While the paparazzi waited at the front of the building, Elias and Maddison were ushered to the parking garage by security. There, a limousine was waiting for them.
"Mr King, Miss Lane," The chauffeur greeted both of them and helped Maddison with her bags.
Her confidence from earlier quickly faded away as she was pulled into the limousine and driven off. As they exited the apartment building, Maddison watched through the tinted windows as the paparazzi faded from view.
Silence hung in the air between Elias and Maddison. Neither knew what to say at first but eventually, someone started to speak.
"How did you get into my apartment?" Maddison asked.
She could not help but wonder.
"I broke in," Elias replied without skipping a beat. He was still looking out of the window as he spoke.
"Broke in?!" She gasped in horror.
Why would a billionaire need to break into her apartment?
As Maddison pondered over his words, she realized he had to be lying. Though the main door was unlocked, there was no sign of forced entry.
She narrowed her eyes at him, "You're joking aren't you?"
Elias grinned as he glanced over at her, "Well I'm glad you got the joke."
She didn't know how to respond, so she chuckled and shook her head. Still, the question remained.
"So, how did you get in? I don't think my landlord would have let you in. Well, perhaps if you bribed her but-"
From the look on his face, she realized she might have hit it on the nail!
"You bribed her?" She asked again.
"No," He replied simply with no elaboration.
Elias was calm and collected. It was driving her crazy! If he didn't bribe her, what else could it be? Elias King was a billionaire, and he was one of the wealthiest men in the city, maybe in the world!
Then, it dawned on her.
"You bought my apartment, just to get access to it?"
"You're close," He replied.
She was getting close to the truth but she wasn't quite there yet. What else could it be?
"You… you bought the entire building?"
This time, he turned to face her as he replied, "Now you got it."
Maddison's mouth was agape. He bought the entire apartment building just so that he could access it. And to think everything was settled within such a short time frame! Maddison sat there in silence for the rest of the limousine ride, trying to process what had just happened.
She didn't realize they had arrived at their destination until Elias placed his hand gently on her shoulder.
"We're here," He said to her before getting out of the car.
Maddison got out and looked all around. She had no idea where she was, so she tried looking for clues. When she noticed a signboard with a company logo on it, she was a little confused.
"Aren't we going to the new apartment?" She asked Elias as they walked towards the lift lobby.
It was a special lift lobby, reserved only for Elias. There were security guards at the door, greeting them as they walked in.
"Your new apartment isn't ready yet. So for now, you'll be staying with me."
"Staying with you?!"
How shameless was this man? Maddison was too stunned to speak. She went through the motions as they boarded the lift together, heading towards the top floor. When the lift doors opened again, she was greeted with the most amazing view she had ever seen.
Elias guided her into his penthouse.
"All of your personal things will be sent here and that room over there will be yours. It has the second-best view in the penthouse so I hope you'll like it," He explained as he showed her to the room.
Maddison nodded wordlessly, following Elias as he showed her around. It also soon dawned on her that this wasn't the same place she had woken up in. When Elias asked if she had any questions at the end of the short penthouse tour, she was ready to ask.
"This is a different apartment from the one you brought me to, right?"
The decor was similar but she was certain it looked different.
"Yes of course. That one is nearest to The Garden. This penthouse, which is the one I use more often, is located in King Tower."
Maddison knew it sounded familiar. Recalling the company logo, she realized what building she was in. She was in the King Tower! The Headquarters of King Enterprise, the largest tech firm in the city.
She walked towards the room Elias had pointed out to her. When she saw the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows, she couldn't believe her eyes. How was it possible that this was only the second-best view?
"Do you like it?" Elias asked as he leaned against the door frame of the room.
"It's beautiful," Maddison said with a smile as she turned to face him, "Thank you."
Elias nodded and lifted the sleeve of his shirt to check his watch just as Jack approached him.
"Sir, you have a meeting in five minutes."
"I'll leave you to unwind and unpack. Oh, one more thing," Elias turned to Jack.
"Is it ready?" He asked Jack.
"They just completed the final round of testing. There are still a few things to patch but-"
"Give it to me."
Jack didn't speak any further, he handed Elias a small ring box.
Maddison was confused by the exchange, wondering what the ring box contained. Was her new billionaire boyfriend about to propose to her? But they barely knew each other. Their agreement was to get married sometime later, not now!
When Elias came up to her, Maddison held her breath. She didn't know what to say. She was grateful for his help but wondered what he was about to do. Why was this man so hard to read? Elias reached out and took Maddison's hand into his own.
He placed the ring box on her open palm and carefully opened the lid. In it, was a beautiful simple ring with no diamonds.
"You're not proposing to me?" Maddison blurted out in confusion.