Yours, Forever

Chapter 19

Was this a threat? Damien asked himself, raking his hands through his hair and trying to decide how best to handle the situation.

He knew she wouldn't leave until he came up with a reasonable explanation, and her last statement had irked him badly.

A sigh escaping his lips, he began, "Look, you're making it a big deal. I saw her working at the club, my club actually and it was so strange, I had to send her out. Why on earth would I let her work there after everything with the dress and..."

"That's not all of it, Damien." She cut in rudely, rolling her eyes at the same time, "I might be a lot of things but I definitely am not stupid. You know her...I'm certain of it. And you've been acting all suspicious for a while too. That picture...the one you were looking at the other day at the house..."

Damien tried to hide his shock as he stared up at her, dreading her next words.

"You acted so strange that day, putting the picture back into your drawer immediately and it piqued my curiosity. I had to go back to the picture, and guess what I saw. That same freaking woman, the waitress with you and Alvarez. The three of you had smiles on your face and you were staring at her adoringly like you were in love or something, so you can't tell me it's just a coincidence. She's someone from your past and we both know it."

Damien shut his eyes tightly.

He wanted to shout at her, and get angry with her for snooping through his things.

The one thing he valued was his privacy, and she knew it, but now if he fired up at her it would only make things worse, especially since she had him by the neck already.

Thankfully she didn't make mention of the event at his mother's house, when he had been asked about Madison's well-being, and Damien hoped within himself that she must have forgotten about it.

Exasperated, he glared down at the magazine on his desk, sucking in a sharp breath, and then he blurted out without even thinking, "I didn't want to talk about it at first because I absolutely hate remembering this but, we used to be friends years ago. The lady, her name is Madison. She used to be friends with Alvarez and I." He finally said, finishing the words at a go and looking up at her.

"Your friend? I don't understand how that could possibly be—"

He shook his head, and raising his hands he added, "Let me finish, okay?"

She didn't say a thing further, her mouth in a thin line and he watched as she reluctantly took a seat, her arms folded in front of her, listening as he continued.

"Back when we lived in Kettlesworth, Birmingham, her father...he humiliated me. Not just me, but my family all encompassing. My mother, my sister and I, he hated the three of us badly due to reasons best known to him. He threw us out on the streets, even when he was well aware that we had nothing. I completely despise every member of that family, you see and that's why I'm treating Madison badly now seeing her resurface after all these years. You might not believe it, and I don't even have the strength to begin narrating everything that happened back then, but in summary I personally went through hell those years."

Kathrine folded her arms, her chest still heaving, as she asked again, "So nothing went on between the both of you?"

Damien tightened his grip on the edge of his desk, his jaw gritting. Why did he suddenly feel so bare... so flushed? Why was it increasingly difficult to answer the question?

He wanted to say yes. He wanted to tell Katherine that at one time, in his life he had loved Madison so much and treated her with care and affection.

She had been the bane of his existence... The one thing he couldn't live without.