"What on earth is going on?" Madison heard her mother say as soon as she picked up her phone and she frowned, confused. She did not understand the urgency in her mother's voice and also, they hadn't spoken in a while so she wasn't exactly sure what she meant. "What do you mean? Is something wrong? What are you talking about mother?” "What happened is that I overheard your father and brother talking about Damien!”Madison was so shocked that she nearly dropped their phone. Mason and her dad talking about Damien? Whatever it was, she knew it couldn't be good. She dug her fingers into her hair as she let the information sink in, and then she spoke up again, “Did you hear what exactly they were talking about in detail?" She asked, wanting to know exactly what they had discussed. Her mother answered in the negative much to her disappointment, "I couldn't hear everything they said, but they kept on repeating Damien's name. What is really going on, Madison? I know you are hiding somethi
TWO DAYS LATERMadison slowly walked out of the bakery, with Gina by her side. Her chest felt heavy and painful that for a moment she began to reconsider, what she’d just done but she tossed the thought aside. There was no going back. There was no use for regrets of any kind. This was the best decision for her, and she was going to stick by it. After all, she would regret it more than ever if she didn't leave right now, so she had too.Some hours earlier she had handed her resignation letter to her manager, making her leave look very permanent. He had looked very surprised as expected, but he asked no questions, but that she was even going to oblige him if he asked. On the other hand she felt broken. She had worked so hard to get to this point, only to leave everything behind again. She had been comfortable for a while, making new friends, and even proving that she was a good employee. Most importantly, she had earned her spot as one of the dedicated and patriot employee in this
Madison gripped her purse slightly, as she alighted from the cab that had just dropped her a few miles away from her house.Due to the swampy state of the environment where she lived in, taxis never took her straight home, instead they stopped at a safe distance by the road and then she would continue the rest of the journey on foot.A warm smile on her lips, her hands outstretched as she handed a paper money note to the driver, Madison watched the vehicle drive away slowly and straightening still she whirled around and began to walk home.Her head currently swamped with so much thoughts already, Madison decided that as soon as she got home, she would have some rest before finalizing the preparations for her journey. A yawn escaping her lips, and a hand going to her forehead to rub gently, Madison stared straight ahead, continuing to walk briskly straight to her house.As she walked past, she offered greetings to neighbors and kids alike, waving at them happily, all the while feeling
A tear slid down Madison’s cheek, as she stared at her apartment. Her eyes roaming around the small room, she’d come to call home for the past few months, she couldn’t help but feel emotional and downcast all of a sudden.Finally, she was leaving. Leaving London, leaving her past and leaving all her worries behind, hoping she would be able to get a fresh start.Taking a step towards her small bed, her hand touching the soft mattress, another tear slid down her cheeks, as she held herself from sobbing so heavily.Just yesterday she’d been here with her mother, on this soft foam and as they’d cuddled together, soaking each other’s warmth, Madison had wished to stay at that position forever. She didn’t want morning to come, and she wanted time to just freeze. For a second she had wanted to just be her mother’s daughter, and feel so carefree and happy.But wishes weren’t horses, and even if it was she couldn’t ride. Her mind wandering back to the previous night again, Madison closed h
KATHERINEThe high-pitched sound of a cellphone ringing, had Katherine scrambling up from the bed in anger and muttering swear words at the same time.The second she opened her eyes, the harsh sunlight rays beaming from the window, had her squinting her eyes and she half yelled in fury and irritation.Just who was calling her now? Who the hell was disturbing her, this early morning? She wondered to herself, her gaze stopping on the clock nearby and she saw that it was almost 10am.How the hell had she slept for so long? Damn it! She knew the answer to that question all to well, and even as her still blurry eyes adjusted to the light streaming in the room, she could see the littered bottle of drinks, and the scattered clothes strewn about.Last night had been one hell of a night, and even though she could remember bits and pieces as she was now recovering from an impending hangover, Katherine knew she must have passed out so late to be waking up by this time.She was tired too, and her
Damien increased the speed of his car, racing through the narrow blinding streets, intent on reaching Madison’s house quickly.He was having a gnawing foreboding feeling at the back of his mind, that something bad was about to happen or had already happened and he didn’t like this sneaky hunch one bit.He’d tried to blame the waning thoughts on the fact that he’d been stuck in traffic for almost an hour, and the cloudy skies that was still grey, looking like a storm was about to happen but then he was just overthinking.Yes! He was just overthinking things, but even with that sore reminder his heart sped up as if in response to the trepidation inside of him, and he could hear the organ beating loudly enough.The air around him was electrified and thick with tension, as if something was going to go horribly wrong in the blink of an eye, and only then would he be at ease maybe?Why was he even thinking this way? His head was supposed to be filled with the things he would say to Madison
The ice cold water that splashed on Madison’s already drenched body, had her gasping out for breath, as her eyelids fluttered open.The first thing she noticed was that she had no blindfold on her face again, and even though it was a relief, that feeling was short lived as she tried to move her body.Every single part of her wrists and limbs ached painfully, and she couldn’t even move either one of them no matter how hard she tried. For a second, she stopped moving, choosing instead to try and get a grasp of where she was, but the whole place was dimly lit and she could barely see a thing.She was hearing voices, but she had no idea who these people were, or what she was doing here. Nevertheless she tried to still move her body, but all to no avail all her efforts proved abortive and for a second Madison wondered if she wasn’t already paralyzed.Memories assailing her, Madison instantly shuddered when she remembered the things that happened earlier. She had no idea how much time had
‘…and this closes the news broadcast tonight. A hefty bounty placed on a kidnap victim. The depleting economy and the hazardous effects of drugs in our society again. See you next again, by this time tom…’Damien didn’t let the news anchorwoman finish, before turning off the television and throwing the control remote in his hand away. “Arghhhh…” He yelled out loud, his hands going to his hair as he raked the dark strands over and over again.The events of the past few hours closing in on him, Damien fell to the couch beside him in defeat, as a tear fell down his cheek slowly.Madison had been abducted by some unknown men, and even though the police were already investigating thoroughly on the case, Damien wasn’t sure if he’d rest tonight.How could he sleep, knowing Madison was out there somewhere getting tortured or molested by some group of motherfuckers? How could he close his eyes, and pretend everything was fine, when it clearly want?“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He half yelled, drawing
~ They were drawn to each other in ways they had never experienced. It wasn’t a coincidence but an undeniable fated connection. Because when their hearts first collided, they knew their soul was already infused together. ~SOME MONTHS LATER “No way…” Madison’s hand shook as she held the white pregnancy test stick in her hand, her jaw dropping as she stared at the result she was seeing.Her hands shook heavily, and as beads of sweat flowed down her face, she began to walk away from the toilet and back to the bedroom she and Damien shared.“This has got to be a dream.” Madison muttered to herself, a tear falling down her face as she gently placed the stick on the table and continued to stare at it, but she could not comprehend what she was seeing.Her eyes closed; she tried to tell herself that, indeed, her eyes were playing some trick on her, so she had to close and open them again, but when she did… The pregnancy stick was still there.Showing two positive lines, indicating that she
“Are we there yet?” Madison queried, her hands flailing about in the air as Damien kept leading her to somewhere unknown, his hands covering her eyes.“Almost…” He chuckled heavily, and she just groaned lightly.She hated this suspense, and whatever it was, he wanted to show her it had better be worth it cause she was running out of patience.Discarding the worrying thoughts out of her head, Madison instead decided to use her sense of hearing to grasp the knowledge of where she was at the moment since she could barely see a thing.The light sand, which buried her feet now and then as they walked, signified that they were either at the beach or some park. It was the beach! She could hear the soft billowing sounds of water waves from afar, and with the cool evening breeze blowing past, carrying with it the scent of murky dust, she knew her assumption was right. But which one in particular? She wondered, and again why had Damien brought her to the beach of all places?Her curiosity soo
"I'm confident that everything will be fine." As they drove to the hospital, Damien kept assuring Madison, his hands intertwined with hers. It was as if he could sense her anxiety and the nagging reminder that she might get some bad news today. She'd avoided going to the hospital for years after being treated there when her child died. Since then, she'd vowed never to set foot in a hospital building to check on herself, regardless of whether the situation was critical. But, with Damien's constant words of encouragement and kisses on her knuckles every minute, she was doing her best to remain calm. They'd agreed to go to the hospital to be safe after she'd expressed concerns about not being able to have children, among other things. Damien, on the other hand, had suggested going to the hospital so they could both get some checkups and talk to the doctor. His suggestion was good, and she could use it... "What's going through your mind, my love?" Damien's voice jolted Madison out
“Morning, princess.”Madison groaned, her eyes fluttering open as Damien’s loud greeting roused her from her slumber.“Go away.” She mumbled, eyes still closed as she turned sideways on the bed, intent on continuing her sleep, but he just wasn’t having it.“No, I won’t. Wake up, princess.” He said again, using his hands to nudge her shoulders again, and she let out a frustrated hiss.“I think I can handle you calling me ‘princess,’ and the word alone will make me wake up. You know I like it.” She mumbled, hands rubbing at her eyes as she tried to gain consciousness of her surroundingsDragging the blanket with her, Madison pushed herself into a sitting position against the headboard, yawning and stretching.She looked over to where he was standing, and her lips fell open when she saw he had a tray in hand.A tray of food? What was in there? She began to wonder, but she didn’t need to think much because, soon enough, the smell of freshly fried eggs, bacon, and pancakes filled the air,
The moment Damien placed his lips on hers, Madison knew she was lost already.Finally, after her fears and worries, she was doing this. She was going to enjoy tonight, and since it was their first time since whenever, she just had to bask in it.Closing her eyes and letting out a hum the second he placed her on the soft king-sized bed they shared, Madison’s left hand wandered to his hair, gripping the strands tightly. She moved forward to deepen the kiss, feeling his hands also moving, and she let out a sigh when his thumb caressed the bud of her puckered nipple.He was still kissing her. Their tongues lip locking lightly, and every move he made sent warmth rushing through her body and made her heart race. Suddenly, Damien pulled back and smiled softly at her before placing a gentle kiss on her neck, and she heard him whisper, “Fuck Maddie. Your scent… it’s driving me crazy and… I’ve missed you so much….” He trailed off, his voice shaking as if sobbing and the sound tugged at her he
“Sure, I’ll come visit.”“We will come visit.” Damien chimed in, throwing Madison a wink, and she just laughed softly.His hands wrapped possessively around her waist, Madison leaned further into his arms, sighing satisfactorily as she bade her family goodbye.Watching as everyone got into the jeep Damien had provided to take them home, she continued waving at the moving car until finally, the vehicle was out of the mansion’s heavy gates, and it was just her and Damien standing outside in the cold.It’d been a long night, filled with eating, drinking, and dancing, and now it was all over, and as much as she had not wanted the event to end, she was rather grateful.She was tired, and she could do with some sleep as it stood. “Hey, lovebirds.” A familiar voice called behind, and they both turned back to check.It was Alvarez, and he was coming down from the mansion's stairs, bag and suitcase packed already, and Madison’s brow raised immediately, the sleep at the corner of her eyes disa
“…I still have a lot to say, but this toast would be incomplete without my late father, Mr Daniel. It’s so funny how everything that happened all till this day is somehow intertwined with the events of the past. I can’t say the memories are worthwhile, but then everything happens for a reason, and I know that wherever he is right now, he would be watching us with love, admiration, and pride. I am also proud, not because of my achievements or everything I might have gained in these past few years. But because of what I became after all these incidents. I would never have imagined this scenario, but I am grateful for it. This enmity and malice between our families have been long gone, but we still have to look out for each other, especially when the situation gets tough. However, it can only get better from here. That I know!” The sound of applause filling the room as Damien continued his speech had Madison’s lips quivering, and she fought the urge not to cry.The way he spoke was so e
“Hello, mother.” Damien smiled ruefully, his arms wide as he embraced Mrs Connor, and she dutifully fell into his warm hug.“Son…” She began, “You look so good and strong already. How are you doing?“ She queried with a raised brow, and Damien chuckled all the more.“I’m doing fine, as you can see, thanks to Madison.” He finished with a wink, and the pretty older woman laughed heartily.“Come in, come in,” Damien said again, his hands outstretched as he led her into his modest abode.Kissing her on both cheeks, he allowed her to wander in and turned to face the rest of Madison’s family.Her father, brothers and their spouses were all present tonight for the reunion party and from the look of things, there was going to be a full house.However, Damien reveled in it. He was more than happy that they’d all honored the invitation, and knowing that this dinner event would usher in many more to come, his eyelids twinkled as another waning idea flickered into his thoughts.“Hello, brother.” M
“I’ve been trying mother’s cell phone, but it hasn’t been going through, father. Where is she?” “Hello to you too, Maddie.” Mr Connor greeted, and Madison sighed, rubbing her left hand on her forehead. “Afternoon, father. How are you doing?” She politely asked, a smile flickering on her lips as he replied “I am doing okay. Better than ever. Your mother went to the grocery store nearby to get some things for dinner tonight and….” “Why is she still going out on her own father?” Madison abruptly asked, continuing, “Damien’s made sure she doesn’t have to worry about all these. You both… I mean, the household staff he hired should be able to….” “You know how stubborn your mother can sometimes be, and I couldn’t object. She wanted to go out and get the things she needed specifically. Just leave her be.” Mr Connor said, and Madison could only jet out a worried exhale. However, hearing her father’s cheery voice lifted her heart enthusiastically, and tears pooled at the back of her eyes.