Chapter 5 It’s Allen

“No… It can’t be him…” Madison instantly rejected the idea. Allen did not seem like the kind of person who would show up in an entertainment venue like The Nyx. After all, he was a stern and serious person. Besides, if the man on that night was Allen, he would have probably ended her life. At the end of the day, he was Allen Whitlock, who was highly respected in the city, while she was a woman with a bad reputation. She firmly believed he would kill her immediately if he found out that he had slept with her. The more Madison thought about it, the more scared she became. She threw herself on the bed, switched off the light, and fell asleep. Madison had a dream that night. She dreamed that she was back in the room on the top floor of The Nyx. In the dimly lit room, the naked young man picked her up and pressed her against the back of the door. While he was kissing her, she lowered her head and saw the fading teeth marks on the man’s right shoulder. The teeth marks were exactly the same as those on Allen's right shoulder. They even had a similar degree of fading. At that moment, the man suddenly grabbed her chin and raised her head up. “Focus, Madison,” warned Allen, his voice thick with displeasure. Madison’s eyes widened. Madison lifted her eyes and realized that the man in front of her had become Allen. He was looking at her coldly with his eyebrows knitted, and his face betrayed his dissatisfaction. A dangerous glint crossed his eyes as he gripped her chin with his fingers and kissed her. - Madison was jolted awake from her dream. She gasped heavily for air as beads of cold sweat trickled down her back. What kind of dream was that? How could the man who had taken her virginity in her dream become Allen? Luckily, her alarm went off and expelled those thoughts from her mind. It was already 7:30 a.m., so Madison hurriedly got up to prepare breakfast. - Before Alfred left, he had told her that Allen would wake up at 7:00 a.m. After finishing his workout and taking a shower, he would go downstairs for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. and then go to work. He would generally come home for dinner at around 7:30 p.m. Therefore, as a qualified Mrs. Whitlock, she had to prepare breakfast and dinner for him. As soon as Madison placed the breakfast on the table according to the time, Allen appeared from the staircase. He was wearing a well-pressed bespoke suit that went well with his mesomorphic figure. He just stood there and looked silently at Madison. Perhaps he had just taken a bath after his workout, so his hair was slightly disheveled, and he exuded a strong, virile aura just by standing there. “Good morning, Mr. Whitlock. The breakfast is ready.” Madison stood beside the dining table in her apron. She raised her head slightly and offered him a professional smile. She looked like she had already put last night’s embarrassing situation out of her head. Madison worked as a caretaker in a nursing home for a year. Thus, she told herself and treated Allen like those cranky old men she occasionally met in the nursing home. Allen looked at her coldly when he heard her voice, and his gaze stayed on the gentle smile on her face for a moment. In the next second, he retracted his gaze. He went into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of black coffee. He took a few sips before picking up his briefcase and walking toward the door without turning his head back. ‘He just took two sips of black coffee for breakfast? Is it because he doesn't like the food that I prepared?’ There were several times Madison wanted to ask him about it, but she bit her tongue when she thought of those harsh words Allen had thrown at her last night. She just followed after Allen and sent him to work like an obedient wife. When Allen was about to open the door, Madison called out to him, “Wait, Mr. Whitlock. It seems to me that you’re not very satisfied with the food I’ve prepared.” She still could not resist and ask the question. No one would like it when others ignored the food they had prepared with care. Moreover, the things and ingredients sold at the imported grocery store downstairs were more expensive than regular markets. Just buying the ingredients alone had already exceeded her usual expenses. Allen did not expect such a question from her. He looked back and uttered with his brow raised, “Don’t take it wrong. It's not that I'm unhappy with the food that you prepared.” Madison was stunned. ‘Really? Did I really misunderstand him?’ As that thought surfaced in her head, Allen’s voice sounded again, “It’s you who make me sick.” Upon saying that, Allen pushed the door open and went out, leaving Madison to stand frozen stiff in front of the door, overwhelmed by embarrassment. In the next second, she couldn't be bothered to change her shoes and rushed out in her nightgown and slippers. Allen was about to enter the elevator when he saw Madison. He frowned slightly and said, “Madison, if I were you, I wouldn’t come and bring more disgrace to myself.” His gaze was cold, and there was no sympathy in it. He just found the woman before him ridiculous and funny. ‘Does she really think that she can make me change my mind about her by cooking a few meals and pretending to be virtuous and gentle? Who does she think she is?’ “No, Mr. Whitlock, that’s not what I’m going to talk to you about. I really have something important to discuss with you. I promise it won’t take you a lot of time,” said Madison. She sounded breathless but forced herself to calm down. “Hmm? What do you want to discuss with me?” Allen asked as the mockery in his eyes slowly ebbed away. “Since you hate me so much, I guess you don’t want to eat the food that I prepare either. So, what I want to ask is whether I am allowed not to come home at night to cook dinner for you,” asked Madison. However, as soon as Allen heard her question, his face fell. “You don’t want to come back here? I should have warned you before, Madison. I don't care about your past, but I hope you'll behave as long as you're my wife. Do you know what a woman who doesn't return home all night is called? A loose woman. Do you want everyone to call you that?” said Allen, emphasizing each word that came out of his mouth. “No, I didn’t say that I’m not coming back here all night,” explained Madison. She lifted her head to meet Allen’s gaze and continued. “I just asked not to return during dinner time as I need to work. My work ends at 8:00 p.m., so I might not make it to prepare dinner for you…” “Work?” Allen raised his eyebrows. He seemed surprised as he did not expect Madison still needed to work. However, the surprise soon disappeared from his face as a cold smirk appeared on his face. “That’s a good excuse. I didn’t know that you still needed to work after becoming my wife.” The fact she had taken his money showed she was a shallow woman who refused to work hard to get the things she wanted. Therefore, he did not believe her at all. “Yes, I need to work,” replied Madison. “I’ve been working even before I married you. I work as a caretaker in the nursing home where Mr. Richardson stays. I hope that—” “Don’t even think about it!” Allen cut her short before she could finish her sentence. “Don’t make me a fool, Madison. What would my grandfather think if he saw you working in the nursing home? Do you want to make him doubt our marriage? Or do you want him to think that I treat you harshly and that I'm not giving you enough allowance to the point that you have to go out to earn money yourself?” Allen squinted and looked at her coldly. She said, “I’m sorry… I didn’t think about that…” “If you don't think like that, then just behave yourself and put away your unrealistic ideas. I don’t care if you want to go out to work, but you can’t work as a caretaker anymore.” After that, Allen stepped into the elevator as he did not want to waste his time on Madison anymore. As the elevator door was about to close, his voice drifted to her again. “I want to see you at the dining table every night at 7:30 p.m. Don't forget, Madison, you are the woman I bought back.”