Chapter 80: Chapter 80

Damien took a sip of his black coffee, placing both hands tightly against the mug.

It was afternoon already, and usually he would not be drinking coffee by this time when he wasn't working, but it was just what he needed right now.

As usual he’d skipped breakfast, and he had been too busy thinking and worrying all morning since Madison left. He was supposed to be in Birmingham in-fact, but after everything that had happened at the club he just couldn’t bring himself to leave.

Also he’d discovered a shocking truth about his and Madison's past, after she spent the night in his hotel room, so it was sufficient to say that he was confused and needed some alone time to himself maybe.

Gazing out at the hotel view from his balcony, his mind still wandering as he took another sip of his coffee, he began to instinctively worry about Madison.

He had been too stunned to say anything when she had asked him to leave the room so she could undress, and right after that, she had gone.

He hadn't had a chance to discuss further with her in her sober state at all, and she just wasn’t giving him her attention at all.

Last night had been crazy, and worse still his mind still bugged heavily with what Madison had told him. He still hadn't managed to get out what she had been trying to say to him, the words she didn’t finish and he was curious and infuriated at the same time.

He couldn’t even talk to her this morning at all, and she’d left without saying a word or even sparing him a glance.

Sighing heavily, Damien walked back into his room, and picking up his phone, he walked back to the balcony.

He took a few minutes to consider the step he was about to take. His mind had not crossed it for a while, or maybe it had but he kept postponing it. Now though, he wouldn’t hold himself back because this was something he knew he had to do, and there was no other way around it.

Dipping his hand into his pocket, he took out the piece of paper Mason Connor had tossed to him which contained a phone number.

He remembered his encounter with Mason and how disrespectful the motherfucker had been, and now with his jaw gritting, Damien felt like tossing the paper away but he stopped himself halfway.

Mason was his only shot now. His only chance to get more answers… answers that his private investigator couldn't get. Also those words Madison had barely finished last night, he might just have the answer to them.

Sighing again, Damien inputed the digits into his phone and dialed.

The phone rang for a few seconds and then it connected.

"Hello?" A feminine voice sounded from the other end and Damien froze, his brows furrowing in confusion as he took a look at the paper in his hand, checking to see if he had made any errors, but he had not.

The numbers were exactly the same. Then why on earth was a woman answering the phone.

Briefly Damien wondered if Mason had given him a fake number, but he waved the thought off. Mason was way too proud for that, and surely he hated playing games of any kind, both in the past and even now.

As he parted his lips to ask the woman a few questions, the sound of a baby crying was suddenly heard from the other end, and he could hear the woman trying to coo the baby, singing some lullaby at the same time, and that was when realization struck.

Damien realized that the woman would most likely be Mason’s wife, and he remembered seeing in the file his private investigator had submitted that Mason was married, with a child too.

To confirm this, Damien put on a cheery voice, speaking into the receiver, "I would like to speak to Mason. Could you please put him on?"

He could still hear the woman coo at the baby before she finally replied, "I'm very sorry about that brief interruption. I'm just trying to put the baby to sleep. You asked about Mason right?”

“Yes, is he at home?”

“Unfortunately no. He is still at work right now, but I'd be happy to tell him your message when he gets back. Who are you?"

Damien did not miss a beat.

"I'm Damien. A friend of his. There's some business we were supposed to discuss.” He said, hoping it sounded believable.

He knew there was no need to lie to her, but pretending to be friends with Mason was the wisest thing to do. She would be more comfortable that way as well, and would reply better.

"Oh okay, I see. I'll inform him that you called then.” She said in a tone that was so friendly, for a moment it made Damien relax.

There was really nothing more to discuss with her, but Damien knew it would seem suspicious to just hang up immediately, so he didn't. He stayed longer on the phone, asking about her health and her baby.

It seemed like she didn't get to talk to people very often, because she was more than eager to talk to him and she did tell him about baby.

He asked about the family, and she all but eagerly told him about how they'd been coping…basically financially and physical wise, and Damien all but grunted in approval, as she was giving him the right cues.

When she asked why Mason had never mentioned him before, he laughed explaining to her that they were old time friends who lost connection and that they had only reconnected a few days ago.

She seemed to believe him quickly, which was fine by him and finally after a while, he hung up, bading her goodbye.

As he placed his phone on the table, he took out a cigarette, lighting it and taking a long drag from it.

Puffing out the smoke, he picked up his phone again and scrolled to his photos, looking for one in particular. When he found the one he was looking for, he tapped on it, and a sad smile tugged at his lips as he stared at it.

It was a picture of Madison which he had taken earlier this morning. He had awakened for some water and when he had seen her sleeping peacefully, her innocent face calm and without a shred of worry, he just couldn't resist the urge to take a photo.

He realized that it seemed a bit weird of him, but he couldn't help himself. She was still as pretty as ever, and it would be an honor to have the beauty amongst his photo collections.

As he continued to blow smoke out of his mouth, puffing on the cigar he recalled their conversation from last night, and what she had said about a miscarriage and he couldn't help the pain that burned through his chest.

His baby… Their baby. His eyes moved over her long lashes and her pretty nose in the picture and Damien smiled, wondering what their baby would have looked like.

He exhaled bitterly, tears now burning at the back of his eyes as he realized that he might never know. The knowledge was so harsh, and painful that once again, he felt the same heavy weight rest on his chest, squeezing tightly. He had never felt so much regret, so much pain, and he’d single-handedly caused it.

Knowing the truth changed a lot of things, and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't see it the same way. It was exhausting, painful… and he wished he could do things differently.

He wished he could turn back the hands if time, and correct the mistakes he’d made, but Damien knew he couldn't.

All that was left to do was see how things would work out now, and only hope for the best.

Sighing, he blew out a puff of smoke and fell back into his chair.

…….

Madison threw the tablets of aspirin into her mouth, downing them with a glass of water and slowly lowering herself back to her bed.

She wondered once again why she had even drank so much the previous night. It had been so long since she was hung over, and experiencing it once again right now, Madison decided that she did not like the feeling at all.

As she took more sips of her water, she vowed to stay away from alcohol for as long as possible, because it made her do stupid things.

One thing she was most grateful for however, was the fact that she did not have work today. She would not have been able to make it, as she looked and felt so bad. Going to work this way only spelt doom, and it would definitely look bad on her part.

No, she just couldn’t risk her job like that.

Groaning as she tried to make herself more comfortable with her pillow, she stretched out on her bed, letting her eyes roam the room.

Needless to say, she felt like she was in a pigsty. Her room wasn't that messy save for her clothes and shoes from last night strewn across the floor, and her kitchen door wide open with a few pots and dishes unwashed but she had gotten so used to cleaning everyday that she felt like it was such an eyesore.

She was not in the shape for house chores today, and it made the mess in her head and eyes more worse. Turning her head away from the the messy surrounding, she promised to clean as soon as she felt better.

As she shut her eyes slowly and tried to get some sleep, she suddenly heard a knock at her door.

Who the hell was that again? Madison internally queried herself, resisting the urge to scream out her lungs in frustration.

She was tired, hungry, dizzy and she needed to sleep, so who was interrupting her right now?

Reasoning that it could be one of her neighbors, she stood carefully and made her way to the door. She had to hold the wall for support as she felt quite dizzy, but still she managed to open the door up, and that was when she saw Gina, standing stiff with a small smile on her face.

The instant their gazes locked, Madison's expression darkened.

"Hey. How are you doing?" Gina asked, rubbing both hands together as she continued smiling slightly, but Madison did not say a word. She only opened the door wider for her friend, and walked back to the bed, leaving Gina standing at the door in shock as she stared after her.

When she had recovered from the brief shock a little, she shut the door behind her and approached Madison.

Just as she began to ask what the problem was, Madison raised a hand to stop her.

“Don't even start.” She snapped, “We agreed to go out and have fun last night, right? That we did. And yes I admit some unforeseen circumstances came up and that's no one's fault, but leaving me with Damien? How could you leave me with him?” She blurted out her voice high pitched as she added, "I mean, why would you even do that? You left me with that man? My enemy, or I don’t even know what to call him. Gina, how could you?”

Gina’s eyes widening in surprise, her jaw dripping she asked softly, "Damien? Is that man the same Damien you talk about?"

Madison only gave her a nod, and that was when the apology began.

"Madison I swear I had no idea he was the same Damien you told me about. I had no idea, he was the one. You of all people should know, that if I had known I wouldn't even have agreed to let him take you. I only saw him as a very nice stranger and… Oh my… I'm so sorry Maddie."

“A nice stranger, and you all but let him take me? What if he wasn’t a nice person? I mean what if… Oh Christ!” Madison paused shaking her head, as her thoughts suddenly went back to the brief moments she’d had with Damien this morning.

From waking up in his bed, half naked, and the slew of embarrassing occurrences that followed, her face began to flush and she bit at her tongue angrily.

Gina apologized once more, but Madison could only sigh in response, already lost for words.

After a while, when the tense atmosphere seemed to have receded, Gina took a seat next to her, and then let out her own huge sigh.

“Well, you should see this.” She began, taking out a magazine issue from her purse which she handed to Madison, who quickly stared at the newspaper, dreading what she might see.

Right on the front cover of the paper tabloid was a picture of Damien punching a man's face, and there was blood splattered all over his face and shirt. She opened the pages of the magazine, intent on seeing what the article said, and that’s when she saw the full story.

The tabloid raged on and on about how the owner of one of London’s most populous clubs, was seen fighting because of a woman in public.

"It turns out he is indeed the owner of the club," Gina started to say again, rousing Madison from her thoughts.

When she still didn't reply, her friend placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know you're upset and you have every right to be, but I swear I want you to believe me, when I said I had no idea he was the same person you told me about. This news just worsens everything but then, I’m truly sorry and I promise to be on the lookout for him at all times."

Madison believed Gina. She knew it was an honest mistake, and there was no use keeping a grudge now, since the deed had already happened and there was nothing she could do about it.

She nodded in acceptance, letting her friend know that it was fine, but still the thoughts of this morning continued to play in her head.

Sighing in frustration, she fell down to the bed and stared at the ceiling aimlessly.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" Gina asked softly, placing a comforting hand on her friend's arm and Madison only shook her head in response.

Last night was still a blur, and she didn’t remember much about wha happened.

"I don’t remember much, but I do recall yelling and talking to him last night.” She whimpered, rubbing her forehead in exhaustion, “Who knows what I must have told him last night.” She cried, feeling her eyes beginning to sting.

She hated that she always made so many stupid mistakes, and this was one of them, "What if I told him everything that happened in the past? I can't even remember how much I told him. I keep trying too, but nothing is coming. With what I must have said, it won’t be baffling if he hates and despises me even more now."

"Hey…" Gina cooed, rubbing Madison's arm gently, “I wasn't drunk last night so I remember some things, and I don't really know the full story of what happened between you two, but I saw Damien last night and his actions weren't those of someone who hates you. It was the exact opposite infact, and like I said I don't know much about him, but he seemed to care a lot about your welfare. He had genuine intentions, and seeing that he beat up those men groping you… Well, it says a lot."

Madison rubbed her face, rolling her eyes as she listened to her friend talk about Damien. It didn't make any difference to her still. If only she could remember something.

"And what about this morning? Did you talk to him? What happened between you too?" Gina all but asked again, and Madison let out a heavy sigh as the event of this morning came rushing back in her head.

It was the last thing she wanted to talk about right now, and she wouldn’t even try too.

“Gina, I’m really not in the mood to talk about Damien anymore. I have a terrible headache right now, and I just want to rest and not talk or think about anything at the moment.”

Her friend nodded, letting it go as she dropped the conversation and Madison continued to sniff softly.

"He has gotten what he wanted after all. My face has yet again appeared in these ridiculous tabloids. I know somewhere in this papers, my name and pictures would be bared for all to see. He has succeeded in humiliating me once more and not just in New York. There's a London edition now as well." As she said the words, her voice broke and she began to sob openly, leaning forward to hug her friend.

Gina accepted her gently, drawing her in a warm hug, and rubbing her back softly, she murmured soft words in Madison’s ears.

The word assurances didn’t stop her sobs or let the anger go away, and if anything, Madison’s pain and sorrow only increased.