nod as he made to leave.


    Damien stopped him, slipping a hand into his wallet and taking out some bills.


    ¡°Here, take this. You deserve it for all you¡¯ve done. Get yourself a nice lunch, yeah?¡±


    Smiling ruefully, Mr Rudiger thanked him and then he was gone.


    As soon as he closed the door behind him, Damien quickly inserted the sh drive into hisputer, not wanting to waste any more time or take any chances. Finally the files began to load.


    First, he came across a folder which contained pictures of Madison. He could tell that the pictures were from a few years ago, and Damien¡¯s breath caught in his throat as he stared at each of them.


    She looked¡­ breathtaking, just like she always had. His heart squeezed in pain as memories of the past came flooding back.


    Madison.


    They had been so good together. Everything had been going so well. Perfectly, to be honest. Until she had decided to change that¡­


    shback¡­ Some years back¡­


    ¡°W-what?¡± Damien whimpered, his voice shaky as he stared at Madison who stood at the other end of the room, her arms folded. He had never seen her look like that before.


    She seemed¡­ cold. Her face was expressionless, as she stared right back at Damien, making no move to take back what she had just said, ¡°You heard me. That¡¯s all I came here to talk to you.¡±


    Her voice was strong, steady. There wasn¡¯t a trace of uncertainty in them, and it was in that moment that Damien felt his world crashing down on him.


    ¡°Maddie¡­babe, please. You can¡¯t possibly mean that¡­ What the hell!¡± He cursed, but she still didn¡¯t say a word.


    All she did was stare back at him with those emotionless eyes, and Damien felt the back of his eyes begin to burn.


    He moved closer to her. ¡°Maddie, please. I love you, you know that. I don¡¯t understand where all of this ising from-¡±


    ¡°Just stop it, Damien!¡± She cut him off, ¡°We can¡¯t be together anymore, okay? I don¡¯t want to be with you anymore. Is it so difficult to understand? Worse still the rumors you¡¯ve been hearing is true and I just came here to confirm them. We are done Damien, done!¡±


    Damien felt his heart breaking as Madison shook her head, ¡°That is all I have to say.¡± She finished, and without as much as a second nce at Damien, she stormed out of the room, leaving Damien staring after her, while he struggled to keep himself from breaking down in tears.


    His whole world, just fell apart right before his eyes.


    shback ends¡­


    Damien shut his eyes tightly at the memory, pain shooting up his body.


    He didn¡¯t think he would ever forgive her for what she had done to him. Even after all these years it still hurt him so much. She had ripped his heart out, leaving him broken.


    He had never hurt so much in his entire life, and till now the pain was still there.


    It still hurt so much.


    Shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts, Damien quickly regained hisposure, going through the rest of what was on the sh drive.


    The sh drive¡­ and that was when reality struck heavily.


    As he downloaded the rest of the documents and tapped on them, he nearly fell off his chair in shock. He zoomed in on the pictures he was staring at.


    His heart began to race in his chest as he continued to scroll through. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. When he came across some audio recordings, he pressed y and began to listen to them.


    No, no, no.


    This couldn¡¯t be. It couldn¡¯t be¡­


    His palms were mmy with sweat as his fingers gripped the material of his trousers, and the pasts mmed into his head in full force.


    The more he yed through all the audio messages, the pictures he stared at, and some other information that was to real to be true, the deeper he fell into disbelief.


    Could this be possible¡­ No! But what the fucking hell was going on?

 Chapter Forty One

    Madison clutched at the sheets shey in, her hands shaking as she tried to control her breathing.


    She had woken up with a start from a nightmare she was having, and now she just couldn¡¯t stop herself from thinking so much about it.


    She didn¡¯t remember the full details of the dream, but it had brought tears to her eyes, and even till now they wouldn¡¯t stoping. It had put Madison in a sombre mood and made her start to think of so many things; her family, New York, her baby¡­


    Her hand instinctively came to rest on her stomach where the small baby bump had been, and Madison shut her eyes tightly, her body racking with sobs as she began to cry.


    She felt¡­sorry for herself, for everything. Every time she reminisced about the past, she wondered if things could have gone differently.


    She missed those days where she didn¡¯t have a care in the world. Those days when she could wake up and not have to worry about anything at all ¨C what to eat, or how to pay bills. Those days when she could run to her mother when things started to go wrong, exin everything to her solelypanion and be listened too. Those days when she didn¡¯t feel saddened yet responsible for her miscarriage¡­


    Madison pped a hand over her mouth, as she tried to muffle the sound of her sobs while she cried, the tears from her cheeks dripping to the sheets below.


    Her eyes were swollen and red by the time her tears subsided, and with shaky legs Madison stood up from her small foam and wobbled out of her room, and into the bathroom which was a close spot from her building.


    Once there she sshed cold water over her face, willing herself not to cry anymore, trying to be strong no matter how impossible that sounded.


    When she had gotten a grip on herself, she slowly began to sponge her body down¡­ carefully, almost as if she was trying to ease the pain.


    When the sponge came to her stomach once again, her hand hovered for a few moments, and she froze all of a sudden.


    Of all the memories she had from the past, the miscarriage was the most painful ever. Probably because of the fact that she would never be able to¡­


    Madison stopped herself, shaking her head, and trying to dissuade the thoughts as she continued to bathe herself.


    When she was done, and already leaving the toilet she dragged herself surly into the safe confines of her home, and after dressing up she prepared herself a hot cup of coffee.


    Grabbing some of the leftover bread from before, she began to munch the tardy mixture away trying to focus on it. The food tasted like dust in her mouth, but Madison was not so keen on it.


    Apart from the fact that she was doing this to stray her thoughts, she also knew that her body needed food so she stuffed the bread and poured the bitter coffee all into her mouth till it was done.


    Some minutes after she was done eating, she sprawled over the bed.


    It was weekend and so she did not have work today.


    She was supposed to be happy, as this was her free day but for the first time, Madison wished she worked on the weekends, because at least it would mean she was so busy she didn¡¯t even have to think about anything.


    Shaking her head once more, she grabbed her phone,zily scrolling through in search of something to do.


    Her fingers froze over the screen as she suddenly remembered something, and she sighed heavily.


    She still had not told Alvarez about the letters, she had sent and the fact that she still hadn¡¯t gotten any response. Quickly before she had a chance to change her mind, Madison dialed his number.


    ¡°Hey.¡± She said into the receiver when he picked up.


    ¡°Madison, hey. You okay?¡±


    Madison felt too tired to pretend today and so she went straight to the point, ¡°I don¡¯t even know how I¡¯m feeling right now. Damien still hasn¡¯t replied to my letters.¡± She finished bitterly.


    There wasplete silence and then he spoke up again, ¡°Wait¡­letters? What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Alvarez. I sent two letters, okay? The first one, and another follow up letter. I know you¡¯re going to be angry at my decision, but you should know how important this is to me. You know this. Like I said I sent another letter. I was worried that maybe he didn¡¯t get the first one, or maybe he did and he chose to ignore it, and whichever the reason is, it sucks. But then I had to send a follow-up, Alvarez. I- I needed to do it and¡­¡±


    She heard Alvarez sigh heavily, listening raptly and saying after she was done, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Maddie. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not okay.¡± She shot back, her voice increasing as she continued, ¡°It¡¯s not okay and you know it. He¡¯s ignoring them, I know he is. Because he can¡¯t even stand to have any form ofmunication with me, even if it is just a letter. He can¡¯t speak to me face to face, and more so he doesn¡¯t want to reply my letters. Guess I already have my answer then.¡± She scoffed.


    ¡°Madison¡­¡± Alvarez called softly but she was not having any of it.


    As she had said those words out loud, it was making her realize that her thinking was probably just the truth, and her chest clenched heavily.


    ¡°You want to know what I think about all this? Maybe I should just stop it. Maybe there¡¯s no point. I  have lost all hope on this, and I know deep in my bones that at this point, there is no hope of ever reconciling with Damien. I-It¡¯s the truth¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, Madison. Listen to me, okay? I know you¡¯re having a rough time, but don¡¯t say things like that. Come on surely you don¡¯t mean it.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Why wouldn¡¯t I miss it when it¡¯s the truth?¡± She spat, ¡°You also know it¡¯s the truth, isn¡¯t it? You and I both know it.¡±


    ¡°Madison¡­listen, okay? Let¡¯s-let¡¯s not jump into conclusions okay? Give it some time. Don¡¯t talk like that okay? I know you¡¯re hurting but let¡¯s give it some¡­¡±


    ¡°Time, time, it¡¯s ticking already. I have my answers, and now I have to stop with matters concerning him.¡±


    ¡°Madison. Please¡­ I¡¯m not in support of what he did, but then¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s the truth!¡± Madison wasn¡¯t sure why her voice was a notch higher or why her chest had begun to bubble. But she couldn¡¯t help but feel so¡­ angry. ¡°Do you see any hope of Damien and I ever going back to being on good terms? No you don¡¯t, and it¡¯s the truth. I just need to stop at this point. You were not in support of me sending letters, and now you¡¯re talking as if you want us to get back together. I just don¡¯t get it.¡±


    Alvarez was silent for a while, ¡°Look Maddie¡­¡±


    ¡°Just, drop it. Okay? Let¡¯s just drop the conversation. I¡¯m tired for real.¡± She snapped even though she really didn¡¯t mean to but she just couldn¡¯t help herself.


    She felt like she was going crazy.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    She cut the call abruptly, without even bidding him farewell and for the second time since she woke up this morning, she felt tears prick the back of her eyes.


    ¡­¡­.


    The cool breeze that blew through the windows and into Damien¡¯s room would have made anyone shiver, but Damien took no notice as he sat shirtless on the sofa across his wine bar, taking sips of whiskey from a ss.


    His mind raced with thoughts as the memory of what he had seen and heard in that mail, and once again everything just came flooding back to him.


    No matter how much he thought about it, he still couldn¡¯t believe it. He didn¡¯t want to believe it at all.


    He couldn¡¯t believe that Madison had been¡­ She had been pregnant. His  stomach churned at the thought of that word. Pregnant.


    At first he hadn¡¯t believe it, but then those audio messages. Those fucking audio messages. He had heard everything, and all the confirmation he needed was there.


    Mr Rudiger had carried out a mini interrogation on some of the  neighbors, and the people who had been around the Connors at that time, and he had them recorded. In those tapes he heard different people give their testimony of what they had seen, and it all summed up to the same thing ¨C Madison had once been pregnant.


    Some of them had even called her a shameless teen, who got pregnant and ran away from home, while others had nothing but pity for the poor girl.


    Damien felt chills run down his spine as he remembered all of it. He had been inplete denial at first, but then those testimonies held the truth. There was more than five witnesses who had even confirmed that they had seen the baby bump, around the period when she had been thrown out of the house.


    Now there was a thing Damien didn¡¯t understand though.


    Some of the neighbors confirmed that she had ran away, while others said she had been sent away by her father. That she had been disowned, and now Damien began to wonder why that had happened.


    It was beginning to make a little more sense though. How she looked like she was estranged from her family. The issue of her being poor and all that. He  didn¡¯t understand the ache in his chest, but he quickly pushed it away.


    What he really wanted to know now was who the child belonged to, and the whereabouts of the child also.


    So far, Mr Rudiger didn¡¯t give him any information concerning any child, and Damien doubted if Alvarez knew a thing about this because he had not brought the topic up.


    Again he was wondering if the child was the reason why Madison had been working so much, even when she had briefly stayed in New York.


    Did she have a child to support? Was the child in London with her? Damien had so many questions to ask, but the answers weren¡¯t in the documents.


    All he had was proof that she really had been pregnant, and these were confirmed audios and sphemies.


    Lord knows what she must have been through. All alone, and with a child to cater for.


    Damn! He cursed internally, his eyes itching, hands shaking at the same time as he poured himself another shot of whiskey. And then another, and another, downing every gulp until he began to feel slightly woozy.


    Still he needed to keep drinking. Everything that was happening¡­all these revtions, they were just too much for him to handle and to douse the fire and rage in his chest, he continued to gulp down cups of alcohol until he was nearly done with the bottles scattered on the floor.


    ¡°Babe¡­ Damien?¡±


    Slowly lifting his head up, he looked toward the door to see Katherine standing there, her arms folded across her chest as she stared at him in surprise. He hadn¡¯t heard here in because currently his ears were blocked, his head felt like it was on fire and his eyelids were very heavy too.


    He was also feeling very numb, to put it lightly.


    ¡°You¡¯re drinking?¡± Katherine gaped at him, as she walked closer to where he was seated, ¡°It¡¯s 7AM in the morning and you¡¯re supposed to be getting ready for work.¡± As she spoke, she snatched the half empty whisky bottle and put it back into the cab.


    When he still didn¡¯t say anything, she red at him, tapping against his hand, ¡°Damien, is something wrong? You never drink this early. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Ahh go away, d-don¡¯t touch me¡­¡± He slurred, pushing her iing hand away as he shakily tried to get to his feet. His legs felt wobbly and he held onto the chair close by, for support. When he saw Katherine narrow her eyes at him, he frowned.


    ¡°Damien¡­are you drunk? What am I even saying? You are drunk, what the hell¡­¡± Katherine said holding onto his hand again, as he tried to move away.


    Damien meanwhile groaned when pain shot through his head, and his body began to shake violently. ¡°I¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have checked the f-sh drive.¡± He murmured. His stomach was so full he felt like throwing up. And everything was getting so blurry¡­


    ¡°sh drive? What sh drive? Babe what are you talking about?¡± Katherine asked him, but Damien only pushed her aside as he began to wobble to his the bed in his room.


    She stopped him by pulling his hand towards her, ¡°You¡¯re drunk, okay? You shouldn¡¯t be-¡± She shook her head as Damien began to murmur some iprehensible words, and obviously bing annoyed she began to tap against his chest roughly, ¡°What are you even talking about?¡±


    ¡°Need t-to find out more about her¡­ about Madison and all that ha¡­¡± He breathed, pulling his hand away from hers, as he managed finally to get to his bed. This time Katherine was no longer following him, instead she stood rooted in shock.


    ¡°Madison? That bitch!¡± She yelled furiously, ¡°What about her?¡± She hissed, raking her hands in her hair, ¡°You¡¯re doing it again, Damien. Talking about that bitch while I¡¯ve wa-¡±


    Damien didn¡¯t even say a word, and suddenly feeling the urge to urinate, he stood up from the bed and staggered slowly to the bathroom banging the door hard and cutting Katherine¡¯s speech off.


    He didn¡¯t even want to face her right now, and moreover he needed some ice cold water to cool himself down.

 Chapter Forty Two

    KATHERINE


    When Damien drunkenly staggered into the shower, banging the door and cutting her off, Katherine stood outside the bathroom, fuming.


    It was bad enough that he had ignored all her questions, but now he had to deliberately cut her off as well? Oh what nonsense! Katherine couldn¡¯t have that.


    She just couldn¡¯t deal with it, but now she knew exactly what she had to do.


    She had been beyond confused when she saw him drinking so early this morning. It wasn¡¯t like him at all, hence the surprise that filled her, but then she caught a whiff of what the matter bothering him was about.


    He had muttered some gibberish about a sh drive, and then when he called his ex¡¯s name, she had be so angry that her hands began to shake.


    After everything she had discussed with him, everything she had done to try and make him forget about the unruly bitch, it seemed like he still hadn¡¯t had enough. Now he was mentioning her name in his drunken state.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Oh well!


    Katherine shut her eyes as though she were in physical pain.


    She was itching so badly, her body scratching her as she wanted to know everything. She needed to know, and that sh drive he had kept on talking about¡­  that sh drive that he kept going on about, she knew it must have had some information for Damien to keep talking about it that way. So she knew she had to find it.


    The bedroom seemed like a good start since he was in the shower, and so she would start her search from there. Besides, he would probably be too drunk to notice, and so she got to work.


    After she had spent minutes ransacking his bedroom and his study, overturning every single nook and cranny she still didn¡¯t find anything, and she became frustrated.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Katherine muttered under her breath as she popped thest drawer open, trying to hold onto onest hope but there was still no sign of a sh drive anywhere.


    The only other possible ce the sh drive could be was in his office at work, in hisptop maybe and cursing under her breath, Katherine made her way to the bedroom, grabbing her bag and stuffs and quickly left.


    She wasn¡¯t worried about Damien knowing she had gone. He was too drunk for that.


    Quickly, she went back to one of his rooms to freshen up and get ready to go out. She would find out what exactly was on that sh drive, and even if it meant she had to cross some boundaries, then she would do that.


    A few hourster, Katherine walked through the halls of Damien¡¯spany building, a smile stered on her face.


    She knew that the key to avoid suspicion was to act like she normally did, and again she knew that Damien would be absent from work today so it would make things a whole lot easier for her.


    ¡°Good morning, ma¡¯am.¡± She heard Damien¡¯s secretary greet her as she approached his office.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Katherine smiled widely at thedy who smiled back before facing her work. Katherine breathed out in relief, giving onest smile before she walked into his office.


    Making sure the door was closed behind her, she began to search.


    Ransacking each drawerpartment slowly and carefully in order not to miss the sh drive, she searched thoroughly and efficiently. After that she moved to his inner office, and then she began to check the desk, the drawers, every single ce she could see but still, nothing.


    She was beginning to get agitated, and holding back her anger, she retraced her steps, going back into the main office to search again.


    As her eyes roved around the office, theynded on aptop seated on the desk, and her brows quirked slowly. Looking more closely, Katherine discovered there was a sh drive attached to it, and a wide groan appeared on her face.


    ¡°Yes!¡± She squealed happily, fist bumping in the air as she raced across the room to theptop.


    Finally! She thought to herself, her hands shaking in anticipation as she turned theptop on.


    Smiling to herself and relieved that she knew Damien¡¯s password already, she disconnected the sh drive and then plugged it back in again.


    The drive appeared on theputer, and filled with suspense and curiosity, Katherine tapped on the drive and waited for it to load.


    In a few seconds it was ready, and then she began to scroll through the files that was in it.


    She saw a file named in capital letters ¡®THE CONNORS¡¯, and just when she was about to click it, the door swing open, and she froze.


    For a split second, Katherine was panic stricken, but she knew that jumping up would only make her look guilty, so she casually looked up, nearly rolling her eyes abrasively when she saw it was Alvarez.


    He stood at the entrance of the office, files in his hand and a suspicious look on his face as he red at Katherine.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He spat, eyeing her curiously, while she clenched her fists under the table.


    This was not going to go down well for her, and she could already sense it.


    Alvarez was her arch enemy, and the hate he had for her was actually mutual on her own end.


    Lord knows if she had a choice right now, or a knife rather she would slice Alvarez into two clean halves, not thinking of the consequences but then she tried to control her anger.


    She had never been able to tolerate him, bringing back the thought of how she hated him personally and everything that concerned his affairs. She didn¡¯t think he was the kind of person Damien should be around with, especially at this time too.


    She knew the connection he had with Madison too back then as they had all been friends, and he was obviously that bitch¡¯s number one supporter. He was also just too damn nosy.


    ¡°I asked you a question miss.¡± Alvarez said again, his voice harsh,  ¡°What are you doing in Damien¡¯s office with hisptop?¡±


    It was all Katherine could do to keep from throwing him a sharp re.


    ¡°I have every right to be in my boyfriend¡¯s office. I don¡¯t see why you¡¯re making it your problem.¡± She said, trying her very best to keep all the venom she was feeling out of her voice.


    ¡°Yes you have every right to be here, but not when Damien isn¡¯t here.¡± Alvarez shot back, ¡°It looks kind of weird, and I also know Damien won¡¯t send you in here without informing me. Strange if you ask me.¡± He added sarcastically, giving her a fake smile and the words that flew out of his mouth really stung Katherine, but she took some deep breaths, smiling and staring him down even when what she really wanted to do was p that haughty smirk off his face.


    As she and Alvarez stared at each other, she became angrier by the second, and he wasn¡¯t even making any move to walk away.


    Finally, giving up at thest second, she carefully shut theptop, picking up her purse from the desk and without saying another word she made her way out of the room.


    She could feel Alvarez¡¯s re piercing her back as she walked away, and her chest heaved with anger as she stormed out of the office.


    She was more than furious¡­ Her n had been ruined!


    ¡­¡­.


    The sound of a ringtone jolted Damien awake, and this was a mistake because as soon as he jumped up from the bed, his already sore head began to ache even more terribly than when he had first fallen asleep.


    Damien groaned in pain.


    After thest hangover he¡¯d had some time back, he had vowed not to drink so much anymore, here he was again, with a blurry memory and a splitting headache.


    It also urred to him that he had slept through the morning, hence missing his responsibilities at the office.


    He wasn¡¯t bothered though because it was not like he couldn¡¯t take a day off, as he was the boss after all, but still he didn¡¯t like to leave work for lousy reasons such as a hangover. That was of his own doing, and he didn¡¯t believe in his responsibilities suffering for his own mistake.


    Sighing, he turned to his phone which had begun to ring a second time, and stretching out his hand to pick it up he saw that it was his mother calling.


    Taking a few seconds to gather himself first, he picked up and greeted hoarsely, ¡°Hello, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Damien? How are you doing?¡±


    He shut his eyes for a few moments, weakness racking through him.


    He just wanted to get some sleep.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, mom.¡±


    The silence over the phone ryed his mother¡¯s worry to him, and he knew she was waiting for him to say more, but he was just too tired to do anything.


    With his free hand, he stretched toward the drawer, sliding it open and grabbed the bottle of aspirin he always kept there.


    Supporting his phone with his shoulder to keep it from falling, he opened the bottle to take out some pills, chewing the butter drugs without any remorse.


    ¡°Are you okay? You sound sick.¡± His mother said again, this time sounding even more worried as she asked again, ¡°Have you been taking care of yourself? And also have you been eating properly?¡±


    ¡°Yes, mom. I¡¯m fine.¡± Damien said, raking his fingers in his hair as he drank some water. ¡°I just came down with a cold, so I¡¯m home for today, but I¡¯ve already called the doctor and I¡¯m feeling better.¡± He lied, knowing it was the only way to ay her fears.


    Besides, he couldn¡¯t possibly tell her he was having a hangover. That would morph into a whole new conversation, seeing the time he had gotten drunk, and he honestly didn¡¯t have the time for that.


    ¡°So you¡¯re good then?¡± His mother asked again, and when he confirmed it, she went on to ask about work, and about Katherine.


    If Damien had been face to face with his mother, he would not have been able to hide his surprise, at her questions.


    She never asked about Katherine. Unless of course she was just trying to be polite, so asking about her now was a bit daunting, strange and a tad bit awkward.


    ¡°She¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    If Damien was more in the mood, he might haveughed at the way she sarcastically responded, but he was just not in the mood and even now he just wanted to get back to sleep.


    So without talking to much, he just listened to his mother ask how he was faring, and if he had made up his mind about the dinner with her and his sister, and again just like he had said before, Damien informed her that he was busy.


    ¡°Fine.¡± After a pause she spoke up again, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you something though son. Can I please go ahead?¡± She questioned and Damien lifted his brows before answering, ¡°Yes do go on.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about that girl in the papers, about Madison?¡±


    Damien suddenly clutched his phone tighter, but he said nothing.


    Even though he was quiet, his mother kept on talking as if she did not notice.


    ¡°Have you been able to sort everything out with her? I haven¡¯t seen any new tabloid issues with you you both so I guessed it had all died down. Hope that is the case?¡±


    Damien shut his eyes.


    Madison¡­ He hadpletely forgotten briefly about everything courtesy of his hangover and drunk brain, but as his mother spoke, his fingers clutched at the phone tightly, as memories began to flood in his head.


    He vividly remembered how he was trying to get all the information he was getting out of his mind, but how? How was he supposed to unsee all of that? How was he supposed to just forget about it?


    The pregnancy¡­ That alone sent chills through his body, and worse still he wasn¡¯t even sure yet who it belonged to.


    Why did everything associated with Madison have to somehow creep into his mood and ruin his day, his thoughts.


    She had fucking carried a baby. A baby that was most likely still somewhere. The thought made him so angry. A baby that could most likely be his, despite the allegations and scandal that made them break up back then and¡­


    He didn¡¯t even want to think about all that right now.


    ¡°Honey are you there?¡± His mother¡¯s voice cut into his thoughts, ¡°Did you manage to sort everything out with Madison? You¡¯ve not said a thing.¡±


    Oh fuck! But he just wanted to scream his lungs out, and suddenly he had the urge to throw his phone across at the wall.


    ¡°Mom, can you please not prod further about Madison¡¯s issue. I really don¡¯t want to talk about this¡­¡± He stated gently, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible.


    ¡°Damien, I know you and Madison were-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! Okay? Stop asking me all of these freaking questions.¡± He snapped, ¡°I have to go now.¡±


    Without even waiting for her to speak, or exchanging any farewell pleasantries he hung up on her, tossing his phone into the dresser and burying his head in his pillow to try and get rid of the thoughts.

 Chapter Forty Three

    Damien was irritatedly angry for a lot of reasons ¨C  One of them was the fact that Madison might have been pregnant, but still she broke up with him. He couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom why she would keep something like that from him.


    Another reason why Damien was angry was another torturing thought that haunted him.


    The uncertain thought that the baby might not be his had his chest squeezing in pain.


    The thought first surfaced when his mother had asked about Madison two days ago when he had a hangover, and at first he had only been annoyed, but as his mother kept on mentioning her name, he couldn¡¯t help but feel angry.


    He wasn¡¯t even sure why he was so angry.


    Was it because she had kept the news about the baby from him? Or the thought that there was a chance that she had cheated on him?


    Not even a chance, she had tantly told him to his face. Right before they had broken up, he had caught her with the other guy so many times and she looked¡­ Fuck! He was so angry¡­ angry with Madison.


    He hated not knowing about anything, he needed someone to me, somewhere to direct his anger to, and Madison was the only reasonable exnation for this.


    He hated the fact that she had carried a baby without him knowing.


    Now as he sat in his office, he realized that he was only jumping into conclusions and letting his emotions get the better of him.


    These things could still be rumors, and he had no solid reason to believe that. There was no need to think on rumors then build on them, until they began to eat him up. He was basing all his thoughts on what he had heard, and the recordings from those neighbors who probably had no idea what might have really happened.


    They were just gossips and rumors for goodness sake, and he kept trying to have some kind of hope.


    Once again, anger coursed through him.


    This anger which was directed to Madison, as she was the cause of all the drama that had urred these past few weeks.


    Once again, just like the past he was repeating the same mistake again. He was judging without hearing her own side of the story, or digging deep.


    Sighing deeply, he shook his head, raking his hands through his hair. He let his mind roam for a while, and when something struck in his head, he deliberated upon it and then he made up his mind.


    Picking up the office phone, he dialed his secretary.


    Minutester without wasting any time, she soon came in, and looking up, he blurted out, ¡°I¡¯ll need you to book me a flight to London. Check the avable dates and time for flights and forward them to me. I¡¯ll decide what day, I want my flight booked.¡±


    ¡°From the local airport?¡± She questioned and Damien nodded saying, ¡°Yes, I wont be taking my private jet. Get the dates and inform me as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Right away, sir.¡± She nodded and then with a bow, she was gone.


    Damien inhaled deeply.


    This was something he had to do, and he was not turning back.


    With the way he was raging internally, he knew he would only rx and be at ease when he knew the full story.


    Talking to Madison was the only way to find out, and that was what he was going to do, irrespective of the fact that she might not want to talk to him.


    Nevertheless, he needed to clear things up, separate the rumors from reality and know what to act upon. He needed answers to all the questions that were packed up in his head, and most importantly yet again he needed to know¡­ if she really had been pregnant.


    If she had carried his child, or that of another man¡¯s.


    Rubbing his forehead, Damien looked down at the marble tiled floor, exhausted. It was tiring thinking so much about everything, but he didn¡¯t really have a choice.


    He felt like going back home to rest up, but he had so many things to do.


    As he sat waiting for motivation to work, he heard someone knock at the door and without even waiting for his response, it swung open and Alvarez walked in, some files in his hand.


    He looked at Damien curiously taking a seat, and cing the files on the desk, he asked, ¡°Are you good?¡±


    Damien cleared his throat and then nodded.


    He and Alvarez had not been talking much as ofte, so now the conversation seemed to be a little bit weird for him. He had caused the strain between them though, or it was mutual on both sides, Damien didn¡¯t even know.


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m fine.¡± He answered simply after a while.


    Alvarez didn¡¯t look like he believed him but he nodded.


    Gesturing to the files, he said, ¡°I actually brought these files to meet you two days ago. But apparently you weren¡¯t at work, and I met Katherine here instead.¡±


    Damien frowned, ¡°Katherine? Why would Katherine be here?¡± He asked, confused.


    Alvarez shifted in his chair, and it took a while before he spoke up again, ¡°When I came here to give the files to you, I caught her snooping around on yourptop. Almost like she was looking for something. She looked annoyed to see me walk in. It was really strange.¡±


    Damien¡¯s frown deepened.


    Why would Katherine be in his office? He remembered that he was absent from work two days ago, and Katherine had been in his house that morning but she left after a while.


    Why would shee to his office though, and what did she want with hisptop? It made no sense to Damien whatsoever, and he tried thinking if he had sent her on errand in his drunk haz, but he couldn¡¯t recall a thing.


    He didn¡¯t want to push this matter though, as there were other pressing matters at hand right now.


    ¡°Katherine will always be Katherine. She was probably just checking out something random. Nothing to worry about, though.¡± He said dismissively, waving Alvarez¡¯sment away, ¡°Anyways, the files. What do you have for me?¡±


    Alvarez shrugged at Damien¡¯sment. He obviously wasn¡¯t satisfied with the reaction to the news about Katherine, but just like Damien wanted he didn¡¯t push it any further.


    Nodding, he opened up the files and turned it around to face Damien, ¡°The new additions to the security team are doing pretty good. I think it¡¯s time we get them weapons, so we¡¯ll need a small supply of guns.¡±


    Damien nodded, reading through the files. ¡°Ammunition¡¯s and vehicles too right?¡± He asked, picking up a pen from his drawer, ¡°We could provide few more cars as well.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± Alvarez nodded, ¡°The vehicles avable need to be serviced as well. We¡¯ve been having some little troublestely.¡±


    Damien nodded, ¡°You can call the mechanics departments for that. I¡¯ll sign for ammunition, guns and new vehicles to be provided.¡± Quickly, he scrawled his signature on all the papers, and handed them back to Alvarez.


    ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡± Alvarez said. Damien nodded, his eyes going back to his own work.


    ¡°How¡¯s things going on here?¡± He heard Alvarez ask after a while.


    ¡°What?¡± He looked up, confused.


    ¡°How¡¯s business going?¡± Alvarez asked further borating.


    ¡°Great, I guess.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure why the conversation with Alvarez felt so stiff, but then he couldn¡¯t ce a particr me.


    ¡°And Madison? The investigation? How is it going?¡±


    This was exactly what he wanted to ask, Damien should have known and he felt his heart clench at the words.


    He had so much to say but nobody to say it to.


    His heart was so full, but because of some silly spat he couldn¡¯t even talk to his best friend right now.


    These past weeks had been terrible, overwhelming even and he had spent it all without Alvarez, or even talking to him. Damien realized that no matter how hard he tried to shove it aside, he still missed him. He missed his best friend.


    ¡°Look, Alvarez. I know things have been stiff and awkward between us, and I know why. I just¡­I¡¯m sorry about everything. I miss having you around, talking to you.¡± He paused waiting for Alvarez to say something but there was silence on his end, and sighing Damien continued, ¡°There are so many things I want to say to you. Things we need to discuss about you know. The past few weeks has been overwhelming and I want us to talk. I need someone to talk to. So can we? We can pick a day, go to a bar like we used to. To just¡­ talk.¡±


    Finally Alvarez gave a nod and said slowly, in a whisper that Damien almost didn¡¯t hear him, ¡°Okay then. That would he nice.¡±


    Damien lips stretched in a wide grin, ¡°Thank you so much brother.¡±


    Suddenly Alvarez started, seemingly remembering something he had forgotten to ask, ¡°Did you get the letters from-¡±


    The sound of Damien¡¯s ringtone interrupted him before he couldplete his statement, and even though he wanted to know what his friend wanted to ask him about, he raised a finger up to excuse himself.


    This call was important and picking up the phone, Damien saw that it was Antonio Garcia calling.


    He nearly jumped from his seat in surprise, and turning to Alvarez before answering the phone he said, ¡°It¡¯s important business, and I have to take it. We¡¯re still on for tomorrow right? After work right?¡± When Alvarez nodded, he continued, ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll see you at the bar tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°Okay then Damien.¡±


    Quickly, he waved Alvarez away with a smile, turned his gaze on the files scattered on the office table, and brought his phone to his ear.


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison licked the tomato sauce off her palm, smacking her lips in approval from the taste.


    She sprinkled onest pinch of salt into the pot, and then she closed the pot to allow it simmer. She had been feeling so down for a few days now, so she had decided to treat herself to a nice dinner to see if it would cheer her up.


    So far, so good to her utmost surprise it was working.


    She couldn¡¯t remember thest time she had prepared a decent, hot meal for herself.


    All she had been having was tea and sandwiches, thanks to the bread she got at the bakery after work. It was a very big help to her because it meant she didn¡¯t need to spend so much, but today, she wanted a nice, hot dinner.


    Pasta was sure to do the trick, and from work she had branched to the market, buying the things she would need to cook the delicious meal.


    As she brought down the pot of tomato stew from the stove, she filled another pot with water and ced it on the stove for the pasta.


    She leaned against the wall as she waited for the water to heat, and just as she tried to slip her phone out of her pocket, intent on keeping herself busy, a knock sounded at her door.


    Madison nced over at the door, surprised to hear the knocking sound.


    She wasn¡¯t really expecting anybody today, and as she moved toward the door she wondered if it was one of her neighbors, but to her surprise, she opened the door to reveal a postman.


    ¡°Good day.¡± He greeted, ¡°Mail for a certain Miss Connor?¡±


    Madison nodded, answering still quite surprised, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Madison Connor.¡±


    The postman nodded, slipping out a letter from his messenger bag and handing it to her.


    ¡°I have a letter for you, but you¡¯ll need to sign here.¡± He continued as she took the letter from him.


    Madison quickly did so, nodding at him when he took his leave, and closing the door gently she nced down at the letter once more, her heart racing in anticipation.


    Could it be? Could Damien have replied her letter finally? She wondered, bringing the letter closer to her chest and saying a silent prayer.


    It would make absolute sense if it was him, since she had sent letters to him alone, and that was that.


    She hoped this was good news, and deciding that she needed to bepletely focused to read whatever he had wrote, she went back into the kitchen and turned off the stove.


    Picking the envelope back up, she lowered herself onto the small wooden seat nearby, and she began to rip the paper open quickly.


    She turned the letter over, as it was fully opened, and then she frowned. Its exterior was stained red. Confused now, Madison finally tore the letter open.


    Brightly written on the paper, inscribed in bold letters with what looked like blood were the words, ¡®WATCH YOUR BACK BITCH. YOUR DOOM IS COMING.¡¯


    Letting out a sharp scream in shock, Madison dropped the paper.


    Her heart pounded in her chest as she wondered if this was some kind of sick joke, and quickly unlocking her door she ran outside, with hopes that the postman had not gone too far, but she was tote. He was nowhere to be found, already gone.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Madison breathed, cing her hands on her chest, as she tried to catch her breath.


    There was no address whatsoever on the letter. It was basically just a nk piece of paper with a threat, and the postman who was the only person that might have an inkling as to where it had been from had left already.


    Due to her brief excitement, she hadpletely forgotten to ask about the sender¡¯s address and all other necessary info and now she was sorely filled with regrets.


    Her hand rubbing at her chest again she stared at her surroundings.


    The words on that letter chilled her bones to the core, and the only thought her mind went to was the man in the bushes who had been stalking her.


    Her hands shook in fear and she quickly went back into the house, double checking the doors and windows to make sure they were closed and secure.


    What just happened now was a clear, direct threat that someone was plotting something against her, and at this point she was powerless.


    She had no idea what to do about it, at the same time feeling exposed and unsafe.


    The first person her mind went to was Alvarez. She had to talk to him. She had told him that there were people stalking her but Alvarez thought there was nothing to worry about, and he had even told her that Damien had sorely denied the involvement.


    Now it was confirmed that someone was watching her, and she didn¡¯t want to believe that Damien wasn¡¯t involved in all this.


    Trying to catch a grip on herself, she decided she would call Alvarezter, as he would probably be at work right now.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    When she finally calmed down, she walked back into the kitchen to continue her cooking, even though she had already lost her appetite.


    Once again, she was reminded of the fact that without doubt an enemy was lurking nearby, but could it be Damien? Or another person, but who?

 Chapter Forty Four

    Madison found it difficult to control the smile that formed on her face, as she walked out the doors of the bakery and began to head home.


    Work today had been great as there hadn¡¯t been a lot to do today, and she had also beenmended by her supervisor.


    Madison knew that this meant something good. It meant she was doing her job well, and also it meant that there was hope. Hope for longer retainment, hope for a¡­ promotion. Of course she didn¡¯t say this out to anybody, but still she was so proud of herself for getting this far.


    A month ago, coupled with all she had been through she wouldn¡¯t have believed it if someone told her that she would have been at this point now, but here she was, with a stable ie.


    A few more months and she might even be moving out of her dingy apartment, to a better ce provided she saved well and it was nothing short of unreal.


    Well, regardless of anything Madison was determined to keep moving like this. So she decided she would encourage herself in the most natural way ¨C She would make a nice home cooked meal for herself again.


    Still smiling widely to herself, she cornered into a store to get some groceries for herself. She still hadn¡¯t decided what she was going to make for dinner, but she would just get a few things for herself.


    When she was done buying all she needed, she headed out of the store. As she tried to support the bag of groceries in one hand, her eyes fell on a strange looking man.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    He stood at the corner of the street, d in ck, and taking notes in a small notepad.


    Madison felt the hairs on her body rise as she stared back at him, suddenly having a bad feeling about the fellow.


    Unsure at first, she looked behind her to see if there was anything or anybody else he might be looking at, but a quick nce behind and around made it clear that she was being watched in particr by him.


    Her heart fell to her stomach in fear as she gripped the grocery bag tighter, already fastening her pace and taking long strides down the street.


    The road was beginning to get lonely because it was evening, and Madison held the grocery bag to her chest, crippling fear flowing through her. Desperately, she tried to g down a taxi to take her home, since she couldn¡¯t even think of walking all the way home, now that the stalker was still behind her.


    At subtle intervals her eyes would roam back to the strange man, and dutifully he stood there watching her like a hawk.


    He was not even moving, or trying to hide, and it baffled Madison so much.


    She was so scared that her hands began to shake.


    Luckily for her an empty taxi passed, and quickly telling him the location of her house, she got in and closed the door heavily behind her.


    Still not  knowing what else to do, as the car drove away, Madison extracted her phone from her bag and scrolled through for Alvarez¡¯s number intent on calling him.


    He was the only one she had now.


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°The usual?¡±


    Damien nodded to the bartender as he and Alvarez took their seats on the barstools.


    They had both finished from work at the same time, so they decided to go have that drink they had scheduled some days go.


    They had driven to the popr club in Damien¡¯s car, and so far Damien had already found himself loosening up. He realized how much he missed his best friend and he was willing to make up for it, there was no going back.


    ¡°How¡¯s your wife and kid?¡± He suddenly asked, turning to face Alvarez who smiled, his face lighting up as he replied,  ¡°They¡¯re great, thanks for asking. You know my wife is due in a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡± Damien eximed, then realizing his voice was loud, and he brought it down a little, making Alvarezugh so hard he nearly choked on his drink, ¡°Well that was fast. But howe you don¡¯t sound so excited. More like you sound nervous?¡±


    Alvarez sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I am excited for baby number two, don¡¯t get me wrong. I want this child so much, but at the same time whenever I remember the pain she went through when she had Ivy. Theplications and all¡­ I get scared for her health. It¡¯s a baby boy you know and I¡¯m more than happy, but then I¡¯m not looking forward to the possible strain on my wife¡¯s health.¡±


    When he finished, Damien was staring at him and beaming, ¡°Congrattions, man. You just won the award for husband of the year. All soft and mushy, your wife is so lucky.¡±


    Alvarezughed, shaking his head, ¡°You can say that. Meanwhile you¡¯ve been winning the award for bachelor of the year for a very long, long time. I won¡¯t say bachelor since you have a girlfriend but then you¡¯ve not put a ring on her so¡­¡±


    As he spoke, Damien suddenly remembered the incident at Katherine¡¯s father¡¯s office when they had brought on the talk about marriage and a wedding.


    He wasn¡¯t sure he was ready for that kind ofmitment¡­ no, he wasn¡¯t ready at all. And being with Katherine for life was definitely thest thing on his mind.


    Needing to still cool off the atmosphere, Damien knew Alvarez would find it funny if he narrated that particr tale, and so he proceeded to hell him exactly what had happened.


    As expected, Alvarez roared withughter.


    As Damien took a sip of his drink, Alvarez turned to face him. ¡°How¡¯s your family? I just realized that it¡¯s been quite a while since I saw them or even asked about them.¡± Heughed, ¡°I¡¯m sure your mother hates me now.¡±


    Damien shrugged, ¡°Just a little bit.¡± He said it with such seriousness that Alvarez couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°But anyway, mother and La are good. Thest time I actually saw them was the family dinner I was invited to.¡±


    ¡°Family dinner?¡± Alvarez looked surprised, ¡°When did that happen? How did it go?¡±


    Damien nearly chuckled at the memory. Back then it had pissed him off so much that he thought his head would blow off from how angry he had been feeling, but now with drinks and his best friend, it was just another funny story to tell.


    ¡°Well, mom invited Katherine and-¡±


    Alvarez¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, ¡°Wait what? Your mother invited Katherine to a family dinner? The same Grace Daniels I know? Wow, then I can only imagine how it went.¡± He chuckled.


    Damienughed, ¡°Exactly, just as you are imagining. And dear mother decided to bring up Madison and the tabloids up at the table as well.¡±


    Alvarez dropped the ss that was halfway to his lips in shock, ¡°No¡­ in front of Katherine?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After they had talked andughed about it, Damien was feeling much lighter, and turning to the bartender he said, ¡°Another round!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of Madison, how is the investigation going? You haven¡¯t even told me what your n is with Madison and her family.¡± Alvarez began but Damien went silent and after a while he added, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to talk about it, I understand¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s alright.¡± Damien cut in.


    Suddenly, everything that had been going through his mind, everything that had been bothering him, everything that made him weak, tired¡­ they all rested heavily on his chest and he wanted nothing more than to relieve himself of this burden.


    He had wanted to this, so it wasn¡¯t a big problem. He would just share his worries with his best friend, and he would be a tad bit relieved for sure.


    And so¡­he did share everything. He told Alvarez everything he knew, and all that told his private investigator had discovered, he told him about the mail he had received, the contents of it, Madison¡¯s suspected child from a pregnancy she was rumored to have, and about her parents disowning her.


    Saying all these things made him realize just how bad Madison had it with her, and now anytime he remembered how bad he had treated her while she was in New York¡­ The event at the hall, then his club, he just couldn¡¯t help but feel terrible about it all.


    He had been so harsh, and now he regretted every single action he had shown out.


    Alvarez listened attentively to every word he spoke, and when he was done, he sighed heavily. He looked deep in thought for a few moments and then he looked back up at Damien, ¡°Wow, that¡¯s¡­a lot.¡±


    When Damien nodded in agreement, he continued, ¡°The only thing I can attest to is the fact that Madison was indeed disowned by her parents. When she was still in New York, she told me about that, but then this other talk¡­  She never mentioned anything about a pregnancy, or a kid. I seriously doubt that, and I think it might just be a rumor. I know she¡¯s still hiding a lot of things from me, but then a kid¡­ na, I would have known.¡±


    Damien leaned forward on the counter, taking another sip of his drink, ¡°I thought as much too. But¡­that¡¯s the most probable exnation for why she was disowned. Don¡¯t you think so? If that child is mine, her father wouldn¡¯t even think it twice. He would send her away without batting an eysh. I know Mr Connor, and I know what he is capable of doing.¡±


    Alvarez shook his head, ¡°No, it¡¯s definitely not true. You know first hand how much Madison loves children right? You know how she is with kids. If Madison had a child, I would definitely know. I mean she would have showed me pictures of something so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s true, anyway.¡±


    Damien rubbed his forehead as he thought about the whole thing. He trusted his investigator so much, that he was certain he would not go out of his way to get false information.


    He had seen proof, heard the recordings of their neighbors¡¯ testimonies, so he wasn¡¯tpletely sure. But then again, he knew Alvarez was right.


    A sad smile creeped onto his face as he thought of something.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Madison does love kids. Back when we were together she used to talk about having kids. She had the whole thing nned out, you know? We knew exactly the kind of family we wanted and¡­ It¡­ it was all so sweet. My future with her was mapped out. We were going to have the most pretty kids and¡­¡± Damien paused and chuckled bitterly.


    Suddenly he felt the back of his eyes begin to burn, as he recalled it all.


    He and Madison had made a lot of ns. ns he was so sure they were going to carry out, but he guessed he had been wrong.


    The future always had its own way.


    To distract himself, Damien poured another shot of whiskey in the small ss cup, and then he downed it in one gulp.


    He felt Alvarez ce an arm on his shoulder, rubbing softly trying to calm him down but he refused to acknowledge it.


    Instead he gulped down another shot.


    ¡°You know¡­I never really knew what caused the breakup. You didn¡¯t say anything. I was shocked when you all but told me to start preparing so we could leave for New York. You never said a thing. I mean how did it happen?¡±


    Damien swallowed bitterly, and coughed, ¡°I know you might not believe me but Madison initiated the breakup.¡±


    Alvarez let his arm drop from Damien¡¯s shoulder, shock maring his features, as he asked dumbfoundedly, ¡°What? Really?¡±


    Damien nodded, ¡°Yes, she did. Things were going great, and then one day she just walks up to me, brutally tells me how much she hates me and that she no longer wants to be with me. I was so confused, man, and no matter how much I begged and tried to get her to rethink her decision, she wouldn¡¯t budge. There were also some rumors that she had been cheating, and I did see her with some other guy prior to our fallout but I didn¡¯t want to believe that she would cheat. So yeah, that¡¯s that, I guess.¡± He spat bitterly, taking a sip of his drink.


    To his greatest surprise, Alvarez chuckled, and Damien turned to him in disbelief, waiting for an exnation as to what seemed funny.


    ¡°Look, man¡­I know you were hurt and still are, but with everything that you¡¯ve discovered from the investigation, what she¡¯s currently going through, the fact that she was disowned¡­ I have an inkling that something must have prompted her to do that. Don¡¯t  you think she might have had no other choice?¡±


    Damien frowned. He didn¡¯t understand what Alvarez was driving at.


    ¡°What I mean is, don¡¯t you think her family might have something to do with you both. Don¡¯t you think she might have been manipted into breaking up with you? Remember those days things weren¡¯t rosy and¡­¡±


    Damien¡¯s hand tightened over the cup. No, he hadn¡¯t thought of that, but it was so logical. Could it be¡­.


    No, he stopped himself. He shouldn¡¯t even be thinking about this now. It happened years ago so the real reason for it didn¡¯t really matter anymore.


    He flicked his hand, waving Alvarez¡¯sment away, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now. Whatever reason she had to break up with me doesn¡¯t seem¡­ Look I don¡¯t even know what to say right now.¡± He paused and added, ¡°It¡¯s all in the past now, and you know what they say about it. The past is the past.¡±


    Alvarez sighed heavily, ¡°Okay then. The past is the past.¡± He repeated, raising his drink to his lips. When he emptied his ss, he stood, ¡°I need to use the restroom. Don¡¯t drink too much. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± He smiled and then he was gone.


    Damien nodded, taking another shot.


    Talking about all of this had put him in a weird mood. He wasn¡¯t sad, neither was he happy. He just felt strange, numb too like usual but still he was grateful that he had Alvarez here tonight.


    As he turned to observe his surroundings, Alvarez¡¯s phone began to ring, distracting Damien. He looked toward the restroom to see if Alvarez was on his way out, but there was no sign of him at all.


    He had no option but to silence the phone call, but as he  stretched toward the phone, picking it up he nearly fell off his seat in surprise when he saw the name  ¡®Madison¡¯ sh over the screen.


    For some reason, his heart began to pound in his chest. The phone continued to ring, making his chest tighten in pain.


    Should he just cut the call, or pick up and tell her to call backter? Or should he view this as an opportunity to finally get to speak to her and¡­?


    He picked the phone up from the table, staring at the screen as it continued to ring.


    His palms were beginning to sweat, and shaking his head, he put the phone back where it had been. He couldn¡¯t do it. He just couldn¡¯t. What was he even supposed to say?


    Her name shed on the screen again as the phone began to ring for the second time, and his heart breathing cut short.


    Taking a deep breath, Damien took the phone in his hand and picking it up slowly, he brought it to his ear¡­


    ¡°Hello, Madison Connor.¡±

 Chapter Forty Five

    ¡°Hello Madison Connor.¡±


    Madison nearly dropped her phone in shock at the sound of that all too familiar voice, she just heard.


    Shakily, she moved her phone from her ear to check if she had dialed the wrong number, but sure enough, Alvarez¡¯s name on the screen stared right back at her, and she swallowed a heavy lump.


    She ced the phone back on her ear and tightened her hold on the cell, at the same time fuming with an unexinable anger.


    Why would Damien pick up Alvarez¡¯s phone? Obviously he knew she was the one calling, since her name must have shed on the screen so why?


    It was bad enough that he had humiliated her publicly. He had sent her out of his club, and he had even ignored all her plea letterspletely, but now he was picking up Alvarez¡¯s call?


    This was the height of it all, Madison told herself shutting her eyes, with her jaw ticking as she reminded herself of what was important at the moment.


    Trying so hard to control herself, Madison swallowed, and then said, ¡°Where is Alvarez? Hand the phone over to him, I called to talk to him.¡±


    There was a brief silence from the other end, and then Damien spoke up again, his husky voice filling everywhere, ¡°Alvarez isn¡¯t here right now.¡±


    Another silence ensued, before he spoke up again after a while, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not me you want to talk to?¡±


    He didn¡¯t say this in a sneering tone, but Madison had a feeling that he was just mocking her, and tears welled up in her eyes at the thought.


    If he just wanted to make fun of her and remind her of what she already knew, then what was the point? Why bother to pick up the call¡­ to taunt her? To make fun of her? To humiliate her like he had already done?


    Madison angrily tried to wipe the uncontroble tears that was already flowed down her cheeks, and she felt her chest tighten as she began to sob quietly. She hated that she was crying because of him, but she just couldn¡¯t help it.


    She was tired, standing on the street as she had just gotten home, and it was gettingte, but she didn¡¯t want to go inside because ofwork issues.


    As she stood, she was still paralyzed with fear at the prospect of being stalked out in the open, and that man from the grocery store still lurking around somewhere, and because of this she was more scared for her life.


    She couldn¡¯t get in though, and now all she wanted to do was talk to her best friend, tell him about what was happening, and then know what to do from here onwards, but now she had gotten the shock of her life.


    His cell phone had been picked by Damien. Her worst nightmare.


    Tears rolling down her cheeks, she spoke into the receiver, ¡°Why did you pick this call Damien? What do you want to achieve? You want to taunt me more? You want to gloat on my face? What more do you want from me?¡± She half yelled, finishing with a whimper and soft sobs.


    ¡°Calm down Madison. You are crying, I can hear it. Just calm down let¡¯s talk.¡± He said, his voice sounding concerned and a bit worried, but Madison knew he wasn¡¯t feeling concerned at all.


    His voice might beced, but his soul wasn¡¯t, and she of all people knew better than not to be fooled.


    ¡°You know what, Damien? All these talks won¡¯t work for me. You never wanted to talk to me when you saw me at that event, so why would you want to talk to me now?¡±


    ¡°Madison?¡± He called out again, but Madison was not having any of it.


    ¡°I refuse to be sucked into this trap¡­ or whatever game it is you¡¯re trying to y here. I owe you nothing anymore! Not some 2000 dors bill, or anything so you have no hold over me. You have no leverage at all on me.¡±


    When Madison finished talking, she paused to catch her breath. She was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe as her shoulders racked with sobs, but even till then angered by his iprehensible silence on the other end she continued, ¡°You made it very clear exactly how you feel about me earlier right, back then in New York. I¡¯ve epted that. I¡¯ve epted that you hate me for life, and honestly I don¡¯t me you. I sent you those letters because I was willing to try¡­¡± She sniffed, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her jacket, ¡°I was willing to talk, make you see reason with me, and still, you ignored them, so I have my answers. So tell me? What more do you-¡±


    ¡°Letters?¡± Damien cut in, surprise thickly coating his voice, ¡°What letters? I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. When did you send me letters?¡±


    Madisonughed bitterly, tears escaping the corner of her eyes.


    She knew exactly what he was doing. Trying to deny ever seeing the letters or act nonchnt towards her statement, but she was well prepared for him all of a sudden.


    ¡°Right, of course. I know what you¡¯re doing now, lying? Now you want to act dumb and pretend like you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about? Typical of you.¡± She spat.


    What hurt her most was the fact that he still continued to deny it. He was still having the effrontery to sound surprised, and she couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Everything was just so ridiculous.


    ¡°Madison, I don¡¯t know what¡­¡±


    ¡°Just stop. Stop it okay.¡± She cut him off, the way her name soundeding from him, making her cry harder.


    She didn¡¯t want this¡­ she just wanted to talk to Alvarez. She was just so tired of all of this honestly, and she was already on the verge of giving up.


    ¡°You have made it clear so many times that you hate me. You said it to my face, you showed me, and it¡¯s fine. Just leave me alone, okay? I have had it with this whole thing, but not anymore. I have never felt so much pain in all my entire existence¡­¡± Her voice broke, her throat hoarse and hurting at the same time, ¡°And it¡¯s all because of you¡­ you have caused me enough pain for a lifetime. So just leave me alone! Leave me and let me have my peace.¡±


    There was a cold silence.


    ¡°Now!¡± Madison said again, her voice still shaking,  ¡°I know Alvarez must be back from wherever he went to go if he did, so kindly hand the phone back to him.¡± Her voice was cold and piercing, but she did not care.


    ¡°Okay.¡± She heard Damien whisper from the other end after a while.


    There was a brief silence and the sound of distant voices, like he was talking to someone who was none other than Alvarez and she felt relief instantly course through her.


    ¡°Hello Madison, what¡¯s up?¡± Alvarez cool and collected voice came on instantly, and Madison remembered the reason why she called.


    She felt fresh tears prick her eyes once more, and clearing her throat she brought the phone closer to her lips.


    ¡°Hello, Alvarez?¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    Damien, still stunned and reeling from the conversation with Madison, handed the phone back to Alvarez.


    He could see Alvarez staring from the phone in his hand, to his face as he looked at him questioningly.


    Alvarez looked back at Damien in shock when he saw that it was Madison on the line, but he quickly turned away, looking down at the ss on the table as his best friend began to discuss with her.


    The sound of her voice through the other end after so long had him wistfully thinking, and then the way she hadshed out at him in a way that he hadn¡¯t expected, was what he didn¡¯t understand at all.


    Worse of the things she said currently made his head spin.


    He wasn¡¯t even able to grasp nor understand nearly half of it, and then she had started crying.


    Damien rarely felt pity, but like always right from time Madison always made his heart soft and mushy. The sound of her sobbing bitterly over the phone had made his heart clench, and it hurt so badly. She sounded so¡­ helpless, so lost and angry too.


    Okay, he understood why she would be angry, since their earlier meetings had been anything but good, but then she had been so¡­ hostile.


    She didn¡¯t even want to listen to him or hear him say anything, and Damien wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it. He felt saddened, angry, speechless, and also hurt as well.


    He wanted to scream at her¡­ call her out for acting like she hadn¡¯t also hurt him too. He felt bad, sorry for the way he had treated her when she was in New York, but at the same time he had gotten a pound of his flesh.


    In as much as he knew he couldn¡¯t me her, well their feelings were all over the ce and both of them had a lot to settle as it stood.


    Her sobs broke his heart, shattering him into pieces and his whole body quaked heavily.


    Shakily, he raked his fingers through his hair, his eyes roaming back to Alvarez who was still on the phone to Madison.


    He could tell that Alvarez had first tried to calm her, and it seemed to have worked because now they were talking freely and Alvarez was also smiling.


    Seconds passed, minutes too and still they were on the phone.


    Out of nowhere Damien started to feel a pang of jealousy pinch at his heart as he watched them speak. The way Alvarez was talking, was the exact opposite of his demeanor when he had been on the phone with Madison, and it was evident that his best friend was the only one who could calm her down.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    His mind racing, he angrily tore his gaze from Alvarez. Why should he even care anyway? Whatever they were discussing was none of his business after all.


    Facing his drink once more, he ordered more bottles, downing more shots as he tried to drown the sound of Alvarez¡¯s voice as he spoke to Madison.


    He really didn¡¯t care¡­ he shouldn¡¯t, so it shouldn¡¯t bother him.


    His fingers clenched into fists, he continued to swallow more and more shots, and as usual his mind kept going back to his conversation with Madison.


    The most baffling thing she had said to him, was the talk about letters of some sort. He didn¡¯t understand what she meant, and why she had gotten so angry when he told her that he had no idea what she was talking about.


    He began to think about it. Had he received any letters and not known? Damien shook his head. He was certain he had not received any mail in thest few weeks, but apparently, she seemed to think otherwise.


    Flinging those thoughts away from his mind, Damien concentrated instead on the drink in front of him. He stopped a bit when he began to feel woozy, as the only thing that was making him go easy on the alcohol tonight was the memory of hisst hangover.


    As he gripped the ss in his hand, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and looking up to see Alvarez, he instantly stiffened.


    ¡°Are you good, man?¡± Alvarez asked, looking curiously at him.


    ¡°Yes. Yes, I am okay.¡± Damien replied simply, and taking out his phone to distract himself, he began to scroll through.


    ¡°Are you sure? You seemed pretty upset when you gave me the phone, and so did Madison. I¡¯m surprised that you guys even spoke. What did you talk about? I¡¯m curious.¡±


    Damien shut his eyes trying to calm himself.


    Thest thing he wanted to even do was talk about her, and he said the exact same thing to Alvarez.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about that right now, and even if we did talk, I don¡¯t see how it¡¯s any of your business.¡±


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Alvarez raised his hands in surrender, his brows quirking, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean to upset you. I¡¯ll stop asking.¡±


    Damien changed his mind about not drinking, motioning to the bartender to bring in more. He needed to do something¡­ anything that would take his mind off the conversation with Madison, and alcohol seemed to be his only close bet now.


    ¡°Would you like to know what we talked about, Madison and I?¡± Alvarez asked after they both drank in silence for a while, and the second he heard that question Damien stiffened.


    It seemed tempting, as he desperately wanted to know what she had told Alvarez and why she was calling at this time, but then he knew that knowing would not help or change anything so he shook his head, ¡°No, I¡¯m good. Thest person I want to talk about is her.¡±


    Alvarez nodded thoughtfully, raising his ss to his lips, ¡°As you wish then, I won¡¯t budge you to much. Sorry if it seemed like I was pushing or something. I understand, and I respect your wishes.¡±


    Desperate to change the conversation, Damien turned to his friend, and asked with a smirk, ¡°I think we should really stop drinking. What would your wife say?¡±


    Alvarez responded by bursting intoughter. ¡°Says the man that has literally been chugging it down the whole time. You bet drinking will make her talk. I can control myself, let¡¯s just have a lot more fun and talk more.¡±


    ¡°At yourmand sir.¡± Damien said wistfully, and the both of them burst into fits ofughter.


    After they had talked for a while, they both checked the time noticing it was tote and then they decided it was time to leave.


    Chugging down theirst shots, they both paid their bills, and strolled out of the bar into the night.

 Chapter Forty Six

    Damien ignored the greetings of all his employees as he walked through the building and into his office.


    He had been in a sour mood all night, up till this morning. Right from when he had woke up, to the shower and even when he had dressed up he had just been angry, and right now thest thing he  needed was another reason for his fury to escte.


    Fuming, he dropped his briefcase carelessly on the desk as he got into his office, and then he plopped down on a chair.


    He had a lot of work to do so he really needed to get on with it, but as he turned on theputer and began to tap away, he found out that he just couldn¡¯t concentrate.


    His mind kept wandering, and he kept raking his hand in his hair.


    Muttering a curse under his breath, Damien shut theputer and leaned back into the chair.


    He could not bring himself to stop thinking aboutst night. The call with Madison, the way she hadshed out at him, and no matter how hard he tried to get himself to stop thinking, it wasn¡¯t working.


    More so, the one image he was unable to take out of his head was the rxed, carefree demeanor of Alvarez when he was on the phone with Madison.


    It hurt him more than he expected it would, and yes he did convinced himself countless times that it didn¡¯t matter, but then why did it keep reying it in his head. The more he thought about it, the angrier he was bing.


    Alvarez had looked free? Why had their conversation seemed so cozy? When he was on the phone with Madison she had not even given him one second to breathe out a single word, or make a statement as all she did was cut him off and shut him down every time he tried to speak but then all of a sudden¡­ Alvarez had began talking to her, and they had chatted happily like everything was okay.


    Damien felt a sh of anger run through him, as he began to think of the only logical reason to exin this find closeness.


    Could it be possible that something was going on between them? Damien wondered. But that was a very foolish thought.


    They were just friends, always had been strictly friends for years, and Alvarez was happily married to a beautiful woman he loved. Damien muttered under his breath, cursing himself inwardly. Why would he even consider something like that? What hade over him?


    At intervals, Damien would hiss in disgust, and anytime he closed his eyes, he could still hear and feel the venom in Madison¡¯s voice when she asked him to leave her alone. The pure anger that filled her voice when she instructed him to give Alvarez the phone¡­ Damien struck his fist on the desk, getting up from his chair and walking towards the cab.


    What made her behave like that? How dare she treat him like that? Why would she talk to him like he was a child¡­ cut him off at every word like he didn¡¯t know what to say? What the freaking hell did she even take him for?


    Still fuming, he unlocked the inner drawer of the cab, and going through the files and papers scattered within he searched thoroughly until he found out what he was looking for.


    He held it up and stared at it for a while ¨C It was the one picture of Madison he had kept in his office, for so long, and looking at this picture used to break his heart and put him into a deep state of nostalgia, but surprisingly not this time.


    Now all he could think of when he stared at her picture was anger at the way she had red up at him, and his mouth curling bitterly Damien reached out into the lower drawer where he kept his cigarettes to take out a lighter.


    He stared intently at the picture onest time and without a second thought, he lit up the litter and bringing the me to the very edge of the picture, he then let it fall from his hand.


    As he watched the picture go up in mes, for the first time since forever Damien did not feel the slightest bit of regret.


    As the paper burned away, he came to a decision one that seemed irreversible.


    Maybe It was time to throw all of those memories he had of her away. Yes! Madison wasn¡¯t important to him in any way whatsoever anymore, and he might not have known it before, using the hate gnawing at him to disguise it butst night at that bar had made him see things more clearly.


    Now all he knew was that there was no hope for him and Madison. Their love story was a lost cause and that was all it would ever be.


    Walking back to his desk, Damien picked up his telephone ringing for his secretary, and in mere seconds she was in his office.


    ¡°You called for me, sir?¡± She asked, her voice shaky.


    Damien suspected it had something to do with the way he hadshed out at her earlier this morning, when she had greeted him but he didn¡¯t care.


    He turned to her, ¡°Remember I asked you to book a flight to London for me right?¡±


    She nodded, scrolling through the tablet in her hand, ¡°Yes sir. And it has been booked for¡­¡±


    ¡°Cancel it.¡± Damien cut in, before she could finish her sentence.


    His secretary looked confused, ¡°Sir?¡±


    Damien felt his jaw tic as he red at her. ¡°Are you trying to be ipetent or didn¡¯t you hear me the first time? I said you should cancel it.¡± He roared, banging his hand on the table.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m s-sorry sir.¡± She stammered, wiping her hand on her skirt, ¡°I did hear you. It¡¯s just that if we cancel it now, it¡¯d be impossible to get a refund and-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck about the money.¡± Damien spat irritation coating his face, ¡°Just cancel the flight. The airport can keep the money for all I care! Is that understood?¡±


    The secretary tucked a hair behind her ear and staring at the floor she replied, ¡°Y-yes sir, I understand.¡±


    Damien red at her for a few moments and then he waved her away, not taking his eyes off her form until she scurried out of the office and shut the door behind her.


    Damien shook his head.


    He was done. He was done with every single thing that concerned Madison. He had decided that he didn¡¯t give two fucks about it anymore.


    There was no point going to London anymore because it would be futile, stupid, and a waste of good resources, since she wouldn¡¯t listen to him or let him speak. He didn¡¯t care anymore, he just didn¡¯t care at all.


    Fuck the rest of it. Fuck her side of the story too. It wasn¡¯t important to him.


    Whether she was pregnant or not, while she was disowned¡­ well he would not take it upon himself to find out what happened.


    Henceforth, Madison Connor was no longer a priority. He tried to convince himself that she never was, and never would be. She was also not relevant to him in any way whatsoever.


    He took a deep breath and repeated those thoughts over and over in his head, trying to block out every thought of her, and her on with his life.


    Finally when it felt like he had enough, Damien buried himself in the loads upon loads of work that he had piled up on the desk, and slowly began to sieve through them, intent on keeping himself busy.


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison exhaled in relief as she put down thest crates of bread she had been assigned to set up.


    Her hands on her hips, she observed them once more, checking to make sure they were ced a good distance away from each other to allow for proper cooling.


    When she was done and satisfied, she motioned to the workers responsible for tying the loaves in fancy stic bags and packaging them, assigning them their work and as they began to do their job dutifully, Madison headed back to her station.


    The supervisor of her section was around today and he was monitoring all the workers very closely, and as usual Madison was only too eager to impress.


    Especially since she had heard from her friend Gina that at the end of each month, the supervisor would release a list of names of workers who had been unserious or caught cking, and they would be paid their sry for the month and then let off.


    Madison had been serious with her job from day one, and this piece of information only made her work harder and try to be more careful.


    She just didn¡¯t want to get into any sort of trouble, and after the supervisor hadmended her a week before, she had been working even harder. Now, thest thing she wanted was anything that would break her positive hardworking streak.


    As Madison headed back into the kitchen, she felt her phone begin to vibrate in her apron.


    Freezing on her feets, she looked around to make sure it was safe to check her phone. They were not allowed to use their phones unless they were on lunch break, and retreating into a corner, she slipped the cell out and smiled in surprise when she saw that it was her mother calling.


    The building was quite noisy from all the workers inside going on with their daily activities, so Madison stealthily made her way out of the building. She knew she needed to be quick before they would notice she was gone, and so she swiped the answer button on the phone and ced it on her ear.


    ¡°Hello, mother.¡± She greeted, still pleasantly surprised about her mother¡¯s call.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    She had gotten used to not getting any calls from her family members except her mother once in a while, and even then it had been a long while since they spoke.


    ¡°How are you doing, daughter?¡±


    The fact that her mother sounded happy to talk to her made her feel even much better, and a smile spreading across her face she answered, ¡°I¡¯m great, mom. How are you? How is father doing?¡±


    At the mention of her father, the silence that followed was understandable.


    Madison hardly ever asked about him, and now she had no idea what even came over her. The nature of their rtionship was such now that he did not even want to hear her name, and it was mutual to her too. She still loved him, but she was keeping the distance he wanted.


    After a brief silence, her mother muttered some brief response about her father being okay, and Madison gave an awkward cough when she finished.


    ¡°Erm, so how are you? How is work?¡± Her mother asked after she¡¯d finish talking about her father and sighing, Madison proceeded to tell her mother just how things were going for her, also excluding the fact that she had a possible stalker of course.


    There was no need to unnecessarily raise any rms to her mother. She also talked about work, and her lovely colleagues, and suddenly remembering the call with Damien, she narrated the whole thing to her mother as well.


    ¡°What!¡± Her mother hissed, cutting her off in the middle of her story, ¡°No, that is uneptable. On no ount do I want you talking ormunicating with Damien Daniels. Stay away from that boy!¡±


    Madison was taken aback by the anger in her mother¡¯s voice. She couldn¡¯t understand why she sounded so tense about the whole thing, and now she had to rify something.


    ¡°Mother¡­ there¡¯s no need to sound like that. It¡¯s not like I called him or even nned to talk to him. I called to talk to Alvarez, but then for some weird reason the call was picked up by Damien. Probably they had been together at the time, but apart from that I promise you there¡¯s nothin-¡±


    ¡°I said what I said, Madison. Stay away from that boy. Cut all ties with him. And the other one too. Alvarez or whatever his name is. I want you to keep your distance from both of them.¡±


    For a while Madison was speechless. She knew that her mother only had her best interests at heart, but why was she talking like this?


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, mother. Why would you ask me to do that?¡±


    She heard her mother sigh heavily, ¡°Madison, I am your mother and I know what is best for you. I know what¡¯s good for you and what isn¡¯t. I don¡¯t want anything that¡¯s going to get in the way of this little happiness you are experiencing now, darling. We both know that anything connected to or rted to the past is only going to break you down and make you overthink, so please just listen to me.¡±


    Tears pooled up in Madison¡¯s eyes at her mother¡¯s words, and she knew she was partly right, but now there were some things she just couldn¡¯t ept.


    That thing being that she cut ties with Alvarez. She wouldn¡¯t even be able to fathom it. Sure, she¡¯d tried to cut off all ties with him back then in New York, but it had been impossible.


    With all the things he¡¯s done for her now, severing all ties with him was certainly not going to be a good pay bank. Heck! She couldn¡¯t cut of Alvarez out of her life. Not now, not ever!


    ¡°I can¡¯t cut my ties with Alvarez mother. He has been there for me¡­ he still is even now. When no one else was there for me, not even you mother, he was there. He treated me like an elder brother, supported me both emotionally and financially when I needed it, and there are a whole lot of other things he has done for me which I don¡¯t want to mention. I don¡¯t know why you would tell me to cut off ties with my best friend, but I¡¯m so sorry I can¡¯t do it.¡±


    She wiped away the tears that were in her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt, as she spoke. About Damien¡­ he was a different story altogether and she didn¡¯t even want to bring him up again.


    She was at work and couldn¡¯t afford to have an emotional breakdown, so she avoided talking about Damien entirely.


    ¡°Madison¡­I¡¯m only trying to think of you here. Your future, your happiness and¡­¡±


    ¡°What happiness, mother?¡± Madison scoffed, rubbing her hands on her jeans as the tears spilled from her eyes rolling down her cheeks, ¡°I¡¯m not happy, mom. I¡¯ve never been. I¡¯m just nk, if there¡¯s a word like that. The past, the present, it doesn¡¯t make any difference, to what I¡¯ve gone through, and what I¡¯ve endured. I don¡¯t even know what that word happiness means anymore, what it feels like, and there¡¯s no hope for it for someone like me. It¡¯s a lost cause that even thinking about it sounds remotely strange and impossible.¡±


    ¡°Madison just¡­¡±


    ¡°Just drop this topic mother, I beg you.¡± Madison held back the sob that threatened to escape her, cing a hand over her mouth to keep herself from crying.


    Thankfully, her mother said nothing further, and honestly Madison was grateful for that.


    Sniffing, she wiped away the traces of tears on her face, looking down at her watch. She had just two minutes left to spare before the supervisor would get back, and hopefully it would be enough time for small talk, with her mother.


    Trying hard to make her voice sound cheery, Madison cleared her throat and bringing the phone to her lips, she said albeit softly, ¡°So, mother, how did your day go?¡±

 Chapter Forty Seven

    Today was the day Damien had been waiting on for about a week now.


    It was the day he would finally acquire the properties he longed for. Not for his personal gain, but a step closer in his revenge n on the Connors, and it was safe to say that he was pretty excited about it. Which of course exined why he was taking his time to get ready today.


    He took his time to pick out an outfit, took his time to get ready in the bathroom, took his time to decide what to have for breakfast, amongst other things.


    Damien rarely had breakfast in the mornings before leaving for work. Most times he would just get something at a restaurant on his way to work, or he would skip it entirely and have a filling lunch, but he was feeling good so he decided he would today.


    He had already called his secretary to move any other meetings he had today and reserve the morning for his meeting with only Mr Paul, hiswyer. Smiling to himself, Damien put his briefcase down and sat at the dining table to have breakfast at home for the first time in years.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    It took him about fifteen minutes to get to work from home after that, and the first thing he did when he got to his desk was to reschedule some rather important appointments to tomorrow morning. When he was done he began to look through the pitch he had prepared for a meetingst night, and unsatisfied with a few things, he began to make a few changes.


    Until finally it was just perfect, and he got what he wanted.


    As soon as he shut hisptop, the office phone rang, and his secretary informed him of thewyer¡¯s arrival. Damien sat up straighter, quickly clearing the table and awaiting the entrance ofwyer.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr Daniels.¡± Thewyer greeted as soon as he walked in, nodding toward Damien a little as he took a seat.


    ¡°Mr Paul.¡± Damien nodded with a curtsy as he asked immediately, ¡°What do you have for me?¡±


    Thewyer smiled, ¡°Everything you need.¡± Stretching his hand across the desk, he handed some documents over to Damien who immediately took them and began to look through them, nodding in approval as he progressed.


    A smile lifted the corner of Damien¡¯s lips, as he saw that everything was in ce and in order.


    Finally¡­ he was the sole owner of The Connor¡¯s former Mansion and Mr Connor¡¯s processing factory. Everyst thing¡­ every single property that belonged to Mr Connor, directly or indirectly, was his now, and this was great and definitely something that needed celebrating.


    ¡°Good work.¡± Damienmended, packing up the files neatly and quickly locking them in the safe in his office. When he returned, he lowered himself back onto his seat.


    As thewyer nodded and got up to leave, Damien raised a finger to motion him to stop which he did. Reaching down into the bottom drawer of his desk, he took out the heavy stack of cash he had ced in there earlier and tossed it to thewyer who immediately caught it, ¡°You did very good work. That¡¯s your payment and a little added reward.¡±


    Thewyer looked down at the bills with a smile, nodding happily his eyes gleaming, ¡°Thank you very much, sir.¡±


    Fitting the cash into his briefcase and packing up the files he hade with, thewyer nodded a little at Damien again, thanking him profusely before finally leaving the office.


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Finally!¡± Damien fist bumped excitedly.


    Everything was going well, and this definitely called for a celebration.


    He stood from his chair, making his way toward the wine cab to take out the wine he had been saving for a special asion just like this one.


    Finally, after the strenuous filled week he had just been having, it felt like something was finally going right for once.


    For once he wasn¡¯t worried about anything. He just wanted to drink and celebrate this feat as his revenge n was finally underway again. It would all be over too, provided he dealt with that family, especially the old man.


    Smiling, Damien took out the bottle of wine from the cab, and just as he was about to pop it, his office door swung open, bringing him face to face with Katherine, and he lost focus instantly,


    What was she doing here?


    ¡­¡­.


    KATHERINE


    Katherine had absolutely nothing to do today.


    She had hung out with a few of her friends at her father¡¯s country club, gone to the spa for a redo manicure and pedicure, went shopping too, gone for a skin, hair and makeup session¡­ but nothing seemed to be lifting her mood at all.


    It just felt like she was sitting around all day, which was why she had decided to visit Damien and now she was at his office already.


    She knew he didn¡¯t like it when she came by without informing him first, but who cares? It¡¯s not like he would ask her to leave when she was already there, and besides they were doing great now so Katherine doubted that anything like that would happen.


    When she neared his office, she had told his secretary¡¯s not to inform him beforehand as she wanted to surprise him. Luckily the secretary informed her that his meeting had just ended, so she was feee to do what she wanted.


    Straightening her clothes with hopes that he would notice that she had gotten a very nice spa treatment, she swung the door of the office open and walked in, only to see him standing at the wine cab, a bottle in his hand, and a frown on his face the second he spotted her staring incredulously.


    He didn¡¯t seem that busy though and that was good!


    ¡°Babe.¡± She squealed, gently shutting the door behind her and walking over to the cab, batting her eyes at him seductively, and leaning in for a hug which he all to eagerly epted.


    ¡°Kathie¡­¡± He started a surprise grin on his face as he looked her over, ¡°Wow, you look so stunning.¡±


    Katherine looked up at him in shock, her cheeks heating up at the same time. She hadn¡¯t expected him to react like that.


    He was always busy when she came to see him, and for one she couldn¡¯t remember thest time he had called her Kathie, and now it was making her toes curl in excitement.


    Today was going to be good day, she could feel it.


    Before she could recover from the surprise, Damien had leaned into her, gently moving stray hairs away from her face, and cupping a palm behind her neck he pulled her closer to him, crushing his lips on hers in a heated kiss.


    Katherine was literally breathless when he broke the kiss. She could already feel her body reacting to him, but still she was confused.


    ¡°How are you doing today, baby?¡± He asked, nipping on the side of her neck, and Katherine felt pleasure run through her from the sensation.


    She realized she was also blushing, because Damien was now using pet names¡­ Goodness gracious but that rarely happened. He seemed happier than normal today, and even though it was nice, it still felt strange. A good kind of strange no doubt.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. Someone seems happy today.¡± She smiled, wrapping her hands around his neck as she leaned closer to him, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Damienughed, ¡°Someone also has a list of things we could be doing?¡± He winked at her, his hands traveling down her back to the top of her waist.


    Katherine chuckled, stopping his hand before he could go any further. Now she was sure something was up, because he was way too happy and he seemed to have diverted her question so she asked again, ¡°Why are you in this mood? Tell me what happened first.¡±


    Damien sighed, still smiling, ¡°I justnded a very good business deal today. I¡¯ve been looking forward to it for a long time now. And now that I have it in the bag, it calls for celebration. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± He gestured to the wine in his hand.


    ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s nice, babe.¡± Katherine smiled, smoothing out his jacket as she waited for him to say more.


    She had a suspicion that there was more to this thing he had said for him to be this cheerful, and she was positive it had to be something more than he was letting on so she prodded on hoping he would tell her more, ¡°What kind of business deal Damien? A new partner?¡±


    Instead of answering her he gently shushed her, cing a hand on her waist and pecking her cheek lightly, as he said, ¡°It¡¯s not important, Kathie. It¡¯s just a contract I got. Nothing to worry yourself about, okay? So don¡¯t bother about it. Just celebrate with me.¡±


    Katherine smiled outwardly, blushing from his kiss, but her head was spinning calctingly, her mind racing with thoughts and possibilities of what this was about.


    She could tell that Damien did not want to talk more about it, and seeing how he was subtly diverting her questions every now and then, she felt a little pang of insecurity.


    Every negative change, be it anger that affected Damien in the past few months, always had something to do with Madison, and now again Katherine had a feeling that this cheerful disposition also had something to do with that bitch.


    She wanted to ask more questions but she didn¡¯t want to ruin the mood, so she made a mental note to look into this so-called contract that was putting him in such a good mood. She needed to know exactly what this contract was, but for now she would do as he said and just let it be.


    ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s celebrate.¡± She finally said, wrapping her hands around his neck and pushing closer into him to make sure he would feel every inch of her body.


    Damien smirked, and taking the cue, he dropped the wine in his hand back into the cab, snaking his other arm around her waist and down her butt.


    Katherine moaned in pleasure when his fingers rubbed the thick flesh of her butt.


    Leaning in, he closed his lips on hers in a heated kiss, groaning when her hand flew to the fly of his pants to unbutton them.


    His hands went to the back of her neck, caressing her amidst her moans, and when Damien couldn¡¯t take it anymore, he syed his hands over her butt, squeezing and then carrying her up to his waist.


    She raked her fingers in his hair, moaning as he ced her on the couch in the inner office room.


    He peeled off the leather skirt she was wearing, slipping his hands between her legs, and as her moans increased he began to y with her feminine buttons, pleasuring her immensely.


    This was bliss!

 Chapter Forty Eight

    Madison wrapped her nket tighter around her as a light wind blew through her window.


    Her teeth chattered as she pulled the nket over her and slowly got to her feet. She winced in pain from the ache in her joints as she quickly shut her window to stop some of the air froming in.


    When she was done with that, she wobbled into the kitchen to find something to eat, as it was already quitete, and almost time to take the third dose of her medicine. Thankfully she had some leftover pasta from the day before, and this would be sufficient for her to take her drugs.


    Madison felt so terrible.


    She rarely fell sick, but whenever she did it was always bad, and now she had a feeling she hade down with the regr flu.


    Her temperature had skyrocketed, and her joints were aching so much that she had to take a sick leave for a few days. She had been scared to do so at first because she didn¡¯t want anything that would put her job at risk, but her colleagues had advised her to go ahead and she had obliged.


    Surprisingly when she had told her supervisor, he had been so understanding about it and let her be, even telling her to take good care of herself.


    Now she had been on a sick leave for two days, staying at home all through. She was making sure to eat, drink plenty of water and take the drugs she¡¯d bought. She was a little bit better than she was before, but the fever had not abated yet.


    When the pasta was hot enough, Madison dished out a small portion for herself and quickly took her drugs before eating. It helped kill the taste of the bitter medicine, currentlyying in her tongue.


    Madison hated rushing her food but currently she had no appetite, and she really wanted to just get back to bed.


    When she was finished she managed to clear up the dishes before going back, and as she  gentlyy down on the bed again after putting on the thickest sweater she owned, she then used the nket for her legs.


    Shivering violently, she wrapped her arms around herself, and just when her eyes began to droop slightly wanting to fall into a painful slumber the sound of her doorbell filled the room.


    Madison groaned in frustration, hating the interruption already. She had just gottenfortable, so who the hell was this?


    Hissing under her breath, she managed to get up, and with the doorbell ringing out a second time, Madison paused in her steps.


    Who could possibly be at her door by this time? She wondered. Last she had checked, she wasn¡¯t really expecting anyone, and she knew it could not be any of her neighbors as they never rang the doorbell.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    They would just yell out her name from the back, or knock frantically, so who was this person. Madison started to think that maybe she should just ignore it and go back to bed.


    More so she was starting to realize that anytime she unlocked her door after getting a strange knock, it always seemed like a bad idea.


    First it was Mason, and then the postman with the threat letter and now who could it be? Anyway, it was always a mistake on her part, and the thought of that threat letter sent a chill down her spine. Also the fact that she was being stalked really did not put her at ease, so the wheels in head were turning as to who this could be.


    It waste in the evening, and anything could happen.


    Trying to get a hold of herself, Madison walked into the kitchen, grabbing a knife from her shed already arming herself. So even if anything did happen, she would be capable of protecting herself, and fighting back.


    If she was to die, then she wouldn¡¯t die a coward.


    It didn¡¯t make her any less scared but she willed her legs to move on, summoning a little bit of courage and her breath quickening when she got to the door, she gripped the knife tightly in her hand, and spoke up, ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± She managed to keep her voice steady so she wouldn¡¯t give away the fact that she was scared.


    ¡°Madison, Madison it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Gina?¡± She started at the familiar sound of her friend¡¯s voice, and sighing in relief, she rubbed her forehead and set the knife down on a nearby table.


    Quickly she unlocked the door.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Gina smiled as she walked in, ¡°We just closed from work at the bakery, so I decided toe check up on you. I thought you weren¡¯t home as I¡¯ve been ringing the doorbell since and I was actually about to leave.¡±


    Madison sighed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was asleep. I¡¯m not feeling too well.¡± She apologized, locking the door anding back to join her friend on the bed.


    Gina looked worried, ¡°I didn¡¯t see you at the bakery yesterday and today. I got pretty worried too and I had to speak to some of your colleagues and they said you took a sick leave.¡± As she spoke, she ced the back of her hand on Madison¡¯s forehead, and then snatched it off in surprise, ¡°Oh my goodness, Madison. You¡¯re burning up.¡±


    Madison sighed, ¡°Yeah, sorry I didn¡¯t tell you about it, but I have my medication to take. I¡¯m feeling better than yesterday. I think I¡¯m down with the flu or something.¡±


    Gina frowned, ¡°Just take your medicine and get better, okay? Work can wait for now please.¡±


    Madison snickered despite the headache she was having, ¡°Yeah, I know right but my bills can¡¯t.¡±


    At that, the two of them began tough lightly.


    Remembering her manners, Madison straightened ushering Gina further into the small room, ¡°Refreshments? What should I get you?¡±  She asked Gina who only rolled her eyes.


    ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m okay. Don¡¯t treat me like a guest please.¡±


    ¡°But you are my dear friend. Now, would you like some tea?¡± Madison asked and Gina justughed and shrugged.


    As she made her way into the kitchen, her chest began to hurt and the ache in her joints were bing worse, but she tried to be strong and she prepared the tea and added some small sandwiches she prepared quickly. Gina thanked her and then they began to have the tea in silence.


    ¡°God, Madison. You really don¡¯t look so great.¡± Gina suddenly said, dropping her tea. She must have been observing her, ¡°And you say you are taking care of yourself?¡± She asked.


    For some reason, that question made Madison look down at her feet, but she nodded, gripped her cup tighter and took another sip of her tea.


    ¡°Madison¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯re strong enough to take care of yourself in this condition. I mean in times like this it¡¯s helpful to have someone around, but then you stay alone.¡±


    Madison didn¡¯t know what to say so she shrugged.


    ¡°No one? A sibling who lives around? A boyfriend? Nothing¡­¡±


    Family. Sibling. Boyfriend.


    Those three words were enough to bring tears to her eyes. In the past, whenever she fell sick her mother would give her sponge baths, and make this chicken soup that she always enjoyed but now those memories were bygones. Tears spilled from Madison¡¯s eyes as she remembered it all, and heart clenched in pain.


    Everything had been so perfect.


    And her boyfriend, she had been so in love and¡­


    She sobbed harder, clutching at her chest as she let her emotions wash over her. Damien was always so sweet about it. First he would go into panic, wanting to do anything in his power to make sure he was okay, then he would get her chocte, give her foot rubs and massages, brush her hair, and all but be with her till he was sure she was okay.


    She smiled through her tears at the memories, dropping her cup of tea on the table so it wouldn¡¯t spill from her shaky hands.


    ¡°M-Madison, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Gina asked, rmed as she began to rub Madison¡¯s back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it¡­ please¡­¡± Madison whimpered, trying her best to stop the tears that continued to spill.


    Gina looked confused but she nodded. ¡°Okay then, I won¡¯t pester you too much though. I¡¯m sorry for asking.¡±


    After a few minutes, Madison calmed down and wiping away every trace of tears on her face she excused herself to the bathroom to wash off. When she was clean and better, she walked back in with a smile.


    ¡°So, how are things at the bakery?¡± She asked, lifting her cup to her lips. It was already a bit warm but Madison did not mind.


    Gina looked a tad bit worried at Madison for a while, and then sighing she began to narrate her day at the bakery.


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°Sir, you called for me?¡±


    Damien looked up to see his secretary walk into his office.


    He could see the tiredness in her eyes. Today¡¯s work had been so hectic, that he wasn¡¯t even done with all the work he had to do but it was already gettingte.


    ¡°Yes, I did. You can go home now, it¡¯s already 7PM.¡±


    She stared at him in surprise, ¡°But sir, there¡¯s still a lot to do and I-¡±


    ¡°Nina..¡± He stopped her, ¡°Go home, get some rest. You worked very hard today and you deserve it.¡±


    She nodded gratefully, bowing a little as she left the office gently closing the door behind her. Damien could hear her packing up her stuff and walking out when she finished.


    One thing he never did was keep his employees way past their working time. It was a strain, both physically and mentally, and the only thing that would result from keeping them up all night was inefficiency the next day and mental stress fromck of rest.


    He looked down at his work and quickly continued. He was already getting tired himself, and he would have loved to go home to a long shower and warm food, but he had a truckload of things to do and he didn¡¯t want to stop till he was done, so he concentrated on his work.


    After about fifty minutes of working, that¡¯s almost an hour he was finally done. Sighing in relief and eager to get home, Damien began to pack up his stuff.


    Just he ced his phone into his pocket and cross-checked all the files once more, cing them neatly into the drawer, his office door clicked open.


    Damien looked up in surprise, wondering who could possibly still be around. The only ones usually around thiste were the security guards, and his guess was little bit confirmed when his eyes fell on Alvarez.


    ¡°Oh, hey man.¡± He greeted. ¡°How are you doing¡­¡± Damien trailed off when he saw the look on Alvarez¡¯s face, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± He asked, surprised.


    Alvarez said nothing for a while but continued to stare at Damien. Then he tossed the files in his hand at Damien, ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re asking about.¡± Damien said, giving Alvarez a weird look before opening up the files and flipping through them. He paused when he realized what it was.


    ¡°Your secretary came to me, asking about arrangements for some guards to escort you for your flight to London.¡± Alvarez finished, eyeing Damien suspiciously, ¡°London? What is this about, Damien. I am your best friend and I know there¡¯s only one reason why you would fly to London. This is about Madison isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Damien looked up. Hearing her name made him start to think, and he didn¡¯t want that right now. He just wanted to get home and shower.


    Raking his fingers in his hair he turned to Alvarez, sighing, ¡°Yeah you are right, but I¡¯ve had a change of mind. I canceled the flight already, and this is not happening okay? So don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Picking up his briefcase, he continued, ¡°It¡¯s getting prettyte. Wanna hitch a ride home?¡± He asked, moving to lock the door to his inner office and then returning, ¡°We could get something to eat on the way too.¡± He continued already moving to leave, but Alvarez stopped him by standing in front of him.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to do, Damien. I¡¯m not stupid, and I¡¯m not a kid to. Just stop trying to switch the subject, and also tell me why you cancelled the flight again?¡±


    Damien felt his jaw begin to tic. He did not want to have this conversation, or discuss anything at all that concerned Madison. ¡°Look, there¡¯s no point, okay? Tell me, what¡¯s the point? She obviously wouldn¡¯t even want to see me or talk to me. She made that pretty obvious that night when we talked.¡± The memory of that night sent anger flowing through him, and he added bitterly, ¡°And I think it¡¯s pretty evident from that call the other night that she prefers you to me now. So what use would it make if I spend my time going to see her, ande back without any answer? What fucking use is it?¡± He spat, gritting his teeth.


    Alvarez moved back a little in surprise, and then heughed, ¡°Seriously, Damien? You¡¯re my friend, but please whatever you do, don¡¯t paint yourself as the victim here. And speaking of her preferring me to you¡­¡± He scoffed, ¡°Well, I¡¯m not the one who made weeks of her life a living hell, humiliated her in public, ordered her to pay for a dress she ruined by mistake and which you very well knew she couldn¡¯t afford, threw her out of a club disgracefully amongst other things. Just don¡¯t try to feel like a victim, just don¡¯t!¡±


    Damien fumed but said nothing, his lips in a thin line. He knew Alvarez was right, but he couldn¡¯t be fully med for it.


    However Alvarez wasn¡¯t done as he continued, ¡°You do all of this to that poor woman and still she decided to reach out by sending letters, but what did you do, you diverted the damn letters. You refused to read them so now give me one good reason why she would want to see you.¡±


    Damien quickly looked up. Letters. This talk about some goddamned letters he didn¡¯t even know about.


    He suddenly remembered the night he had spoken to Madison on the phone, and she had also mentioned something about sending letters to him, but he was just as confused as he was right now. Now Alvarez was mentioning it too.


    ¡°Wait, wait. What are you talking about? What letters? She also mentioned sending letters to me, but I¡¯m confused honestly.¡±


    Alvarez stared at him as if to ascertain if he was telling the truth, ¡°Madison sent a letter about two weeks ago. And she has been sending follow-ups ever since. When she saw that you refused to reply to any of them, she stopped.¡±


    Damien frowned, ¡°I never got them. Are you sure she really sent them?¡±


    Alvarez red at him, ¡°Madison would never lie about something like that. At first she didn¡¯t even want to tell me she sent a letter, but then she did. I didn¡¯t like it because I knew something like this would happen. You would ignore them and then she would be in even more pain, but she didn¡¯t give up and she was adamant. She wanted to try. It was some kind of request for your time and understanding for something she wanted to discuss, but when you ignored them she was obviously hurt. It was another p in her face. So she has every right to be angry at you, man.¡±


    Alvarez¡¯s words sent Damien reeling in shock, and then slowly it all began to make sense. The anger in her voice when sheshed out at him. She must have thought that he was trying to mock her by pretending not to know about the letter, and that¡¯s why she was so hurt.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Damien raked a hand through his hair. It all made sense now. All this time, the misunderstanding was from those letters. He would never have ignored her letters if he had gotten them. He honestly wouldn¡¯t have.


    He turned back to Alvarez, ¡°Believe me, man. I didn¡¯t get any letters. I-I¡¯m confused.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Alvarez asked, and added, ¡°That¡¯s¡­. weird.¡±


    ¡°I would never ignore her letters, believe me. And you remember I was already seeking an audience with her back then. I sent my private investigator to find out where she was lodging in New York so I could talk to her, but she had left already. So why would I ignore her if she demands for an audience, or a chance to speak with me? Damnit!¡±


    Alvarez nodded in agreement, ¡°That¡¯s true. I remember.¡±


    Damien began to pace around the office, trying to think of ways to fix this mess he was in.


    ¡°Maybe your girlfriend saw the letters first and decided to do away with them, just saying.¡± Alvarez joked his hands raised up and chuckling a little, he proceeded to sit on a chair nearby.


    It was a joke to Alvarez, but Damien had already paused mid-stride. Everything was beginning to piece itself together, and right there in the middle was that cunning piece he called his girlfriend, Katherine.


    He remembered that morning about two weeks ago when Katherine had slept over, and the doorbell had rung and she had answered, thinking he was still deep asleep. When she hade back in, he had questioned her about it, and she had said the person had knocked at the wrong house.


    Now that he thought of it, he realized it must have been the mailman. It also exined why he had been charged for a home post delivery bill, some days back. He had seen an email of the transaction a while ago and he had been surprised because he didn¡¯t receive any post, but now it was now making sense.


    It wasn¡¯t farfetched either because he knew how Katherine felt about Madison, and so she must have received the letters and diverted them.


    Damien was raging in anger as he picked up his briefcase, his jaw ticking furiously, ¡°Make sure the offices are locked before you leave. I have something to take care of.¡±


    Alvarez nodded without any questions.


    Still fuming, he stormed out of the office and headed straight to Katherine¡¯s house.

 Chapter Forty Nine

    Damien¡¯s hands on the steering wheel tightened as he stepped harder on the gas. He was driving to Katherine¡¯s house already and he was still quite furious.


    What right did she think she had that she would dare divert his letters? He was so pissed off that he forgot about the fact that he had been working for almost twelve hours, straight and he had been tired.


    He forgot about the fact that ten minutes ago he was fatigued and hungry due to theck of sleep and what he needed at the moment was a good rest, but this revtion had made him forget about all of that.


    As he made a turn in the road his mind went back to Alvarez¡¯s words. If Alvarez had not made that joke he would never have guessed, and it all made so much sense.


    Damien hissed, anger rushing through him. All this time, Madison had been angry with him for something he had no idea about, and he thought her reaction had been unprovoked. For her to reach out to him¡­ it had to mean something.


    Finally he reached Katherine¡¯s house.


    As he turned off the ignition and stepped out of the car, he only be more angry. The servants did not question him as he walked past them and through the hallway to her room.


    ¡°Katherine!¡± He yelled, checking all the rooms as he passed, but she was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Katherine¡­?¡± He tried again. As he walked up the staircase, she emerged from her bedroom in a pink robe which she clutched tightly around herself.


    ¡°Babe?¡± She looked confused when she saw him, ¡°What are you doing here? You didn¡¯t even tell me you wereing,¡± Sheughed, skipping to where he stood, her arms wide to engulf him in a hug, and to her surprise, he stopped her before she could get any closer.


    His jaw set in anger, he cornered her into a wall.


    ¡°How dare you?¡± He asked, his voice dangerously low. ¡°What made you even think you had the right to put your hands on my personal stuff?¡±


    Katherine frowned, her handing up to rest on her chest rubbing it gently, ¡°Damien¡­w-what are you talking about? You¡¯re speaking in ridd-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± He snapped, cutting her off,  ¡°Don¡¯t you try to act dumb right now because it¡¯s really going to piss me off. You have been intercepting my letters. Letters from London¡­ letters from Madison. And you¡¯ve been doing it deliberately. So, answer me! What and who gave you the right to mess with my things?¡±


    Katherine folded her arms over her chest in denial, ¡°You¡¯re clearly having a bad day, babe. Let¡¯s go upstairs and¡­¡±C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Damien red at her, his temple throbbing in anger. ¡°If I have to say it one more time, you¡¯d wish I kept my mouth shut. Where are the damn letters? I¡¯ve been charged for home post bills so don¡¯t even think of lying to me.¡±


    Katherine took in sharp breaths as she stared at him, then she rested against the rails of the staircase her face suddenly calm,  ¡°Look, I¡¯m not even sure why you¡¯re pointing fingers at me on this. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. The postman delivered some mail, yes. I asked what it contained because I knew you were really busy that week, but he said he had no idea.  it was alsobeled as spam letters, so I thought it was all those lottery or disabled children fund mails. So I didn¡¯t even bother you know since it was nothing business rted. I didn¡¯t think it was important. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t tell you about it.¡±


    Damien stared at her in rage, ¡°Stop fucking lying to me!¡±


    It was obvious that she was lying, and he could see it even though she tried to be calm about it all.


    Everything was against her. Madison couldn¡¯t have lied about sending letters and Damien could feel it in his gut that the only reason why Katherine was this confident about lying was because she knew he had no proof whatsoever.


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Katherine defended.


    Damien raked his fingers through his hair trying to keep calm, ¡°There was an address, a name, and you can¡¯t tell me that you didn¡¯t even try to open it once to see the contents. Oh Katherine stop lying, I know the truth already.¡±


    Katherine scoffed as she stared at him in disbelief, but Damien knew she was lying. He had known her for years and he knew exactly what she was capable of.


    Also, she had hated Madison from the start, seeing her as a threat to their rtionship, so he didn¡¯t even need to be told the lengths Katherine would go to kick another woman out of the picture.


    ¡°Tell me what you did with them then. Where are the letters?¡± Damienmanded, ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Katherine was also beginning to get irritated with the constant questions, and yelling she clutched at her hair and barked out, ¡°I said I didn¡¯t get to read the letters! What is wrong with you. You want to know what I didn¡¯t with them right? Well, don¡¯t even worry about finding the stupid letters because I already burned them.¡±


    Danish staggered back at her words. ¡°You did what¡± He asked, his eyes widening in fear and suddenly he felt like his heard was spinning.


    No, no, no.


    He needed those letters. He needed to know what they contained. What Madison had said to him¡­ what she had requested of him. He needed to know everything, but if Katherine really burned the letters then all hope was lost already.


    His heart pumped in anger.


    ¡°What did they say? What did the letters say?¡± He asked slowly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I didn¡¯t bother to read them. You just like me repeating statements every time.¡± Katherine spat back, rolling her eyes as she leaned against the wall.


    Damien could no longer contain his anger. He was raving mad, and a deep growl escaping his lips, he grabbed her forward by the neck, gripping on tightly and then pushing her deep into the wall.


    He ignored the small scream that escaped her lips as she stared at him in shock.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who the fuck you think you are Katherine, and what makes you think you have the right to interfere in my personal affairs¡­¡± He whispered, his hand still gripping on tightly to her neck, ¡°But this¡­ this is thest time I¡¯m going to say this to you. Stay the hell away from anything that doesn¡¯t concern nor involve you. In essence, keep your damn nose out of my fucking business.¡±


    Katherine had begun to gasp for air. ¡°D-damien¡­ you¡¯re hurting me!¡± She yelled, pping his hand but to no avail, his grip was strong and tight.


    ¡°Good! Maybe it¡¯ll help you remember this clearly. I don¡¯t want you near anything that concerns my personal affairs. Do you get that? I am done with you being a control freak, and acting like you have a right to be involved in my personal issues. Keep your way clear and out of mine. I don¡¯t interfere in your personal business and you can¡¯t do the same to me.¡±


    As he said thest words, he released his hold on her, and Katherine fell back onto the wall, coughing as she red at him in shock.


    ¡°And if you think that diverting those letters was going to help anything, then you are damn wrong. I must find out what those letters contained even if it means flying all the way to London.¡±


    He ignored the shock in her eyes at his words, ¡°I will not warn you again. I¡¯ve said what I came to say and now I expect you to adhere to it. Stay in your fuckingne.¡±


    With those words, he turned away and stormed out of the house. He was still fuming when he got into his car but he had made up his mind already.


    His decision clear, the first thing Damien did when he got out of Katherine¡¯s mansion was to text Alvarez, asking him to send Madison¡¯s personal number.


    He would need to speak to her before anything else, and honestly he prayed she would listen to him. He was burying his pride and ego even when he had vowed not to let her problems worry him anymore.


    Taking a deep breath and pushing the text button, Damien got into his car, turned on the ignition and zoomed off albeit speedily.


    ¡­¡­.


    KATHERINE


    Katherine stared at Damien¡¯s retreating figure in shock, both hands ced over her neck as she struggled to breathe. She coughed repeatedly, massaging the sides of her neck.


    She stared around in shock, wincing as the sound of him banging the front door reverberated through the room. Damien had never, ever talked to her like that. He had never treated her like that, talked to her like she was some kind of low-life!


    For the first time since she had known him, Damien had dared to put his hands on her, threaten her and he had even almost tried to strangle her.


    Katherine felt like she was in a dream of some sort, because in the real world, in her real life, Damien would never do something like this. Damien treated her with respect, and he pampered her, he freaking spoiled her¡­


    But since Madison hade back into the picture he had be an entirely different person. Because of her and those stupid letters, he had ced his fingers on her skin and almost tried to kill her.


    Her chest heaved in anger.


    She was sure that Madison knew very well what she was up to. There was nothing Katherine hated more than maniptive women who always pretended to be the victim, although it was quite clear that they had an agenda and more so Katherine was convinced that Madison¡¯s agenda was toe into their rtionship, make Damien dump her and then take her ce as his girlfriend.


    It was obvious. After all, the bitch was poverty stricken and obviously missed what she had with Damien in the past. Now that he was even rich, he was a better catch and everything thing she had done was a clear maniptive behavior.


    From disguising, making herself pitied amongst other things.


    But Katherine would never let that happen. That bitch was nevering into this rtionship, no matter how hard she tried.


    Everything that was happening right now was because of the woman that had somehow pushed herself into her and Damien¡¯s life uninvited, and like a weed, she refused to budge. She stayed there, strangling their rtionship, their love life, every single thing and it made Katherine so angry.


    Her breath quickening as these thoughts raced through her head, Katherine¡¯s felt her eyes begin to fill with tears of anger and she held onto the rails until her palms began to hurt. Her eyes wide with rage, she walked up the stairs and back to her room.


    She had taken more than enough of this shit, and this was thest time she wished to put her rtionship on the line because of some idiotic woman that wasn¡¯t even anywhere close to them.


    Her face reddened as she remembered Damien talking about flying to London, and her fists shook in anger. Never would she let anyone try to take what was hers. It was either that or she¡¯d die trying. Well one of them just had to die! She swore within herself, as an evil smirk lit up her otherwise sad face.


    Her legs taking the lead, Katherine extracted her burner phone from her top drawer and dialed the number on it.


    It was time to settle this bullshit.

 Chapter Fifty

    The sound of Madison¡¯s ringtone pierced through the night, making her wake up with a start.


    She sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead as she tried to locate her phone. Partly because it was ringing, but also because she felt terrible for probably awakening her neighbors from how loud the shrill sound was.


    Madison still felt a little bit sick although she was better than before, and this was the first night she was finally able to get some sleep without coughing or sneezing through the night and it had felt nice, until her freaking phone had started ringing and she hissed again.


    Turning over on the bed, Madison picked up her phone and sitting up on her small bed, she peered at the screen to see the caller ID.


    The energy she had just exerted made her groan in pain, clearly she still wasn¡¯t as healthy as she should be and she also felt groggy from awakening so suddenly.


    She frowned when she saw that it was an unknown number.


    She stared at the number on the screen trying to see if she could recognize it from somewhere, but the more she looked at the number, the more confused she became. If she couldn¡¯t recognize it, then it meant she didn¡¯t know it.


    Who could possibly be calling her by this time of the night? She thought. It wasn¡¯t Alvarez because she had Alvarez¡¯s number, so who else?


    Madison didn¡¯t know what the time was but she was certain it waste, since she had fallen asleep around 9:30 PM and at most some hours must have passed, with her deeply engrossed in her sleep.


    Looking up at her wall clock to ascertain, Madison held her breath in surprise. It was not night, it was already 1AM in the morning.


    The phone had already stopped ringing but fear was already beginning to eat through her, as she pondered on who this mysterious caller was.


    She already knew thattely she hadn¡¯t been feeling safe anywhere, whether it be at work, or on the street, and not even in her own home and it was one of the reasons why it was so hard for her to fall asleep, because she always felt like she was being watched.


    It was a terrible feeling, but she couldn¡¯t help it. She always cross-checked her door and window at intervals to see if they were secure, although she knew she locked it times before.


    All of this made her jumpy and anxious but she was trying to manage. Anytime she even thought of the threat letter and the strange man who had been watching her and taking notes, she became so scared that it almost brought tears to her eyes.


    And now, this? A strange call at past 1AM. That sounded weird and ominous, and Madison had no desire to find out.


    She clutched at her nket, her mind whirring with thoughts. What if it was another threat message but this time whoever it was wanted to speak to her and make sure she heard his or her voice? She didn¡¯t want anything that would scare the wits out of her again. She just wanted to get back to sleep and forget the call ever came but it was toote for that already. It had already awakened her, and she would not be able to go back to sleep until she took care of it.


    As she raked her fingers in her hair, thinking of what to do and trying to recall if she knew the strange number, her phone began to ring again. It startled her, making her ce a hand over her chest in surprise. Looking at the screen she saw that it was the same number.


    Madison had half a mind to ignore the call and put her phone on silent, as her heart began to pound in her chest. She rubbed her mmy hands on the sheets, staring at the phone screen, while she tried to muster up the courage to pick it. Shakily, she picked her phone and swiping the answer button, she brought it to her ears.


    Swallowing and trying to control her breathing, she spoke up, ¡°Hello?¡±


    There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, making Madison suspect that her hunch had been right and it was actually a threat call.


    She longed to hang up in fear but she held on, since she had already picked up. There was no going back now. As she was about to speak up again, a voice from the other end reverberated in her ears, and it choked her to the bones.


    ¡°Hello, Madison Connor.¡±


    Madison sucked in a sharp breath at the sound of Damien¡¯s voice, her phone dropping from her hand to the bed as a cold sense of deja vu rushed through her.


    What¡¯s with the formality though? She wondered as her whole body shook violently. He had said the exact same thing when he picked up Alvarez¡¯s phone some days back. Her heart began to beat wildly in her chest as a sort of ufortable, conscious feeling flowed through her like always when she spoke to him or even heard his name.


    Right now too she concentrated on regting her breathing as her fingers clutched at her shirt tight, with one question overpowering the others.


    Why on earth was Damien calling her by this time?


    ¡­¡­.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Damien took another swig of whiskey from the bottle in his hand, shakily grabbing up his phone and aimlessly beginning to scroll through.


    His legs were shaky so he slowly lowered himself onto the bed andy on his side.


    When he had stormed out of Katherine¡¯s house he had gone straight home to shower and get a good night¡¯s rest, but his night had already been ruined and all the ns he had were in shambles.


    He wasn¡¯t even hungry anymore like he was before, and while he showered his thoughts kept going back to the conversations with Alvarez and Katherine.


    The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.


    Everything with Madison was stressing him out, and the realization now that it wasn¡¯t her fault only made him feel worse. So the first thing he did when he got out of the bathroom was pour himself a drink, and that was how he found himself on the bed, his head woozy and his legs shaky.


    His eyes drooped as he continued to scroll through his phone aimlessly. His fingers paused midway in the air as a message from Alvarez came into sight.


    The message was a phone number, and underneath it wasbeled ¡®Madison¡¯.


    Damien sat up straighter, struggling to keep his eyes open as he stared back at the number on the screen.


    Looking at her name sent a wave of sadness through him, and without thinking twice or contemting about it, he dialed the number.


    He was drunk, not in his right senses but at this point he didn¡¯t care.


    When it began to ring, he felt his heart begin to thump hard but he didn¡¯t hang up. After it had rung for a while it stopped.


    She wasn¡¯t picking up.


    Not wanting to give up so easily, he tried again and luckily for him this time she picked up.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    Damien swallowed. It was her¡­ it was Madison¡¯s voice.


    She had actually picked up, and for a while relief coursed through him briefly. Clutching his phone in his hand, he spoke into the receiver, ¡°Hello, Madison Connor.¡±


    The silence on the other end was so tense and carried on for so long that Damien feared she might have hung up. Withdrawing his phone, he checked to make sure she was still on the call, and his surprise she still was.


    ¡°Madison? Hello?¡± He said again, wondering what had gone wrong, and why she was not saying anything.


    For a few seconds nothing happened and Damien began to lose hope. Maybe she didn¡¯t want to talk to him, and shutting his eyes tightly as his chest squeezed in pain he wondered if he should just give up.


    Maybe it was no use trying anymore.


    ¡°Why the hell are you calling me and how did you get my number?¡± He heard her snap from the other end, and even though she sounded angry he still breathed out in relief, happy that she had said something finally.


    Dropping the bottle in his hand gently on the floor and trying to gather his words, he began, ¡°M¡­Madison. Please don¡¯t hang up on me, just wait, I can exin-¡±


    ¡°Exin what?¡± She cut in, ¡°Exin what exactly, Damien? Haven¡¯t you had enough fun already? Haven¡¯t you done enough? Why do you keep insisting on making my life miserable? Let me breathe for one damn second! Just let me be.¡±


    Damien shook his head as sheshed out at him. He felt tired, helpless¡­ and this was not what he wanted when he had called her.


    He was tired of the fights, the yelling, the pain. He was so tired of everything. He just wanted to have a normal, peaceful conversation without bad memories peeking through, or anger seeping into their voices.


    ¡°M-Madison please¡­ please give me a chance to exin, I beg you.¡±


    He took the silence from her as a go-ahead, and he shut his eyes from the heaviness that hade to rest on his chest. ¡°I¡¯ll start by saying I¡¯m sorry, Madison. For everything. I¡­I miss you. I miss you so m-much¡­¡± He slurred, his eyes beginning to droop again, ¡°Fuck it! I¡¯m not even supposed to be saying this, but I have to. I¡¯m tired of fighting with you. I¡¯m so sorry for everything. I know I¡¯ve been so unkind to you, treated you like you didn¡¯t matter, caused you so much pain¡­I wish I could t-take it all back.¡±


    ¡°Damien¡­¡±


    ¡°Please let me finish.¡± He begged and continued, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the letters too. That¡¯s the main reason I called to rify about that issue. I know you might not believe me but I swear to you, I never got them. I only just found out today that they were being intercepted by someone. That¡¯s why I never got them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Madison breathed from the other end, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Damien shut his eyes tightly. Telling her who it was would only bring up moreplications, and worse of all it would mean bringing up Katherine and thest thing he wanted at this point was to talk about that silly cunning bitch! All he wanted was to talk to Madison, and that was that.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Madison. The dress, the club, I¡¯m sorry I made a fool out of you, for humiliating you in public. I don¡¯t even know what I was thinking. I just¡­ everything is still so unclear. I need answers and exnations for a lot of things. I don¡¯t have it easy with me here too. I¡¯m still so confused and I really want to end all of this, Madison. I¡­ I miss you.¡±


    Damien didn¡¯t know why but all of a sudden he began to feel so sad. He just needed an escape, and he was so tired. The memories of the past was already catching up with him, and he was overwhelmed by so many different emotions, sadness, anger, pain, and surprisingly relief.


    Relief that he was finally having a conversation with Madison.


    ¡°Answers to what? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. What do you mean, Damien?¡±


    Damien sucked in a deep breath, ¡°I.. I¡¯m going to make everything right, Madison. I¡¯ming. I¡¯ming to get you¡­ and I¡¯ll make everything right. I promise you.¡±


    He heard her say something, like she wanted to begin asking him questions, but he had already hung up, andying on his back he stared at the ceiling as his phone dropped to the floor.


    He stared at it for a while and then turned away, not bothering to pick the cell up.


    Damien hadn¡¯t even realized before how much of a toll this whole thing was taking on him. How helpless and tired it was making him feel. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± He whispered, his voice breaking.


    He stretched again, this time shakily reaching out to pick the bottle of whiskey close to him up, with a tear dropping from his eyes and sliding down his cheek, but he ignored it not making a move to wipe the liquid off his face.


    Instead he tipped the bottle to his lips once more, and continued to drown his pain in alcohol.

 Chapter Fifty One

    Madison exhaled slowly, raking her fingers through her hair in exhaustion.


    She stifled a yawn that threatened to escape her lips by covering it with her fist, and then she sighed deeply. She wasn¡¯t sure why she had awakened all of a sudden, but it didn¡¯t put her at ease.


    Thest thing she wanted to do was think. She just wanted to have a long sleep¡­ long enough to drown out all those thoughts, but now she couldn¡¯t go back to sleep.


    No matter how hard she tried to, her mind kept going back to the call with Damien.


    To say she was in shock would be an understatement. Madison wasn¡¯t even sure how she felt about all of it. The things he had said, the way he was acting¡­ she didn¡¯t know what to make of it.


    From his apology, the things he had said to her, and for  the first time since she had met him again, he had spoken to her without a trace of anger in his voice.


    He even seemed genuine, and to Madison, that wasn¡¯t something she could believe all of a sudden. It was still quite strange for her and she needed some time to make sense of it.


    Taking a deep breath, she shut her eyes and tried to concentrate on something else. The creaking sound of the ceiling fan caught her attention, and as Madison stared up at it, watching it rotate with a light creaking sound, her mind also began to rotate¡­ wander, and that¡¯s how she realized something she still didn¡¯t know the answer to.


    How had Damien even gotten her number?


    The question had crossed her mind in the beginning when she had heard his voice, and if she remembered she might have even asked him but it had gone unanswered, and then she had be so wrapped up in the conversation that she had forgotten to ask again.


    Madison sighed again. It was not like he would have told her anyway, so she knew she had to work out that piece of information herself.


    She still hadn¡¯t gotten over the fact that he had called her, asking for forgiveness and baring his own shorings, but she decided she would deal with thatter.


    Back to how he had gotten her number, her first guess was Alvarez for obvious reasons.


    They were friends, and they worked together too, so it would be logical and obvious that it was the easiest way to get her number.


    It was also the most exinable, but Madison couldn¡¯t help but feel like Alvarez would have informed her regarding anything that had to do with Damien.


    It was odd, and definitely not like him to give her number out to anyone, especially not Damien. He would have called to tell her that he¡¯d given her number out, of course he would have.


    Madison began to fidget, as her fingers dug into the sheets her mind wandering still.


    What if Damien hadn¡¯t gotten her number from Alvarez? It was very possible, considering all that had been happening, and her heart skipped a beat as she wondered if it was possible that he might have stalked her private details for her contact info.


    She knew that Alvarez had assured her that there was nothing to worry about, but with the recent history of being stalked, amongst other things she just couldn¡¯t rest.


    Taking shaky breaths, Madison tried to think of what to do about this, but she already carried it at the back of her mind that she was helpless.


    Trying to steady herself, she continued to think when suddenly her eyes flew to her phone which sat on a nearby table.


    There was only one person she could actually talk to right now and that was Alvarez.


    Yes, Alvarez would know something at least, Madison decided. He always knew something, having the idea of what to do, and what to say even.


    She would tell him about the call with Damien and they would both talk it out, as he would most probably tell him what his best friend had meant by calling her.


    She hovered over the call button, and raising her head her eyes fell on her wall clock, and her eyes widened in surprise at the time. It was still 4AM, and it was still very early.


    There was even a high chance he would still be sound asleep, and this issue was important, but not so important that she would rouse him from sleep.


    Most importantly, he would be with his wife. What would she think about someone calling her husband so early? It was so inappropriate that Madison chided herself. She decided she would leave it tillter today.


    As shey back on her bed, sighing heavily, her thoughts travelled back to Damien. He had said a lot of things, and if Madison didn¡¯t know any better, his apology might have convinced her.


    He had caused her so much pain. How could he suddenly begin to feel differently? What caused this sudden change in him? Why had he been that way?


    What had surprised her the most was what he had said abouting to get her, and Madison still got cool goosebumps from thinking about it.


    He had sounded so serious, for a moment Madison couldn¡¯t quite ce what she felt at that moment. But she didn¡¯t want to dwell on it. Besides, he had been really drunk.


    She wasn¡¯t sure of his drunkenness at first, but then she could hear the notable slurs in his voice, and the slight stammers, so it was quite obvious.


    Madison knew that a lot of people said things they didn¡¯t mean when they got drunk, and half the time they weren¡¯t even aware of what they were talking about, or doing at the moment.


    So this was another reason why she wouldn¡¯t take his words seriously. It would be stupid believing his every word and expecting something, but then all she would get was another p in the face.


    He had beenpletely wasted, and he would probably wake up in the morning not remember a thing. He probably wouldn¡¯t even remember he had called her, not to talk more of the things he had said, and even if he did, it would just be a big pool of regret for him.


    He wouldn¡¯t feel a thing for her, he never felt a thing.


    ¡°Stop thinking about it, Maddie.¡± She whispered to herself, rubbing her hands over her face, ¡°It was not worth it, there was no point at all.¡±


    When she was better, she continued to stare at the rotating ceiling fan, yawning after a little while. She sighed heavily, remembering that she had to go to workter today so she needed all the rest she could get.


    Adjusting to a better position, Madison continued to stare at the ceiling fan, the drowsy movement calling to her until she slowly drifted back to another meaningless slumber.


    ¡­¡­.


    KATHERINE


    Katherine continued to pace around the patio, her phone in her hand and one around her waist. She was bordering between worry and fury.


    Fury because she was still quite offended about how Damien had spoken to her the day before, and worry because she was really afraid of losing him.


    Afterst night, she really didn¡¯t know what to expect when it came to Damien, and the words he had said sounded to good to be true. He had even threatened her, cing his hands on her and a shudder coursed through her.


    What if he just randomly decided to break up with her? It would be devastating and embarrassing to exin to her father and the media too.


    She didn¡¯t even want to imagine it, as thest thing she wanted to lose was Damien of all people. He was her life, her world and she needed to be by his side at all times.


    After all she had worked for, and the lengths she had gone through just to be with him¡­ The memories they¡¯d shared, she sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to lose him. It wasn¡¯t even an option at all.


    Taking a sharp breath, Katherine nced at her phone screen once more. The rows and rows of missed calls she had given him stared right back at her, and her chest tightened painfully. She tapped on the dial button again, trying her luck once more and as usual it rang but he didn¡¯t pick up.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Katherine muttered under her breath, pushing her hair out of her face as she thought of what to do.


    Her hands were twitching, and her head was shaking ruefully. She had been calling since he left her housest night but it had gone answered. She had even wanted to go looking for himst night but it was toote to wander outside, so she had paced around in her bedroom, dialing his number over and over again but to no avail.


    She also sent texts, apologizing repeatedly about the letters she¡¯d burnt, hoping he would forgive her and begging him to pick up but still nothing.


    The entire night had passed and there was still no response from him. Finally, Katherine had given up and fallen asleep, and now the first thing she did when she awakened this morning was to check her phone again.


    She had been expecting a call from him of course, or maybe a text showing that he acknowledged her efforts but to her utmost disappointment there wasn¡¯t a single text nor call at all.


    Sighing, Katherine shook her head.


    This didn¡¯t mean that she had lost him yet. She couldn¡¯t lose him. Not now, not ever! She had to do something real quick, and going inside her bathroom she decided to take her bath and get dressed.


    She was going to head to his house, so they could talk and she would know what was going on.


    Seeing him in person might be better, and at least if he saw her in person he would see how badly she was doing without him, and how sorry she was.


    She would beg him, cry fake tears if it got to the stage, she would do all that so he would believe her once and for all.


    Thirty minutester, Katherine arrived at Damien¡¯s house.


    As she stood at his front door, she took deep breaths, practicing what she was going to say to him and mentally preparing herself for any possible oues.


    When she felt ready enough, she unlocked the house with the spare key she had, and walked in.


    She was extra thankful that she still had the spare key, as there was no telling if he would have even let her in of his own free will.


    Katherine moved around the house, first checking the mini gym first and then his study. She knew that by this time of the day he would either be exercising or working in his study, but surprised to see those two ces unupied, she headed to his bedroom.


    As she slowly swung the door open, her eyes widened in shock at the sight before her, and she held back a yell.


    On the floor, was a shirtless, very wasted Damien who was sprawled on his back next to the wine cab, with an empty bottle of whiskey lying next to him.


    Katherine stared at him in surprise, her hands going to her nose to cover up the alcoholic smell that filled the room, as she took a step forwards. What the heck was this?


    She had never seen him like this before, at all and even when he drank he never made a mess just like this one. She carefully moved towards him wanting to know why he was unmoving, and if he was asleep, and sure enough he was sound asleep, snoring away.


    Katherine shook her head, wondering what could have made him drink this much. She was already deted, knowing that it was impossible now to talk to Damien today.


    Sighing, she turned away with a shrug, her hands falling down and she began to walk toward the door.


    Just before she could exit the room, she heard a familiar notification pinging from his phone and she froze instantly.


    Usually, she would have paid no attention, and went on her way but for some reason today she was interested.


    It was not like he would do anything about her checking his phone, and he was literally passed out.


    Taking one curt nce at him, she picked up the phone to see a text message, and clicking on it she began to read through. Halfway through, she rolled her eyes, hissing when she realized it was a list of everything on his schedule for the day, and it was from his secretary.


    She was about to toss the phone on the bed, when she had a sudden thought.


    This was a rare chance to snoop through his phone, and see if there was any important detail that could be hidden within. A lot was happening, and the issue with that bitch Madison was at the back of her mind. Why not take this advantage and see if Damien was cheating, or if he was making any attempts to talk to the onedy she despised more than anything?


    Taking another nce at him, and breathing heavily she quickly began to scroll through. The first ce she went to was his call log, and her fingers froze when she came across the recent calls from yesterday.


    Just like she had imagined, hoping it would not be true though she saw an outgoing call to Madison, and her hands on the phone tightened quickly.


    Katherine felt her heart start to thump wildly in anger, different types of exnations and scenarios going through her.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    So he had ignored all her calls and texts but somehow had the time to call his ex? He was literally pushing her to one side, but he had managed to call the bitch?


    Her neck reddened as she tapped on it to see the details, and her hands shook when she saw how long the call had been. It hadsted more than ten minutes, and she looked back at his sprawled out unmoving body.


    Everything started to make sense, and she could note the exnation for this. Probably he would have called her in his drunken state, when he was weak and vulnerable and he just have said a lot of things¡­ And he was giving the bitch exactly what she longed for.


    He was giving her the upper hand, because if he had made himself vulnerable then it was all over.


    Katherine shut her eyes tightly, her fists clenching, and she could see that this was an open chance for Madison toe back into his life.


    Katherine could already imagine the conversation they might have had, and she felt hot burning fury fill up her chest.


    Angrily, she tossed the phone back onto the bed, her teeth cking angrily and without as much as a nce at Damien again, she stormed out of the bedroom, out of the house and into her car still fuming.

 Chapter Fifty Two

    TWO DAYS LATER


    As Damien clicked ¡®send¡¯ on hisputer, he exhaled in relief, thankful that he had finallypleted the document he was working on and sent it to the partner on time.


    Luckily, he didn¡¯t have a pounding headache anymore, but that didn¡¯t count because he had missed a full day of work. Sighing, he looked back to hisputer to look at the rest of the things he had on his schedule for today, and he was almost done but that was not satisfactory.


    Damien did not want to go home. He had already missed one day this week due to the hangover which he shouldn¡¯t have had but did anyway, and he was still finding it very difficult to forgive himself for making that mistake again.


    So as atonement for that, he decided to stay at the office and work as long and hard as he needed to. It would also act as a kind of reminder for him to stop getting drunk and missing work, because he never feltfortable doing so.


    Looking through everything else, he realized that he hadpletely forgotten to tell his secretary that he needed her to sort through some old files. He needed to rify something from previous documents, and he would have to wait for her till she finished so he was faced with more time to stay at work.


    As he picked up the phone to ring her, he hesitated and then put it back. He decided he would do the sorting himself instead. It usually wasn¡¯t the type of work he did but if he went home now, there would be nothing to do than sit around and bezy and he would rather not have that at the moment.


    Standing up, he moved to the other side of his desk, popping the bottom drawer open and took out the first pile of files. Underneath the files were piles of books which Damien also needed to sort out.


    He suddenly had second thoughts of arranging the office himself and was tempted to call his secretary after all, but he held himself back and got to work.


    He needed this distraction too.


    He was some minutes into his work when he suddenly paused, holding up a book that seemed to have distracted him. He smiled a little when he remembered that this was his first journal, he took everywhere when he had journey into the business word. It was part of the first things he had brought with him when he had moved into this office some years ago.


    The journal had been so vital to him, and he used to write down the names of clients turned business partners so he wouldn¡¯t forget. The journal had some of his visions and goals which he had aplished today, and he couldn¡¯t be more proud and nostalgic as he stared at it.


    He was about to toss the journal back to an open box, when it suddenly slipped out of his hands, falling to the floor, with a photo card peeking out of it pages.


    Curiously, Damien picked it up, and then he froze when he saw it was a picture of him and Madison.


    Of course it just had to be an image of the two of them, and he wasn¡¯t surprised to see it there. Back then, even with the heartache she¡¯d caused him, and the painful way he left London, he still took her pictures with him everywhere. Their pictures rather, as it was some sort of lucky charm for him.


    That also exined why he had photos of just her in his office, and he gritted his teeth remembering the one he had burnt some days ago.


    Now staring at a smiling Madison in the picture again, he didn¡¯t know why anger suddenly began to pump through him.


    He hissed, squeezing the photo with the intent of tossing it into the trash, but then he paused as something got triggered in his head¡­ A memory. Not being quite sure what it was, Damien slowly unfolded the picture and continued to stare at it, until it hit him.


    The night at the office some days ago. He and Alvarez had spoken about the letters, about Madison too, and he had realized that it was Katherine who intercepted the letters.


    He also remembered angrily storming off to Katherine¡¯s house, and throwing the usation in the open and then realizing that he had been right about her keeping the letters because she had shamelessly admitted it, even telling him that the lettered were no more as she¡¯d burnt them. He didn¡¯t remember much of what happened next but he knew they must have had a fight, and as he tried so hard to recall what happened after that, he was struck with a painful migraine.


    The effect of the fucking drinks he¡¯d taken.


    Falling back into his chair, and rubbing his forehead as the memory of driving off and getting so drunk came to mind, Damien began to curse under his breath.


    He hated getting drunk, and worse than that, he hated hangovers, but he hade to realize now that it was his own way of coping, and dealing with his bullshits even though it was an unhealthy one.


    He also remembered that he had asked Alvarez for Madison¡¯s number, and just to make sure he was right about this thought, he scrolled through his messages, and sure enough the text he had sent to Alvarez stared back at him, and the digits Alvarez had sent back as well.


    The history on his call log also confirmed that he had called her.


    ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!¡±


    He shut his eyes in agitation, wondering what had happened that night.


    What had he said to her? Had he made a fool of himself, or had they ended up fighting yet again? The call hadsted for over ten minutes, so they must have talked for long. As much as he tried to, he could not remember a thing he and Madison had discussed that night, and even as he tried to piece it all together nothing made sense.


    He couldn¡¯t remember what he had said or how she had responded, and it made him ache bitterly.


    Sighing deeply, he rxed into his chair and tried to think. His ns of flying to London came to mind, and it made him sit up instantly.


    He still needed to get answers, and now more than ever they were crucial, if not he would never be able to move on. No matter how hard it was, he knew it would make a significant difference when he actually knew the full story, and his curiosity was gnawing heavily at him.


    Turning back to his desk, Damien quickly dialed his secretary, asking her toe in immediately.


    While he awaited her arrival, he continued to sort through the files. He was almost done with the first drawer and so far he was making significant progress.


    A few minutes after he had cleared out the bottom drawer, a knock sounded on his door and Nina, his secretary walked in.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Good day, sir. You called for me?¡±


    Damien shut the bottom drawer, dusting his hands off as he faced her. He took a deep breath, confident that he was making the right decision, and then he said much to her surprise, ¡°I need you to book me another flight to London as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison inspected the potato she had picked up from the crate, checking to see if it was in good condition.


    Thedy in charge of the vegetables section smiled at her, as she said, ¡°They are fresh from the farm. You¡¯ve got nothing to worry about, I assure you. It¡¯s all organic, just like you wanted.¡±


    Madison nodded, ¡°Yeah, they look nice.¡±


    Smiling, she picked up three big ones and dropped them into the small shopping basket she had picked up.


    She had decided to go shopping today. Normally she would have waited till the weekend, but she had been so stressed out and she wanted to have a small treat. She deserved it too. It was also time to try out the potato porridge recipe she had gotten from a friend at the bakery, and knowing how good her cooking skills was Madison felt quite confident about the meal she was going to prepare tonight.


    She walked past the rows of vegetables,ing to a stop when she saw some fresh carrots that caught her eyes. Inspecting them carefully, she began to take as many as she would need. She took another look at the list in her hand, and all there was left after the carrots were onions and green bell peppers. As she moved to pick up onest carrot, she felt her phone vibrate in her purse.


    Pulling her hand away, she quickly brought out the cell to see that it was an unknown number calling, and suddenly she tensed up.


    She was already looking around at the market to check if she was being watched again, but the environment was so busy now that it wouldn¡¯t even matter and if the stalker was hiding behind some racks she wouldn¡¯t even know.


    She looked back at her phone. She really didn¡¯t want to pick up, and she had decided to even stop picking calls from unknown numbers since the conversation always bade out badly and with ominous signs too. She remembered Damien¡¯s call from a few days ago and she breathed shakily. She definitely didn¡¯t want a repeat of that.


    Madison shook her head. No, she wouldn¡¯t pick the call. As she unzipped her purse and quickly stuffed her phone back in, her thumb mistakenly swiped right on the call, and Madison¡¯s eyes widened in shock with her heart beating rapidly.


    She checked if there was any way to save herself from that mistake, but it was toote, it had already answered and slowly bringing the phone to her ear, she spoke into the receiver, ¡°Hello?¡±


    The phone nearly dropped from her hand when she heard the familiar voice of her estranged father call out her name, and for a moment, Madison felt like someone had put a hold on her neck.


    She couldn¡¯t breathe even if she tried, and after a few moments of taking deep breaths, she brought the phone out of her ear and looked back at the screen.


    She didn¡¯t recognize the number from anywhere, and worse still she was still confused about her father calling her.


    She couldn¡¯t remember thest time she had spoken to him, not to talk more of him calling her phone and this was not the number her mother had sent to her, which she¡¯d saved.


    Another piece of the puzzle¡­ Why was he calling her with a strange number?


    Mentally reminding herself to breathe, she cleared her throat, trying to sound as normal as possible, ¡°Dad, h-hi. How are you doing? It¡¯s nice hearing from y-¡±


    ¡°Save it!¡± She heard her father¡¯s gruff voice snap from the other end, and it made  her nearly jump in fright, but she steadied herself at thest second.


    ¡°I do not need your greetings. I called you for a reason and I¡¯d like to get the answer to it.¡±


    Madison felt her ears redden but she didn¡¯t say a word. She couldn¡¯t even counter him, no matter how much she wanted to.


    ¡°Now look here, I don¡¯t know what the hell is going on with you and that good-for-nothing boy called Damien, nor do I even care. I¡¯ve been seeing your pictures together, and unsurprisingly, you¡¯re still as shameless as you were eleven years ago.¡± He spat as he began talking, and Madison¡¯s hand shook as she clutched her phone.


    Her heart was already clenching from the pain he was causing, with his words stinging her deep, especially since they hadn¡¯t spoken in years.


    Not once did he call all these while, and now when he finally did call, this was all he had to say to her. She remembered that these usations were the same ones Mason had thrown at her, back when he¡¯d visited and she blinked back the tears burning at the back of her eye.


    ¡°Dad¡­ if you would just listen to me. I could exin wh-¡±


    ¡°Quiet! I don¡¯t care what you have to say. Besides I am already used to you being a disappointment, so I didn¡¯t even expect anything less.¡±


    Tears stung the back of Madison¡¯s eyes and she tried her hardest to swallow them back, not wanting to make a sound but there was a lump in her throat and it was stuck albeit painfully.


    ¡°I have also heard about some men asking about the Connors all over town, and I know it in my gut that you must have reunited with that fool to try and bring me down.¡±


    Madison¡¯s jaw dropped in shock when his words assimted.


    Why did everyone think that she was working with Damien or back together with him? This was what Mason had said, even warned her about it and now her father too? No she had to rify stuffs quickly.


    ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talki-¡±


    ¡°But know this, Madison¡­¡± He spat out her name in disgust cutting through her speech before she could even finish, ¡°Before you even get a chance to destroy me or this family, or even try to soil our name, I will destroy you before you try. I might not have the powers I had before, and I¡¯m clearly indisposed but I have my way and I¡¯m sure you know I am not bluffing.¡±


    Her hand tightened around her phone, her whole body shaking and reverberating at his words. The more she tried to ask question or clear him on things that he was getting wrong, the more he continued to cut her off not letting her say a thing and eventually she just could not take it anymore.


    ¡°Stop!¡± She yelled into the phone, not minding her tone as she went on, ¡°Just stop okay? I don¡¯t know what you have heard or what you¡¯ve seen in the papers, but if you actually took the time to read through them you might get the full story. Damien treated me badly, and we are not together like you im. Do you also want to know why? It¡¯s because he hates me, and he hates us all. He hates me so much now that my presence irritates him.¡±


    Tears had begun to burn the back of her eyes now and even though her throat was sore and parched, and she was even in public attracting stares she didn¡¯t stop at all, ¡°And you know what, dad? You also want to know why he¡¯s this way, It¡¯s all your fault. You did it all back then, you tore us apart and I won¡¯t take it lightly if you think you can manipte me the way you did when you threw me out in the streets without a care whatsoever. You¡¯re the reason why all of this happened, and as much as I pray it haunts you, I hope you find peace too. My heart is pure, whether you choose to believe it or not, and I am not plotting anything against you. I don¡¯t even have the strength too, so I don¡¯t know where these usations areing from but none of it is true.¡±


    Her chest heaved as tears pooled in her eyes, but she didn¡¯t stop until she was finished. She was so tired of being med for everything.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± She heard her father roar from the other end of the line when she finally took a pit stop, ¡°How dare you speak to me like that? You have be such an insolent young woman and I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Tears streamed down her face as she pulled the phone away from her ear and ended the call.


    She tried to control her tears when she noted that people were still staring at her, but the liquid wouldn¡¯t stop streaming down her face at all. Her hands shaking, she picked up the rest of the vegetables she needed, and paying thedy in charge of the vegetables section quickly, she turned away when her vegetables had been packed into a stic bag and handed to her.


    Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she quickly walked out of the store market, her chest heavy.


    The call reminded her of the time when Mason hade to her house to warn her, and fresh bread tears pooled in her eyes once more.


    To think she had decided to treat herself to a good meal and just rx, but still all her ns and her day had been ruined effectively yet again.


    Madison wondered if it was a crime to have one day free of drama. First it was the call with Damien, contemting to call Alvarez and now her father.


    Trying not to think of either of those men, Madison gged down a taxi, her chest heavy as she sat listlessly as the car sped on. She just couldn¡¯t wait to get home. She would curl into a ball, and force sleep into her eyes.

 Chapter Fifty Three

    ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡± Damien paused in his tracks as he sighted Alvarez standing at the exit of the office building.


    Damien had ate meeting which hadsted nearly three hours, and after that, he had stayed to finish up a project he had abandoned for a while now. Although he had eaten a few hours ago, he still felt quite hungry, and what he nned to do was go home and find a way to rx after eating.


    His bones felt cramped as well.


    Alvarez smiled at his best friend from the door, ¡°Well, I¡¯m head of security, remember? And you¡¯re the owner of thispany and my boss. If you leavete, so do I.¡± He chuckled and Damien narrowed his eyes,ughing at the same time, ¡°I can¡¯t tell if that was usatory or affectionate.¡±


    Alvarez shrugged with a wink, ¡°Whichever you want it to be. It¡¯s up to you.¡±


    ¡°Asshole.¡± Damien shot back.


    They both burst intoughter at the same time, and as they both walked out of the building and towards the car park, Damien looked back at his friend, ¡°Drinks, tonight. What do you think?¡±


    Alvarez thought about it for a while and then he nodded, ¡°Sure, okay. But no one is getting drunk again. Especially you, cause you won¡¯t be able to bear it.¡±  Heughed and Damien nodded, raising his hand in surrender.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even need to tell me twice.¡± He agreed, remembering thest time he had gotten drunk as it had been so horrible.


    He didn¡¯t think he would be getting drunk for a while, but he couldn¡¯t stay away from alcoholpletely. He would just have one or two shots and that would be it, he promised himself.


    They both got into their cars and drove to their regr bar.


    Twenty minutester they were seated on their stools, jackets off and drinking whilst they discussed.


    Damien was already beginning to feel better, and the cool music ying in the bar helped to ease of some worries. Maybe all he needed was to unwind after days of working really hard, and that he was doing.


    Beside him, Alvarez took another swig of the beer he had ordered and faced Damien, ¡°That reminds me. You messaged me a few days ago¡­ something about Madison¡¯s number. If I remember correctly, I sent it to you. What happened?¡±


    Damien froze, groaning internally. He had hoped this talk wouldn¡¯te up, but of course, trust Alvarez to remember every slight thing.


    Instead of answering, he took another sip of his drink, and then he cleared his throat, and muttered, ¡°Mm hm. So?¡± He stalled, as he faced his drink.


    ¡°So?¡± Alvarez chuckled, ¡°You can¡¯t just leave me hanging, cause I know you are trying to divert this convo. You¡¯re gonna have to do better than that. You asked for Madison¡¯s number when I¡¯m quite sure that there hasn¡¯t been anymunication between you two, and thest time you spoke to her, it didn¡¯t end well. So obviously, I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t ask for her number to just store it in your phone and stare at it.¡±


    Damien rolled his eyes, taking another sip of his drink.


    Somehow he felt pretty stupid for calling Madison while he had beenpletely wasted, because as it stood he pretty much had no recollection of what he must have said to her.


    Also he wasn¡¯t even ready to start imagining how he must¡¯ve sounded and what he had said, and right now he really didn¡¯t want to talk about Madison, but he had no choice because Alvarez was looking at him inquisitively and so he had to spill something.


    ¡°Fine. I got very drunk a few days ago and I might have drunk dialed Madison.¡± He finally blurted up, rubbing his forehead in embarrassment.


    Alvarez¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You did what? What did you do? What did you say?¡±


    Damien kept silent, not sure what to say to that. If he could remember he would feel much better, but it was still all bits and pieces, and he wasn¡¯t sure how to exin that to Alvarez without him thinking he was crazy.


    ¡°Wait. I hope you didn¡¯t say anything harsh to her.¡± Alvarez said. He sounded more serious now and he had sat up straighter, staring at Damien as he waited for an answer, ¡°You know how Madison is, especially at this point in her life. She¡¯s extremely fragile. I hope you didn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°No, man. I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t do that. I promise I didn¡¯t say anything, or use any harsh words. I might not remember it all, but I don¡¯t think Ished out at her. I¡¯ve vowed not to again, so I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Alvarez stared at him, making it obvious that he didn¡¯t believe him.


    ¡°You are looking at me like you don¡¯t believe right?¡± Damien asked in disbelief and Alvarez just shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be unsupportive but you¡¯re a jerk to her in your normal state. I can¡¯t imagine if it would be any better when you¡¯re drunk. Well, what do I know¡±


    Damien exhaled. Alvarez was right to feel and think this way, because he had been a jerk to Madison.


    ¡°Okay, fine. It¡¯s true, there¡¯s a lot against me. But I am a hundred percent sure, I wasn¡¯t mean or angry toward her. I can swear with my life.¡±


    Alvarez clutched his beer and then nodded after a while, ¡°I do believe you. So what did you guys talk about then?¡±


    Damien sighed heavily, ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t really remember¡­ you know I was pretty drunk then right? Everything is a blur so I don¡¯t really remember much, but I think I apologized about the letters and tried to exin that I didn¡¯t get them and why. But I¡¯m not quite sure¡­¡±


    Alvarez was quiet for a while, ¡°That¡¯s weird. Do you remember how she responded?¡±


    Damien wished he did. He really wished he had a recollection of what she must have said, but unfortunately he had nothing in this nk head of his. So he shook his head rying his answer, and faced his drink instead.


    They drank in silence for a while, and then he remembered something he had not informed Alvarez about.


    ¡°I changed my mind, about the flight. I¡¯m going to London after all.¡±


    Alvarez froze in surprise, staring at his friend in disbelief and lowering the bottle of beer back to the table, he said, ¡°Um.. wow. I don¡¯t even know what to say man. T-that¡¯s nice honestly, or I guess but¡­ do you think it¡¯s a good idea to see her right now? I mean, you don¡¯t have any idea what you both must have said that night. So is this the right thing?¡± Alvarez finished.


    Damien smiled, ¡°Oh. I¡¯m not going to meet Madison actually.¡± He exined and when Alvarez frowned, he continued, ¡°I¡¯m actually going to meet the rest of the Connors. It¡¯s time you know. It¡¯s time to meet them again¡­ face them and confront everything that was buried in the past. I want to know why that man had that grudge against me, against my family. Whatever we must have done to him. I want to know if his hatred for me is deep rooted, or just something that has to do with my rtionship with his daughter. I just want to know about it all.¡±


    Alvarez looked even more shocked this time, and he opened his mouth trying to utter something, but he wasn¡¯t exactly sure what the right thing to say was, so he continued to drink.


    After he had taken a few swigs, he faced Damien as the silence between them stretched, ¡°Look, man. I know, and I understand what you have with, and against the Connors. I know how badly you want revenge for what they did, and your idea of knowing what the cause of their hatred to you is, is very nice actually and I will always support your idea too. I know first hand what you went through, so you have my full support, but then¡­ Do you think flying to London is the best thing right now? I mean you cancelled your flight some days back, don¡¯t you seem to be rushing things?¡±


    Damien didn¡¯t need to think twice about this decision of his, and he even had the answers for Alvarez.


    Facing the Connors was something he had longed to do for years, and even more than that, it was something he needed to do. There was no two ways about it. This was the right time, and nothing was going to change his mind now. His gut told him to go on with it and he was going to do just that.


    So facing Alvarez squarely, he nodded saying defiantly, ¡°Yes this is the right thing. I¡¯ve never been sure of anything in my life than this.¡±


    As Alvarez began to say something, in response to what he had just said, Damien felt his phone vibrate in his jacket. He immediately picked up when he saw it was his secretary, and raising his hand he excused himself.


    ¡°Yes, Nina?¡± He spoke into the receiver.


    ¡°Good evening, sir. I just called to inform you about the fight. It has been sessfully booked, sir.¡±


    Damien nodded, ¡°Good. Forward the details of the flight to me. Date, time and such. I¡¯ll be waiting for the details. Thank you.¡±


    He hung up, taking another sip of his drink.


    He took in a deep breath, d that he was feeling much better, more confident about his ns and decisions also.


    ¡°You¡¯re taking a flight?¡± Alvarez asked, a frown forming on his face, ¡°Don¡¯t you usually take your private jet during international travels?¡±


    Damien nodded, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. But I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for it this time. I¡¯m not going to spend so much time there and I¡¯m just going to get answers, finish up whatever I have to do, and that¡¯s it. I¡¯ll be on my way back.¡±


    Alvarez nodded, ¡°Okay then. Do whatever is better for you, I guess.¡± He chuckled, raising his beer to clink Damien¡¯s ss and the two began tough as they continued to drink.


    Damien felt much better than he had earlier today, and it felt good. He had shared his worries, and anyways whenever he talked to his best friend, he always felt better.


    Smiling to himself, he finished his drink and leaning over on the counter, he listened to Alvarez exin his experience with dealing with his wife¡¯s second pregnancy as well as her due date.


    Random men talks!


    ¡­¡­.


    KATHERINE


    For the first time ever, Katherine did not notice the messy environment around her as she made her way down to the underground garage where she usually had her meeting with the men, she had sent to keep tabs on Madison.


    It waste at night and normally she would be worried about her safety, but this time she didn¡¯t care. There were much more important things on her mind tonight.


    One was the fact that she had gotten no calls nor texts from Damien since that day, and she was still angry like she should. She had expected that after he hade out of his drunken state, he would at least return the calls and messages she had left him two days ago but of course, he hadn¡¯t.


    It hurt so much, the way he was neglecting her again and she hated it so much.


    Her day had also been bad, as she had been so furious that she spent the whole of her time thinking of what to do and ming Madison for everything that was just happening.


    Damien would never treat her like this. The Damien she knew would havee to her apartment and made up with her, but this sudden changing Damien¡­ she didn¡¯t know who the fuck he was.


    Well, she would make sure he returned to his normal self. Call her a maniac, but she would have her way surely.


    Clenching her fists, she walked down the shallow stairs where the men were already waiting for her and as usual she didn¡¯t waste any time in getting straight to the point.


    ¡°My boyfriend has a flight booked to London soon, and we all know there¡¯s only one reason why he would do that right? So get ready. We¡¯re going to London.¡±


    The men looked at themselves for a while, and then they began to hoot in appreciation but Katherine ignored them. She was too busy running all the details in her head to care, as it was finally time.


    She had been shying away from doing the worst but now she was not going to hesitate. If stalking and sending threat messages were not doing what she wanted, then she would go there and take care of this once and for all.


    Looking back at the men, she swung the duffel bag which she held in her left hand at them, and they hooted once more in pleasure when they saw it was packed with cash.


    ¡°Book my flight first thing tomorrow, and yours too.¡± Katherine ordered, her lips pressed into a thin line adding, ¡°It¡¯s time to get rid of this bitch once and for all.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Her chest heaved as she waved the men away, and she walked back up the stairs.


    She was taking the bull by its horn, and soon her rtionship with Damien would go back to the way it was but that was after she was done dealing with Madison.


    They would be affectionate to each other, go on dates, and possibly even get married in the near future, and finally it would be like Madison never even existed.


    Only then would everything be okay.


    Grinning widely, Katherine soon got outside and climbing back into her car she started her ignition, and zoomed off.

 Chapter Fifty Four

    Damien folded thest of the shirts he had taken out of the closet, neatly into the small traveling bag on the bed.


    The time for his flight wasn¡¯t long now so he needed to get a head start. He wasn¡¯t packing a lot of things, just enough for a few days and when he was done with the shirts, his eyes skimmed through the room to check for anything else he might be missing.


    As he began to zip up the traveling bag, his phone vibrated in his jeans pocket.


    Praying silently that it wasn¡¯t work rted, Damien slipped his phone out and smiled a little when he saw it was his mother calling. As long as it wasn¡¯t work, it was fine and also it had been a while since he¡¯d heard from her.


    ¡°Mother.¡± He greeted, zipping the bag with one hand and then carrying it to the corner of the room, ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Hey, honey.¡± She cooed from the other end, ¡°I¡¯m okay. I just wanted to hear from you. Are you good?¡±


    Damien flipped through the documents he had procured from his bottom drawer, his left hand firmly holding his phone to his right ear as he replied,  ¡°Yeah I¡¯m great, thank you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. So¡­ ording to what we spoke about thest time, you¡¯re not busy at all this week, nor do you have any important meetings or projects. So this means that you¡¯re free to have dinner with your sister and I, right?¡±


    Damien chuckled, dropping yet another file in the pile of documents he needed his secretary to attend to while he was gone. ¡°So you¡¯re keeping tabs on me now? Is that right?¡± He asked joking and his mother responded by letting out a smallugh, ¡°Hey, you did tell me that yourself. But¡­ back to dinner. What would you like to eat? I could make all your favorites. I won¡¯t skip even one, you just trust me.¡±


    Damien paused in the middle of flipping through a document. He couldn¡¯te to this dinner because of his flight, and he also couldn¡¯t tell his mother no, because he didn¡¯t want her to know about his trip to London as it would bring up a lot of questions. None which he felt like discussing.


    ¡°Um¡­ I can¡¯t do dinner, mom.¡± He finally said, feeling bad internally. He had turned down her offer so many times, and this was so unusual of him. It was also beginning to look like he was doing it on purpose, and he didn¡¯t like it at all.


    ¡°Oh,e on, Damien. You assured me that you wouldn¡¯t be busy this week. Your sister and I have been looking forward to this. La wants to see you so much. She wants to tell you about her school ceremonying up, amongst some other things Damien,e on.¡±


    He could note the hurt in her voice and he even imagined her sulking as she said this, and guilt pinched him hard in the chest.


    Sighing, he pushed the files he was looking through and tried to gather his words, ¡°Mom, I really want to hang out with you and La. It¡¯s been a while and I think it¡¯d be very nice, but I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t because¡­ I¡¯ll be going on a trip to London. The flight¡¯s already been booked.¡±


    As soon as the words left his mouth, Damien instantly regretted it and the heavy silence that instantly descended was not helping. His mother knew how much he despised that ce, and the vow he had never made never to go back was not lost on her, so it was bound toe as a shock to her naturally.


    ¡°London?¡± She finally breathed, her voice strained but curious, ¡°Why are you going to London Damien? What business do you have there? Is there something you are not telling me?¡±


    Damien sucked in a deep breath. He didn¡¯t want to talk about this, but he knew there was no way to avoid it, so he spilled the beans. He rarely hid things from his mother and no matter how hard he tried, she always had a way of knowing about so keeping it from her seemed useless. ¡°I¡¯m going to see Madison, no the Connors rather. I know it¡¯s strange, but there are so many things that I still don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh Damien, what do you want to do with that family that made life miserable for us? What do you want to do now?¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡± He began but she cut through before he finished, ¡°Okay now, Damien¡­ I didn¡¯t want to say it before as I was keeping this to myself but then what do you want to do about Madison then? I saw those stories in the papers, and I read about everything you did to that poor girl. Everything I saw that you did was absolutely terrible! It was mean and unnecessary, and I could tell that all you kept doing was bullying her and feeling good about it, but know this, I will never been in support of that behavior and I won¡¯t ever be.¡±


    ¡°Mom what are you talking a-¡±


    ¡°No, no, let me speak. Let me finish.¡± She interrupted before he could say anything further, ¡°If you¡¯re going to London just to bully that girl most especially, then I am not in support at all. If you want to make her feel so bad, even in her own space, then I really do not think you should. You¡¯ve been treating that poor girl so badly and I know you¡¯re angry of course because of what happened in the past, but I think you might be going overboard. She did nothing to deserve any of this. Especially since she-¡±


    ¡°Oh mother will you just cut it!¡± Damien yelled through her words, cutting her off sharply. His fists were clenched angrily as he struggled to keep his shaking body steady, ¡°If you would just keep quiet and listen to me then you might actually get a clue of what¡¯s happening.¡±


    There was no response on the other end, so he knew she was waiting for him to speak finally giving him the change to say something and he began to rx.


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m not going to London to bully Madison or take my anger out on her just like you are thinking. I might not even go to see her, despite how badly I want to. I want you to know that I¡¯m going there to get answers. There are so many things that happened in the past that are still very unclear, so many unanswered questions, so many events that didn¡¯t make any sense at all, and the Connors are the only ones that can answer that. Madison is the only one who can answer them and that¡¯s it. So whatever you¡¯re thinking I¡¯m going to do there, is theplete opposite and¡­¡± He trailed off, sighing deeply his chest tightening as memories assailed him instantly.


    ¡°Oh, honey¡­¡± He heard his mother say in a teary voice, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about my words earlier.¡±


    ¡°Thank you mother.¡± Damien said softly, and he could hear her soft chuckle and sniff from the end of the phone.


    ¡°I am in full support of this. You know back then everything that happened between you two, really made me sad and I hope you might be able to get the answers you seek. I¡¯m proud of you for being willing to take this step, and I hope you can work everything out so you¡¯d finally be able to let the past go. It¡¯d be good for you both.¡±


    Damien felt his heart squeeze in pain at his mother¡¯s words, and he voiced his gratitude out again, ¡°Thanks, mom.¡±


    ¡°Goodluck honey, and  don¡¯t forget, if you ever want to talk, I¡¯m here for you okay?¡±


    Damien chuckled softly, grateful that she understood what he was going through.


    After they talked briefly about what he would be doing over in London, she didn¡¯t cut of the call immediately and instead kept himpany on the phone as he continued to pack everything he needed.


    Soon the atmosphere was no more tense, and in a few minutes Damien found himself beginning tough.


    When it was time for him to sort out his files from work, he informed her telling her he would be busy and needed to concentrate and bading each other farewell, she finally ended the call.


    Damien sat on his bed, looking over at his packed traveling bag and assuring himself that he was doing the right thing.


    He stretched out his hand to grab the bottle of whiskey on the table and taking a long swig, he put it down again and continued to work.


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison jumped up at the sound of her ringtone.


    She had been lying on her bed for hours with nothing to do. Mostly because it was the weekend and she didn¡¯t have work.


    This was exactly why she hated weekends, as there was nothing to do the entire day and she hated being idle as it would make her think.


    Smiling widely when she saw that it was Alvarez calling, she swiped to answer and brought it to her ear.


    ¡°Hey, Alvarez! How are you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, and you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Oh my goodness! It¡¯s so good to hear from you. I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯ve been meaning to call you for a while now, but something alwayses up and I always seem to forget.¡± She sighed apologetically.


    Alvarezughed, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re busy, I get it and I really don¡¯t mind being the one to call. Are you good though?¡±


    Madison smiled widely, her face lifting. Talking with her best friend always put her in a good mood. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I guess. What about you? And how is your wife? Is the baby here yet?¡±


    Alvarez gave a loudugh, ¡°No, not yet but soon enough, I think. Like I said before, you¡¯ll be the first to know. It¡¯s a promise that I intend to keep.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Sheughed and he joined in it too. She suddenly remembered something that had happened a few days ago. The call with Damien the other day, one she¡¯d been meaning to talk to him about. After she had deliberated on calling Alvarez in the early hours of the morning to inform him of the call, she hadpletely forgotten still, and there was no better time to bring it up than now.


    So clearing her throat she said, ¡°Something weird happened a few days ago. I nned to call you but I forgot about it.¡±


    ¡°Something weird?¡± Alvarez asked, and Madison could hear the worry peeking into his voice, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Damien called.¡± She blurted, ¡°He was acting so strange really and saying lot of things that seemed to good to be true. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was being serious and honest, but then again, he was drunk so..¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Alvarez asked, sounding more interested than she thought he would be and that she honestly didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°Well, he apologized a lot. About everything, about the letters¡­ He said he didn¡¯t get them, and he said something about making it up to me. His words¡­ they felt strange and I wasn¡¯t sure if he was being genuine. People say a lot of things when they¡¯re drunk, you know so I just waved his talk over.¡±


    Alvarez hummed in agreement, ¡°You¡¯re right, Maddie. But what do you think though?¡±


    She froze in surprise. She hadn¡¯t been expecting that question, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn¡¯t really know. He was drunk, and he probably would have forgotten about it. It was just a drunken mistake, and she had even said this.


    Madison¡¯s heart clenched at that thought but she dismissed it, blinking as thest thing she needed was to get emotional now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to believe at all.¡± She whispered into the phone. There was a brief moment of silence, before she said again, ¡°Before he ended the call though, he kept on muttering something abouting to London to get or meet me. Or I have no idea what he meant by that. Do you? You work with him, yeah? You would know if he had any ns of going to London¡­ or was it just another drunken bluff?¡± Sheughed gently.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    She started to worry when there was no response from Alvarez, and she called his name slowly, ¡°Alvarez? Alvarez are you there?¡±


    He cleared his throat, and then dropped a bombshell, one she just didn¡¯t want to hear at all, ¡°He was telling the truth abouting to London. Damien has a flight booked to London already, and he will be there very soon.¡±


    Madison felt like her chest had just exploded, ¡°What? What did you just say?¡± Her hands began to shake as she tried to wipe off the perspiration on them, ¡°H-he¡¯sing to London? W-why? For what?¡±


    Different thoughts ran through her mind, as to why he woulde all the way to London. Did he really just want to see her or would it turn out that he was here to get his revenge on her, and her family finally.


    The stalker, the threat letter, Damien¡¯s weird call¡­ everything raced through her head so quickly that Madison began to feel dizzy.


    ¡°What does he want here? What does he want from me? P-please if you know what he¡¯s nning, can you tell me. I need to know and I¡­¡± She trailed off,ying her hand on her chest trying to calm her heavily beating heart.


    ¡°Madison¡­ calm down, okay? Just calm down. It¡¯s nothing to worry about, I assure you.¡±


    ¡°No! I can¡¯t do this anymore. I still haven¡¯t recovered from the call from my dad and now this? What did I-¡±


    ¡°Wait, your dad called?¡± Alvarez asked, his voice hoarse with surprise, ¡°When? What did he want?¡±


    Trying not to break down in a pool of tears, Madison cursed inwardly at her slip of tongue and shakily she recounted everything that had happened at the market yesterday.


    What her father had said, the threats, the usations, amongst other things and when she was done, a lump had already hung in her throat, but Madison didn¡¯t cry. She was just tired of crying.


    ¡°Jeez, Maddie. I am so sorry about that. Had I known about this, I wouldn¡¯t have said a thing.¡± Alvarez added  his voice low but she just shook her head although he could not see her,  and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now. However do you know if it¡¯s going to be a disaster. Should Damiene here, would hee and cause more harm than good? Tell me what you know Alvarez, please.¡± She begged.


    ¡°Maddie¡­ just rx.¡± He cooed, ¡°Okay just cool down. Take some deep breaths, and steady yourself.¡±


    Although Madison felt herself beginning to break down, she managed to do as he said, her hands still on her chest and she rubbed it softly.


    ¡°I spoke with Damien, and I can assure you that he¡¯s noting to London to get you, or hurt you. Whatever he might have said on the phone that night, he was just drunk like you noticed and I promise you he won¡¯t cause you any harm. He just needs to get some answers about the past. He wouldn¡¯t like me telling you this, but I just have to, so you can be at ease. He wants to get some answers from your family. So you don¡¯t need to panic at all.¡±


    ¡°You keep telling me to calm down, but all these you are saying is just adding to my anxiety. You are not even listening to me at all!¡± She eximed, yelling over his voice, and whimpering her voice breaking she asked, ¡°Whose side are you on? Whose side are you on, because it can¡¯t be my side. You just don¡¯t understand me, okay? You don¡¯t, at all! If you did you would know why I don¡¯t want him here. You would know that I don¡¯t want him anywhere near-¡±


    ¡°Madison, you need to rx. Please. I know that¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no! You don¡¯t!¡± She half yelled, and shaking her head, Madison angrily ended the call, groaning in anger as she tossed her phone to the wall, watching the screen shatter at the impact.


    Her breathing was hollow already and she clutched at her stomach, desperately trying to catch her breath as her eyes began to burn.


    Letting herself slump down the wall she was resting on, she fell heavily to the floor, her shoulders racking with sobs as tears began to spill down her face.

 Chapter Fifty Five

    KATHERINE


    Katherine wrinkled her nose, sighing as the airport taxi dropped her at the hotel that had been reserved for her.


    It wasn¡¯t the usual five-star hotel she¡¯d have wanted, and everything looked disgusting to her, but she decided to endure it.


    After all, her future depended on all this she was doing, and it was only for a few days. Soon she would go back to her paradise, satisfied and fulfilled.


    Her men had booked this hotel because it was the closest to the town where Madison lived, and the thought of lodging at the much better hotel and then driving hours to get to this town was not appealing, so she had decided to make use of what she got.


    She had gotten the details of Damien¡¯s flight earlier, so she decided to take a flight ahead of him.


    She wanted to get here before him as it would give her time to survey the surroundings, and know exactly what she was up against. Her men had been investigating for weeks and they hade up with very useful information, but Katherine knew she still had her own investigation to do.


    She needed to find out more.


    The bathroom in the hotel room was smaller than she was used to, and she felt quite ustrophobic as she showered, doing her best to be quick so she would get out of here.


    The condition of the whole ce, and the effect it was having on her only made her angrier and it was all Madison¡¯s fault. Why couldn¡¯t she just have stayed in her filthy town and out of Damien¡¯s life? Katherine still couldn¡¯t believe that she¡¯d had toe all the way to London, just to save her rtionship.


    She kept saying she didn¡¯t mind it, but the reminder that she wouldn¡¯t have to if Madison had not been in the picture had her fist bubbling up at the same time.


    She hissed as she wrapped her towel around herself carefully. and hopped out of the bathroom. Now, she had to go through all this difort just to bring this bitch down and it was frankly exhausting.


    For this, Katherine promised within herself to make sure Madison suffered for putting her through this. The first thing she did when she sat on her bed was to call one of the men, and since they were lodging in the room next to hers she quickly informed him to get ready to drive her in a few minutes.


    Without waiting for his response, she immediately hung up.


    She took her time to freshen up and get into a change of clothes, and when she was done and satisfied, she stepped out of her room, sighting one of the men already waiting.


    ¡°I trust you know where you are taking me too right?¡± She asked, putting on her sunsses and he gave a nod, leading the way until they were out of the hotel and finally outside.


    The guard opened the door of the car Katherine had ordered them to rent. She wouldn¡¯t be caught dead boarding any taxis, ever in this ce and even before she stepped into the car, she hesitated a bit peeping to see the condition of the vehicle.


    Everything in it looked greasy, and the strong smell of rubber made her sick to the guts, but she took a deep breath and got in.


    Katherine shut her eyes in agony. She would definitely need at least three days of spa treatment when she got home after all this, and rxing her head she allowed the driver take the wheel and in total the drive took about fifteen minutes.


    Katherine didn¡¯t need her driver to tell her they had entered the part of town where Madison lived, because when they got there the surroundings spoke for itself.


    She nearly gasped in shock at how disgusting it looked, and it was so bad and dirty that she felt her arm begin to itch.


    ¡°What the fuck is this ce?¡± She gasped, wrinkling her nose, ¡°People actually live here?¡± She shook her head in disbelief, staring at the gutters and waste scattered about.


    The driverughed, ¡°Yep. We¡¯re in the slums, ma¡¯am. That¡¯s what it¡¯s like.¡± He paused, driving a little further and then pointing toward an openpound, ¡°That¡¯s the building where Madison Connor lives.¡±


    Katherine turned to the direction he was pointing to, her eyes widening in surprise.


    If she had seen worse, then this was the height of it all. The building was the worst in the damn neighborhood, and her eyes roamed round it. Taking her eyes away from the disgusting looking building, she surveyed the poor neighborhood again, the poorly constructed houses, and the rats running round the dumpsters, even into the swampy ground.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    The ce was nearly flooded, probably due to the rains and every corner of this ce was disgusting and unhygienic, Katherine decided, her nose mask fully in ce as she covered her nose in despise.


    Why would Damien even want someone who stayed in a ce like this? It was degrading to his status, and who knew what kind of diseases someone from here, would probably bring into his home.


    Now, some things started to make sense. This was why the bitch was so desperate to get Damien. She wanted to leave this life of suffering, and the only way would be to snag a wealthy man and she had chosen Damien.


    They had something in the past, and it was logical if she would want to get him. Over her dead body though, it would never happen! Katherine scoffed. Madison could try all she wanted but her ridiculous ns would never work, and not if she had something to say about it.


    Looking through the environment onest time, Katherine shook her head and just as she was about to signal her driver to move out of the ce, one of the doors of the building faraway swung open, and Katherine was surprised to see someone so familiar step out.


    It was Madison, and she was lugging a small stic bag behind her.


    Her surprise quickly changed to anger as she watched Madison carefully make her way past the swampy ground, on a wooden piece of wood and when she got past it, she dumped the stic bag on one of the open dumpsters there.


    Katherine¡¯s fists clenched as she watched the bitch, jaw gritting as she assessed her from head to toe.


    For the umpteenth time, she wondered what was so special about her? What was so great about her that Damien would argue cause of her? She was the one making Damien, threaten and warn her, and she still wondered what spell she had concocted for her man? Hell he had even flied all the way to London toe see her.


    It was not like she was even pretty, and Katherine knew that she was a whole lot prettier than Madison. So what was it about her?


    Anger flowed through her and she studied Madison¡¯s body as she walked back to her house. She wasn¡¯t even shapely or curvy and that stupid strawberry blonde shade of her hair¡­ Oh what was so special about her? Katherine wondered again.


    As Madison shut her door, Katherine turned back to the driver, and ordered cruelly, ¡°Take me back to the hotel. Now! I can¡¯t bear it here.¡±


    He nodded, starting up the engine and quickly driving off.


    Her hands still shaking, Katherine rxed back into her car seat and grabbing a cigar from her purse, she lit it up, puffing on it and trying to calm herself down.


    She was going to run mad! It was just a matter of time!

 Chapter Fifty Six

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Damien yelled into his phone, his fingers clenching in anger. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was just hearing.


    The one thing he thoroughly despised in his life was disappointments of any kind, and now that it concerned something so important to him, he felt likebusting with fury. What nonsense?


    ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry, sir.¡± Nina, his secretary, stammered from the other end, her voice breaking as she continued, ¡°I contacted them this morning and that¡¯s when I got the info that all flights had been canceled due to some maintenance concerns by the airport, so I decided to call right away and inform you.¡±


    Damien raked a finger through his hair, a hiss escaping his lips.


    He had nned everything already, packed everything he would need ordingly, and even cross-checked all the details of the investigation with his private investigator. He was ready to leave in two days time, and now this?


    He gritted his teeth in anger, ¡°How long will this maintenance take? Have you any idea?¡± He queried under his breath, gripping the headboard of his bed as he tried not tosh out at her, and she stammered out a whimsical response, ¡°I-I¡­ it is indefinite sir. Not utterly indefinite per say, but I wasn¡¯t giving a date as to when it would end.¡±


    ¡°FUCK!¡± Damien swore furiously, not minding his crude words and hanging up he tossed his phone aside, bing hot all of a sudden.


    He couldn¡¯t me Nina his secretary at all, because this was not her fault at all, and also he had no utter faith that the stupid airport could make this trip of his work at all. They were always so unreliable? He should have known before he resorted to them.


    Still fuming, Damien stood up and began to pace, thinking of what to do. He didn¡¯t need to think too much though, because he did have an alternative, one that he was just not so happy to take.


    He sighed heavily, picking up his phone and scrolling through his contacts. He hadn¡¯t wanted to use his private jet at first because he felt like it was over the top and unnecessary, but now he had no other choice and when he found the number he was looking for, he quickly dialed it.


    His ne maintenance guy picked up at the first ring, saving Damien the stress of waiting and quickly he exchanged pleasantries with the flight guy, and then ran him through the details of his London travel.


    He also informed him that he would need to leave as soon as possible, so the private jet had to be ready before five days.


    When they had gone through everything, the ne handler requested for some extension of time, as he informed Damien that it would take at least a week to arrange the private jet, service it and make sure it was in good condition before alerting the pilot and getting everything ready.


    Sighing in defeat, and having no other thing to say, Damien grudgingly agreed, hanging up with another heavy sigh, and tossing his phone aside. With nothing else to do but wait, he made his way to the wine cab and poured himself a ss of whiskey.


    Again, he would drown his frustrations with whiskey and alcohol, irrespective of its negative effect.


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison bit into the chicken sandwich she had gotten for lunch, moaning slightly in appreciation from the good taste.


    It was lunch break already, and she was seated at the cafeteria with Gina and a few other acquaintances she had met since she started working at the bakery.


    ¡°Wow, you must be really hungry.¡± Gina joked, teasing Madison who began to giggle at herment, and nodding her head at the same time too.


    Yes! Her friend was right. She really was hungry. She had skipped breakfast because she had wanted to manage the little money she had on her, and ever since she had arrived at the bakery she had been working nonstop, so as not to feel the pangs of hunger gnawing at her stomach.


    The second the lunch break bell had gone off, she had gone to get some snacks, and now that she chewed on it, she felt so good.


    This was the effects of good food, and it was a nice change.


    Soon though she would stop skipping breakfast due to insufficient funds, as she was hopeful that all that would change.


    This was because she was going to get her first paycheck next week, and she was more than super excited about it. Especially because then she would be able to get so many personal stuffs that she needed but couldn¡¯t afford, and again she would be able to stock up her kitchen again.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    She was feeling pretty happy about it, so so happy and frankly this was the only positive thing that had happened to her in a while now.


    Dare she said, she loved the feeling so much, praying for more too.


    ¡°How are you feeling about next week thought? Your first paycheck, mm hmm?¡± Gina nudged her shoulder,ughing and taking a spoonful of the chocte ice cream she had just bought.


    Madison nodded, ¡°I¡¯m feeling great actually, and you have no idea. I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    ¡°Good. It¡¯s good you¡¯re anticipating it but please don¡¯t forget our night out. You promised, and no backing out now irrespective of whatever.¡±


    Madison took another bite of her sandwich, a hum escaping her lips as she said, ¡°Of course not, I haven¡¯t forgotten. I¡¯m actually pretty excited about it too. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been anywhere fun.¡±


    Gina squealed in excitement, at Madison¡¯s words, and  pulling her forward she began to list out her ideas on clothes to wear and ces they could go, and Madison helped every now and then with suggestions until everything was settled.


    As they chatted away, the otherdies gradually joining in their conversation and soon they were all talking,ughing and eating.


    A sudden ticking sound from the speakers warned them that lunch was over, and with the bell going off Madison, who was both excited and desperate to keep up her excellent behavior especially since payday was close, bade her friends goodbye and scurried off to her work station, leaving them behind.


    She didn¡¯t want to miss anything at all, and she wanted to get to her station before her superior did.


    Nevertheless as she left, she still had a good feeling about this week in her heart.


    She could feel it, so bad!

 Chapter Fifty Seven

    KATHERINE


    Katherine tipped the third ss of tequ to her lips, swallowing the contents of the ss cup in one gulp.


    She mmed the ss down on the table again, and slid it over to the bartender for another refill and he poured the drink all to obligingly. She had promised him a good tip, so he would definitely do as she ordered.


    She needed this alcohol. It would drown her frustrations away, and make her stop thinking about a certain cranky bitch getting on her nerves amongst other things.


    After she had found out where Madison lived and worked, she had finally decided to go into the city to lodge in a better hotel. She couldn¡¯t keep staying in that mold looking hotel more like motel, and worse still the building reminded her so much of Madison¡¯s dpidated house.


    Try as she may, she just couldn¡¯t stop herself from feeling irritated at the dingy hotel, and so she had ordered her men to drive her into the city and now she was much morefortable in the new hotel room.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    After checking a map of the small town online, she had discovered the bar she was sitting in right now, and since it was a very popr one it hadn¡¯t been all that hard to locate.


    Katherine hade to the bar because she was fed up, and furious about everything that had been going on.


    She actually felt a bit better when she moved to the four star hotelter on, but then when she remembered how Damien hadshed at her during their call some hours ago everything a hundred times worse.


    How dare he? She wondered as she recounted thest few events leading to that dreaded conversation between the two of them.


    After she had settled in the hotel, she had immediately booked a spa session. Once that was done, she felt clean and fresh once more and so she proceeded back to her room.


    The first thing she checked once she had dressed up was her phone, in hopes of the one person she wanted to call her, Damien. But just like she¡¯d expected there was nothing from him. No calls, no texts, absolutely nothing, and her phone just stared nkly back at her.


    Katherine fueled with rage at his nonchnce, as anger burbled within her. It had been so many days since their fight and yes, she was still quite mad discovering that Damien had spoken to Madison, but then she at least expected him to be remorseful by calling and acknowledging her texts.


    He should have called, he should have texted, he should have sent a message somehow but he didn¡¯t! She had thought all these and more, as her fury increased in folds.


    This was not the way her Damien behaved, and she still couldn¡¯t believe how he seemed to be turning out these past few days. It was rming.


    After hours of waiting on him to call, she finally decided to call, and when he picked up, she wasted no time in pouring out her fury about everything.


    But then what did he reply with? He had yelled at her andmanded her to shut up, and her ears reddened in anger as she recalled it all. At first it looked like she was dreaming, and she had taken the phone out of her ear checking whom she¡¯d called, but his name stared right back at her.


    Taking another shot of the sour tequ and pulling her hair away from her face, Katherine drowned herself in her thoughts and angry dealings. The music and noise in the bar could have caught anyone¡¯s attention, and maybe distracted one from whatever worried them, but not her as she was too lost in her thoughts to notice.


    Damien had yelled at her, and he had showed no interest in talking about the fact that they hadn¡¯t spoken for days. On top of it all, the moment she had opened her mouth to say something in retaliation to his hurtful words, he had hung up on her!


    She had felt like murdering someone when the line had gone dead, and furiously she had tossed her phone on the bed and begun to pace around her room.


    That was when she had decided to go out drinking, in hopes that it would help clear her head but she was almost seven shots down and still, nothing was working.


    All this was Madison¡¯s fault! That bitch! It was so obvious.


    Damien never threw tantrums. He never waited this long toe apologizing to her, but now he was acting all strange and it was all because of that bitch.


    Katherine clenched her fists again as she remembered for the umpteenth time, the call history on Damien¡¯s phone that showed he had spoken to Madison.


    She was dying of curiosity and wondering what they had talked about. She could bet the bitch was trying her best to lure Damien back to her, and once again Katherine swore within herself that it would be over her dead before that happened.


    Even as positive as she was in her ns, there was this nagging terrible feeling at the back of Katherine¡¯s mind, that Madison was beginning to seed in her ns.


    Damien wasing to London to see her after all, and this said a lot. This was all the proof Katherine needed.


    Oh but Madison was going to suffer a great deal. Yes! She make sure she inflicted so much fear and pain in that bitch, one that she would have no one to run to when Katherine was done. She would suffer until she couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and maybe after that, she would learn never to cross Katherine¡¯s path again.


    Then, she would learn to mind her business and stay in her ownne.


    A n brewing in her head, Katherine put down her drink and slipped her phone out of her purse.


    She quickly dialed the number of one of the men that worked for her, and brought it to her ear. Looking around first to make sure no one was around, she lowered her voice when he picked up.


    ¡°I want you to send something to the bitch again.¡± She spat, her fury beginning to brew anew.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. What exactly?¡± The man asked promptly.


    ¡°A letter. A very unique one like those ones we normally send.¡± Katherine finally replied after a while.


    Yes! This was brilliant. She would send another chilling threat letter. Something to let that gold-digger know that she was still being watched. Something that would put her in a state of fear and make her feel unsafe, at the same time.


    ¡°Should we do it like thest time?¡± The man asked, interrupting her thoughts and Katherine smiled bitterly, ¡°No! Not that one. Something like it, but much worse like I said earlier.¡±


    ¡°Okay ma¡¯am. I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    If she could say one thing about the men she had hired, they were pretty efficient and the fact that they spoke hernguage and seemed to understand her was a bonus trait for her.


    ¡°Yes. Exactly like thest time, but scarier. Add the kind of things that would make her look over her shoulder in fear, and make sure you deliver itte in the evening as that¡¯s the best time for it. Worse still in the night. Let¡¯s say 10 or 11pm.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. But the night delivery is going to cost much more money. How are we going to¡­¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Katherine interrupted clicking her tongue, ¡°Money is not a problem, and it will never be. Don¡¯t ask silly questions like that.¡± She paused, noting that her voice was a little loud and lowered it instantly, looking to make sure no one was watching and then continued, ¡°Just pay off the postman as usual, and double the money if need be. When we see you¡¯ll tell me the expenses. I¡¯ll pay it. Alright?¡±


    ¡°Got it. It will be done right away.¡±


    As she was about to hang up, she remembered something, ¡°And oh, one more thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°Make sure the words are written in blood. Just like before. Don¡¯t forget, you make it more than scary.¡±


    ¡°As you like ma¡¯am.¡± The man muttered and smiling to herself, she didn¡¯t wait for him to say anything else as she hung up.


    She ced her phone on the counter in front of her and took a sip of her refilled tequ drink.


    She was suddenly in a better mood. Sending that letter should teach that bitch a lesson, and at least throw her off bnce for a few days.


    All she had to do now was wait and watch. Wait until Damien arrived in London, and then she would start the next phase.


    Katherine suddenly sat up straighter. Damien!


    He would be here soon, she knew that but still she needed more information about his main whereabouts and where he would be staying once he arrived.


    She wanted to know this, as it was vital to her ns still and thinking quickly, she dialed his secretary¡¯s number, grateful that she still had it, as it wasing in handy for her.


    There was no answer after the first, second and third ring, and Katherine was beginning to get agitated and angry.


    It waste at night and the dastardly secretary was probably asleep, but surely the phone kept ringing off the hook so shouldn¡¯t that be enough to wake her? Katherine wondered, her stomach tightening with irritation.


    Trying to calm herself down, Katherine dialed the number one more time, already determining that if the secretary didn¡¯t pick then she would just have to try again tomorrow, but then just as she was about to pick up, the call went through.


    ¡°Hello?¡± The voice came through and thank goodness she was not there, because Katherine would have given her a dirty p across her face.


    Even now, she was just resisting the urge to snap at her, and faking an otherwise cheery voice she said, ¡°Hello, Nina.¡±


    ¡°Miss Katherine.¡±


    ¡°Yes it¡¯s me.¡± Katherine chimed in with a roll of her eyes.


    ¡°Um, wow, what a surprise. You calling by this time. Well is anything the matter Ma¡¯am?¡±


    Katherine faked a bitterugh, and clearing her throat she began, ¡°No, no. Nothing at all. I just need some information about something.¡±


    ¡°Oh sure, I¡¯ll be d to offer my help if I can.¡±


    If she could? Oh she better had the answers to what was about to be asked, Katherine thought to herself.


    ¡°I know Damien is due in London this week as we¡¯ve talked about it before¡­¡± She lied, wanting to ward off any suspicion as she finished, ¡°I was wondering when exactly is he supposed to leave? I¡¯m trying to call now and he¡¯s not answering. Can you please help, as something came up urgent and I have to check his schedule to see if it fits.¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡± The secretary finally said after some time, ¡°Well unfortunately ma¡¯am, the flight has been canceled already. Just recently too.¡±


    Katherine didn¡¯t care about the details, and her jaw dropped when she heard that the trip had been canceled. Why? When? She was both curious and ted, as she pondered on the reason why Damien would cancel his flight?


    Surely there must be a very logical reason for it.


    She wondered if he had changed his mind about London, and hence about Madison. A small smile creeped up her face and she contemted asking his secretary why he canceled, but she stopped herself at thest second.


    She couldn¡¯t trust the loud moutheddy, and also it would look too fishy.


    So instead of asking again, she said before hanging up, ¡°Oh okay. Thanks so much for the info, Nina. Later then and goodnight.¡±


    Damien hadshed at her earlier, but if he really did cancel his flight, then it was more than a good improvement, Katherine thought, still smiling to herself.


    She didn¡¯t care that she must have wasted a fortuneing here, maybe her stress wasn¡¯t worth it and she could finally go back.


    For some insane reason rather she decided to stay a bit, and maybe¡­


    ¡°Hello beautiful.¡± A figure approaching her said, his voice cutting through her thoughts and Katherine looked up bemused.


    She put her phone back into her purse, and faced him squarely, watching as he took the empty barstool next to her.


    He proceeded to order two drinks, as he continued smirking at Katherine who in turn used the time to check him out.


    She first looked down to check his shoes, and a smiled appeared on her lips when she saw that he had on quite an expensive sneaker collection.


    She didn¡¯t even care about his appearance, instead she wanted to know what was loaded in his pocket and he looked like a rich fellow, which was a plus for him in her books.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to take my eyes off you the whole night. You¡¯re quite an¡­ exquisite creature, if I do say so myself. I¡¯ve been staring from afar for a while now.¡± The man said again even though she had barely given him a response, and she watched again as his eyes traveled from her face to the full swell of her breasts peeking out from her dress.


    Katherine smiled. ttery was obviously his strong point, and even though she said she wasn¡¯t here for looks, she let her eyes roam through the stranger¡¯s face and body.


    She couldn¡¯t deny the fact that he was good-looking, and clenching her thighs she could already feel desire burning through her.


    Taking up the drink he had ordered for her, she sensually enveloped the straw between her lips, making sure to run her tongue over it and suck it clean while staring intently at him.


    When she saw him swallow, she knew her small tactic was working and she hummed satisfactorily when she was done.


    ¡°I have a private lounge reserved a few blocks away. If the beautifuldy wishes, my driver could take us.¡± The man said again, still bold and confident. Well she liked his bluntness.


    Katherine smiled. She could see the mutual desire in his eyes as he continued to rove his eyes through her body, in the short dress she was wearing and she was already considering his offer.


    She did need a way to rx after the stress of traveling to London because of that bitch, and also it had been quite a while since she¡¯d grace a man¡¯s bed.


    Damien hadn¡¯tid a finger on her for long, and since he was ying hard to get, she was going to let someone else warm her up.


    It was not her fault, but his since he was failing to  recognize what an asset she was and how many men fell at her feet daily. If only he did, then he definitely  treat her better but oh well, it was his loss.


    Smiling seductively, she picked her purse off the counter and tossed some money at the bartender.


    When she was set, she let the man intertwine his arm in hers leading her out of the bar, all the while without uttering a single word.


    She was going to have the time of her life tonight. Finally something to cool her drunk state, and ease her worries.


    ¡­¡­.


    ~ Madison smiled widely as she stared into the baby¡¯s eyes and kissed the child¡¯s cheek lightly.


    As she continued to stroll down the street, something pulled her back. Shocked, she first secured the baby in her arm before looking back to see if her dress had caught on something.


    Instead she saw a dark haireddy clutching on the hem of her dress and pulling her backwards.


    ¡°Give me the baby. Now!¡± The woman yelled, pointing toward the child and pulling Madison closer to her.


    Madison shuddered in fear, trying to shake thedy off, ¡°Leave me alone. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. This is my baby.¡±


    But the woman didn¡¯t listen. She leaped to Madison, grabbing the baby with one hand and trying to push Madison away with the other but she wasn¡¯t letting go and so she fought back harder but even then she was no match for thedy.


    ¡°NO!¡± She screamed in agony, tears streaming down her face as she held on for dear life.


    The strangedy had already taken possession of the baby¡¯s bottom half and was kicking hard on Madison¡¯s fingers, to let go of the legs.


    As the child¡¯s legs slipped through Madison¡¯s loosening grip, she let out a piercing scream, as darkness took over her. ~


    ***


    Madison jerked from her bed with a small scream.


    She had broken into a sweat and her heart was pounding furiously, and cing a hand on chest, she quickly checked her fingers.


    There was no trace of bruises, and she exhaled slowly in relief.


    Looking round, she recognized her small bedroom and for the first time she was extremely grateful that she was rather here than anywhere else at the moment.


    It was just a dream.


    Just a dream, Madison tried to calm herself, still cing soothing pats on her chest but then it had felt so real. She couldn¡¯t describe the fear she had felt when the baby slipped out of her hands and tear dropped from her eyes which she quickly wiped it away.


    Getting down on her knees, Madison ced both palms together and closed her eyes.


    Still shaking, her lips began to move as she said a short prayer and when she was done, she felt much better.


    Climbing back into the small bed, she shut her eyes, hoping for sleep toe again.

 Chapter Fifty Eight

    Damien took one look in the mirror, and smoothened out thepels of his coat, as he checked to make sure he was ready.


    When he decided he was ready to go, he picked his phone and car keys off the table and exited his bedroom.


    He would have asked his chauffeur to drive him, but he didn¡¯t know how long he would be staying there and Damien wasn¡¯t a fan of making people wait for long doing nothing, so he decided he would drive himself.


    He had finally taken up his mother¡¯s offer on having dinner with her and he was on his way there. After his flight had been canceled, he had nothing important to take care of and so he had called her to ask when she would be free to have dinner.


    She had been so excited that she asked him toe the next day, and he wasn¡¯t even there yet but he already had this feeling of nostalgia for his mother¡¯s cooking.


    He resolved within himself that when all of this was over, he would make out more time to spend with his family.


    It felt like he had been so busy in the past few months that he didn¡¯t get to see them as much but he would rectify that soon.


    He had been driving for quite some time when his phone suddenly started ringing. He didn¡¯t like to take calls while driving but when he saw that it was Alvarez calling, he picked up and his phone was soon connected to the car speakers.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Alvarez¡¯s voice filled the car.


    ¡°Hey, man. What¡¯s up?¡± Damien asked, his eyes still focused on the road as he made a turn.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, thanks. I called to ask about your whereabouts, man. I remember your flight was booked for sometime this week. Are you leaving today, or tomorrow?¡±


    Damien sighed heavily.


    He hadn¡¯t informed Alvarez about the cancelled flight because he hadpletely forgotten, and remembering it now made him a little annoyed, but he kept his cool.


    As sharply as he could, he gave Alvarez the details of the cancelled flight, telling him it was the local airport¡¯s fault, and finally announcing that he would be going in his private jet instead as he couldn¡¯t waste any more time.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Alvarez finally said, ¡°But the private jet would need some servicing first, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and my maintenance team are on it.¡± Damien replied.


    He was nearing his mother¡¯s house now, and as he arrived at the entrance, the automatic gates immediately slid open and Damien drove in and quickly parking his Aston martini next to the other cars.


    When everything was in order, he got out of his car and locked it, his phone still ced to his ear as he conversed with Alvarez.


    As he began to stroll into the house, he smiled widely when he sighted his mother a few steps away, already waiting for him.


    ¡°Mother¡­¡± He greeted, excusing himself from the call and pulling her towards him with his free hands. He held her in a tight, long embrace which she eagerly returned, and together they began to walk inside the house.


    ¡°Brother, I¡¯m at my mother¡¯s now so I¡¯ll have to go now.¡±


    ¡°No problem man. We¡¯ll talk some other time.¡±


    Damien suddenly remembered something, ¡°You¡¯re at the office, right?¡± He asked and Alvarez confirmed that he was, so he continued, ¡°I¡¯ll need you to start today to select and inform your best men on my trip. I¡¯m going to need personal security, so a few guards should do.¡±


    ¡°Yes of course.¡± Alvarez agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll do that right away and then get back to you.¡±


    ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll have to go now. Thanks for calling.¡±


    Alvarez chuckled, ¡°Sure thing. Take care of yourself, alright?¡±


    Damien smiled and then hung up, slipping his phone into his jacket.


    They were already in the living room now and he faced his mother again squarely this time, and smiling he pulled her into a much proper hug this time, amidst herughter. He also ced a light kiss to her cheek as he looked her over, asking how she was.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re here, I¡¯m much better.¡± She smiled, helping him take off his coat and then lowering herself on a couch nearby.


    Damienughed, ¡°Right, of course.¡± His eyes swept the room and then he turned to his mother. ¡°Where¡¯s La?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not home. She had somewhere to go with her friends. She¡¯s going to throw a fit when I tell her you came over.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I guess I¡¯ll see her next time then.¡± He repliedughing.


    After they had talked for a while, his mother asking about work and his health, he waited for her to ask what he knew she wanted to ask him for a while, but she finished talking and he didn¡¯t hear the questions he was waiting for.


    ¡°Oh mother,e on. Enough with the disguise.¡± He finally said, ¡°I know you want to say something. Go ahead.¡± He chuckled, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°Well, if you insist.¡± When they were both doneughing, she continued, ¡°I overheard you talking to Alvarez on the phone, and I heard you mention London. Is this still about Madison?¡±


    Sighing, he rxed into his chair and slowly recounted all that had happened and the things his private investigator had discovered. When he was done, he faced her, ¡°Remember I¡¯m going to London, well all these things I just told you are the main reasons why I need to go to there. There are still a lot of things that don¡¯t make sense to me. There¡¯s more to know, more to discover and I know that after I¡¯m done digging into the past and getting my answers, everything would make more sense. Maybe then I¡¯ll be at ease.¡±


    ¡°You are right son. I just hope you get the answers to everything you are looking for.¡±


    ¡°I pray mother.¡± He said, and his gaze moving from his mother¡¯s face to the floor, a lump formed in his throat as he added, ¡°There¡¯s more¡­¡±


    She frowned, ¡°What is it? Go ahead, son. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Damien took a deep breath, ¡°It¡¯s a somewhat shocking news.¡±


    ¡°Talk to me son.¡± His mother urged again as he paused and taking a deep he finally said, ¡°From the investigations that were carried out, there is proof that Madison¡­ Madison had once been pregnant.¡±


    A gasp escaped his mother¡¯s lips as she ced her hand to her chest, ¡°Oh my goodness! T-that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s quite unexpected. Are you sure?¡±


    Damien nodded painfully, ¡°Yes, and I just need to know so much about that. I need to find out if the baby was mine, or if she really cheated on me and had someone else¡¯s child.¡±


    His mother gripped his hand firmly, rubbing it in circles as she tried tofort him, but Damien just shook his head and removed her hands on his wrist.


    He didn¡¯t have the time to get all emotional again, and smiling a bit he said a bit defiant, ¡°That¡¯s why I have to go. There are so many things I need to know. I also n on interrogating the rest of the Connors and als-¡±


    ¡°No!¡± His mother cut in, shaking her head, ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to say this when you told me you were going there, but I decided to think about it before saying a thing and¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about mother?¡± He questioned, his brows raised and she continued, ¡°No, no. I forbid it. Thest person I want you talking to is Mr Connor. We both know firsthand how dangerous and ruthless he is. I don¡¯t want you anywhere near him. I know you need answers, but can¡¯t you just talk to Madison and get all you need to know. Leave that damned man alone please.¡±


    Her face clouded as the memory of what they had gone through in his hands came flooding back, and Damien could see the tears pooling at the back of her eyes.


    This was something she would never forget and his chest tightened.


    ¡°Mother, listen to me, okay?¡± Damien cooed, patting her hand lightly as he tried to get her to calm down, ¡°The tables have turned, Mom.¡±


    She frowned, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to fear anything. The Mr Connor you know from the past, is no more.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean? Is he dead?¡± She asked and proceeding to exin Damien said, ¡°No he is not. What I mean is that, they are no longer powerful or influential as they used to be. They are practically in ruins.¡±


    His mother¡¯s eyes widened in shock, ¡°W-what? Are you certain? How? I don¡¯t understand son.¡±


    Damien smiled, ¡°Well let¡¯s say there was a drop in his empire, causing Mr Connor to lose everything he ever owned. It was so terrible that he had even to sell off hisnd and the mansion. You won¡¯t believe it mother but tables have turned, and now they are as poor as church mice.¡±


    His mother gaped at him in amazement, ¡°Wow. I never would¡¯ve believed it. It¡¯s funny how things could change in the blink of an eye. How the mighty have fallen.¡± She murmured, shaking her head, ¡°I should imagine that this is karma at its finest.¡±


    Damien couldn¡¯t stop the chuckle that escaped his lips, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t beughing as this isn¡¯t funny, but then I guess so.¡±


    He then went ahead to tell her more about Madison.


    She ced a hand on her forehead when he told her that Madison had been disowned by her family, probably due to the pregnancy, and pity flooded the old woman¡¯s eyes


    ¡°Oh, that poor child.¡± His mother muttered, shaking her head sadly, turning to face him as she continued, ¡°I can¡¯t imagine the hardship she must have gone through. Son, I know there¡¯s a lot of anger and pain in your heart, and you have every right to feel that way. But please¡­ take it easy when ites to Madison. The poor girl has been living in drudgery, and so much poverty. You should know what that¡¯s like right, just go easy on her please.¡±


    Damien swallowed and nodded, gulping down a huge lump that seemed to have formed in his throat.


    His mother squeezed his hand reassuringly and then after a brief moment of silence, she switched the topic.


    She asked him about Alvarez, asking when he would visit and if he had forgotten her. Damien remembered that Alvarez had said the same thing once and then he began tough, informing his mother of the convo. His mother narrowed her eyes at him, and waving off hisughter, they began to talk about other things too.


    As his mother exined the new painting she had gotten at some art exhibition to him, the sound of his stomach growling filled the room and Damien excused himself, smiling sheepishly as his mother tapped his hand.


    ¡°Oh dear, you must be hungry. We have been so busy discussing, that I forgot you haven¡¯t had anything to eat. You came here to have dinner and not all this.¡± She chastened herself, and quickly pulling him to his feet, she pointed down to the hallway, ¡°Why you don¡¯t go shower in one of the spare rooms, and thene back for dinner.¡±


    Damien smiled sheepishly, as he asked, ¡°Shower? I¡¯d only shower if I¡¯m going to spend the night here.¡± Pausing he added again, ¡°Are you asking me to sleep over, mom?¡±


    Sheughed heartily, ¡°Hmmmn¡­ Now that you mentioned it, that¡¯s not a bad idea.¡± She shrugged, ¡°You can sleep over just this once. We could have a movie night too. Just mother and son, I even made popcorn.¡±


    Damien cocked an eyebrow, ¡°Ahh, I see you have already prepared in advance. I know your ways mother.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you would say yes.¡± She smiled, no longer denying the fact that she¡¯d actually nned this, and pushing him to the hallway she then headed to the kitchen.¡±


    Damien pretended to think out loud, ¡°Well, depending on how good dinner is, I¡¯ll think about your movie night offer.¡±


    His mother grinned lightly, ¡°Are you doubting my cooking skills? It¡¯s better than all those junks you have at those expensive restaurants I¡¯ve warned you to stop frequenting.¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡± Damien called out mockingly and she chimed in, ¡°Well my food is always delicious so be rest assured that you¡¯ll enjoy yourself. I made all your favorites.¡±


    Smiling, Damien walked to where she was standing in the kitchen, and towering behind he bent down and kissed her lightly on the cheek before leaving and heading down the hallway.


    He felt so much more at home here than at his mansion, and truth be told, he was actually looking forward to spending the night here with his mother and sister.


    Soon La would be back, and they would have some good family time just like before.


    It felt so nice, bringing him tranquility and peace.


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison huffed in exhaustion as she finally got to the street where her house was located.


    She and a few of her friends from the bakery had discovered an easier, faster shortcut to lead them home, and Madison was grateful for it.


    They had parted a few seconds ago and Madison couldn¡¯t wait to get home. She was extremely tired as work had been hectic today.


    What she needed now was a cold shower and a good night¡¯s rest. She hoped she would be able to rest properly tonight as her bones ached terribly, from working too much. If only she could get some hot water this time, it would help with her aching bones.


    Maybe she would manage to boil some water with her gas cooker.


    Sighing, she exhaled in relief when she remembered she still had some leftover food from yesterday, and it was one trouble down. She couldn¡¯t imagine cooking right now with how tired she felt.


    Finally she got to her front door. As she inserted her key into the lock, her phone pinged in her coat and putting down her big bag, she brought her phone out using her free hand. She tapped on the notification when she saw that it was a text from Alvarez.


    She hadn¡¯t spoken to him for a while, and after the way she had acted thest time they spoke, she didn¡¯t expect him to call or text her. A sudden rush of guilt flowed through her but she tried to shake it off, and sniffing a bit she read through the text slowly.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    It was a message telling her that Damien¡¯s flight to London had been dyed.


    She didn¡¯t have time to ponder on this development because as soon as Damien¡¯s name shed through her screen, the memory of the nightmare she had some days back came flooding back to her and a chill ran down her spine, goosebumps apanying it, the cool bumps forming on her arms.


    She remembered everything, and the dream was so real she shuddered recalling it all.


    She could still remember the look on the strangedy¡¯s face as she dragged the baby from her, the sound of the baby¡¯s cries, and worse of all the despair that filled her heart when the child slipped through her fingers.


    Madison broke into a sweat, her fingers clutching her keys as she shakily tried to unlock her door.


    She didn¡¯t understand why seeing Damien¡¯s name had triggered the memory, and she didn¡¯t like this feeling one bit.


    Quickly she turned around, suddenly feeling unsafe and looking around the small neighborhood she saw that no one was nearby, and everywhere was eerily dusky and empty.


    Hurriedly, Madison unlocked her door and rushed in.


    Making sure the door was secured behind her, she dismissed her fears and dropping her bag she copsed on her bed tiredly.

 Chapter Fifty Nine

    ¡°So¡­ did you like it?¡± Gina asked, smiling widely at Madison as they both packed in freshly baked bread into open cartons and moved them to where it would be taken for further transportation.


    This was the first time they had been ced to work in the same station, and Madison was a tad bit ted. The only time she got to see her friend was during lunch breaks, or after work when they would walk home together, but now it was so much nicer working with her.


    At least she had someone to talk to while simultaneously doing her job, and as usual Gina was lively and fun to be with.


    Madisonughed at her friend¡¯s expression, ¡°Ah, don¡¯t get ahead of yourself now.¡± She teased, ¡°But I won¡¯t lie yes it was simply delicious. I have never had better potato porridge in my life!¡± She eximed, quickly cing a hand over her mouth when she realized her voice was quite loud, and someone could overhear them.


    Gina knowingly smirked with satisfaction, ¡°See? I told you you¡¯d love it. You¡¯re wee. But next time you¡¯ll have to pay before I give you any of my special recipes. I might start to make money off this, who knows?¡± She joked, making Madison burst intoughter, and quickly regaining herposure, she pped Gina¡¯s arm lightly.


    ¡°Okay now I¡¯m starting to think working with you is a bad idea. At this rate I¡¯m going to get fired. I¡¯ve barely done a thing.¡± Madison pouted and in response, Gina chuckled.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°We¡¯ll go down together, then.¡±


    Madison rolled her eyes jokingly, shaking her head and looking down to continue her work. She had filled all the crates avable and then checked the bottom drawer to get some more, but there were none avable.


    Telling Gina where she was going, she wiped her hands on her apron and headed to the entrance of the bakery. The storage room was right beside it, and she would get what she needed there.


    Madison had managed to find more crates and was about to return to her spot, when one of her colleagues called out her name.


    She turned around in surprise to see a young woman she recognized. She recognized her but couldn¡¯t remember her name, and as the woman walked towards her, Madison could see a pile of letters in her hand.


    Sorting through them, she fished out one of the mail and handed it to Madison, a small smile on her face as they exchanged pleasantries and then she said, ¡°This just came in for you, the postman just dropped it off.¡±


    Madison frowned, confused at who would send her a letter in her workce, but saying nothing she shook her head and collected the letter, ¡°Oh¡­um, thank you.¡±


    Thedy waved it off, ¡°It¡¯s no problem at all. I¡¯ll see youter then.¡± She smiled and walked into the bakery.


    Madison stared down at the letter in her hand.


    She put down the crates on the floor and tore the letter open, already feeling curious to know what was written in it.


    She had a very strange feeling about this letter, and more so she wasn¡¯t expecting any mail or package at all. Also she reminded herself again that she had never received a mail at her work ce, so what was this? She wondered.


    A familiar shade of red at the back of the paper made Madison freeze in fear, and she recalled thest time a simr letter hade for her.


    Swallowing, she willed herself to continue, discarding her initial fears and finally tearing the letter open, she stared down at it, as a chill ran down her spine.


    She was shocked at the words therein and written in red ink scrawled on the paper was the statement


    ¨C	¡®BE WARNED, YOUR DOOM IS NEAR. STAY OUT OF MY POSSESSION OR YOU WILL BE KILLED!¡¯


    Madison¡¯s gasped in shock, reading the words all over again as a tant realization dawned on her.


    This was another threat letter.


    She felt bile rise in her throat as her mind began to roam. This was a direct threat, stating clearly that her life was in danger, and once again it brought back the stark truth that she was steadily being watched.


    For the letter to be delivered here, it meant that whoever this person was, he or she knew exactly where she worked and it only spelt one thing for her.


    She knew what this meant for her. It meant that she wasn¡¯t safe at all.


    Not at her workce. Not at home. Nowhere in particr was safe for her.


    Her eyes moved back to the letter in front of her, chills running down her spine as she sniffed the red ink which was clearly blood.


    Madison¡¯s stomach churned in fear as she looked round the premises, checking to see if there was anyone who looked remotely suspicious but everyone she saw was working and her heart pounding furiously, she walked further out of the building, searching round.


    When she sighted thedy who had handed her the letter, she rushed to her wheels turning in her head as she had a barrage of questions to ask.


    The woman looked surprised when she approached and so she eximed, ¡°What ever is the matter? You look like you¡¯ve just seen a ghost.¡±


    Madison swallowed, ¡°T-the postman that delivered this letter, is he still here?¡±


    ¡°Um, he was on his way out of the bakery¡¯s gate when I gave you the letter. Maybe if you go now you could still see¡­¡±


    Madison didn¡¯t let thedy finish, as she was no longer listening. Instead she had breezed out of the bakery¡¯s door exit and toward the gates, intent on seeing the postman before he left.


    Unfortunately she did not see anyone, and a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu overwhelming her, she felt helpless just like thest time this same thing had happened, although she had been at home back then.


    Determined to try harder this time, she ran through the back of the building checking to see if she could find him but everywhere she checked, she couldn¡¯t find anyone.


    He was prolly gone, with his bicycle and¡­ ¡°Fuck!¡± Madison cursed, as she walked back to the entrance, her shoulders hunched as her tears blurred her vision.


    A single tear rolled down her cheeks as she tried to hold herself together, but it was useless at the moment.


    Whoever this person was, Madison couldn¡¯t tell, but she was being used as a game in whatever was being nned. A pawn! And it was evident that whoever was behind this, clearly enjoyed torturing, and threatening her, also making her look like an idiot at the same time and she was so tired of it.


    She was exhausted, fed up, angry, scared¡­ and what else but she just couldn¡¯t even ce her emotions right.


    All she wanted was a peaceful life, but she was getting the opposite.


    She had a job now, a small home she was managing, and some few friends she could talk to, and she was content so what did this person want?


    Why was all of this happening to her? Ever since she¡¯d stepped in that damned New York City, her problems had began and Madison didn¡¯t know what to make of this at all.


    With the rate at which all this was happening, it wouldn¡¯te as a surprise to her that the stalker might as well be in her home too.


    Anything could happen to her and no one would know. She couldn¡¯t even walk freely in her own home, or sleep well anymore.


    Overwhelmed with emotion, tears began to stream down her face, but Madison quickly wiped them off.


    It wouldn¡¯t do her any good to be caught crying like this at work, and if the manager got a wind of this, her job might be in jeopardy.


    They had been warned severely not to bring personal issues to work, and so she had to keep well to herself.


    Sorrowfully, Madison wiped her face, smoothing her hair backwards and tried her possible best to look presentable, before going back into the bakery. There was no use crying now at all because it wouldn¡¯t even solve a thing.


    When she got home today, she would decide what to do, but for now she had to get ahold of herself and get back to work.


    As she headed back inside, the letter slipped from her fingers and to the floor. Afraid that someone would see the contents, she quickly bent to pick it up, and just as she raised her head up, she spotted an eerily ck Jeep parked a short distance from the bakery.


    Instantly she froze in shock. She hadn¡¯t noticed the car the first time, probably because she was so disoriented, and busy searching for the post man but now the vehicle was as clear as day.


    The windows of the car was tinted and as such she couldn¡¯t see who was inside at all, but she had a feeling that whoever was watching her from that car had something to do with the letter she had just received.


    There was something so disconcerting about the car that chilled her to the bone, and her hands shook as she stood, contemting on what to do.


    This made the letter fall from her hands once more, but quickly she snatched it back up.


    Making up her mind, looking left and right and not caring that this could bode out badly for her, she quickly marched towards the Jeep.


    Whoever was in there had something to do with the letters and the stalking, that she was more than certain about and she was more than determined to find out.


    ¡­¡­.


    KATHERINE


    Katherine wanted to watch everything happen right in front of her. After all, since she had been in London for about three days nothing interesting had really happened, and so she wanted to have some fun today.


    That was why she had ordered her driver to park in front of Madison¡¯s workce, while she had ordered her men to send the letter.


    Even though she wanted the message to be delivered at night, she changed her mind and they had no choice but to obey without saying a word.


    Just as expected when she arrived, the bakery was nothing special, and from where her car was parked, she could smell the sweat and humiditying from the rundown factory building.


    Somewhere that she would never step foot in, but once again because of the bitch Katherine was doing things she never would have dreamed of doing.


    From where she was, she could spot the wide open bakery, and she could see the workers in the building. There were so many people clustered together, working and mixing their bodily fluids to whatever they were making and the sight made Katherine sick.


    She was sure that there would be an overflow of diseases from the way they kept rubbing against each other, and it made her shake her head in disgust.


    Overall she wasn¡¯t surprised that Madison would work here, as this was the perfect job for someone of her status. Sweating all day from the heat in the ovens and baking tasteless goods, suited her so well and Katherine couldn¡¯t help but sneer.


    The whole ce was stunningly disgusting, like the whole of this small town was, and it made her nauseous but still she didn¡¯t leave all to immediately, still waiting patiently.


    Her men had called and informed her that the threat letter had already been handed to the postman, who had been heavily rewarded earlier this morning.


    They had ordered him to deliver it at her workce instead of her home this time, as this would really serve as an hefty warning to Madison, and it was a silent message letting her know that she was being watched everywhere she went.


    Hopefully she would get the logic, and meaning.


    Katherine didn¡¯t mind waiting at all, and just when she thought she might give up, her stay finally paid off.


    She had see Madison holding the letter, then tearing it open and reading through it. Thebined look of shock and fear that immediately came over Madison¡¯s face made her burst into a round ofughter, and she giggled so hard that she could barely contain herself.


    It was the exact reaction she had been hoping for, and seeing the bitch look helpless and scared gave her such a thrill.


    That should put her in her ce for a while, Katherine decided, still smirking.


    When Madison rushed into the bakery and then back, Katherine again couldn¡¯t help but giggle.


    She noticed that she was probably searching for the postman, and excited Katherine pped her hands repeatedly in joy,ughing when she saw a tear slide down Madison¡¯s face.


    Everything was going ording to n, just like how she wanted it to, and as she watched Madison sob, she was filled with so much satisfaction and she couldn¡¯t stop  grinning.


    The smile immediately froze on her face though when Madison looked toward the car, her eyes jamming with Katherine¡¯s and mortification coursed through her.


    Holding her breath in shock, her fingers tightening on her purse when she realized she had been caught, Katherine began to think of what to do.


    Should she continue staring and watch what would y out, or leave. For a few seconds she had no idea what to do, feeling lost until finally relief coursed through her when she remembered that the windows of the cars were tinted.


    She exhaled, cing a hand over her chest.


    How had she forgotten that the car windows were tinted. There was no way anyone could see her from outside, but the way her eyes had met Madison¡¯s¡­ it had felt so real and shaking her head, she started getting a little annoyed at herself for panicking so much.


    Flipping her hair to the side, she watched as Madison bent to the floor to pick something up.


    As she stood, she suddenly began to walk toward the car, and from the look in her eyes, Katherine knew that she had caught onto them as suspects.


    Her heart jumped the second Madison¡¯s pace quickened, as she began to race towards the car, and prodding she tapped her driver¡¯s shoulder insistently and half yelled, ¡°Start the car quickly!¡±


    The driver nodded, quickly turning on the ignition and speeding out of the vicinity, without saying a thing or asking why.


    When they had gone a safe distance away from the bakery, Katherine turned to the back to see if they were being followed, and she burst into another round ofughter when she saw Madison running after them and yelling for the car to stop.


    It was not as if the dumb bitch could actually catch up if she kept on running, and shaking her head, Katherine wondered how one person could be so stupid.


    Stillughing, she turned back and rxed into her seatfortably.


    Realizing how smoothly her n had gone, she fist bumped happily in the air, smirking. She had definitely instilled the right amount of fear into Madison this time and it was enough to creep her out for a long while.


    More than enough to keep her looking over her shoulder, and also enough to keep her crying just like she had back then when she had read the letter.


    Oh this was going to be so much fun.


    Katherine had already vowed to make sure that Madison would always feel sorrowful, and since the stupid bitch had put herself in trouble by ying with fire after all, then she would definitely get burnt.


    If she¡¯d had the sense to stay far away from Damien none of this would have happened, and Katherine wouldn¡¯t even be here in the first ce, but well she had brought upon herself.


    She had gotten so much in Damien¡¯s head that he had no time for his own girlfriend anymore, and for this Katherine vowed to make her pay dearly.


    Laughing once more, she turned around sitting well, and taking out her phone she began to scroll through, looking for something else to keep her busy.


    This was just the beginning for Madison fucking Connor, and it could only get worse from here.

 Chapter Sixty

    Damien checked his watch as he walked into the private air strip.


    He still couldn¡¯t believe a week had passed so quickly. It flew by so fast that he barely noticed, and this was because he had spent most of it with his family.


    After dinner with his mother thest time, she and his sister La had begged and convinced him to stay for a few more days, and he had agreed because he had nothing important to do.


    It had been a while since he spent quality time with them, and he didn¡¯t regret his decision to stay back one bit.


    Frankly speaking, thest week seemed to be the most fun days he¡¯d had in months.


    At hisrge apartment, when he came back from work he would just sit around with nothing to do, but with his family, they had kept him on his toes and busy always and he had enjoyed every moment.


    He had felt human again, and even though he returned home few dayster he still missed them, cherishing the time they¡¯d spent. Now he vowed he would always make time to go see and spend some days with them. It did him good, with his mother¡¯s delicious delicacies being a nice bonus.


    Today though, he was finally on his way to London, and since he¡¯d gotten to the air strip on time, he was due to leave in about forty minutes.


    Sighing, he took a seat under one of the canopies outside, overlooking his maintenance team doing the finishing touches his jet needed.


    For some reason which he just couldn¡¯t put a name too, he began to feel very nervous and he began to rub both of his palms together.


    This was no time to start having cold feet damn! He was going to that city for answers and that would be it, nothing more nothing less.


    Trying to shake off the strange feeling in him, he took a sip of water from the bottle of water nearby and finishing the liquid contents in one gulp, he tossed the bottle into the trash when he was done drinking.


    Just as he did, he saw Alvarez walk into the air strip with four other men who Damien assumed were his chosen security men for the trip and as they approached him, they simultaneously greeted him, while he nodded and waved them off.


    As they left elsewhere to take their seats and wait for takeoff, Damien turned to face Alvarez.


    Smiling widely at the sight of Damien, Alvarez moved forward to give him a hug.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± He asked, pulling away to study Damien¡¯s face and nodding Damien in turn replied, ¡°Well, I¡¯m a little bit curious. Don¡¯t know why.¡±


    His statement only made Alvarez smile wider.


    ¡°Curiosity is good, and you also have time to study yourself. Whatever you do though¡­ just be careful. Don¡¯t do anything reckless, okay? I hope you find every answer you¡¯re looking for, and settle all this once and for all, so peace can reign.¡±


    Peace? Damien didn¡¯t think that word was likely, bearing in mind his situation with the Connors.


    He wasn¡¯t out for peace with that bastard family that moulded him into this cold man he was today¡­ No! He did want answers yes, but he was not on some peace making mission.


    Instead he would get his answers, and exert his revenge and only then would he be calm.


    The only person he could make peace with of course was Madison, and at the thought of her Damien¡¯s chest tightened.


    Saying nothing at first, Damien just sighed and ced a hand on his friend¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I hope so to. I promise toe back with all the information I need.¡±


    ¡°That is good man! That¡¯s the spirit.¡± Alvarez chimed patting him back.


    ¡°One thing is for sure though. I won¡¯t leave until I have avenged my father¡¯s death.¡± Damien didn¡¯t want to say this at first, but the pain buried deep in his heart had him uttering the words.


    Even after so many years, the wound was still fresh, and the memory was unforgettable.


    Alvarez patted his back, ¡°I understand how you feel man, and I sincerely wish you well. I do want peace, but then I¡¯m rooting for you all the way, man. Always, you have my full support.¡±


    Damien smiled at him again as they hugged once more. Alvarez asked him about business and his health, asking him to take care of himself when he got to London. Damien onlyughed in response and before they finally parted, Alvarez held Damien back.


    ¡°One more thing before you go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Damien nodded, waiting for him to speak.


    ¡°I know your sole aim of going to London is to avenge your father¡¯s death and talk to the Connors, but I want you to talk to Madison as well. Please try at least. Madison is hiding so many things as you know. There are so many secrets she is keeping, some which concerns you as well. I want you to promise you¡¯ll talk to her as well. Not just her parents.¡±


    Damien didn¡¯t respond. He did n to talk to Madison but somewhere in the back of his mind, he still had a feeling that she would shun him and block him out.


    Well he had decided earlier that if that happened, he would just forget about her even if it would hurt so much, and instead carry out his ns with the Connors.


    After all, that was the most important thing to him; his revenge, regardless he knew that Alvarez was making sense.


    ¡°Damien.¡± He heard Alvarez call out and quickly he faced him, ¡°Talk to her, okay? You need to get to the bottom of this¡­ get to know the full story. I¡¯m not asking you two to get back together. I just want you both to be on good terms, just like before. And this will only happen when things are sorted out.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, Damien nodded, extending his arm to Alvarez in a handshake. They hugged and faced each other.


    ¡°Buena suerte.¡± Alvarez murmured in a small voice, smiling sadly.


    Damien¡¯s head shot up in surprise. He couldn¡¯t remember thest time either of them had said that to each other. It was something they all used to say to each other when they were much younger ¨C Him, Alvarez and Madison.


    A lump formed in his throat as he remembered thest time Madison had said that to him.


    She had intertwined her fingers in his the day he had to leave town for a few days.


    Leaning in, she had whispered in his ears; ¡®Buena suerte, mi amor¡¯ and with a light kiss to his cheek,  she had run back to her gated apartment, turning back and waving at him.


    Damien felt tears prick the back of his eyes at the memory, and for a split second, he felt the tears about to drop but he held himself back. He needed to be strong now, more than ever.


    With onest hug, Damien turned away and started to walk towards his jet, which was ready for takeoff, his eyes still burning.


    Before the ne took off, he first called his mother, informing her that he had boarded safely and that they were about to take off.


    Shutting his eyes in reverence, she said a short prayer for his safety during the trip and in London, and also for his safe return.


    ¡°Take care of yourself, honey.¡± She said as soon as she was done, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to eat healthy, and don¡¯t forget to call when you feel like talking, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, mother. I will, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Good boy.¡± She said, making Damienugh. ¡°And what about the business? I hope it won¡¯t be affected by your trip.¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Damien responded. ¡°I already ced one of the managers in charge. I trust him and he¡¯s very efficient. I will be checking in as well from time to time, with conference calls or meetings. Alvarez will help me oversee some things too.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s excellent.¡± His mother said, humming in approval and sayingstly, ¡°Okay then, take care of yourself, alright? And good-luck.¡±


    Ending the call and turning off his phone, he dropped the cell into thepartment beside him, and then proceeded to look outside the window.


    He looked up when an air hostess approached him.


    ¡°Good morning, sir. Is there anything you would like before we take off?¡± She asked, bowing a little, but he just shook his head and waved her off.


    He leaned back into the chair, trying to find the perfect position.


    Since the seat wasfortable, it didn¡¯t take him long to stretch well, and since he felt a bit tired, he decided to take a much needed rest.


    All throughst night, he had been on call with the manager handing over things rting to his business dealings and so he didn¡¯t get much sleep.


    As the jet began to ascend into the air, Damien shut his eyes, a yawn slowly escaping his lips as he drifted off to sleep.


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison pondered on what to do about the letter she had received the whole night, and when morning came she had made up her mind.


    She was too nervous to have breakfast, so as soon as she had gotten ready, she headed to the police station nearest to her house.


    The letter was safely tucked into her purse as evidence to all what she would tell them, and she also hoped that they would be able to track the car she had seen at the bakery as well.


    She couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that whoever was in that car was behind all of this, and as she had done her researchst night, she realized that the CCTV cameras located on that street would be able to show her exactly what had happened.


    And hopefully, who was in the car.


    On getting to the station, luckily for her she met the policeman in charge first, and quickly she exined everything that had been happening to her and the type of investigation she would like them to carry out.


    She also exined that she had received a threat letter before this, and to corroborate her story, she procured both letters from her purse and handed them to the police man.


    She watched as he eyed the threat letterszily, and when he was done scrutinizing them, he pushed them aside and faced her.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard your story.¡± He started gruffly and clearing his throat he continued, ¡°You¡¯d have to deposit three hundred pounds though, to enable us to begin the investigation.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± Madison eximed, her eyes widening in shock, as she staggered a bit, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Madam, you heard me right.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand. Aren¡¯t the police supposed to help citizens for free? Are you not paid by the government to help with issues such as mine? I don¡¯t understand-¡±


    Before Madison couldplete her sentence, the policeman had burst into boisterousughter, baring his yellow colored teeth at her, as he began with a sneer, ¡°If you don¡¯t have any money, just say so. No need to ask stupid questions.¡±


    Madison¡¯s face reddened in surprise.


    She immediately started to feel ufortable when the policeman licked his teeth, leering at her and staring at her chest.


    She felt a rush of disgust climb her skin as he continued to stare intently at her, and before she knew what was happening, he had reached towards her and pped the side of her ass, with his burly hand squeezing at her thighs, much to the amusement and chagrin of the other policemen in the building.


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t have any money to spare and you¡¯re quite pretty, how about you bend that thick ass over and let me fuck you in my office for a change. I might investigate you first, before doing any other one. What do you think?¡± He asked with a smirk, licking his bottom lip as he stared at her appreciatively and Madison felt a budding nausea on her throat.


    Madison had never felt so much anger in her life also, and gripping his hand which was still on her waist, she pulled it off and flung it away.


    Her chest heaved in anger as she stared at him in disgust. ¡°How dare you?¡± She yelled, spitting at his feet as she cursed him.


    ¡°You are a disgrace to this job. All of you! And you know what? You can all go to hell!¡± She didn¡¯t wait for them to say another thing, and even though it hurt she just grabbed the things she hade with, and swinging around she began to walk out of the station.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    As she neared the door, she heard the policemenugh, while the vile one said to her, ¡°It¡¯s your loss, bitch. And for the record, we¡¯re not the ones receiving threat letters. I would dly watch and see who dies first in this town. I¡¯d watch my back if I were you, sweetheart. Anyways my offer is still open for whenever you have a change of heart.¡±


    Madison froze in her tracks at his words, pain and anger tearing through her chest.


    For a brief second she feared that she would fall down and disgrace herself in front of the leech looking men, but she took a hold of herself, and with her head held high, she stormed out of the station, theughter of the men resounding behind her.


    She felt the lump in her throat dissolve and she walked a short distance from the station.


    A sob escaped her throat and Madison could feel her chest burn. Tears had already begun to pool in her eyes, and for the first time in her life, she hated how this sexual harassment hurt her.


    In a police station, in a room full of men. She couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore as she broke down sobbing.


    In a normal situation, she would have reported this same event at another police station, but what was she to do when she had been harassed by the same people who were supposed to protect her?


    What would she say to his co workers, and besides there was no other police station in this town again, except she took the train to the next city and she just couldn¡¯t afford that now.


    Madison sobbed so hard that her chest began to feel heavy, and walking slowly, her ears perked up a bit when she heard her phone suddenly began to vibrate in her purse.


    Picking it, she saw that it was Alvarez, and she wiped her face and cleared her throat before she picked up.


    Thest thing she wanted was to make him worry, and she didn¡¯t even want to recount that embarrassing experience at all. Not to anyone, and most especially not to him.


    ¡°Hello, Alvarez? What a surprise.¡± She managed to say, still dabbing at her eyes to stop the tears.


    ¡°Madison. How are you doing? I sent you a message the other day. You never responded.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­um, I forgot. I¡¯m really sorry about that.¡± She quickly lied.


    She didn¡¯t want to tell him about the second threat letter or the strange car she had seen that same day, or about what had just happened with the police men. Her days of burdening him were over and she had no wish to continue.


    ¡°Maddie? Are you okay?¡± Alvarez asked, worry thick in his voice, as he added, ¡°You don¡¯t sound fine. Are you sure you¡¯re okay.¡±


    Madison took a few moments to regain herposure, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay. How are you? And your wife and kid?¡±


    ¡°Maddie, don¡¯t try to change the subject. I know something is wrong. I can hear it in your voice.¡±


    Another tear slid down Madison¡¯s cheek, and sniffing a little, she wiped her nose and face and pleaded, ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to talk about it right now, please. Maybeter?¡±


    Alvarez wasn¡¯t satisfied, but grudgingly he epted but not before promising to bring it up again, and she agreed to say something to him then but not now.


    They talked about work for a while and then she informed him that she had some work to do, after which they baded each other goodbye, and Madison hanging up proceeded to hail a taxi.


    When she found one, she quickly climbed in, giving the driver directions to her house and sitting stiffly in the back seat.


    As the taxi began to move, Madison let her tears fall, as she began to sob quietly.

 Chapter Sixty One

    Madison had never walked to work as fast as she did that morning.


    After a long week, it was finally thest day of the month, and also payday for her.


    She was so excited for all the things she would finally be able to get, and internally she had promised to treat herself to something reallyvish when she finally got paid.


    Maybe a baked strawberry iced cake would do some good to her sweet greedy tooth, or some chocte chip cookies. She didn¡¯t remember thest time she¡¯d had those treats, and she certainly deserved it as she had been working so hard.


    She smiled as she cornered into the street that would lead to her workce.


    The fact that she felt excited seemed strange to her suddenly, as Madison noted to herself that she couldn¡¯t describe exactly how she felt right now.


    She¡¯d had such a shitty month, so it was nice to have something to look forward to, but even then whenever she recalled the threats lingering at her neck, her excitement died down instant.


    Discarding those thoughts sneaking into her head, Madison decided to run the rest of the way to the bakery so she wouldn¡¯t bete.


    Sooner than she expected, she arrived at the bakery and rushing inside she quickly put on her apron, tying the belts speedily.


    Today would be the worst day to bete for work, and she wouldn¡¯t let anything put that long awaited pay in jeopardy, because even the slightest dy or mistake could cost her and she just couldn¡¯t afford it.


    The whole of the day, Madison concentrated on work.


    She was more careful and efficient than she usually was, and sometimes she got too excited again that even at lunch she didn¡¯t eat much of the snack she¡¯d gotten.


    Her stomach kept grunting hungrily in disapproval, wanting more but she didn¡¯t care at all.


    Finally, the day ran by speedily and work came to an end.


    Slipping off her apron, she began to prepare to leave, not wanting it to seem obvious that she was waiting for the pay, but deep inside she really was waiting for her superior or manager to call her over and hand her the freaking money.


    After some minutes she began to lose hope of getting the pay today as there was no signal, but then as the employees began to pick up their bags and purses, a rather odd bell rang signaling them to stop.


    The manager of therge bakery walked in, and the first thing Madison noted in his hands were envelopes, and her heart soared to the ceilings. She stood, her fingers nervously clutching at her purse as she waited for him to get to her turn.


    Realizing that the names of the employees were written at the back, she stood patiently knowing that eventually she would get her own enveloped wage.


    She sighted her friend Gina standing all the way across the hall, and when  their eyes met, she waved excitedly at her.


    Madison only smiled and faced the manager once more, not wanting to loose any sight of him. She was more than d that they were paid in cash and not cheques or withdrawal slips, as it would be easier for her that way, and she wouldn¡¯t even have to stress herself at all.


    ¡°Connor.¡±


    For a moment Madison did not realize that she had been called, but when her surname was repeated again, she quickly rushed up to the manager to collect hers.


    Her hands trembling, the feel of the envelope felt so unreal that it nearly brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked it away. This was the time to be happy and not sad, so she had to chill.


    As soon as pay time was over, and the manager said a small speech, effectively dismissing the workers, Madison rushed outside to meet her friend. They had agreed to meet outside when work closed for the day, and squealing with excitement, they both tore their envelopes open and began to count the money.


    When they were done they both faced each other, startled.


    ¡°Oh my goodness! He gave me extra. Is this for overtime or a mistake?¡± Madison asked, breathing out the words in surprise.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s for but I also got an extra too.¡± Gina giggled, and Madison overjoyed joined in theughter too.


    Madison couldn¡¯t believe she had been given an extra, and this was her fucking first pay. She vowed to keep working as hard as she did, if it meant more extras as this was a good sign.


    As Madison began to walk down the street to her house, Gina grabbed her arm, pulling her back. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Sheughed adding, ¡°We have to celebrate! You can¡¯t just head on home right now babe.¡±


    ¡°Celebrate? Right now?¡± Madison asked confused, as she was unsure of that n, ¡°Let¡¯s leave it for another day, okay?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no.¡± Gina shook her head, ¡°That won¡¯t do. Come on, let¡¯s go. There¡¯s a three-star restaurant down that other street. Let¡¯s have some good food for once, and not these carbs and canned food we eat every time. Bedsides if I recall correctly, you didn¡¯t have anything to eat at lunch today. You barely munched on your pie.¡±


    Madisonughed, considering it, ¡°If I also recall you helped me finish the pie.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I did, which further emphasizes my notion that you barely ate. Let¡¯s just go out and splurge on some cheat meals okay. The restaurant might not be all that five star, but it¡¯s a nice upgrade.¡±


    She didn¡¯t remember thest time she had been in a restaurant, and remembering the exact restaurant Gina was talking about, Madison confirmed that it did seem a tad bit extravagant.


    Why couldn¡¯t they just wait, and then go to a restaurant they could affordter this weekend. Not like they couldn¡¯t afford it now, but then she would have ran over her expenses and costs for the month and whatever was left would be used to go to wherever Gina suggested they go to.


    When she told this to her friend, Gina in turn shot her a death re and then her arm, ¡°I won¡¯t take your petty excuses because this time. Come on, let¡¯s go. It¡¯ll be fun, and we can use the extra tip we were given to fund this meal. Besides we don¡¯t even have to order too much.¡±


    Before Madison had the chance toin again, Gina has already pulled her behind her, and they began heading to the restaurant which was close by.


    It was full of people when they arrived, but there were lots of empty seats avable too, and Gina still dragging her, took the both of them to one of the empty tables and picked up the menu.


    When a waiter came to attend to them, Gina went on to list out the things they would like to have, and even though Madison felt quite ufortable and out of ce initially,ter on she slowly began to rx.


    Gina squealed in delight when the waiter brought in their mouthwatering orders, earning a weird look from the waiter, and Madison just couldn¡¯t stop her ownughter at the waiter¡¯s expression.


    The food smelled so good that they immediately dug in, after the waiter left.


    ¡°Anything else I can get you?¡± The waiter asked, when he came back to serve them some wine and holding her fork, Gina again came to the rescue with her response albeit sarcastically.


    Staring thoughtfully at the waiter, ¡°How about a tall ss of you?¡± She asked, sending a smirk his way.


    Madison was so caught off guard that she literally howled withughter, and Gina joining her immediately.


    The waiter reddened in surprise, obviously embarrassed but saying nothing he quickly took his leave while Madison continued tough.


    Gina liked to y weird jokes like this and it was always funny to watch, so it didn¡¯t feel out of ce for her otherworldly lousy friend.


    Madison could also feel the stares of everyone in the restaurant directed at them, but she was so caught up in the moment that she didn¡¯t care and turning back to face her friend, she urged her on as they both dug into their food together.


    Chicken had never tasted so good to Madison as it did in that moment, and as they ate, talked andugh she reveled in the sweet moment, having no care at all in the whole wide world.


    As Gina made a toast to life and friendship raising her wine ss up, Madison felt something warm and fuzzy melt in her chest.


    Just like she always noted, this was the nicest she¡¯d felt in a very long time.


    Here she was in a fancy restaurant, eating food she never thought she would eat again, and having fun with someone so close to her.


    Someone she loved! And the best part was that she didn¡¯t have to worry about anything at all.


    She didn¡¯t have to worry about the bills, because she had some money stacked to clear it all, and as for hanging threats, she was in a ce filled with so many people so she had no reason to be scared at all.


    Truly she couldn¡¯t remember thest time she had been this free¡­ this happy. Maybe when she had gotten the job at the bakery or when Alvarez told her some good news about himself.


    As she thought about everything, her only wish was for this moment tost.


    Sheughed out loud in disbelief, still unable to believe everything that was happening. Herughter slowly turned into sobs, and carefully  Madison ced her spoon down on the table and ced a hand on her chest. Tears spilled from her eyes down to her cheeks, but she had never been happier.


    ¡°Madison?¡± She heard Gina call out.


    Madison looked up to see that her friend had stopped eating and worry was now visible on her face.


    ¡°Are you okay, Madison?¡± Gina asked again, her handing up to rub Madison¡¯s back and she nodded shakily, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.


    She didn¡¯t need Gina to worry about something that wasn¡¯t even so important, and she replied instantly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s probably just my hormones messing with me. Believe me, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Gina extracted a small white handkerchief from her purse, leaning forward and helping her wipe her tears away, as she queried again, ¡°Are you really okay, Maddie? I¡¯m worried about you. You know you can talk to me right?¡±C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Madison smiled nodding, ¡°I know I can talk to you, but I¡¯m fine honestly. I promise you that.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, if you say so.¡± She muttered, reaching out to squeeze Madison¡¯s hand reassuringly, ¡°Now,e on. This food won¡¯t finish itself now or would it?¡± She prodded, gesturing to their tes andughing, Madison picked up her spoon and the two women continued having their dinner.


    ¡­¡­..


    Although his flight had been quitefortable, Damien felt fatigued for some reason and his bones hurt as well.


    He wondered if it was the effect of staying awake the other night, but still then he wasn¡¯t sure.


    He had taken a nap all through the flight, so he wasn¡¯t all that sleep deprived at all.


    He had already nned to exercise and visit the spa as soon as he settled in, and he won¡¯t dare forget that. His aching bones acted as a sore reminder too.


    He had arrived in London about an hour ago, and he had ordered his driver to take him to one of the hotels he owned in the city.


    Surprising how he owned lots of five-star hotels, restaurants and outlets in London but he had never visited them because he did not want to go anywhere near London due to his haunting past.


    He had always sent someone to oversee and manage the hotels, and report back on how they were faring, and so this would be the first time he would step foot in his own hotel.


    He had already informed the manager of his arrival and they were awaiting him.


    As soon as he arrived, he had been treated well as expected, and with his luggage taken up to his room, one of the hosts offered to give him a tour which he assented to quite instantly.


    As he walked round the hotel, Damien nodded in approval. The hotel was packed, and bubbly and it showed that business was going very well.


    They were doing a very good job so far, and he could see that he had not made a mistake in choosing his manager. His hotel was in very good hands, and he felt a tad bit proud.


    Satisfied with his tour, he handed thedy host some bills as a tip, and when she saw the huge amount he had offered, she gasped out loud, thanking him profusely but he just waved her off.


    Procuring the key card to his suite out of his pocket, he walked in finally to the room. It was big andfortable enough, and Damien had noints whatsoever.


    He quickly took off his jacket and slipped his shoes off, before lowering himself onto the bed, heaving in relief.


    Comfortable already, he brought his phone out of his pocket and turned it on. It had been off throughout the trip and he had forgotten to turn it back on when he arrived.


    There were messages from his mother and Alvarez, and he first replied his mother, letting her know that he had arrived in London about an hour ago and that he was safe.


    When he had sent the message, he continued to scroll down and immediately frowned when he saw that he also had messages from Katherine.


    For some reason, it dampened his mood and not wanting his mood to worsen further, he didn¡¯t open the text, ignoring it as he read through Alvarez¡¯s. When he was done, he immediately replied, also letting his best friend know he had arrived safely.


    Sighing, he went back to Katherine¡¯s messages and scrolling through his fingers kept hovering over it, hesitating to check everything. She had sent different messages to his different social media ounts, and then to two of his numbers.


    For a moment he was tempted to read them all, but he suspected they would only put him in a bad mood and so he only tapped on one of the messages.


    She had sent a full paragraph as usual and his eyes roaming through the content, he could see that she wasshing out at him, calling him ungrateful and selfish at the same time. The next message was full of usations and questions as she asked why he had been ignoring her calls and texts, and Damien hissed in disgust, shaking his head.


    This was how it always was with her. Everything was always about her, every single time. Why didn¡¯t he call her? Why didn¡¯t he text her? Why did he treat her badly¡­? Amongst other things. it was just always about her.


    He was suddenly filled with anger as he wondered if she ever thought about him.


    All the months they had been together she had never asked him how he was doing, how he was feeling whenever they had a fight or a disagreement, or even bothered to apologize first when she did wrong. It was always about her and her feelings, and as he began to realize all this, Damien felt nothing but despise and anger tear at him.


    How had it taken him so long to realize that Katherine was nothing but a self entitled bitch? She only cared about her wellbeing and herself, but why the hell was this puzzling piecesing out now?


    All she ever wanted from him, was to eat his money, have sex and be the exact trophy girlfriend that she was. She was always willing to go to fancy dinners and events with expensive clothes he got for her, show off on the media, go shopping, and exhaust him sexually but apart from that nothing else.


    She never asked what he wanted. He wondered why he had not seen all this before, as it was obvious in everything she ever did. She was the most self-centered person he had ever met, and it irritated him to the core.


    In anger, he carefully began to delete all her messages one at a time, even the once he hadn¡¯t read at all. Once he had discarded them all, he tossed his phone to the bed and sighed heavily.


    Grunting, he slowly began to pull off his clothes, wanting to take a shower.


    Maybe if he was done, and got something to eat then hopefully he would feel better.

 Chapter Sixty Two

    KATHERINE


    Katherine was feeling pretty confident after the bakery incident with Madison.


    She was d with how everything seemed to have gone, and even though she was already nning her next move, for now she decided toy low and not do anything else so soon.


    All she had to do for now actually was observe.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    It was necessary for the threats to sink in. So she just stayed in her hotel, checking his things would y out.


    Today though, she was busy scrolling through her phone, when she remembered that she needed more information on Damien¡¯s whereabouts ¨C She had to know if he was still in New York and what ns he had, or if he was not. Better still the only person she could call, and who could answer this questions was his secretary. She also decided to ask why he had canceled his flight, and she was going to ask a whole lot.


    Katherine was past caring if the secretary would suspect anything, as she just needed to have the necessary information now.


    Picking up her phone, she dialed the secretary¡¯s number and luckily, she picked up quickly this time.


    After Katherine had faked her cheery pleasantries, she slowly began to seep out information about Damien. She questioned the youngdy about the flight and subtly asked about the canceled one. She listened carefully when the secretary began to reply, not wanting to miss anything she was saying.


    ¡°So he¡¯s still in New York, then? Is that what you are saying?¡± Katherine asked when the secretary repeated the story about the canceled flight. She was feeling hopeful as a smile began to form on her face again.


    ¡°No, no. He is not here actually. He already left for London. There was a problem with the airport so he had to arrange his private jet, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t say this earlier. He waited for a week, so the jet could be serviced.¡±


    Katherine felt her blood run cold, and she asked slowly trying her possible best not to yell, ¡°His private jet?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°You mean he used his private jet toe see that¡­Fuck!¡± She cursed muttering some apologies as she continued, ¡°Sorry about what I was saying earlier. A-and what about thepany?¡±


    She was trying toprehend what she¡¯d just heard, and she couldn¡¯t believe that Damien had left his business and most important affairs just toe to London.


    He had freakinge to this city. He was here, literally and figuratively! Oh shit!


    The secretaryughed a little, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry so much, ma¡¯am. He handed it over to one of the managers, and he¡¯s very capable of taking everything till Mr Daniels gets back to New York. He will be back soon Ma¡¯am and you will be reunited with him. If that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡±


    If she heard what thedy had said, Katherine made no mention. All she was worried about, were a whole lot more.


    Fuck it! So Damien was in London? When? Most especially where was he?


    She was beyond stunned. How was Damien in London and she didn¡¯t know about it? Her chest had already begun to heave in anger, as the secretary¡¯s words continued to rey in her head.


    After the secretary had told her the other day that Damien had canceled his flight, she had really been hoping that he had changed his mind abouting here, so she could carry out her n into making Madison a forgotten specie, amongst other things but now he was here.


    She had been making her own ns, and he had other ones the whole time.


    He had even used his private jet?! What the actual fuck? Katherine simply couldn¡¯t believe it. Damien only used his private jet on special asions, and he actually didn¡¯t like using it unless it was an emergency.


    Did he consider visiting Madison an emergency? Katherine wondered yet again, rage filling up in her chest instantly as she tried to calm her heaving breaths. Trying not to yell in frustration, she quickly thanked the secretary for her time, and before thedy could say something in response she hung up.


    Katherine tossed her phone to the bed in anger, and getting up, she began to pace around the room, her head swimming with thoughts.


    Damien had just proved that this bitch was important to him. If she was not, then what other reason would make him fly all the way to London?


    The issue of him not even informing her of anything was another issue in its own. Sure, they still had their fights and stuffs but then wasn¡¯t she his girlfriend? She had the right to know of his whereaboutse what may. He didn¡¯t even bother to tell her he was no longer in New York.


    She was more than infuriated, and the fact that she had to get all this information from his secretary and not him, made her more angry. Couples told each other things like this, but of course, not Damien. All he was doing was ignoring her calls and messages, and behaving like a stupid teen!


    Gritting her teeth, Katherine turned back to her bed and picked up her phone which she¡¯d tossed away some time again.


    ¡°Fuck this!¡± She yelled, flipping her hair away from her face as she turned the cell back on, and fuming she scrolled through her contacts and spotting his number she quickly dialed it.


    As it began to ring, Katherine vowed within herself that if Damien didn¡¯t pick her call this time, she would be raising hell and of course he wouldn¡¯t expect what would happen next.


    She swore she would get information on his location in London. Whatever hotel he was staying in, she would drive down there and confront him, in front of everyone there.


    She wouldn¡¯t give a fuck if he was disgraced or embarrassed, and she would tell him her mind, after all it was all be fault. Maybe after that he would start picking up when she called, and replying her texts too.


    She was so busy cursing that she didn¡¯t realize he had picked up, and immediately she saw it, her anger tripled.


    ¡°How dare you?¡± She yelled, her voice loud andced with anger as she continued, ¡°What do you even take me for? I¡¯ve been calling you non-stop for the past few days and not once did you bother to pick up or at least leave a message. I don¡¯t even know what the fuck hase over you. How dare you think you can treat me like that, and because I want to speak to you? No one treats me like that, do you understand? No one!¡±


    She scoffed, shaking her head when he said nothing. ¡°Do you even care about my feelings? Because you act like you don¡¯t give two fucks about it. You just keep hurting and hurting me, and you never bother to give any exnation! Who are you? I don¡¯t recognize this¡­ this person you¡¯re bing. Ans I know it¡¯s all because of that bitch, I¡¯m sure of it. You never used to treat me like that, but ever since that maiden slut came into the picture you¡¯ve be apletely different person. All because of that low-life!¡±


    She paused to catch her breath, getting more and more infuriated by the silence on the other end, even though he was listening to her words.


    ¡°Oh¡­ now you have nothing to say? You are not going to keep silent now, Damien. Answer me! I said answer me! Or is it that you can¡¯t exin yourself now?¡± She asked inhaling sharply, ¡°You know what you are, Damien? A fucking coward! You hear me? A fucking coward!¡±


    After she was done yelling, there was still not a word from him, and she felt like crashing the phone on the floor just so she¡¯d hear some thing.


    Pulling the phone away from her ear, she looked at the screen to make sure the call was still connected, and it still was.


    Slowly bringing the phone to her ear, she asked quietly, trying her best to calm down a bit, ¡°Damien¡­w-why are you so silent?¡±


    The fact that he hadn¡¯t said anything whatsoever shook her to the core, and she had a very bad feeling that she wouldn¡¯t like his response whenever he eventually spoke and just like she¡¯d predicted, she got the shock of her life when he spoke finally.


    After a few seconds she heard him clear his throat, and then he said, ¡°Katherine, I think we need to take a break. Be away from each other for some time.¡±


    Katherine felt like he had just pped her, and she let out a sharp audible gasp at his words.


    Her hands had already begun to shake, and the phone was shaking in her hold, ¡°A break?¡± She all but yelled, her voice more high pitched than normal, ¡°If I heard you right, you want us to take a break? Oh you must be joking!¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°¡­to take a break?  Oh you must be joking,¡± He heard Katherine say after a few seconds, of him dropping his well thought news..


    Damienughed bitterly, ¡°No, it¡¯s not a joke. I meant everything I just said, take it or leave it.¡±


    When he had picked the phone some minutes earlier, he had anticipated the screaming and yelling from her so it didn¡¯te as much of a surprise to him.


    She kept on going non-stop, touching on the topics he knew she would, and she wouldn¡¯t stop mentioning that he had hurt her. That he didn¡¯t care about her feelings, amongst other things, and he just kept silent.


    He was past being surprised about her behavior. Everything just had to be about her. It was always him that hurt her.


    She obviously pictured herself as someone who wasn¡¯t capable of hurting someone else, with her words and actions. She frankly believed she was some kind of saint, and never capable of saying sorry when she was wrong.


    He could count the times she¡¯d hurt him with her words, more with her actions but never once had she owned up to it, and now as she spoke, the only thing Damien felt was disgust.


    Now again she was proving his point. She was a selfish, self entitled, and arrogantdy. Her favorite thing to do was point fingers and y the victim, and Damien had gotten enough of that. He was more than tired of her behavior.


    He was tired of being around her, hearing her voice, as she always created scenarios about him and Madison in her head and she was so bitchy about every damn thing.


    Damien was actually d that she had called now. This disy of hers had only strengthened the decision he had made some while ago, as a break from her was all he needed.


    He had to clear his head, and she probably had to clear hers as well so it was for the best.


    ¡°What the fuck are you talking about? You are not serious right? You need space from me? What the hell?¡±


    Damien shut his eyes tightly. He knew she would react this way, but he was simply too tired to start going over it again.


    She wouldn¡¯t understand maybe and honestly he just didn¡¯t care anymore, but well he decided to try.


    ¡°Look, Katherine¡­ a lot of things have been happening. Hell, a lot is happening in my life right now. I¡¯m going through so much right now and my head is pretty full. I just¡­ I need a break from everything. I have a lot of things to take care of right now and going back and forth with you is something I don¡¯t really want at¡­¡±


    ¡°How dare you?¡± She yelled before he could finish, ¡°There you go again, neglecting me. You¡¯re always neglecting me! Do you even care about me? You¡¯re trying to break up with me now instead of apologizing and trying to make it up to me.¡±


    Damien sighed, ¡°It¡¯s always about you isn¡¯t it, Katherine? That¡¯s all you got from everything I just said?¡± He chuckled, ¡°But of course, nothing matters to you but yourself. Frankly, I¡¯d be surprised if you showed any interest in my wellbeing.¡± He said bitterly.


    All these kept adding to the reasons why he needed to be away from her.


    ¡°You can¡¯t break up with me, do you understand that?¡± Katherine hissed, her voice low, ¡°I don¡¯t care if the break is final or temporary, but there¡¯s no freaking break. Moreover if my father gets wind of this, which he will because I¡¯ll waste no time in telling him, you know what that means for you and your business right? So don¡¯t you dare think of breaking up with me. If you even think about it, your business and basically your wholepany will be in ruins. He is a valuable asset to yourpany so you wouldn¡¯t even dare!¡± She threatened, her breathing ragged.


    Damien onlyughed again, ¡°Do as you wish, Katherine. I truly do not care. So if telling your father is going to make you feel better, then by all means go ahead. It¡¯s your life after all, and your decisions. You don¡¯t need my permission at all.


    Now, I need to rest, I¡¯m tired.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t even surprised that she threatened him. He hadn¡¯t put it past her.


    In desperation, Katherine would do about anything and even when it was petty and stupid, he had outrightly expected it. He was done, and nothing would make him change his mind.


    ¡°I know!¡± He heard Katherine say all of a sudden and for a moment he was confused, not knowing what she was talking about but then she continued, ¡°I know you¡¯re in London, and I know you¡¯re there to see that whore! It¡¯s all because of her right? And you didn¡¯t even bother to tell me you traveled out of New York.¡± She spat.


    Damien froze at first, but then he recovered from his reverie and shook his head. Usually he would wonder how she got that information, but with Katherine it came to him as no surprise. After she had intercepted his letters, nothing she did surprised him anymore.


    ¡°I know the real reason why you¡¯re in London.¡± She continued yelling now, ¡°What did you think? That you were the only one who knows how to investigate? Well you are wrong! I¡¯ve been carrying out my own investigation as well. And I¡¯ve found out a lot of things. So don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Huh? What the hell are you talking about?¡± Damien cut her off.


    What did she mean by investigation, and just went was she up to? ¡°Katherine¡­what are you talking about?¡± He asked again, but she didn¡¯t answer his question directly.


    Instead she continued to yell, ¡°Fuck you! You hear me? How dare you neglect me and then threaten to break up with me? Do you know who I am¡­¡± She cursed on and on, screaming so loudly that it began to anger him.


    Clenching his fists, and forcing his lips shut, Damien decided that he wasn¡¯t going to argue anymore with her. Thest thing he wanted to do was start a screaming contest between both of them and inhaling deeply, he spoke up, ¡°This break will do us both a lot of good. That I know.¡±


    After he said that, without waiting for her response, he hung up and tossed his phone across the bed.


    He got on the bed, trying to get into afortable position and when he was okay, he switched off his bedsidemp andy awake in the darkness, as all the events of the day began reying in his head.


    After a few minutes, Damien let out an exhausted sigh and pulling the duvet higher to his chest, he yawned slightly.


    Shutting his eyes he drifted off to sleep, not sparing any thoughts about Katherine whatsoever. She didn¡¯t deserve it at all.

 Chapter Sixty Three

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Madison gasped in surprise when she opened the door to see Gina standing in front of her door.


    She didn¡¯t have work today as it was the weekend so she wasn¡¯t expecting anyone, and she had been surprised when she heard someone knocking at her door.


    She had also been a little scared, but then it was broad daylight and the weekend too. All her neighbors were hanging around the front yard, and so so she confidently opened up.


    Gina had a huge smile stered over her face as she faced Madison, ¡°What do you think? It¡¯s morning, and I can visit my friends or can¡¯t I? Have you also forgotten what we nned to do today?¡±


    Madisonughed, shaking her head as she remembered that they had made ns to go out today, but she hadn¡¯t expected Gina this early at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s nine in the morning miss. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little bit early?¡± Sheined, rubbing her forehead and opening the door wider for her friend toe in but Gina just shrugged, ¡°The earlier we leave, the better. Do you have anything to do today? Laundry, housework, cooking, I could help you out.¡±


    Madison shook her head. She had done all of that already. She liked to finish all her chores early during weekends, so she would have just enough time for herself. Maybe read a book, or bake some cookies for herself, and just about anything that counted as self-care, in fact.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go.¡± Gina prodded, ¡°I¡¯ll help you pick out what to wear.¡± She added, moving to the wardrobe and picking out a pair of jeans.


    As she began to select a top, Madison went into the bathroom to get ready. By the time she had showered andbed her hair, Gina hadid out her outfit on the bed.


    Laughing, Madison quickly creamed her body, and putting on her clothes, she took out some money from her pay which she would use for shopping and slipped it into her purse.


    When she was ready, she first went into the kitchen to serve her friend some of the chocte chip cookies she had baked, and as they ate the snack with a ss of milk, they conversed at the same time.


    As soon as they were done, they headed out into town.


    Again this cloth shopping was courtesy of Gina, and when her friend had suggested they go shopping she had wholeheartedly agreed. All her clothes were now very old and worn out. Some new ones would be nice, and they would surely boost her confidence. They also wanted to get nice dresses for the outing they had nned, and what better time than now.


    Weaving into stores, one after the other, they kept on searching for nice dresses to their taste. They had made some progress when Gina suddenly remembered a boutique down the street, and dragging an all to eager Madison they went down to the medium sized boutique.


    From the front ss window Madison could already see outfits she liked, and squealing they both rushed inside.


    As they began to look through the clothes in the boutique, Madison saw a dress she liked and she  immediately held it up, loving the style of the ck dress. She quickly put it aside as one of the dresses she would try on and as she continued searching, she suddenly had a cold feeling.


    It was the same way she had felt, the day she had seen that strange man trying to take her picture. That feeling that she was being watched¡­


    Quickly, her head snapped to the transparent window, and right outside the boutique she sighted a man across the road. He was seated outside a saloon- a pair of shades covering his eyes and a newspaper wide open in his hands.


    She could not see his eyes through the shades, but his gaze was directly pointed at her and just as soon as their gazes met, he quickly looked down to the newspaper in front of him.


    Madison felt a chill run down her spine, and she continued to stare at him. It was like d¨¦j¨¤ vu for her ¨C once again she was being watched. She was so scared that her hands began to shake, her head spinning.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    All she wanted was to enjoy shopping with her friend and nothing more, but now that had been surly disrupted. Shaking her head, trying to discard the scary thoughts she turned her gaze away from him and back to the dresses she had been checking out. Maybe she was just being paranoid. Maybe she was just thinking things up. Maybe she was just running mad, oh well!


    At intervals, her eyes would move back, and sure enough he was still there in the same position, his eyes focused on the newspaper. She continued to stare intently at him, unable to shake the feeling that he was up to something. Something she had no idea off.


    ¡°Madison!¡± She suddenly heard her friend call out and started Madison turned, only to see that Gina had been waving her hand in front of her face the whole time. It was her voice that had brought Madison out of her reverie, and she exhaled bluntly.


    ¡°Are you good?¡± Gina asked, staring at her friend with a worried look and Madison cursed herself internally for losing focus.


    If Gina began to suspect anything, she wouldn¡¯t stop pushing until she got her answer, and honestly Madison did not wish to rm her friend in any way so she shook her head negatively and lied through her teeths on reply.


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ I¡¯m good. I¡¯m just staring at the dresses. They are just so pretty, and I¡¯m so confused on which to pick.¡± She finished her lie with a lightugh, hoping she was sounding believable at least.


    To make her point more clear, she held up the ck dress she had been staring at previously, and another green one, sighing as she gestured to the two, ¡°Well, I think I like these two.¡±


    Gina seemed to buy her story because she suddenly began tough, ¡°Wow they are so pretty, and I would be confused too. Maybe you should try them on. See which one looks better on you. That would help.¡± She suggested.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Madison pretended to think it through, ¡°I¡¯ll do that. Let me just pick out a few more. I want to have a lot of options.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you do that then.¡± Gina said and when she was satisfied that Madison was okay, she went back to the other section and resumed her own search.


    Madison rxed a little, feeling a little guilty for lying, but also d that it the situation been sorted out.


    Taking deep breaths, she decided she would focus on shopping and nothing else. She was here to have fun and that¡¯s exactly what she was going to do, so shaking all her fears off she faced the clothes in front of her and began to pick out a few more in her size.


    She finally picked out a red dress she really liked, and calling out to Gina, she held it up in front of her. Her friend smiled widely, giving her a thumbs up.


    As much as Madison tried to control herself, and focus on her shopping through, she couldn¡¯t stop her eyes from moving back to the opposite side of the street.


    Every single time though, after thest incident when their gazes had locked, the man was focused on the newspaper the whole time, and not even sparing a nce at her.


    Madison began to wonder if she had just been overthinking it. Had she just been seeing things? Every time her eyes moved to the man, he was quietly reading the newspaper and flipping through the pages, and soon she began to feel guilty for suspecting him in the first ce.


    She was so scared nowadays that she began to think everyone was stalking her.


    Shaking her head, she chided herself for reading meaning into everything and then with a smile, she tore her eyes from him for the final time, and continued her shopping.


    ¡­¡­.


    KATHERINE


    Katherine had never felt as bitter as she did when she slid out of bed this morning.


    She hadn¡¯t had so much sleep either, as she had spent the entire night cursing and trying to call Damien again only to realize he had switched off his phone.


    She still couldn¡¯t believe what had happened. The events ofst night continued to haunt her¡­ reying over and over in her head.


    Damien had broken up with her¡­ but why? How dare he?


    What she expected from him was a long exnation and an apology, but he hadn¡¯t even mentioned that he was sorry. Damien had dared to break up with her? No one was allowed to break up with her. No one! Not him! Not after everything she¡¯d done, and the lengths she had gone to keep him with her still.


    No!


    Raving, Katherine jumped up from bed and began to pace around the room. A notification pinged her phone, and in anger she picked it up not with the intent of reading instead she switched her cell off.


    She needed to spend her day in peace without any stupid disturbances, and when she had switched it off, she tossed the phone back to the bed.


    Not bothering to change or prepare for the day, she walked to the cab and took out the bottles of whiskey she had ordered to be brought and stocked in her room.


    She quickly popped the first bottle open and drinking directly from the bottle, she took a long gulp, grimacing from the taste. But she liked the feeling of the drink burning her throat, and so she took longer gulps.


    She kept doing this, until finally she had gone through the first bottle, finishing the drink without a single liquid remaining.


    She tossed the empty bottle to the side and quickly opened the next one, and as she drank, Damien¡¯s words continued to rey in her head.


    ¡°H-how dare that bitch¡­try to take my p-property¡­¡± She slurred angrily, her thoughts going to Madison as she took yet another gulp and staggered across the room.


    She felt weak and her legs were shaky but still she continued to walk around the room, cursing.


    She dropped the bottle when she felt her stomach start to churn, and rushing into the bathroom, she threw up all over the bathtub.


    When she had emptied her guts and wiped her lips, staggering back to her bedroom, picking up another bottle and taking a long gulp from it.


    Her hands shaking and her breathing ragged, Katherine paced faster across the room. She was so consumed by anger that her hands began to shake. Her head was also beginning to hurt and raising her fists, she began to knock them against her head violently, yelling out Damien¡¯s name as she did so, scattering her hair and making a scene


    Screaming, she rushed to her bedside mirror,  ¡°What the fuck does he see in her?¡± She yelled, staring at herself in the mirror, ¡°I¡¯m a hundred times better, smarter and prettier than that bitch! Just look at me. I have the curves, the looks of a model and every single thing that the bitch doesn¡¯t have. Yet she walks around with that disgusting strawberry blonde hair, so thin and shapeless and she thinks she can take my man? I mean just look at me.¡± She gestured to herself in the mirror, ¡°Damien should be fucking lucky to have me! He should freaking treat me like the queen that I am!¡±


    She took another swig of her whiskey, ¡°So tell me! Tell me what he sees in that woman from the past that he¡¯s so bent on pursuing! What does she have that I don¡¯t? I¡¯m better than her, okay? I¡¯ve always been BETTER and I always will be!¡±


    Screaming and shaking her head violently, she swung her fist to the mirror, shattering it in one blow.


    She was so numb from drinking that she could not feel anything, and her knuckles were already bruised from the dastardly impact, making blood spill from the wound but still Katherine continued to punch the mirror with both hands like she was a crazed person.


    When all the ss had shattered to the floor and there was nothing else to break, she kicked the table in the room, making everything on top of it fall to the floor.


    She let out another piercing scream, turning to the bed and kicking at it.


    Destructive now, she began to tear at the room, shredding everything down. The pillows, the bedspread, the duvet. She moved to the closet next and grabbing out her clothes she began to rip them, still screaming.


    She was causing such a ruckus that her screams began to attract attention from the other guests in the room, such that some of them had alerted security, and soon enough much to her annoyance someone began to knock on Kathrine¡¯s door.


    She didn¡¯t answer the heavy bangs on her door, and instead she continued to destroy her room, pausing only to take another swig of her drink. Her legs were already numb, and at some point she would throw up, feeling the pain from her bruises course through her but she didn¡¯t stop at all.


    It was so much that the hotel security had to break the door down, when no one was answering and when it fell, lo and behold a sight awaited them.


    Katherinepletely oblivious to the people watching her, continued to tear down everything in her room, her fists coated with blood and bottles of whiskey lying across the room. In fear that she would harm herself further, the guards quickly rushed in and grabbing her, they began pulling her away.


    ¡°Leave me the fuck alone!¡± She yelled, struggling to get out of their grip, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! Don¡¯t you dare!¡±


    She used her nails to continue to scratch at them, still yelling curses but they were too strong for her.


    They finally managed to subdue her, even when she continued to struggle. Finally, she could feel herself be weaker by the second, as she felt light like she would faint any moment and give way to abyss¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill her¡­¡± She croaked, her knees giving way, ¡°I¡¯m going to¡­. fucking¡­ kill her¡­ I¡¯m going to kill that bitch!¡±


    As those words left her lips, Katherine fell out of their grip and finally copsed in a pool of her own vomit.

 Chapter Sixty Four

    Damien felt refreshed when he awakened the next morning. He had slept for about ten hours and he was feeling much better now.


    His visit to the spa yesterday which included a needed body massage, had also helped his intended rxation.


    Not ustomed to eating breakfast, he showered and went through his morning routine, and then checked in briefly with hispany in New York. It had only been a day since he got to London, but he had already resolved within himself to check in with the manager whenever he got the chance, and so far it was going smoothly.


    He spent the rest of the morning going through the documents and charts concerning the hotel he was staying in, and so far Damien was impressed. There was practically nothing toin about.


    The system was so spotless that he didn¡¯t see the need to take over or change anything, as that might even ruin their momentum, and he found that he quite enjoyed how the manager ran the ce. He was even considering applying the same system in his other hotels, and so far so good it was simply amazing.


    He was so busy analyzing all these things, that he didn¡¯t realize it was midday already, and it was not until his reminder went off on his phone then did he remember that he had a meeting by 2PM today.


    Quickly, he shut hisptop and changed into more suitable clothes for a meeting.


    Since the meeting was going to hold in the lobby downstairs, he didn¡¯t need to make as much haste, and so he took his time getting ready.


    When he was done, he made his way to the down lobby of the hotel and on getting there he sighted the restaurant situated close to the lobby where the meeting was supposed to take ce.


    He walked in, ready to ask where his reservation was, but just as he turned, he saw hiswyer and private investigator seated at one of the tables.


    Walking to the table, he shook their hands in turn and lowered himself onto the seat that was reserved for him.


    Damien had asked them to meet him here in London to discuss a few details about the case, as they were things that he did not wish to discuss over the phone.


    He was originally going to have a conference call, but when he remembered that his private investigator was already in London running additional investigations, he decided to ask thewyer to fly in from New York to the buzzing city and he had arrived just two days earlier before him.


    ¡°I trust everything is well with you both?¡± Damien asked, taking a sip of water from the bottle on the table, and they both replied with a nod, ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    ¡°And you?¡± The investigator asked, and Damien shot him a brief confused nce at first before answering.


    He was anything but good and he wouldn¡¯t actually be, until he had settled everything that concerned the Connors and the issues that brought him here, but of course he couldn¡¯t start rying his problem to them so he only nodded, replying curtly, ¡°Things are good.¡±


    Clearing his throat, he looked around the restaurant, only just noticing the empty table.


    He frowned, ¡°This table should not be empty at all.¡± He looked back up at the two men, ¡°Have you had lunch? Either of you.¡±


    They both shook their heads, waving Damien¡¯s statement off and saying that they didn¡¯t need to eat and that they were okay but he wasn¡¯t having any of that.


    He himself had barely had breakfast, and so he couldn¡¯t order something for himself and nothing for them.


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± He frowned, waving his hands, ¡°I¡¯ll have none of that now.¡±


    Without giving them another chance to protest, Damien gestured to a waitress nearby who was already waiting on standby.


    ¡°What would you like to drink, sirs?¡± She asked, bowing a little.


    ¡°Nothing for now. We have water here.¡±


    The waitress nodded, handing him the menu.


    Going through it quickly, he then ordered her to bring them some food and snacks and giving her his preferences, she gave a short nod in response, and disappeared to the back.


    A few minutester, the waitress breezed in with the appetizers he¡¯d ordered.


    Some small tes of Mac and cheese bites, a portion of Italian sd, and some fruits and smoothies.


    The presentation was perfect, and Damien grunted in approval. As he stared at the precise food arrangement, he recalled that the only thing he had not taken note of was the food the hotel restaurant served, and now he was more than eager to see how well they pulled this section off.


    This was why he had ordered some Italian food bits. It was exquisite yet difficult to make, and it had to be nothing less than perfect. He would give his assessment after having a taste, that was for sure.


    The first bites of the Mac and cheese was so good, and it melted in his mouth so deliciously. Satisfied with the taste, he faced the two men and they began to discuss the rest of the investigation, while eating slowly at the same time.


    The private investigator made it known to Damien that he had not discovered anything new, but he was still keeping an eye open so he wouldn¡¯t miss anything.


    Damien nodded, and after they had informed him of all the necessary things, he cleared his throat, ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is appropriate, and not to tasking but I¡¯m going to need you both to stay in London till all of this is over. I wouldn¡¯t have bothered but then, I might need some information or legal advice, and I don¡¯t want to rely on some random strangers I might hire here, or talk to you both via phone calls. So I don¡¯t know if you can see reasons with me. I hope that won¡¯t be a problem?¡± He asked, and Mr Paul, thewyer shook his head, ¡°No, sir. It¡¯s no problem at all. I did suspect this, and that¡¯s why I cleared all my appointments before flying down to London.¡± He responded, shoving thest bite of his appetizer in his mouth.


    ¡°How about you, Mr Rudiger?¡± Damien asked and the private investigator also didn¡¯t find a problem with what he¡¯d just asked them.


    While that was being settled, two waitresses breezed in once more, and one of them packing up the used tes, the other served the first course meal which consisted of steaming spaghetti carbonara with a side of fresh lettuce, apanied with fried, spicy meatballs and a bottle of white wine.


    The men immediately dug in, eating as they continued to converse.


    ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± Damien nodded, and continued, ¡°Because I have quite a few ties to settle before leaving London. So I need you both on standby. I wouldn¡¯t want anything to dy me to.¡±


    They both nodded and continued their meal. The second course was brought in soon after and it consisted of grilled pork and peas, with a befitting bottle of red wine.


    Thewyer cleared his throat and faced Damien, ¡°Is taking revenge on the Connors still on the list?¡±


    Damien stiffened, his grip on the fork tightening as he gritted his jaw.


    He had not expected the question so it had thrown him off guard a little. Besides, any conversation rting to the Connors was not usually what he wished to discuss, except there was some information to pass, but not this¡­


    Quickly catching himself on time, and clearing his throat, Damien replied, ¡°Yes, of course. That¡¯s the reason why we¡¯re here, isn¡¯t it? I already have a head start having bought off thest of their properties, but it still doesn¡¯t end there. I still have quite a few things in mind.¡±


    They both nodded thoughtfully, and as Damien began to run through the beginning of his ns briefly, dessert was served.


    Slices of Pizza Margherita and small chocte cupcakes with a small serving of frozen yogurt.


    ¡°I¡¯ll first get information on the people close to them, of course. When I find them I¡¯ll slowly seep out all the information I need. Hopefully in that order, I¡¯ll be able to gather all I need to know.¡± Damien continued, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips, as he took a bite of the served chocte cupcake.


    As he finished saying this, both Mr Paul and Mr Rudiger asked if they could help in any way, but Damien shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ll need you both toy low for now. When I need you I¡¯ll let you both know. Just be at alert.¡±


    They both nodded once again in understanding and talking about lighter issues, they finished their meal.


    After running through the n one more time, Damien paid the bill for lunch, and bidding them an hearty farewell, he departed back to his room.


    He was satisfied with how the day had gone, feeling much better and more reassured knowing that his investigator andwyer was nearby. Plus the fact that the food at the restaurant had been amazing, had really uplifted his mood so well.


    He would need tomend the manager, and urge them to keep up the good work. He already had a little surprise for the manager and the staffs too, but then he would announce itter.


    For now he needed to take his shower, and proceeding into the bathroom, he did just that.


    After bathing he would go down to the gym for some exercise, as he needed the workout right now.


    It would be invigorating and hectic, but then it would also help him clear his head and think straight.


    ¡­¡­.


    Madison took onest look at the bathroom floors and sinks, before walking out.


    She was satisfied with how neat it was, and she had really done a good job cleaning the otherwise smellyvatory.


    Today was her day off, so she had decided to do all her weekend chores.


    If she did them now, she wouldn¡¯t have to bother with it over the weekend, and it also meant she would have more time to herself, and she cherished this thought so much.


    Ever since she had gotten her pay, she had felt so happy and light as though nothing could go wrong, and she just wanted this feeling to go on.


    Of course she had other worries, but now none of them seemed to matter, as she just wanted to live her life fully, and she was doing just that.


    Discarding her straying thoughts, Madison peeled off her rubber gloves and made her way into the kitchen in search of something to prepare.


    Since she felt so happy she decided she would make something special for lunch, and thankfully she still had some leftover cookies from the other day which she had already munched on with a ss of milk. It would hold her till she was done making this new meal.


    She was definitely not making pasta today, as she had been eating lots of it. Instead she was doing something rather different today.


    Gina had given her a recipe for a bean stew earlier that week, and recalling that she had even tried it at her friend¡¯s ce, it had been wonderful, but now for some reason she didn¡¯t even know, she seemed to have forgotten the recipe.


    Sighing, she decided she would call Gina to ask her, and checking the time she saw it was still quite early.


    Since today was also Gina¡¯s day off, Madison trusted that her friend would still be sound asleep.


    She grudgingly decided to make the bean stew forter. So now, she would just make some egg sauce which she would have with brown riceter on, or boiled potatoes.


    It didn¡¯t take her long to finish cooking, and when she finally crosschecked, seeing that she hadpleted every other chore she had to do, she sighed again albeit happily this time.


    She was more that exhausted, but still it didn¡¯t make her any less happy nor content.


    As shey on her bed and began to scroll through her phone, an iing call interrupted and smiling when she saw that it was from Gina, she quickly picked up.


    After they had exchanged pleasantries, her friend asked what she had been up to, and Gina grumbled in regret when Madison informed her of the egg sauce she had made instead of her initial bean porridge.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t call to ask for your recipe cause I knew you¡¯ll be sleeping, but then the sauce I made isn¡¯t that bad too.¡± She added, bursting intoughter when Gina regretted not having a taste, and so Madison promised she would make it again.


    ¡°Good, good¡­¡± Gina replied happily, ¡°You have to make it again, and give me your own recipe.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Madison assented, ¡°Anything for you my dear friend.¡±


    The two women discussed, with Gina asking if Madison had checked out the clothes they got the other day, and it was then that Madison realized that she hadpletely forgotten about it.


    She hadn¡¯t even gone through the dresses, and so she made a mental note to check them outter today.


    She just couldn¡¯t forget at all.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve finally found the perfect club for us to attend Madison!¡± Gina squealed in delightful as she added, ¡°It¡¯s so nice and I think you might know it. It¡¯s just a few blocks away from that restaurant we went to. I can¡¯t wait! We¡¯re going to have so much fun.¡±


    Madisonughed along. Her friend¡¯s excitement was so contagious she couldn¡¯t help but feel the same.


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯m excited too. But you seem overly happy about it. Any particr reason why you¡¯re so invested in this?¡± She asked, already genuinely curious.


    Gina chuckled, ¡°Ohe on, Maddie. We need to enjoy life once in a while. We¡¯re getting older, you know? I don¡¯t want to be that person that keeps working so much that they forget how to have fun. I want to be a super mom, and grandma too with so much tales to tell my children and grandchildren.¡±


    Madison smiled.


    She hadn¡¯t thought of it that way, but now she did, realizing how true it was.


    She would be so sucked up in trying to make a living that everything else would pass her by, and so it was necessary to have a little fun once in a while.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Even though the talk of children and grandchildren, had irked her, Madison decided not to think about it all, and instead she just thought about the night outing soon.


    She was genuinely excited about it.


    Talking for a little while and then bidding each other farewell, Madison soon hung up the call, and dropped her phone on the bed.


    Standing up, she opened her wardrobe and pulled out the shopping bag she had even forgotten to open, and gettingfortable on her bed again, she spilled the contents all over.


    With a wide smile on her face, she began to sort through them.

 Chapter Sixty Five

    Damien munched on his toast and scrambled eggs in satisfaction.


    His morning had begun on a very good note. With the cool air and the amazing view of the sunrise right outside his window, he couldn¡¯t possibly wake up in a bad mood.


    The first thing he had done was to head to the gym, and after an hour of rigorous exercise he hade back to his room, drenched in sweat but invigorated as well.


    After that he had taken a long cool shower, and since he had already requested for room service before going to the gym, the knock that sounded on his door by 9AM did not surprise him.


    They had brought in the requested breakfast meal, and right now he was almost done with it. A fresh ss of juice sat on the edge of the tray and as soon as he was done with the eggs and toast, he gulped the fresh squeezed fruit juice down.


    Thirty minutester, Damien sat in the balcony of his suite. He had finished his morning routine, checked in with thepany, with his mother, and with the hotel as well.


    He decided to take a tour round the city, wanting to see what must have changed during the years. He didn¡¯t know how long it would be before he actually got another vacation such as this, or evene back to this damned city so he wanted to make the most of his time here.


    Without giving himself the chance to think it through, before changing his mind, he quickly wore some morefortable clothes and picking up his car keys, he proceeded to exit his luxurious suite.


    Prior to his leave, he had already looked up all the tourist centers in the city online and selecting the best ones and the ones which seemed the most interesting, Damien copied them all into his phone in form of a list so he wouldn¡¯t forget. That done, he headed downstairs.


    It was beautiful and sunny outside, but not too hot.


    This was the exact kind of weather Damien enjoyed. He had always enjoyed it right from when he was small, and now he could note that nothing had changed.


    The view of the hotel¡¯s exterior was magnificent that for a few seconds after he got outside, he stood staring at it marveling at the nice structure, and falling in love with his building before finally getting into the car.


    Damien was more than proud of himself, and inhaling some fresh air in satisfaction, he turned on the ignition of the vehicle, and then he drove off. He didn¡¯t speed as he usually would because his goal today was to enjoy the view, and not have anything worry him at all.


    Something at the back of his mind made him feel like he should be working instead of touring, but he quickly shook those thoughts away.


    He rarely ever had time for himself, and he would certainly dedicate today to that cause. Besides, as soon as he started the investigations on the Connors- his main reason for being in London -he would be so focused on it that taking time off for himself would not even ur to him, so he would make use of this opportunity that presented itself.


    This was a rare opportunity for him to rx, away from work, even if it was just for a few days, and he nned to enjoy it to the fullest.


    For hours Damien drove from one tourist center to the next and with each, he was always so transfixed by the sight that leaving seemed so hard.


    He had never seen such beautiful ces, not even in New York, and a sense of nostalgia was already beginning to envelope him as he stared longingly out in the view.


    While he had lived in this city some years back, he didn¡¯t have the time, and money to visit this part of town and now it felt so new and strange to him. His heart ached.


    However he didn¡¯t dwell on his past thoughts for long, instead focusing on his tour, and through this mini stroll that was when he discovered that his hotel was number one on the list of the best hotels in London.


    Damien was more than beaming with pride, when he got the responses from tourists and locals alike touring just like him and he kept all their suggestions at the back of his mind.


    If he hadn¡¯t been sure about rewarding the hotel staffs before, all he was seeing and hearing nowpletely sealed that deal and for the umpteenth time since he arrived here, Damien was thoroughly impressed by their hard work and efficiency.


    He didn¡¯t even need to oversee anything. Making up his mind, he knew that he had to give every one of the employees at the hotel a huge raise.


    He had been keeping of this announcement for long, but now he couldn¡¯t wait to ry this good news to them and so he would announce it when he got back. Smiling, he continued his tour.


    After hours of driving around the city and stopping at a few clubs and restaurants just for the view, Damien was ready to go back.


    Every location on his list had been ticked, and despite the fact that he wanted to rest, he was also hungry because he hadn¡¯t had anything to eat for lunch.


    He didn¡¯t have anything at the restaurant he went to because he had somewhere else in mind. Last on his list was a joint which sold the best street snacks in the streets of London, and he would surely have a bite there.


    He wasn¡¯t too far from there, as the ce was actually a fifteen minute drive from the hotel and so passing his building, he drove on.


    As soon as he parked the car on one side of the street, different scents attacked his nose.


    Damien could not remember thest time he¡¯d had some street food or snacks. It had been a long, long time ago and eagerly, he climbed out of his car, the scent of dough and frying fat wafting in the air. It was almost enough to make him go crazy.


    There were so many to choose from where he went, and after a while of selecting what he wanted, he finally picked a handful of spicy fish stuffed rolls and some Indian snacks.


    Damien had never tasted anything better, and he gave the vendor such a big tip that the old man had stared at him in shock.


    Almost immediately, the vendor stood from his chair and began to bend down in front of Damien, ¡°T-thank you so much, sir. Thank you¡­¡±  He sputtered, bowing down and Damien smiling helping him up replied, ¡°It¡¯s alright, no need for that. Besides these are more than amazing and delicious.¡± He finished genuinely, gesturing at the snacks in his hand, and the vendor beamed with pride.


    Signaling to Damien to wait for a while, he quickly began to pack a different kind of snack and barbecue on a stick, which he offered to Damien thanking him for his generosity.


    Damien did ept the extra snacks, andughing he bade the old man goodbye as he headed back to his car.


    Today had gone much better than he expected, and it made him remember some of the happy times he¡¯d enjoyed back in the past.


    He was having a very good feeling, his heart at ease and even though it was evening already, Damien had no urge to go back to the hotel.


    Well, there was no where he could go to, he recalled solemnly so he had no other choice but to return to his suite.


    Just before he got to his car though, as his mind spun an idea instantly struck in his head, and it made him pause in his tracks.


    It was impulsive, and seemed like something that just couldn¡¯t go well, but after a while of thinking he decided to give it a try.


    Getting into his car, he scrolled through his phone for his private investigator¡¯s number and when he found it he quickly dialed.


    He wanted to get Madison¡¯s house address.


    Not for any particr reason, like he wanted talking to her¡­ He was just¡­ curious.


    His priority was with the Connors first, that was sure and Madison wasn¡¯t even in the picture for now. Seeing her was an afterthought, and that was when he was done with her family, but still he had this unending curiosity springing up in him.


    After the second ring, he realized that Mr Rudiger¡¯s line was not reachable, and cursing under his breath, he tried once again, hoping for a change but it still wasn¡¯t reachable.


    Sighing, he put his phone down and began to think. Maybe this was a sign that him going to Madison¡¯s ce was a bad idea. Maybe he should just drive back to the hotel instead of thinking of all this nonsense, but his hands wouldn¡¯t cooperate.


    His hands itched to drive to that ce. He wanted to have a glimpse. Maybe just see where she was living, and that was that.


    Fuck! He needed that address.


    Suddenly he remembered that Alvarez could know where she stayed, and without wasting any time, he dialed Alvarez who picked up on the first ring.


    ¡°Damien?¡± He heard his friend¡¯s voice from the other end, ¡°How are you doing? How is London?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± Damien said, a smile creeping up on his face. He didn¡¯t even realize he much he had missed his best friend until now, and his chest tightened.


    After they exchanged pleasantries, Damien went straight to the point, asking him for Madison¡¯s house address here in London.


    At first Alvarez seemed very surprised, and he wondered aloud if Damien had finally taken his advice to talk to Madison as well but just as he said that, Damien instinctively stiffened.


    He didn¡¯t want Alvarez thinking he actually wanted to see Madison, and so he said a lie and a truth, ¡°I just want to see where she stays.¡± He began then finishing with the lie, ¡°I have no business with her you know. I might talk to her, I might not, but rest assured that I don¡¯t want to talk to her now.¡±


    Alvarez was silent for a while, ¡°Okay buddy, but I really do think you should at least try. Aren¡¯t you even a little curious to know how and why everything went the way it had? Don¡¯t you want to know more about what happened to Madison and the¡­?¡±


    Damien had already tuned out Alvarez¡¯s voice, as he came to the realization that he was damn curious! He did want to know, and he had ns pertaining that but then it would be a topic for another day.


    ¡°Just give me the address, please


    Alvarez. If you have it, just send it to me. I would have asked my private investigator for it, but his line isn¡¯t reachable and you are my onlyst bet.¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡± Alvarez said, I¡¯ll send it to you but promise you¡¯ll think about what I said.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. I promise you.¡± Damien grudgingly agreed, and after Alvarez promised to send the address by text, they said their goodbyes and hung up.


    A few secondster, Damien started the ignition, ready to drive off, just at the same time, a notification pinged his phone and he opened up the message to see that it was a house address from Alvarez.


    He immediately inputted the address into his car GPS navigation system, and following the directions, he immediately drove off.


    ¡­¡­.


    KATHERINEN?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Katherine felt darkness thick and heavy as a strange kind of pain flowed down her body.


    It was that kind of pain one was likely to feel, when he or she had just gotten hit by a car, and it freaking hurt as hell.


    Her legs and body hurt so much that they began to feel numb, and she couldn¡¯t even ce exactly where the pain wasing from, but it did not feel familiar in any way.


    The only thing she could recall was that she had been unconscious for a while, but she wasn¡¯t sure how long it had been. Slowly, her eyelids began to flutter, but no matter how had she tried it seemed they would never open fully.


    After a while of struggling, she finally got them open, and just as it did she regretted the oue with just about the same intensity.


    Katherine was immediately blinded by the white light that seemed to sh from every corner of the room, and wincing a little turning her face to the sides she noted that the walls and ceilings of the room she was in were painted white as well.


    Katherine frowned, wondering how on earth she had gotten here, and where this ce was too.


    Her body ached as she tossed around the bed, craning her neck to see if there was anything else she could see and recognize but just as she did a pain shot down her arm when she pulled too far from the bed, and it prompted her to look down.


    That was when she saw the cann inserted in her hand, and confused all the while she looked up and then she saw someone standing close to her, d in blue scrubs.


    Whoever this person was, seemed to be intently fixing a tube into the cann and Katherine realized in shock that she was at the hospital and this person was a nurse.


    Thedy lifted up and seeing that Katherine was awake, her face widened into a smile.


    Her lips moved and she seemed to be asking Katherine some questions, but she was not listening at all. Her mind was wandering elsewhere, as she tried to remember why and how she hadnded in a hospital, because she sure as hell didn¡¯t check here on her own.


    What the hell had happened? She pondered, trying so hard to remember, and with some little bit of force and squeezing her eyelids painfully she began to have brief shes.


    She remembered being on the phone with Damien some other day, then screaming at him, and then the bombshell he¡¯d dropped, asking them to take  a break from their rtionship.


    She remembered switching off her phone and getting drunk the next day, and from then onwards the memories came quite slowly.


    Yes! She couldn¡¯t actually remember everything that had happened that morning in detail, but she saw herself destroying things in her hotel suite, and blood dripping to the floor from her hands or legs, she didn¡¯t even know.


    Thest thing she could remember was that some people hade knocking at her door, and she had fainted in someone¡¯s arms.


    Now that she thought of it, she could vaguely remember drifting in and out of consciousness as they put her into an ambnce, sirens sting so loud that it had almost hurt her ears.


    Now she was here. In a hospital¡­ and that exined everything. Why, and how she was here? She asked herself again.


    Her face contorted in rage as these memories continued to flood her, and worse of when she remembered that it was because of that bitch called Madison, she felt more fury.


    She was here being pumped full of sedatives and whatever trash they were injecting her with, all because of that low-life! Because she had been venting her anger, and she had even injured herself.


    What the fuck!


    Groaning in anger, Katherine tore the cann off her hand, not caring about the pain or the fact that her hand ached terrible. Shocked, the nurse pulled her back, as she began to say gently, ¡°Ma¡¯am, what are you doing? I am afraid you are not allowed to leave just yet and you have to-¡±


    ¡°Will you get the fuck off me!¡± Katherine screamed, kicking and iling at her, but the nurse was not letting go.


    She quickly grabbed two of Katherine¡¯s arms, and  started screaming, ¡°I need assistance here! Patient is hysterical and frantic!¡±


    A few secondster, a doctor and two nurses rushed into the ward, and the nurses assisted their colleague as they held a still frenzied Katherine down.


    As for the doctor, he quickly filled a liquid into his syringe and even though Katherine could see their lips moving as they spoke, she was too angry to listen.


    ¡°LET ME GO! LET ME GET OUT OF HERE! I HAVE SOME IMPORTANT THINGS TO TAKE CARE OF!¡± She yelled but all to no avail, struggling as she tried to fight off the nurses.


    ¡°Leave me be! I have to get to that bitch. I have to¡­ I have to¡­¡±


    Despite her struggles, they sessfully restrained her, taping her mouth and before she could start again, the doctor had injected her with the syringe.


    Thest thing on Katherine¡¯s mind was her n to deal with Madison, and a picture of her drasted enemy shed through her face before she once again felt herself slowly sink into the darkness.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!