"Tell me something nice." Damien said as soon as Mr Rudiger and the lawyer Mr Paul, took their seats.
They had informed him earlier this morning that they would be here first thing today, and he eagerly anticipated their arrival, already waiting to hear whatever news they had for him.
Clearing his throat, Mr Rudiger nodded, "We started a background check on each member of the family to enable us get more information, or anything at all that might be linked to their downfall from power. Just like you ordered actually..." The grey haired man said, and cleared his throat before continuing, "But...we indirectly found out something else. Something that is shocking and personally I couldn't just pass it so, so I decided to bring it to you at once."
"Okay, and what is this thing about?" Damien asked impatiently, his hands tapping away at his thighs.
"Sir... It's about Madison Connor."
Damien inhaled sharply, his mind racing at the mention of that name, and his chest squeezing in that nostalgic way that he truly despised. That feeling of pain, hurt, betrayal and anger that always passed through him whenever he heard her name.
Flustered for some reason he couldn't quite understand, Damien shook his head dispelling any thoughts, and raising his palm up in protest, he said, "No, hold that information. I don't wish to hear anything about her. Give me some other news. Anything asides from that. What about her father? Her mother? Her brothers?"
He clenched his fists under the table, pretending not to notice when he caught a glimpse of the lawyer and the private investigator exchanging looks. It was as if they were waiting for him to think things through, they didn't speak for a few moments, and he appreciated that grave silence somehow.
Damien was torn between wanting... no, needing to discard every thought of her or anything that required him to think of her, and sheer curiosity of what they could possibly have on her.
Deep inside him somewhere he was curious about what she had been up to in the past years, how she had lived, how she had been, and what must have warranted her to be in this pitiful condition she was in now. More so, whatever this was, if they had brought news about her and tagged it this way, then it must be something important.
Looking back at them with a sigh, he waved his hand, already making a decision, "Go on. We do need all the information we can get. Proceed with what you have on her."
Mr Rudiger nodded again, his facial expression changing to something Damien couldn't quite place, he started, "From all the sources we gathered, we discovered that Madison no longer stays with her family in Birmingham. This is backed up by some of the close family friends, we managed to get in contact with. We still don't know the full story yet as we are still digging, but currently we know that her relationship with her family now is sort of estranged."
Damien leaned forward, a frown on his face, "What do you mean?"
"Well, as we gathered she is in bad relationship with her father mostly, as she was disowned by him a couple of years back for reasons we are still trying to find out. No one in her family is in contact with her at the moment either, safe for her mother whom sources say frequents her place in Birmingham. I think it's safe to say that she has become sort of... ermmm how do I put this? Let's say a lost sheep."
Damien stared at them both, baffled.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Madison, disowned? And by her father? What could possibly have made them take such a huge step, by casting her aside and throwing her out? Whatever it was must have been pretty serious for them to turn against her so suddenly, and now he was mostly intrigued, wanting to know.
Damien could vividly remember how protective Mr Connor and Mason her elder brother, used to be of her.
Yes they had been a bit overprotective, but Damien knew it was only because they loved and cared for her so much, and whenever they weren't being so protective, their relation and conversations were so warm. The only time they were cold towards her, was when it had anything to do with me, and now...this?
What on earth could have happened to completely turn this relationship upside down? Damien couldn't think of anything as it was completely baffling.
If Damien thought he had been curious at first, then he was wrong. Now he was nearly bursting open with curiosity, to find out the whole story of what had happened. Whatever it was would explain why Madison was living in New York from hand to mouth, and doing petty jobs in halls and bars.
It would explain why she looked so worn out... and thinner then she had been while younger, even though she had filled out her curves nicely, that he did note. At first he had assumed her looks, and situation was as a result of her father's empire falling, and maybe she had to look for menial jobs to feed herself now that they had nothing, but now he knew that there was more to the story.
A story that he was determined to find out.
He faced Mr Rudiger and the lawyer, "This is the kind of news I want you to bring whenever you come here. Now, as for this information about Madison Connor, I need to know more. So I need you to dig deeper. Spend money if need be, but when you come back here, I need you to have every single detail of what went on in that house and why she was disowned."
They both nodded, "Understood. We'll keep digging, and we'll make sure to return with the required information."
Damien nodded, watching them as they exited the office.
Alone again, he let his mind wander, already forgetting the loads of files he had to sort through as he had just heard the most baffling news, since a while.
Madison Connor... One and only star girl, and most pretty girl In Kettlesworth back then, disowned by her family...
As he shook his head in disbelief, he vowed to get to the bottom of this.
Yes, he would!
.......
Damien scrolled through his phone lazily, in search of the contact of one of his business partners.
He had been working all day and hadn't had even a minute of rest, as the little time he had to himself was spent on thoughts of Madison and the news he hadn't seemed to get over.
Now though, he needed to round up for today to enable him have time for something else later that night and the next morning. He had planned on going out for drinks later this evening, his throat hungering for some alcohol but he had been so swarmed with work that it had skipped his mind.
Recalling it now, he decided he would make up for it tomorrow night, and he held back a yawn as he finally found the number he was looking for, he clicked on it to reveal the details, and quickly forwarded the email address enclosed in it to his secretary and another partner of his.
The phone chimed, indicating that the mail had been sent successfully and with a smile, Damien acknowledged that he was done for today.
He scrolled through some of his unread messages on the phone, coming across one from Katherine asking if she should bring him lunch today. She had also left a missed call, and he thanked the stars that he had put his phone on silent, not answering her calls or text knowing that he couldn't refuse her gesture.
After the last time she sent him lunch, the last thing he needed was a repeat of the horror, and speaking of the last time, he still hadn't gotten round to telling her about it. She would be deeply upset if he did, but to be fair, it was a terrible meal and now he almost shuddered as he remembered the taste.
Still deeply engrossed in his thoughts, a knock sounded at his door and looking up from his phone, a question flickered across his brow as he saw Alvarez walk inside, with some files in his hand.
He sat up straighter on sighting him, and cleared his throat at the same time. Ever since their little tiff at the club, they had been rather cold to each other and things were sort of still awkward between them.
"I already took care of the problem in the security section. It's all sorted out. All I have to do now is interview more guards and test out their abilities before they are hired. As soon as I do that, I'll get back to you." Alvarez said, barely greeting, and opening the files he had brought with him.
Placing them on the table in front of Damien and pointing to some figures, he explained the current situation in his section of the company, and all the way Damien nodded, although it was a little bit visible that he was somewhat uncomfortable with the stiff, professional tone Alvarez was using.
He decided he didn't like it, and now he was going to speak up.
It was almost like they now strictly shared an employer and employee relationship now, or even worse and Damien couldn't quite say that it sat right with him.
"Have you had anything to eat today? You're so cranky." He began teasing, desperate to break the ice between them. It had started to get quite uncomfortable for him, and he needed everything to be back to normal now. After all, everything that happened in all in the past already.
"I'll let you know if anything comes up and I'll keep you updated as well. I have to get back to work now." Alvarez stated, completely ignoring Damien's teasing remark concluding the short brief of the affairs he had brought to him.
Damien furrowed his eyebrows in surprise, "Really? That's it? That's all you're going to say?"
Alvarez swiveled his gaze on him, his face expressionless as he stared directly at him, "What are you talking about?"
Damien almost let out a scoff, "Seriously? I know this is about Madison and the incident at the club. You still haven't forgotten. It's been days, when are you going to finally get over it?"
"Get over it?"
"Yes. It's obvious you're still stiff about it. It's been days. Please drop it."
Alvarez's face heated up but he said nothing. Leaning down, he made to grab for the files, "I don't have the time nor the energy for this."
As he retreated, Damien started to feel a little annoyed, and scoffing he began, voicing out a bit to harshly, "Really, man? That's how it's going to be? You're going to walk out on me? All because of a woman? I'm fissioned honestly, and I think you can do better."
Alvarez froze in his steps, whipping round to face him at that statement, "A woman? You call Madison a woman, like she is some stranger?"
A searing pain shot through Damien's chest, and he opened his lips to say something, when Alvarez cut in saying, "Well, it might interest you to know that, this same woman was my best friend in the past and your lover as well. She might have ceased to be your girlfriend, but she will always be my best friend!"
"Why is this so—"
"Please, don't!" He cut him off again, "So yes, I have a right to be upset on her behalf. If you decide you want to keep treating her like crap, the way you're doing right now although it's clear to see just how much she's suffering, then that's your business and yours alone. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to take care of."
Damien stared at him in shock, taken aback by the cutting tone he was using. But as he stared at Alvarez in the face he knew that he meant every word he said.
Damien swallowed, not knowing what else to say, but even if he finally recovered it would be too late to say anything as Alvarez had already left him to the files he had placed on the table, and grabbing it once more, he turned away from Damien, and stormed out of the office.
He watched him leave, still stunned from everything that had just happened.
It was just evident, that Alvarez still really cared for Madison and that nothing he would do could stop him from checking up on her or looking out for her.
Now alone, Damien had no idea how to feel about it.
.......
Thanks for reading. 💕