Diarmuid regarded her in silence for heartbeats and nodded.
“Go.”
Abigail hence followed Moneypenny into Henry’s ward, where the old man was leaning against the headboard, looking withered and weary.
His eyes were lifeless and yellow, and undoubtedly sickly.
‘You’re here. It’s been a while. How have you been?” he asked amicably.
“Good.” Abigail replied politely.
“I’m sure you’re smart enough to tell why I asked for you, right?” Henry quickly cut to the chase.
Abigail, however, decided to play dumb.
“Forgive my ignorance, but I don’t.”
Henry held her gaze for a while.
“It seems that after spending so much time with him, Diarmuid’s glib nature has rubbed off on you. You used to be tamer.”
Sighing, he said. “I was right-you are the one who could shackle his heart. Well, one wrong move from me led to this whole mess, but since you want to play dumb, I will be frank: lan is family, and Diarmuid’s cousin. Is he really going to lock lan up until lan dies?”
lren was puzzled.
Why would Henry want to save lan? Why now?
There was so much time and opportunities he could have done so before this.
‘I didn’t want to meddle, but I was told recently that I have brain cancer and I won’t have long to live. I don’t want to die with regrets, which is why I asked for you-please talk to Diarmuid. He locked up lan in that asylum for so long his mind has crumbled. He’s not going to cause trouble anytime soon.”
Abigail, however, did not forget what lan did, just as she could not decide for Diarmuid.
“You know Diarmuid’s temper, sir. Do you really think anyone can make him budge?”
‘That’s not the case for you now,” Henry replied, seemingly not expecting her to be this tough. “He cares about you and he listens to you.”
“You overestimate me.” Abigail continued to reject him.
“Can’t you humor a dying man’s request?” Henry said, his voice much colder.
That did not deter Abigail, however-she remained adamant.
“You’re just asking me because you know you would never persuade Diarmuid, sir. Do you really think I can do something you can’t?”
The retort left Henry speechless, but he scowled harder, and his head began to hurt from the aggravation.
Moneypenny quickly walked up to rub his back.
“Calm down, sir. Your body can’t take it.”
“I can check.” Abigail walked up.
Moneypenny gave her a look.
“Mr. Althoff might feel better if you say yes.”
Abigail simply pretended not to hear him, and gave him a simple checkup.
Henry was not lying-the headache seemed to be caused by intracranial pressure.
Soon, Henry began convulsing, and Moneypenny quickly called for a doctor.
Abigail kept watching for a while before leaving the ward quietly.
“Let’s go,” Diarmuid said when he saw her leave without asking a word about Henry’s condition.
Abigail followed him in silence.
In the car heading home, she hesitated for a long while before saying, “He’s sick and it’s serious.”
Diarmuid was lounging in his seat and brushing his fingers through her hair as if he never heard her.
Abigail, however, knew that he heard her, and so, she continued. “It’s brain cancer.”
Diarmuid remained unaffected-even as calm as a pond.
His angular fingers curled up, hooking Abigail’s hair, and twirled repeatedly. ’ What do you think we should name our youngest?”
Abigail turned to look at him, not sure what he was thinking just then and unable to even guess it.
He grinned. “What’s that look for? Well, I do look good.”
Abigail did not continue about Henry just then, since it appeared that Diarmuid really did not want to talk about him.
Making a straight face, she said, “No, you don’t. In fact, you’re hideous.”
Diarmuid pulled her into his arms right then, holding her chin in place to make her look at him. “Speak from your conscience.”
“lam,” Abigail replied with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
Diarmuid leaned closer then. “Fine. Tell me, what makes me ugly?”
She held Diarmuid’s gaze just then, her pupils darting everywhere and glinting luminously.
Everything from his chiseled face, to his dark eyes and sharp nose, all made him attractive.
“Your face, your eyes…” She tried to lie regardless, but even she could not stop herself from laughing out of embarrassment soon enough.
Diarmuid kept his arms around her. “You don’t have to be involved in this one. I’ll handle it.”
Abigail studied him then. “I’m just worried about you-l mean, we’re the victims, and we wouldn’t have to retaliate if lan didn’t do what he did. Also, you can enforce a press gag, right?”
Diarmuid, however, appeared nonchalant about that. “They can say anything they like.”
Abigail straightened herself right then and studied him seriously. “Why would you want to be misunderstood? It’s not your fault.”
Seeing him being flamed upset her, and she did not want to see that.
Even so, Diarmuid simply smiled. “What are you getting agitated about?”
“I mean, my heart aches for you-“
Realizing that she was being too direct, she pouted in embarrassment. “If you don’t keep things in check, things will escalate until the point of no return. I mean, you’re not worried since you’re in the right, but words hurt.”
Diarmuid’s heart sang and his grin broadened.
He liked her like that.
“I’ll have someone see to it,” he said dotingly.
“Other successful businessmen care a lot about their reputation,” Abigail said. “That’s why they involve themselves in charity for brownie points- you, on the other hand, allow yourself to be slandered.”
“I get it.” Diarmuid gathered her in his arms.
Even so, he did not enjoy doing pointless stuff.
Abigail was right. Many who involved themselves in charity would gain a good reputation, but they paid their workers peanuts and readily sacrificed others for their selfish motives.
The system for charity was not as simple as it looks either, as donations meant tax rebates.
That is why Diarmuid believed that a good enterprise should be able to rake in billions while taking care of their employees’ profits and benefits.
‘Why would you, a doctor, know about that?”
“I’m just concerned.”
Diarmuid gazed at her with his dark eyes, and he said with his quiet, deep voice, “I know.”
That she cared about him, and it made him happy.
Abigail’s phone started to ring, and she whipped it out to answer. It was Ricky.
‘Hey, I’m getting discharged.”
“Oh. Do you have a place to stay? Do you need me to arrange one for you?’
‘It’s fine. I have something arranged-I just wanted to ask you your stuff. I mean, I’ve kept some of your belongings before I sold Bernstein Mansion. Do you still want it, or can I throw it away?”
Abigail had actually thought that he sold everything in Bernstein Mansion, and she was surprised that Ricky kept anything.She remembered some of her favorite books before attending school, and she said, “I’ll come to get it.”
‘What is it?” Diarmuid asked.
“Ricky kept some of my old belongings and he just got discharged. I’ll get it back and see if there’s anything useful.”
Diarmuid said, “James can get it for you.”
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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