Day Forty-Nine…
~~*****~~
"Chairman Xu, can I leave Ethan here?" Abigail politely asked Old Man Xu.
Old Man Xu let out a soft chuckle. "Of course. I would love that. Since it's the weekend, Ethan can stay here until tomorrow. I can send him to the Sparks Mansion."
Abigail held Ethan's shoulders as she bent over to look at Ethan. "Is it okay for you, Ethan? Can you stay here for a day?"
Ethan contemplated for a moment. He didn't want to get separated from Abigail because he became so attached to her. But looking into his grandfather's hopeful eyes, Ethan couldn't possibly disappoint his grandpa and make him sad.
"Okay. Miss Abi. Will I see you tomorrow?" Ethan put on a pitiful face.
Abigail bobbed her head, giving him a reassuring smile. "Yes. I'll see you tomorrow. For now, you can hug my teddy bear and put it beside you. She will be watching you."
Ethan hugged the white teddy bear. "Okay, Mom." Then the young boy turned to Old Man Xu. "Grandpa, don't send me to Sparks Mansion. Currently, I'm staying at Yan Residence."
"Yan Residence?" Old Man Xu asked in confusion.
Ethan bobbed his head frantically. "Yes, Grandpa. Mom, Dad, and I are all staying there."
Old Man Xu: "..."
No wonder he couldn't find them. It turned out they were staying with the Yan Family. But what were they doing there? Did Nathan ask favor from Madam Priyanshi Patel?
Abigail could only smile awkwardly. She forgot to tell Ethan that his father was hiding from his grandfather.
"W-Why Yan Residence?" Old Man Xu shifted his gaze back and forth between Ethan and Abigail.
"Because it's Mom's house. She is part of the Yan Family. The missing granddaughter of Gramps!" Ethan was referring to Old Master Yan.
Old Man Xu: "..."
His eyes widened in surprise and his mouth gaped. He didn't expect this. 'Abigail is the missing heiress of the Yan Group?'
"Chairman Xu… I'm sorry. I haven't told you this before… but it's true. We just found out a few days ago. My grandfather is gravely ill so he requested me to stay in the Yan Mansion to take care of him." Abigail explained to Old Man Xu.
"Okay…" This was the only word he could utter. He was still shocked by this discovery.
"Chairman Xu, I have to leave now. Please take care of Ethan." Abigail faced Ethan one last time, cupping his face. She caressed his cheeks and gave him a peck on his forehead before leaving.
"See you tomorrow, Mom!" Ethan followed her, sending her off. The Little boy smiled at her while waving his right hand. His left hand was carrying the teddy bear.
Abigail couldn't wait to see him tomorrow. But she was also looking forward to her date with Nathan. She smiled inwardly just thinking about Nathan. She wondered what surprise Nathan prepared for her. She didn't want to expect but her heart was fluttering when she thought of it. She wanted to see more of Nathan's romantic side.
Abigail started her car and left the Xu Mansion. But before going to Dave's place, Abigail headed straight to her secret hideout. She brought her precious teddy bear with her. It was a gift from Ethan so she wanted to keep it as Phantomflake, not as Abigail.
She would leave the teddy bear in her hideout so that once she returned to her original body, she could still own it. Besides, Abigail would never remember this memory so she wouldn't know the importance of the teddy bear. She promised Ethan that she would take care of the teddy bear. She made that promise as Phantomflake.
Abigail looked around her room, searching for a proper spot where she could leave the teddy bear. Then she saw her vault. A smile flashed on her lovely face as she traced her steps toward her vault.
"Just stay here for a while, my Baby E," Abigail softly mumbled, placing the teddy bear inside her vault. When she was satisfied, Abigail decided to leave. She glanced at her wristwatch, checking the time. It was already 6:00 pm. They agreed to meet at 6:30 pm.
She took her handkerchief. She hid Ethan's hair in that handkerchief. She wanted to check Ethan's DNA if it would match Vincent's DNA. She exhaled sharply. She didn't know if she was doing the right thing. She didn't ask for Ethan's consent… or even Nathan's consent for this.
"What if… Ethan's DNA will match Vincent's? What will I do?" Abigail felt conflicted about it. She wanted to unfold the truth about Monica's betrayal but she didn't want Ethan to get hurt by the truth.
Abigail was lost in her thought when her phone beeped. Dave messaged her once more.
[ Abi, Are you on the way now? Vincent has arrived at my place. ]
Abigail typed her response promptly. [ Yes, I'm on my way now. ]
Without further ado, Abigail left her hideout. She drove to Dave's place. It was good that Dave chose to have dinner at his place, instead of a restaurant. She could easily get Vincent's DNA sample without being noticed by both of them.
*****
Twenty minutes later…
Abigail reached Dave's place. She alighted from her car with one goal in mind: to get as much as information she can. She took another deep breath before ringing the doorbell of Dave's condo unit.
When the door slid open, Dave was not the first person who greeted her view. It was Vincent!
'Damn!' Abigail cursed inwardly when she saw Vincent up close. His gray eyes were looking at her intently. His lips curled up into a friendly smile.
'Argh!' Abigail held her temples and stepped back. His closeness made her uncomfortable.
"Hi, Abi…" Vincent softly called her name.
"H-Hello…" Abigail responded awkwardly. She didn't know why but she could feel similarities between Vincent and Nathan. They both had the same overbearing and dominating aura.
"Dave is just preparing the table for our dinner. Come." Vincent stepped to the side, allowing her to enter the room.
Vincent guided her inside and Abigail silently followed him from behind. She was secretly observing and assessing Vincent. He was hard to read. But her gut feeling was telling her not to lower her guard against Vincent.
Abigail was already strategizing what she would do to get Vincent's DNA and how she would gather more information about him.
Soon, the three of them sat down around the table. "Let's eat."
"Wow. You cooked all my favorites." Vincent cheerfully said.
"Of course, you seldom visit here," Dave responded. Then he glanced at Abigail, smiling at her. He also prepared her favorite.
The three started eating. Vincent was the one who initiated the conversation. "Abi… I heard you lost your memory. Don't you remember anything? I know a good hospital in Country R. I can refer you there."
Vincent glanced at Dave meaningfully and added, "Dave can accompany you."
But Abigail politely rejected it. "I'm sorry but I can't go there for treatment. I think my memory will come back naturally. I don't have to force myself."
"How much have you remembered now?" Vincent asked her again.
Abigail frowned. She felt like he was the one interrogating her.
"Nothing…" she responded.
'This guy… Why is he interested in my memory?'
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