---- Chapter 5 Nicholas rushed into the guest room, only to find it just as messy as the day I left-nothing had been touched. Brandon followed close behind and frowned at the cluttered space. "What the hell? She still hasn't come back after all this time?" Madison felt somewhat speechless and instinctively tried to mediate with fake concern. "Adeline has always been a little dramatic. She'll probably come back once she's cooled off." Nicholas suddenly snapped, "Can you just be quiet for a second?" Madison was stunned for a moment, then began crying pitifully. "What did I say wrong? Isn't that how she's always been?" Nicholas' expression instantly turned frighteningly cold, and the anger in his heart intensified. He wondered if I really had always been that way. ---- . Sheets Usually, this would be the part where he hugged Madison and comforted her, like always. In his mind, Madison had always been the fragile girl who lived in hardship after losing her family. When he first met her, she had stood timidly at the company entrance, boldly asking for a job. Even though she had never attended college, Nicholas had made an unprecedented exception by allowing her to work beside him, becoming increasingly indulgent toward her. Over three years, Madison had barely worked at all, while he and Brandon had both been extraordinarily devoted to her. Yet, with me, his actual girlfriend, he had even... Nicholas didn't even dare to think any further. Madison glanced at him, panicking when she noticed his silence. She didn't know when it started, but lately, both Nicholas and Brandon had grown cold toward her. They definitely hadn't been like this before. ---- Madison wondered-didn't they dislike me? She was just one step away from being able to replace me. Beside her, Brandon kept calling me over and over again, but the call kept going to voicemail. "This is unbelievable. She actually turned off her phone!" He took a deep breath, growing increasingly agitated. Nicholas heard him and unlocked his own phone, scrolling through it again and again. There were no messages or calls from me at all. A tight, restless pressure spread through his chest. It started as discomfort but grew quickly, like a tree sprouting inside his ribs-one that kept growing, twisting, until it nearly choked the breath out of him. Suddenly, he thought of my mentor, Erica. He quickly dialed her number. Erica's phone was answered quickly, and a middle- aged woman's gentle voice came through. "Hello, how can I help you?" Nicholas leaned against the doorframe, steadying himself before speaking. "Hello, Professor Graham.