/Madison's POV/
It had been almost a week since I last saw Zane. At first I thought he was avoiding me, but Ayanna was quick to explain how busy he'd been.
Zane seems like a regular next-door neighbour, so sometimes it still doesn't sink in that he's actually a CEO—at least not until he drags himself home at one in the morning, completely exhausted.
So I learned one thing: the more exhausted Zane was, the less likely he was to sleepwalk his way to my room.
That week, I only found him outside my door twice. This time, no matter how many grunts, moans, or cries I heard, I refused to open the door.
In the meantime, I've learned a lot of things—mostly about Allison's life. Learning about my sister has always been fun, but lately, I've felt this huge gap in my understanding of her.
Even Kim's information was filling those gaps. I still felt like I hadn't quite grasped my sister's character yet, which was unlike me; studying and choosing a persona had always come naturally — after all, I used to be a spy.
Every day, while studying Allison's movies, interviews, or anything else about her, I wondered what I was missing. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't quite grasp it.
I heard the door ease open and turned from the sofa where I'd been leaning against. It was Zane, coming in earlier than usual.
Clearly, he didn't listen when Aya and I told him to get checked up. His dark circles looked worse, his expression drawn, yet even that couldn't dull how striking his face was.
He really is quite the eye candy.
"You're home early today," I pointed out as he walked into the sitting room. Allison's movie was on the big screen, with snacks and canned beer keeping me company.
After two weeks in his house, I'd pretty much made myself at home—and I think he liked that too, because instead of looking surprised, he looked amused. He dropped his coat and briefcase and joined me on the floor, using the sofa as his backrest.
"Yeah, the entire board practically forced me to take half the day off. I couldn't focus on anything," Zane said, leaning back. "I didn't imagine this would be this comfy."
I chuckled and handed him a can of beer. "It's Friday night, Zane. You deserve a break—and the whole weekend."
"I remember that movie," he said, cracking open his beer and taking a sip. "It was the first one she ever starred in. I hadn't even taken over the company yet. I was just her boyfriend, cheering her on from the sidelines." He smiled faintly.
"She's really good," I admitted, watching the younger Allison play the teenage romantic lead. It didn't feel like she was acting—it felt like she was just being herself.
"Why this movie in particular?" he asked, and I could feel his gaze on me. Warmth crept under my skin, my neck growing hot. I wasn't sure if it was the beer or the fact that he was watching me.
"Because it's easier to see her true self here—before she got really good and there were barely any cracks to peek through," I replied, and he chuckled.
"Yeah, you're right," he said, his gaze softened on the screen.. "She was so nervous getting to set for that film. She kept forgetting her lines." Zane paused, watching Allison stare at the male lead from afar. "I almost miss that imperfect, clumsy side of her."
I didn't realise I was staring at him until our eyes met. I cleared my throat. "So what's kept you so busy at the office that I barely see you anymore?" I asked, forcing my gaze back to the TV and trying to ignore the fast, agonising pound of my heart.
When was the last time I felt like this? I almost scoffed, wondering how this rigid man was managing to seduce me without even trying.
His expression was stoic, softening only when he talked about Allison. Every time I lost myself in the affection he carried for her, I found myself yearning for it. Allison and I are sisters after all; it's weird how we ended up liking the same things. I thought that was only material things, but apparently not.
Zane exhaled. "Where should I even start?" Apart from looking worn out, I could see frustration cracking his features. "Elias keeps insisting he was in a relationship with Allison."
I choked on my beer. Zane handed me a handkerchief to clean up the spill, which I gladly took.
"Were you able to confirm that?" I asked, pretending to be absentminded as I scrubbed the beer from my shirt.
"I didn't need to. It's bullshit," he insisted. "If only I could find Allison's phone, then we could put this nonsense to rest." His trust in my sister was quite impressive.
I bit back a smile. If only he knew. I wished I could tell Zane it wasn't nonsense. I'd recovered Allison's phone myself—more like stolen it from the security member who met Elias and was going to hand it over. It was part of the information I got from Kim. I didn't need to beat it out of the guy; I just followed him home and recover it while he was in the shower.
It's one of the few things I did while Zane was busy at work. I actually left the phone under his bed — not sure why he hasn't found it yet.
But Zane and Elias are right about one thing: Allison was involved with Elias, that's for sure. She wasn't in a relationship with him, nor was she in love with him. I didn't have to rummage through the whole phone to realise who Allison loved.
From her chats with friends and acquaintances, Allison never hid how much she adored Zane. She was always showing him off. Strangly, I feel glad about it, I didn't want their love to be fake.
But that was about all the phone had to offer. Allison's messages to Elias were short, and I confirmed they weren't in contact on that line, so even if Zane found the phone it would be useless though not entirely.
One of Allison's texts to Elias read, "I told you not to contact me on this line." So I'm guessing they used a private channel.
I tried to find it by going back to Allison's apartment, but security had tightened since the stabbing, so I planned to make Zane find it— except he still hasn't found the phone.
"Maddy? Are you listening?" Zane's voice broke my reverie.
"Sorry—what?" I snapped back to the present.
"Are you that into the movie?" he asked, noticing how I'd been staring at the screen while chewing the can tab.
"Sorry, I zoned out." I popped open another beer. "What were you saying again?"
"I'm saying — y'know what, never mind. I'm just going to take a shower. I'll be right back. Enjoy the movie."
Crap. I didn't mean for him to think he was bothering me. "Um… yeah, sure, you do that," I replied awkwardly.
I tried to keep my eyes off his retreating figure, but failed miserably. Now I couldn't focus on the movie either. I tried, but my thoughts kept wandering until Zane returned.
"You must really like this movie—you even rewound it a little," he teased as he dropped beside me again, this time with snacks of his own.
I was really enjoying it until he showed up and made my thoughts a mess.
"Maddy." His call tore my eyes from the TV to his face. His hair, usually slicked back, was dripping over his forehead, making him look younger than usual. Seriously, you've gotta be kidding me, I internally groaned biting down on the can edge.
"I'm not sure how much longer I can keep people who know about Allison away from you. I tried, even when that article came out accusing me of locking Allison up because I found out she cheated," he scoffed. "They almost made me the prime suspect. The suspicion is still there and growing—"
"So you need me to go public and say you didn't do it?" I guessed. His head drooped. "That's not really a problem — I know you didn't do it." He snapped his head back toward me.
I'd spent countless nights making sure he had no hand in what happened to my sister. If he did… I'd have reduced that pretty face of his to nothing but a carcass.
"You shouldn't trust people that easily." He warned. "You wouldn't go this far if you didn't care about my sister.
"Actually, that's not the problem," he said. "The police want to interrogate you. And there's also Allison's pending project—it could cause huge losses if I have to terminate it. In short, I need your help."
I wanted to turn him down — unlike my sister, I don't appreciate attention. That wasn't my real reason for being here, but there has been no progress in the investigation. I'd hit a dead end, so maybe stepping into her shoes isn't such a bad idea..
"I'm not saying you'll do this for free." Zane sensed my hesitation. "For everything you do in place of Allison, you'll get paid. For every damn thing." He sure knew how to throw money around.
"Okay, fine." I shrugged. I'd get to look for my sister's murderer and earn cash on the side—fair deal.
"Thank you," he said, but I didn't answer. "You've got to be the most laid-back person I've ever met," he added with a chuckle as he reached for another beer.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I asked and he chuckled.
"I really can't say yet," he smirked, and I smiled.
I didn't finish the movie—I think I fell asleep somewhere near the end. I really wanted to know how it concluded, but that wasn't the problem.
Zane was all over me again. I could feel it.
Fuck! I cursed inwardly as he pinned me to the floor, his weight pressing down on me, lips brushing my nape until my eyes flew open.
He was like a delicious piece of meat dangling in front of a starved dog—and I was one bite away from losing all restraint.
I'll gobble him up at this rate.
—-----------