Forbidden Desires

Madison rose from her bed as soon as the alarm screamed 5:00 AM. She yawned loudly and stretched her hands wide. “Good morning, world,” she said as she arranged her bed. After making the arrangements, she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She smiled in satisfaction as she rinsed her mouth with water. “Another busy day,” she murmured while going through her wardrobe, searching for something to wear. After a while, she picked a blue shirt and black pants. She went to her dressing table to redo her hair, pulling it into a ponytail. She applied light makeup on her face, then smiled at her reflection. Standing up from the dressing table, she headed towards the kitchen. She opened the fridge, expecting to find something to eat that morning, but she was disappointed. “Not again,” she groaned. There was nothing in the fridge—not even a single piece of fruit. She closed it and walked out of the kitchen, feeling frustrated. “Who knows when next I’ll fill you,” she muttered, grabbing her bag before stepping out of the house. She locked the door behind her and sighed. With no car of her own, she had to take a taxi to the office. She flagged one down and got inside. “Good morning, ma’am,” the taxi driver greeted. “Good morning, sir,” she replied, flashing him a polite smile. “Where to?” he asked, and she told him her destination. The driver nodded and took off toward her office. --- “Madison’s here!” Ada screamed in joy when she saw her, running quickly to wrap her in a tight hug. “Good morning, Madison,” Sam greeted, opening his arms for a hug. Madison smiled and hugged him as well. “Good morning, Sam,” she replied, breaking the hug. “We all missed you,” Ada said, hugging her again. “And I missed you all too,” Madison replied. She had been away for a week, assigned to a case that consumed most of her time—a murder investigation. But now, she was back with the results. A smirk tugged at her lips as she thought about the dangerous adventure she’d embarked on while secretly tracking down the murderer. It hadn’t been easy, but she had gotten the information she needed. She made her way to her desk, with Sam and Ada trailing behind her. She shook her head, laughing at how childish they were acting. She knew they missed her, but they were definitely overdoing it. Not that she blamed them—who wouldn’t miss someone like her? Finally, she sat down and looked at the meal that had been neatly arranged for her. “How has work been?” Sam asked, trying to start a conversation. She looked at him closely, noticing the way he was staring at her intently. She couldn’t tell what that look meant, but she shrugged it off. “Trust me, it has been both better and more stressful,” she answered, taking a sip of her drink but not touching the food. “Why aren’t you eating?” Ada pouted. She had put in effort to prepare the meal, and it was disheartening to see Madison not even take a bite. “Nothing, I’m just not hungry. But that doesn’t mean your food isn’t good,” Madison assured her with a smile, though she still didn’t touch the food. Her mind was occupied with her latest mission. She couldn’t wait to report to her boss and reveal the crucial information she had gathered. She had worked hard, and she was certain she had just secured a promotion. “Can’t you tell us more about your work?” Ada asked, her face lighting up with curiosity. “That’ll be later, guys. I have too much to say,” Madison replied. Just then, Clara—Madison’s best friend—walked in, sweating profusely. She hurried over to Madison’s desk. “What’s wrong?” Madison asked, instantly alert. “Nothing much,” Clara panted. “I was running because I was late for work.” Before Madison could respond, one of her colleagues walked up to her. “Madison, the boss wants to see you in his office now,” they said. Madison hissed in annoyance while Clara chuckled at her frustration. “Get lost,” Madison snapped playfully before standing up. She wasn’t sure what her boss wanted this time. She had just come back from an intense case—surely, he wasn’t about to dump another task on her so soon. When she arrived at his office, she knocked and was ushered inside. “Good morning, sir,” she greeted. “Take a look at this,” the boss said, tossing a file onto his desk. Madison picked it up and read through it carefully. Her brows furrowed as she processed the information. Once she was done, she dropped the file back on the table. “Why am I being shown this, sir?” she asked, already hoping he wouldn’t assign it to her. A house robbery. How boring. She much preferred dangerous and high-stakes cases, not some petty burglary. “You know what to do, Detective,” the boss replied. “I don’t know, sir,” Madison said, feigning ignorance. The boss exhaled loudly and leaned forward. “You don’t know, or you don’t want to investigate the house robbery?” “I’ll pass, sir,” she said with a shrug. “I just got back from an intense mission. Don’t you think I deserve some rest?” The boss smiled slightly before pulling out another file and tossing it onto his desk. “You’ve always wanted this,” he said, smirking. Madison frowned as she picked it up. But as she read the contents, a grin stretched across her face. Finally. The mission she had been waiting for. “Is there anything else I need to know about him?” she asked, her voice laced with excitement. “Read through the file. That’s all we’ve been able to gather so far,” the boss replied. “Pierre Montgomery,” she murmured, flipping through the pages. “I’m coming for you…”