Chapter 74 Carry Me

Upon seeing the two of them, Madelyn felt an inexplicable sense of awkwardness. Recalling that they were just having a conversation, she felt a bit embarrassed and asked, “Um… I didn’t interrupt you two, did I?”

Of course you did! It was hard enough to get a moment alone with Maxton, and now it has been rudely interrupted! How infuriating! the proud woman thought to herself.

Maxton, however, merely shook his head. “It’s fine,” he said, looking unconcerned. He quickly changed the subject, asking casually, “How’s your training going at the kickboxing gym?”

After giving it some thought, Madelyn responded calmly, “It’s all right.”

“Do you still have the energy to practice martial arts?” Maxton asked.

Upon hearing this, Madelyn couldn’t help but chuckle. “Don’t worry; I still have plenty of energy. I’ll be sure to attend your lessons diligently.”

Upon hearing these words, a faint smile briefly danced on Maxton’s lips, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

Witnessing this scene, the formerly haughty woman couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of her mouth. I hate this fcking girl!*

Lowering her hands that were previously crossed in front of her chest, the woman walked straight up to Maxton and flashed Madelyn a smile. “Who are you?” she asked, her attitude rather impolite.

Maxton furrowed his brows.

Being a woman herself, it was impossible for Madelyn not to detect the hostility from this other woman. However, Madelyn still managed to flash her a confident smile before proceeding to introduce herself. “Hello, my name is Madelyn. I’m the new martial arts student. May I ask who you are?”

Madelyn… The woman silently repeated Madelyn’s name in her heart. The fact that Madelyn’s name sounded so pleasing instantly irked her a bit.

However, on the surface, she didn’t show anything. “Hello, I’m Lindsay York. Just like Maxton, I’m a martial arts coach here,” she said.

“Oh, I see. Nice to meet you, Coach York.”

Upon hearing that she was also a coach, Madelyn showed some respect by acknowledging her with a casual tone. It seemed as though she carried an aggressive aura about her, something that Madelyn didn’t particularly care for.

Since both of them had exchanged greetings, Maxton didn’t want to waste any more time. As he turned around, he said, “Let’s get started, then.”

“All right.” Madelyn didn’t hesitate and promptly followed along.

Because martial arts was more injury-prone than kickboxing, the mats here were significantly thicker than those at the kickboxing gym. As Madelyn stepped on it, she felt somewhat odd.

“Learning martial arts can easily lead to injuries. External wounds are not too serious, but here, you might strain a ligament, sprain a bone, or even suffer internal injuries that hurt deeper than the skin. You’d better be mentally prepared,” Maxton said coldly.

A shiver ran down Madelyn’s spine when she heard those words. However, after giving it some thought, she decided to give it her best since it was the major she chose for herself.

“I’m ready!” Madelyn declared with conviction.

“That’s good. You were just over at the kickboxing gym, so you should have warmed up. Now, I’ll go ahead and teach you some basics.”

After finishing his statement, Maxton didn’t waste any more words and began instructing her professionally. Madelyn, too, devoted herself wholeheartedly to learning.

Whenever Madelyn made some mistakes while learning, Maxton would step forward to guide her. While guiding her, close contact was inevitable as he used his hands to correct Madelyn’s posture.

For instance, when Madelyn had misdirected her punch, Maxton stepped forward and took hold of her fist. “Remember, you can’t just lift your fist straight from your waist. You won’t be able to exert any force that way,” he instructed.

Then, Maxton took her clenched fist and guided her through the routine in his own way. “You need to make a curve from this spot near your waist. This method can help you exert force more effectively. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and give it a try,” Maxton said while taking a step back.

Madelyn followed the method as suggested, and to her surprise, the results were indeed much better than her previous attempts. She was instantly elated, exclaiming, “You’re so amazing, Coach Wendel!”

Upon hearing the praise, Maxton remained remarkably indifferent.

She had fallen for Maxton from the moment she first knew him. For Maxton, she tirelessly improved herself and was fortunate enough to join the same combat training center as him.

Even so, Maxton was rather indifferent in nature. As a result, Lindsay didn’t often see him around in her daily life. After much difficulty, she finally got a chance to talk with him. To her dismay, his attitude toward her was neither warm nor cold.

However, Maxton was surprisingly intimate with Madelyn. He had never been this nice to any other female students in the past. Even though they made mistakes, he only offered guidance in words and never lifted a finger to help them out.

This time, however, he was personally guiding Madelyn step by step.

Who exactly is Madelyn? Why does Maxton treat her so differently on their first lesson?

With this in mind, Lindsay’s animosity toward Madelyn deepened even more.

Madelyn could actually sense the burning gaze intensely focused on her, which made her feel as though she had a thorn in her back. But when she looked back, she couldn’t spot anything unusual.

Both Lindsay and Maxton were simply observing her.

“Could I be imagining things?” Madelyn wondered.

At dusk, Maxton had finished teaching her and left. Lindsay gave her a long look, then walked away as well.

Madelyn changed back into her own clothes, gathered her belongings, and then returned home. Once she arrived home, the aches and pains she had endured at the combat training center suddenly hit her with full force.

Madelyn settled onto the living room couch and immediately found herself in so much pain that she couldn’t get up. After training for such a long time, she was physically drained. Every bone in her body ached intensely. It felt as if her body was falling apart.

Seeing her so exhausted, Lydia quickly approached and asked, “What’s wrong, Mrs. Lockhart?”

Lydia nodded. “Oh, I see. You should go take a hot shower, then get a good night’s sleep.”

Before she could finish speaking, Madelyn hastily waved her hands and said, “No! I feel as though my bones will break if I so much as move a muscle!”

Lydia nodded reluctantly. “You should rest up for now. The shower can wait.”

Madelyn gave a slight nod, then slumped against the couch.

After a short while, Sebastian returned. He frowned in annoyance when he saw the state she was in.

“Do remember that you’re the woman of the house. We can’t have you lying here like this. It’s unbecoming.”

However, Madelyn was already exhausted to the point of collapse, so she couldn’t care less about her appearance. She extended her hands toward Sebastian and said, “I’m so tired, Sebastian. Could you carry me to the bathroom?”

Upon hearing what she said, Madelyn couldn’t help but freeze, her entire body stiffened.