“I’m counting on you,” she replied.
“It’s what I should do,” Zachary said. “We’re close friends.”
“Yeah. I’ll be going now-I have other work to do,”
With that, Debbie turned, clearly reluctant to stay a moment longer.
However, she barely moved a step when she heard Ember speaking behind her!
Ember had a look of utter contempt. “You keep insisting that you are close with Mr. Cross, but you’re in such a hurry to leave him already? You hardly look like you’re mourning, too-are you really a friend to Mr. Cross as you kept claiming?”
Debbie narrowed her eyes at Ember for seconds, but ultimately kept quiet and strode off, bearing with her snide remarks.
After all, she knew that arguing or explaining would never work with Ember -the best option was to silence her permanently!
On the other hand, Ember appeared disgruntled, but Zachary put a hand on her arm before she could, and even spoke on Debbie’s behalf. “Ember, everyone including Debbie is hurting after what happened to James. She can come off as cold, but that comes with working with Diarmuid-it’s not as if she doesn’t care, but she’s just that good at hiding her feelings.”
Ember appeared a little jealous that Zachary knew Debbie so well. “You seem to know everything about her… But I still think that she’s up to no good.”
Debbie was within earshot and her eyes darkened.
Screw that woman!
Then, remembering the mysterious person who texted her, she whipped out her phone to text them.
[Do you have a way to eliminate Ember Lindt?]
Two minutes later, she received a document file and Debbie frowned as she tapped on it.
It turned out to be a detailed dossier of everything about Ember, even her family.
Debbie studied it and texted the mysterious person soon after, asking tentatively: [Do you have a grudge against her?]
Why would they investigate Ember so thoroughly otherwise?
Debbie wondered then if the person was trying to eliminate Ember while using herself-but who could they be?
An enemy of Ember’s?
[Ember cares most about Zachary Slate. You can start with him.]
The mysterious person appeared uninterested in the question.
Debbie was left staring at the screen for a while-the mysterious person was clearly being evasive.
Still, she soon came up with an idea and sent a reply.
[Thanks for the tip.]
There was no reply, so Debbie pocketed her phone and strode off.
Over at Minerva, Abigail was being interrogated repeatedly.
“Who did you give the research data to?”
The intimidating man who asked the question was leveling a sharp blue gaze at her, and it appeared that he would not give up as long as she did not talk.
After all this was serous-it concerned the rivalry between nations, and if she admitted to it, Zidonia’s international reputation would be tarnished further and she would be charged as a Spy.
Minerva might even build a case around her at that point.
“I took it myself. No one told me to do it-I wanted to use it for personal reasons, but I lost it by accident.”
“And it somehow ended up in the hands of Zidonia’s top research center. Admit it-you’re a Zidnoian spy. Do so, and we will release you.”
Abigail did not take the bait. “I’m not. I’ve told you many times-no one talked me into this. I was going to use it for personal profit, but I just lost it.”
They were clearly displeased by Abigail’s obstinance. “Do you think being stubborn means a thing now? Or were you hoping someone would save you?”
“No, I know that no one is coming for me. I’ll take responsibility for my actions, and I understand that I’ve ruined Mead Clinic’s research efforts. I’m willing to take responsibility for any punishment, but I do not admit to spying or being incited.”
Abigail did not fear or cower despite the interrogation, because she knew that they would charge her with every crime they could think of if she showed weakness. She certainly learned her lesson, too-Stephen Carr was trustworthy, but the people around him had no vision.
There were those who willfully made the wrong choices for short term profits.
Abigail certainly learned her lesson this time.
“Do you know what’s going to happen if you insist on being so stubborn?” Her interrogator glared at her. “You’re pregnant. Shouldn’t you think of your child, even if you don’t care about yourself?”
Abigail’s fingers clenched. “I told you-I admit to damaging the research effort, and I’ll take my punishment accordingly.”
After all, the hospital could only fire her and demand compensation, but it seems that the Minervan government wanted to make her crime a bigger issue than it was.
She knew all too well that if she confessed, they would use her to cause an international conflict. Her interrogators suddenly stopped to whisper to each other.
Abigail could not hear what they were saying, but it definitely was nothing good given the looks on their faces.
And her hunch proved right soon enough.
It seemed that they could not get what they wanted from Abigail, and therefore needed to make her yield in another way-by getting into her head.
She had been locked up in a precinct because Mead Clinic had already filed a lawsuit against her, but her interrogators lost patience since it has been five interrogations now and they needed something more drastic!
“Where are you taking me?” Abigail asked, noticing that they were not returning to her usual cell.
They did not answer and instead snapped, “Shut up.”
A little afraid now, Abigail gingerly held her own belly, worried that her child would be hurt.
The more they walked, the darker and quieter the walkway seemed to be.
Clang.
A steel door opened and Abigail stiffened.
Before she could get a good look, she was pushed into a cell.
This one was tiny and so dark she could not even see her own hands.
She then heard footsteps of her escort leaving.
Not knowing where she was, she slowly sat down on the cold floor.
Everything felt chilly—the air, her surroundings, her heart.
She could not help shuddering even as she held herself firmly.She then remembered Diarmuid, and wondered if he was worried that she went missing again.
Was he looking for her?
She feared that she would never see him again and felt so vulnerable for once that she could cry.
“Diarmuid…”
In this place that was so dark no one could discern her feelings and yet inspired fear anyway, she hoped so much that she would suddenly wake up from this nightmare, and that she would suddenly be home again, with Tommy, Sheryl, and Diarmuid beside her.
But it was just the beginning…
This time, Abigail was denied food and water from her cell, and she could occasionally hear a baby’s tormented cries.She curled into herself, clutching her belly whenever she heard it, fearful that the same would happen to her own child.
She had no idea how long she was kept in that dark cell, which seemed to transcend beyond space and light.
At first, she knocked on her door to get a response, but her answer was silence.
Eventually deciding that it was pointless, she simply gave up and idled to save her strength.
As more time passed, thirst and hunger seized her, and she yearned to see the light again.
“Who can save me?’
As she curled into herself at a corner of the wall, her thoughts soon became a mess and she started hallucinating.She started to tremble whenever she heard the baby’s cries now.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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