Rejected By Her Family, Claimed By The Masked CEO

Chapter 5: Need more time

Later that night, one of the maids knocked softly on Abigail’s door to inform her that dinner was ready.

Abigail had spent almost an hour sitting near the window after the call with her friends, staring at the darkening sky while trying to convince herself that the heaviness inside her chest was only because she was tired.

A lot had happened in one day. But this was her family. Things would get better.

They had to. So after washing her face and fixing her hair a little, she followed the maid downstairs.

Their voices echoed faintly from the dining hall before she even reached it.

Abigail paused near the entrance before finally stepping inside.

The dining room was large, warm, and beautifully lit by the chandelier above. The table itself looked long enough to host an entire wedding ceremony.

At the centre sat Anna and beside her was James....

The little boy she barely remembered was no more... The young man sitting there now looked cold and composed, his dark shirt rolled neatly at the sleeves while his attention remained on Anna, who was busy talking nonstop while eating.

"You got sauce on your face again," James muttered.

Anna gasped dramatically. "Where?!"

Without even looking annoyed, James reached over with a napkin and cleaned the stain from her cheek while she sat there grinning proudly like a spoiled princess receiving royal treatment. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Abigail stood there quietly watching them. ’Will I ever fit in?’

That closeness between them felt natural. And she realised she wasn’t part of it.

"Abigail, come sit," Mr William called warmly after noticing her existence.

Abigail snapped out of her thoughts and smiled politely before taking a seat quietly across from them. Nobody spoke to her afterwards.

Anna resumed talking. Mrs William kept listening attentively. James continued eating calmly.

For a few awkward minutes, Abigail simply picked up her spoon and began eating too.

Honestly... she didn’t even mind that much. She was just happy to finally sit at the same table as her family. Even if it felt like she was watching them from outside a glass wall.

Mr William suddenly cleared his throat loudly. "James," he said meaningfully. "Look, your sister is back."

James sighed deeply without even lifting his head, then he nodded. "That’s good." And continued eating.

Abigail blinked in confusion. That was it?

She stared at him quietly, confused by his attitude. She had spent years imagining this reunion. At the orphanage, whenever she wondered about her family, James was always the person she imagined first. The protective older brother who used to hold her hand when she was little.

Or maybe those memories were too old now. Maybe time erased things more easily than she thought.

Anna suddenly chuckled and nudged James dramatically. "Brother," she said sweetly, "don’t forget what you promised to give my friends on my birthday."

To Abigail’s surprise, James’ cold expression softened immediately.

"Why would I forget?" he replied calmly. "Everything is already going according to plan."

Anna clapped excitedly. "Yes!! It’s going to be the biggest birthday ever!"

Mrs William laughed. "You’ve been talking about this birthday for months already."

"Because it’s important!" Anna protested proudly. "My livestream that day is definitely going viral."

Mr William shook his head helplessly while smiling.

Abigail sat quietly listening to them. Then her eyes drifted back toward James. She wanted to say something.

’Maybe ask if he remembered her.’

Maybe ask if he still remembers the birthdays they used to celebrate before she disappeared.

Because somehow...

She was very sure James had been the one who used to remind everyone about her birthday when they were children. She was still lost in thought when James suddenly lifted his eyes.

Their gazes met and she choked on her food. "Cough! cough!" She grabbed her chest in embarrassment.

Mrs William frowned and pushed a glass of water toward her. "Drink slowly," she said.

Abigail quickly took it. "Thank you." Her face burned from embarrassment.

Anna stared at her as she had just witnessed a public disaster. James simply looked away again.

Abigail swallowed awkwardly before gathering enough courage to speak. Then she turned toward Mrs William. "I’ve been wondering..." she began carefully. "Do you still remember my birthday?"

Mrs William looked surprised, she glanced at her husband who had the same expression too. Abigail and Anna shared the same birthday. "Oh!" Mr William said quickly, forcing a smile. "Of course. I’ll keep that in mind."

Abigail’s eyes brightened immediately. "Really?" she asked happily. "Then... can I invite my friends too?"

"What?" Anna turned toward her so fast that Abigail almost thought she had said something offensive.

Abigail frowned back in confusion. "What is what?"

"You want to bring more strangers into our house?" Anna asked, genuinely shocked.

Then she turned dramatically toward James. "Brother!"

James looked at Abigail again and raised a brow. "Stop wasting your energy," he said coldly to Anna. "She won’t dare."

Abigail’s fingers tightened around her spoon. James calmly cleaned his mouth with a napkin before standing up from his seat. "I’m done eating." Then he left without another glance.

Abigail pressed her lips together and looked toward her parents instead. At least if they agreed... maybe things would feel less lonely.

Mr William avoided her eyes for a few seconds before speaking carefully. "We weren’t planning to make too much noise with the birthday celebration," he explained. "Just family and close friends." Mrs William nodded immediately.

"Anna’s friends have practically grown up in this house already," she added gently. "We’re very close to them."

"Oh..." Abigail nodded quietly. The excitement on her face faded little by little. "I understand."

Nobody spoke after that.

Anna returned to scrolling through her phone happily while talking about decorations again while Mrs William listened.

Abigail continued eating without asking another question. By the time dinner ended, the food had already lost its taste.

Abigail cleaned her mouth quietly and stood from her chair. "I’m tired," she said politely. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, dear," Mrs William replied automatically.

Anna didn’t even look up from her phone. " Daddy look! I love this design! It matches my outfit!"

Abigail left the dining hall alone. The hallway upstairs felt colder at night. When she entered the guest room, silence welcomed her immediately. She sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the window in a daze.

Outside, the city lights glittered beautifully from afar. Somewhere downstairs, she could still hear faint laughter from the dining room.

Her family is laughing together without her. Abigail hugged her knees and rested her chin against them.

Then after a long moment, she smiled softly to herself. Maybe... things just needed time.