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
Hands on his waist, Damien stood by the balcony of his hotel suite, whiskey bottle in hand as he stared into the distance.His mind was in disarray, and he’d been pacing earlier on but he had decided to channel all his anger, worry and frustration into drinking.The investigation on Madison’s disappearance was already underway, and even the suite was abuzz with police offers stationed about, his guards and some other security officials.The chief detective and his personal investigator, Mr Rudiger as well as some other officers were already on their way to the Connor’s family house, and now Damien was just waiting for them to come back.Since they had no suspects still, the officer in charge of the case had decided on questioning each member of her family. They would have heard about the kidnap by now, and his eyes shutting briefly, Damien could only imagine the horror and pain Mrs Connor was going through right now.If there was anyone he pitied right now, it was the elderly woman wh
MASONMason alighted from the taxi quickly, handing the cab driver some dollar bills and immediately the car drove away, he turned to face the entrance of the family house.The compound was abuzz, with police card stationed about, and the incessant whirring of their car alarms blaring loudly.His brows were raised not in confusion because he knew why the officers were here, however he was wondering why his parents hadn’t called to inform him of this situation.Maybe, the police officers were just arriving. He thought to himself, but from the look of things, Mason knew better.Every single person on the streets were stationed just right outside their doors, with some men and women talking to police officers and the street was filled up in a way he just didn’t like.Even reporters and journalists from media houses alike were stationed, talking to strangers and trying to gather whatever news or information they could get just to feed the television screen, and a wave of irritation filled
‘Is it true that Madison Connor, is the woman you publicly humiliated some months back in New York?’‘Is Madison Connor really your long lost childhood sweetheart?’‘Is it true that you placed the 10 million dollar bounty on her head?’‘What do you feel about this whole abduction? Do you feel like it’s connected to you and…’ The second Damien stepped out of the hotel to welcome the chief detective in charge of Madison’s case, he was swarmed by flocks of journalist and reporters who were eager to get him to say something.Something they would feed the hungry media, and words they could twist to their own narrative. But Damien would be damned if he said a thing.As he walked, his guards and the officers with him tried to deflect the advances of the hungry journalists, and Damien himself tried his possible best not to take their questions to heart.He was doing a good job of ignoring them, already talking to the Detective, when suddenly a reporter from nearby asked a very triggering que
Damien watched as Mrs Connor, Mason, and Madison’s best friend Gina walked through the door of his suite.Taking some steps towards them, a small smile on his face, he soon got to where Mason was standing specifically and stretched out his hands for a shake.The second Mason’s hand intertwined with his, Damien dragged his gaze down to where their palms were interwoven and his smile widened.For reasons unbeknownst to him, he was filled with some kind of peace and relief once more, and allowing the tides of hate fall apart, he looked back up slowly, his lips quivering.He wanted to say something. Well, he wanted to say so many things, but well they’d talked at length yesterday and as he recalled all they’d spoken about, Damien still thought it was a dream.His mind going back to the phone call conversation with Mason Connor, he remembered every single thing his former enemy had said to him, and now he could only stand in awe.Mason Connor, had freaking asked for his forgiveness. Not ju
“Here have some food if you’d like.” Madison shook her head, trying so hard to refuse the spoilt slimy food Katherine was offering her.However the more she struggled against the food, the more Katherine kept shoving the contents of the plate down her throat until she couldn’t take it anymore and she just had to open her mouth to eat.Her hands were tied behind her, and she was so weak to even try and fight back or anything so she had no option.“Good girl. That’s a good bitch!” Katherine smirked, laughing wickedly as she threw the bowl away and it clattered heavily on the floor.Grimacing at the taste, Madison’s forced herself to swallow the stale food, and just at the same time her stomach tumbled heavily, Katherine’s laughter still echoing through the dimly lit room, Madison scrunched her nose up in disgust at the scent of alcohol reeling everywhere.She didn’t need a soothsayer to inform her that Katherine was heavily drunk, because she could see it from the way she walked, and
TWO DAYS LATERHands folded, and standing upright Damien stared at the screen of his laptop, where he was currently having a video call session with Alvarez.Alvarez and his daughter Ivy rather… The little kid was stationed on her father’s thighs, eating some snacks out of a bowl.Dragging his gaze away from her, and back to his best friend, Damien cleared his throat and said for the umpteenth time today, “How many times will I tell you that I’ve been calling her line but it’s not reachable. It’s never going true, and with every single call that goes unanswered, the more my suspicions about her grows.”“Damien, you have to calm down.”“I can’t calm down damnit! Katherine is a living ticking time bomb. I can still vividly remember the threats she let out the last time we met and I had to leave her in my hotel suite in anger. Do you also know that when I came back, she turned my suite upside down.”“What? What do you mean man?”“Man… She shattered the glasses in the room. From the mirr
~ 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.