The next day, Elias was due to be discharged from the hospital. When Maddison got the information from Jack, she went down at once. She still felt responsible for what happened so she wanted to make sure he was taken care of.
But when she got there, she soon realized someone else was already there. There was a female voice coming from within the room.
[Could it be Serene?] She wondered to herself as she got closer.
She peeked into the observation room. Maddison had not noticed it the day before but the hospital room was unlike any she had seen before. Not only did Elias have the entire room to himself, it was ensuite with an attached bathroom. All the facilities were luxurious beyond belief.
"You didn't have to come all the way, Amelia. As you can see, I'm fine," Elias's voice rang out from within the room.
Maddison stood at the door, listening in. She wasn't sure if she should enter.
"Oh come on now, twinkletoes. Aren't you happy to see me?" The woman replied.
Though Maddison could not see how she looked, she was certain the woman was a few years younger from the sound of her voice. What baffled her most was when she called Elias 'twinkletoes'.
What sort of nickname was that?
"I told you never to call me that! Ever!" Elias snapped angrily.
"What's wrong with it? Are you embarrassed, twinkletoes? Embarrassed that a rich handsome billionaire like yourself has a cutesy little nickname like twinkletoes?" The woman teased.
Maddison could not help but giggle as she listened in. When the door swung open all of a sudden, revealing her presence, she froze like a deer in the headlights.
"Looks like we have an eavesdropper," the woman declared with a wide grin.
Looking at the woman, then at Elias, Maddison realized he was blushing a little! She had never seen him so flustered before. She was also quick to notice that he had changed out of hospital garments.
He was wearing a white long-sleeve oxford shirt and perfectly pressed dark grey pants. He was looking like his usual self, dashingly handsome.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to," Maddison apologized. She wasn't sure if she should enter so she decided perhaps it was best to retreat.
But before she could even take a step away, the woman pulled her into the room.
"Where do you think you're going? You're already here, aren't you?"
Elias's face twisted into one of anger when he noticed how she was pulling Maddison in.
"Amelia King! Stop that at once! You're hurting her!" Elias ordered sternly.
"Oh chill it, twinkletoes, I'm just bringing her to you, that's all," Amelia replied nonchalantly.
She released Maddison when they reached Elias's bedside. Maddison couldn't find her balance, causing her to trip on her own foot. That caused her to fall right into Elias's arms. He caught her with ease, expression full of worry.
Maddison's heart was palpitating in her chest, she had not expected this to happen! She froze in his arms, but his warm touch was more than enough to melt her heart.
"Are you alright, Maddy?" He asked without skipping a beat.
He had never called her 'Maddy' before but it felt so right! Did he know those close to her called her by that nickname?
"I'm… I'm alright. Thank you for catching me," she said shyly, her voice almost as soft as a whisper.
"Maddy…" Amelia pondered over the name for a moment, "Oh! You're twinkletoes's new girlfriend!"
"Amelia," Elias growled with a glare.
"Alright, alright, bro. I'll give it a rest."
But Amelia was enjoying the scene before her. She hadn't expected Maddison to lose her balance or for her brother to catch her. The smile on her face said it all. Elias caught on to it too.
Deep down, he was enjoying the moment too.
"Do you like being in my arms, Maddison Lane?" He asked Maddison as he looked down at her with a smile.
Seeing the heat rise in her cheeks, followed by her flustered look was his favorite moment. Maddison quickly moved away, apologizing as she did without being able to give a straight answer.
Amelia felt shivers down her spine.
"Brother, you need to work on your flirting skills," She said coldly while folding her arms.
He gave her a sideways glance, "What do you know?"
That hit a nerve with Amelia. Even Maddison noticed it! But Amelia King recovered quickly. This sort of banter was a daily occurrence between the pair of siblings.
"It's true, I don't need to know. Since I have countless suitors begging at my feet," She replied with a cheeky grin.
Amelia turned her attention to Maddison, "Sorry about that. How rude of me! I have not even introduced myself to you yet. My name is Amelia, Amelia King. I'm Elias's younger sister."
"Maddison Lane. It's great to meet you. I didn't see you yesterday."
"Oh, I was in Paris attending fashion week. You can imagine the shock I got when I heard big bro here was in hospital. So I flew in this morning, just in time for him to check out."
Amelia grabbed onto Maddison's wrist once more, "Since you're here, you have to help me convince him to get more rest! He wants to go back to the office!"
"You're going back to the office?" Maddison asked.
She didn't mean to sound disappointed but she agreed with Amelia. He should get some rest first. Work was important but not as important as health! Seeing the look on Maddison's face made him fluster.
The well-thought-out answer he had given to his sister was not something he was about to give Maddison.
"I just have a meeting to attend today. A rather important one today too. I'll rest after that," He fumbled as he replied.
Hoping to change the subject, he turned to Amelia, "Since you're in town, why don't you go shopping with Maddison?"
Amelia's eyes immediately lit up. Shopping was her favorite pastime! She had always wanted a shopping buddy, this was perfect!
"Really? You would let me borrow your girlfriend?" Amelia asked as she wrapped her hands around Maddison's arm.
"Help her pick out a few things too," He added.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing? Do you not like it?"
Realizing how his comment came across, Elias knew he messed up.
"You're beautiful the way you are, Maddison," he blurted out.
But he didn't know what to say next! Lucky for him, his sister was here to save the day.
"You look great. However, if you're mingling with the rich and famous, others will judge you and your boyfriend from the way you dress. Besides, I assume the tab would all be paid for?" Amelia glanced over at her brother, who promptly nodded, "Good, so you have nothing to worry about."
She pats Maddison on the back, "You're in good hands, love! Let's go shopping!"