Never in Maddison's wildest dreams did she ever think this day would come! Her father was asking her to come home, how could she possibly say no? But just as she was about to give her reply, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
It was Margaret.
"Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but darling, you have an urgent business call waiting for you in the study room," She explained sweetly.
Keith looked guilty, having to leave at such a crucial moment. But Maddison didn't mind, she reassured him that they could continue speaking after he was done with his business call. After he left, Margaret entered the room, much to Maddison's surprise.
"Maddison, is it?" Margaret asked, that smile remained on her face as if it had been plastered there.
"Yes," She didn't know where this conversation was going and she didn't like it.
Margaret closed the door behind her. Though the smile remained on her face, Maddison felt as though the atmosphere in the room had changed. She watched Margaret intently as she stood opposite her.
"Maddison, may I be honest with you?" She asked.
"Yes of course."
"I don't think this room… this house is suitable for you."
"Excuse me?" Maddison did not expect her to be so straightforward with her comments. She wanted to shut her down immediately but chose to hold back in the end.
She wanted to know what game she intended to play.
Margaret chuckled as she shook her head, "I thought you were smarter than you look but clearly I've overestimated you. So I will put it to you simply, I don't want you here."
There it was. Margaret was showing her true colors! She had called her husband out of the room on purpose. It was a setup.
"But my father-"
"Your father wants a lot of things," She interjected, not giving Maddison any chances to defend herself, "What he doesn't need is a filthy gold digger daughter ruining his reputation. Do you understand the words I am saying?"
Maddison curled her hand into fists, struggling to keep her expression unchanged. She got up to her feet and walked over to Margaret. She didn't want to lose to this woman, but she wanted to keep her father's peace.
This was her father's new family. Her mother was dead and he had remarried. She didn't belong here. The room might have once belonged to her, but this was no longer home.
"I understand. I never intended on staying anyways," Maddison replied with a smile before walking past Margaret to leave the room.
She didn't want to look back, she no longer wanted to stay in this place either. With each step she took Maddison was eager to break into a run. She did her best to control her movements, so as to not raise any suspicions.
When she reached the bottom of the staircase, Maddison turned to look into the living room. She was looking for Elias, for the support she desperately needed. But when she saw Elias speaking with Cassidy, the way she was touching his arm, she chose to continue walking.
She headed for the main entrance. The servants opened the door for her, letting her out of the mansion. She breathed in deeply. Finally! There was some fresh air. The evening breeze helped her regain her sense of calm.
Maddison carefully descended the stairs. Since there was no one to watch her every move, she sped up on her feet. She didn't hear the opening of the doors behind her. Or hear the voice that was calling out to her.
"Maddison!" A male voice called out to her.
She had reached the bottom of the stairs when the source of the voice caught up to her and grabbed her arm. He spun her around to face him. Maddison was surprised, she remained incredibly still as she looked up.
It was Elias!
He was staring intently into her eyes as he cupped her face with both hands. Neither of them spoke for a few seconds. Maddison could hear her heart pounding in her chest.
"What's wrong, Maddy?" This was the first time he had called her by her nickname.
Though Maddison heard every word he said and knew that he was genuinely concerned for her, her pride did not let her speak. Instead, she averted her gaze and pressed her lips together.
"Nothing, nothing's wrong," She attempted to brush off the topic as she removed Elias's hands from her cheeks.
The moment they weren't there anymore, she began to miss them! She tried to turn away from him again, hoping to hide her true emotions. But Elias saw through her. He turned her back around to face him.
This time, their faces were only inches apart.
"Tell me, Maddison," His voice was almost as soft as a whisper, "Tell me what's wrong. I'm here for you."
Maddison looked down at her feet. She focused on her breathing, trying to gather the courage to tell Elias what happened. But when both of them heard a bit of a commotion coming from within the mansion, Maddison panicked.
She gripped Elias's hand, tightening it as she watched the doors of the mansion. Elias noticed her reaction to it all.
"Let's get out of here," He suggested.
He guided her into the limousine they had arrived in, just as the doors to the mansion pushed open. Maddison was already in the car.
"My apologies, Uncle Keith. Maddison isn't feeling so well. We will return to visit at a later time. Good night," Elias said with a smile before entering the car himself.
He did not wait for a reply.
As soon as the car door closed, he ordered the chauffeur to drive back to his penthouse at King Tower. As the Walker Mansion faded from view, Maddison's mind was still crowded with thoughts. She tried closing her eyes to forget all of them but to no avail.
Elias reached out his arm and wrapped it around Maddison's shoulder, catching her off guard. He carefully pulled her in closer. Naturally, she rested her head on his shoulder. They were so close, she could smell his cologne.
Oddly enough it brought her the sense of calm she had been looking for.
"Rest. We can talk more when we're home."