"So… sorry," Maddison slurred her words as she tried to move away from the man she had just bumped into.
Her vision was blurry so she couldn't quite see his face but she noted that he was tall and had a broad chest. Next to him, she looked tiny. But there was something about him that made her want to talk.
"It's alright," the man replied curtly before attempting to move away.
However, Maddison wasn't about to let him go. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back. She rested on his chest.
"You know… I had a boyfriend who was just like you. Tall, handsome, rich. You know what he did?" She asked him as she looked up at him.
Her vision focused a little, bringing her a little clarity. She was holding onto a stranger. A very handsome stranger.
"You… you're cute," she slurred with a smile as she placed a finger on his chest.
"Miss, I…"
"You're going to tell me you don't want me either… aren't you?"
Emotions were bubbling within her. Driven by the alcohol in her blood, Maddison felt as tears began to roll down her cheek once more.
"No… no one wants me anymore! What am I doing with my life? How could I be so stupid? So stupid!" She said as she leaned in and cried in the man's arms.
The man was stunned by what was happening. Elias King was at Sanctuary Bar to unwind. He'd just finished a meeting with an important client. So, he was here to grab a drink before heading home to his penthouse in the city.
But just as he was about to be led to his VIP room, a young woman bumped into him. Now, she wouldn't let him go, talking about her ex. He found it hard to believe that any man would let such a beautiful woman go, but he didn't know the full story.
"Mr King, my apologies for this patron's behavior. We'll have her thrown out at once," The general manager apologized profusely when he came over after witnessing what had happened.
The general manager signaled for two bouncers to come forward. Elias looked down at the young woman who'd clung on to his chest. Under the fluorescent lights in the bar, he noticed something reflective around her neck.
He carefully tucked some of her hair behind her ear so that he could get a better look at the necklace around her neck. It was a pendant. No, a locket.
"This locket…" He'd seen it before.
But Elias could not remember where he had seen it.
"Mr King, we'll take it from here." The general manager said, bringing Elias out of his thoughts.
"It's alright. No need. I know her. I'll bring her to my VIP room to rest."
With that, Elias held onto Maddison's hand gently and led her away. Maddison didn't know where he was bringing her to but she didn't say anything. When they entered the room, he carefully guided her to take a seat on the sofa.
Just as he was about to move away, Maddison pulled him in and kissed him on the lips. Elias was caught completely off guard by this. He pulled himself away from it. He wasn't about to take advantage of the young woman while she was drunk!
"Handsome, why aren't we kissing? You brought me here, didn't you?" Maddison asked.
Her words were still not entirely coherent. The effects of the alcohol were still in full swing. Having just tasted her lips, he knew just how much alcohol she had taken from the smell of her breath.
"I brought you here to rest, miss. Not for any other purpose you're thinking of," He said calmly.
Maddison smiled as she clapped her hands, "You're such a gentleman! I'm surprised."
As soon as she was done, Maddison slumped over and closed her eyes. Worried she might have fainted or worse, Elias began to panic. He rushed forward and caught her before she fell. She landed heavily in his arms.
"Miss, miss?" Elias called out to Maddison but got no response.
He sighed as he looked towards the door. He couldn't call anyone to come help either. They would see the state they were in and rumors would start to spread. The famous cold billionaire has found a new toy!
"What have I gotten myself into?" He sighed.
Just then, Elias noticed the locket again. Now that he had a closer look at it, he recognized the carvings! It belonged to someone he knew.
"It can't be…," He gasped.
There were only two lockets in existence with this unique design. One belonged to an older woman whom he knew had died years ago. The other belonged to her daughter. A girl he was once friends.
But she too was supposed to be dead. Or so he was told.
"Maddy?" He called out her name as he reached out his hand towards her.
Elias stopped short of caressing her face. He hadn't thought about his long-lost friend in a long time. He had mourned her loss. And now there's a woman in his arms wearing the exact same locket.
Was this fate?
Or merely a coincidence?
"Mr King! There's paparazzi at the club claiming-" Elias's head shot up the moment he heard the voice of his assistant, Jack Morrison.
"Sorry, Mr King, I-"
"Stop, come in," Elias said sternly as he leaned the woman against the seats and turned his attention to Jack.
Jack gulped as he did as he was told. He wasn't about to defy his boss.
"I'm sorry, Mr. King. I didn't mean to come in unannounced," He apologized profusely without looking up.
He was just the billionaire's humble assistant! He didn't dare question the actions of his boss. He sure as hell wasn't going to tattle about it either. Elias King had never ill-treated him, unlike some of the other billionaires he had worked for in the past.
"I swear, I won't tell anyone what I saw-"
"Would you shut up for a moment? I need to think," Elias snapped as he rubbed his temples.
He was getting a splitting headache. If what his assistant said was true, his worst fears had already come through. Though he did not care much for gossip or tabloids, bad press affected his business.
That was the last thing he wanted.
"First off, I didn't do anything to this young woman. She was very drunk so I brought her in here to rest. Then, she fainted," He explained himself calmly.
He didn't care if Jack believed it. It was simply the truth.
"The paparazzi isn't going to believe any of that, sir."
"I know. We need a plan. We need to get out of here," Elias declared.
"But we don't know where this miss lives. We can't just leave her here either…" Jack added.
Elias knew his assistant was right. He wasn't about to leave the young woman here on her own either. A vulnerable young woman was easy prey for unsavory people in the bar. Even more so in an upscale one like Sanctuary Bar.
"We'll take her with us," Elias said as he picked the young woman up in his arms.
To his surprise, she was a lot lighter than she looked. Elias instructed Jack to prepare the car for their exit.
"Right away, sir," Jack said as he was about to rush towards the door.
"Wait, one more thing."
"Yes, sir?"
"I need you to find out everything you can about this young woman."
"I will do my best, Mr King."