Chapter 6: Watching Her Be Bullied

Madison took a cab straight to the hospital, where her mother was admitted. She arrived just in time to see Ethan coming out.

"Well, if it isn't my darling daughter."

Madison gritted her teeth. "What the hell do you want?"

Ethan remained his irritating self. "Don't you know by now?"

"Ethan, aren't you afraid of karma?"

"My biggest karma was meeting you and your mother!"

After that, Ethan brushed past Madison and walked away.

Madison stood there, shaking with anger, her lower abdomen cramping in waves.

She quickly called Amelia.

"It's probably the stress. Find a place to sit down and try to relax. If the discomfort persists, come to the hospital right away."

Madison hung up, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her emotions. By the time she reached Riverside Lane, the pain had subsided bit by bit. Only when her stomach stopped hurting did she allow herself a sigh of relief.

She went in to check on her mother, and before leaving, she made sure to remind the caregiver. "Please call me if Ethan comes back."

The caregiver nodded earnestly. "Of course."

...

After leaving the hospital, Madison went straight back to her office.

The resignation letters were still on her desk, but she had no mood to deal with them.

She tucked the letters into a drawer, hesitated for a moment, and then picked up the phone to make a call.

Owen seemed quite surprised to receive her call.

"Madison, why are you calling me out of the blue?" Owen asked with a hint of surprise.

Madison hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "Owen, can I borrow some money from you?"

Sitting in the office of Grayson Industries, Owen's gaze instantly shifted to Grayson who seemed to have expected this very situation.

Sure enough, Grayson was always one step ahead. He was a master at reading people. He even predicted that Madison would turn to him.

Owen clicked his tongue. "Madison, I'm really sorry. You wouldn't know this, but because of that issue with you, my brother's so ticked off he froze all my credit cards. I've been scrounging meals for days."

Madison felt her heart sink. "I'm sorry," she said after a pause.

Owen, guilt-ridden, suggested, "Maybe wait a few days? I figure my brother will cool off soon."

"No need, thanks anyway," she responded.

After the call, Jack glanced at Grayson, who was meticulously reviewing a contract behind his desk.

"Man, are you really going to let Ethan keep messing with her?" Owen inquired.

Grayson looked up, his eyes cool and detached. "Do you feel sorry for her?"

Owen was quick to shake his head. He dared not show too much concern.

"I just worry she might actually get the short end of the stick with Ethan. After all, she's your woman," Owen said cautiously.

Without even lifting his eyes, Grayson replied, "If she doesn't take the obvious path and ends up at a disadvantage, then she has only herself to blame."

Owen decided it was best to say nothing more. His brother's heart was truly cold as ice.

Despite wanting her to stay, Grayson chose such an unfathomably hard tactic.

*

After hanging the phone, Madison couldn't help but massage her temples. There wasn't anyone in her circle who had the means to lend her such an amount.

Among Grayson's fair-weather friends, she was only somewhat familiar with Owen. If she couldn't secure a loan through him, she didn't know where else to turn.

There was Nicholas, but she wasn't desperate enough to borrow money from a man with ulterior motives toward her. Madison sat at her desk and took a deep breath to steady the tumult inside her.

Sophia came in, holding a document. "Boss, here's the final version of the new product marketing plan. It needs Grayson's signature. The executive mentioned that since you haven't processed your resignation, these matters are still your responsibility."

Madison nodded. "Just put it down."

Sophia placed the document and left.

Madison looked over the marketing plan briefly, stood up, and headed to the CEO's office.

The door to Grayson's office was slightly ajar. Madison knocked twice and heard his voice from inside. She pushed the door open and entered.

Grayson glanced up. His interest piqued as he watched her.

"You're still here?"

Madison pressed her lips together. "Something came up today. I couldn't get to it. I'll take care of it tomorrow."

Grayson's gaze darkened. "Then, please expedite your departure. We don't want to delay the new manager's appointment."

Madison fell silent for a moment then said, "I will."

After speaking, she placed the marketing proposal in front of Grayson. "Here's the proposal for the new product launch. Could you check if there's anything that needs to be added?"

Without saying much, Grayson picked up the proposal and began to scrutinize it. When it came to work, he was always diligent, and some might even call him exacting.

He didn't dismiss Madison, so she had no choice but to stand there and wait until he finished.

The proposal was shorter, just about a dozen pages. But Grayson reviewed it over and over for more than an hour. He questioned every single point, making sure he understood everything clearly.

Only when he was certain there were no issues did he sign his name and hand it back to Madison.

Madison hesitated for a moment before accepting it without leaving.

"Is there something else, Madison?" Grayson asked emotionlessly.

Madison paused for a couple of seconds. "No, that's all."

"Mhm, could you please close the door on your way out?"

Grayson went back to his other tasks as soon as he finished speaking.

Madison stood silently for a moment before leaving Grayson's office. She had almost asked Grayson for a loan just a moment ago. Ethan must have really driven her crazy.

This man would never lend her money.

Madison composed herself and returned to her own office.

After work, she dialed the number of the lawyer who had represented her mother years ago. Once connected, she briefed him on the situation.

"Nathan, could this be considered extortion?"

Nathan said, "Under these circumstances, it might be hard to press charges for extortion. Since he's your legal father, you do have a duty to support him. If he insists it's just alimony, winning seems unlikely. At most, you might get a chance to reprimand him, but I'm afraid he might seek revenge afterward."

Madison's heart sank. "Is there really no other way?"

"Currently, since your mother is considered incapacitated, you could sue for divorce on her behalf. However, that process could be very lengthy."

She exhaled softly.

With Ethan's temper, she feared her mother might not live to see the divorce finalized.

"Sorry, I couldn't be of more help."

Madison chuckled. "Why are you sorry? You've already solved quite a few issues for me. I owe you a dinner."

Nathan had indeed been a great help to her. Not only did he assist with her mother's case, but he also reviewed several contracts for her. Each time, he made time out of his busy schedule, and Madison truly owed him a favor.

"Nah, let me do the inviting." Nathan's voice came through the phone, tinged with amusement. "Actually, I've got a favor to ask of you this time."

"Sounds good."

After setting a time to meet with Nathan, Madison ended the call.

She barely slept that night.

The next day, Madison got a call from the caregiver as soon as she arrived at the office.

"Madison, your dad's at the hospital. I just saw him asking the doctor for some kind of consent form."

Madison's head spun, and she could feel her complexion pale slightly.

Ethan was dead serious.

She had no doubt now that if the money weren't in by midnight, he would surely seal her mother's fate. However, she didn't have any choice.

After much hesitation, she finally opened the drawer and clutched the resignation letter tightly. In the end, she fed the freshly printed letter into the shredder.

No matter what, she couldn't risk her mother's life.

With a bitter heart, Madison hesitated for a while before she finally made a call to Grayson.

As expected, Grayson didn't pick up. A man like him would never allow her to disgrace him, time after time. Even if she wanted to apologize, she'd have to do it in person.

Taking a deep breath, Madison stood up and walked toward the CEO's office.

The door of the CEO's office was slightly ajar.

Madison tapped lightly, and a man's voice came from inside. "Come in."

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