Chapter 255

Early the next morning, Abigail headed straight to the office. At BAM, just as the morning briefing was about to begin, Sebastian’s call came through.

The moment Abigail answered, Sebastian demanded, “Why didn’t you tell me about the call last night?”

“Oh, it wasn’t an important call. There’s a lot going on at the company, and since you were still asleep, I went ahead first,” Abigail said calmly.

Sebastian said, “Can I come over and explain? Will you hear me out?”

“Your family thinks mine’s a mess, and honestly, I’m not thrilled about all your secrets either. I’ll be tied up with work today. Pick me up after, and we’ll talk it out properly at dinner.” Abigail had planned to move in with him last night.

Whether or not they ended up getting married, she had decided to treat this relationship seriously. But then he said he’d been serious with other women he dated. That knocked the wind out of her.

“Alright,” Sebastian thought to himself, I never expected things would go south for me this fast.

While Abigail was busy with corporate affairs at the company, Sebastian was being ribbed by James and Warren at home.

James teased between fits of laughter, “You went from being official to official real quick."

Warren said, “I warned you last night, man. Timing is everything. One minute it’s all good, next minute it’s a mess. We seriously need to take notes – no screwing up like this in the future. Your family situations are nowhere near as messy as mine.”

Sebastian stared off into space. “Do you think Ida recorded what I said and played it back for her? I was just trying to piss her off. Didn’t expect her to turn out this shady.”

James chuckled and said, “Ida has always been on your dad’s side. Thinking she’d ever approve of you and Abigail is just wishful thinking.”

“Seriously, you really need to watch that big mouth of yours. Abby finally decided to take things seriously, and you just had to drop that bombshell…”

“Keep laughing and I’ll kill you,” Sebastian threatened.

Warren couldn’t help but chuckle. “Pick a nice restaurant tonight. Get her in a good mood with some great food, and you might just enjoy yourself too.”

Sebastian sighed. “Honestly, I didn’t expect Ida and the others to catch on so fast. Now they’re even insisting Ms. Prescott stays at my place during the New Year holidays.”

“If you really let her stay here, this place will lose all meaning for Abby,” James said with complete seriousness.

“I know, so I’ve decided to travel abroad for the New Year. I’ll let them do whatever they want,” Sebastian said, never once considering letting Blair stay in his place.

This was the home he shared with Abigail. He wouldn’t allow any other woman to stay here.

As evening fell and the workday ended, Abigail had Lila drive her as usual. As she exited the building, she spotted Sebastian leaning against the car. He was dressed immaculately, and even his hair was styled with care.

She walked over and handed him her bag. “Where are we heading to?”

“The Hearth Table,” Sebastian said, taking her bag and opening the car door for her.

Abigail paused mid-step as she got into the car. Once inside, she said, “Can we go to that restaurant with spicy food we went to last time? I’ve been under a lot of pressure. Could use some proper comfort food.”

“Fine by me.” Sebastian was completely yielding to her.

At the restaurant, as Sebastian was ordering, Abigail spoke up first, “Last night, a woman named Ida suddenly called me and patched you in at the same time. I heard the whole conversation between you two.”

Sebastian set the menu aside, ready to explain, when Abigail continued, “At first, I figured you were just trying to get under her skin. But thinking about it now… I honestly don’t know what makes me special to you. Maybe I’m not special at all.”

“You are,” Sebastian said immediately. “Before this, I only dated those girls to avoid dealing with Ms. Prescott. But this time with you, I’m willing to face it.”

His response took Abigail aback. “Your family – they’re based in Chesterwick, right? Must be pretty well-off?” she asked, though what she really had on her mind was the future of Gibson Group.

Then again, she told herself, ‘There’s always a way through everything.'

“It’s a good life,” Sebastian replied. “Which is exactly why I stick to project work and never started my own company.”

He didn’t need to say more. She understood that having a company would only give the Robinson family another way to control him.

“So that’s why your family had issues with me,” Abigail murmured under her breath.

“But loving you is my own choice. I know I’ll complicate your life, and I have no right to ask you to share this burden with me.”

“You do have that right, if you see me as your real girlfriend.” Abigail wasn’t afraid of anything. Worst case, if Gibson Group got forced out of business, she thought she could always fall back on coding. It was no big deal for her.

Sebastian had braced himself for a reckoning tonight – for her to tally up all his wrongs and kick him out of here because she had always been the kind of person who hated trouble.