"This is all my fault," Maddison whispered to herself as she buried her face in her hands.
She should have asked if he had any allergies before preparing anything for him to eat. How could she have forgotten something so simple? The entire scene replayed in Maddison's mind over and over again.
She wished she could have done something more for him. Now, all she could do was wait. They had wheeled Elias into one of the observation rooms and told her to wait outside. Though Maddison worried about the paparazzi, she knew she had to stay.
She wasn't about to leave him here just because of her fears.
"Where is Elias? Where is he!"
Maddison perked up the moment she heard his name being called out. She watched as a well-dressed young woman walked down the hallway towards her. When a nurse pointed her in the right direction she didn't even bother to thank her.
"You!" The woman pointed at Maddison when she caught sight of her.
Pak!
The woman slapped Maddison across the face, catching her completely off guard. The stinging pain burned her cheek.
"You're that whore who was photographed with Elias! Now you tried to kill him?! You murderer!" The woman continued to yell.
Maddison didn't know who she was, but clearly, the woman knew Elias.
"It was a mistake, I didn't know…" She tried to defend herself to no avail.
The young woman glared at Maddison, "You're going to pay for what you did."
She turned around and called for security.
"Security! Security!"
Maddison backed away in fear. She wanted to leave, but the woman grabbed her by her wrist.
"Where do you think you're going? Trying to run? You're feeling guilty, aren't you?" ]
"No, I-"
"What on earth is going on here?!"
Maddison and the woman turned to see a small entourage of people looking back at them. They were so engrossed that they didn't notice the entourage until they arrived. Everyone was dressed in luxury, and some of them resembled Elias.
This had to be his family!
The young woman's demeanor changed completely when she saw the entourage. She released Maddison's hand immediately and went over to one of the elderly women in the entourage.
"Auntie Edith! She must be the one who poisoned Elias!" The woman said as she pointed her finger at Maddison.
[Edith?] Maddison thought to herself. She had heard that name before!
It soon dawned on her, that Edith King was Elias's mother! She rarely appeared in the media as she didn't like the limelight.
"Serene, enough. Have you not caused enough commotion here?" Edith said as she rubbed her temples.
Maddison kept quiet, uncertain of what to make of the situation. But what she hadn't expected was for Edith to walk up to her and engage her in conversation.
"Are you the one who accompanied Elias to the hospital?" the elderly woman asked.
Maddison nodded.
"I'm sorry about what happened, Mrs King. I didn't know he had an allergy," She apologized, feeling guilty for what had happened.
"See! I told you she poisoned her!" Serene said to Edith.
"Enough, Serene," Edith shut her down with a cold glare.
"It was an honest mistake. I didn't know," Maddison defended herself, she didn't want them to get the wrong idea.
Edith held Maddison's hands in her own.
"You're not to blame, don't worry," She reassured her.
Just then, the door to the observation room opened and a doctor and nurse walked out.
"Are you Mr King's family?" The doctor asked.
Edith, her entourage, and Serene went over to the doctor, leaving Maddison behind. From where she stood, she was still able to hear what the doctor had to say.
"How's his condition, doctor?" Edith asked anxiously.
"He's doing well and stable. Although the medication he took was expired, it was a good thing that he did. If he could have been in a coma now."
Maddison heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, a smile formed on her face, happy to hear that Elias was all right. Since his family was here too, she no longer saw the need to stay. So, she picked up her bag and turned to leave.
"Mr King mentioned he would like to see Maddison Lane. Is she still here?"
"He wants to see me?" She blurted out before she could stop herself.
Everyone turned to look at her with bewilderment. Why would he want to see her?
"You're Maddison Lane?" The nurse asked again.
"Yes, I am."
"Please follow me," The nurse urged her as she led the way.
Not knowing what else to do, Maddison followed the nurse. She entered the observation room with the rest of Elias's family looking at her. She felt a little uncomfortable by all the attention but pushed her fears to the back of her mind.
"He's still a little groggy from the medicine, but he should be alright," The nurse explained before leaving to give them some privacy.
Maddison approached Elias's bedside. He gave her a smile.
"Sorry for scaring you like that," He apologized as she sat down by his side.
She shook her head, "I should be the one apologizing to you. I almost killed you."
Elias chuckled, "I should have told you I was allergic to kiwis. It just didn't occur to me."
[So he's allergic to kiwis!] Maddison thought to herself. She made a mental note to herself so that she would never forget.
"Is there anything else you're allergic to? I don't think I ever want the situation to repeat itself," She mused nervously.
He smiled and signaled for her to come closer. Maddison did as he asked and leaned in closer. However, it wasn't close enough for him. So Elias beckoned her closer. Assuming it was perhaps a secret, she did as he asked.
Now they were only inches apart.
"I don't have any other allergies," he whispered in her ear.
She felt his hot breath against her ear. There were tingles in her body as she blushed a little. Maddison bit her lip as she sat back down in her seat, coming to the realization that he was teasing her.
Seeing the expression on her face delighted him. It made everything worth it.
Before their conversation could continue, a small commotion outside caught their attention. Elias could not help but let out a sigh. When he saw who was out there, he knew he did not want to deal with it.
"Serene is out there, isn't she?" He asked Maddison.
She nodded. Remembering how she got slapped on the face, Maddison subconsciously touched her cheek. This move made Elias aware of it. He reached out to touch her cheek too, noticing how red it was.
"That redness isn't from blushing," He said sternly.