Maddison was surprised he could tell. When his expression grew dark, she wondered if he was being protective of her.
"Maddison Lane, I would like to officially ask you to be my girlfriend," Elias declared with a smile.
"What?" She asked in confusion, "Are you serious? But you're still in the hospital."
"There's no better time than the present. Just play along with me, alright?" He said while giving her a wink.
Before she could react to him, Elias pulled her in for a kiss. The door to the room pushed open. Maddison was caught completely off guard. As soon as she felt Elias's lips on her own, her heart rate increased.
Something about it felt so right. She closed her eyes, melting into the moment. It was a chaste kiss, the first taste of each other's lips but it was enough to ignite a spark in Maddison.
An audible gasp was heard from behind. Maddison quickly pulled away in embarrassment as she turned to face the entourage that had just entered the room. All of them had a look of shock on their face.
"You… are you taking advantage of Elias while he's still recovering?" Serene accused.
Elias reached out and grabbed Maddison's hand. He interlocked their fingers together. Maddison was unable to move, she was still frozen in shock by what had just happened.
"Mother, you came to visit?" Elias asked with a smile, completely ignoring Serene.
Edith walked over to her son's bedside. Maddison was going to move aside to give them space but Elias refused to let her go. He was still holding onto her hand so she was unable to move.
"Of course I did. You gave us all quite a scare, Elias," Edith said to her son as she took a seat down next to him.
"It's just an allergic reaction. It was my fault for not telling my girlfriend I was allergic to kiwis," He said casually while glancing over at Maddison.
He loved seeing how flustered she looked. That's why he could never stop himself from teasing her! When Edith heard her son say 'girlfriend', she widened her eyes in shock. She turned to look at Maddison, then at Elias.
"Mother, I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Maddison Lane."
"She's your girlfriend? But I thought… I thought…" Serene had tears streaming down her face as she rushed out of the room.
No one cared to run after her. Everyone was still trying to process the information. Edith turned to look over at Maddison. The younger woman gulped as she gave Edith a smile. She knew she had to play along to make the story believable.
If Edith found out now that it was all a lie, who knew what could happen?
Remembering their agreement, Maddison played along as best she could.
"Sorry for not introducing myself earlier, Mrs King," Maddison apologized.
Edith didn't say anything at first. She simply scanned her from top to bottom. Maddison gulped, knowing that the elderly woman was likely evaluating her with her gaze.
"No apologies needed, Miss Lane. I should be the one apologizing on behalf of Serene. She's the daughter of a close family friend and had always admired Elias."
"You forgot to mention how much of a brat she is," Elias chimed in.
Edith chuckled, "I think Maddison already got a taste of that."
She turned back to Maddison to continue speaking, "I hope you can forgive her behavior."
No one would ever excuse such behavior. But if Serene was the daughter of a close family friend, that meant she was likely from a rich and powerful family too. Maddison knew better than to offend someone like that.
"It's alright. We were all just concerned about Elias."
"Well, since you're doing fine, we will leave you to rest. Maddison, would you be a dear and follow me out? I would like to speak to you for a moment," Edith said before she got up from her seat and headed towards the door.
Maddison looked at Elias, a little worried about what was about to happen next. She did not know why Edith King would want to speak to her. Perhaps it was to warn her to not get involved with her son. Who knows?
Elias signalled Maddison to lean in closer so she did as he instructed.
"Good luck," He whispered to her before planting another kiss on her cheek.
Just when she thought he was going to give her some useful advice! Maddison didn't know what else to do or say. All she could do was to plaster a smile on and head out of the room with Edith and the rest.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Edith beckoned Maddison to come over so that they could chat. The demeanor of the kind elderly woman changed in the blink of an eye. Maddison was shocked to find that the air around them felt thick with tension.
"Miss Lane, I hope you don't mind me being straightforward about this. But what are your intentions with my son?" Edith asked without hesitation.
"What? I don't understand what you're trying to say."
The elderly woman arched a brow as she folded her arms, "You two met just days ago and now my son introduced you as his girlfriend? Don't you think something is fishy about all this, Miss Lane?'
Maddison wanted to tell her the truth of the matter so badly. But that was not an option. So, all she could do was play along. Play the role her contract boyfriend had paid her to play!
"I admit our first encounter was not so long ago. However, I've spent some time with Elias and I have grown fond of him. As such, I would like to see where our relationship would take us."
She could see some of the others whispering in the background. None of them had spoken to her just yet. Maddison had a feeling they would never speak to her either. To the rich and famous, Maddison was nothing more than a speck of dust.
"If you're in it for his money, just give me a number. I can write a cheque for you right now. But once you get the money, leave and never return."
Maddison bit her lip. She was getting angry. Who did the elderly woman think she was?! Yes, she was rich but how could she treat her like a gold-digger? Hearing what Edith said brought back memories from not too long ago.
Lizzie had also called Maddison a gold-digger. She never wanted to be associated with that term.
"It's not about the money, Mrs King. Elias has helped me when I needed it. He treated me well and expressed an interest in me. I don't know if I can call it love for me just yet. However, I know that I care about him too," Maddison declared confidently while placing her hand over her chest.
All she could hope was for Edith King to understand her point of view.
"I will not stand here and take this insult. Thank you for your time, Mrs King. If there's nothing else, I will be leaving now. I'll check on Elias later."
With that, Maddison turned and went on her way, not looking back. A few short seconds later, her phone buzzed. Maddison checked her phone, only to realize it was a message from Elias.
It read, 'Heard everything, you did great <3'
Elias was eavesdropping from within the room the entire time!