Chapter 88

Jeremiah pulled up to the Victoria Grand Hotel entrance. “Stay here for now. The security is tighter than in any residential area. That elevator won’t move without your keycard,” he said, opening the car door with his usual warm smile.

Abigail hesitated as she got out of the car. “But this is Mr. Robinson’s place. Wouldn’t I be in the way?” The keycard Sebastian had given her was still in her bag.

“Mr. Robinson only stays here once or twice a year when he’s too tired to go home after nearby business dinners,” Jeremiah reassured her. “Don’t overthink it.”

Abigail raised an eyebrow. She thought, ‘Once or twice a year? This suite is expensive per day. Only the rich could afford such whims.’

“Just give me a heads-up if he plans to stay here,” she added before heading inside, backpack slung over her shoulder.

Jeremiah walked her inside the lobby. “Your grandpa is settled in. I’ve got my hands full of Mr. Robinson’s birthday stuff these days. I’ll take you to see him after that.”

Abigail had video-called Wyatt that morning. He looked well, which put her at ease.

After seeing her enter the elevator, Jeremiah took his leave.

With nothing much to unpack, Abigail dropped her bag and headed straight to Halden Group.

Two grueling workdays later, Abigail was the last to leave the office. On the third evening, after stepping out of Halden Group, she finally gathered the courage to text Sebastian: [Free for a call now, Mr. Robinson?]

His response came instantly. She answered the call, and her voice held a hint of awkwardness. “Jeremiah mentioned it’s your birthday today. I got you a gift.”

“What?” Sebastian sounded vaguely amused.

In the background, Abigail could distinctly hear raucous laughter. She answered calmly, “I’ve completed full performance testing on the maximum specs of Celestial Group’s chip. The data is 100% accurate. I just emailed you the compiled report.”

Back when she had bought Ralph birthday trinkets, he had never seemed particularly satisfied.

Sebastian had been waiting for this data. Both teams of Celestial Group and Timothy had estimated another week’s work. Abigail had pushed herself to finish early, thinking Sebastian might appreciate the early results as a birthday surprise.

But after Abigail spoke, a dead silence filled the line. Then, unexpectedly, she heard an eruption of laughter.

When the noise subsided, Sebastian’s voice came through, laced with barely contained amusement. “So that’s my birthday gift?”

“Uh… Yeah,” Abigail had genuinely thought he would be pleased.

“Get over here. I’ll send you the address.” Sebastian said, then hung up before she could respond.

Abigail took a cab to the club. After telling the manager who she was looking for, the manager ushered her in without hesitation.

She reached the private room where Sebastian was and knocked on the door.

The door opened, and as soon as Abigail stepped inside, a sharply dressed man stood up with a grin. “So this is the Abigail who gave chip test data as a birthday gift?”

Abigail turned to look at the man. She could tell he was trying not to laugh.

She thought, ‘Is this really so funny? I thought that gift would actually suit Sebastian’s taste.’

The man chuckled, “Hello, Abigail. I’m James Manning. You can just call me Jim.” He walked toward Abigail with a friendly smile.

Abigail responded politely, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Manning.” Then, almost instinctively, she glanced toward Sebastian, who was seated among a group of young men. She tightened her grip on her bag slightly, suddenly feeling out of place.

“So, Abigail,” James chuckled, “what possessed you to give Seb that data for a birthday gift?”

Abigail met his gaze calmly, her voice even. “He needed the data, so I finished testing early. I thought it would make him happy.”

Sebastian picked up the conversation smoothly. “I haven’t checked the email yet. Why are you so sure the data is accurate?”

Abigail walked closer, pulled a USB stick from her bag, and handed it over. “Here’s the local copy. You can check it now. It works on both phones and computers. I added extra protection.”

James burst into laughter. “Interesting! Seb, I never thought I’d see such a funny scene.”

Sebastian took the USB stick, exasperation warring with amusement. “I threw this party to relax. Yet you’re dragging work with you?”