Day Forty-Five...
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Old Master Yan fell silent for a moment. A cold glint flashed through his eyes at the mention of Abigail's father. He still had strong resentment toward that man.
He always thought that his daughter Alyssa was taken away from him by that guy. He would never forgive that man. As much as possible, he didn't want his granddaughter to know about her father.
He thought of him as a bad guy... a bad influence on her.
"He is dead," Old Master Yan responded coldly. Abigail could see on his face that the old man was uncomfortable talking about the real Abigail's father.
Part of her didn't want to believe that Abigail's father was dead. The old man couldn't look her in the eyes. He was hiding something from her. She decided not to pursue this matter. She didn't want Old Master Yan to get upset because of the old memories in the past.
'Why do I feel like the relationship between Abigail's father and her grandfather is very complicated?' Abigail shrugged her shoulders just thinking about it.
"Don't worry, Abi. We are still here. I'm your grandfather. Your family. Your Aunt Priya and cousin Nadia." The old man gave her comforting words. This was his way of telling her indirectly that she didn't have to meet or know her father. The Yan Family was already enough to fill the gap in her life.
Abigail nodded her head and smiled at him faintly. "That's why you have to recover and regain your health, grandpa. You have to live long and be with me. I can't bear to lose another family member. Stay strong and healthy for me, grandpa."
Old Master Yan's expression softened. He was touched by her words. His eyes became teary again. 'I can't promise. I feel so weak... every day. I feel like I'm going to die soon. But... I want to live longer... to spend more time with my granddaughter. We've wasted so many years... She was not with us for a long time...'
"Abi... my granddaughter... I will do my best to stay healthy and live longer..." Old Master Yan said to reassure his granddaughter.
"Can you stay here? Live with me... I want you to stay here in the mansion. Can you do that for me?" The old man asked her in his pleading tone.
"Okay, grandpa. I'll stay here. But I have to go back to Sparks Mansion today. I have to say goodbye to Ethan and his father properly. I'll return tomorrow."
The old man pouted at the mention of Nathan Sparks.
"Are you planning to marry Nathan Sparks? I heard that he is a picky one. He is cold, rude, and indifferent toward women. Is he treating you well?" Old Master Yan wanted to make sure that Nathan was treating her well.
Abigail was reluctant to answer his first question. She smiled sheepishly while scratching her face. "Grandpa, I'm not in a hurry to marry someone. I'm just Twenty-one years old. But don't worry. Nathan is treating me well. He has been helping me for the past month."
Old Master Yan's expression darkened as he recalled something. "Have you found any clue about the person who pushed you? I will ask my men to investigate this. I will also ask the help of my friend who is a high-ranking official in the police force."
Abigail sighed and shook her head. "I've offended so many people. They are people who are jealous of me. I can be the target of people's hate. Even the members of the Yan Family didn't like me. I can feel it, grandpa."
Abigail gave emphasis on her last statement because she was giving the old man an idea that the culprit might also be a member of the Yan Family.
Old Master Yan fell silent once more. His eyebrows were drawn together as he analyzed the situation.
"Don't mind them. They can't influence my decision. I'm still the patriarch. They have to obey my words. No one in the Yan Family can touch or hurt you. I will make sure to protect you this time... my granddaughter." Old Master Yan sounded serious, his words filled with conviction.
"Thanks, Grandpa..."
The two were still talking when Little Ethan approached them. He was holding flowers. Surprisingly, he gave all the flowers to Old Master Yan so Abigail reacted.
"Where's mine? I'm getting jealous now. My angel found a new favorite person." Abigail pretended to be sad.ραпdα `n?ν?| сom
Little Ethan and Old Master Yan giggled because of her remarks.
"Don't be jealous, Mom. Your flowers are on the way." After saying that, Ethan pointed his finger in a certain direction. Old Master Yan and Abigail followed his line of sight only to see Nathan walking toward them while holding the freshly picked red roses.
Abigail just stared at him with amusement while her heart began to pound hardly inside her chest. Nathan looked so cool and handsome today. His sweet gesture of giving her red roses as a sign of his affection made her stomach flutter.
"Apology to interrupt your conversation, Mr. Yan... but Abigail and I have to go now together with Ethan. I will just send her back tomorrow." Nathan already agreed to let Abigail stay with the Yan Family. Madam Priyanshi convinced him and asked him for a favor a while ago. Nathan also knew that Abigail must stay with her grandpa because the old man was so sick.
Old Master Yan was reluctant to bid goodbye to them but he had no choice. On a positive note, Abigail would be back tomorrow. And she would stay at the Yan Family mansion in the meantime.
When Abigail, Ethan, and Nathan left the garden, Madam Priyanshi sent Old Master Yan back to his room.
"How's your bonding with Abigail? Did she ask you anything about Alyssa?" Madam Priyanshi asked the old man.
"Yes, we talked about Alyssa and her deceased sister. But she didn't ask me more. I think she was holding herself from asking me too much because she was being considerate of my feelings. She is an intelligent girl. I could sense that she could figure out my mood." There was a gentle look in Old Master Yan's eyes.
Madam Priyanshi could only smile at his father. "She is like Alyssa..."
"But she asked me about her father. I told her he was dead. Priyanshi... Forbid everyone from the family to talk about Abigail's father. Just tell them to consider him dead." Old Master Yan was very serious when he gave his command.
"Are you sure about this, Dad? Her father is still alive. She has the right to know who her father is."
Old Master Yan shot Madam Priyanshi a cold sharp glare. "No! She can't! Where was he when Alyssa and my granddaughters were put in danger? He did nothing! He never showed up!"
Madam Priyanshi sighed deeply. "Dad... have you forgotten? You mobilized our men and used all means to stop that guy from entering our country. You even blocked the news about Alyssa's death so that that guy wouldn't hear about it."
Old Master Yan narrowed his eyes on her. "Are you siding with that guy?! I can't let him take my granddaughter away from me!"
"He.Is.Dead. Don't ever mention him again!"
Madam Lu was eavesdropping on their conversation. Her eyes sparkled in delight when an idea popped up in her mind.
"I have to know who Alyssa's man is. If my Plan A fails, I will resort to Plan B. Abigail should not stay in the Yan Family. She can go with her father!" She murmured to herself.
It did not take long before Madam Lu went to see Old Master Yan's private nurse. She headed out of the mansion and met the nurse in the nearby park.
"Madam Lu, why did you summon me here?" the nurse asked her in puzzlement.
"We have a change of plan. That woman will be staying in the mansion starting tomorrow. Be careful around her. She might notice something. Furthermore, monitor her every move and report it to me." Madam Lu sounded very anxious.
"Don't worry, Madam Lu. She is just an actress, right? She has no background in medicine. She won't notice anything. I'm careful when administering Chairman Yan's medicine." The private nurse reassured her. "I'll keep an eye on her," she added.
"Good!" Madam Lu's lips curled up into a satisfied grin.
But unknown to her, someone was also listening to their conversation. Abigail secretly put a bugging device inside Madam Lu's coat pocket when she bumped into her.
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