Abigail
The moment my heels touched the pavement, chaos broke out.
Shouts. Questions. Camera flashes. A deafening cacophony crashed over me like a tidal wave, swallowing me whole before I could even take a breath to steady myself.
"Mrs. Remington, is it true you leaked the video yourself?"
"Abigail , did you know your husband was cheating on you?"
"Is it true the Remington family is trying to cover this up?"
"Are you pregnant?!"
The last question made me whip my head around to find who was asking it but all I saw was a sea of people yelling and raising cameras. I barely had time to react before the next flash went off, blinding me. The sheer aggression of the reporters was suffocating, their bodies pressing forward, their cameras inches from my face.
For a moment, I stood frozen. I hadn't faced this level of scrutiny in years—not since the early days of my marriage, when I was nothing more than the new bride of Conrad Rem
AbigailThe makeup artist’s fingers finally went still, her professional demeanor relaxing. “Alright, Mrs Remington,” she said, offering me a smile. “You’re presentable.”Conrad’s hand landed on my shoulder, a possessive gesture that sent a shiver crawling down my spine. It looked like support, like a husband’s gentle reassurance. But I knew the truth. His fingers dug into my flesh, a silent warning.Don’t you dare, Abigail. Don’t you dare deviate from the script. Don’t you dare shatter this carefully constructed illusion.He escorted me to the stage, his smile perfectly practiced. The cameras flashed in rapid succession. The conference room wasn’t huge, but it felt like a cavern whose walls closing in on me. It was packed with reporters, a sea of faces all turned towards me, their eyes glinting with morbid curiosity. They weren't looking at
Abigail*As we’re driven home from the conference venue in silence, Conrad’s jaw was clenched so tight that a muscle near his temple throbbed. with each passing second. I don’t need to look at him to know that his hands are probably balled into fists as he struggled to keep his temper in check.Maybe his obvious show of irritation is meant to intimidate me, but I couldn't care less. I’ve fulfilled my end of the deal – I’ve cleared his name and painted the perfect picture of our marriage. And now? I just want to go home.Finally, the car slowed to a stop outside my mother’s house but my comfort at seeing it was dulled by Conrad’s unspoken anger. The driver stepped out to open my door, but before I could move, Conrad grabbed her wrist, his grip tighter than a vice.His voice was low, almost a whisper, but it dripped with venom. “You think you’re clever, don’t you?”I turned to him with a calm face but my heart was pounding in her chest. “Let go of me, Conrad.”But he didn’t. His grip t
Abigail*"This isn’t what we agreed on. I said I want to see my mother," I hissed, each word slipping through gritted teeth like venom. The taste of rage was bitter on my tongue, but it was nothing compared to the boiling fury tightening my chest.Conrad didn’t even flinch. His eyes—those emotionless pools—bored into mine. “You already have.”I stared at him, unblinking. “Oh, really?” I spat, letting sarcasm drip from every syllable. “Because last I checked, a video isn’t the same as seeing my mother in person. Or do you need a dictionary for that?”His jaw clenched, that te
Abigail*I stood in front of my closet that morning longer than I should have, my fingers grazing the fabric of my clothes. It was an understatement to say that I was undecided, and it was eating at me. Today wasn’t just any other day. Today was the day I finally got some control in my life, or at least pretended to. After all that had gone down yesterday, I couldn’t afford to appear like the weak, betrayed woman I had been painted to be.Not in front of Conrad, not in front of the company, and certainly not in front of the vultures who called themselves the press, who would be waiting to see if I’d crumble.In the end, I settled on a crisp white blouse tucked into tailored black trousers, the sharp lines giving me an edge I desperately needed. My hair was pulled back into a sleek bun, and I applied just enough makeup to look polished without appearing like I was trying too hard. The reflection staring back at me looked composed, profes
Abigail *I barely had time to blink before Susanna was in front of my desk."What a surprise," she sneered, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared down at me. "I should have known you’d weasel your way in here. Using your connections to get a cushy position in one of the company's departments? Typical."I set my pen down and met her gaze with forced patience. "Of course, that’s what you’d think," I said dryly. "That’s exactly the kind of thing you would do, isn’t it?"Her nostrils flared at my words, but before she could fire back, she switched the conversation, her voice taking on a sharp edge. "You always do this, Abigail. Stirring the pot, causing trouble where there doesn’t need to be any. Why can’t you just leave things alone?"I couldn’t help it. I rolled my eyes. The old me—the one who had still cared what she thought, who had let her words burrow under my skin all that time ago in my home—would have taken the bait. But now? Now her little provocations were nothing mor
Abigail*I took a breath, refusing to let Susanna’s words push me into foolish anger. Without a word, I attempted to step past her, already done with whatever game she was playing. But she moved quickly, blocking my way again. I had known from the moment I saw her come into the office that she had an agenda, but this was ridiculous.Her grip latched onto my arm, her fingers digging in just enough to make faint red marks on my skin. Oh for sure, she was trying to piss me off."You’re truly heartless," she whispered, her voice scathing. "You really don’t care about anything, do you?"I yanked my arm back, but she tightened her hold."After everything you did to Marcy," she continued, eyes flashing with something dangerous, "After pushing her to theft and causing her to lose her job, you just… resume life as usual? Like nothing ever happened?"I clenched my jaw."Meanwhile," she went on, voice risin
Abigail The venom in her voice was breathtaking, and for once, it wasn’t directed at me."That woman"—she spat the word like it burned—"has clung to him his entire life! And for what? To suffocate him? To chain him down like some pathetic little boy who needs her guidance?" She laughed bitterly. "She never raised a man—just a weak, spineless fool who lets a washed-up old crone dictate his life!"I couldn’t even get a word in – Susanna was on a roll."And then there’s Liliana—" She practically spat her sister’s name. "Liliana the know-it-all, Liliana the cold, unfeeling b*tch who never once considered anyone’s suffering but her own!" Her face twisted with contempt. "Oh, poor Liliana, so burdened by her stupid sister’s mistakes, so busy scheming to save me while looking down on me!"Her voice was growing shriller, her fury crackling in the air between us."And that disgusting little gremlin she calls a son—"Not even the little liar was safe from Susanna’s anger."Henry," she sneered.
Abigail*Liliana’s voice broke the stunned silence, as sharp and exasperated as ever. “For heaven’s sake, what is wrong with all of you?”The crowd’s attention swayed, shifting from Susanna to the approaching figure forcing her way through them like Moses dividing the Red Sea. The employees stepped aside hesitantly, some muttering under their breaths as Liliana shouldered past them, barely bothering with niceties. She looked as irritated as ever, her face pinched with annoyance as though this entire spectacle was beneath her.She was shrugging off her jacket as she moved, all the while murmuring curses under her breath and by the time she reached Susanna, she had already swung it around, draping it over the torn section of her Susanna’s blouse. The gesture was smooth and looked almost maternal in nature, but I wasn’t fooled.Liliana never did anything without purpose.As if sensing my skepticism, she let out a theatrical sigh, shaking her head in disapproval. “Honestly, why are all o
SusannaI stormed out of Conrad’s office, my heels clicking loudly against the floor in my haste. My head echoed with every insult I didn’t bother to say aloud. If he wanted to be such an ass, fine. Let him sulk in his gloomy little corner. Honestly, I didn’t know what was wrong with him lately. First, he acts like we’re on the same page, like he wants Abigail ruined just as badly as I do. Then, when I hand him everything on a silver platter—the trending headlines, the public disgrace, even a reason for that witch of a woman to crawl back to him—he turns into some kind of monk.And for what? Because I suggested we celebrate? Because I tried to kiss him?I muttered under my breath as I passed his secretary. She chirped a fake sweet "have a good day" at me, and I didn’t even b
ConradThe performance reports for my marketing teams were waiting for me by the side of my desk, but my eyes were fixed on my phone screen. I reclined slightly in my chair, one leg crossed over the other, my finger steadily scrolling as article after article loaded. It had been nearly a full day but they were still there, dozens of them multiplying like weeds, no matter how many got reported or removed. And the longer they lingered, the more outrageous the headlines became."Like Brother, Like Sister? Inside Abigail’s Troubled Bloodline!" "From Rags to Riches to Madness: Abigail Remington’s Crumbling Fairytale."I chuckled under my breath. Public perception was like wet clay. Mold it right, and you could make anything stick. And now, Abigail&rsquo
AbigailI spooned the soup into my mouth like it was my punishment. Warm, bland, and textureless. I could tell it was good, probably some expensive place Daniel had ordered from, but to me, it might as well have been ash. I chewed mechanically, my eyes glued to the TV where an explosion lit up the screen in vibrant orange and yellow. The sound was muted. I wasn’t really watching. Just staring. The kind of stare where your eyes are open but your mind has long since wandered off into the darkness.I just needed to eat enough to keep my strength up. That was the logic. Strength for what, I wasn’t entirely sure. Everything, I suppose. For waking up tomorrow. For standing without swaying. For fighting.The truth was, my body felt numb and foreign to me. My limbs moved out of habit, not will. My chest felt hea
AlexanderI sighed and set the report down beside me on the bed, the paper softly brushing against the cotton sheets. My fingers went up to the bridge of my nose, rubbing slowly, hoping the dull ache building behind my eyes would ease with a little pressure. It didn’t. I leaned back against the headboard, letting my head rest there for a moment, trying to push back the weight of what I’d just read in Daniel’s report.I’d skimmed it yesterday, noted the key points, but tonight I’d finally read it through properly, line by line. And with each sentence, it had become more and more obvious that Liliana was tangled in something deeper than she had any right to be. She had ties I couldn’t yet understand how she had made, ties that enabled her to position herself at the heart of things. I picked up the report again and flipped to the section Daniel had titled Property Chain Discrepancies. According to his investigation, during the
ConradThe water was cold. Not lukewarm, not cool but cold. It hit my skin like a punishment, like maybe if I stood under it long enough, it would drown the rage boiling in my blood. But it didn’t.Hours had passed since I left Ravenbrook, and still, my jaw was clenched and my shoulders were tight. I stood there, letting the freezing water run down my body, but none of it soothed me. If anything, the silence only made it worse. My thoughts kept circling like vultures, refusing to leave the taste of what I had experienced behind. The humiliation, the shock, the audacity of it all.I couldn’t get rid of Abigail’s expression in my thoughts. She’d looked at me like I was nothing. Like I didn’t matter at all. And that bastard beside her, Daniel, or whoever the hell he thought he was, hadn’t even flinched when I threatened him. He had just stood there, smug behind his glasses, acting like I was some nuisance in my own estat
ConradThere was something off about him.I stared at Alexander’s secretary, Daniel, my eyes narrowing as I tried to place what it was. Maybe it was the posture. It was too confident even though he was just standing there. Secretaries didn’t stand like that, not in the presence of someone like me. Or maybe it was the steady way he looked at me, holding my gaze like he was reading me, daring me to blink first.A smirk nearly twitched across my lips. He was bolder than most.Still, it didn’t matter. Whatever game he was playing, I would end it the way I ended every threat; cleanly, decisively, and with little patience for dramatics. If he thought I was bluffing by telling him he wouldn’t make it back to Alexander in one piece, he was in for the rudest kind of awakening. I had disposed of men for less than standing on my property with that look in their eyes. And the fact that this was the same idiot who kept turning up around Abigail
Abigail“Just wait a little bit,”Alexander continued, his eyes trained on my face. “One of my men will drive you to the hospital for a check up. I’ll join you as soon as I finish up here.” He took one of my shaking hands in his and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting go.The heater’s warmth crawled up my limbs slowly, but it couldn’t seem to reach my chest. I sat quietly in the passenger seat, wrapped tightly in the towel he had draped over me, watching him walk away toward the manor. My fingers, still trembling slightly, clutched the towel closer. The moment he shut the car door, I already missed his presence. It had felt like something I could hold onto, like safety.But then the silence was broken by the low rumble of engines growing louder by the second. I turned just in time to see two sleek black cars screech into the front courtyard, tires groaning in protest. This was the kind of loud entrance only someone li
AbigailThe first thing I felt as I came to was cold. Not just the kind that prickled the skin or made you shiver, but the kind that sank deep into the marrow, slow and consuming. It felt like the chill in the air had seeped into my bones and decided to settle there, like a second skeleton made of frost. I wanted to curl in on myself, but even that movement felt too much. My body was strangely weak.Against the freezing cold, a searing heat pressed against my lips, like fire on ice...someone’s lips? I stirred weakly, and in the hazy waking that followed, I became aware of warm droplets falling onto my cheek. Tears, but they weren’t mine.I opened my eyes.Alexander’s face swam into view above me. His brows were drawn together in anguish, but his eyes lit up with such sudden relief when he saw I was awake, it made my heart twist. There were tears in his eyes, actual tears, and I don’t think he even noticed them until I reached up with trembling fingers and brushed one away.“You’re cry
Conrad This was wrong. All wrong. I took a slow sip of my whiskey, trying to let the burn of it distract me, but it didn’t work. The woman in front of me, the one I had spent a ridiculous amount of money perfecting, stood stiffly, her hands clasped together, head tilted downward like a scolded child. She was supposed to look like my wife. She did, to an extent. The hair, the eyes, even the perfume; those details were correct. But everything else? Off. Her posture was wrong. Abigail didn't carry herself like an 1900's schoolgirl expecting a caning. Abigail never failed to meet my eyes even when I was spitting fire. Her quiet confidence couldn't be taught. This woman? She was trying too hard, and it irritated me. I sighed, rolling the glass between my fingers before setting it down with a dull clink. This would have to do for now. I couldn’t have Abigail yet, but I needed something, someone, to fill the void, and it couldn't be Susanna. At least, not for now. Mother had been s