[13 - Undercover and Under Siege]

Leaning back on her chair, Madison drummed her fingers lightly against her desk recalling how much her life has changed, the ups and downs that she had witnessed, especially over the course of 18 years.

She was quite young when he father divorced her mother and remarried while her mother abandoned her and just left. It were her maternal grandparents who took her in and raised her with love and care. Despite a few problems here and there, life was absolutely fine.

A major change came in her life when she received a scholarship to study in one of the most prestigious schools in the state. That's where she had met Christopher, the sweetest and kindest young man she had ever met. 

The attraction was instant, the connection so beautiful that it could not be described in words. Even though the spark was there, Madison had hesitated in accepting and reciprocating Christopher's feelings towards her because the difference between their financial status was huge.

She came from a middle class family while he was the son of the richest man in the country. How could she be with him? Would his parents accept their son dating her? But all her worries ceased to exist when she actually got to meet Christopher's family.

It was when she met them in person that she realized how unnecessary her worries were. Christopher's parents, his siblings, they were all just as wonderful and loving as him. They not only accepted her but also loved and cared for her like their own family member even when her relationship with Christopher was only a few months old.

She was happy. Absolutely ecstatic.

But then, she lost everything in one single night.

Madison was in her home, with her grandparents, studying for the upcoming exams, unaware of the tragedy that had struck her boyfriend and his family. She did not get to know about it until the next morning when every news channel was flashing the same news, reporting the deaths of her boyfriend and his family.

Without thinking about anything Madison had rushed to their house and instead of the beautiful, palatial mansion, she found a burnt down mansion and Christopher's necklace among its remains.

It was reported in the media that Caroline had survived. 

Caroline, the sweet and adorable younger sister of Christopher who was only 10 years old. She had survived the tragedy and was being treated by the country's trop medical professionals.

Madison had tried to meet Caroline but William Sullivan and others did not let her meet the sweet child who was like a younger sister to her. Years passed, and Caroline was kept hidden from the public's eye claiming that she was too traumatized to be out in public and was receiving therapy to recover.

But Madison had kept trying. 

During that time, first her grandmother passed away because of a heart attack, and then some time later, her grandfather also left the world leaving her alone in this world. Until, that fateful day in the graveyard.

5 years had passed since that tragedy. She was crying her heart out while lying beside the grave of the only man she had loved and would ever love when a young girl approached her.

Madison had never met her but for some reason, that girl looked way too familiar to her. She almost didn't believe her when she told Madison that she was Caroline. There was no facial resemblance. It was only when Caroline, now Seraphina revealed the whole truth to her that Madison finally believed her.

Both of them had cried the whole night, grieving their loss. That was the night that let themselves being emotionally weak and mourn for their family because from then onwards, they had decided to make their enemies cry.

Madison Taylor, now known as Margaret Smith, first entered the Grayson Group of Industries at the age of 24. Fresh from her graduation and post-graduation with honors, she seemed like a bright, eager young professional. However, beneath her polished exterior was a woman driven by a deep-seated thirst for revenge.

She, who had wanted to start her own company once, chose to apply for the position of a secretary to the high ranking officials in the company, knowing this was the position that entails having access to more sensitive company information than many other employees.

Madison's first few years at the Grayson Group were spent learning the ropes. She worked tirelessly, taking on extra projects and assignments to gain the trust of her superiors. As she rose through the ranks, she gathered information on the Grayson family, the Sullivans, and the Thompsons. Especially the Graysons.

Every piece of information that she had collected was then shared with Seraphina and their other allies who helped in plotting the perfect revenge plan that would lead to the downfall of their enemies.

It was extremely challenging for her to work with and for the people who were responsible for the destruction of a happy, loving family who had done nothing wrong. Marcus, William, and Daniel, these three men took so many lives just to satisfy their greed.

These three were responsible for snatching away the love and acceptance she had found with Christopher and his family. They were the ones responsible for destroying sweet Caroline's entire childhood. After suffering through all the sins and atrocities committed against them, Madison and Seraphina were now determined to bring justice to their loved ones, no matter the cost.

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Elijah was in his study, staring at his laptop's screen but was lost deep in his thoughts. He was completely zoned out while thinking about Seraphina and different ways he could approach Seraphina to get to know more about her.

He also could not shake off the tiny seed of doubt in his mind that there was some kind of connection between Seraphina and Caroline. It was only after he met Seraphina that he start dreaming about the 5 years old Caroline. He couldn't help but be intrigued about why would Seraphina's eyes remind her of the child Caroline he had saved all those years ago.

He was so lost in his thoughts that Elijah did not even notice his father entering the study. Elijah did not blink when Marcus waved his hand in front of his eldest son's face. He did not react when Marcus called out his name; that's how deep in his thought Elijah was.

It was only when Marcus shook Elijah hard and asked, "What's going on, son?" that Elijah finally moved.

"Huh?" he looked up at his father wondering when did he come, "What?"

Marcus chuckled and took a seat opposite Elijah and repeated his question, "What were you thinking about so hard that you did not even notice anything else? What's on your mind, Elijah?"

"Oh," Elijah's ears turned red due to embarrassment, "Nothing much. I have been thinking about this new project that I am interested in taking over." he replied smoothly.

Marcus raised an eyebrow, intrigued, "What kind of project?"

"It's in the initial stages, Dad. You don't know about it." Elijah deflected. "I will share more details with you once it's further developed. If, it's further developed."

Elijah was actually talking about his progress with Seraphina and not some business project.

Marcus nodded, doubtful. He could tell that Elijah was hiding something but what, Marcus had no idea about.

"Alright, but keep me informed." Marcus stood up and patted Elijah's shoulder. He turned around to leave but stopped, "Oh, I almost forgot."

"What?" asked Elijah.

"As Ethan is currently recovering so I was thinking of having you overtake the projects that he had been working on. There is this one particular project about this health and wellness app that we cannot delay any further, so from now on you will be leading that project. I have emailed you the details, go through it, alright." instructed Marcus.

"Okay." Elijah nodded his head in positive and smiled.

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Meanwhile, Ethan was recuperating at home under the care of his physiotherapist. His hot physiotherapist, Dr. Laura, was massaging his legs while he smiled down at her, using his charm with full force as he tried to engage her in conversation.

"You know," Ethan said with a flirtatious grin, "I've heard laughter is the best medicine. Maybe you could tell me a joke?"

Dr. Laura, his physiotherapist, a stoic woman but stunning woman, barely glanced at him as she continued to give him a deep friction massage not caring about anything else, "I'm here to help you recover, Mr. Grayson, not to entertain you." she spoke firmly.

Moving to his other leg, Dr. Laura added, "If you really want to listen to a joke, you can take your phone and watch the latest comedy show instead."

Ethan persisted, undeterred, "Come on, Dr. Laura, don't be so rude. I was only trying to help you." he pouted like a child. 

She sighed, continuing her work with professional detachment, "My job is to provide medical care, Mr. Grayson. I am not a comedian so please keep your focus on the exercises rather than silly jokes."

Undeterred by her resistance, Ethan reached out to touch her arm, but she swiftly pushed his hand away. "Keep your hands to yourself, Mr. Grayson. I'm your doctor, nothing more." she glared.

In her field of work she had met men like him and was capable of handling such idiots. Finishing up the massage, Dr. Laura wiped her hands with a towel and told her assistant to help Ethan sit on the wheelchair while she walked away.

Looking at her leave, Ethan stared at her back with a gleam of challenge in his eyes. "Playing hard to get, are we? I do love a good challenge," he muttered to himself.