Chapter 48: Same Old Gist

Chapter 48: Same Old Gist Genevieve rolled her eyes. "Sisters?" She asked with a snort. Ryan ignored her attitude. "Even if you don’t share the same blood, you have been together for twenty years. Isn’t that enough time for you to consider her your sister?" "Really? Do you consider her your daughter now after twenty years?" She asked, and then laughed humorlessly when something occurred to her, "You know what? Nevermind. I was going to ask how you can treat her that way if you consider her your daughter, but then I remembered that you treat me just as bad and I’m your biological daughter. The only person you treat like your child is Josh. Now that makes me wonder if it is because Josh is a boy and you treat us this way because we are females." Ryan cocked a brow, "Why are you rambling?" "I wonder why. Where is Josh? Has he met her?" Genevieve asked, changing the subject. "We picked her from the airport together. Josh is receiving his lessons now," he said, and she nodded. "My new driver has resumed today. He’s at the staff quarters now. He will be the one driving Jamal around for the duration of his stay." Ryan gave a slow nod. "Make sure he informs you of everything Jamal does." "I will," she assured him, realizing she had not bothered to ask the driver where Jamal was lodged or anything. Ryan leaned back in his chair, satisfied. "And see how you can get him to commit to you before he leaves." She raised a brow, "Are you suggesting I have sex with him?" "It wouldn’t be your first time, would it?" He asked flatly. Genevieve stared at him for a moment and stood up. Without another word she left the study. As she walked toward her room, she hesitated outside Abigail’s bedroom door and after a moment she knocked on the door. A few seconds passed before the door opened and Genevieve watched as a flicker of surprise crossed Abigail’s eyes before she masked it. Abigail stood there, her expression unreadable as she watched Genevieve. Since when did Genevieve knock? Abigail inwardly scoffed. Never in all the years they’d lived together had Genevieve knocked. She always walked in uninvited. Finally, she was learning manners. There might be hope for her after all, Abigail thought as she stepped aside for Genevieve to walk in. Genevieve stepped inside, glancing around the room with a blank expression before turning to face Abigail. "I’m not sure whether to be happy for you that you’re back or not," she said coolly. "You had the chance to escape but chose to return to your prison." Abigail frowned, picking up her phone to type on her text to speech app. [What do you mean?] Genevieve’s eyes darkened slightly. "You should have listened to me and aborted the pregnancy five years ago. Or better still you should have run off if you were so determined to keep it." Abigail’s heart skipped a beat and she wondered why Genevieve was saying that to her. "But now," Genevieve continued, voice void of emotion, "you’ve brought an innocent child into this mess. And in doing so, you’ve trapped yourself here even more." A strange sensation twisted in Abigail’s chest. For years, she had thought Genevieve was just cruel. And that was the reason she had not paid any attention to Genevieve’s warning five years ago, but now... knowing what she knew about Ryan not being her father, she wondered— could Genevieve actually have meant well in her own twisted way? Was it perhaps Genevieve, who had been contacting her all these years? Perhaps she had changed her mind about meeting with her at the airport because their father was there? Without hesitation Abigail quickly typed on her phone. [Why are you saying all this? Is there something I need to know?] Genevieve’s expression flickered, as if something unspoken passed through her mind. She studied Abigail for a moment before saying, "Why would someone who is smarter than I am ask me such a question? You’re the genius. I’m the dunce. I’m sure if there’s something you need to know, you will figure it out without my help." What was the reason Genevieve was telling her this? Did Genevieve fall out with her father? What was going on? Abigail sighed inwardly before typing. [Why do you hate me so much? Is there something I did?] she asked, wanting to see if Genevieve would say the same thing Ryan had said five years ago about Genevieve hating her because she had caused the accident. Genevieve shook her head, "I can’t answer that. But I hope that someday, you’ll realize why on your own." Abigail’s brows furrowed. [What do you want me to do? I won’t know if you don’t tell me.] Genevieve sighed and then her demeanor shifted to indifference. "I want you to resume at the office first thing on Monday." Abigail blinked, surprised by the sudden change of subject. "You’ll be my assistant," Genevieve continued, ignoring her surprise. "So get ready to put that genius brain of yours to use since no one expects me to do anything useful with mine when you’re around." With that, she turned and walked out, leaving Abigail standing there, phone still in hand, wondering what exactly Genevieve’s issue with her was. Abigail sighed as she returned to the bed to sit down and before she could dwell much on the conversation with Genevieve, her phone buzzed and she looked down at it and scowled when she saw it was the anonymous texter again. [There are eyes everywhere, Dawn. You should be careful. I will figure out a way to meet with you soon.] Same old gist, Abigail thought with a sigh as she rolled her eyes. [Can you at least tell me who you are if you won’t tell me anything else?] Abigail texted back. [I can’t tell you anything over the phone. But we will meet soon. And when we do, I will tell you all you need to know.] Exasperated, Abigail threw her phone on the bed in frustration. She was tired of the texts. If the lady wanted to talk, then let her do so. If she didn’t want to, she should leave her alone instead of sending cryptic texts.