As their eyes met, Abigail smiled. “Yeah. Come on—let’s go together.”
Diarmuid was driving, and asked along the way, “What time are you returning home tonight?”
“Earlier than usual,” Abigail replied.
“Let’s bring Tommy along for a movie. There’s a cartoon in cinemas at the moment—he’ll probably like it,” Diarmuid said.
“Yeah,” Abigail said quietly.
Her phone then rang just before she reached the research center and she took it out, saw the caller, and answered.
“Hello?”
“Are you coming in today?” Finn asked.
“I’ll be there soon. What’s up?”
“We’ll talk about it when you’re here,” Finn briskly said and hung up.
As the car stopped, Abigail put her phone back in her bag and alighted.
As Diarmuid lowered the car window, she told him, “Drive safe.”
“Yeah,” he replied.
With that, Diarmuid drove away while Abigail headed into the building, wondering what mystery Finn had in store for her!
And why could he not tell her over the phone?
Why did Finn have to tell her at the research center?
Still, entering the building just then, Abigail called out, “Finn?”
He usually would be scuttering toward her whenever he saw her before, but he was nowhere to be seen today.
Or maybe he was not around?
But he sounded like he was already there when he called her just now.
“Finn—”
Before she finished, there was a pop just then, and confetti shot into the air.
Then, a group of her colleagues streamed into the lobby, encircling her as the colorful confetti and party poppers floated down over her, landing on her hair and shoulders.
She was left staring blankly—what was going on here?
Finn suddenly appeared out of nowhere, exclaiming, “Congratulations!”
Abigail appeared dumbstruck. “For what?”
“The patient with the artificial heart woke up and is perfectly healthy, showing no signs of discomfort, organ rejection, or other conditions.”
Abigail was actually surprised. “He woke up already?”
She smiled as Finn nodded.
“There’s more good news,” he then said.
Still, Abigail quickly guessed it this time. “The medical board approved it?”
Finn nodded, and Abigail was jubilant.
It was certainly worth celebrating!
“Anyway, we’re going out to celebrate tonight. You haven’t bought us dinner ever since you became director. How does tonight sound?”
“Alright.” Abigail smiled. “Everything is on me tonight, but I’m not going.”
“Why not?” Finn asked. “It would be pointless without you! You’re the main event.”
“I have things to do at home,” Abigail excused herself. “I can’t leave…”
Someone joked just then, “Who doesn’t know that Director Bernstein has a rich husband? What’s the agenda for tonight?”
“Wait, maybe she’s still upset that we harassed her when she first joined?”
“No.” Abigail smiled. “It really isn’t that.”
Finn leaned in to whisper, “Aren’t you resigning? Shouldn’t you tell everyone your thoughts in the end? We’ve been working together for so long, or do you not care about us at all?”
Abigail looked at everyone’s eager gazes, the rejection she had in mind stuck in her throat.
“Come on, just say yes.” Finn joined in with the rest. “We’ll have a project if you stay.”
Abigail, however, had made up her mind—she was definitely resigning, and Tommy’s tantrum today only made her even more determined.
And she would not cave.
“Alright!” She agreed to it, thinking this would be a chance to tell everyone that she was leaving. “You’re reserving the place, Finn!”
“Okay,” Finn said.
“Make sure it’s a nice place. Director Bernstein can afford it,” someone said.
“Got it,” Finn replied.
Abigail began, “I’m not that rich…”
“No, but your husband is.”
Abigail was speechless.
She could not argue since everyone else knew.
Abigail smiled helplessly and headed for her office, where she took out her phone to call Diarmuid.
He soon answered, and she quickly said, “I’m not going home tonight.”
They would have to delay their plans to watch a movie together with Tommy.
“Okay,” Diarmuid said quietly on the other end without asking her why.
Abigail naturally did not explain—she would do it once she was done over here, so that she could surprise him!
Later in the evening, they arrived at the place Finn booked—a private room at a fine restaurant serving local cuisine.
Everyone was especially enthusiastic about serving her tonight, and Abigail smiled as she asked, “Could it be that everyone has found out that I’m leaving? Is that why you’re all celebrating?”
The air in the room turned cold right then!
Abigail’s words came out of the blue, leaving everyone thinking that she thought badly of them.
“How could you say that, Director Bernstein?”
“We heard from Finn that you want to leave, but we’re really reluctant to see you go. The time we shared was neither brief nor long, but we could see your character and came to acknowledge you…”
“That’s right, Director Bernstein. Don’t think that badly of us,” Yolanda King chimed in.
“Really?” Abigail raised a brow. “If my memory serves me right, you were the one who harassed me the most.”
Yolanda was left awkwardly speechless, but she had certainly bullied Abigail a lot.
Still, Abigail smiled just then. “It’s just a joke. Come on, everyone. Be seated.”
Everyone did so, and the table that was full of people was quite lively.
Eventually, Yolanda asked, “Are you really leaving, Director Bernstein?”
Abigail nodded. “Yeah.”
“Why? We were getting along!” Yolanda exclaimed.
“Yeah.”
“She’s right.”
Everyone agreed.
Abigail took a deep breath. How was she supposed to answer them?
Nonetheless, she began, “Women more or less have to start thinking about their family once they get married—”
Someone butted in before she could finish, “Is your husband forbidding you from working?”
Everyone else turned toward the one who said it, leaving him dumbfounded. “What are you looking at me for? Am I wrong?”
They all shook their heads at the first time—it was on their minds too.
“Nope.”
“That’s a good question.”
Abigail said sternly just then, “We’re talking about us. Please don’t keep mentioning my family.”
“Then why are you resigning? We can all tell you love this job,” Finn pointed out.
Abigail cleared her throat. “Why do I feel like I’m being interrogated?”
“No, we just want to know your reasoning. We’re all just starting to get familiar and accepting each other, so why leave now?”
“Accepting each other? You say it like we’re in a relationship.” Abigail waved them off. “Let’s eat.”
“We won’t be in the mood to eat if you don’t make yourself clear,” Finn said.
He was the one who was most reluctant to let Abigail leave, since he was the one who spent most of his time with her and was very close to her.
Abigail sighed. “Honestly, everybody… I just want to spend more time with my children. It’s that simple.”
Everyone else was silent. “You even have a bodyguard. Can’t you hire a babysitter?”
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