Quentin smiled widely, clearly pleased. “You heard her? Abigail wants to have lunch with me. Why don’t you two stop meddling before I ask the restaurant security to escort you out.”

Stephen pointed a finger at Abigail’s face, teeth gritted. “Don’t you come home if you know what’s good for you, or I’ll break your legs!”

Ralph looked at Abigail with deep disappointment. “I thought you had some backbone. Guess I misjudged you.”

Abigail sat back in her chair, her tone cold and detached. “Mr. Fletcher, I suggest you worry less about me. My business has nothing to do with you.”

Ralph pulled firmly on Stephen’s arm, his chest feeling heavy as if stuffed with stones. It took him a moment to steady his voice. “Then do as you please,” he said flatly before turning to leave.

Stephen shot Quentin a fierce glare and stormed out.

As soon as they were gone, Abigail spoke up. “Mr. Coley, no matter your personal reputation, your partnership with Halden Group won’t change.”

Quentin’s eyes stayed on her, his smile faint. “Don’t think standing up for me means we’re even for what happened.”

Abigail asked calmly, “What do you want, then?”

“Like I said, get Sebastian on board. Or we’ll finish what we started the other day.”

Abigail didn’t respond. He knew Sebastian didn’t care about this project, and he was just trying to make things difficult for her. Timothy would likely face the same outcome when negotiating with him.

When it was time to leave work that afternoon, everyone had left the office except Abigail, who still hadn’t turned off her computer.

“Not leaving yet?” Timothy asked as he came out of his office and saw her still there.

“I need to use the computer for something. Is that okay?” Abigail stood at her desk, her tone sincere.

“Sure, go ahead. Just don’t cause trouble or leak company secrets,” he said before hurrying off.

She was busy analyzing the key details of Celestial Group’s partnership, while Stephen stayed at home, sitting on the sofa with a stormy expression as he waited for her to come back.

As the minutes dragged on and Abigail still hadn’t returned, he kept glancing at his watch. With nightfall approaching, his panic grew. ‘Don’t tell me she actually went to a hotel with Quentin?’ he thought.

He stood up and headed to the study to find Gabriel.

Just as he reached the door that was slightly ajar, he heard Bianca’s voice inside. “Even though Quentin is into Abby, she has a criminal record. What if his family rejects her?”

Gabriel brushed it off. “Quentin’s already got a trashy reputation. Why would his family care? They should be grateful to land Abby. No woman in Cobridge would marry him. They’re lucky to have her.”

Bianca fretted. “But everyone knows how many women Quentin’s messed around with. He uses them and ditches them. Word is he’s gotten multiple girls pregnant and bailed on responsibility. I still think this marriage is a disaster waiting to happen.”

“Marriage isn’t the goal. The goal is to get him to cooperate with our family…”

Before Gabriel could finish, Stephen kicked the door open. “What the hell is this?! You set Abby up with Quentin on purpose?!”

“Stevie.” Bianca hurried over to calm him down, seeing his rage. “Your dad just thought they should meet. Given Abby’s past, it’s not like she has a lot of options.”

Stephen snapped, “That’s no reason to sell her off to Quentin! You know he hooks up with anyone–men and women. You’re throwing her to the wolves.”

Even though Stephen didn’t get along with Abigail, he couldn’t stand the idea of Gabriel pairing her with a sleaze like Quentin. Maybe he didn’t care for her, but she was still his sister. How could he let her marry someone so vile?

“Don’t you yell at me! If I don’t get her married ASAP, how are we supposed to lock in Ralph and Dani’s engagement? The good families in our circle are all picky. What does Abby have going for her? Who would take her?” Gabriel snapped, irritated.

Stephen was practically fuming. “I do want Dani to marry Ralph, but not by sacrificing Abby! If the high society crowd looks down on her, fine, let her marry someone ordinary. You force her into a marriage with a guy like that. Do you even have a conscience?”

“Stevie, how dare you speak to your father that way?” Bianca snapped at once.

“Isn’t he throwing Abby to the wolves just for a business partnership? Why can’t I call him out on it? Sure, I’ve never liked Abby much or considered her my sister, but I never wished for her to spend her life in ruin!” Stephen shouted before storming off.

Bursting out of the study, he nearly crashed into Daniella, who stood at the door.

Daniella grabbed his arm, her eyes reddened. “Stevie, Dad is probably just stuck in a corner. I’ll cancel the engagement with Ralphie. Please don’t argue with Dad anymore, okay?”

Stephen felt a surge of restless frustration.

When Daniella saw his pale lips trembling with barely suppressed anger, her tears streamed down like falling beads. “It’s all my fault. I wanted to marry Ralphie, and now I’ve put you and Dad in a bind. I’ll never get married. I’ll just stay with you guys forever.”

“I’m not mad at you. I need some space right now,” Stephen said thickly, wrenching his arm free and hurrying away.

Daniella frowned as she watched his retreating back. Normally, a single tear from her would make Stephen instantly take her side. But today, all his emotions were consumed by Abigail’s plight.