Abigail thought nothing of it, while Sheryl told her, “We’re almost ready here. You can go!”
“Yes, yes,” Mrs Watson echoed.
As such, when she was done, Abigail dragged Diarmuid along out of the kitchen, but saw no one when they stepped out to the living room.
They went outside to find everyone in the courtyard, and Diarmuid took his baby off James’s hands.
It was rare for him to meet Erin, and they should not let babysitting take up their time since they could meet now.
“Mrs. Watson has been doing some gardening in the backyard and the flowers are just starting to blossom. You should check that out,” Abigail said.
Still, what she meant was too obvious and Erin got a little embarrassed.
James, however, said boldly, “Alright, I’ll take her there.”
He took Erin’s hand and they headed there.
“Mommy!” Tommy called out to her from his Bumblebee just then, and Abigail waved at him.
Lulu and Martin happened to return just then as well, and everyone took a seat on the garden stools since dinner was not ready yet.
Having so many people in the mansion felt festive, though they never really gathered for festivities around here.
As they chatted, Lulu asked Diarmuid about Abigail’s case, and Diarmuid told them that it had been resolved, with Neil accepting his graciousness.
Moreover, New Suns Pharma would face bankruptcy after being linked to so many criminal activities.
With that in mind, Lulu said, “Alright, then I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”
Abigail did not ask her to stay, since she was pregnant and Martin should be going back to work soon. They could not stay for too long.
Still, Abigail said, “I’ll visit you when the baby arrives.”
“Of course,” Lulu replied.
When dinner was ready, everyone went inside.
It was fortunate that the mansion was huge, and the dining table large enough to fit everyone with room to spay.
As usual, Mrs. Watson’s culinary skills were immaculate, and the dishes she made looked as good as they tasted.
Abigail offered a toast since it was a rare occasion, and everyone drank together—naturally, those who were abstaining from alcohol drank fruit juice instead.
However, they were just raising their glasses when Abigail’s phone rang.
Whipping it out, she frowned when she saw the caller.
After hesitating for a moment, she answered it anyway and whispered, “What do you want?”
Zachary ignored her question. “Is Lulu with you?”
Abigail got up and left the dining room. “Just stop it, Zachary—”
“I’m not messing around—I could’ve done that at the hotel the other day if I wanted to instead of biding my time. And I’m sure you know that Lulu and that man are close, so I can’t separate them no matter what I do. What are you so afraid of?”
“Lulu is pregnant,” Abigail retorted. “I’m afraid you’ll hurt her child and affect her life—”
Zachary cut her short right then. “She’s there with you, right? I’m driving there now.”
Abigail frowned. “Zachary—”
Beep, beep, beep…
He already hung up.
Abigail quickly dialed her number, but he refused to answer, leaving her utterly frustrated.
After thinking about it, she decided that the only option was to tell Lulu and discuss what they should do.
She texted her: [Zachary is coming.]
Lulu saw the text and peered into the living room for a moment before replying: [It’s alright.]
Since Lulu said that, she must have been mentally prepared and perhaps even had a plan.
As such, Abigail returned to the dining table with a smile. “Sorry. The research center had some questions.”
While she spoke, she slid a peek at Lulu, but Lulu simply put a slice of beef on her plate.
Although Lulu was not nervous or affected about Zachary’s impending arrival, she was still worried that Martin would misunderstand.
Throughout dinner, Abigail’s heart was racing and the food was tasteless although they were supposed to be delicious.
Diarmuid saw that she was acting weird, and he ladled her a bowl of soup and put it in front of her. “What’s on your mind?”
Abigail quickly pulled herself together and shook her head. “Nothing.”
However, the doorbell rang even as she picked up the bowl.
Mrs. Watson got up to answer it, but Abigail quickly stopped her. “I’ll go, Mrs. Watson.”
She headed to the porch and opened the door, asking softly when she saw Zachary, “What are you doing?”
Zachary smiled, ignored her question, and sidestepped her, heading inside.
The atmosphere around the entire dining table turned weird when they saw him show up.
James got to his feet, worried that he would cause trouble.
However, Zachary did not seem to consider himself a stranger and asked Mrs. Watson to bring him another plate.
“Am I still a friend, guys? Why weren’t I invited?” He smiled.
“You’re welcome if you’re only here to eat,” Diarmuid growled. “But leave right now if you’re up to no good.”
Zachary scanned the table just then, where the weird atmosphere still lingered, as if everyone was displeased about his arrival.
Naturally, he felt upset at being ostracized as if he were a villain.
Still, he restrained that feeling and smiled faintly.
“I’m just here to eat,” he said, pulling out a chair.
Lulu did not react to his arrival at all, though Martin got up and offered a handshake. “We meet again, though we haven’t been formally introduced—I’m Martin York.”
Seeing the outstretched hand, Zachary got up to take it. “Zachary Slate.”
Smiling, he added, “I just came by to congratulate you as well.”
“Thanks,” Martin replied, open-minded as ever.
Turning to Lulu, Zacahry added, “I’m sure you’re leaving soon, so I wish you all the happiness in the world.”
Lulu smiled slightly. “Thank you.”
Martin put a hand on Lulu’s shoulder and said, “I’ll take good care of her. Don’t worry.”
“I’m sure you will,” Zachary said, and shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, since I’m not welcome here, I won’t impose. I’ve said what I came to say, so I’ll go. Please, enjoy your dinner.”
With that, he got up and strode outside.
Abigail did not return to her seat, as she followed him out instead. “Let me walk you out.”
As she followed him out of the door, Zachary suddenly paused and said, “You should go back. You shouldn’t stray off when you have so many guests… I’m sure my presence killed the mood, huh?”
Abigail stared at him from the back, and she found a loneliness she could not put to words.
“Are you alright?” she asked softly.
Zachary stiffened.
He was silent for a while, before saying quietly, “I’m fine.”
Opening his car door and getting into his car, he told Abigail, “You should go back inside.
However, Abigail strode up and put a hand on a window, struggling for a while before eventually saying, “You should give up.”
Zachary looked up at her with sadness in his eyes. “I did.”
Abigail would have liked to offer more comfort, but she could not find the right words.
All she could have said would have been ‘there’s plenty of fish in the sea.’
But even if Zachary did find someone better, would he loved her more than he loved Lulu?
The hardest thing to do was to meet a person you genuinely loved, after all.
“I’m fine, don’t worry. I’m not that weak,” Zachary said as he started the car. “You should go back inside.”
With that, he drove off, and Abigail watched as he did.
For some reason, her heart ached a little for him now…
That was when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to find that it was Diarmuid.
“I think he’s taking it really hard,” she said.
“It’s his business. Don’t worry about him” Diarmuid told her, and put a hand around her shoulder as he led her back inside.
“You should check on him after dinner,” Abigail said.
“I know,” Diarmuid replied.
…
Although Zachary did not linger at the dining table, he had curbed everyone’s enthusiasm.
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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