Maddison was intrigued. She knew nothing about her family, let alone her own stepmother. So, Elias explained it all to her, how Margaret used to work in the Walker Mansion. After Maddison and her mother's disappearance, Margaret was there to support her father.
Eventually, when Nessie Walker's death was confirmed, she continued to remain by Keith's side, eventually becoming his closest confidant.
"It didn't take long before your father decided to marry her, and together they had their daughter, Cassidy."
Recalling her walkthrough of the mansion when her father showed her her room, Maddison realized that all the changes were done by Margaret. Not only were the designs tacky, they screamed expensive.
The woman had no class and no taste!
"I wonder what he saw in her," Maddison sighed, referring to her father.
"I think he just needed some support at the time. It could not have been easy to lose both his daughter and wife. Your mother's death likely broke him," Elias explained.
He paused for a moment before adding, "When my father died, my mother was devastated. She held it together for me, but I knew she cried herself to sleep every night."
This was the first time she had heard him mention about his family. Maddison knew Richard King, Elias's father, was no longer around. But she never knew how it happened.
"How did it happen?" She could not help but ask out of curiosity, "You don't have to tell me if you're uncomfortable sharing. I didn't mean to pry."
Elias shook his head, "No, you're fine, don't worry. It's a long time ago now. My father got into a car accident when I was twelve. The injury devastated him, so he wasn't about to lead the company for a long time. My mother needed to take care of him so I had to step up to take care of the company.
Maddison was shocked, "But… you were only twelve…"
"Indeed," He mused smiling, "You should have seen the look on the investors' faces when I appeared at the meeting for the first time. Luckily for me, my father had a great team of people working for him. We would not be where we are without their help."
He was so humble about his own accomplishments.
"I don't think your company would be where it is if it wasn't for your leadership. You have to give yourself credit," She added.
"Thank you, I meant it," He said genuinely.
Maddison was a little caught off guard by his response. All she could do was nod slowly as he continued to speak of what happened to his father. She knew his father was no longer around but never knew what happened to him.
The information was never released to the public.
"The car accident didn't just hurt him physically, it also affected him mentally. Three years after the accident, he passed on suddenly," Elias concluded.
"I'm sorry, I never knew," Madison said as she placed her hand on his.
"It's alright. It took my mother and me some time to recover from it but eventually, we did. But it was a dark time then. My mother and I supported each other through that time. It was a tough time but we made many precious memories together."
Maddison leaned her head against Elias's shoulder. That felt like the right thing to do at that moment. Elias didn't say anything. He was enjoying the moment. Just having Maddison close to him helped him to relax.
That was something he had not been able to do in a long time. Maddison and Elias sat there on the sofa together. They listened to each other's breathing, enjoying each other's company. Maddison's mind was processing everything that had happened up till that point.
Her boyfriend abandoned her for someone else. Shortly after, she met Billionaire Elias King and agreed to be his girlfriend and eventual wife under a contract they had signed.
An imposter couple came up to her, claiming to be her parents. On that same day, Elias brought her to meet her birth father.
"Thank you, Elias," She said out loud with a faint smile.
"What for?" He asked in confusion.
She turned to him so that she could look him in the eyes as she spoke, "Thank you for listening to me, and being here for me."
But words could only convey so much. Was there a better way to convey her gratitude to him? There was!
Maddison leaned down and kissed Elias on the lips. It was going to be a chaste kiss. But as soon as their lips touched, Maddison melted into Elias's arms. Though he was caught off guard by her actions, Elias didn't shy away from the moment.
He could feel Maddison pulling away a fraction of a second after their lips touched. But he also sensed her hesitation to pull away. The lingering heat on his lips from hers gave him the idea. So, he took a leap of faith.
He reached out his hand, wrapping it around Maddison's neck, and pulled her in closer. Their lips pressed against each other again, reigniting the spark between them.
Maddison cupped Elias's face with both hands. She gave in to her desires, just as he did the same. Elias's hands traveled slowly down the length of her body.
She straddled him as they continued kissing, their bodies were pressed against one another and she could feel his hardening member in his pants. This only increased Maddison's own arousal.
Elias caressed her thighs. Then, he moved his hands up slowly, reaching under her dress. She gasped a little when she felt his hands on her waist. She hadn't realized it earlier but he had his hand on the waistband of her panties.
When he heard her gasp, he pulled away from their kiss for a moment. Both of them were panting for air, hot and heavy from their passionate kisses.
He looked deep into her eyes, "Maddy, we don't have to continue if you don't want to. This… this isn't part of the deal we made."