Chapter 92

Abigail didn’t like this scene. But back then, when Daniella saw her being bullied, she’d only expected Abigail to be hurt more. Abigail could never be like Daniella.

“Forget it. Don’t let her ruin our mood,” Abigail said calmly, her expression indifferent.

Sebastian smiled. He stared at Christian, who was literally stoned, and said, “Heard that? Get out.” James immediately stepped in to shove them out.

Before leaving, Daniella turned to look at Abigail with resentment. Abigail stood beside Sebastian, still cold-faced, not needing to fawn over him like Daniella had to. She could just be herself. The huge emotional gap made Daniella stagger.

Abigail was truly no longer the orphan who’d begged for mercy and been ignored by everyone. She was equal to Sebastian now, and he’d even stepped in for her without her needing to please him.

As they exited the room, Daniella heard Sebastian say, “Oh, and by the way, Halden Group’s industry-wide blacklisting of you was my plan.” So it wasn’t Abigail who’d been cruel to her—it was Sebastian. He’d personally ensured Daniella could never work again.

Daniella lost her balance and collapsed at the door. Christian quickly reached out to pull her up.

Daniella broke down in tears, wailing. Coming to find Abigail tonight had been her worst mistake. In just a few minutes, Sebastian and his friends had branded her with a humiliation that would etch into her bones.

Inside the room, Abigail looked at the composed Sebastian and decided to apologize again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect them to find this place, or for Christian to be back.”

Sebastian walked to the sofa and sat down, his tone nonchalant. “Since you consider the Gibson family irrelevant to you, you shouldn’t take blame for their actions.”

“Exactly. As long as you let them treat you as part of their lot, you’ll always get hit with moral blackmail,” James said. “Alright, let’s keep playing cards!”

When Abigail sat back beside Sebastian, she murmured, “Thank you.”

Sebastian tilted his chin. “We still haven’t finished the dice roll.”

Abigail grabbed the dice and threw them, immediately getting eliminated.

James burst into laughter. “Abby, you’ve got terrible luck.”

Abigail pressed her lips together and smiled. Seeing them happily playing cards and listening to Sebastian patiently explaining the rules, she thought of her first days with the Gibson family. Eager to befriend Christian, Stephen, Daniella, and Ralph, she’d always humbly trailed after them.

Countless times she’d been ignored, left out of their gatherings, feeling lost and sad. But she’d told herself, “It’s okay. They’ve been friends since childhood. I’m the newcomer, so it’s only natural to be overlooked.”

However, after getting enough rejections, she’d slowly realized they simply didn’t like her and didn’t want her as a friend.

Abigail had always longed for friends of her own. That was why she’d agreed to play cards tonight when James and the others invited her.

She was terrible at cards, losing several times and downing multiple glasses of wine. Her cheeks grew flushed, and her mind grew hazy.

“Still in?” James asked, watching her hold her cards drunkenly, hesitating to question her.

Abigail turned to look at Sebastian. “I’ve lost a lot.” The stakes were high—three thousand dollars per round—and she’d already lost nearly thirty thousand dollars, all of which was Sebastian’s money.

Sebastian leaned against the sofa, eyeing her obedient demeanor, and coughed softly. “Not much. Play until you have enjoyed enough fun.”

At midnight, the waiter wheeled in a large cake. Sebastian had someone cut a huge slice for Abigail.

Just as she took it, James flicked cream onto her nose with his finger. She stared wide-eyed at the white smudge, taking a moment to say, “Flicking cake at me. That’s lame.”

James snickered, hiding behind one of his friends. “I won’t waste food like that. It’s just a joke.”

Sebastian eyed the cream on her nose, his eyes narrowing slightly, though he snapped at James coldly, “Keep it up and I’ll shove your head in the cream bucket.”

As Sebastian, Abigail, and the others enjoyed the party, someone drove and slammed into a young delivery driver on South Street in Cobridge.