Chapter 58

The moment Abigail paused, Quentin bolted out of the private room.

Rage flared up in Abigail again, but just as she was about to give chase, someone grabbed her from behind and held her tight.

“Let go! Let go of me!” she shouted, struggling desperately, veins bulging at her temples. She looked like a caged beast, seething with unreleased frustration that gnawed at her nerves.

“It’s okay now, Abigail,” the person said softly. His voice worked like magic, soothing her frayed nerves.

Abigail trembled violently, a tidal wave of helplessness and bitterness crashing down on her. The ashtray slipped from her fingers as she blacked out.

Abigail felt like she’d been asleep for ages. When she woke up, she felt groggy, her head heavy.

“Thank goodness, you’re awake.” Timothy’s voice came from beside her.

Abigail was stunned and looked up at him. ‘It wasn’t him…’ she thought, a wave of disappointment washing over her. ‘So… everything I remembered before passing out was just a desperate illusion?’

Pushing herself up, she realized she was already in Timothy’s car.

Timothy got into the car, glanced at her, and said with pity, “Your dad is downright despicable. Are you sure he’s your biological father?”

Abigail turned and stared silently out the window. She wished Gabriel weren’t her father.

Sensing her reluctance to talk, Timothy started the car and drove toward Halden Group.

The sudden ringtone pierced the silence in the car. Abigail pulled out her phone and saw an unknown number flashing on the screen. She answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me. Celestial Group is looking for a partner–a company wants us to take on this job, and the pay is insane, way more than you’d ever imagine. Wanna take it?!” The familiar young voice on the other end was brimming with eagerness.

Abigail was tempted by the lucrative offer, but it clashed with her commitments at Halden Group, so she declined. “No. And don’t call me unless it’s urgent. I’m at work.”

After hanging up the phone, she looked at Timothy. “Have you met the representative of Celestial Group yet?”

Timothy replied, “Not yet. They said something urgent came up and couldn’t make it, so they asked me to go this afternoon. But I have to travel out of town and won’t be back until midnight. If you’re available, could you cover for me?”

“Sure. Just give me the documents when we get back,” Abigail said, looking as calm as ever.

Timothy couldn’t help but glance at her, amazed at how quickly she’d managed to pull herself together after what had just happened. Even he had to admit, her mental resilience put his own to shame.

That afternoon, carrying the documents Timothy had given her, Abigail arrived at the café’s private room reserved by their business partner.

The moment she pushed open the door, she saw Quentin. Her face darkened instantly. Standing in the doorway, she fixed him with an icy glare.

Quentin’s face and head were covered in gauze. He froze when he saw Abigail, then crossed his legs and smirked.

“Well, well. I thought you were something special–daring enough to beat up your own company’s business partner,” he said. “I guess your company doesn’t care about this deal anymore.”

Abigail walked in and shut the door behind her.

Just a moment ago, Quentin was blustering defiantly, but as the door clicked shut, his breathing grew heavy, his eyes were brimming with nervousness, and his whole body went rigid. “Listen–don’t do anything crazy!”

Abigail walked right up to him and looked down. “So, you’re Celestial Group’s representative for this project?”

Seeing the thick stack of documents marked “Halden Group” in her hand, Quentin became confident again. He swung his legs onto the coffee table, flung back his suit jacket, and lounged back on the sofa.

“So, Halden Group sent you to negotiate with me?” he sneered. “You beat me up like that, and you think I’m going to just forget about it and go ahead with the deal?”

He’d been itching for revenge, and now that she was giving him the chance, there was no way he’d let it slip away.

Abigail finally understood why her father had been so desperate to cozy up to Quentin–he clearly had his sights set on the project Quentin was in charge of.

She took a seat beside him, placed the documents on the coffee table, and said calmly, “Yes. I’m the one sent by Halden Group.”

She seemed like a different person from the murderous madwoman of that morning.

Quentin stared at her for a moment and then suddenly broke into a smile. “So, you want to close this deal? Well, I suppose we could work something out.”

Abigail met his gaze, her expression as calm as ever.

“I’m a little thirsty after all this talking,” Quentin said, deliberately making things difficult. “But I don’t like the coffee here.”

Abigail had reviewed the documents Timothy provided on the way here. Without a word, she pulled out her phone, ordered from Quentin’s favorite shop, and then showed him the order confirmation. “It’ll arrive in thirty minutes.”

“Half an hour? What, you want me to die of thirst?!” Quentin complained. He relaxed a little as he realized that, despite her arrogance, she was willing to swallow her pride to get this deal done.

Abigail noticed the calculating glint in his eyes. Her face remained impassive, but resentment simmered beneath the surface. After all, the man in front of her had tried to force himself on her in the morning.

She could maintain her composure with anyone else, but around Quentin, she felt an overwhelming urge to hit him again.

Biting back her anger, she said indifferently, “Even if I went to get it myself, it would still take this long. You’ll have to wait either way.”

She picked up the water glass next to her and poured him a glass of water. “You served me coffee this morning, and now I’m returning the favor. Make do with this for now.”