Chapter 126

Abigail went back to her room and heard all the commotion outside, but she ignored it and focused on summarizing her afternoon meeting. She worked until it got dark, then heard a knock on her door.

When Abigail saw it was almost eight o’clock and realized Wyatt still wasn’t back, she got up to answer the door.

Stephen stood in the hallway, and the moment she opened it, he immediately tried to please her. “Grandpa’s back. Come downstairs to wash up for dinner.”

“Okay.” Abigail stepped out of her room.

This was the first time she’d actually responded to Stephen, and he felt like he was walking on air. He followed her downstairs.

After washing her hands, Abigail sat down at the table. Wyatt, who was already seated, asked her, “Was work tough today?”

“Not bad.” Abigail had a smile on her face, and her eyes weren’t as cold as usual.

Wyatt took the soup that the housekeeper brought over and pushed it toward her. “I had the kitchen make this especially for you. Look how thin you’re getting.”

Stephen picked up on Wyatt’s comment. “Exactly, she needs to eat more meat and drink more soup to put some weight on.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the housekeeper placing the best dishes in front of Daniella.

His eyebrows furrowed, and he stood up, grabbing the plates away. “What are you doing putting the food there? She sits around watching TV all day, chatting on the phone, and shopping. Why would she need to eat this well?”

Daniella sat at the dining table, furious but not daring to speak up.

“That’s how we’ve always served dinner, Stevie! You’re being way too hard on Dani!” Bianca’s face darkened as she accused him.

Gabriel sat there like an outsider, not bothering to get involved.

“How am I being too hard? She’s been eating the best food in Gibson Villa for years. Now that Abby’s back, shouldn’t she share some with her? Abby spent three years in prison because of her. She should go hungry if anything,” Stephen snorted.

Stephen wasn’t about to show them any consideration now. When he’d been locked up in that detention center, he’d seen exactly what this family was really about.

They only cared about their own interests. If something serious had happened to him, they probably would’ve thrown him under the bus without a second thought.

They were the ones who’d wronged him, so Stephen could do whatever he wanted now. If it weren’t for him and Abigail, Gabriel would already be in prison. They should be grateful to them.

Wyatt stayed out of the argument and just asked Abigail, who was sipping her soup, “Does it taste good?”

“Yeah, it’s delicious.” Abigail smiled at him.

Stephen watched her and couldn’t help thinking, “So Abigail actually does smile.”

The entire dinner passed with Stephen constantly getting annoyed at Daniella’s chatter.

The next morning, Abigail got a text from Sebastian telling her to bring her meeting notes and prepare to get chewed out that morning. James would pick her up at Halden Group.

She was just heading downstairs when she heard Christian and Stephen arguing. Actually, it was more like Christian attacking, and Stephen playing defensive.

“Why did you sell Dani’s cars?” Christian demanded.

Stephen sat on the couch looking unbothered. “I needed money to buy Abby a car, so I sold hers. She asked me about it, and now you’re asking about it. Isn’t this getting annoying?

“I left her one car to get around, didn’t I? If she doesn’t like it, I can sell that one too!”

“She had 20 cars, and you left her the cheapest one? What kind of car does Abigail need that required selling 19 of them?” Christian’s chest was rising and falling with anger.

That morning, Daniella had discovered that all but one of her cars had been sold and had already run back to her room crying.

“A Cullinan, the pink one. Three million dollars,” Stephen answered matter-of-factly.

“The Rolls-Royce Cullinan?” Christian asked.

“Abby’s our real sister, so of course, she gets the expensive luxury car. She needs to look good when she goes out.” Stephen shrugged.

He continued, “Besides, she had nothing all those years she wasn’t living with us. What’s wrong with me buying her a three-million-dollar car? Daniella’s got tens of millions worth of clothes in her closet, and she’s going to cry over one car?”

“Stevie, Dani grew up with us after all—”

Stephen cut him off with a sneer, “Oh, so she grew up with us, huh? I’ve been protecting her since we were kids–can’t even count how many times. And what does she do? She plays us like fools.

“You’re just too dense to see it. One day, you’ll end up taking the blame for something she did, and then you’ll wake up!”

Stephen finished his rant and saw Abigail coming downstairs. He immediately stood up. “I bought you a Cullinan last night. It’s in the garage. Here are the keys.” He pulled the car keys from his pocket as he spoke.

“I don’t need it,” Abigail said coldly, refusing.

“Grandpa asked me to pick it out for you. Just take a look, okay? If you don’t like it, treat it like a toy. Keep it in the garage. You never know when you might need it for an emergency.” Stephen forced the keys into her hand.

Abigail tried to give them back, but Stephen had already turned and was walking away. “The construction crew should be here soon.”