Even so, Diarmuid sharply sensed that Abigail was restless, and asked, “Did you overhear us?”
Abigail quickly shook her head. “No, what were you talking about?”
She could tell that Diarmuid had caught on to her, and made an act of touching her own face and asked, “Do I look pale or something?”
Before Diarmuid could answer, she added, “I do feel quite tired from work.”
“I’ll watch Tommy. You should have dinner now so that you can rest soon.”
“Yeah.” Abigail was done changing Tommy’s diapers just then, and headed outside.
Diarmuid caught her wrist as she did. Her hand was very soft and cold to the touch, and he held it in his own. If you’re feeling burned out, you can give up-”
“I love this job.” She wheeled on him, looking into his eyes.
As he pursed his lips but said nothing, she smiled. “I’ll go have dinner now.”
With that, she pulled her hand out of his grasp and left the room.
However, her relaxed expression faded the instant she closed the door behind her.
She wanted neither Diarmuid’s lies nor the truth.
She was afraid that his answer would hurt her, and decided to remember that Diarmuid had genuinely put his life on the line to save her when she could have gotten killed.
That important person in his heart? It did not matter–Diarmuid would have more than his fair share of secrets after surviving this long. Moreover, he was perfectly healthy, and it made sense if he had been with other women.
Still, she needed time to digest the information… and to forget it.
After composing herself, she headed to the dining room.
Both James and Stan were already seated, but they had not started eating yet.
She sat down and said, “Diarmuid is with Tommy. We can start without him.”
“We could wait for him…”
“It’s fine.” Abigail started to eat right then, even adding, “You two should start too.” With that, Stan and James began to eat as well.
Abigail then asked, “Do you boys want something to drink?”
Stan said nothing–he was fine either way.
James refused politely, “I’m afraid there’s still work tomorrow. Boozing might complicate things.”
Abigail did not try to push him–it was just a question..
That was when James’s phone rang, and he moved to the living room to answer the call.
Abigail glanced at him, thinking to herself just then that James was more prudent and sharp than Stan.
If she wanted to find out the identity of the woman Diarmuid kept in his heart, she would have to find out from Stan.
Pushing a plate of Mrs. Watson’s signature dish to Stan, she smiled. “Here: Mrs. Watson’s finest Chilean sea bass, and it’s even better than what they serve at fine dining restaurants. Have some.”
Stan was actually overwhelmed, and quickly ate–it was certainly great.
“Oh, it’s fantastic,” he praised endlessly.
As for Abigail, she was keeping her eye on him as she asked, “How long have you been working for Diarmuid, Stan?”
Stan mumbled as he munched on food, “It’s been a while. Didn’t keep count.”
“Oh, then you would know everything about him, don’t you?”
Stan nodded. “More or less.”
“Well, he’s not exactly young, so how many girlfriends did he have before me?”
Stan paused right then, and watched Abigail eat for a while before saying, “Mr. Althoff had never been in a relationship before he met you.”
He was not stupid–he could tell that she was trying to trick him into confessing…
But what he was saying was the truth anyway.
“You don’t have to be paranoid. I’m being honest when I say that Mr. Althoff has never been=”
“How would you know?” Abigail asked, slowly chewing on a piece of eggplant just then. “Is he really going to tell you about the women he had?”
Stan was speechless.
Suddenly, the food on the table did not look as appetizing as they had been a moment ago.
“Look, Mr. Althoff wouldn’t tell me about his private life, but I still know enough because I’m always with him. I promise, he’s never had another woman-”
“Calm down, Stan. I’m not upset or anything–it’s just that I don’t know much about him, so I’m trying to find out,” Abigail explained. “He’s still bearing the injury from saving me, so I’m not going to fight him over something so trifling. Like I said, I just want to learn more about him.”
Stan was skeptical. “Really?”
“Really,” Abigail answered simply.
Stan patted his chest as he relaxed, worried that he had misspoken.
However, as he breathed a sigh of relief, he let down his guard as well. “I won’t lie–Mr. Althoff had always been busy with work with no time for anything else. He never flirted, and always ignored the many ladies who tried to woo him. There was even a time when I wondered if he didn’t swing that way, or was simply wired differently… That is, until he met you. Since then, we realized that he’s fine, but simply hasn’t found the right person.”
“I see,” Abigail said as she pushed more food to him.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t lie,” Stan replied. “If anything, the only other person he can’t let go of is this girl he met as a child=”
“What are you talking about, Stan?”
James happened to return after taking his call just then, and could tell immediately that Stan was saying something he should not.
Shooting him a look, James said, “Can’t you keep your mouth shut when you eat?”
Stan rolled his eyes. “You shut up.”
James chuckled as he sat. “Don’t listen to him, ma’am. Mr. Althoff has always stayed disciplined, and certainly would never get involved with women with loose morals. Both Stan and I can testify to that- isn’t that right, Stan?”
Stan seemed to catch on right then, and quickly nodded, “Yeah, of course.”
“Oh, why are you boys getting so antsy? It’s just dinner gossip… Fine, if it’s really that concerning, I won’t ask,” Abigail said, changing the subject right then.
She was not going to find out anything with James around anyway.
“By the way, how’s the plan going on at the moment?” she asked.
Stan became excited at the very mention of that. “Well, it’s over for Quincy Moore. That woman sabotaged Mr Althoff’s parents‘ car, causing it to crash into the river and killing them both, just so that she could take control over the Althoffs. She’s even crazy enough to have tried killing Mr. Althoff although he was just a child, but fortunately, he managed to survive.”
Abigail did not really have an appetite in the first place, and even less so after learning hints about Diarmuid’s past.
As a child, Abigail herself had been constantly pushed around by Lionel. She could not do everything as she wanted, and life was less than happy.
But when compared to Diarmuid, she was–at the very least, her parents were not murdered.
Considering that, and the fact that Diarmuid himself was almost killed too, she could imagine how harsh life had been for him and could not help sympathizing.
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.