Chapter seven

The night was silent and the crescent moon shone like a silvery claw in the dark sky. The main street seemed desolate and the street lights which were placed on several posts shone over the place that one could hardly notice that the day was rounding off.

Three black SUVs pulled up in front of the Allen mansion. Mr. Allen alighted the car from the door, held open by a guard.

He looked visibly upset and without saying a word, he walked past the guards, heading for the building and ignoring the greetings from the maids.

He still couldn't believe that he had been insulted because of Madison. What exactly did she want? Why can't she see that we are doing what is right for her?... All these thoughts ran through his head, as he strolled into the building.

He will not allow her to destroy his plans with her silly fantasies. The marriage was something that would happen, and she would have to accept that fact.

He wasn't going to let this opportunity slip from his hand, because of a teenage drama. She was going to get married to the man he had chosen and will have to learn to live with the fact that Chase was going to be her husband, no matter what.

“Where is she?!!” He roared out in anger, as soon as he stepped into the building, ignoring the butler that had greeted him. His tone, startled one of the maids, placing the dishes on the dining for the family's dinner.

She lost her grip on a ceramic and it fell and broke, creating a loud shattering noise, that reverberated in the room. Just like her, her colleagues gasped in horror and fear, as the ceramic shattered upon contact with the tiled floor.

They knew that Mr. Allen was the kind of man that would always find fault in every little thing. He was the kind of person that could fire a servant for the slightest mistake. He considered those people incompetent and would not want such people living under his roof.

They all backed slowly away from her, to leave the maid to her fate. None of them was ready to defend her, so as not to get fired as well. They already have more on their plates and wouldn't want to add more burden.

“Where is Madison?”

However, Mr. Allen did not seem concerned about what the maid had done. Tonight was a different night and his primary focus was on the one person that had brought disgrace upon him.

“She... " The maid began to stutter as she did not expect him to react this way.

When she had seen her colleagues back away, she thought she was done for. She wasn't ready to get fired from the mansion, as it was the only way she could save her poor family from starvation. Her salary was enough to make one's mouth water. She did not want to go back to the streets to beg for food.

“She is not home yet." another maid replied instead, as her hands shook while holding a tray. All the maids had their heads lowered slightly with fear and anxiety in their hearts.

Mr. Allen was dumbstruck. His daughter hasn't returned??... His eyes moved towards the clock on the wall.

“And where might she be?" He inquired, staring back at them. Now he no longer looked angered but worried. It was already late and his daughter was yet to return home.

“Welcome back Sir."

A deep muffled voice caught his attention, and his eyes stared at the young man that had entered the room.

“Where is my daughter?" He asked as he walked towards him.

“Sir..." Jackson began. “Young miss went to the office. She asked me not to accompany her, that she will be...”

“She did what?!!!" Mr. Allen roared out in pure rage, interrupting the young man from speaking. “... And you stayed behind?" He asked as he felt his heart ache slightly.

All the anger he had towards Madison, had vanished into thin air as he heard what the young man had just said to him.

“Sir, you did not instruct me to..." Jackson wanted to say but his boss was having none of it. He was totally confused, as he did not know what he did wrong. He served his boss alone and was only sent to spy or guard Madison if he was asked to do so from him.

“You are fired!" Mr. Allen roared into his face. Those three words were like blades that could easily cut through anything. Those forbidden words that they all dreaded so much and tried to escape from, was been said to Jackson, Mr. Allen's bodyguard.

...

Fashion empire was owned and run by the Allen family. The company was issued to Madison, who had greatly wanted to become a fashion designer herself, that she had to study it at one of the best and most prestigious institutions.

She was really good at it and helped the company gain recognition. Prestigious men and women would always come to the company for the best designs.

In an office that seemed to be disorganized, with books and sketch pads lying almost everywhere. Madison sat on her desk, staring at a sketch pad on a board.

She looked really frustrated, as she shook her head and sighed. Walking towards the board, she pulled out the sketch pad and tore it. Folding it into a ball, she threw it on the floor, creating even more heap of mess.

“Why??" She shouted in frustration and banged her fist on the table.

She had every right to be annoyed or frustrated, as she couldn't concentrate with the constant reminders that the clock was ticking for her to get married in a month.

It had greatly affected her mentally and she was becoming frustrated. She ran her hand through her hair and sighed again.

“Are you ok ma'am?”

A feminine voice rang out in her ears. She did not need to turn to recognize her employee. “I'm fine Hazel... What do you want?" She asked and turned to face the young girl.

She had a porcelain skin tone, her black lashes were not long but short. She had a few freckles at the base of her nose and thin rosy pink lips. Her Cinnamon brown hair was in a ponytail. She wasn't the really beautiful type but she was pretty.

“I will be leaving Miss... So I was wondering if you will like..." She began but was cut short by Madison, who waved at her.

“You may go," Madison said and smiled at her. Her eyes fell on the sketch pad in the young lady's hand. “You have something for me?" She asked.

“Yes..." Hazel replied as she handed the sketch pad to Madison, who glanced through it, with frustration etched on her face.

“Is there a problem?" She asked with a slightly worried look.

“Yes, there is..." Madison replied absentmindedly, as her eyes locked onto the sketch.

At that moment, Hazel felt her heart sink. She had worked hard on that sketch and seeing her boss's disappointed look, pricked her. She was expecting a different reaction than what she was witnessing.

Madison looked just in time to see the young lady's crestfallen look. “No..." She immediately said. “It's great." She added.

She was so deep in thought earlier, that she replied without thinking. She knew that the young lady had misunderstood her and probably thought she was disappointed with the sketch, Alas, the young lady's countenance did not change.

“It's a good sketch,” Madison said and the young lady gave a slight smile. “You may go home, I'll keep it,” she added.

“Ok..." Hazel simply responded and headed for the door. “Bye Miss." She said and walked out.

Madison sighed deeply as guilt washed over her. She did not intentionally try to hurt the young lady's feelings and it made her even more annoyed.

...

It's been over an hour since the young lady left the office. The room was quiet and there were even more pieces of sketched works on the ground.

Madison would have allowed her employees to do the sketching themselves but she did not. She wanted to sketch something, to take her mind off things.

She sat on her desk again, looking at the board. This time, it looked like she finally found what she had been looking for, as there was a slight smile on her lips.

She nodded satisfactorily, as she slowly took out the sketch pad. “Much better." She mumbled and smiled again.

This time, her eyes scrutinized her office and she almost gasped from the mess in the room. She wasn't aware that she had been creating such a mess, due to her frustrations. With a sigh, she began to tidy up her office and stared at the clock. Her brows creased as she studied the time.

She quickly tidied her office and walked out of the office, heading for the elevator. She did not look scared, as she walked into the quiet hall.

The sounds of her heels tapping the floor echoed in the building. She walked into the elevator and punched the button for the bottom floor. She sighed as the door closed shut.

The light in the elevator flickered but she did not worry much about it, although the total silence was beginning to creep her out. The lights flickered again, and this time, she could finally hear her heartbeats racing faster.