"Accompany me to the Graham Estate tonight; Grandpa wants to see you," Sean said.
Abigail stared at the stack of canceled orders. Already extremely frustrated, Sean's voice only fueled her anger. "I'm not in a position to visit the Graham Estate," she replied indifferently.
Sean was quiet for a few seconds before ordering, "We're not divorced yet. You can't decide whether you go or not."
Raised by his grandparents, Colby Graham and Lina Toth, Sean always obeyed them. He hadn't objected to their wish for him to marry Abigail. During their three-year secret marriage, his understanding of marital obligations, aside from monthly sexual intercourse, consisted of regular visits to the Graham Estate to assure Colby and Lina of their happiness.
Chapter 11: One Meal for 28 Million
Anyone who upset the elderly couple was Sean's enemy. At any other time, she would have considered his demand self-centered. But in the midst of her company's crisis, his threat to force her to the Graham Estate felt particularly infuriating.
A contemptuous chuckle escaped her. Three years of love and dedication, for nothing. Sean hadn't been touched by any of it. For Joan's sake, he was willing to destroy her.
Taking a deep breath, she went straight to the point. "Will you solve the studio's crisis if I go to the Graham Estate with you?"
Sean agreed instantly. "Okay. I'll pick you up tonight." After hanging up, his spirits were higher than expected; a smile even touched his lips.
He rarely contacted Abigail directly, usually relying on his assistant when Colby requested a visit.
12:15 PM, Sun, September 24th - X 3.61%
Chapter 11: One Meal for 28 Million
He'd made this call personally because of her recent tantrums; it would serve as a solution, in his opinion.
Sean made an internal call, ordering emotionlessly, "Find out what issues L.Moon has encountered. No need to report back; just fix it."
By the end of the day, most of L.Moon's canceled orders were restored. While Luna worried about the 2.8 million owed to the factory, customers with canceled orders had returned, agreeing to price increases to compensate the studio for its losses. Some even paid in full without further prompting.
Luna turned to Abigail, a mixture of surprise and concern on her face. "Did Sean do this?"
12:16 PM, Sun, September 24th
Chapter 11: One Meal for 28 Million
Abigail's voice was as cold as her heart and face. "Yeah. A meal in exchange for 2.8 million. A good deal."
At 7:00 PM, Sean arrived on time, and they drove to the Graham Estate without speaking.
Before entering the yard, he stopped abruptly. Seeing her deadpan expression, he grumbled, "With that face, Grandpa will smell a rat."
Instantly, she plastered on a professional smile. "Don't worry. I'll play the part; I gave you my word."
Sean's eyes darkened, frustration welling up. Her acting confirmed her desire for a divorce, even though he'd solved her studio's crisis. He could only think of one reason. "Did you find a new husband?" he asked sarcastically.
September
Chapter 11: One Meal for 28 Million
Abigail wiped the smile away, answering provocatively, "So what if I did?" Did he think he had exclusive rights to remarry?
His brow twitched, but before he could respond, the gates swung open, and Dahlia greeted them with a surprised smile. "Mr. Sean and Ms. Abigail, welcome back!"
Sean held back his words, acknowledging her quietly before entering. Inside, after changing into slippers, one went upstairs to find Maverick (Sean's father), the other to greet Colby and Lina in the living room.
Lina pulled Abigail aside, examining her. "Still not pregnant?" she sighed, then quickly changed the subject. "It's alright. Try again next month."
Though lacking overt blame, her words felt like a curse to Abigail. No elaborate spell was needed from Lina; those words were a constant reminder of the unequal nature of their marriage from the start.
Previously, Abigail had diligently tried to conceive, believing Lina genuinely cared. Then, she overheard Lina speaking dismissively to Dahlia, the butler: "I only agreed to the marriage to get a grandchild. Her grandfather owes us a life; it must be repaid with a life. I'll consider the debt paid only after a child is born. Otherwise, I suspect the Quinn family is just exploiting our debt."