Diarmuid gave her a peck on the cheek then.
“Alright, I’m going.Don’t want to annoy you.”
Abigail caught his wrist as he stood up.
“Make it quick.We should head home soon.”
“Okay,” Diarmuid replied.
All the books Diarmuid had were about commerce, so she fell asleep soon enough from disinterest.She slept late last night and woke early, and did not nap in the afternoon to finish work earlier.
As drowsiness took her, she put down the book and lay down on the couch to get more comfortable, eventually dozing off without knowing it.
After Diarmuid ended the meeting and returned to his office, he found Abigail curled up on the couch.
He took off his jacket and put it over her when the phone on his desk rang.He got up and answered it while Abigail stirred.
Rubbing her eyes, she looked up to see Diarmuid behind his desk, answering the call.
She had no idea what the other end said, while Diarmuid hung up after a few brief words.
“Is your meeting over?” Abigail asked.
“Yeah,” he replied, putting down his phone.
“Did the ringing wake you?” Abigail shook her head.
“No.”
“Let’s go home.”
She got to her feet and followed him outside.
On the way home, Diarmuid appeared hesitant to mention something.
“Just spit it already,” Abigail eventually told him.
“There’s this event in Franconia which requires a lady’s company. I know you’re busy, but…”
“When?” Abigail asked.
“Friday,” he replied.
Abigail checked her phone and considered it.
“It’s Tuesday. There are three more days, so I think I can free up two days if I bring forward my schedule.” Diarmuid held her hand.
“Thanks.”
Abigail smiled faintly at him.
“I thought we shouldn’t be too polite when we’re married?”
And she was just fulfilling her duty as a wife as well.
Leaning against his arm, she said, “I’ll do my best to be a good wife and a good mother from now on.”
Diarmuid smiled.
“You always were a good wife.”
Abigail looked up at him then.
She had more or less seen through his eccentricities by now, and what followed was definitely nothing good.
“What are you getting at?” she asked.
Diarmuid pursed his lips.
“What? Why would you ask that?”
Abigail released him then and straightened herself, looking serious as she voiced her hunch.
“Nothing good ever comes out of your lips.”
Diarmuid smiled despite his irritation—what did she really take him for? Had he really never said anything nice?!
“That’s slander.” Abigail snorted.
“Fine, then tell me: what makes me a good wife?” Diarmuid replied solemnly.
“You’re a domestic goddess.”
“Why does that sound ironic in my ears?” Abigail leered at him, but she did not press the issue.
“Whatever. I’ll believe you for now.”
They returned home later, and Mrs.Watson was taking care of housework while Sheryl was caring for the children.
Abigail thought then that although she was a wife, she really had not done much for her family, and so decided to cook.
She should at least do that once in a while! Still, when they sat down for dinner and Tommy had a bite from Abigail’s boiled egg, he pouted.
“Mrs.Watson’s looks better.” Abigail had a taste and noticed that she really did overcook it.
As such, she pushed it to Diarmuid.
“Here, you can have it.”
He looked up and stared at her then.
Was that affection, or was he just treated like a dumpster? The latter seemed more likely, to be honest…
Abigail stuffed her schedule to the brim on the days before she went on her leave, finishing most of the tasks on hand so that they did not pile up.
The event was on Friday, so they had to leave on Thursday.
On the plane, Abigail leaned against him and said, “Let’s make a stop at Minerva when we return.I’d like to check on Erin Gooding.”
“Sure,” Diarmuid replied softly.
Stan Hill was there to receive them when they arrived at Zidonia.
Although he had been stuck in distant Franconia, James Cross constantly updated him on what happened in Zidonia.
“Mr.Althoff.Mrs.Althoff—the car’s waiting outside,” he said.
Diarmuid nodded.
“We won’t be staying for long.Have you done as instructed?”
“Don’t worry,” Stan replied.
“It’s done.”
“Good.”
They arrived outside the airport and Stan opened the door for them, while Diarmuid shielded Abigail as she went in first.She was sleepy, but now spirited.She wound down the window, letting in the air outside to clear her head.
“Are we staying at a hotel?” she asked.
Diarmuid never stayed at hotels whenever he made business trips here. However, he did not tell her immediately since he did not know what Abigail was thinking.
“I bought a house here. Want to check it out?”
“Sure,” Abigail replied right away.
Diarmuid told her simply.
“It’s bigger than the hilltop mansion in Zidonia. I gave a general idea, and a design company did the rest.”
Abigail did appreciate Diarmuid’s tastes, and thought then that it would not be that bad—she actually became expectant too.
It was a forty- minute trip, and the scenery along the way was beautiful.
Everything from the people to the architecture were a completely different world.
When they arrived Abigail alighted, and the first thing she saw was the garden that spanned over 20,000 square feet. There was even a mini golf course, and it would take a while to cover the entire area.
“We can park at the side entrance too,” Diarmuid said, which would allow easier entry.
They stopped at the main entrance so that Abigail could see the entire building, seeing the entire castle and its courtyard. Abigail looked around as she walked along it.
“It seems at once modern yet classical.”
“I got it at an auction, and pretty much refurbished the entire building for the modern designs.It used to span more than 50,000 square feet, but the surrounding areas had been sold off, leaving just this.”
Diarmuid was quite satisfied with the place.
They strode ahead, reaching a circular fountain with four tiers, the water streaming downwards and kicking up huge splashes down to the bottom tier.
The castle itself was of a Farbanti renaissance style, and was composed of large bricks of a calm milky-white hue.
Even the lower, wide steps to the front entrance were designed elaborately.
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.
Leave a Reply