The Unbrokenhearteds | Completed ✓

Chapter 16

"Madison! Madison Del Valle!"

I groan when I hear Milo's annoyingly loud voice. What's up with him? I don't have the energy to have a catfight, my head still hurts from last night's drunkenness.

"Hey, aren't you going to work? Mom cooked breakfast for us, at least have a bite." He says while trying to pull the comforter out of my face.

I hastily get up from bed, looking for a clock to see the time. "What time is it already?" I squeal, gazing at Milo with a face that's about to cry.

He places his hands in his pocket. He's wearing a black suit and his hair is in a man bun. "It's already 10 am, idiot. Mom is waiting downstairs. Be there in 5 if you don't want to hear a proper courtesy lecture at this very hour." He says before heading out of the room.

I pick up my phone from the bedside table.

Ham Harper
10 Missed Calls

I draw a sharp breath in frustration. Why did I even drink and allowed myself to be drunk? I completely forgot about the 8 am management meeting. Yup, that early. Only Ham has the balls to call for a meeting before office hours.

I hurriedly take a shower and wear a camel-colored textured tailored blazer and cigarette pants from Zara paired with golden goose white Superstar sneakers. I left a few clothes in mom's house in case something like this comes up.

After talking to Aunt Cecille last night—I didn't spill her everything about Kai specifically the kiss—I was about to go back inside the house as I'd planned when Ollie insists on having a few drinks. But because we missed hanging out with each other, we kept drinking and laughing and letting our craziness come out throughout the night.

"Oh, you're awake. I made you a hot lemon tea with honey to ease your hangover." Mom says when she sees me walking down the stairs.

"Thanks," I mumble. I don't have the energy to even talk.

I sit on the chair. Mom prepared pancakes, slices of bacon, saint Benedict eggs, sausages, and fresh fruits. It's been a while since the last time I had a homemade breakfast. I start eating.

"How was the egress of the suppliers last night? Were they able to pull out and clean everything?" I ask, curious about what happened after I passed out.

"Milo handled them. I think he did a good job because there's no single waste left outside." She says while smiling at Milo.

Even though Milo and I always argue, I'm still thankful to him for choosing to stay with mom in this house instead of buying a bachelor pad. He's actually a momma's boy. He never fails to give mom a bouquet of Ecuadorian roses every valentine's day.

When I broke the news about moving out to my own place, he was mad at me. He didn't talk to me for a week! To the point, I had to beg him to speak with me, and when he finally did, he gave me a lecture about the importance of family and staying together until the end. Psh. He really is from Elise's womb.

"Thanks," I mutter, staring at him.

He shrugs. "No problem. It's the least I can do." He says with a straight face.

"Did you have fun?" I ask, turning my gaze at mom who's sipping on his cup of coffee.

"Oh, honey, you have no idea! It's been a while since the last time I celebrated my birthday with our family and my closest friends." She says while sincerely looking at me and Milo. "Thank you to both of you who never once disappointed me."

"Always," I say before taking a bite of crispy bacon.

It actually feels good to be home, having meals together, and talking about our daily lives. This makes me not regret waking up late and missing our meeting.

〰

"Hi, Madie!" Katie greets me. She's sitting on one of the couches in the lounge area with a cup of coffee in her right hand. She's definitely a coffee addict.

I smile at her.

I walk straight to my office, waving my hand to every person I bump into to acknowledge their greeting. They're weirdly smiling at me today like I'm the most important person in this place. Gosh, I know I missed the meeting but they don't have to rub it in my face. 

I forcibly shut my door after getting inside.

I place my bag on the table before throwing my back on the chair.

Should I go to Windle Mart later and do grocery shopping to make my mood a little lighter?

I click the button of the humidifier on my side table. This will do in the meantime. It releases the vanilla scent.

My office is covered with white walls. There's an off-white 2-seater sofa (in front of my office table) with a white roundtable with soft edges on the side, a black metal bell lampshade, silk white curtains covering the floor-to-ceiling windows, there are floating shelves on one side with family frames, books, and succulents in different pot designs, there are also monstera and pothos plants—of course, care of Ham, while my white velvet office table is full of stacks of papers, advertising books, notes, folders, and billings from suppliers. Ham would always point my messy table out, saying it was such an eyesore. I couldn't care less though, I have this feeling of productivity when my table is in chaos.

*knock knock*

"Come in!" I shout after hearing a knock on my door.

"You didn't tell me you're not going to the management meeting," Ham says when he enters the room.

"Sorry, I didn't hear my alarm," I answer without looking at him. I'm always like this whenever I did something wrong. "I was also drunk last night because it was mom's birth—" My eyes widen when I look up. It's Arden Thompson smiling at me. I immediately stand up from my seat.

"You just missed the inauguration of the new executive director, but for formality; Arden, this is Madison Del Valle, Madison this is Arden Thomspon, your new boss," Ham announces.

"I've heard a lot about you, Madison." He says in a very calm tone. 

Is this a sign of character development?

"Welcome to Empire Entertainment." I force myself to smile widely.

"Well then, I'll leave you two now. It's necessary for new workmates to bond together." Ham says before leaving my office.

What? What's with Ham? He knows I have nothing to say to his dear friend. Yup, they are best friends. I have no idea how did it happen. They are completely opposite.

"Have a seat," I say, pointing to the couch using my ball pen. I don't know what to say. I can't say I was from Filma Media as well because mentioning a competitor in this industry is a sensitive topic.

He sits comfortably on the sofa while roaming his eyes around the place. He's wearing a gray suit with a white polo underneath. His hair is perfectly waxed. He looks like Austin Butler.

"I don't know why Ham has to leave us here alone. I mean, I know nothing about you yet." He says while chuckling. 

I nervously laugh. "I know right? Maybe he wants us to have a tight bond like ours." 

"I think we'll have that." He says. "I better get going. I have a lot of things to discuss with Ham. See you later, Madison." He stands up and walks towards the door. 

I let out a sharp breath.