Chapter 11: Chapter 11

How would a master apologize to his servant? Would that even be necessary?

Frustration distorted Dylan's face. He knew that he was not an oppressive man. It was wrong to yell at Madison and insult her. Dylan owed her an apology. But what if she would not forgive him? She had all the right to despise him, and he would not defend himself. There was no shame in admitting that to himself. But it was a struggle to apologize when he could not explain why he made a mistake in the first place. He could not just make her feel any less and rub it on her face for no reason. But he was confused about it too.

"Idiot!" Dylan burst out, annoyed at what was happening to him.

He heaved a sigh to clear his mind. He had to do something. Only, he had no idea where to begin. If he could only talk to Madison, he might stop feeling upset. He always got what he wanted, after all. But how could he speak to Madison when he had no idea where he would find her?

The last two days had been terrible already. The mansion felt strange without Madison. Dylan ran his hands over his head and sank into his bed out of exhaustion. He could not stand another day struggling with the same thing over again.

In desperation, he dragged his butt out of bed and decided, "I need to talk to her!"

He went to the kitchen and found Aunt Mila cooking alone.

"Good morning, Aunt Mila," Dylan began. The head housekeeper almost dropped the kitchen knife upon suddenly hearing a voice from behind. The desperate young man ignored it. In a casual tone, he continued to ask, "Do you know where Madison lives?"

The look of shock was still evident on the head housekeeper's face. "You startled me, young man!" Mila cried, calming herself down. Shortly after, she reiterated," Were you asking about Madison's address?" Dylan nodded. After resting the knife on the cutting board, Mila said, "Sadly, that young woman didn't tell us where she lives."

Now was not the time to give up. An idea suddenly popped into his head. He immediately left the worried housekeeper and ran back upstairs to change his clothes and meet the person who probably knew the answer to his and Mila's question.

As soon as he changed his clothes, Dylan drove his car and headed to his mother's company. As he approached the area, he kept himself calm, believing that he would soon know where Madison was.

When Dylan entered the building, he walked past Laurene's office when he noticed through the glass window that she was not inside.

"Hey there, Miss Sussane," Dylan greeted. He then asked, "Where's Mom?" He could tell that her mother was busy at the moment. Laurene's secretary glanced at the wall clock before responding.

"Mr. Carter," Sussane said with a faint smile to acknowledge the CEO's son.

"Miss Laurene is in a meeting with R & D Inc. at the moment, but she'll be here in less than an hour."

Dylan smiled back with a nod. "I see. I'll wait for her in her office then," he informed the secretary. After thanking Sussane, he strolled into his mother's office and slumped down on the sofa with an impatient sigh. He could not wait to ask Laurene, but he had to respect that the CEO's agenda was more crucial than why he visited the company today.

Dylan took a deep breath and whispered, "I hope Mom knows Madison's address." Trying to soothe himself, he leaned his head on the sofa and closed his eyes. Frustration would not do him any good. He needed to think straight in case Laurene also had no idea where the maid lived.

Laurene went back to the company over thirty minutes later, as expected. Hearing the door open, Dylan hurriedly stood up and kissed his mother on the cheek to greet her.

Laurene was surprised to see Dylan in her office. "What brought my son here?" she asked with a furrow.

Dylan stepped back a few inches away from Laurene and rested his hands in his jeans. "Don't worry, Mom," he replied. He was unsure whether it was Laurene he was trying to assure himself. "I just came here to ask you something."

Laurene put her bag on her desk and looked straight into her son's eyes. "Alright. Go on, Sweetie. What do you want to ask? It must be so important. You wouldn't have bothered driving here otherwise, right?" she said, cocking an eyebrow to which Dylan winced.

Not knowing how to tell his mother the truth, Dylan stroked his temple with his finger. "Oh, no, Mom. It's not that important," he denied as he shook his head.

Knowing her son, Laurene crossed her arms and smirked. "Do you think your mother would buy that? My son would be too lazy to get his ass out of bed only to come here and ask about trivial matters," she said frankly. She glanced at her wristwatch and added, "In fact, at nine in the morning, you're usually still in bed and fantasizing." She paused, glaring at her son as if warning him not to waste time making excuses.

Dylan could not help but flash a sheepish smile. Laurene knew him well. Although she was always busy, she knew when her son slept and woke up and when he badly needed something. It was too early to start his day and unusual for him to go to the company unless he had something important and urgent to ask his mother in person. There was no point lying to Laurene. But Dylan knew his mother too. Otherwise, he would have asked her as soon as she returned to her office. It meant he was screwed and bound to fall prey to being teased by her. Willing to accept such a punishment, he was about to speak when Laurene spoke again with a trace of impatience in her tone.

"Come on, Dylan. What do you want to know?" Laurene asked. She sat on her swivel chair this time, trying to make things look less uncomfortable for her son.

Dylan cleared his throat. "Mom, can I... can I...," he faltered, struggling to complete the question. Asking about their maid's address would not only make his mother make fun of him. Asking about it also demanded an explanation.

Laurene rested her chin on her clasped hands and asked for a continuation, "Can you what?" But Dylan fell silent for a while. He felt like he was being interrogated. He could feel Laurene's intrigued eyes shooting lasers behind his back.

Taking the words out of her son's mouth, Laurene asked, "Is this about..." Her office felt even more suffocating for Dylan as she cut the sentence. She rubbed her chin with a finger, and Dylan could not tell whether his mother was calculating whether her guess was correct or she was playing tricks with him already. Either way, it made him hold his breath until Laurene completed what she was asking.

"...Madison?" Laurene was making fun of Dylan. The mischievous look in her eyes said that she had caught him.

"Mom!" Dylan exclaimed, scolding his mother for already accusing him of something. But seeing that Laurene knew she was right, Dylan admitted, "Alright, you got me! But I have to ask you about something else first. Will you please stop looking at me like that, Chief Executive Officer? You're freaking me out!" The fact that he was so annoyed he emphasized his mother's position in the company made Laurene laugh.

Laurene sat up straight and flashed a serious face. She seemed to be scolding Dylan now. "Alright. Now tell me, Dylan. What happened? Why did Madison suddenly decide to return to the suburbs and work there?"

Dylan let out a sigh before explaining. "To be honest, Mom, I haven't figured out why. I just... I just lost it when I saw her talking with Sven. But I am sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to hurt her." His voice was filled with regret and frustration. He added, "I yelled at her and Emily. I told Madison stupid things. She got offended, and I argued with her below the belt. I shouldn't have been rude. I should've just talked to Sven." Exposing his mistake in front of somebody else made him so ashamed that he avoided Laurene's eyes.

Laurene dropped her hands to her lap. "That's not how I wanted you to grow up, Dylan," She replied disappointedly. Although nobody else could hear them, she lowered her voice and remarked, "I didn't work hard and give you a well-off life so that you could insult others. But now you're telling me you insulted Madison without knowing why. I can't believe you did it, Dylan." She scoffed in disbelief. Dylan had expected to hear those words. Those were not what he needed, but he did not argue.

He kept his eyes to the floor and repeated, "I'm sorry, Mom."

But singing his apologies only made his mother even more upset. In between her teeth, Laurene scolded, "Admitting your mistake doesn't make it forgivable, Son. You can't just expect me to understand and let it slide." She heaved a sigh and continued, "Madison has been doing her job well since the day I hired her. Do you know where I'm coming from, Dylan? I invalidated her by refusing to approve her resignation. I refused because she's so trustworthy I'm afraid it'd be difficult to find somebody else to replace her. But hearing what you've done, I doubt I could have the guts to ask her to come back. How can your apology bring her back, huh?" Although he was bowing his head, Dylan could see the rage on Laurene's face just by listening to her calculated but high-pitched voice.

Dylan risked himself by responding, "That's why I came here. Do you know where she lives?"

Laurene heaved an exasperated sigh. "Of course," she replied briefly, sounding as though she was done talking to Dylan. She got up from her seat and went to her desk. The cold confirmation cheered Dylan up.

Turning to his mother, Dylan bravely asked, "Can you tell me her address? Please?"

"Or else what?" Laurene raised an eyebrow as she went back to her seat. She was challenging Dylan.

Dylan thought about the possibility earlier but was not prepared for it.

"Or else what?" Laurene repeated with emphasis. "I'm busy, and you know it," she reminded and began shifting her attention to the documents in front of her.

Instead of thinking about what he would do if he failed to get what he wanted, Dylan persisted in begging. "Mom, please. I'll make sure she'll come back. Just tell me her address. Please." Hearing her son being stubborn, Laurene glared at Dylan in disagreement.

"Enough," Laurene said and pursed her lips. "She wouldn't leave if she could bear what happened. She left. Show some respect, Dylan." Dylan could only sigh when Laurene began tapping the files with her pen.

"What are you waiting for? You can go now," Laurene added, indirectly shoving Dylan out of her office.

But Dylan remained in his seat as he contemplated how to persuade his mother.

After a while, he finally stood up. Instead of walking to the door, he turned to Laurene and played the last card he could think of. Despite the uncertainty, he stood beside his mother and wrapped his arms around her like a sweet kid.

As he hugged Laurene, Dylan begged, "Please help me apologize to her, Mom. I can't let myself feel sorry without letting Madison know I regret what I did. Please, Mom, just this once. I badly need your help."

Dylan and Laurene were both persistent. It was only a matter of patience. "I can't give you what you want, Sweetie. I promised to respect her decision not to tell anyone." Hearing Laurene's unchanging response, Dylan abruptly loosened his hug and stood up to walk toward the door in dismay. How could a mother make her son beg?

He paused from walking and turned around. He could not believe he admitted what he did and pleased his mother to get nothing but shame and dismay.

"Fine! I'll find another way to find her then!" he yelled in annoyance. "I can't believe you refused to do me a favor, Mom!"

Dylan's expression came off as ingrate. Clutching the pen in her hand, Laurene warned, "Don't ever talk to me that way again, Dylan."

Realizing what he did, Dylan apologized, "I'm sorry, Mom." Looking hopeless, he explained, "I need to know where she is. I can't waste another day regretting what I did, Mom. I barely sleep thinking of Madison. I mean, I need to talk to her properly. But I don't know where to find her. I was hoping you'd understand and help me."

"But I understand now. I'm sorry for acting rude, Mom. I didn't mean to bother you, and I appreciate your time. I'll go ahead now," Dylan added. Without waiting for Laurene to speak again, he walked out of the office and headed back to the parking lot.

He was about to open the door to the driver's seat when he felt his phone vibrate in his jeans. He took it out and frowned upon seeing a message from Laurene. The shame, dismay, and annoyance he felt suddenly dissipated when he read it. His lips curved a broad smile as he stared at Madison's address on his phone screen.

Dylan immediately composed and sent a lengthy reply: [You don't know how relieved you made me feel, Mom. I love you so much! I'll be gone for a few days. I'm sorry for asking too much, but please don't tell Scarlett where I am if she asks you. I'm afraid she'd do something wrong if she finds out. Thanks, Mom! See you soon!]

With adrenaline rush in his veins, he immediately drove his car back to the mansion to prepare his belongings for the trip. An hour later, he had already departed from the city. But fear gradually replaced the excitement he felt as he traveled to the suburb. Now that Dylan had gotten Madison's address, he wondered whether he could ride the car with her when he returned.