Chapter 65: Lucy?

Chapter 65: Lucy? Genevieve flashed Stefan a smile as she figured out the best way to answer the question. "Abigail is a poor mute girl who very dear to my father. Some times I think he loves her more than he loves me," she said, since that was the truth. Stefan’s heart skipped a beat at that. Abigail? Mute? How was it possible that Jamal had found her again and she was so closely connected to Genevieve? The last time he had traveled to Blue York to see Genevieve and he had ended up seeing Abigail, and once again he had come down here to see Genevieve and he was crossing paths with Abigail again. What was going on? Stefan pondered but he tried to school his expression so he wouldn’t give anything away. Looking at Genevieve, he nodded. Although he had more questions regarding who Abigail was, he did not want to dig too deep and come off as suspicious. "I guess Pete can’t leave her side even for a brief moment then," he said, and Genevieve paused for a moment as she reconsidered it. Pete was her personal driver and there was no reason why he shouldn’t do her bidding because he was driving Abigail around. Impressing Jamal was more important to her right now than Abigail. "He will do it. I’ll give him a call..." "I’ll call him instead so I can instruct him on what to do. I’ll let him know that he has your permission," Stefan said, and Genevieve smiled and nodded. Immediately, Stefan dialed Jamal’s line. Jamal, who was watching Abigail as she picked up a dress, examined it, and then placed it back, received Stefan’s call the moment it came in. "Pete, I’m sorry to bother you when you’re busy with Abigail," he said in a tone that made Jamal know he would demand an explanation later. "I need you to stop by the hotel and speak with the management on my behalf. You can do that, can’t you?" A slow smile spread across Jamal’s lips. "The best personal assistant in the world! The Harry to my Tom," Jamal teased. Stefan resisted the urge to laugh at that. "Yes, you don’t have to worry. I’ve spoken with her and you have her permission," he said for Genevieve’s benefit. "When this is over I’m going to get you that latest model of SUV you’ve had your eyes on for a while," Jamal promised. Stefan’s ears perked up at that, "You better not disappoint me, Pete," he warned, and Jamal chuckled as he ended the call. Jamal immediately dialed Ryan’s line. "Sir," he greeted. "I just received an instruction from Mr Jamal. He wants me to head back to his hotel to take care of something for him." He glanced at Abigail again before adding, "I might have to drive there with Abigail since it’s urgent, but if you’d prefer, I can leave her to shop alone and pick her up when she’s done," he added, since he knew that Ryan wouldn’t want the second option. Ryan’s response was instant. "Take her with you. Don’t let her out of your sight." Jamal smirked. "Understood, sir." After hanging up, he made his way to Abigail, who was still going through the racks. "Let’s go," he said. She looked up, confused as she signed. [Where?] "We have an errand to run. Don’t worry, your dad and Genevieve are aware," he assured her, and she raised a brow. "I’ll tell you about it later. Let’s go," he said, and though she hesitated, she didn’t argue. Instead, she followed him out of the store and back to the car, riding in front with him again. The ride back to the hotel was quiet once again, but this time, Abigail didn’t hide her curiosity as she kept glancing at him, as if trying to figure out what he was up to. When they finally pulled into the hotel, she turned to him, exasperated. [What are we doing here? Are you out of your mind?] Jamal parked and leaned back against his seat, his gaze steady on her as he signed back. [Relax. Your father knows. I got permission.] Her brows furrowed. [How?] [I’ll tell you inside. Let’s go in.] with that he got out of the car, and Abigail huffed, but followed him inside. She felt a little self conscious as she walked in behind him, wondering what anyone would think if they saw her going into a hotel with a guy. She paused for a moment when she remembered that she had done this once with him in the past and had been excited back then. Thinking about it again now, her heart skipped a beat. What really were the odds that she was meeting him again this way? If none of this was planned by Jamal, then there was only one explanation for it. Fate. She watched him as he walked to the reception desk, picked up a key card, and led her to the elevator. As they walked into the elevator she gazed at him, thinking about all the questions she had for him. Most especially why had he left the way he did five years ago without waking her? And why had he left her that Panda? The moment they stepped into his suite and the door clicked shut behind them, Jamal turned to face her. His expression was unreadable, but there was something intense in his gaze. "Can you talk comfortably in here?" Abigail nodded, impressed that he had gone this far to make her talk. "Talk to me, Abigail," he said, holding her gaze. "Who are you, Jamal? How did you get Ryan and Genevieve to agree to this?" She asked, gesturing around the room. Jamal hesitated, not sure how much to tell her yet. Seeing his hesitation she shook her head, "I can’t trust you if you can’t trust me either. And if you think about it, I have more reasons to not trust you," she said, and he raised a brow. "What reasons do you have?" He asked with a confused frown. "First of all, you showed up five years ago and disappeared..." "I didn’t disappear. You did. I stepped out to get you flowers and clothes. I left a note," Jamal corrected, and Abigail frowned. "There was no note when I woke up. Even your backpack was gone. You only left Lucy... I mean the stuffed panda." Jamal froze. "Lucy?"