James burst out laughing. This was classic Abigail—just like how she gave Sebastian a USB drive for his birthday: straightforward, practical, and utterly…

“Is that a problem?” she asked, turning to Sebastian.

“Not at all,” he said, gently ruffling the back of her head.

“But on second thought, let’s put work off till tomorrow,” Abigail changed her mind. After all, it was after working hours, and she thought they should get a good rest.

“How about coming out with us?” Janses jumped in quickly. “Funny timing. One of Re’s friends is throwing a birthday party tonight. They’re still going strong.”

Abigail looked over at Sebastian, “What do you think?”

He smirked. The truth was, he’d been meaning to introduce her to his friends anyway. “I’ve got no complaints.”

“Then let’s go,” she said.

Warren and his friends were hanging out at a private club. When James pushed open the door to the private room, they were met with someone belting out a surprisingly good tune.

James whispered to Abigail before they walked in, “One of Warren’s friends is a singer. Dude hogs the mic every time, and he forces people to duet with him. If you reject him, he actually gets mad. It’s terrifying.”

Abigail smirked. Just then, Sebastian said, “Give me your hand.” Without hesitation, Abigail slipped her hand into his. Sebastian laced his fingers with hers and led her inside.

The room was packed, full of people laughing and chatting. As soon as James walked in, someone called out, “James, finally!”

Then they caught sight of Sebastian entering right behind, hand in hand with Abigail. The entire room went silent for a moment, with everyone’s eyes widening as if on cue.

Sure, Sebastian had been seen with girls before—plenty, in fact—but everyone in their circle knew those flings were never serious. They were all just for show. But seeing him with Abigail this time felt like he had finally settled down.

Warren, seated beside the birthday guy, caught sight of them and couldn’t suppress the proud smile on his face.

“Wo, who’s that? Is Seb actually serious this time?” Jace Carter, who was sitting beside Warren, added, posing both questions together. “His future wife. How about that?” Warren answered.

Jace blinked, clearly not expecting that. He lowered his voice again to ask, “But what about that girl from Chesterwick?”

“Which gal? Don’t bring up drama when Sab’s finally happy unless you’re asking for it.” Warren shot him a warning look. Then, he got up and headed over to greet the couple.

“You two official now?” he asked, grinning as he looked at them.

“Yep. Just made it official,” Sebastian said with a smile that, for once, wasn’t casual or sarcastic. He was genuinely happy.

“Come on. Sit here with us.” Warren was happy for Sebastian. Truth be told, Sebastian had been in love with Abigail since he was 17 years old. Now, at 24 years old, he finally made it happen.

He led Abigail over to an open spot by the table, just enough space for two of them. As soon as they sat down, he leaned forward, grabbing snacks and placing them in front of her. “Here. Anything you like?”

Before she could answer, the birthday boy, Jace, walked over and crossed his arms, pretending to sulk. “Wow, Sab. Not even a happy birthday for me?”

“Didn’t I text you? I even wired you a handsome amount of money. What more do you want? My attention?” All Sebastian wanted to do tonight was be lovey-dovey with Abigail in front of his friends. Hence, he didn’t have time to entertain Jace at all.

“Happy birthday,” Abigail said with a friendly smile.

Jace glanced over at her, slightly caught off guard. Even with makeup carefully applied, the scarring on her face was still faintly visible. She was pretty, but in a way that didn’t fit conventional standards.

Jace couldn’t understand why Sebastian had passed up a socialite from Chesterwick for a girl like this. Still, he smiled brightly. “Thanks! Just look at how nice your girl is.”

Sebastian snorted, “Happy birthday.”

Just then, a stylish guy with pastel pink hair walked over holding a microphone. “Seb, you singing?”

Isn’t that Soren Myles, the popular singer? Abigail thought when she saw him. She didn’t follow celebrities, but even she had come across him a few times while scrolling through social media.

“Nope. Tonight, I’m all hers.” Sebastian was in full flexing mode right now.

Soren glanced at Abigail. As someone who thrived on industry gossip, he knew all about the Gibson family’s mess. And the scars on her face were still visible despite the makeup, but to his credit, he didn’t show any reaction.

“Do you sing?” Soren asked with a smile.

Abigail noticed that while Sebastian’s friends might’ve had their opinions about her, they were at least polite to her. Maybe not welcoming, but no one was making things awkward for her.

“Not really,” Abigail replied. The only songs she knew were old-school ballads from years ago.

“Wanna give one a shot?” Sebastian asked, already reaching out to take the microphone from Soren and offering it to her.

Abigail didn’t take it. Instead, she raised a brow and asked, “Are you always this pushy with your friends?”

“Oh, it’s all good,” Soren said quickly, waving it off. “This is just how we are. But hey, Seb finally brought his girl around. Of course we’ve gotta make sure you feel welcomed.”