Chapter 37

Clara's POV

"I can't believe this happened to us," Madison said, shaking in fear.

She paused, taking the time to blow her nose. She took another tissue to wipe her tears.

The room was messy, with a few broken vases and a shattered glass table. Some of the furniture was pushed from its original position, possibly due to the fight.

Among many people, there were police officers in the room. Marcus was also there with the head of the hotel security team.

Derek was anxious, pacing the room as we listened to Madison make her statement.

He seemed fine. The pain in his abdomen was gone. He only had a bleeding nose. There was blood on his hand, and his knuckles were red and a bit bruised. Those guys hadn't done much damage to him.

I sat down and leaned on the couch with an ice pack on my head. My head was hurting, but nothing serious had happened to me. The paramedics had already checked on me, and I was deemed fine.

"I was just in my suite, busy as always. I called Derek to come over to my room since we have a project that we are working on together. I had some ideas that I wanted to show him." She paused, wiping a tear off her cheek. "That's when I heard the knock on the door. I thought it was Tristan, so I got up to open the door. That's when the three men just barged in. They threatened me and asked me to give them all my jewellery. One of them even tried to force himself on me." She continued to sob.

"Did they take anything, ma'am?" The officer asked after taking some notes in his book.

"No, luckily Derek got here right on time. They left the door wide open. Derek saw them here. One of the guys started attacking Derek, but he fought back." Madison continued. "He saved me from a dreadful thing that was about to happen. It wasn't very pleasant. I could still smell that man's horrible stench." Madison cried.

The officer took another note.

"Okay," the officer spoke. That will be it for now. "We'll contact you for more information, and you might have to come into the station for a more formal report and further questioning," the officer informed.

Madison nodded.

"We'll look at the hotel footage as well. We'll inform you about our findings." Another officer spoke.

Madison continued to sob.

"I need you to get to the bottom of this. I want to understand how something like this could have happened. We'll give you everything to use at your disposal for this investigation. Everyone will cooperate as best they can. I'm sure you might be able to get something from the video footage. I'd also like to see the footage myself." Derek added.

The officers nodded, then moved aside as they started speaking to Marcus, who was near the door.

Derek moved from his spot, ready to make his way out of the room.

Madison stood up from the couch, looking more distressed. "Please, Derek, you can't leave me alone. I don't feel safe." Madison cried. She walked over to Derek and clung to his arm.

It's like I was in preschool all over again.

Derek sighed, facing her. "Nothing will happen to you, and the officers are here to protect you." Derek tried to assure her.

"I only feel safe with you, and you are the only one I can trust to protect me." Madison continued. She rested her head on his arm, and she continued clinging to him.

This scene made me nauseous. Maybe it was my fake pregnancy.

The door flew open as a panicked Layla walked into the room. Her eyes roamed around the room until she finally spotted Derek.

"I heard about what happened," Layla said, walking in.

Madison flinched away from Derek.

Layla walked over to where we were.

In horror, she examined his wounds, turning him around to assess the extent of the damage.

"Derek, are you okay?" Layla exclaimed; she noticed the blood stain on his shirt.

"Don't worry, Mom, I'm fine," Derek answered.

"But you are bleeding," Layla said, her voice filled with worry.

Derek sighed again. "Don't worry, it's not my blood," he answered.

Layla now seemed a bit more relaxed as she sat next to me.

"Are you sure that you are okay?" Derek turned to me.

I nodded, forcing a smile. I pressed the ice pack deeper into my skull.

Derek walked away to the kitchen. He came back holding a cold glass of water, which he then handed to his mother to drink, hoping it would calm her.

"Please excuse me. I have to speak to the officers," Derek informed.

He then moved over to where the offices were standing.

Layla took a shot at the water and drank it in one gulp. Within minutes, she appeared calmer.

"So," Layla began, facing Madison. She placed her glass aside.

"I'm so sorry that this happened to you. It must have been so traumatic for you." Layla said. I couldn't tell whether she was being sarcastic or not.

"I was completely caught off guard," Madison said, wiping a tear off her cheeks again.

Layla shook her head. "You poor thing. This only happened to you because you couldn't afford a house. Thank God for the generosity of people like my son that you even have a roof over your head. I mean, why else would you choose to stay in a hotel for so long?" Layla replied.

"I happen to like it here," Madison answered. Her waterworks finally stopped.

"Besides," Layla continued. "I still don't understand why someone would want to rob you. Frankly, there are wealthier people in this hotel. Surely, if you had any money, you wouldn't be clinging onto my son like a leech."

"I don't know what you are implying, but you are not about to sit here and insult me," Madison said, growing more defensive with each word.

"What was my son doing here anyways when this happened?" Layla asked.

"I wanted to show him my ideas for our project." She answered.

Layla chuckled. "You know, I'd love to see those ideas too, you know, as the wife of one of the top businessmen in this city, I can give you some pointers," Layla said, crossing her legs.

Madison's mood shifted as she suddenly became more serious.

I don't think she had any ideas that she wanted to show Derek. It was all a trap.

"So what? You're finally bored of shopping?" Madison mocked. "Even your husband knows that's the only thing you're good at."

This conversation was getting a bit heated. I pretended not to listen as the two glared at each other.

"Maybe I could give you some pointers on fashion, too. You could take a pig and wrap it in a curtain. It would still look better than you." Layla retorted.

Madison was about to say something when Derek returned. He had both hands on his hips.

Even he could sense the uncomfortable tension between them.

Layla smiled, turning her attention to Derek. "You know, son," Layla said, getting Derek's attention. "I was thinking maybe you should move back home with me. I no longer think this place is safe enough for you to stay, and I'd love for you to be home for my peace of mind." Layla spoke, her voice trembling.

Madison was not happy about it at all.

"Mom, that's the last thing I need right now." Derek paused. "We host some of the biggest celebrities and personalities. How else are people supposed to come here if they don't even feel safe? By leaving, I'd only be making the situation worse. I can only hope that this thing never gets out." He spoke.

Madison chuckled and quickly masked it with one of her fake tears before Derek could notice."The whole experience still shakes me up. I don't know what I'm going to do, and I don't think I'll ever be able to see this place the same way again." Madison spoke, her voice sounding on the brink of tears.

"Well, maybe after this experience, you can finally get a real house. Preferably somewhere really far from here." Layla spoke.

"Mom," Derek warned.

His mother probably seemed insensitive after the ordeal Madison had just suffered.

"I'm just saying," Layla shrugged. Her face brightened as she came up with an idea. "Besides, you can always move in with me, Madison. My house is very big, and I'll keep you safe. We also have a very big security team," Layla added.

I wonder how long the two of them could stay together till the police came to collect someone, one of them probably in a body bag.

Madison looked at Layla, horrified. She then turned to Derek for assistance, who seemed uninterested in helping.

Layla wanted Madison to be as far away from Derek as possible

"I heard they hit your head hard," Layla said. She turned her attention to me. "Derek, it's your job as an employer to ensure your employees are safe and well-taken care of. I'll take her somewhere to rest." She turned to Derek.

"You can take her to my penthouse mother, and I'm sure she will be comfortable there." Derek offered.

Madison couldn't seem more displeased. "So, I see you are already well-informed about everything that happened," Madison replied, faking a smile at Layla.

"Sweetheart, I'm always informed. I know everything." Layla laughed. Layla returned her attention to me as she stroked my hair. "I will put this poor girl to rest." Layla smiled.

Derek pulled me aside, away from the two of them. I could feel Madison's glare on me throughout.