Chapter 4

Early the next morning, Madison got up and began getting ready for work.

As she passed the guest room, she noticed the door wasn’t fully closed. Inside, she could hear Jake murmuring in a daze.

“Madison...”

Without thinking, she pushed the door open.

He was lying on the bed, half-awake, mumbling her name.

Jake’s health had never been the same after the trauma of losing Xena. Searching for her had worn him down, and since then, he had gotten sick easily.

Madison walked over and touched his forehead. Sure enough, he had a low fever.

Just as she turned to get his medicine, Jake suddenly came to.

“Madison, what do you think you’re doing?”

The suspicion and hostility in his eyes pierced her like a knife.

In that moment, she found herself hating her own weakness.

Why was her heart still stirred the moment he called her name?

She had given him her heart, and now it was only fair that he trample it.

She closed her eyes for a second, then calmly said, “You have a fever. Don’t forget to take your medicine.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and left the room, heading for her car as quickly as she could.

But not long after, her phone rang.

“Where did you go?” Jake snapped. “I don’t even know where the medicine is, and you just walked out and left me?”

Madison’s tone was even. “The medicine’s in the first-floor storage closet, inside the emergency kit. I have work. And I’m sure Xena can take better care of you than I ever could.”

Jake sneered. “Is that supposed to guilt-trip me? Even if Xena’s not around, the housekeeper could take care of me better than you.”

“You’re probably right,” Madison replied quietly, then hung up.

She spent the whole day at the office, busy with back-to-back meetings.

When she finally stepped out of the conference room, her assistant was waiting, clearly hesitant to speak.

“What is it?” Madison asked.

The assistant looked uncomfortable. “Miss Spencer, during your meeting, Mr. Zimmer and Miss Ford attended a charity auction together. He bid an outrageous amount on a gemstone called “Heart of Sincerity” and gave it to her on the spot. The news is trending everywhere. It’s not reflecting well on you or the company. You once said that anything involving Mr. Zimmer should be reported directly to you.”

Madison had already given up hope, and yet her chest still ached faintly.

After a pause, she replied, “From now on, let the marketing department handle incidents like this.”

Her assistant blinked in surprise, then quickly masked the expression with a flash of sympathy.

She gave a short reply and turned to relay the instruction.

With just two weeks left before her departure, Madison wanted to settle all the company’s affairs properly.

She owed that much to Mrs. Cooper. No matter what, she would leave the Zimmer Corporation in good shape.

She worked late into the night.

But when she returned home, she ran into Megan Henderson.

The moment she saw Madison, Megan burst out laughing.

“Still clinging, huh? Did you see the news? Jake gave Xena a gemstone that symbolizes true love. Looks like you’re getting dumped after all. How does it feel, being the pathetic girl who gave everything and got nothing?”

Madison didn’t understand it.

After her mother married into the Henderson family, her mother had worked hard to erase her presence, sending her to boarding school and never mentioning her in front of the Henderson siblings.

She had been invisible in that house.

She never posed a threat to anyone, never expected anything from the Henderson family.

So why did they hate her so much?

From the bullying and humiliation when she first arrived to the open hostility now, it never stopped.

There had been a time when she fought back.

And the result was a slap from her mother and a look of bitter disappointment.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to survive in this family with you around?” her mother had hissed. “How could you raise your hand to Zac and Megan?”

That was the moment Madison learned her place.

Living under someone else’s roof, she didn’t even have the right to defend herself.

And so she endured for more than ten years.

But now she was about to leave. And suddenly, she didn’t feel like enduring anymore.

Her voice was cold. “Did you finally land that Jackson family heir?”

Megan’s expression turned vicious. “You must be asking for it!”

She raised her hand to slap Madison across the face.

But Madison stepped aside and grabbed her wrist mid-air. Then, without hesitation, slapped her back.

“You vixen! How dare you hit me!” Megan screamed, flailing wildly.

But she was pampered and spoiled, used to luxury, not real fights.

Madison, on the other hand, had been disciplined since she was young, and even now, despite her long work hours, she never skipped a workout.

Once she got serious, Megan didn’t stand a chance.

She was soon curled up on the ground, shielding her head and wailing.

Madison was about to strike again when headlights suddenly swept across the driveway.

Jake and Xena had returned.

“What’s going on?” Jake asked, stepping out of the car.

Megan scrambled up and pointed to the red mark on her cheek.

“I came home late and ran into Madison. All I said was that Xena was back, and she completely lost it and attacked me!”

Madison opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get a word out, a sharp sting exploded across her cheek.

Jake had slapped her.

His hand was still in the air, his eyes dark with disappointment.

“Madison, you know how much I hate women who throw tantrums and act hysterical.”