Abigail’s eyes widened.
She did that?
How?
“You’re lying. Why would I harass you?”
“You kept seducing me, knowing I won’t lay a finger on you when you’re filthy. I couldn’t sleep the entire night, so it’s a punishment—you’re coming to my office.”
Abigail was speechless. “Oh! Is that it?”
“What did you think it was, then?” Diarmuid asked, leveling her a dark look.
Abigail quickly shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Really? Then why do I have this feeling that you’re hiding something from me?” Diarmuid asked.
Abigail shook her head vehemently, like a dog shaking its wet fur. “Why would I lie to you? There’s nothing I can hide from you either!”
Diarmuid said nothing to that.
Abigail alighted with Diarmuid once the car stopped, only for her to see Finn walking toward them with the parents of the patient who had that artificial heart transplant.
Abigail’s heart was racing right then, and she asked, “What are you doing here?”
It was not as if she was paranoid, she had to, because she was worried about getting hounded again after Dennis’s case.
“Wasn’t your child recovering well? Was there a problem?”
“No, of course not,” the patient’s mother walked up, taking Abigail’s hand in hers. “We came here to thank you. We couldn’t find you at the research center, so this young man brought us here, saying you’d be here.”
Diarmuid leveled a warning glare at Finn for bringing Hotmesh Research business to his office.
“They were looking for you, so I had to help,” Finn explained nonetheless. “There’s a chance that you’d be here, or was I not supposed to tell them?”
Abigail said, “You could have just given me a call to show up at the research center…”
“I’m sorry, are we imposing?” the patient’s mother asked apologetically just then.
“No,” Abigail quickly said.
“Okay, then bring it here, John.” The woman beckoned at her husband, who walked up and handed her a large scroll.
The woman handed it over to Abigail with both hands, saying, “We wanted to thank you properly, but we basically have nothing left after paying our child’s medical bills. That’s why we made this as a token of gratitude.”
“It’s my obligation as a doctor. You really don’t have to do this…”
“Oh, just take it. It’s just a little something from us.” The patient’s mother was looking at her with eyes filled with sincerity.
As such, Abigail had to accept it.
“I…” Abigail was so anxious she was unsure what to say, since it was the first time she accepted something like this.
She turned to Diarmuid with a look pleading for help—she really had no idea how to deal with this.
Diarmuid stood behind her and put a gentle hand over her shoulder. “Calm down.”
She had managed to retain her motivations as a doctor even after Dennis, and receiving such gratitude was a fair reward.
“You’re a good person,” the patient’s mother added just then. “You will live long and prosper.”
Abigail smiled.
Live long and prosper?
Her?
Abigail smiled. “Thank you.”
She was grateful that the patient’s parents would offer such blessings.
Living long could become a double-edged sword, but she really hoped that she and Diarmuid could stay together for that long.
Still, Finn could tell that Abigail was not used to this. He told the patient’s parents, “Well, you’ve met her now. We should go if there’s nothing else.”
“Of course, of course,” the couple replied, and the father did not forget to tell Abigail before they left, “You’re the best doctor I’ve ever met.”
The best doctor?
Abigail was actually emotional from that, and felt for an instant that it was all worth it.
Still, she was left staring at the scroll in her hand as they headed off into the distance. She asked Diarmuid, “What do I do with this?”
“Hang it up, of course,” Diarmuid replied. “It’s a token of honor.”
Abigail looked up into his eyes. “You’re not mocking me, are you?”
“Of course not,” he said, putting a hand around her shoulder. “I’m proud of you.”
“Really?” Abigail never knew he took pride in her career.
Diarmuid frowned. “Are you doubting me?”
Abigail was speechless. Could she say yes?
She certainly did not dare to say it!
“No, of course not,” she said.
“Alright, let’s go in already!”
“But what about this?” Abigail asked. “Do I leave it in the car?”
As she spoke, she turned to open the car door, but Diarmuid stopped her. “Hold on to it.”
“For what?” she asked, puzzled.
“Hang it in my office since you have no place to put it.” Diarmuid grinned.
Abigail was speechless again. It would stick out like a sore thumb against the decor of his office!
It would be hilarious if he hung it there!
Certainly not wanting that, she quickly put it in the car—there was no telling what Twinrise employees would think if they saw it!
However, she just did not know that Tina, the front desk receptionist, saw what was happening outside, took a photo, and sent it to her colleagues’ chat group.
Everyone there was a Twinrise employee, and they were left guessing what Abigail’s job was after seeing it.
Someone even typed: [Could it be just for show? Is Mr. Althoff being tricked? What even is her job, where someone would give her a scroll outside our office? Isn’t that just weird?]
Tina, however, was convinced that Abigail was nice, especially because she was given a raise for helping Abigail.
Tina argued: [You’re just jealous. They are thanking her, meaning she did something good.]
[I mean, it’s either to brag or just to make herself look good in front of Mr. Althoff.]
[True. Isn’t it weird giving it to her here at our office? She doesn’t even work here.]
[Yeah…]
The others seemed to agree with that, leaving Tina flustered. [Why are you people like this?!]
She sent the video in hopes that others would see the good side of Abigail, only for their speculation to go astray.
[It’s not like we want to think badly of her, but rumor has it that she was so clingy to Mr. Althoff the last time she visited. You can also see how pretty she looks—she’s definitely the type who can bewitch men.]
Tina was speechless. [This is getting ridiculous!]
[Well, Mrs. Althoff is beautiful. Maybe that’s why Mr. Althoff likes her, so cut it out, people.]
[She does look like a succubus…]
Tina could not stand that remark, and she snapped: [Succubus?! You’re just jealous, aren’t you?]
[Hey, that’s slander.]
Having had enough, Tina tried to delete the video, but realized that it was saved since it had already passed the time limit.
She huffed angrily. [Alright, that’s enough.]
[You posted it, didn’t you?]
[I just wanted everyone to see that she’s really nice!]
[Or maybe you just wanted to fawn over her? Everyone knows you were even given a raise for that before. A receptionist, getting paid as much as us regular desk jockeys…]
As the comments in the chat group erupted into pandemonium and all sorts of inappropriate remarks about women were spewed, Tina angrily left the group.
Abigail, however, was completely oblivious and leaning on Diarmuid intimately, not knowing that doing that would make her look just like the seducer they labeled her.
Somehow, being beautiful was a crime!
Even so, the company’s employees greeted her warmly wherever she went, not letting what they typed in the chat group show at all.
They were certainly shrewd.
Entering Diarmuid’s office later, Abigail asked, “Am I supposed to just sit here and do nothing while you work?”
Diarmuid looked up as he took off his suit. “Make me a coffee.”
Abigail took it and said, “Fine.”
She put it at the jacket rack and went to make a coffee, though she opened the door to find Tina standing at the doorway, catching her by surprise!
Tina was looking at Abigail apologetically, “Mrs. Althoff…”
Abigail asked, “Were you looking for me?”
Tina nodded.
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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