Chapter 29: Chapter 29

Madison had to wake up early for work. But as soon as she opened her eyes, she shrieked upon seeing an unfamiliar room.

Dylan, lying on the couch, jerked upon hearing Madison's scream. His worried face greeted her freaked-out loo. It was only then that Madison remembered why she was not in her room. She watched television with Dylan, who helped her review her notes in his room last night.

"Hey, are you okay? What happened? Why did you shout?" Dylan asked, eyes scanning the room as though looking for a thief.

"Sorry about that, Sir Dylan," Madison apologized with a sheepish smile. "I didn't immediately realize I was in your room."

Dylan threw his back on the bed in relief. "Oh, Darling, I thought something bad happened to you," he said and covered his worried face with his right arm. Madison's eyes widened upon seeing Dylan's half-naked and toned body in front of her.

Just as he thought he could fall back to sleep for a few more minutes, Dylan was startled again when Madison squealed, "Holy cow! Sir Dylan!" Although Dylan's muscular chest was an enchanting sight, Madison turned her back to him to prevent herself from the temptation of caressing it. But her crimson face burned when Dylan's naked body imprinted in her memory.

Dylan got up and took Madison's hand, motioning her to face him. "What happened? Why did you scream again?" Madison closed her eyes while remaining in her position, so Dylan asked again. "Darling, are you okay?"

"I-It's just that…," Madison stammered, "Sir Dylan, your beef..."

"Beef? What beef? Are you hungry, Darling?" Dylan asked in confusion. Although Madison could not see the expression on his face because I was turned away and still closed my eyes.

Although Madison could not see the expression on Dylan's face, she could hear that he was frowning. "Your six-pack abs, Sir Dylan. They're beefy and mouth-watering…," Madison explained in a daze, making Dylan laugh. Madison did not know what was funny, so she turned around only to turn away again when she saw that Dylan was still shirtless.

"Get dressed, Sir Dylan!" Madison cried, closing her eyes tightly. "I'm afraid I might go crazy if you don't!"

"You can do whatever you want, Darling. I don't mind," Dylan teased as he laughed. The mattress bounced when he got up and left. "You can look now at me, Darling," he informed after a while.

Madison slowly turned to Dylan while still covering her eyes with her fingers. Ensuring he was not fooling her, her fingers made a small hole for her to peek at Dylan.

Seeing that Dylan had his shirt on, Madison immediately got up, saying, "I'll go downstairs now, Sir Dylan."

"Are you leaving my beefy abdomen?" Dylan teased.

Madison rolled her eyes. "Are you challenging me, Sir Dylan?" she asked, squinting. "You might lose it if I devour them," Madison warned as she took her notes from the table. She was about to leave the room when Dylan spoke again.

"I don't mind, Darling. I'm willing to lose it for you," he replied with a playful smile. His hand slowly raised the bottom hem of his shirt and winked at Madison.

Madison bit her lips as she rolled her eyes and remarked, "You do know you look silly, Sir Dylan, right?"

"What? Come on, Darling, it's all yours," Dylan whispered as he slowly approached Madison.

"I better go downstairs, Sir Dylan," Madison said and approached the door.

Dylan clicked his tongue. "Alright, alright," he said and kept a safe distance from Madison. "How about a 'good morning,' Darling?"

Madison smiled at Dylan and greeted him. "Good morning, Sir Dylan." She then opened the door and went left Dylan's room. She went straight to her room to take a bath.

As soon as Madison got dressed, she helped Mila and Emily in the kitchen. The two had just arrived from the supermarket. Madison immediately stored the groceries in the fridge and the pantry before assisting them in preparing the meals.

An hour later, the maids were already serving breakfast at the table. Laurene, who was in a hurry, went down first and only sipped her coffee before leaving the mansion. A few minutes later, Dylan came down to eat.

Seeing Dylan's handsome face as he walked closer to the kitchen planted a smile on Madison's lips. She quickly served the poached egg, burrito, bacon, hash browns, and black coffee for his breakfast when he sat at the dining table. He enjoyed chitchat with her while he ate until he left to buy something.

Since no one else from the Carters would eat, the maids set the table and started cleaning the entire mansion. They talked and laughed while busy in the garden, not noticing Dylan's arrival immediately. The bright smile on Madison's face faded at the sight of Scarlett next to Dylan.

"I'm afraid I might do something terrible to that bitch. How about we go back to the kitchen, Emily?" Madison whispered to Emily as they stared at Dylan and Scarlett entering the mansion. Seeing Dylan holding a flower while his ex-girlfriend was holding his arm, Madison rolled her eyes. "I'm so sick of her. I'm sorry, Emily, I'll go to the kitchen now," she added, annoyed.

Unfortunately, Dylan called Madison before she could escape the annoying situation. She stood there without turning around, confused about whether she should face them.

"Darling," Dylan called. But disgusted with the woman next to him, Madison did not turn around until she felt his hand taking hers and making her face him.

Dylan held a bouquet of red tulips, contorting Madison's face.

"I bought this for you, Darling. I hope you like it," he said, making Madison frown even more.

"Are you sure this is for me, Sir Dylan?" Madison asked in confusion. Her eyes glanced at Dylan and shifted to Emily to look for answers. But Emily could only quietly flash a beaming smile as she stood cheerfully in the corner.

Dylan put the bouquet in Madison's hands as he softly repeated, "I bought this for you, Darling."

Madison stared at the petals of the tulips in a daze. It was the first time somebody had gifted her with flowers, and she could not believe it. "I like it, Sir Dylan. But you didn't have to give me flowers. I know flowers like these are expensive," she said.

Shaking his head, Dylan said, "I don't mind how expensive they are, Darling. I'm courting you, right?" He smiled and tucked a few strands of Madison's hair behind her ears.

The kind gesture fluttered the butterflies in Madison's stomach. Her now rosy red cheeks made it obvious. "Thank you for this, Sir Dylan," he mumbled and lifted the bouquet to her face to cover her blushing cheeks.

Dylan smiled and spoke again when he remembered Scarlett. "By the way, Darling, I'm with Scarlett. She has something to tell."

Madison suddenly glanced at Scarlett, who was now approaching them. Annoyance suddenly replaced the romantic exhilaration that Madison felt earlier. She had no clue whether she should forgive Scarlett, who was now beside Dylan.

"I'm sorry for what I did last time, " Scarlett began. "I didn't mean everything. I was just jealous of you. I promise it won't happen again."

Seeing Scarlett's sincerity, Madison returned a warm smile. "I don't mind it now, Miss Scarlett. I just hope it won't happen again. I'm also sorry for what I said. I just got mad at your accusations against me."

Regret was evident in Scarlett's eyes. "I'm sorry for what I did to you, Madison. I hope we can be friends," she asked and offered her hand in front of Madison.

Madison hesitated. But Dylan's smile as if encouraging her to accept Scarlett's offer. "Why not, Miss Scarlett?" Madison replied with a sheepish smile and extended her arm to exchange handshakes with Scarlett.

"Thank you, Madison. You're really kind," Scarlett said. "No wonder Marco likes you," she added and glanced at Dylan.

Dylan never failed to express his feelings to Madison. Last night, he had told her about courting her until she agreed to be his girlfriend. Remembering their conversation, Madison could not help but smile widely.

Scarlett noticed it, so she teased, "The wide smile on your face indicates you remembered something. Am I right, Madison?"

"I should go back inside now, Sir Dylan and Miss Scarlett. Emily and I still have a lot to do," Madison said, glancing at Emily, who was cleaning upstairs. "Please take a seat. I'll go back and bring you a snack in a moment."

Dylan nodded. "All right, Darling. Don't work yourself too hard," he said and informed her. "We have some things to talk about. We'll stay in the living room."

Madison was about to turn her back on the two when she saw Scarlett suddenly grab Dylan's arm while she was stroking her temple. Dylan asked if his childhood sweetheart was okay. Scarlett shook her head, so Dylan guided her to the living room. When they sat on the couch, she wrapped her hands around his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

Madison arched an eyebrow at the scene. 'Miss Scarlett is probably dizzy and needs support to avoid losing her balance,' she convinced herself and headed to the kitchen to prepare a snack for Dylan and his guest and finish her tasks.