Chapter 189: Zero Percent

Words : 1511 Updated : Oct 6th, 2025

Chapter 189: Zero Percent Few minutes before the close of work, Abigail paced back and forth as she tried to figure out the best way to ride in the car with Genevieve and not have her talk about any of their discussions about their father or ask Jamal any question that might make Ryan be in doubt of Jamal’s loyalty. She couldn’t possibly tell Genevieve about the car key since that would make Genevieve wonder how she knew, and there was no way she could leave the key in the office. Or could she? Maybe she could say she had forgotten it in her desk drawer? That would give her time to talk to Josh and tell him that whenever they were in her room or alone and she was holding her car key he shouldn’t refer to her as Mom or talk about Ryan. Would that work? Damn Ryan for making her have to overthink everything. Now she couldn’t even have a normal conversation with her son without being worried. If only she had not talked to Genevieve and opened up to her earlier, then she wouldn’t have to worry about riding in the car with her. She couldn’t leave the key behind. It was expected that she’d be so excited to see her car that she wouldn’t leave the key behind at the office. Deciding that the only way to go was to borrow Ryan’s half truth style, she walked out of her office and headed for Genevieve’s office. Jamal raised his head from his laptop screen as he watched her go, and she flashed him a smile, "I need to talk to Genny. She is in, right?" She asked softly. Jamal gave her a nod, wondering what she wanted to talk to Genevieve about but not asking her any questions since he was still fighting with his conscience about telling Callan what he knew about his mother. Abigail knocked on Genevieve’s door and when she heard Genevieve’s response she stepped into the office. Genevieve smiled. "I guess you ready to go home?" "Yes. But I wanted us to talk here before leaving," she said, and Genevieve gestured to the seat in front of her. "Is something wrong?" Abigail sat down, "I’ve decided to play along with Pete." "What about Josh’s father? Are you going to tell him that you’re fake dating Pete? How long can you pretend to date Pete? Will you marry him too? What do you plan to do?" Genevieve asked, though deep down she knew that she would tell Abigail the whole truth before things got to that point. Abigail smiled. She wished she could tell Genevieve that Jamal was Josh’s father, but telling her that would make her question everything, including Jamal’s employment and how he got to be there. And she didn’t want to take any chances. "For now let’s take it one day at a time. I’ll figure out what to do along the way," Abigail said, even though what she meant was she would figure out if and when to tell Genevieve the truth. Genevieve stared at Abigail. She felt sorry for her. And she felt guilty that she was part of the reason for it. If she wasn’t Ryan’s daughter he wouldn’t have had a reason or desire to do all that he did. "But the major thing I wanted to say was that I’m still not very comfortable with my phone. I have a feeling Dad bugged it or something. I’m not entirely sure yet, so maybe let’s have any serious talk when I come to your office or your room. I’ll always do so without my phone," Abigail said, and Genevieve sighed softly, wondering how Abigail must feel to be living this way all these years. "If he bugged your phone then he must have heard me tell you about the plan with Pete," Genevieve pointed out. Abigail nodded. "I’m not entirely sure yet. So, let’s be careful," Abigail insisted, and Genevieve nodded. "It must be tough on you feeling anxious and not knowing if your every conversation is being recorded or something," she said, and Abigail nodded. "Yeah. I wish I knew why he’s monitoring my life this way. It’s almost like there’s something he doesn’t want me to know," Abigail said with a weary sigh, hoping that Genevieve would make up her mind faster. Genevieve looked away from her guiltily. "I’m sorry, Abigail," Genevieve said, and Abigail’s brow shot up. "What for? I thought you said you couldn’t apologize?" Genevieve forced a smile. "This isn’t exactly an apology. This is me feeling sorry about the whole situation and my inability to apologize properly," she said, and Abigail glanced at the clock. "It’s fine. I’ll get my bag and we can leave if you’re ready. It’s past work hours," Abigail said, and Genevieve smiled, "Why are you always in a haste to go home? Most staff work extra hours," Genevieve said as Abigail rose. "I’m not most staff. I’ve finished up my quota of work for the day. I want to be able to spend time with Josh. We barely spend time together because of all the activities lined up for him," Abigail said and Genevieve nodded. "You’re right. I’ll be out in a minute," Genevieve said and Abigail walked out of the office. Jamal raised a brow when he saw her and she signed. [I told her I’m going to play along with your plan to seduce me. I also asked her not to talk about anything serious when I’m with my phone because I suspect it might be bugged.] Jamal nodded and gave her a thumbs up. "Are you okay?" Abigail asked, going closer to his seat when she noticed he didn’t look his happy and smiley self. "Yeah. I just have a lot in my head," he admitted. Abigail arched a brow as she leaned forward with her hands on his desk so that only him could hear her. "I didn’t know I was a lot," she said, and Jamal frowned, confused. "Am I not what’s in your head?" She asked, and he smiled as he shook his head. "No. Not exactly," he said, and she narrowed her eyes. "Not exactly? Are you a liar? Didn’t you say in your letter that you think about me all the time even when you’re breathing?" She asked, and his lips curved with a smile. "I do. Always . But right now I’m thinking about something else," he confessed. "I hope I’m in there, too? Make sure I have majority of the space in your head. I have no idea what more you need to think about when you have such a beautiful and intelligent girlfriend," She muttered, and this time he chuckled, knowing that she was trying to make him feel better. "That’s right. You should laugh always. A handsome face like yours is supposed to be smiling all the time, and those beautiful eyes should always twinkle with laughter," she whispered, smiling down at him in a way that made his heart race. "I should be the one saying such things to you. I’m the guy between us, you know?" He asked, and she grinned. "I’ve always been the one hitting on you since we met. Both at the club and at the airport. You need to catch up," she whispered before walking away to go get her handbag, leaving Jamal grinning like a fool. Genevieve stepped out of her office in time to see the grin on Jamal’s face as he watched Abigail walk into her office, and for the first time she believed that maybe Pete had been telling the truth when he said he had feelings for Abigail. He looked like a guy in love. She cleared her throat, and Jamal turned in her direction, his smile fading a little as he rose. "We are ready to leave," Genevieve said, and Jamal nodded as he shut down his laptop. Abigail joined them, and together they all left the office. As Jamal drove them home, the car was silent. Abigail and Jamal stole glances at each other through the rearview mirror, and Abigail would turn away from the Genevieve to smile. Jamal’s phone rang out with an email notification but he didn’t glance it as he focused on the road ahead. They reached home just as the sky began to blush with the early colors of dusk. Jamal got out first and opened the back door for Abigail. Abigail stepped out and gave him a smile that only he truly understood. Jamal smiled but said nothing. He waited until they disappeared inside before taking out his phone from his pocket and turning toward his quarters. He wasn’t surprised to see that the email was from the laboratory. He opened it and saw that the DNA test result was attached to it. He took a deep breath as he clicked on the file. He scanned the document until his eyes settled on the line that mattered to him. Probability of paternity was zero percent.

Chapter 189: Zero Percent

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