Ch. 2 - Start over

Madeline held the calling card in her hand as she stood in front of Laurent Co. This is where she was supposed to report to everyday. It's farther than the coffee shop she used to work at. If she used to walk to and from the coffee shop, this time she had to take a bus to get to where she needed to be.

"This is it." She muttered under her breath. She took a deep breath before entering the building. Madeline went to the information desk to ask where she needed to go.

"Good morning. My name is Madeline Granger. I'm here fo---." She was cut off before she could finish her sentence. The lady at the front desk reached for the phone and dialed a number.

"Mr. Laurent, she's here." The lady ended the call and stood up. Madeline, not knowing what to do, followed after her. She expected to be led to the elevator but she was confused when the lady led her to another hallway. It was there that she saw what seemed to be a secluded elevator. She wanted to ask but she didn't want to seem rude since it was her first time here.

"This elevator will lead you straight to the boss' office. Please step inside." The lady said. Madeline nodded and went inside the elevator. The doors closed and the elevator went up to the top floor. When it opened, she was greeted by a familiar face.

"Good morning Madeline!" Noah said with a smile. Madeline stepped out of the elevator and greeted his new boss.

"Good morning Mr. Laurent." She said with a slight bow. Noah cleared his throat which made Madeline look up at him.

"Just call me Noah." He said. Madeline was reluctant but she agreed to it anyway. Noah led her inside his office to where her desk was.

"This will be your workstation. All you need to know about me is in this folder. My schedules, meetings and conference; all of them can be found here." Noah handed Madeline a folder to which Madeline quickly opened and scanned.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask." Noah said. Madeline closed the folder and looked up.

"Do you have any coffee preferences? How about for food? Do you have any allergies?" Madeline asked. Noah was a bit surprised by her question but he quickly regained his composure.

"I like black coffee with just a teaspoon of sugar and I'm allergic to any type of seafood." Noah answered. Madeline took out a tiny notepad and scribbled down Noah's answer.

"What's that?" Noah asked. Madeline looked at him and saw that he was looking at her notepad.

"Oh, this is my work notes. Whenever I'm doing something I need a notepad to write what I need to remember or else I'll forget about it." She answered. Noah smiled at her and he put his hand on her shoulder.

"That's great to hear." Naoh said. Madeline felt shy all of a sudden. She smiled at Noah before putting away her notepad. Noah excused himself and went back to his desk. Madeline sat on her desk and organized her stuff. Her day began without a hitch which made her breathe a sigh of relief. During lunch, Noah went up to her and offered to take her out to lunch as a way of congratulating her. Madeline didn't really have the option to refuse.

"So Madeline, tell me more about yourself. Or if you're still uncomfortable, I could share something about myself first to keep the mood going." Noah suggested. Madeline smiled at Noah and nodded her head.

"That's fine with me." She said. As they sat down on the table waiting for their food, Noah went on ahead and told Madeline something about himself.

"You already know my name. I am the only son and heir to my parents' company. I have a degree in business and finance and I graduated from a university abroad. My birthday is on August 15 and I'm turning 25 this year." Noah stated. While Noah was speaking, Madeline pulled out her notepad and started jotting down everything Noah had said. By the time he had finished speaking, Madeline was happily staring at her notepad.

"Now it's your turn Madeline." Noah said. Their food had just arrived and Madeline was ready to share something about her.

"You can just call me Maddie if you want to, Noah. I'm living alone right now. My parents are in abroad along with my other siblings. I was left here because my parents were… how should I put it… they said they couldn't bring me abroad because they're busy with my other siblings and they won't be able to pay me any attention." Madeline said. Her tone was becoming dreary and Noah noticed this. He made a mental note to never bring up her family during conversations.

"I'm only a semester away from getting my degree in business and finance. Coincidentally, my birthday is on August 14 and I'm turning 22 this year." Madeline continued. Noah was surprised to hear about her birthday since it was only a day apart from his. They were having a casual conversation while having lunch when the topic of transportation was brought up.

"The bus ride from my apartment to Laurent Co. takes me at least an hour or more depending on the traffic." Madeline said. Noah was concerned for Madeline's safety if ever she would be working over time. Taking the bus during the evening can be dangerous especially for a young girl like her. He thought of a way to help Madeline.

"If that's the case then I'd like to tell you about an apartment building near Laurent Co. Most of the employees who are like you who live fairly far from the company are offered to stay in this apartment building. Would you like to move there? I could arrange it for you." Noah offered. Madeline thought about it. It was a great offer plus it'll be easier for her to report in for work. But the biggest concern she was thinking about was that if she accepted this offer, it'll be easier for her to let go of David.

"I'd like to take your offer, Noah." Madeline said. Noah smiled and quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket. After a few minutes, Noah received a confirmation on a unit for Madeline.

"After work today, let's go visit the building and I'll let you check the room. You can decide when you'll move in." Noah suggested to which Madeline nodded in response. They went back to the company to resume their duties. Madeline was doing well for her first day. As promised, her and Noah went to the apartment building which was only a block away from the company building.

"This is the room you'll be having when you decide to move in." Noah said while unlocking the door to the unit on the top floor. The room was spacious and clean. It was very similar to the apartment she's currently staying at. Feeling satisfied, Madeline looked at Noah with sparkling eyes.

"Can I move in tomorrow?" Madeline asked. She wanted it to be as urgent as possible. Noah looked at her with a raised eyebrow. He asked himself why she wanted to move in urgently. He wanted to ask her but it seemed to be too personal.

"Sure! I'll have the moving service help you tomorrow." Noah said. He arranged the moving service to pick up Madeline's stuff and help her move. Noah also let Madeline go home early to start packing her things for tomorrow. WIth excitement in her eyes, she immediately ran outside to the bus stop to wait for a bus but there was no bus in sight. Noah took out his car from the garage and pulled up in front of her.

"'Come on in. I'll take you home." Noah offered. Madeline was reluctant because she felt she's been pushing Noah too much. Noah noticed her reluctance and reassured her.

"Don't think about it too much." Noah got out of the car and opened the passenger's side open. Madeline smiled at him before entering the car. Noah and Madeline were both indulged in each other's company that they almost forgot where they were headed. When they arrived in front of Madeline's apartment building, Noah helped her out of his car and led her to the front door.

"Thank you, sir, for the opportunity you gave me. I promise to cherish it and work hard." Madeline said. Noah smiled at put his hand on top of her head. Madeline looked up and met Noah's gaze. As they smiled at each other, they were startled when they heard a voice behind them.

"Maddie…" David said. His eyes darted from Madeline to Noah. Without another word, he stepped in between them pulling Madeline away from Noah.

"What are you doing?" Madeline asked. David's gaze followed Noah. It was clear what he was trying to convey.

"Where have you been? I've been trying to call you all day. You weren't at the cafe either and Hannah wouldn't tell me where you were." David asked, exasperated. He unconsciously tightened his grip on Madeline's wrist causing her to flinch from the pain.

"You're hurting her." Noah said. David turned to Noah with a glare that could kill. David let go of Madeline's wrist.

"Who are you?" David asked Noah. He was walking closer towards Noah when Madeline intervened.

"Stop it David. Go home." She said while holding her wrist. It was clear that she was in pain from David's tight grip.

"It's okay Madeline. I'm going back. Don't forget about tomorrow." Noah said. He went back inside his car and drove off. Madeline and David were left standing outside the apartment building. Madeline didn't want to talk to David. She kept quiet and decided to head inside. But before she could, David stopped him.

"Maddie, what's wrong?" David asked. She didn't want to answer. She just kept quiet.

"Maddie, please tell me. I can't stand you ignoring me like this. And who is that guy?" David asked. Madeline felt angry at the same time frustrated. SHe looked at David and answered his questions.

"David, I'm done. I'm tired and I need to rest. I have a lot of things to do tomorrow. And what's it to you if I meet up with other guys? You spend time with Monique, why can't I spend time with others?" Madeline's frustration finally bellowed over. She took a few steps away from David.

"Go home David." Madeline said as she turned on her heel and went inside the apartment building. When she unlocked her door, she quickly went in and shut the door behind her. As soon as she stepped in, her tears fell as she slumped down to the floor. Madeline felt hurt all over. It's like she wanted to sleep and never wake up. It was a pain unbearable to the point that she just wanted to disappear.

"I need to leave." Madeline whispered to herself. She quickly picked herself up from the floor and grabbed her suitcase from the closet. She filled it with all her clothes and afterwards, she took all her valuable belongings and placed them inside a box. Madeline didn't want to feel the same heartbreak all over again. It was time to move on.