Maddison stared at the elderly couple blankly. Never in a million years did she think she would ever find her parents again. She was left at the orphanage when she was younger with nothing but the locket around her neck.
Now this couple claimed to be her parents?
This was too good to be true.
"How did you find me?" She asked out of curiosity.
"We saw you on the news and recognized that locket around your neck immediately," The middle-aged man spoke first.
Maddison was quiet. Something wasn't adding up but she needed some time to figure out what it was. On the other hand, she didn't notice that Elias was glaring at the couple ever since they walked up to them.
Realizing what they were here to do, he placed his arm around Maddison's shoulder protectively. His actions did not go unnoticed. Though she had not asked him to do so, she was grateful that he did.
"You abandoned me at the orphanage, what took you so long to come find me?" She asked factually, her voice devoid of emotion.
The couple glanced at each other for a moment. They didn't have an answer for that! But the woman was quick on her feet, so she spun a tale thinking it could fool Maddison.
"You were kidnapped, we didn't know where you were. We spent years searching high and low for you," the woman burst into tears, hoping to garner sympathy.
But there was no sympathy on Maddison's face. Or Elias's.
"I'm sorry to disappoint both of you, but I think you have the wrong person," Maddison said calmly.
"You are our daughter Maddison! How can you deny that?" The woman protested.
"I am most certainly not your daughter," Maddison explained calmly, "The details you've provided are all wrong. How could I possibly be your daughter?"
Realizing their lies were revealed, the couple still refused to let go. They turned their attention to Elias, hoping he would help them.
"Mr King! You have to help us! Our daughter refuses to acknowledge us, how can we go on living like this?" The woman cried as she tried to grab Elias's arm.
Elias dodged her grasp easily. He gently held onto Maddison, taking a step forward to put himself between her and the couple so that she would be out of their reach. Maddison was a little surprised by his actions, but grateful nonetheless.
But nothing could beat the shock she experienced when she heard what he said next.
"I can assure you, she's not your daughter and I have the evidence to prove it."
A small crowd had gathered around to watch, as the couple made quite a scene. When Elias revealed that information, everyone gasped collectively. Maddison turned to look at him, jaw dropped.
"You do?" She asked in confusion.
She tried to study his expression to decipher if he was bluffing. As far as she could tell, Elias was telling the truth.
Realizing the gravity of the revelation, Elias quickly apologized, "I meant to tell you later, in private. I'm sorry for revealing the information this way."
A million different thoughts raced through Maddison's mind. She never knew for certain if her parents were still alive. But now that Elias claimed to have credible information about them, she didn't know how to feel.
Everything happened all at once, it was too overwhelming.
"I… I don't know what to say," She spoke her mind.
"You don't have to say anything. First, let's leave here," Elias said gently before guiding Maddison towards the escalator to leave the mall.
But the middle-aged couple refused to let them go. As Elias and Maddison tried to walk away, they blocked their path. Elias's expression turned cold at that moment.
"Get out of our way, or you'll be sorry," He said coldly.
His voice was ice cold, cold enough to freeze anything in his path. He was glaring at them too. The middle-aged couple's expression turned to one of horror. They took a step back, trembling where they stood.
They had never seen someone with such a menacing look! Elias looked as if he was going to kill them with a glare!
"You… you can't take our daughter away! We'll call the police and charge you with kidnapping!" The man spoke up. His voice quivered a little.
Elias pulled Maddison in a little closer. He wasn't going to lose her, not like this. Maddison was surprised by Elias's actions. Her heart was palpitating in her chest. She was so close to Elias, that she could smell the cologne on his clothes.
She could even hear his heartbeat!
Was it just her imagination, or were their hearts beating in sync?
Elias let out a chuckle as a grin formed on his face, "Do you really think calling the police would work in your favor? One DNA test will prove everything. If you're not her parents, which I'm sure you're not, I will sue you for fraud. You two will never see the light of day ever again."
The threat was enough to scare them off. The middle-aged couple stepped aside without another word. Elias and Maddison passed them, leaving the scene. Unfortunately, the commotion alerted the paparazzi of their location.
Though they were not allowed to enter the mall, Elias had been alerted of their movements. Maddison thought they were heading for the main entrance of the mall, but he redirected her towards the underground car park instead.
"What's wrong?" Maddison asked.
"Just the paparazzi, nothing serious," He reassured her.
A few security guards joined them as they made their way through the mall. They got into a tinted window limousine and left the mall. Both of them were silent for a while on the car ride. Maddison crumpled the fabric of her dress.
She didn't know what to say. A part of her felt guilty over what had happened. It seemed as if trouble followed everywhere she went.
"Sorry for the trouble, Elias," She apologized meekly, "I-"
"There's no need to apologize," Elias said before she could continue, "It's not your fault. If anything, I should be the one apologizing."
She looked at him in bewilderment, uncertain of why he would need to apologize to her.
"But you have nothing to apologize for either," She blurted out.
Elias clenched his jaw a little, "I should have told you about your parents in private. I didn't mean to-"
Maddison reached over and placed a finger on Elias's lips. She didn't know why she did that but it felt like the right thing to do at that moment. At the very least, it worked as intended.
"You did what you had to to save me from the situation. I should be thanking you," She replied with a smile before quickly removing her finger from his lips.
[I wonder what it would be like to kiss him…] She thought to herself.
What was Maddison thinking?! She could feel the heat rising beneath her cheeks. She looked away in embarrassment as she toyed with a lock of her hair nervously. Elias was stunned by what she did too.
It took him a few seconds to recompose himself.
"Is it true though? What you said about my parents?" Maddison could not help but ask.
It had been weighing on her mind ever since she heard Elias mention it. Since she was young, Maddison hoped and prayed for the day she would be reunited with her parents. Over the years, she had given up hope.
But when Elias mentioned it, he sounded like he was speaking the truth. The spark of hope reignited in her heart.
"It is. Would you like to meet them now?"