Chapter 144: Out Of Character

Words : 1563 Updated : Oct 2nd, 2025

Chapter 144: Out Of Character The drive to the office was mostly silent. Jamal focused on the road ahead, trying not to pay Abigail more attention than was necessary in front of Genevieve even though it was difficult. Abigail on the other hand was lost in her own thoughts as she kept replaying what had happened with Josh in her head. Josh knew she was his mother. That was the only thought she wanted to think about and revel in all day. The fact that her smart little boy had known all along that she was his mother. Jamal turned to spare her a glance and noticed she was grinning, and he couldn’t help but wonder why she was smiling that way. She seemed to be in a good mood since she stepped out of the school. Was she happy because Josh had chosen her instead of Ryan to go in with him? Jamal mused, happy that she was in a good mood. Abigail turned and when she caught Jamal staring, she smiled at him. When they got to a red light, Jamal turned to Abigail and she signed to him, eager to share her happy news with him. [You won’t believe what happened in the school earlier.] Jamal raised a brow, but didn’t utter a word. [Josh told one of the teachers that I’m his mommy. He knows I’m his mommy. Can you believe it?] Abigail asked, her eyes glittering with joy and she smiled from ear to ear. Jamal grinned at her, and then signed back. [That’s wonderful.] While Jamal and Abigail were lost in a world of their own, Genevieve was busy on the internet browsing about what people in a long distance relationship did. She had a grin on her face as she thought about dating Stefan. She hoped that when he was well rested he would call her and maybe they could talk about the kiss at the airport. She hoped he would want to be in a relationship with her. She didn’t want him simply because of what her father had said about not leaving her any, but because she really liked him. It would be her first time in a real relationship, and she was glad that it was going to be with someone like Stefan. Someone she really liked and respected. The moment they arrived at the company, Genevieve and Abigail got out of the car in front of the company, while Jamal went to park the car at the parking lot. Abigail walked slowly behind Genevieve and looked around the building which was bustling with activity now, unlike when they had been there during the weekend when it was empty. As they walked past the security check at the lobby, Abigail noticed some of the staff look their way curiously, but none waved to Genevieve, and neither did Genevieve pay anyone attention. Genevieve had never really been a people’s person. As Abigail followed Genevieve up to her office, she couldn’t help but wonder how Jamal was going to cope here. It was one thing to be CEO of HAJ studios, but an entirely different thing to be the secretary of the head of product development in a hardware manufacturing company. Once they got to their office, Genevieve turned to Abigail, "Let’s talk briefly in my office." Together they walked into Genevieve’s office and she gestured to Abigail to sit down, while she took the seat behind the desk. "I know you know very well how things are done here since you’ve been doing most of the job even while you were away in Husla. It’s basically the same thing. I wouldn’t bother you if he did not insist I involve you before making any decision. You’re smarter so he trusts your judgement," she said, and Abigail noticed the usual edge of bitterness wasn’t in her tone. "However, you do not have to overwhelm yourself. If the tasks becomes too much, do well to speak out. I won’t leave it all to you. I will only leave the very important ones to you. If you’re confused or at a loss about anything, you can ask me. Also, if any of the staff disrespects you, do not just stay quiet, make sure you draw my attention to it," Genevieve said, and Abigail watched her. The same Genevieve who had called her a worthless mute and said all manner of hurtful things to her was asking her to report to her if anyone disrespected her? Unable to help herself, Abigail typed on her text-to-speech app. [Why are you acting so out of character lately?] Genevieve was slightly taken aback by the question, and she paused for a moment as she wondered how to respond to the question. Before she could make up her mind, the phone on her desk rang, and she picked it up, "I have to take this call. It is about work. You can go to your office and settle in. When Pete gets here, you both can come for his interview, and after that I’ll introduce you both to the rest of the team." Although Abigail could tell that Genevieve had just dodged her question, she gave her a nod as she rose and walked out of the office. As she headed for her office, Abigail decided to ask her the question again. She was going to keep asking Genevieve until she told her the truth. Abigail’s office door clicked softly behind her as she stepped into the room. Her eyes moved slowly across the space, taking it all in. She had not had the time or the desire to look inside the office the last time she was there with Genevieve, so now she looked around the room. The office was decent— bigger than she had expected for someone in her position, but not overly grand. The walls were painted a calming cream color, and the overhead lighting was bright but not harsh. There were no floor-to-ceiling windows, just two medium-sized ones on the far wall, letting in enough daylight to warm the room without making it too bright. A large wooden desk sat near the center of the room. It had a black desktop monitor on one side, a laptop dock, a pen holder, and a little ceramic cup with what looked like mint candies which she suspected the last occupant of the office had left behind. Her gaze fell on the sturdy-looking office chair with a dark blue cushion and adjustable armrests. The chair didn’t look fancy, but it looked comfortable and functional. Abigail smirked as she looked at the seat. She would have to make it look more fancy than that, since she was going to sit on that very chair to destroy everything Ryan had worked for. Abigail walked slowly toward the desk and she placed her handbag on the empty corner on the desk. She let her fingers trail across the edge of the desk as she walked around it and slowly took a seat in the office chair. She rolled it slightly back and forth, then leaned into it, feeling the soft give of the cushion beneath her. On the other side of the room stood a tall bookshelf, filled not just with files and books but also organized binders and a few decorative items— like a small wooden globe, a stone carving of an elephant, and a small fake potted plant sat on top— a cactus in a white square pot. Abigail made a mental note to replace that with a real plant. The place was neat and calm, and everything was in order. A space that allowed one to think and breathe. And plot. A quiet smile played on her lips as she picked one of the candies up, unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth as she rose from her seat and walked over to the window. From the window she could see the edge of the parking lot and the row of neatly trimmed hedges that bordered the building. She turned when she heard a knock on the door, and then the door opened and Jamal walked in and shut the door behind him. "Your office looks nice, Ms Abigail," he said, looking around the office. Abigail nodded and then before he could say anything else, Abigail approached him and then stepped out of the office to the lobby. The moment she shut the office door behind her, she leaned closer to Jamal and whispered. "I can’t trust that he didn’t plant a camera or hearing device in here, so I’m going to be whispering when I talk to you. Be careful what you say," she said, and Jamal nodded. Seeing how Ryan liked to know all she was upto at all times, Jamal didn’t doubt that he’d be even more interested in knowing what she did at the office now that he knew she could speak. "Yeah. It occurred to me too. I’ll find a way to confirm it," Jamal whispered back, hoping that Tom’s hacker friend would be able to let them know if Ryan had done something like that in Abigail’s office. "But for now, have this. I figured we can do this at the office. You can always shred it after reading," Jamal said, handing her a folded letter which he had written earlier that morning.

Chapter 144: Out Of Character

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