Chapter 124

The moment Abigail saw him, her relaxed expression vanished, replaced by pure annoyance.

Leon thought Stephen was some guy chasing after Abigail, so he immediately stepped in front of him. “Who the hell are you?”

“None of your business. Get out of my way!” Stephen shoved Leon aside.

Leon grabbed Stephen’s collar. “Abigail clearly doesn’t like you. Can’t you tell?”

When Abigail saw they were about to fight, she quickly told Leon, “Just ignore him.”

“He’s harassing you,” Leon said, letting go of Stephen’s collar.

“Harassing your ass! She is my sister!” Stephen pushed Leon back and looked him up and down with contempt. “You’re being awfully protective of her. Don’t tell me you’ve got a thing for her. Let me tell you something. The Gibson family wouldn’t want anything to do with someone like you. Get lost!”

“What’s wrong with you?” Abigail stepped in front of Leon, shielding him. “He’s my coworker. Stop talking nonsense!”

“Oh, just a coworker? Then we’re fine.” Stephen’s whole demeanor changed when he turned to Abigail, his expression softening. “I’m here to take you home. Let’s go.”

When Leon heard the guy was her brother, his face immediately brightened. “Oh, he’s your brother? I’ll get going then.”

Abigail felt relieved that he wasn’t angry, but she still corrected him. “He’s not my brother. You should head back now.”

Leon remembered how annoyed Abigail had looked when she saw Stephen, and it clicked. ‘They are having a fight,’ he thought.

After Leon left, Abigail turned to Stephen, who was shifting uncomfortably. “Stop showing up everywhere I go. I can get home by myself.”

“Come on, Abby, taking the bus is such a hassle. It’s so much easier if I just drive you home.” Stephen’s voice was practically pleading.

Abigail ignored him and started walking away.

“If you don’t want me picking you up, I’ll just buy you a car tomorrow. What kind do you like?” Stephen called out, following behind her.

Abigail didn’t know much about cars, and she definitely didn’t want to accept anything from Stephen. She kept walking with a stony expression, not saying a word.

When she didn’t answer, Stephen kept trailing after her like a lost puppy. “How about a Porsche, Abby? Maybe in that berry pink color–it’s perfect for girls.”

Abigail reached the bus stop just as a bus was pulling up. She squeezed on with the crowd of other passengers.

“Abby!” Stephen panicked and rushed onto the bus after her. But he didn’t have any change or a bus card. As he moved with the crowd toward the back, the driver called out, “Hey! You haven’t paid yet!”

Stephen realized everyone was staring at him. He backed up and asked the driver, “Can I use a credit card?”

“No! Cash or bus card only. If you don’t have either, get off!” the driver shouted. “There’s a line of cars behind us. Move it.”

Other passengers started complaining. “Pay up or get off.”

“Yeah, stop blocking everyone.”

Stephen glanced back at Abigail, who was already standing in the crowded aisle. He knew she wouldn’t pay for him, so he got off the bus.

More people packed onto the bus until Stephen couldn’t see Abigail anymore through the windows.

Stephen stood there for a long moment, staring at the overcrowded bus. It slowly hit him that this was how Abigail had always traveled.

When Abigail lived with the Gibson family, nobody ever picked her up. Even when she got out of prison, not one person from the Gibson family had bothered to think about how she’d get around.

The packed bus slowly pulled away from the curb. Stephen ran back to where he’d parked at Halden Group, jumped in his car, and followed the bus down the street.

The bus had to stop at every station, so Stephen caught up pretty easily. He followed the bus route until it reached the Gibson family neighborhood, and when he saw Abigail get off, he immediately drove over and pulled up beside her.

Rolling down his window, he called out, “Abby, get in the car. I’ll give you a ride.”

Abigail didn’t respond. That was when Stephen noticed she was wearing earbuds.

When Abigail arrived at Gibson Villa and started changing her shoes, the housekeeper hurried over. “Ms. Gibson, your slippers are in this cabinet here. We got you new ones today.”

Abigail nodded and was about to open the cabinet when Stephen, who had followed her inside, suddenly exploded. “Why is her shoe cabinet stuck way over there? Are you people idiots? The corner cabinet door barely opens. Move her stuff to the middle right now.”

“But there’s no space left,” the housekeeper said helplessly.

Stephen marched over to the shoe cabinet and yanked it open. When he saw Daniella’s shoes taking up several shelves, he immediately swept them all out with his leg.

“What is she, a spider?” Stephen snorted. “Twenty pairs of shoes just for coming and going every day. Can’t she make room for anyone else? How selfish can you get?”

Daniella heard the commotion and came over to find Stephen had swept half her shoes out of the cabinet. Her beloved custom–made designer shoes were scattered across the entryway floor like garbage.