Fated To Love You Forever

Madison wiped her sweaty palms on the faded jeans she was wearing, as she tried to reassure herself that she could do this.

She could leave her house, go outside, and get some things done, after all it was broad daylight. She had nothing to be scared of, she decided, but the more she kept convincing herself that she could make it, the more afraid she felt.

Ever since Gina had told her about those people monitoring her, Madison couldn’t help but feel paranoid about the whole thing.

She could remember how she had ran home that day, forgetting everything she had come to do, and it was not until she was safely locked up in her house that she realized that she had not even done what she had went out to do.

The main reason why she had gone to the bakery had escaped her memory after Gina had given her that upsetting news, and slumping on her bed tears filling her eyes, she had chided herself when she realized that after all the money she had spent on a cab, the enthusiasm and excitement she had felt, nothing had come out if it.

Which was why was off to the bakery again today. She wanted to try her luck, and also she really needed a job, to make sure she could take care of herself, pay her rent, and most importantly, keep herself sane.

She would go crazy if she stayed cooped up in this four walled room, and also she needed to inquire about the employment vacancy, stalker or no stalker.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her small purse and walked out of her house, making sure the lock was secured tightly before leaving.

She didn’t have enough money for a taxi so she decided to take a bus which would drop her halfway, and then she would walk the rest of the short distance to the bakery.

Soon she got to her destination with the public bus dropping her of as planned, and then she began the short walk to the bakery.

Suddenly, while she was walking, she felt herself go cold all over. It felt like someone was watching her, and unable to shake off the feeling that someone was following her, she increased her pace, walking faster.

She could already see the entrance of the bakery, and just as she took another step she heard the soft but recognizable sound of a camera clicking and instantly she made a turn.

Right there before he could disappear into the bushes, Madison caught a slight glimpse of a man dressed in black. She blinked her eyes twice telling herself that she must be dreaming, but the camera flash had been as clear as day and she had seen that bright white light before he ran away.

Instinctively, already feeling cold all over and afraid she quickened her steps the more as she fled towards the bakery, her hands clutching the sides of her jacket as she tried to calm herself down.

The moment she got into the bakery, she stared behind her to see if anyone had followed her into the building, but the entrance was empty and looking round she could see that there wasn’t a strange person present.

What she was seeing instead, were the workers moving around the bakery and engrossed in their chores.

Fear gripping Madison immediately, she tried her possible best to blend into the crowd just in case the person outside tried anything like following her or what not.

She walked up to one of the workers, already deciding that she had to get on with her life.

“Good morning, how may I help you today?” The worker recited their customer service mantra, plastering a smile on her face, but Madison was not listening, and her eyes continued to roam around the room.

“Ma’am?”

She quickly turned around, “I-I’m so sorry,” She blurted out, “I was just wondering if…sorry, I got some information from a friend of mine. She said there was a vacancy here, and I was just wondering if it was still available?”

“Oh.” The worker nodded, looking through something on the computer close to her and finally after some time she looked up at Madison, “Yes, it says there’s a vacancy here. What position would you like to apply for?”

“What positions are there? Meanwhile, I have worked as a pastry chef and as a waitress, so anything similar would be perfect.” As Madison spoke, she slipped out a copy of her resume and some other qualifications, and handed to the clerk. She added, “This is a copy of my resume and my employment certification from my previous jobs.”

The lady nodded, looking through them, “Okay then, thank you for coming in. I’ll take these to my supervisor. We’ll need you to come in this Tuesday for an interview.”

Madison breathed out in relief.

The worker was nice, also sounding positive and this gave her a little bit of hope. If she got this job it would be really helpful, and it would help take her mind off some things that worried and nagged at the back of my mind.

“Thank you,” She said, offering a smile as she turned around and headed out.

She still had that eerie feeling from earlier, and she still did not feel safe in any way so she quickly made her way through the crowd in the room heading straight towards the exit.

At least she had done what she came for, and the money spent was not in vain. All she hoped for now was that it worked out for her.

“Madison!”

Stopping in her tracks, Madison turned to see Gina her friend running up to her. Gina placed a hand on her knees as she got to where Madison was standing, head slightly bent as she tried to catch her breath, “Madison…I’ve been calling out for you but I guess you couldn’t hear me. You’re here again?”

Madison gave a polite smile and nodded.

“Oh, I see. Well, I just wanted to say hi. And I brought you this.” Gina added, stretching her hand out to place the plastic bag that contained a loaf of bread to Madison. On a regular day, the scent of freshly baked bread would have tingled Madison’s nose and even put her in a good mood, but today she was too distracted to feel giddy.

“Thank you so much.” She muttered, a polite smile on her face as she took the bread from her.

“Anytime. I thought you might like some bread, that’s all.”

“I do appreciate this, thanks.”

“Um, about the last time… you just upped and left without saying anything. Does it have something to do with the men asking about your family? The ones I told you about?”

This question only reminded Madison of the man that had been following her, increasing her worry and sighing she said gently not trying to sound rude, “Look Gina, I’m really grateful for your concern, but I’ll have to take my leave now. See you around.”

“But Madison…”

She turned on her heels swiftly and without saying another word she walked out of the bakery.

She knew Gina cared, but right now she did not have the time to start giving her the details of everything. She would apologize some other time, and maybe explain but for now she had to go home, her safe haven.

The man who had been clad in black clothes was nowhere to be found to Madison’s relief, as she looked around but still her heart didn’t stop racing with fear.

With no time to waste, she quickly began to walk, as she had no money left to take a taxi back home so he still had quite a long way to go. At intervals, her head would snap over to the sides of the road, and when she came into a lonely area she would walk even faster being more alert than ever.

She didn’t feel safe anymore, and she had no idea what to do about it.

She didn’t like this at all, and she also had a strong intuition that whatever this was about, it had something to do with her stay in New York.

Yes! Taking deep breaths, she made a mental note to call Alvarez as soon as she got home.

She needed to talk to someone who would understand, and since he was also aware of everything that went on in New York, he might have an inkling on what this was about.

That settled, she hurried forward, breathing out in relief when she saw a group of people she recognized around her neighborhood, walking with her.

Luckily for her they were going the same way, and trying her best to remain calm, Madison joined them and began to make conversation to distract her from the thought of a possible stalker.

…….

“Congratulations again on partnering with Antonio Garcia. He has had only good things to say about you so far.” Damien heard Mr Scott say.

As usual whenever his friends and partners in the business circle congratulated him on this same partnership, he smiled. It truly was a great feat, and Mr Scott was one who never really liked to talk about his competition, so for him to have brought this up, then Damien knew that he must have been really impressed, and that was something to be proud of.

“Thank you, thank you.” He said, smiling as he resumed his pitch for the latest company they were going for.

Mr Scott was his long time business partner and they always worked best when they teamed up to score a business deal, just like they were doing now. Damien usually did not come over to his office very often, because apart from being a longtime business partner, Mr Scott was also Katherine’s father.

Whenever he was here it was almost as though Katherine hung more onto him, as if she was trying to stake her claim on him but Damien knew she would not be here today.

“So, I have spoken with the other company and a date has been fixed. They will meet with the board in a week to discuss finance for the new deal.” Damien said, hiding his surprise when he caught the old man staring curiously at him.

He nodded subtly at his words, smiling and then leaning closer to Damien across the desk.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“All of that is fine, alright. But…speaking of sealing deals.” He started, his lips curling into a smile, “When do you plan on sealing your relationship with my daughter permanently?”

Damien froze instantly as his jaw ticked, “Permanently?” He asked, cursing internally.

He was hoping that this kind of conversation would not come up today, but of course it just had to.

Mr Scott leaned back into seat, “Oh come on, you know what I mean. You and Katherine have been together for a while now, and I think it’s about time you both made things official. So…when’s the wedding?” He grinned widely while Damien struggled to hide his shock.

Marriage? That was the last thing he was thinking of. It wasn’t even on his mind to begin with.

Before he would have even given it a thought but now, he only gave an awkward laugh and then said, “Katherine and I…we haven’t thought about that yet. But you’ll be the first to know as soon as we do. Now about the Wilder deal-”

“Haven’t you started thinking about it?” Mr Scott chimed in looking horrified, “Now that won’t do. As you can see, I’m not getting any younger. And with Katherine being my only child, I do want to hold my grandchildren in my arms before I die. It’s been a long time, and I’ve been steadily thinking about it.”

Damien swallowed, not knowing what to say.

“You both already know my intentions of retiring soon and handing the company over to the man Katherine marries, and still I haven’t heard anything from you two. You love her, so what’s stopping you?”

Damien was beginning to get uncomfortable with the discussion.

Marriage was the last thing he wanted to discuss. He couldn’t even picture himself getting married to Katherine at this point, not with everything going on.

“Mr Scott…” He started to say, but was cut off by the office door swinging open, and in shock with curses springing from his lips, Damien watched Katherine walk in.

“Daddy!” She laughed, walking over and placing a kiss on her father’s cheek, “It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”

Mr Scott smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder, “Katherine, my darling. You’re looking beautiful like always.”

Laughing lightly, Katherine faced Damien, “Wow, babe. Fancy meeting the both of you here! What a coincidence.”

Damien could bet that she knew very well her father was here and this little show she was putting on was so it would look like a coincidence, one he just didn’t like. He knew all her tricks, and even though he was disappointed a bit, he forced a smile, “Your father and I had some business to discuss, that’s all.”

Katherine nodded, smiling as she walked over to him, embracing him and placing a kiss to his lips. Damien did not pull away although he was surprised, and as she ended the kiss he had to turn away to keep himself from glaring daggers at her.

“So…what are you boys talking about?” She asked again, taking her place beside Damien.

“I already told you it’s business.” Damien started to say at the same time Mr Scott interjected, “Yes, business as you can see, but I was also asking Damien here when you two were planning on tying the knot. I think it’s about time.”

Katherine squealed in surprise, flipping her hands as she placed a hand over her mouth to muffle her excited screams, “Oh my goodness, Dad! That’s a good idea. I’ve been thinking about it too.” She clapped in excitement and quickly turning to Damien she continued, “Babe, I think dad is right. It’s high time we discussed our wedding. We actually have waited long enough, right? What are your thoughts? I have so many-”

“I’m not here to talk about a wedding or our relationship.” Damien spoke through gritted teeth.

This whole conversation was beginning to piss him off, and he knew that once Katherine got wind of this discussion she would refuse to let it go. This was what he was trying to avoid, but it had already happened.

His jaw set tight and firm Damien said again, “I’m here to discuss business with your father. And only business. Everything else can come later. But for now, you should allow us to carry on with the meeting.”

Suddenly everywhere in the room became so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Damien took a deep breath, ignoring the hurt look on Katherine’s face as he finished, because he just didn’t care.

Resignedly, she folded her arms without a word, her lips shut and occasionally shooting glares at Damien which he deftly ignored.

Mr Scott finally cleared his throat, “Damien is right. This is time for business and that we shall discuss.” Facing Damien squarely, he nodded a sign to him, so he could resume telling him about the plans they needed to make for the next meeting.

Damien breathing out in relief, completely disregarded Katherine, and he began to pass some documents across the table to Mr Scott.