/Zane's POV/
I have far too many things on my plate, but only one thing was making me lose my mind. No matter how far we looked, Madison was gone, and Elias wouldn't stop spouting bullshit.
Was he really involved with Allison? It was a question I started to debate after rummaging through his phone.
The texts from Allison on it seemed foreign and weird; it was hard to believe they came from my own fiancée, but I couldn't completely dismiss the idea.
Because while examining the phone — the only thing I didn't hand over to Vik after turning Elias in to be investigated — I realised every single moment that Allie told me she was heading over to the spa coincided with the periods Allison messaged Elias that she was at his place.
It didn't make any sense for Allison to cheat on me; she wasn't that type of person. I groaned, recalling her soft illuminated smile as she'd sit between my legs while I worked, telling me how much she loved and hated my handsome face.
"I hate when other girls swarm at you like bees to a flower." She'd often say that, and every so often I'd call her the flower — after all, she was the one who shone best, the epitome of elegant beauty, captivating men without meaning to. But I trusted her because I knew how dedicated she was to her career.
I did stalk her for a year after she suddenly rose to fame, but Allison was just as dedicated to me. Besides that, Allison always got uncomfortable at the mention of Elias.
"That guy, do you trust him? He doesn't look like a good person." I can still remember the doubt in her voice after Elias visited us together for the first time.
I remember telling her how much I trusted Elias since he was different from the rest of my family. I guess I was wrong.
"What's with that pained look on your face?" Aya walked into my hotel room, looking just as exhausted as I was. Hearing Madison went missing came as a shock to her since she was confident I could keep her hidden and safe. I was too… but maybe I'm not as good as I thought I was.
She's not dead, is she? My chest tightened at the thought. Fuck!
"Zane." Aya called, but I was too busy wallowing in my own misery to respond. "It's only been a day since Maddy went missing. She's going to be alright. I think she's way stronger than you give her credit for. She was even able to escape those guys on her own."
Aya was right, though. While I'm aware Madison's existence is a mystery, I still picked up a few things about her. She tried to hide it, but she's smart and quick-witted — sassy too. She must definitely be biding her time. But what if she's hiding because she's scared to return? Or she already got tired of following through with the plan?
Now that I think about it, despite Madison's efforts, there hasn't been any result to show for it. I feel ashamed of my own incompetence.
"Sir," Noah joined us. He looked just as exhausted as the rest of us. "We've successfully suppressed the news about Miss Allison's abduction. Also, I finished moving everything you need to your beach house," Noah informed, and I sighed. "I have a question, though. Do you have to move that far? You could just stay at your second house on Argos Street. You said you like the place?"
"Yeah, I did, but it's in the middle of the city. I'll move back to the mansion once the renovations are done. In the meantime, Allison and I would stay at the beach house — it's far and hidden from the public. The last thing I want is those reporters swarming me. Anyway, good work, Noah," I said, feeling satisfied. "Any updates from Harry?" I asked, and his expression turned grim.
I sighed softly. "Let me know as soon as something comes up," I instructed, and he nodded, leaving immediately afterwards.
"Anyway, Richard asked me to drop off your meds. It also contains your test results." Aya said as she lowered the brown paper bag she'd been holding onto my desk. "He said you've been missing your sessions. I really hope you take care of yourself some more." I groaned.
While I was busy avoiding Madison, I dropped by Richard's private clinic to complain about my strange sleeping habits as well as the constant tiredness. I thought I could ignore it, but it's now starting to affect my work — the headaches and mid-day brain fog were annoying.
It stopped after I got prescribed some meds, but to know the real reason behind it, I needed some sessions with the psychologist. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to spare for that.
"Anyway, take care of yourself. Your corpse wouldn't take revenge for you, you know. Also, I'm flying out with Actress Becca Silvian today for her shoot. I won't be back for a while, so take good care of yourself." She looked worried, but I'm sure I can take care of myself.
I know she was right, though. I couldn't sleep ever since Madison went missing. It's been a whole twenty-four hours since then.
Hoping to be relieved of the tiredness, I decided to get some sleep since it'd help me get some work done.
After hitting the massive suite bed, I tried focusing on how comfortable and soothing the soft bed was, the refreshing smell of the air freshener, and the expensive fabric softener. It was all supposed to feel relaxing, yet my growing worry for Madison wouldn't let me drift off.
I should probably read more of Elias and Allison's texts. There's over a year's worth of messages — I might be able to find something. I thought as I returned to my desk to continue working, but was interrupted by the piercing ring of my phone.
I raised the phone to my ear. "Zane Antler speaking," I said, but the voice that came through made me freeze. "Where are you?" I demanded, shooting to my feet.
I grabbed my coat and car keys, and before I knew it, I was back at my mansion — the same one I'd vacated so they could focus on renovations and security measures.
"Maddy." Maddy walked down the front porch looking tattered; her appearance alone had fear curling in my chest. "Where have you been? Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" I bombarded her with questions. I had way more than that, but those seemed like the really important ones.
She took a few steps closer, then collapsed in my arms. "Maddy!" I panicked, thinking she was hurt.
"I really don't have any strength to do shit right now, so can you not yell in my ears?" What followed her drawled words were gentle snores. She must have been really exhausted.
She smelled like rain and damp soil. "You really know how to drive a man crazy," I mumbled before gathering her in my arms.
Together, we returned to the hotel, covering her in my coat since a few reporters had gotten a whiff of my presence there. I put a halt to operations and focused on helping Madison recover.
She slept for two days, and over the course of those two days, I wrapped things up with Harry and also tried to get proper sleep too, but the fear of something happening to her again had me sleeping in the armchair next to her bed.
I didn't want to take my eyes off her for another second, but by the time I woke up, I was kissing Madison—with one of my hands on her boobs. I pulled away, blinking in shock and confusion.
What's going on? Is this a dream? I wondered.
I've often dreamt of Allison and me having sex. Being an actress, keeping my urges under control was one of the few things I had to emulate since we didn't meet very often. So dreaming about her, craving her, wasn't strange to me. You'd think that would make me happy, but kissing her and feeling her warmth until I wanted to have her only made things worse when I woke up.
I hate the hard-on I wake up with anytime she invades my dream—allowing me to touch, kiss her, but never to the point of satisfaction. But I'm not seeing Allison this time.
It's definitely Maddy. My face flamed up. I've seen her without clothes a couple of times, and I've tried my best not to retain that memory, but I'm seeing her so vividly now—the white top Aya managed to put on her after helping her out of the grubby clothes was now pooled above her perky tits.
"That hurts… gentle," she moaned as my hand unconsciously squeezed hard on her left boob. It felt so warm and firm that I kneaded some more.
My dick hardened in my pants—especially after seeing Madison's heated, lustful gaze as she bit down on her lip. I never knew she could make a face like that.
What the fuck is going on? And wait…are those gunshot wounds? My eyes grew wide.