Page 26 of Seduced By Contract

The questions are endless, and usually I would never take such a leap into the dark as I am doing now.

I know why I'm acting out of character regarding everything about Madison. I've never been attracted to a woman in such a wild way. Around her, I'm pure instinct, and surprisingly, this power struggle between us leaves me wanting more.

Like a kind of drug—at first, you underestimate it, thinking you'll just try it and move on—Madison Foster is seeping into my bloodstream, and even though I know I'll eventually have to rid myself of this addiction, I won't do it before satisfying my desire.

Madison

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The Next Day

I hadto clean a house earlier today, but after the news Eleanor gave me yesterday, there's nothing in the world that can keep me away from here.

The social worker responsible for checking the wellbeing of the babies since Brooklyn went into a coma seems determined to take the children to foster care. Her justification is that we don't know if my sister will ever wake up and that Eleanor and I are not capable of providing what they need.

I clasp my hands together, incredibly nervous, and I hate that this witch makes me feel this way.

In fact, I hate anyone who makes me feel inadequate, because that's what I've fought against my whole life: the feeling of never being enough.

Both my sister and I bear scars from the way my father's raised us until Eleanor came into our lives. My biological motherdied just before I turned one, but by that time she had already left because she couldn't handle my father's craziness.

Oh, and the lies, of course. Because he was incapable of owning up to his mistakes.

It was only when I was about to turn seven that he married my stepmother, and then our life got relatively back on track.

Now, as I struggle to provide my niece and nephew with a home surrounded by family, this crazy woman has decided to tear us apart.

Children don't just need money; they need love above all, and that's something we have in abundance to offer.

I step out of the bathroom after checking my appearance in the mirror once again. My OCD is in full-gear, so I'm satisfied to find not a single hair out of place. I'm the picture of perfection.

I feel relatively confident to face the woman who, as soon as I enter the room, I see sitting on our worn-out couch, facing Eleanor.

Unlike me, my stepmother is fragile and somewhat insecure, clearly showing the social worker just how terrified she is.

Beside her, Silas and Soraya play with their teething toys, oblivious to our nervousness and completely unaware that the woman with a fake expression of sympathy staring at them wants to take them away from us.

I pass by her after a curt greeting and crouch down to speak to my niece and nephew.

Only then do I sit down next to my stepmother.

Twenty minutes later, I'm trembling so much I fear I might faint. "I have a job."

"Not a stable one. Cleaning houses to make a living is uncertain. What if one day all your clients decide to let you go at once?" the woman asks as she inspects our apartment for the thousandth time. "This room isn't suitable for the children either. The window is small, so not much air comes in."

What she's saying is nothing different from what she's said before, and as always, I know she's nitpicking to get what she wants: taking the children away.

My greater desperation stems from the fact that I do have a stable job, but if I were to mention that I'll be earning a good salary as an exotic dancer, she'd have the upper hand to take the twins.

"What do I need to do to make you leave us alone?" I ask, mentally exhausted. In previous encounters, I tried to be kind and used various tricks I learned from my father to manipulate someone, but nothing worked.

It's just the two of us in the children's room doorway, as Eleanor stayed with the babies in the living room.

"I don't think there’s anything you can do to change my opinion," she retorts with arrogance.

"Listen here, Mrs. Mirtes. I think it's become quite clear, after eight visits in just two months, that we don't exactly like each other, to say the least. But we don't need to, do we? It's not about that; it's about the future of my niece and nephew. You've found fault with everything I've done for them so far. Every visit, you claim that what I'm providing for them 'isn't enough.' So, to save us both time, tell me what is enough. Tell me straight: what do I need to do for you to leave us alone?"

I know I've lost control, and at this moment, I despise this woman with every ounce of blood in my body, but I'm going to get this snake off my back, no matter the cost.

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