Chapter 161

Daniella’s eyes grew even redder after hearing what Christian said. Abigail, on the other hand, kept her gaze fixed on Christian’s face.

Abigail pondered, ‘I’ve always wondered why Christian treats Daniella so irrationally well… Is it because he likes her? After all, she’s just the Gibson family’s adopted daughter.’

Wyatt said bluntly, “Let me be clear. Since Warren wants the leadership team changed, we’ll do it his way. I didn’t agree on the spot because stripping you of your position in front of everyone would’ve been a slap to your pride.”

He wanted to teach the Gibson family a lesson, but rushing things would only backfire and hurt Abigail’s chances.

Christian protested, “But, Grandpa, this is our company—”

Wyatt sharply cut in, “Our company? A company burdened by over a dozen empty shell entities and 230 million dollars in debt? Listen, Christian, you knew the accounts were a mess, and you still approved more funds for Daniella. I’m not letting this slide.”

With that, he clammed up, clearly done talking.

Abigail gently patted the back of his hand, trying to ease his temper.

But how could Wyatt calm down? He had started going through the books just to make things right for her, only to find a massive financial black hole.

Worse yet, he had to swallow his pride and go begging Warren for help. If he hadn’t made multiple personal guarantees, Warren never would’ve agreed to cooperate.

Back at Gibson Villa, they walked in to find Gabriel and Bianca having dinner.

Bianca’s mood lifted when she saw them return together. She quickly set down her fork and stood up, walking over to Abigail with a bright smile. She reached out to take Abigail’s hand, but she sidestepped her without hesitation. Bianca’s smile froze in place instantly.

Christian came in right after and saw Abigail give Bianca the cold shoulder again. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Abigail’s wrist.

Abigail was yanked backward without warning and nearly crashed into him. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she snapped instinctively, jerking her arm out of his grip.

Before Christian could say a word, Stephen stepped up and shoved him hard. “Why are you picking on Abby?”

“Me? Picking on her?” Christian exploded. “Mom welcomed her with open arms, and look how she acts! Just because you’re my little brother doesn’t mean I won’t beat the crap out of you, Stephen. Try pushing me again and see what happens.”

He knew full well that Stephen had always respected him as his older brother. But with Abigail around, he had turned strangely harsh.

Stephen, completely biased, shot back, “Yeah, I pushed you. So what? She doesn’t like us, so stop forcing yourself on her. Stop hovering around like you’re doing her a favor. Can’t handle that?”

“Please stop,” Bianca interjected, trying to ease the tension. Her face was tight with awkwardness, her voice quiet and wounded. “Stop fighting. It’s my fault, okay?”

Seeing her like that only made Christian more furious.

Stephen growled in frustration, “And you can cut the poor–me act too. Abby hasn’t even done anything, but you make it look like she bullied you or something. I can’t stand it.”

He couldn’t say exactly why, but Bianca’s way of trying so hard only to end up looking all wounded when she was rejected made her seem just like Daniella.

At that instant, Stephen saw the two of them merge in his head, and it left him irritated.

What he didn’t realize was that back when Daniella used to pull that same stunt, he would immediately turn on Abigail and lash out at her instead. And back then, hadn’t Abigail felt just as hurt and helpless?

Christian fumed, “She’s the one with the attitude!”

Gabriel barked, “That’s enough! The minute you guys walk in the door it’s nothing but yelling. Can’t we ever have a peaceful day in this house?” All the bickering at the table was giving him a headache, and he threw his fork onto his plate.

Wyatt came in, saw Gabriel acting all high and mighty, and let out a huff. “You’ve got some nerve, throwing things around at the dinner table like you belong here.”

Gabriel had no idea what he had done wrong, but when the old man yelled, he knew better than to talk back.

Abigail listened to the chaos brewing in the Gibson family and wanted to head back to her room, but Wyatt was set to make an important announcement tonight. So, she had no choice but to stay downstairs in the living room.

Christian gently led Daniella toward the couch and spoke in a warm tone. “Stevie might not care about you anymore, but you still have me. As long as I’m here, no one is going to mess with you.”

Stephen rolled his eyes. “If you wanna suck up to Daniella, go ahead. But seriously? Can’t get through a sentence without dragging me into it?” As he said that, he turned to look at Abigail.

Wyatt immediately grabbed Abigail’s wrist, giving Stephen a warning. “You’d better stick to what you said. She’s not into you, so don’t hang around and make things worse for her.”

“How could I be making things worse?” Stephen muttered under his breath. “I already think of her as a sister now.” Still, he turned around and headed for the couch.

Wyatt let go of Abigail’s wrist, and when he saw the small breath of relief she let out, a flicker of guilt stirred in his chest.

As soon as he sat down on the couch, he announced, “I’ve finished going through the company’s accounts. We’re in debt for 230 million dollars, including 100 million dollars to the bank. There’s over 15 million dollars due by the end of the month.”