“If you are not taking me, then I am going to go by myself!” Mrs. Caunter seemed to have set her mind, and was pulling Abigail with her, “I am going to tell them all, that there is only one person to be my future granddaughter in saw, and it’s Abigail. None of you even try to stop me, if you do, I will fight you!”
“Rowena…” Abigail still looked at her, hoping she might be able to help.
“When Mrs. Caunter is angry, none of us dare to stop her.” Rowena said as if nothing was off, “Why don’t we do this, ask Lambert to take her out for a while, we don’t even know where Mister Caunter is right now, so just go and search for him, then come back.”
“Alright…” Abigail didn’t even have time to prepare herself, when Mrs. Caunter has already pulled her out of the house, and into the car. Lambert came as if from nowhere, and was already waiting for them, opening the door for both of them.
“We are going to Kyoto World Trade!” Mrs. Caunter said, and Lambert was stunned, but he still started the engine.
Abigail didn’t know where that was, and didn’t understand why Mrs. Caunter would want to go there, or, was maybe Joshua there?
The car stopped, and Mrs. Caunter went to the second floor, as if she knew this place well.
“Granny, what are we doing there…”
At the end of the escalator where shadows of people, and Abigail swallowed the rest of her sentence back into her stomach. In the middle of the crowd was Joshua standing with Harry, and both of them were looking handsome and elegant, as if they were trying to compete with the other people in the mall.
How did Granny know he was here? The lights in the mall were bright, and Abigail had to raise her head more, to see the letters on top of Joshua, that said, Kyoto World Trade welcomes you!
Oh, alright.
Joshua’s eyes went through the crowd, and he saw Mrs. Caunter and Abigail.
His eyebrows knitted, but he immediately looked happy again, with a big smile on his face.
What was he smiling about? Abigail definitely saw that that smile was for her, and it was a mockingly smile.
Mrs. Caunter has not seen their exchange of looks, and she pulled Abigail through the crowd.
“What girlfriend, boyfriend, this is my granddaughter in law!”
As if the sea parted for them, all cameras were now on her and Mrs. Caunter.
“I… Granny, you are mistaken.” Abigail hated to be in the middle of all attention, she wished that there was a hole in the ground in which she could just vanish.
“When I say you are, then you are!” Mrs. Caunter dominantly pulled Harry and Joshua apart, and then Abigail next to Joshua.
Abigail tried to take a step back, and shook her head, “She’s mistaken, it’s not true.” She pointed at Mrs. Caunter, but she pretended as if she didn’t hear anything. Joshua on the other side, took his grandmother into a hug.
“What are you doing here?” His sharp eyes were resting on her, blaming her silently, he clearly thought is was her idea.
“I…” Abigail kept shaking her head, trying to show she was innocent.
“Mister Caunter, is this your grandmother? Is what she said true?” The journalists all came to surround them, and now there were even more cameras on both Mrs. Caunter and Abigail.
“Yes.” Joshua said unexpected, and took his grandmother in a even tighter hug.
“Is this Miss Abigail the person you have been seen with several times in public? Is she the one you are planning to marry? What about Miss Annie? What was that with your engagement? Could you please explain to us?”
“No, her name is not Miss Abigail.” Joshua’s eyes was resting on her, watching her with his mocking eyes, “Her name is Michelle.”
Whoop.
All of the journalists were not mingled, all of their eyes on Abigail, and even more cameras and flashes going off, making her dizzy.
What did Joshua just say? She looked at him, hoping he would help her out, but all she got from him was a warning look.
Was he trying to get back at her?
Joshua didn’t look like he was going to help her, while all the journalists were reaching their microphones in her face.
“Miss Michelle, are you the girl that Mister Joshua has loved all this time?”
“What is your relationship? Is it really like in the rumors, what you have already gotten married?”
“How long have you been together? How long have you known each other?”
“Miss Annie and Mister Joshua have already announced their engagement, what do you think of that?”
Everything was messed up now! Abigail was being bombed by the journalist’s questions, and she had no energy to even protect herself. Her lips were pressed tight, and she was looking at the crowd with her big eyes, not saying a single word to them.
“You have been with Mister Bill before, and he said he wanted to marry you, what is your relationship with him?”
“Is it because of the affair you had with Bill, so that Joshua announced this engagement?”
“As far as we know, Miss Annie has been engaged to him since childhood, so are you the third wheel?”
“Miss Michelle, could you please answer our questions?”
“Miss Michelle, answer the questions.”
“…”
“Abigail, tell them, you are my granddaughter in law, tell them now!” Mrs. Caunter was getting inpatient, and said to Abigail through the noises.
“I… am not… no!” Abigail was still shaking her head towards Mrs. Caunter, and hoping they would all leave her alone.
“Okay, then I will tell you.” Joshua’s voice was heard, Abigail looked at him thankfully, but all she got from him was a cold look.
Joshua was holding Mrs. Caunter, and he put on his usual cold smile, that was still handsome on him, “She is my girlfriend, and she, Miss Michelle, is just a maid in our house.”
With his other hand, he was holding Harry, announcing their relationship, and stepping Abigail under his feet at the same time.
“Oh, so that’s what it is.”
“She’s a powerful maid, she probably wants to be his wife though, and even uses a old woman for her needs.”
“I heard the grandma is not quite clear in her head anymore, no wonder she was so confused.”
“Not only that, even Bill Clinton was played by her.”
Abigail heard all of those evil words that were spoken about her, she saw Harry’s evil laugh, her skinny small waist was moving under Joshua’s hand, her laugh was as big as the one of a sunflower.
Joshua was also smiling, he was standing there as if he just won a battle, showing her that he could do anything he wanted.
Abigail blinked her eyes, for the first time, she was judged in public, and she couldn’t do anything.
“Granny, let’s go home.” She took Mrs. Caunter, and pulled her away from Joshua, who passed them, not leaving without bumping into her on purpose, showing her how helpless she is. Harry was following him, and looked at her for a long time, then left.
The journalists have lost their interest, and went with Joshua, and quickly, they were stopped by employees.
Abigail felt as if she was lost in the world, and stood there, still not recovered from what just happened.
…
Bill, who was sitting in his car, just watched it all on the screen outside of the building, his fists were clenched on the steering wheel, his usually happy face was stiffened, and serious.
Then he saw Abigail, who was hugging herself tight while leaving the building, she looked so sad and lost, like a dog that was abandoned by its owner. She looked around herself, and then just stood there, not knowing where to go.
She was standing there, where people were watching her, and pointing at her, gossiping. Abigail didn’t hear any of it though, all she did was to hug herself, and be in her own thoughts.
It started to drizzle, and Abigail was still there, as if she didn’t feel it, the rain was falling on her small body, she looked so sad that anyone would have felt for her.
Bill started the engine, and stopped in front of her.
“Come, let’s go home.” He smiled to her, and took his jacket off to put on her.
The two of them were so close to each other, that the journalists who have lost interest in her, started taking pictures again.
“Thank you.” She never thought that the person to help her would be Bill.
She was so helpless, the whole world was blaming her, and she was just this tiny little person that was lost and all alone, not knowing where to go, not knowing where home was.
The whole world has left her, until Bill came.
She really thanked him for saving her, she even felt something for him, everytime when she was in trouble, he was there for her.
Bill nodded his head, his eyes never left her.
“Are you alright? Just now… I saw it all.”
He didn’t keep it from her, his voice was caring.
Abigail’s throat felt as if she had a frog, she felt anxious, but didn’t speak. She only nodded slightly to answer him, but her expression said clearly that she was not alright, in fact, she felt horrible.
“Let’s find a place to have some tea.” Bill turned the car, he wanted to take her out to calm her down, but she said, “No, I want to go home.”
Bill looked at her not understanding her at all. His eyes flashed, and then, he couldn’t hide his anger anymore, but his voice was still soft.
“Abigail, don’t go back there, come with me. Whatever happened, I will talk to Joshua, he won’t trouble you again.”
She raised her head and looked at him, she saw that he was genuinely caring for her. The playboy that he usually showed was gone, and now he was all serious, not joking at all.
She has never thought about leaving with Bill, and she will never think about it.
There has been too many things that happened between her and Joshua, and even if he was really serious, she just couldn’t.
“Abigail, truest me, I really like you, so whatever happened between you and Joshua, I wouldn’t mind.” Bill said, as if he could read her mind.
Abigail was a little confused, she looked at Bill, he was a handsome man, and, he was dressed elegantly too, like an excellency, why would he like her?
Or, was he just feeling sorry for her? He was like a prince, a playboy, who liked to play around with women, and now he wanted to find a unknown little girl, to satisfy himself?
Actually, she would rather believe last then thinking he really liked her.
She didn’t have the confidence.
“No.” She shook her head. It was straight forward, and she felt her baby kick her, as if it was agreeing with her decision. And also reminding her that the truth always hurt.
“You still don’t believe me!” Bill said, his eyes showed sadness and hurt, because he couldn’t gain Abigail’s trust.
“You haven’t noticed, that I haven’t been on the news and there was no gossip about me and other women anymore?”
Abigail knew, truly, even when Stacy was searching for his news, there was nothing about him. That’s how Stacy would usually get the news about Bill, from magazines.
But, was it because of her?