Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Why was she so cruel? What had I done to deserve that treatment? I felt powerless in the face of her poisonous words, unable to react at the moment she spoke them. Now, the words echoed in my mind, fueling a storm of emotions within me, filling me with fear and anxiety. I confess they left me in a dilemma. I didn't want to give in to her demands, but I also didn't want to face the consequences of her threats. That girl was capable of anything and she could seriously harm me. I let out a long sigh.

"Are you okay?" Hannah whispered to my left, from the auditorium seat, after hearing my audible sigh.

I diverted my attention from the lecture to look at Hannah.

"Yes," I nodded. I wouldn't tell her about my problems with Madelyn.

"Are you sure?" she asked suspiciously. "You've been acting a little strange since you came back from the bathroom. Did someone bother you?"

"No, it's just that... Not everyone here is pleasant, and I didn't get along with someone," I replied.

"Oh, I see. That happens sometimes. Sometimes I feel like I'm back in high school, and it's only been three days of classes. But... don't let anyone ruin your good mood, it's not worth it," she said.

I nodded.

"You're right."

Then my phone vibrated, I had just received a message from Joshua. He said he would pick me up from university today too, that after what happened the day before, he wouldn't waste a second to come to where I was.

"Do you think this lecture will take much longer?" I asked out of curiosity.

"I don't know," Hannah shrugged. "Why? Are you meeting up with the boss?" She smirked mischievously at me.

"How did you...?"

"My sister is his secretary. She told me," she shrugged.

"Your sister is Samantha?" I said surprised.

Hannah was the second person connected to Samantha that I had met.

"Yes! She told me about you, but I didn't expect you to be studying at the same university as me. She said you're unlucky because Joshua's dating history has been terrible since he broke up with his ex. She freaks out and pushes away any girls he's interested in."

"Why doesn't he do anything to stop her?"

"I don't know. Maybe he feels sorry for her."

I sighed and heard my phone vibrating in my pants pocket. It was Gregory calling me.

"I need to take this," I told Hannah, and stepped away. "Hello, Gregory."

"I found Nathan. He was about to get into a fight."

"Wait, how?"

"I don't know. He had the misfortune of bumping into some troublemakers. But he's safe now. Are you coming soon?"

"Yes. It's probably time for Joshua to pick me up. Classes were replaced by a lecture."

"Okay, then. See you in a bit."

"See you."

I end the call and turn my attention back to Hannah.

“I need to leave. A friend got into some trouble and I need to go see him.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow then.”

I smile at her and get up from the chair, heading towards the exit of the auditorium.

***

I meet Joshua in the parking lot of the building. He was leaning against his car with his arms crossed and a serious expression on his face, but it quickly disappears, replaced by a smile, when he sees me approaching.

“Hi, beautiful.” He greets me, hugging me by the waist and giving me a kiss on my lips.

“I hope I didn't make you wait too long.”

“I just arrived.” He replies, but I knew he was lying.

Joshua opens the car door for me, and I smile in thanks as I get in, and he closes it, going around to sit on the driver's side.

“I received a call from Nathan today. Can you believe he got lost in London?” I say with an incredulous smile, and Joshua chuckles, as he starts the car.”

“If he doesn't know the city, why did he leave the apartment?”

“That's what I'm wondering. He said he was looking for a job, but... No chance. He was being really stupid. But Gregory found him, so it's all good.”

“That's good.” Joshua smiles, continuing to drive.

During the ride, I inevitably start thinking about Madelyn's words. I guess being close to Joshua triggered it. The way she looked at me with those eyes filled with hatred, the tone of her voice laden with resentment, the words sharp as knives cutting through my heart. She had threatened me, making it clear that she would do anything to harm me if I dared to continue with Joshua.

I get out of the car as soon as it's parked in front of my apartment.

“Here you are, safe and sound.” Joshua smiles at me and I return it with a faint smile, which leaves him slightly intrigued. “Are you okay?” he asks. “You were silent for half of the way.” He makes an observation.

“Huh? Yeah, of course, it's just...” I try to come up with an excuse to avoid talking about Madelyn. “I just had a long day.”

“Are you sure?” He raises his eyebrows. “Because you're not good at lying.”

I bite my lower lip.

I confess that I'm not good at hiding my feelings. I was consumed by fear, by the apprehension of what could happen if I spoke up. Madelyn was known to be ruthless and vengeful, and I had seen her fury in action.

But despite that, I knew I couldn't stay silent forever. It wasn't right. What I had witnessed was too serious to be ignored, and Madelyn needed to be held accountable for her actions. I needed to find courage within myself and face my fears.

With my heart in my throat, I decided that I should tell Joshua, especially since that woman was his ex. Maybe he would take the necessary steps.

“Can we talk?” I look at him.

“Of course.” He nods, looking at me attentively. “What do you want to talk about?”

“It's about Madelyn.”

I immediately hear a sigh escape his lips.

“Did she do something to you?" he asks immediately.

I swallow my saliva and take a deep breath, about to tell him everything.

“Ever since I met her at your house, she... She never stopped threatening me to stay away from you. And lately, after coincidentally enrolling in the same university as her, things have gotten even more intense.”

Joshua shakes his head, frustrated.

“This is all my fault," he says.

“Hey, you're not to blame for your ex-girlfriend being obsessive.”

“No, but for never putting an end to it. Madelyn made the same threats to every girl I was interested in, until one day, I got tired and gave up on falling in love again. I let her have control over my life, even after we had nothing left."

“But anyone would get tired of having a crazy person like her stalking them."

“But I won't let her do to you what she did before," I say, frowning, clenching my fists on the steering wheel. "Did she hurt you?" he asks, this time without looking at me. "Because if she dared..." He looks at me again. "That would be the last straw."

I shake my head.

“No, she... She didn't hurt me, although... She has a terrible habit of always squeezing my wrist or my arm.”

Joshua turns to me and touches my hands.

“I promise I'll put an end to all of this. Madelyn won't be a problem anymore," he says, and I nod my head. "Now I think it's better for you to go in, it's getting late."

“Yes.”

I say goodbye to Joshua with a quick kiss on the lips. I get out of the car and wave to him. When Joshua is about to drive away, someone crosses the street, almost causing an accident.

“Oh, my God!" I cover my mouth as I see Joshua almost hit an old man.

A little angry, Joshua gets out of the car to talk to the man.

“Are you crazy, sir? Walking in front of my car like that? I could have run you over!”

I approach them to see if everything is okay, and when I get closer to the man, there's no way my eyes don't widen immediately.

No, it couldn't be true. What were the chances of finding him here? Even though I hadn't seen him since I was thirteen, his face was still vivid in my mind.

“Dad?!"

The man immediately looks up when he hears me speak, and he equally widens his eyes in recognition.

“Alice?" he says, shocked, and immediately seems emotional to see me. "Look at you. You've grown so much!" Hesitantly, he approaches me. "Can I hug you?" he asks.

I nod my head, and he proceeds to hug me tightly.

“You look just like your mother," he says as he examines my face. "And... And the girls? Where are they? I haven't seen them since they were just babies. Is your mother okay? Are they still in Brazil? And... And what are you doing here?"

“It's a long story, but... They're all doing well," I smile. "And I came back to London to work at S.J. Cosmetics."

“Is that Mr. Scott's company?"

I nod my head.

"In fact, he's here." I point to Joshua, who is standing a little behind us. Joshua approaches, and for the first time, I see him a bit shy around someone.

"I'm Joshua. Joshua Scott." He extends his hand to my father.

"Oh, Mr. Scott!" My father shakes Joshua's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person. But..." He looks at the two of us. "Why is my daughter with her boss so late at night?" He asks, curious.

"It's because..." I bite my lower lip, feeling a bit embarrassed to admit that I was out with my boss.

"She used to work at my parents' house, and I decided to bring her to London to work for me. Since she recently arrived in the city, I'm making sure to take care of her during this period." Joshua responds.

"Oh, now I understand!" My father smiles. "I thought my daughter was being made to work more than necessary." He looks back at me. "And what do you do there? Are they paying you well?"

"Yes, yes! I'm Joshua's second secretary."

"That's great! I'm very happy for you, daughter. Your mother hasn't told me any news about you for a long time. The last news I had was that you were going to work in Los Angeles. Why did you give up on it?"

"I didn't give up. I kind of got... promoted." I emphasize and say in a playful tone. "As Mr. Scott said, I used to work at his parents' house, and I ended up receiving a job offer here in London, at his company."

"That's fantastic, Alice! I'm very happy for you. And are you settling well here?"

"Yes! I managed to get my own apartment. A friend helped me with the process. In fact, Agatha and Alex are spending some time here."

"Really?" He explodes with happiness. "Can I see them? I haven't seen them since they were little."

"Of course! I was just about to go in."

I say goodbye to Joshua and enter my building. As I reach my apartment, I'm approached by a worried Gregory.

"Where have you been? I thought you wouldn't take long."

"I'm sorry. But you won't believe it, I found my father in London. What are the chances?"

Gregory's gaze shifts towards the man behind me, entering the apartment.

"Pleasure to meet you, Alice's father," Gregory smiles in surprise, and my father nods in response.

We enter the living room further, Alex is lying on the sofa, listening to something on her headphones while watching something on her phone. Nathan diverts his attention from the TV and observes us.

"Is that who I think it is?" Nathan says amazed as he recognizes my father.

"Yes," I respond.

Nathan gets up from the armchair and walks towards us. He extends his hand to greet my father.

"Mr. Ian Collins, it's a pleasure to see you again!"

Like with Joshua, my father shakes Nathan's hand.

"How did you find him?" He asks, still amazed.

"I don't know. It was by chance! I found him when he stepped in front of Joshua's car. By the way, where were you going, dad?" I ask.

"My house is nearby. I was leaving work. I own a restaurant." His gaze falls on the teenager lying on the sofa. "Is that Alex?"

"Who wants to know?" Alex sounds gloomy, using her limited English.

"Do not speak to our father like that!" The girl quickly takes off her headphones, which, by the way, were on a low volume, as she managed to overhear our conversation, and sits on the couch, looking at us incredulously.

"My father?! And I have a father?!" She furrows her brow.

"You were still very young when our parents separated," I say.

"Mama never mentioned... you," she says.

"She must have her reasons," my father's voice sounds sad.

"So, you were someone despicable for her to never want to talk about you. Maybe you did something wrong for that to happen," Alex responds without hesitation.

"Alex!" I reprimand his attitude.

The relationship between my parents had never been one of the best, especially when my father got involved with a British woman after my mother refused to move to London with him, which resulted in the end of their marriage.

"It's okay," my father says. "What would she think of a father figure who hasn't been present in her life?"

"But that's in the past," I interrupt. "Now you can talk. Get to know each other. We have plenty of time for that," I assure them.

I see the youngest daughter walking into the living room with a glass of juice in her hand.

"That's Agatha," I point to the little girl with curly blonde hair.

And once again, I see my father emotional.

"She has grown so much."

"Ali, what's going on?" the little one asks, realizing that all eyes are on her.

"Your father is here," I answer her.

"Daddy?" she questions and without a second thought, the little girl runs to our father, being careful not to spill the liquid in the glass.

My father picks her up, hugging her. Unlike Alex, he would receive Agatha's affection.

"You look so beautiful. All three of you do," he says, putting Agatha down. "Can I come back tomorrow? I want to spend some time with you because it's getting late now, and I really need to go back home."

"Of course, no problem, dad," I say, hugging him again.

"I never stopped loving you guys."

He gives us a sincere smile and says goodbye, leaving the apartment shortly after.

"Really, what are the chances of finding a father you haven't seen in years in a city you don't know?" Gregory comments, still amazed. "That's too much for my mind. While Nathan gets lost in London, Alice finds her father," he says jokingly. "And I'm going home. It's late. And you, don't be late tomorrow," he points at Nathan.

"Not late for what?" I ask, curious.

"For his first day at the cafe," he says.

"You hired him?" I open a happy smile.

"Yes. I need another waiter. And it's better before he gets lost in London again, and I have to babysit him," he jokes and leaves the apartment.

***

I couldn't miss the chance to inaugurate Nathan's first day of work, so I accompanied him. We arrived at Gregory's café together with Nathan.

As soon as we arrived, Gregory handed Nathan an apron, as if he took his boss's superiority literally.

I chuckled quietly as I watched the two of them, and sat at one of the tables, placing an order. The doorbell rang again, and another table was occupied. I kept smiling as I watched Nathan move around the café and approach the table behind mine, which had just been taken.

"I would like a... Cappuccino, please."

Strange. I recognized that voice. I took out my phone from my coat pocket and looked through the screen's reflection.

Oh no... Even here? Madelyn was at Gregory's café. It wasn't usual for her to come here.