~ How I imagine Maddox ~
| Norah |
My eyes were still closed when I woke up. Rolling onto my side and yawning, I sighed. The sheets and pillows smelled like fresh lavender like they had just been washed. I savored the silky-soft, fragrant fabric underneath me, clutching the sheets closer to me, and ignored the slight headache in my head.
Silk? My bed wasn't nearly this soft.
I knew this wasn't my bed, but the eminent shock didn't quite register until I opened my eyes to look around.
I slowly rose out of bed as my heart started to speed up.
Where the hell -
I looked down at myself and saw that my black dress from the night before was still on, but my heels were off. I mentally gave a sigh of relief, thankful my clothes were still on.
What the hell happened last night?
When I asked myself this, I felt hopeless. I racked my brain for a good five minutes before I realized soon enough that I had no idea...
I took steady steps into the bathroom that's door was open. My body felt sluggish as I walked into the bathroom and dropped my palms onto the marble countertop sink. I breathed in, feeling hungover, and looked into the mirror. My makeup was a mess around my entire face, lipstick smeared, eyeshadow blotchy, but the most unmistakable flaw in my makeup was the way my mascara and eyeliner looked as if I had been crying heavily the night before, my hazel eyes looking irritated and red.
Amnesia or not, I had been roofied. I knew that for sure.
My stomach grew nauseous as I looked at the complete wreckage before me in the reflection of the mirror.
I knew I shouldn't have gone to the club. Something in my gut told me I should've just stayed back in my apartment.
All I remember was having a drink with Will and then going to dance.
My whole body felt weak, and suddenly I stumbled back. Before I could fall, Will caught me and nearly suffocated me with his forceful lips.
Everything after that was a blur. To be honest, I wasn't surprised at the revelation that Will was behind all of this. I didn't want to imagine what happened after I had been drugged. Although, I was sure enough that I had not been raped. Knowing this eased me only a bit.
I was sent out of my thoughts when a knock came upon the door frame of the bathroom. I snapped my head to face who was responsible for the sudden shock.
Before me was a wall of a man. Ink blank hair slicked back, revealing much of his strong jaw and sharp cheekbones. His attractive features were quite a shock at first, but I was quickly swayed to recognize his cold bluish-gray eyes. I gasped once I caught eye contact and felt realization wash over me.
Even across the room, through the dark setting, his eyes seemed to bore through me like they could read my soul.
"Who the hell are you...?" I murmured, not confident enough to speak any louder than a quiet tone. Not to mention that my throat was sore and felt rough.
"The name's Maddox King," The man with the cold eyes spoke, his voice familiar and dauntingly low. "And you're Norah Romaniello." He continued and looked over me, head to toe like an inspection. I felt my face flush quickly at the scrutinization.
"You must have the wrong lady... My name is Norah Thompson," I corrected him, wanting to step back but I felt frozen by his unrelenting gaze. Now I understood what a lamb felt like in the eyes of a lion...
"Yes, according to your birth certificate, you are Norah Thompson. Although, I think the boss would state otherwise."
The boss.
"Sorry Princess, boss's orders."
I recalled him saying that the night before. I also remembered the gun, and suddenly, the focal point of what had happened last night came flooding through my memory.
He killed Will...
"You - you -" I stuttered, stepping backward timidly.
"I know quite well what I am Princess," Maddox states nonchalantly, shoving himself off of the door frame and stood straight up, confidence and an unwavering sense of untouchability emitted from his stance. I shuddered a bit. "I'd love to explain this all to you, but I think the boss will do a much better job."
Without another word, Maddox pivoted so he now left room in the doorway for me to go out. I got the hint, and not wanting to resist the man who had shot and killed my coworker right in front of me while also abducting me after the fact, I stiffly walked out of the bathroom, merely brushing my bare shoulder against his formally clad chest. My body tensed at the close proximity of the killer and me, but I tried to remind myself that whoever this "boss" was, he wanted me here for a reason. And something told me that if he hadn't ordered me dead, then he didn't plan on killing me.
At least I hoped...
I stepped out of the bathroom and stood in the middle of the room I had woken up in. Maddox walked over to the dresser and picked up my high heels that were placed on top of it. I avoided his eyes as he turned around and walked towards me. He held them out to me and I slipped the black heels on without a word.
As we walked out of the room and out into the hall, my confusion only deepened. The wide hall looked as if it was one from a very expensive hotel, its corridors carpeted in the finest designs, walls filled with multiple doors to rooms - although spaced out for the sole reason that the rooms must have been as large as the one I had just been in.
Large crystal chandeliers lit the hall as we walked down it in silence. Although the hall continued further in sight, we stopped at a break in the right wall where there was a balcony that split two curved staircases that lead down to the foyer. Natural light from the outside shone in through the matte glass of the double front doors, and my heart skipped into my throat, knowing that was the way out.
I didn't give an escape plan much thought due to the fact that beside me was a man that could clearly outrun me in any circumstance, better yet, kill me if need be. There was no chance.
We walked down the stairs and when our feet met the ground of the marble flooring in the foyer, the double doors opened before us and a group of about four men dressed just as formally as Maddox, entered the house, snickering and seemingly joking with each other in another language. I had only taken Spanish in high school, so there was no hope for me understanding what they were saying.
When all four of them noticed us, they quickly grew quiet, and once again, I felt my face flush as all eyes set on me.
My heart raced, fear rising up in me as I immediately felt intimidated. Being surrounded by five unquestionably superior men who could easily take me down, was not the most comforting feeling. Especially with the thought of Will taking advantage of me just the night before. A weary feeling coursed through me.
"Taking her to see Adriano, I presume?" One of them finally spoke up. When I directed my eyes towards the tall, dark-haired man, I recognized him from the night before. He was with Maddox, as well as the guy beside him who looked a little older than I was, with hazel eyes that looked surprisingly similar to my own. I furrowed my brow, but didn't have time to think any further on it as Maddox answered him,
"He instructed to do so once she woke up," He told them, a blank look on his face. His palm pressed against my lower back unexpectedly and guided me past them. As we walked away I heard one of them speak lowly to the others,
"Dio, she looks just like her..."
I furrowed my brow and looked back at all of them in confusion. They shifted their gazes elsewhere and went on their way. I turned my head and did the same, letting Maddox lead me, his hand still lingering just above the curve in my spine.
We came upon another hallway, much shorter than the one upstairs, with two wooden doors on each side of the hall, four total. Large double doors faced us at the end of the hall and my heart jumped into my throat.
I remembered what the tall, dark-haired man had said earlier about taking me to 'Adriano' and decided to speak.
"Is Adriano the boss?" I asked quietly, my throat tight with nerves, although, I never let my curiosity go unanswered for long. I'm surprised it hasn't killed me yet.
"Yes," Maddox said simply, directing his focus on the double doors we now approached. He released his hand from my lower back, just now realizing its placement, and I relaxed a little.
Maddox went up to the double doors and beside the left one was a small screen with an intercom underneath it. He placed his thumb in the middle of the screen and it beeped, a set of numbers showing up. My eyes widened as he typed in the code, his fingers going so fast there was no chance I would figure it out.
What was this place? The FBI?
A green light at the bottom of the screen blinked and he held down his finger on the intercom button and spoke into it,
"She is awake sir, may we come in?" He released the button and I heard the door unlock.
"Ovviamente," I heard through the speaker, the voice deep but calm. Maddox opened the doors and I felt my stomach knot up. He waited for me to step timidly into the room before he shut the doors behind us, a lock clicking as soon as he did so.
There were bookshelves and locked filing cabinets covering most of the sidewall, an expensive rug lain in the middle of the room, underneath a fancy wooden coffee table, and two chairs that faced an immense wooden desk. Seated at the desk was, as I had expected, a man dressed in an expensive navy tux. He looked quite a bit older than the younger guys I had seen in the foyer, peppery stubble covering his chin and reading glasses on the bridge of his nose. His hair was just as dark as the man I had seen with Maddox at the club, although a couple of gray strands discolored the darkness only a tad.
So this was Adriano... "the boss."
He looked professional, the way he sat and read files on his desk. I wasn't surprised he was the boss. He looked as if he could run a multi-billion dollar company.
But he was here, locked in an office that only those who were in the system were able to come in. No twenty-story building, just a massive mansion where everyone called him the boss. This lead me to my next thought,
Boss of what exactly?
I was stirred away from my thoughts when I noticed I had been staring. The only thing that got me to notice, was when Adriano lifted his eyes up to look at me. And once he did, I felt chilled to my bones. He stood up, clearing his throat as he straightened out his tux. He took off his reading glasses and laid them on the table. That's when I noticed the bewildered look he was giving me.
"Please, sit," He invites us. Maddox responded instantly and went over to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk. I swallowed hard and looked down at my feet, forcing myself to snap out of this brief paralysis. I nodded my head shortly and went to sit in the other seat.
I looked up when he sat back down in his leather chair, his eyes not wavering away from my face once, not even to acknowledge Maddox.
"Let me introduce myself, I'm -"
"Adriano," I cut him off unintentionally. When I did so, he seemed surprised but chuckled.
"So you've heard," He said lightly, which was unexpected in a situation like this.
"You must have so many questions," He continued, folding his hands on the desk.
"I just want to know why you had this man," I gestured over to Maddox, who was lounging in the chair comfortably, "abduct me, why he states I'm Norah Romaniello, and - most of all - why I'm here," I retorted, feeling my nerves somewhat subside when I let the anger and confusion take care of my words.
Adriano sighed and sat back.
"I suppose I have some explaining to do..." He muttered.
"You think?" I deadpanned, obviously catching Maddox off guard. I nearly caught myself off guard as well. I'm sure he didn't expect me to be so snappy with the boss. Adriano might be the boss around here, but he's no boss of mine.
All Adriano did was give a crooked smile at my remark.
"So much like your mother, I see," He remarked. My heart nearly stopped when I looked at his expression and could tell how serious he was.
"You knew my ... my mother?" My tone instantly got quieter, as I stared at the man facing me in shock.
He scoffed.
"Knew her? I loved her."
––––––––––•A/N•––––––––––
New chapter and I'm loving writing this story! I'm really excited about it ❤️.
Comment here what you think so far! ->
Vote
&
Definitely don't forget to share!!