Chapter 53: What Guest?

Chapter 53: What Guest? As much as Abigail wanted to ignore all that Genevieve had said earlier and act like they didn’t bother her, she couldn’t. As she unpacked her bags, Genevieve’s words played over in her head as she tried to decipher what could have prompted it. Why did Genevieve say all of that? Was it just her usual indifference, or was there something more to it? Abigail had always assumed Genevieve hated her, but now she wasn’t so sure. There had been something in her tone that had not been there in the past, something almost resigned, as if she wished Abigail would know something she knew. But if that was the case, why wouldn’t she just say it? Or perhaps she said all of that because she wanted to push her out of the picture so she could keep living as Dawn? Abigail frowned. If Genevieve had been living the life meant for her, then her return would only complicate things. Was this about guilt? Or greed? It made more sense to think Genevieve was being this way because of greed than guilt. That was more like Genevieve. Since Abigail began to regain her memory and remembered that her true name was Dawn Wealth and her mother was not a maid, she had figured out that Genevieve was living the life meant for her. The fact that Ryan Harris wasn’t her biological father had told her pretty much that Genevieve was most likely his biological daughter and everything he had told her was the opposite. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She quickly shut down her laptop and closed it before going to get the door. One of the maids stepped inside, offering a polite smile. "Dinner is ready, Abi. Your father asked me to inform you that he is waiting for you." Abigail forced a small smile and nodded. The moment the maid left, she took a deep breath, schooling her expression before stepping out of her room. As she entered the dining room, she felt her lips curve into a genuine smile when she saw Josh already seated at the table and his eyes lit up he saw her. She slid into the chair beside him and signed, [Did you enjoy your lessons?] He signed back, [No.] Abigail and Ryan laughed, but before either of them could respond, Genevieve walked in. "Genny!" Josh waved happily, and to Abigail’s surprise, Genevieve returned his smile, and without a word, she pulled something from her bag and placed it in front of him— it was a pack of his favorite cookies. Josh grinned, laughing happily as he jumped from his seat to hug her. Abigail watched the exchange in silence, a strange feeling stirring inside her. Josh pulled away, beaming, and then— unexpectedly— he handed the cookies to Abigail. She raised a brow and signed, [Why?] Josh grinned and signed back, [I want to share with you.] Abigail chuckled, shaking her head before signing, [You’re the best ever.] Genevieve didn’t say anything. She simply sat down and focused on serving her meal into her dish. As they settled into dinner, Abigail fussed over Josh, feeding him and wiping his mouth whenever he made a mess. Genevieve remained quiet, watching them as she ate. Abigail noticed but didn’t comment. Josh suddenly coughed, choking on a bite of food, and before Abigail could react, Genevieve grabbed a glass of water and shoved it in front of him. "Be more careful with the size," she snapped at Abigail. "He’s just a kid." Abigail didn’t respond as she fed Josh the water. Instead of being annoyed by Genevieve’s tone, she realized felt oddly pleased. Genevieve might not care about her— but she cared about Josh. That was good enough. She was relieved to know that Genevieve had indeed been kind to Josh in her absence. Ryan, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke, breaking into Abigail’s thoughts. "I love how we’re finally eating like a real family." His voice was oddly warm. "We should do this every day." Abigail resisted the urge to scoff. Genevieve, on the other hand, didn’t even look up. "I won’t be available for the next couple of days. I have dinner plans." Ryan nodded. "That’s fine. I assume your dinner plan is with your guest?" Ryan asked, not wanting to mention Jamal’s name, lest it sparks any sort of interest in Abigail. "Yeah." Guest? What guest? Abigail frowned but said nothing as she continued to focus on Josh. "I hope I’ll be able to meet him before I leave," Ryan added. Him? Did Genevieve have a serious boyfriend now? Did she seem different now because she had someone in her life? Abigail pondered. Genevieve didn’t reply or spare her father a glance and this made Abigail wonder even more what was going on between the father and daughter, and if whatever had happened was the reason Genevieve had said all of that earlier. Halfway through her meal, Genevieve suddenly paused, her expression shifting when it suddenly occurred to her that she had forgotten to take Jamal’s number. She only had his assistant’s number. Genevieve contemplated for a moment whether she should call Stefan, Jamal’s assistant, and ask him to give her Jamal’s number, or if she should just ask her driver for it, since he had exchanged numbers with Jamal either. Abigail watched as Genevieve pulled out her phone, deep in thought, and she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with Genevieve. She seemed less focused on her. Not that she minded, but the Genevieve of the past would have had lots of things to say to her by now or found a way to order her around, yet Genevieve was barely sparing her a glance. Oblivious to both her father’s and Abigail’s curious gazes, she scrolled through her phone until she found Stefan’s line and then she texted him. [Jamal and I were so caught up in our conversation earlier and we forgot to exchange numbers. Can you text me his number or ask him to text me?] After she had sent the text, she placed her phone face-down on the table and continued eating. Abigail turned her attention back to Josh, but she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was up with Genevieve. "By the way, your new driver, he can also double as Abigail’s driver until we get her a driver, right?" Ryan asked, and Genevieve sighed heavily. "He can do that only when he is not driving me or Jamal," she said, and Abigail’s heart skipped at the mention of Jamal’s name. Ryan shot Genevieve a warning look, displeased with her for mentioning Jamal’s name in front of Abigail. "But you both can go to work together in your car since you work in the same office," Ryan said, and set down her cutlery as she pushed away from the table. "Sure. As long as she gets early on time. If you don’t mind, I had a long day I need to go to bed," she said as she rose and without another word she walked away.