Day Thirty-Nine...
~~*****~~
After waiting for twenty minutes, Abigail and Ethan finally came out of her room. Nathan and Dave were awkwardly sitting on the couch in the living room. The two men turned in their direction, giving them a questioning gaze.
Abigail was holding Ethan's hand. They were walking side by side, the young boy grinning from ear to ear. Ethan was now in a cheerful mood. Abigail managed to coax the young master. On the other hand, Nathan couldn't stop himself from staring at her sharply.
Abigail just ignored his sharp gaze as she shifted her eyes to Dave.
"Dave, I want you to meet Ethan Sparks, he is the loyal fan I mentioned to you this morning," Abigail introduced Ethan to Dave. "The man sitting beside you is his father, Nathan Sparks."
Nathan narrowed his eyes at her. The way she introduced him to Dave was so bland as if they were not related at all aside from being the father of her loyal fan, Ethan.
"Dave is my childhood friend. I'll be staying here for a moment for my safety. He is a policeman who will help me solve my case." Abigail glanced at Nathan meaningfully. In fact, she was assessing his facial expression. She found out that Ethan was right. Nathan was not happy to hear that she would be staying in this house with Dave.
'Hmm. Now you got the taste of your own medicine.' Abigail smiled inwardly, rejoicing. She wanted to get even with Nathan for making her jealous. This was her turn to test him. Though she felt so bad for using Dave in this scheme, she had no choice but to do this.
"I can help you with that. My men are already on the move, searching for the real culprit," Nathan spoke up. This was his way of telling her: 'You don't have to stay here because of that.'
"I also assigned a top-notch bodyguard who would keep you safe at all times. He is a policeman so I know he has a lot of things to do," Nathan added.
"I'm currently on leave. I can serve as her bodyguard while I'm solving her case. I will conduct an independent investigation regarding her case." Dave looked straight into Nathan's eyes, challenging him. They were having a cold war at this moment. The tension grew further as the two exchanged gazes at each other.
Abigail just rolled her eyes skyward. 'I can protect myself. I don't need anyone's protection. I'm not a damsel in distress. I am a warrior princess or shall I say... a villainess!'
"Dad, Uncle Dave, stop arguing. Miss Abi is mine to protect, not yours," the charming boy butted in, expressing his possessiveness.
Abigail giggled and said, "That's right. Little Ethan is all I need."
"Come, Baby, let's eat." Abigail guided Ethan to the dining area. She didn't want to take sides and choose between Nathan and Dave. She had to remain neutral in front of the two. Fortunately, Little Ethan was there to save her in this difficult situation.
Little Ethan bobbed his head cheerfully and followed Abigail obediently. Leaving the two men, they headed to the dining area. Nathan and Dave could only watch their backs.
The two men felt like abandoned puppies once more. Abigail's attention was focused on Ethan only. Both Nathan and Dave had been neglected by Abigail.
"I guess we are no match against your adorable son," Dave blurted out of the blue.
Nathan absentmindedly nodded his head in agreement. Both men exhaled deeply in unison before they stood up to follow Abigail and Ethan to the dining area. The four of them decided to enjoy the meal together.
Abigail was very attentive to Ethan. She was only engaging in a conversation with him, completely ignoring the presence of the two adult men. She had no energy to deal with and entertain them. Besides, she was just being cautious about how she would act in front of the two men.
Dave realized how fond Abigail was toward Ethan. He felt relieved since Abigail didn't even show interest in Nathan Sparks.
'I'm glad that she only cares about the young boy. I don't have to feel threatened by Nathan's presence.' Dave thought to himself. He was trying his best to get close to Ethan. He exchanged a few conversations with the little kid. Ethan was such a polite and sweet child, contrary to his father's very intimidating behavior and aura. Dave started to like Ethan.
Among the four of them, only Nathan didn't enjoy the dinner. He felt like he was out of place there. He felt betrayed because his son was cheerfully talking to Dave and Abigail. He even lost his appetite listening to the three of them.
Slam!
Nathan suddenly slammed the table and stood up, walking out. He could no longer stay there. He was so annoyed and mad.
"Uncle Dave, I apologize for my Dad's rude behavior. Don't take it to the heart," Ethan softly said.
Dave could only smile and nodded at him. He wondered if Nathan had anger issues.
"Dave, can you look after Ethan? I will just talk to his father briefly." Abigail requested Dave. Then she stood up to follow Nathan. Nathan already went out of Dave's condo unit. He was now walking in the hallway, approaching the elevator.
Nathan quickly took the lift. But before the elevator closed, Abigail was able to catch up, joining him inside.
"What are you doing here? Go back to your boyfriend," Nathan coldly said, cocking his eyebrow at Abigail.
"Are you leaving? Ethan is still here. Perhaps, you are going to see your fianc??. Well, enjoy." Abigail flashed her fake smile.
"Yes. Ethan will stay here for a sleepover. I will just fetch him tomorrow." Nathan couldn't imagine leaving Abigail and Dave alone in that small unit. It was best to leave Ethan behind to stay with the two.
Abigail crumpled her face. Nathan didn't even try denying her accusation of him seeing Helena tonight. She said those words only to mock him. She just turned around, her back facing Nathan. She regretted admitting to him that she was jealous of Helena.
The entire elevator ride was very silent. No one spoke between them until they reached the lobby floor.
Ding!
The door of the elevator slid open. Abigail stepped to the side, without looking at Nathan. She was giving him the way to step out of the elevator. But Nathan didn't move nor take a step. He stayed rooted in his spot, standing behind her.
Abigail turned her head to look at him. "Are you not stepping out? I thought you were leaving."
"I'm not the one who spread the articles of my engagement online. I took them down. You won't see any news articles about my engagement." Nathan heeded his son's advice.
Abigail blinked several times, surprised. She didn't expect that Nathan would explain to her this matter.
"Are you not going back to the mansion?" Nathan asked her with a serious expression on his face. He was staring at her intently.
Abigail lost her ability to speak for a moment. She was just gazing at him with amusement and disbelief. There was a moment of silence between them. All they could hear was the closing sound of the elevator door. The two of them got stuck inside the unmoving elevator. Nathan was waiting for her response.
"I'll come back if you say... you miss me..."
The two just looked into each other's eyes for a long moment, not breaking their eye contact.
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