Abigail happened to return then while holding Tommy’s hand.
Seeing Zachary, she asked, “Where are you going?”
“Back to his kennel, since there’s no place for him elsewhere,” James replied.
Abigail entered the house then and sat down. “You boys really can’t stop horsing around. So, what is it this time?”
Tommy lay sprawled over her lap while Mrs. Watson brought the boy fresh juice.
Erin pointed at Zachary and said, “He was messing with me.”
Zachary paused at the doorway. “Who was? Don’t fib-James would misunderstand.”
“You told me that you’re my brother, but you’re actually younger than James.” “I’m not older than James, but I am older than you,” Zachary retorted before turning toward Abigail. “You shouldn’t get ahead of yourself either, since I’m on first-name basis with
Abigail here.”
Abigail blinked.
“Well, it would be weird if I called you something else,” she admitted.
Getting the advantage right then, Zachary puffed himself up. “See? I’m her senior.”
“How so?” Abigail asked.
“I’m younger than Diarmuid, but you married him,” he explained, pausing for a moment before continuing, “Since I’m your upperclassman, he should defer to me too, right?”
James and Erin were speechless, with the former rising to his feet. “Come on. Let’s go back to my room.”
The way Zachary kept talking, he would have to defer to Zachary too!
“Stay here. You should listen to see if I’m right,” Zachary grinned smugly.” Honestly, my junior is really the best!’
James really wanted to punch him right then-that face definitely needed one.
“You’re right,” Abigail suddenly said. “But you’d have to ask Diarmuid first to see if that applies.”
James stared at Zachary in turn. “You heard her.”
Zachary was speechless – Diarmuid would throw him out of his own house if he so much as breathed that.
Yes, that was definitely not going to happen!
“I’ll pass,” Zachary said, knowing that he would never win against Diarmuid. He simply gave up on the issue.
Erin sat down beside Abigail in turn and said, “I need to talk to you about something, Abigail.”
“Tell me,” Abigail watched her.
“I’m thinking about taking James to Minerva with me. Is that alright with you?” Erin asked.
“As long as you both agree on it,” Abigail replied.
She believed that she had no right to meddle in their relationship, but if they feel that they could, they should.
“Where are you going, Aunt Erin?” Tommy asked, suddenly tugging at Erin’s sleeve. “Please stay here.”
This place was far smaller than the castle, and there were not many places to play.
And when he asked his mother to go back to the castle, she told him that they could not go back just yet, so they had to stay here.
If his aunt left too, he would have no one to play with.
Abigail picked him up so that he sat on his lap. “You have to behave. Aunt Erin needs to work-1 can play with you anyway.”
“But Grandma always stops us. She says you need to rest.” Tommy pouted in complaint.
“That’s right,” Zachary echoed, not willing to let James leave either. “It’s a little small here, but having so many people makes it lively. Moreover, Abigail and I are doctors-we need good doctors since James was seriously hurt.”
Tommy flashes a thumbs up at Zachary. “Well said, Uncle Zchary.”
Zachary, however, told him, “You have to do your part too.”
“What part?” Tommy asked.
“Cry a hissy fit, and Erin would definitely stay,” Zachary said.
Abigail stared at Zachary for heartbeats. “You’re really being strange. Did something upset you over at Lulu’s?”
He was being all mysterious with a kid too!
Zachary was speechless while Abigail got up and pulled Tommy along. “Time to study.”
“Can we not?” Tommy asked.
“Nope,” Abigail summarily refused—they hired a private tutor to teach him Franconian, but they had to call it off since there was not much space here.
And with Tommy taken away, Zachary had no way of asking James to stay, so he left tactfully.
That was when James stopped him. “Wait.”
Zachary wheeled on him. “What?”
James placed a hand on Erin’s shoulder to direct her to his room, and she nodded.
After she left, James turned toward Zachary. “Sit.’
“What is it?” Zachary asked, eying him skeptically.
“I can tell you’re in a bad mood. Anything you want to say to me?”
Zachary smiled but said nothing despite taking his seat. “Come on. Don’t jinx me like that.”
James did not press him, probably sensing that Zachary had trouble talking about it.
Zachary then added, “Let’s go get a drink when you’re feeling better.”
James nodded.
In his room, Tommy was writing his own name on a notebook.
Abigail told him to learn it by the day and to make it look nice.
While he did, she stood by the bed to call Stan, but no one answered.
She put down the phone and returned to the table to check on Tommy’s handwriting.
Around an hour later, her phone started ringing.
It was a return call from Stan, and when she picked it up, she asked, “Why weren’t you answering?”
On the other end, Stan shot a look at Diarmuid before lying, “Mr. Althoff is with the doctor. He can’t answer right now.”
In reality, they were not at the hospital.
Diarmuid had paid a huge ransom and given off a major business from Remy to save James, and he had his phone on silent as they were just discussing it.
The matter was resolved and they were now on their way to the hospital, while Stan himself would be in charge of looking for
Hector.
They had no idea where that cowardly wretch was hiding even now.
“Really? What did the doctor say?” Abigail asked.
Stan was speechless for a moment, wondering what he should say just then.
“Give me the phone,” Diarmuid suddenly told him.
Stan went over and handed it to Diarmuid. “It’s the missus, sir.”
Diarmuid certainly knew, which was why he asked for it.
Taking it from Stan, he said, “The doctor said that I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Abigail then complained, “You told me not to follow you, and now I can’t even call you to ask after you?”
Diarmuid lowered his gaze. “I didn’t say that.”
Abigail’s fingers clenched over her phone. “I miss you. Come home soon.”
“Yeah,” he replied softly.
Abigail did not want to keep him either and hung up.
Diarmuid then handed the phone back to Stan. “Let’s go.’
“Yes, sir,” Stan replied.
Their car was already waiting outside and Stan helped him get in, and they headed to the hospital.
They had already made the arrangements and would arrive on time as they traveled there now.
After they did, the doctor first performed a comprehensive examination of Diarmuid’s eyes and determined that it was indeed an external factor causing retinal damage and loss of vision.
The doctors offered several suggestions, but each option would take at least a month.
As such, they filed the paperwork for Diarmuid to be admitted, and he lay down in bed after taking his medicine.
After running around for a long while, he was definitely exhausted.
Stan stood guard outside alone.
The hospital was quiet in the night when a trio of men in white coats approached.
Stan rose from the bench and asked, “Who are you people?”
“We’re doctors. We’re doing rounds at the moment,” one of them replied.
Since they were pushing a cart of equipment, Stan opened the door. “Come in.”
However, the instant he stepped inside, one of the men grabbed him from behind and restrained him while pressing a scalpel against his neck and threatening, “Don’t move, or I’ll slit your throat!”
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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