Chapter 105

Sebastian's eyes darkened with irritation. "What did you just say?"

Abigail met his gaze, and seeing his scowl, she instinctively tightened her grip on her hands. "R...Ren."

James jumped in to smooth things over. "Come on, man, chill out. She's just sensitive, like most girls. Don't scare her like that."

Warren gently pulled Abigail to sit down, opened a drink for her, and said, "Seb is just annoyed because you keep putting yourself down. Where you come from doesn’t matter. It's who you are that counts. We brought you along because we believe in you."

James nodded eagerly. "Exactly. Now go ahead and call him Ren."

Abigail glanced at Sebastian and then softly said to Warren, "Pen."

That only made Sebastian’s frown deepen.

Warren caught his expression and chuckled, "Hey, you asked for it."

Abigail was confused by Sebastian's reaction, wondering, "If I don’t call him that, he’s upset. But when I do, he looks even worse. What’s his deal?"

Sebastian muttered, "Don’t call him that so sweetly." With that, he turned with a scowl and headed toward the lounge.

Abigail didn't notice his flushed ears. She turned to James and asked, "Does he hate it when people call others sweetly?"

James grinned mischievously and whispered, "Why don’t you try calling him Seb all sweet-like? Just to mess with him."

Abigail hesitated. "That doesn’t seem right…"

Warren, with a playful smile, nudged her along. "Go for it. If you get on his good side, you can run to him whenever the Gibson family gives you trouble!"

Abigail frowned. "But he’s my boss."

James saw Sebastian nearing the lounge and cut her off, "Oh, come on. What boss goes this far for you? He got you a place to stay and set up your grandpa in the best hospital. Go ahead. One little Seb, and he’ll have to help you with anything from now on."

Urged on by James and Warren, Abigail’s head felt foggy as she blurted out, "Seb…"

Sebastian froze mid-step, his whole body stiffening.

James put on a sleazy voice and whined, "Come on, Seb, don’t leave her hanging." He thought that Abigail was still just a kid and so easy to trick.

Sebastian whipped around, yanked his phone from his pocket, and hurled it at James. But James dodged with a quick sidestep.

Sebastian glanced over at Abigail and noticed she was staring at the ground, looking all sorts of awkward.

Without thinking, he smiled and walked over to Abigail. His voice was low and teasing as he said, "Just call him Ren like you always do. But when you say ‘Seb,’ put a little sugar on it for me, alright?"

Abigail looked up at him and, for a moment, he didn’t seem all that mature. He actually came off a little childish, getting called "him."

She said, “Then if I mess up at work, you’re not allowed to yell at me.”

The way she tried to strike a deal made Sebastian laugh. He pondered, ‘She’s already calling me Seb so sweetly, and she’s still hung up on work?’

James couldn't hold back a loud laugh. He clapped Abigail lightly on the shoulder, shaking his head with a helpless grin.

He said, "You’re calling him that sweetly, and you’re still worried about messing up? If you screw up, he’ll cover for you. And if he can’t, Pan will." Abigail let out a soft "Mm," and the corners of her lips lifted just slightly. A quiet happiness settled over her—one that she had never felt before.

She mused, ‘So this is what it feels like to be liked… to have someone trying to cheer you up. No wonder Daniella always targeted me. She didn’t want to share Stephen and Christian’s attention.’

When they landed in Blairwind, Abigail followed Sebastian and the others out of the airport. This was actually her first time visiting Blairwind.

The Gibson family used to plan several trips every year, but somehow, right before every vacation, Daniella would have some kind of drama, and the whole family always had to scrap their plans for her.

But just a few days later, while Abigail was still at school, they went ahead without her. She had heard them talk about Blairwind plenty of times. There was Pioneer Fortress, and all sorts of gardens here.

Abigail used to dream about coming with them. Daniella always posted pictures of their trips, posing in scenic spots, flooding Instagram with shots that made Abigail ache with envy.

As those memories weighed on Abigail, James waved a hand in front of her face. "Abby?"

She blinked, snapping out of it, and realized Sebastian and Warren were already heading toward the car waiting for them. She quickly grabbed James' arm and hurried after them.

Once in the car, Sebastian took the water bottle Warren handed him, twisted it open, and passed it to her. "What were you thinking about just now?"

Abigail reached for it, and out of nowhere, her nose stung. When she glanced up at Sebastian, her eyes were already watery.

Maybe it was just that they’d treated her so kindly. As soon as she remembered the past, every bit of hurt and frustration hit her all over again.

Abigail always thought that she didn’t care about things like this. But now, standing in the city she had longed to visit for years, she finally realized that coming to Blairwind wasn’t as impossible as she had believed.

Back with the Gibson family, they had never taken her on trips. No one ever opened a bottle for her, let alone handed her water the moment she got in the car.

Sometimes, Abigail didn’t even get any water at all. She was always the shadow in the corner, easy to overlook, easy to forget.