Free Web NovelChapter 26: Is she good?
By the time Abigail arrived at Oliver’s VIP Restaurant, she was already regretting agreeing to come.
The luxurious restaurant was situated on the top floor of one of the city’s most expensive buildings. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the morning skyline, expensive chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the scent of freshly prepared food filled the air. Normally, she would have appreciated the atmosphere.
Today? She only wanted a bed.
Madeline followed beside her while carrying several documents that Abigail had stubbornly refused to leave at the company.
The moment they entered the private dining room, several familiar faces immediately looked over.
"There she is!"
Oliver nearly jumped out of his chair. Miranda narrowed her eyes dramatically.
Reaching the table and her dramatic friends, Abigail paused. "What?" She forced a smile. freewebnσvel.cøm
Oliver pointed at her face. "You look terrible.... I mean....Like really terrible"
Miranda nodded seriously. "You look like someone kidnapped you, returned you, then kidnapped you again."
Abigail stared at them in amusement. "Well, thank you," was all she could say.
"You are always welcome, your highness," Oliver said.
She rolled her eyes before pulling out a chair and sitting down.
Madeline sat beside her and nodded at the rest. " You are getting chubbier, Oliver. Try to go to the gym"
Oliver choked on his drink, and Miranda burst into laughter. " You should do something with your height!" Oliver argued back, and Madeline chuckled.
" I’m a lady, and it doesn’t matter, bro!"
The moment Abigail relaxed against the chair, Oliver frowned immediately. "Seriously. What happened?"
"Did you sleep at all?" Miranda asked.
Abigail sighed deeply. The memory of Henry, Michael, the marriage contract, her parents, and James immediately flashed through her mind.
"No...."
Everyone blinked. "No?" Oliver repeated. "Not even two hours?"
Abigail shook her head. "Not even one hour!"
Miranda gasped. "You are insane."
Abigail rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Trust me. I know."
The waiter soon served breakfast, and everyone began eating.
Unfortunately, the questioning continued. Oliver pointed his fork at her. "Start talking about why you look like you’ve been fighting demons."
Abigail took a long sip of juice before finally speaking.
"James spoke to me last night."
That immediately gained everyone’s attention. Miranda frowned. "Your brother?"
Abigail nodded. "He told me to leave the house."
Everyone froze. "Wait, what?"
Abigail sighed. "He said staying there isn’t good for me."
Oliver frowned. "That sounds suspicious."
"It gets worse."
Everyone immediately straightened. Abigail leaned back against her chair. "He also said someone already claimed me."
The sound of a fork dropping echoed through the room.
Oliver and Miranda exchanged looks. Even Madeline looked at her in confusion.
"What the hell does that mean?" Oliver asked.
Abigail shrugged helplessly. "I don’t know."
"You didn’t ask?" Miranda frowned.
"I did.....He spoke like a mysterious movie villain and refused to explain."
Oliver glanced at his wrist watch "Why is your family getting weirder every Chapter of your life?"
"Good question." Miranda immediately put her fork down. "No. You’re leaving that house."
Abigail nodded."I know."
"No, I mean immediately." Miranda rolled her eyes.
Madeline...."
"Today." Oliver pointed at her dramatically.
"She’s righttttt." Madeline chuckled.
" I’m..."
"Abbie, for once." Miranda glared at her.
"What do you mean by once?" Madeline looked at her in confusion.
"Nothing." She scoffed and kicked him under the table.
Madeline nearly screamed. Abigail watched them argue before laughing despite herself. At least these people always managed to make her feel better.
Oliver suddenly leaned forward. "Come live in one of my houses."
Everyone looked at him. He shrugged casually. "I have several courses."
Miranda immediately frowned. "Absolutely not."
Oliver looked offended. "What? My houses are elegant."
"Your houses look like museums. They are boring. They are depressing." Miranda rolled her eyes.
"They are luxurious and especially the grey colour...."
" That’s fifty shades of grey." Madeline burst out laughing. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
Even Oliver looked personally attacked. Miranda crossed her arms proudly. "If Abigail is staying anywhere, she should stay in one of my houses. Because mine actually looks like someone lives there."
Abigail rubbed her forehead. The argument was becoming ridiculous.
Oliver suddenly looked at her. " Ok, Abbie, you choose."
Abigail stared at both of them. Then sighed. "I’ll just move into my new house."
The room became quiet. Oliver immediately rolled his eyes. "Just say you don’t want to offend you." Oliver pointed at Abigail.
Miranda blinked. "But, wait."
Abigail immediately knew where this was going. "No," she shook her head immediately.
Miranda grinned."You picked your own house because you didn’t want me feeling bad."
Abigail sighed helplessly and decided to start eating her own food.
The atmosphere became lighter as everyone continued teasing each other. Abigail finally relaxed for the first time that morning.
For a moment, she forgot about Henry. Forgot about Michael, most especially, about her family and the marriage contract hidden inside her room.
Everything finally felt normal at that moment. At least until she glanced toward Madeline.
The smile on Madeline’s face slowly faded. The others didn’t seem to notice.
They don’t notice because they were too busy arguing.... Madeline’s fingers tightened around the knife. The way her grip became almost painfully firm.
The way the blade pressed hard against the meat. The steak was cut cleanly in half.
Madeline immediately seemed to realise what she was doing.
Abigail noticed this and frowned. That was when her fingers relaxed, and she looked up.
Their eyes met. For a brief second, something flashed across Madeline’s face.
Something Abigail couldn’t understand. Something complicated, or maybe she’s overthinking, because it disappeared immediately.
Madeline forced a smile and forced her mood back to normal. As if she wasn’t gripping the knife hard enough to break it seconds ago.
"You should eat more," Madeline said softly.
Abigail stared at her. Then she slowly nodded. "Oh yeah, right..."
Madeline smiled in return. The others continued laughing, and the conversation moved on. But for some reason...
Abigail couldn’t stop thinking about that expression she had seen on Madeline’s face.
And somehow...That worried her more than anything...
’Is she good?’ Abigail asked in her mind.
