Abigail looked up then. The voice was a little familiar…
When she saw who it was, she felt three times more fear than she would have if she saw Diarmuid, and she stammered from sheer terror, “You… How could it be you?!”
Harvey Gooding chuckled coolly. “Why can‘t it be me?”
Leaning to whisper into her ear, he said, “I was just traveling to Cloud City to discuss a partnership with Mr. Althoff, but his temper is just too volatile. See, he was clearly giving you off to me at first, and suddenly changed his mind, even violently assaulting me just to discourage me. I spent two weeks behind closed doors as I tried to recover, while nothing came out of our potential partnership at all. Still, I guess I‘m lucky, and somehow managed to reach you before he could, even with that massive bounty of his!”
Abigail frowned. “You‘re a resident of Sunny City?”
Harvey gestured with his chin at a nearby landmark. “The logo on that building belongs to Gooding Enterprises, which I happen to own.”
Abigail glanced briefly at the landmark, but she was not interested in Harvey‘s identity at all.
All she wanted to do was run, but Harvey was keeping her firmly in place. “Abigail Bernstein,” he said with great purpose, “before you, I‘ve never suffered so much and so terribly because of one person.”
Abigail gulped and smiled apologetically. “It was just a misunderstanding…” She quickly stopped when she saw the way Harvey was glaring at her.
After all the mess that had happened between them, how stupid would he have to be to believe her?
In fact, there was no escape for her now—with both Harvey and Diarmuid breathing down her neck, she was caught between a rock and a hard place.
Truly desperate just then, she actually did not feel the strength to resist. “Just kill me already.”
“What, murder a pretty face like you? That would be a waste,” he said, clearly having other plans in mind.
Abigail‘s heart was pounding, but she had no chance of escape as Harvey brought her to one of his private homes and stationed guards all over the place.
After being made to suffer so much because of her, it was an understatement to say that he was wary of her. Even the windows in her room were boarded up with planks!
There were guards watching the entire residence inside out, but Abigail had no intention of escaping anyway.
After all, even if she managed to flee from Harvey, she would just end up caught by Diarmuid.
Indeed, she no longer had the will to run.
On the other hand, Harvey felt uneasy to see her being quiet and compliant.
“What are you up to this time, Abigail Bernstein?”
Abigail was simply sitting on the couch, and calmly said, “I know I won’t get away, so I won’t waste my strength trying–that said, I’ll kill myself if you try anything funny.”
Harvey chuckled. “Why would I go through so much to capture you, only to not get you?”
Abigail looked at him then.
Harvey was not your typical greasy, perverted old man. He was tall and had a handsome face, while his eyes projected both a sense of mischief and indulgence.
“Didn’t you come to Sunny City to hide from Diarmuid Althoff? The fact that you ran proves that you hate him. If that’s the case, I don’t mind-”
“Dream on!” Abigail cut Harvey short before he could finish. The only reason she ran was because of the child in her belly–Diarmuid would never allow her to give birth. There was no way she could maintain her marriage with him while he had another person’s child, because that was unfair to him.
There was no reason to stay married anyway, which was why she made her choice.
“I will not have anything to do with you,” she said with determination.
Harvey narrowed his eyes then, but Abigail had no reason to fear him–she was already ensnared in the worst case scenario.
“I’m a doctor. There are plenty of options available to me if I wanted to kill myself.”
After being tricked and beaten so many times by her, Harvey certainly believed her.
“Well, I won’t let you free if you refuse to play along,” Harvey chuckled coolly. “The more Diarmuid wants you, the more I want to hide you!”
He still held a bitter grudge against the man for beating him up, which was why he insisted on messing with Diarmuid!
“What a coincidence—I don’t want to be found either,” Abigail replied as she placed a hand protectively over her stomach.
After all, there was no telling if she could protect her child if Diarmuid found her.
For Harvey, it was perhaps the most positive thing she ever said to him.
“So, we share a mutual interest?” Harvey asked, pouring both of them a glass of water.
Abigail did not drink it, and seeing that she was being wary, he said, “I don‘t deceive people like you. The water is clean.”
Abigail still refused to drink it, however, so he simply ignored her and drank, before standing up and appearing ready to leave. “Just stay here and don‘t do anything stupid. Do that, and I promise Diarmuid won‘t ever find you.”
Abigail promptly stopped him then. “Could I have my phone back?” Harvey had taken it away when she brought her here, but her question left him staring at her as if she just said something stupid. “So that you can call for help?”
“No…”
Abigail tried to explain, but Harvey refused to listen. “Just give up. There‘s no network coverage here, and there‘s nothing you can use to call for help.”
With that, he left.
In reality, Abigail wanted her phone to contact Sheryl–her mother would be worried after she disappeared without a trace.
As such, she had to wait until Harvey returned to explain.
Meanwhile, she looked around the house and found that it was empty, there was no food in the kitchen, and she was starving as night arrived, which meant that her child would be denied nutrition too.
Finding the guards, she said, “I want to see your boss.”
They simply ignored her.
“Hey, can‘t you hear what I‘m saying?” She became flustered as they acted as if he did not exist. “Is he trying to starve me to death?”
While the guards remained silent, a familiar voice called out, “Abigail…” Abigail promptly looked up at the person walking toward her.
Abigail saw Sheryl, and quickly turned to Harvey, who had returned as well.
Why was he doing this? Why did he bring her mother here?!
Even as her expression darkened, Sheryl hurried toward her. “Oh, Abigail. This gentleman told me that he‘s your friend and was taking me to you. And you really are here!”
Abigail smiled at her. “Could you go in first?”
Sheryl was puzzled, but nodded and entered the building.
After making sure that Sheryl was gone, Abigail glowered at Harvey. “What is this? Why did you bring my mother here too?”
Harvey gave her a look. “I thought you‘re actually smart after all the times you escaped me. Why are you being so stupid now?”
“Who would know if you‘re really bearing ill will?” Abigail was confused, but stared at him warily all the same since he had tried to mess with her so many times–he certainly was no angel.
Harvey‘s face turned cold right then. “You‘re looking a gift horse in the mouth!”
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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