Chapter 4

The air stirred restlessly around Madison, carrying with it the fiery breath of the sun like a furnace wind. For five long hours, Madison had been perched outside her old apartment like a watchful sentinel, waiting with bated breath for a sign of Julian's arrival.

Every sound and movement in the street around her made her heart skip a beat, hoping that the next person she saw would be Julian. But as the sun began to dip below the horizon, the shadows lengthening and the sky painting itself in shades of pink and gold, Julian was still nowhere to be found.

The air around her grew heavy with the weight of disappointment, threatening to suffocate the fragile hope that remained within her. Despite the nagging doubt in her mind, Madison refused to give up hope, clinging to the fragile belief that Julian would show up, like a tiny flicker of light in the encroaching darkness.

"It might just be a little delay. Maybe he got too tired from the errand and decided to take some rest," she comforted herself, brushing aside the nagging thoughts that whispered the possibility of something terrible befalling Julian. 

While she waited, she also occupied her mind with some questions that had been of concern to her. An idle mind, she scoffed.

Julian had never taken her to his house. She knew he lived with his parents, but she never got the chance to go to his house, not even once. This has been a concern to Madison, and each time she brought it up to Julian, he just waved it aside and kept on promising to take her home one day.

"Could it be that…?" She started but refused to continue with that thought.

She didn't want to think that Julian was just making a fool of her all along. He loved her too much for that.

"Madison, get these stupid thoughts off your head!" She scolded herself as she positioned herself on the verandah to rest her back. Her back ached terribly from sitting up all morning.

***

Liam's day was a whirlwind of activity, a never-ending flurry of meetings, calls, and negotiations that left him juggling a million tasks at once.

As the young CEO of Fedicon Corp, one of the largest construction companies in New York, Liam's responsibilities were daunting and endless.

In his late twenties, he had already achieved a level of success that many could only dream of. His reputation as a shrewd businessman and visionary leader preceded him wherever he went.

Liam was handsome, but not in a conventional way. He had an appearance that always made him stand out wherever he went. His golden-brown hair complimented his deep, expressive blue eyes, which could make any woman get lost in them.

He sighed in exhaustion as he prepared for yet another meeting in a few minutes.

The jarring ring of his phone sliced through the air, causing Liam to snap out of his work-induced trance. With a languid stretch of his arm, he reached for the phone that lay on his desk. The caller ID displayed an unknown number, but Liam answered the call nonetheless 

"Hello," he responded.

"Hey, cuz, it's Julian," Julian said over the phone.

Julian had decided to call his cousin, Liam when he couldn't take it anymore. He wished Liam would take out time from his busy schedule to help check up on Adi. He was going crazy already.

"Julian, how are you doing? I heard you went all the way to Scotland. Living your dreams at last, huh?" Liam teased his cousin in their usual manner, but Julian was sounding funny.

"Liam, I'm facing a huge challenge over here. I'll really appreciate your help to get through it," Julian sounded desperate.

"Of course, anything for you." Liam was curious to know.

"I want you to help check on someone for me. I'll text her address to you. It's very important. I really wish you could make that happen as soon as possible. You are the only one I can trust with this," Julian explained to Liam.

"Who is she?" He inquired.

"Her name is Adi. I'll text you the details of her house now."

"Is she your girlfriend?" Liam teased again.

"Come on, man, come off it," Julian responded with a chuckle, "she's just... not important. I just want to get some info from her," he added.

Julian trusted his cousin, but he couldn't risk giving him that information. His parents had warned him severally to stay away from Adi, as she is a nobody, but Julian had defied his parents' warning and had gone ahead with his relationship secretly. But they thought he had ended his relationship with her already.

He still preferred to keep it a secret until he got back from Scotland.

"Alright then. I'll check on her later today. I have a meeting to attend now. Talk late," Liam explained to Julian, "I'll be waiting for the address," he added.

"Thanks, man," Julian responded as he dropped the call.

***

The velvet darkness enveloped Madison like a shroud. The veranda beneath her was cool against her skin, jolting her awake. She had dozed off while waiting for him. Julian.

Madison shivered and wrapped her hands around herself in an attempt to produce warmth. Her feet felt heavy, and her palms were cold.

She slowly stood up and looked around one more time. She didn't like the feeling in her gut. Something didn't seem right.

She let the tears that had welled up in her eyes fall freely down her cheeks.

"Has Julian left me? Has something bad happened to him?" She had too many questions to ask, but she was getting no response.

She made the painful decision of going back to Jenna's place, her new home. She wasn't sure she was going to survive the night. The thoughts creeping through her head were not pleasant at all.

"What if I was a fool all along? What if he left me for someone else?" Her thoughts kept going on and on. They were all conflicting thoughts, which she had every reason to believe were true, but she still had that glimpse of hope that Julian hadn't abandoned her yet.

She was determined to come wait for him again tomorrow. She'll just call in sick at work.

***

Julian paced around his large apartment as he tried calling Liam for the fourth time. He was anxious. It's been two days now since he asked Liam to help check on Adi, but he has gotten no response from him about that.

Yesterday, Liam explained that he was busy with meetings and contract signings, and that was why he couldn't go check up on Adi again. What will his excuse be today?

He knows Liam can be very busy, but for fuck's sake, this is fucking important. It was getting on his nerves already, but he had to keep his cool.

Julian had become a shadow of himself. He was to resume classes in two days, but he couldn't think of that at the moment.

"Hello, cuz," Liam finally picked up the call.

"Hey, Liam, what's up, man? I haven't heard a word from you," Julian responded quickly.

"I'm so sorry; I'll do that tomorrow, I promise," Liam apologized. "There's a deal I was trying to seal, but don't worry, it's a done deal already, and now I have some spare time," he further explained.

"Can you just go there tonight? Please? This is so important to me."

"I can't promise you that, because there's one more knot I need to tie at the office, but tomorrow is a promise."

Julian heaved a loud sigh. "Okay. It's fine," he finally said in disappointment.

"Thanks, man, I gotta go," Liam said and dropped the call.

Julian sank into the chair, his spirit low and his mind racing. Waiting around for his busy cousin to come to his aid was no longer an option. With each passing moment, the urgency of the situation grew, and Julian knew that he could no longer afford to sit idly by.

As the wheels in his mind began to turn, a sense of anxiety crept over him like a dark cloud. Julian's eyes gleamed with fierce determination as he knew that what he was about to do might cost him, but that was the only option he had.