Diarmuid left early the next day without breakfast.
Abigail understood that he must be furious after lan was rescued, and that he would be busy for the day.
As for her, she woke at a regular hour and decided not to leave the mansion for the day-she wanted to dote on her children while she had the time.
Nonetheless, her phone rang around ten-it was a call from Dennis Turner, director of Hotmesh Research, who was asking for a meeting.He had helped considerably when they developed an antidote for Tommy, and she naturally had to see him.
“How about Omen’s Ridge at noon?”
“Sure.” Abigail agreed to it right away.
“Are you going out?” Sheryl asked as soon as she hung up.
“Yeah, I have to,” Abigail replied.
“Get some cotton cloth when you come back. Diapers are bad and not airy no matter how good they get, and your baby always ends up with a reddened rump. We don’t have enough-we have to keep changing new ones every time he wets them, so they’re all over the drying rack right now.”
“Yeah,” Abigail replied. “Anything else you want? I’ll get everything back right away.”
“I want toys,” Tommy exclaimed as he ran up and hugged her leg. “Also, cakes and pudding.”
Abigail pinched his little cheek. “Okay.”
Abigail left at eleven, and Dennis was there when she arrived.She hurried to him, saying, “Sorry for being late.”
“It’s fine-I just arrived myself.” Dennis gestured for her to sit.
As Abigail did, she asked, “Is there a reason you asked for me?”
There certainly was, but Dennis asked, “Shall we discuss while we eat?”
“Okay.”
‘The food here is good-especially their ribs. You really should try it.”
“Okay,” Abigail smiled.
Dennis ordered the house specialty, and the food soon arrived.
‘Try it,” Dennis said, gesturing for her to try it, and it certainly tasted good.
The strudel afterward suited Abigail’s tastes too.
It was not until they were almost finished that Dennis asked, ‘Was this meeting too sudden for you?”
“Of course not. What is it you wanted to discuss? You can just tell me.” Even so, Dennis mused to himself for a while before doing so!
‘To be frank, the antidote development you led was an eye-opener for me. I’m honestly impressed by everyone’s professionalism and determination.”
Pausing for a moment, Dennis then added, “You worked at Mead Clinic and brought US their latest research data, so your contribution is immense even if you aren’t working for US officially… That’s why I asked to meet: I was wondering if you’re interested in taking the post of director.”
Abigail was left gaping. Never had she expected the director of Hotmesh Research would ask her to take over! She did not know what to say just then.
“I don’t think I can-“
“You don’t have to give an answer right now. Take your time to think about it,” Dennis said, pouring her some tea. “I mean, Tobey Kitsch was supposed to succeed me before, and then…”
Trailing off, Dennis then smiled. “Well, thank goodness that happened and allowed US to understand the true extent of his abilities. It would’ve been a disaster if he really took over.”
Abigail took a sip of her tea and did not comment-it was in the past, and bygones should be bygones.
Still, Dennis was sincere about his offer. “You can call me anytime when you make up your mind.”
“Thank you for thinking so highly of me. I will give it awesome serious thought,” Abigail said.
“Oh, you don’t have to be too humble. You may be young, but I recognize your ability. That’s why I’m asking for you to take my place, for the sake of this nation’s advancement in the medical field.”
Dennis certainly could find no better candidate from Hotmesh Research.
And yet, Abigail had all the qualifications despite her youth.
After leaving Omen’s Ridge, Abigail bought some fruit and took it to the hospital.
Ricky Bernstein was recovering well and he was happy to see her, though he grumbled a little. “I thought you forgot about me.”
Abigail peeled an apple for him and said, “I knew I shouldn’t have saved you since you’d just complain.”
Ricky grinned. “Just kidding. Don’t be so serious.”
Moving a chair to sit beside his bed, she asked, ’ Have the doctors said when you can be discharged?”
“In around a week.”
“Good.” Abigail then mused about something, and asked, “Did you know who’s your heart donor?”
“Somebody the hospital found?”
Ricky was not actually curious-they were dead, whoever it was.
Nonetheless, Abigail said, “It’s actually Whitney Cox’s.”
“Whitney Cox?! Why her?” Ricky was shocked, though his tone changed sharply. “I mean, I’ve been suspecting her for murdering my mom but never had evidence… Her being dead suits me fine.”
Abigail stared at him just then, hesitating if she should tell him. “She confessed-“
“Confess what?” Ricky asked anxiously.
Abigail kept patient. “Don’t interrupt me, now.”
Ricky promptly turned quiet!
“Well, she confessed that she murdered your mother, and agreeing to donate her heart to you was her way of atoning,” Abigail told him.
“Just forget about it already.”
Ricky appeared caught in disbelief.
The heart he has now belonged to the one who murdered his mother?
It was ridiculous!
“Are you kidding me?!” Ricky was suddenly in denial.
‘I mean, it’s not much since she was going to die, but you would have died too if she did not give you her heart,” Abigail reasoned.
“Do you think your mom would want that? Of course not-she would want you to live well.”
“So, it’s a life for a life?” Ricky snorted self-deprecatingly.
“And her redemption.”
Whitney had done a lot of wrong but she came around in the end.
Like her mother, she perhaps wanted to do something good, so that her child would be blessed by that virtuous act later in life.
“Yeah, she’s gone. I guess that counts as payback for my mom, and she could rest easy now,” Ricky said.
Abigail chatted a whale longer with Ricky before telling her to get some rest and left.
Instead of going home, she left to get cloth and then cake. She had to wait since cakes were freshly made these days, and a woman came to sit opposite her while she did.
‘What are you getting?”
Abigail looked up at the other woman, perplexed!
Erin Gooding smiled.
“Cake?’
She was not distant at all.
As Abigail nodded, she continued, “James is too busy to accompany me, so it’s boring being alone… May I visit you sometime?”
Abigail did not want to reject Erin, but she did not have the time-she wanted to stay home and take care of her children while she did not have to work.
“How about work? Something you prefer, preferably… Just to kill time?”
‘I wanted to, but James told me that he would pay for everything.”
Erin had a look of bliss on her face as she said that, and Abigail smiled unwittingly as she looked on.
Happy people tend to radiate a certain glow, and people who watch them could feel their warmth too.
“What is it?” Erin asked. “Did I misspoke?”
“Nope,” Abigail replied, taking a slip from her glass. “Congratulations. James is a good man.”
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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