“Yeah, but he’s just so busy,” Erin said, resting her chin on her hand.” Sometimes it’s two days before I get to see him once, and he’s never at home at night.”
“He’s busy with work, I guess,” Abigail said. “Oh!”
Erin seemed to have more to say, but Abigail had stood up since her cake was ready. “I’ll get going now.”
Erin nodded. “Okay. I’m going shopping later myself.”
Abigail was ready to leave with her cake, but stopped at the door, turning around to ask, “Would you like to visit my home?”
“Of course!” Erin exclaimed excitedly, but soon hesitated as she asked,’ Would Diarmuid Althoff be upset if he sees me?”
After all, they were not related, though she was his mother’s adopted daughter.
“No,” Abigail said, and Erin became relieved enough to go with her.
She was quite clingy too and she linked arms with Abigail intimately.
“What should I call you?”
“Just Abigail,” Abigail replied.
“That won’t do,” Erin said. “How about sis?”
While Abigail was left speechless, she explained, “Although I’m adopted and not related to Diarmuid by blood, we did address the same woman as our mother… That makes me a tenth his sister!”
Abigail smiled in amusement.
“You’re really nice, aren’t you?”
Just as they were about to reach the hilltop mansion, Abigail said, “There’s children at the mansion, if that’s okay with you…”
“It’s fine,” Erin smiled. “I love children.”
Erin helped Abigail unload everything from the car once the car stopped before Mrs. Watson took everything off their hands in turn.
As Abigail went to get Erin a drink, she told the latter, “Sit anywhere you like.”
Erin looked around and commented, “The decor here is really well done.”
As Abigail brought Erin her drink, Tommy came running toward Abigail.” Mama, cake?”
“Over here!” Mrs. Watson called out.
Tommy turned and saw it, and he quickly left Abigail hanging as he ran toward Mrs. Watson.
“I want cake, Mrs. Watson,” he asked with his adorable little voice.
“Okay, here you go,” Mrs. Watson cut a small slice from the modest cake, and brought two more to Abigail and Erin.
Tommy started eating on the couch too, crossing his legs like a bigwig and looking very nonchalant.
Amused, Erin sat beside him and said, “I’ll give you my cake if you answer my question, okay?”
“Okay!” Tommy agreed to it right away.
“What’s your name?”
“Ike Althoff, but everyone calls me Tommy,” Tommy replied, blinking his large eyes. “Who are you? What are you doing at my house?”
Erin grinned.
“You can call me Aunt Erin,” she said, and turned to Abigail. “Right?”
Abigail nodded-the only family she had was Sheryl and Ricky.
Since Diarmuid had lost his own parents, having more family was good.
That was when Sheryl suddenly hurried toward them, saying, “Abigail, you have to check out the news.”
Seeing that her mother was beside herself with worry, Abigail decided that it must be serious and she hurried to her mother’s side.
“What is it?”
“Look,” Sheryl handed Abigail her phone, and Abigail frowned when she saw it.
There were blurry pictures of Diarmuid and Henry, but there was no question that it was them.
And the news was saying that Diarmuid had given his grandfather a stroke.
“Look at all those terrible comments-it’s so terrible! It’s frustrating to look at!”
Sheryl would have been fighting those keyboard warriors if she was good with technology.
Still, Abigail told her to calm down.
“I’ll go take a look.”
She knew that things were not as simple as they look.
Diarmuid no doubt had the influence to enforce a media blackout, but the fact that it still made the news meant there was a conspiracy at hand.
“What can you do?” Sheryl asked.
“Henry Althoff was rushed to a hospital, wasn’t he?” Abigail said. “I’ll find out the extent of his condition, so that they wouldn’t keep smearing Diarmuid.”
Sheryl thought about it.
“Yeah… You’re a doctor, and you could tell if he’s faking it. Go on, then,” Sheryl said, and reminded Abigail, “Be careful, though.”
“Yeah,” Abigail was going to leave when she remembered Erin, and she pulled Shery! aside. “Mom, that’s Erin Gooding-Diarmuid’s mother adopted her and raised her. Even if they’re not related, there’s a connection between them, and it’s good since Diarmuid turned his back against his family and never had parents since a young age. Make her feel home if I’m not back by the evening.”
Sheryl gave her hand a squeeze. “You’re doing the right thing-don’t worry, I know what I should do.”
Before she left, Abigail told Erin, “I have something to attend to, so please make yourself at home.”
“Okay.” Erin replied.
Getting in the car, Abigail called Diarmuid. “Where are you?”
“At the hospital.”
“Which one?”
Diarmuid was quiet for a while before telling that it was Central Hospital, and Abigail arrived after half an hour.
He did not appear surprised that she showed up, and simply asked, “You saw?”
He was naturally referring to the news.
“Yeah,” Abigail replied. “What on earth went down?”
Diarmuid’s expression turned cool.
It turned out that Henry and Harvey Gooding had joined forces to get lan and his girlfriend out of Blue Hill Asylum, and they were trying to get him out of the country.
When Diarmuid intercepted them at the airport, however, Henry tried to reason with him.
However, Diarmuid was not about to let free a clear and present threat-who knew when lan would return and wreak havoc?
But amid the confrontation, Henry fainted.
Diarmuid actually thought he was faking it, but it turned out that it was real.
They quickly got an ambulance since they were not supposed to go that far anyway. However, as if the whole thing had been
planned in advance, the incident made the news, with Diarmuid being labeled everything from ingrate to conceited.
Still, Abigail believed that even if Henry’s health was poor, he should not have fainted so easily.
“I think there’s something up,” she said.
Diarmuid, however, said nothing.
In fact, he looked as if he did not care.He was long since disenchanted by the old man’s behavior.
Moneypenny arrived just then. He told Abigail, “Master Althoff is up. He’s asking to see you.”
Before Abigail could answer, Diarmuid promptly said, “No. She’s busy-he can talk to me if he wants.”
‘Master Althoff says he wants to meet her regardless,” Moneypenny insisted.
Diarmuid had more to say, but Abigail stopped him.
“I’ll go.”
She wondered what the old man had to say, too.
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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