Chapter 202

Gabriel shot Christian a mocking look. “Please. When your mom wanted calming supplements, she bought knockoffs instead of driving five extra minutes. If you feel so bad for her, why don’t you take the rap?"

Christian stared at him, eyes burning, too angry to speak.

“You go on about loving her, but you won’t take the heat. Typical.” Gabriel never minced words with his kids.

Fuming, Christian snatched his phone and stomped upstairs.

“If you really give a damn, march to the precinct and clear Abby’s record. Otherwise, save your breath,” Gabriel called after him, grabbing his keys.

Abigail is such a headache, Gabriel thought. She should’ve let Quentin drag Daniella to his place and let her stir up trouble there. Instead, she had to play hero, leaving me to smooth things over with Quentin. What a pain.

Abigail was deep in code testing when Stephen called.

Irritated, she answered and stepped into the break room for a drink.

“What’s so urgent? I’m working. Don’t call during office hours unless it’s an emergency.”

“You never should’ve stuck up for Daniella. After bailing her out, she acts like we’re all indebted to her,” Stephen ranted.

Abigail exhaled sharply, twisting off the cap. “Why do you assume every kindness needs to be repaid? You think I did it for gratitude? Stephen, I just loathe how you men treat women like trade goods.”

“If she broke the law, let the law deal with her. Who the hell do you think you are, selling her off?” Abigail snapped, her voice tight with anger.

“She’s a human being, not a piece of merchandise. What’s with this seven-hundred-thousand-dollar price tag? That’s just human trafficking in a fancy suit!”

She despised how they always viewed women as commodities. No matter the crime, their first thought was to make women pay with their looks and bodies.

“Let me make this clear. This isn’t about Daniella. It’s about being a woman. If Gabriel can sell her like a product, what’s to stop him from doing the same to me if things go south with Sebastian? I’d just be another item on his shelf.” Abigail hung up, seething.

Daniella’s ordeal felt like a direct affront to her as a woman.

If someone commits a crime, prosecute them properly. Why use underhanded tactics to ‘collect payment’? Abigail thought.

She finished her water, took a steadying breath, and left the break room.

After work, she bypassed her own place and went straight to Sebastian’s.

She didn’t feel an ounce of pity for Daniella, but the Gibson family’s whole setup made her skin crawl.

Abigail didn’t delude herself into thinking she had the upper hand in the Gibson family. If anything, her status felt as precarious as ever. Gabriel’s newfound “respect” was purely transactional; he saw dollar signs, not a daughter. She was like a discarded orphanage relic that had suddenly appreciated in value after years of gathering dust.

As she entered the courtyard, Code trotted up to her the moment she arrived.

She closed the door, crouched down, and pulled Code into her arms.

After holding the cat for a good while, she let go.

Code immediately rubbed against her leg, then led the way forward.

Abigail had grown used to the cat always guiding her to help find its ball. It seems Sebastian isn’t in the villa; otherwise, he’ll surely be helping the cat look for its toy, she thought.

Following Code all the way to the second floor, Abigail unconsciously stopped. “Since when did you start carrying the ball up to the second floor?”

Code was known to do things like this. Sometimes when she couldn’t find the ball at all, the cat would somehow fetch it without her noticing, and if it couldn’t get the ball itself, it would lead her to look for it.

Code stood in place, turning to look at her. Its gaze clearly conveyed the message “Follow me.”

Abigail had no choice but to trail after it.

All the way to Sebastian’s room, she flipped on the light as she entered.

But when the light came on, she saw Sebastian lying on the bed wearing only a pair of boxer briefs.

So damn smooth, the random thought suddenly popped into her mind.

Abigail snapped back to reality and quickly spun around. Sebastian was lying face-down on the bed, his backside directly facing her. She’d caught a glimpse of his incredibly smooth butt.

Abigail tried to push the image from her mind but found it was all she could think about.

“Did Code bring you here?” Sebastian’s voice was husky with sleep.