Day Thirty-Two...
~~*****~~
The three men including Cherry gave Abigail a puzzled look. They couldn't comprehend why Abigail urged Nathan to invite Veronica over. Was she just kidding? Veronica was furious at Abigail on that day. If not for Nathan's interference, Veronica would have slapped Abigail too.
But since she couldn't touch Abigail, Veronica vented out all her frustrations toward Cherry. She slapped Cherry so hard in front of Abigail just to taunt and provoke her. She wanted to show Abigail that she feared no one and she was capable of hurting her and her friends.
Veronica wanted to intimidate Abigail. But little did she know, she provoked the wrong person. Abigail was not a person who would be intimidated by someone like her. She would take her as a challenge.
And since Veronica lay a hand on Cherry which was very important to Phantomflake, she was now put on Abigail's most hated list. Veronica became number one on her list and Nathan ranked down.
"Tell her to come over, Nate," Abigail repeated her words as Nathan just stared at her in puzzlement. He was still holding his phone and put it on mute so that Veronica couldn't hear their conversation.
"Are you sure about this, Abi? I don't think this is a good idea," Cherry expressed her opinion. She didn't like Veronica and she would feel uncomfortable seeing her. She didn't know why Veronica was blaming them for the death of her sister.
Cherry asked Abigail about Veronica's identity but she hid the truth from her. Monica, Veronica's sister, was Phantomflake's target. And because of that mission, Nathan and the Syphiruz Mafia eradicated the entire assassin guild.
"Don't worry, Cherry. I got your back," Abigail whispered, reassuring her. She even winked at Cherry. This gesture reminded her of Phantomflake. Whenever Phantomflake was scheming something and she wanted Black Rose to cooperate, she would give her signal by winking at her.
"Why do I feel like keeping the girls together will result in World War III," Aiden mumbled. Stephen was the only person who heard Aiden's remarks.
"Why do you think so?" Stephen asked his best friend.
Aiden just shrugged his shoulders and nonchalantly said, "Just my hunch!"
Meanwhile, Nathan finally glanced at Stephen, asking his opinion about this. Stephen just smiled at him and nodded his head. Stephen just gave Nathan a go signal to invite Veronica. Besides, he wanted to ask Veronica to bring Phantomflake's charts as her patient records.
Veronica had been treating Phantomflake for the past two years. She was quite familiar with Phantomflake's medication. Stephen needed Veronica for the turnover. From now on, he would be the one to monitor Phantomflake's condition, together with his father and other doctors he trusted. Stephen used his connections to gain resources and information about Phantomflake's current condition.
"Nate, go ahead. Just invite Veronica over. Tell her to bring the patient's files for my reference."
Since Stephen had already spoken, Nathan decided to invite Veronica. Stephen and Veronica would have to talk about Phantomflake so he understood why Stephen wanted her to come.
"Okay. Leave it to me. I will talk to her." Nathan raised the phone in his hand, showing it to them. After that, he excused himself to talk to Veronica.
Nathan proceeded to the balcony outside. He could sense that Veronica called him because of Black Rose. She might have learned already that Cherry was released from detention.
"Nathan, are you there? I'm talking to you. Are you ignoring me? Have you spoken? But I can't hear you!" Veronica's voice reverberated from the other line.
She sounded pissed off. There were times Veronica was forgetting her place. Nathan was the one she was talking to right now. But she dared raise her voice at him, questioning his action.
With the way she spoke, Nathan's expression turned grim. "What do you want?" Nathan asked her coldly.
Sensing that Nathan was not in a good mood, Veronica toned down a little. She cleared her throat and began talking in a calm manner. "I've heard that Black Rose was released today. Why is that so? I thought you wouldn't let her escape from you again?"
"This is part of my plan. Don't question me anymore." Nathan sighed. He sounded like he didn't want to prolong this conversation.
"I'm just checking on you. I thought something happened that made you do this. Is everything alright?" Veronica was wondering about Nathan's actions. She felt like Nathan was changing gradually ever since Abigail had arrived. He made decisions he didn't usually do.
Deep inside, she wanted to lash out and scold Nathan for letting Abigail stay in the mansion despite the fact she was connected to Black Rose. 'I thought Nathan hated Phantomflake to the core... that even her comrades would experience his wrath. But Nathan now is acting the quite opposite of the Nathan I knew before.'
'This might be the influence of Abigail. She might be poisoning Nathan's mind. She is manipulating him! I won't allow this to continue!'
"Everything is fine," Nathan replied flatly. "Is there anything more you want to say?" He didn't bother to hide his intention of dismissing her instantly. Nathan was too lazy to talk to her right now.
He didn't know why Veronica was becoming nosy and annoying. She wasn't like this before. She started to act up when Abigail showed up. Veronica felt a sense of competition and she was threatened by Abigail's presence. She was insecure because, for the past two years, Nathan didn't open up with her. He always maintained a distance from her as if he built an invisible wall between them.
But when Abigail appeared, she felt like Nathan began to change. He often interacts with Abigail as compared to the other women who tried to approach him before. Veronica was now losing her confidence with the way Nathan treated Abigail generously. What was so special about her? She was just a mere actress but why Nathan was paying close attention to her?
"I have nothing more to say..." Veronica uttered in her dejected voice.
"Alright. By the way, if you are free tonight, come here... at Stephen's place. Bring Phantomflake's file and hand them over to Steph. You can also spend the night here... with us."
Veronica's mood changed as soon as she heard Nathan's invitation. The gloomy atmosphere surrounding her disappeared. Her face brightened up once again.
'I will grab this opportunity! I'm so happy that Nathan invited me to come over tonight. Perhaps, he wants my company...' Veronica touched her blushing face as she imagined herself spending the night with Nathan. Many intimate thoughts popped up in her mind. It was her desire... her inner fantasy about Nathan.
"Okay. I'm going there. I will prepare all the documents. See you later, Nate." Veronica tried her best to conceal her excitement. But deep inside, her heart was already jumping with joy and anticipation.
Nathan just answered her with a simple "Hmm" before he hang up the phone. Veronica was still smiling dreamily while holding her phone. She placed it closer to her heart as she continued her imagination.
She thought only Nathan was there. Unknown to her, Black Rose and Abigail were also there... in Stephen's place. Nathan didn't even warn Veronica that she might see Black Rose there. It slipped Nathan's mind. How much disappointment she would feel once she found out her rival was there, along with Black Rose.
*****
[ At 5:00 pm... ]
Abigail was resting in one of the guest rooms at Stephen's place when Bam-Bam showed up. It was great timing to have a small talk with Abigail. The three men went out to buy ingredients and food for tonight's dinner while Cherry stayed in Phantomflake's room.
"Master! Master! I have good news!" Bam-Bam flew around Abigail, flipping his wings in a triumphant manner.
Abigail was in the middle of her nap when Bam-Bam's loud voice interrupted her. She opened her eyes and shot Bam-Bam a cold sharp glare. "You don't have to shout. I can hear you clearly."
"Oops!" Bam-Bam covered his mouth using his paws and then apologized to Abigail. "I'm sorry, Master. I just got excited."
Abigail sat up and rested her back on the headboard of the bed. "What piece of good news did you bring this time?" Abigail lifted her eyebrow as she questioned Bam-Bam.
"I already got a clue as to where I could find Abigail's soul. I will be gone for a while but once I come back, I assure you that Abigail's soul will be with me." Bam-Bam informed her.
Abigail just looked at him confusedly. "Is there a benefit I can have once you find her soul?"
Bam-Bam bobbed his head frantically. "Of course, yes! You will not worry about your borrowed body dying if you return to your original body. I can feel that you are about to wake up soon!"
"Sigh. How I wish you were right. I am dying to return to my body and beat someone." Abigail was referring to Nathan. Until now, Nathan was not yet suspicious of Monica. She marveled to herself how long Nathan would believe this lie.
"Oh... are you talking about Veronica?" Bam-Bam asked her.
"Yes. I am also dying to beat that woman. She is a hypocrite. If she truly hated the people involved in her sister's death then she should have killed me already. Why was she trying to save me and cure me? Why target my poor innocent Black Shadow?" Abigail lamented, clenching her fist.
"I think helping Nathan is more important to her than getting revenge for her sister's death. Why do I feel like I did her a favor by killing her sister? Veronica wants Nathan for herself. She planned to covet her sister's man."
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