Cassandra, laughing heartily, chimed in with a twinkle in her eyes, "Alright, alright, we'll leave the toe-sucking stories in the past. Let's discuss when you used to wet the bed as a child."Abigail was mortified, but she let them continue, relishing their joyful chatter. Strangely, neither of them brought up Nathan.Once the raviolis were ready, Abigail cooked up the first batch. Margaret tasted a couple and was genuinely pleased. "Abigail, these are just lovely, the filling is tender and juicy, not dry at all. Could I take a bowl to our neighbor, Mr. Drake?""Sure, Grandma," Abigail agreed quickly. "I'll cook up another batch right now." With that, she prepared another pot of raviolis, then carefully packed them into an insulated container, even adding a small side of marinara sauce. "Grandma, shall I take this over to Mr. Drake?""No need, dear, Mr. Drake is a bit shy with new faces. I'll take it," Margaret decided, cheerily picking up the container and heading out the door.C
"Are you suggesting you're not?" Margaret could not believe he had the nerve to ask such a question. 'Who doesn't know he's a man who would go to any lengths to achieve his goals? In the ten years since he took over Zane Corporation, hasn't he demonstrated that time and time again?'"If Grandma thinks I am, then I guess I must be." Xander unlocked the door, stepped into the room, and promptly locked the door behind him.Margaret was frustrated enough to pound on the door, but upon reflection, she knew her headstrong grandson had his principles and pride, and he would not force himself onto a girl.Xander moved to sit beside Abigail's bed, gently adjusting the covers over her, and then simply watched her in silence. From his viewpoint, the first thing that caught his eye was her long, curling eyelashes, as beautiful as a doll's. Her skin was incredibly smooth and fair, reminiscent of a freshly peeled egg, not a single flaw visible. Xander could not resist and extended his slender fin
The next day, Abigail was up with the lark. As the doctor carried out a routine check-up on Cassandra, she kept vigil at her side without taking a step away. Once the examination was over, she grilled the doctor about every detail, only relaxing slightly when assured her grandmother's condition was stable.Margaret respectfully left the room to the two of them. Alone with Abigail, Cassandra could not help but broach the subject of Nathan. "Abigail, you said over the phone that you want to give things a shot with Nathan. Have you really decided?""Mhm." Abigail nodded. "Don't worry, Grandma, I'm not doing this on a whim. I've given it careful consideration."Cassandra had always trusted Abigail's judgment. "Nathan is a quiet one, not good at sweet talk or coaxing a smile, but for some reason, he just seems like someone you can rely on."Abigail nodded vehemently. "Grandma, I feel the same way. Every time I think about him, I feel... at ease."Cassandra gently ruffled Abigail's hair
This sudden revelation sent a surge of alarm through Abigail, her heart pounding in her throat as though it were ready to leap right out. Almost on instinct, she sprang back, inadvertently slamming her head against the car window behind her, which shot stars across her vision in a symphony of pain. Ignoring the throbbing in her skull, she darted a quick glance at Xander. To her immense relief, he seemed to still be asleep, oblivious to the whole ordeal. Breathing a sigh of relief, she found herself patting her chest in an attempt to steady her pounding heart.'Since Xander has no idea I just fell asleep on his shoulder, I'll act as if nothing happened,' she reasoned silently. 'Yes, as long as I keep my mouth shut, nobody will know I slept on his shoulder.'Just as she was silently consoling herself, Xander's eyes fluttered open. His gaze bore into her from beneath the silver-rimmed glasses, lending an almost eerie intensity to his countenance. The sudden scrutiny startled Abigail int
But, Abigail felt that the act was especially inappropriate. She said, "Mr. Zane, you should let go of me. I can do it myself.""Do you have eyes or a hand on top of your head?" Xander let her go after he had helped her with applying the medical cream. He then unhurriedly put the cream away. He coldly stared at her as he said, "Did you think that I have some kind of intention toward you again?"Abigail did think that. But, when he confidently asked her that, it made her feel as if she was overthinking again. She answered, "I-I didn't."It was obviously a lie. She behaved as if Xander was about to devour her whenever he got close to her. This made him really unhappy. He wanted to punish her ruthlessly. He asked, "No?"Abigail was speechless.'I did, actually!'He pressed me into his embrace. Of course, I'd overthink.'However, Abigail did not dare to admit it because he had already told her that he did not have any intention toward her. If she continued to think like that, it wou
'His wife's name is Abigail Renee too. Same first and last name as mine!Suddenly, all of his unreasonable behaviors could be explained.'Back then, when he was drunk and said my name was bad luck, that was because he was having a conflict with his wife. So, he took out his rage on me.'But now, when he treats me so well, that's just because I have the same name as his wife. I just benefited from having the same name as her. And yet, I still foolishly thought that he was interested in me.'Abigail finally understood why his voice was so sweet whenever he called her name.Xander spoke again. "My wife is brilliant. She deserves to be cherished and spoiled. I've decided that I'll be with her for the rest of my life. I won't be with another woman."Abigail responded, "I know that."Xander asked, "Do you?"He wanted to tell her that he had decided to spend his life with her. But, she knew nothing. She even constantly thought of drawing the line with him.His lawfully registered wif
She thought, 'Our conversation stopped at ten in the morning yesterday. More than thirty hours had passed but Nathan didn't even send me a message. Is he still busy working, or is it because he didn't think of me?'Abigail closed their conversation. She then opened a renovation website to look at other people's renovation styles."Abigail!" When Esther's voice was heard, she was at the entrance.She rushed to Abigail and gave her a hug. She said, "Abigail, it's been a while!"Esther was too friendly. She hugged Abigail as soon as she saw her. Esther always made Abigail feel as though she did not know what to do. Abigail responded, "Ms. Zane, it's great to meet you!"Abigail still did not know that Esther was not this friendly with everyone. Esther felt an inexplicable friendliness toward Abigail. That was why Esther could not help but stay close to Abigail whenever she saw her."Abigail, don't be so formal. You can call me Esther or Essy." Esther then squeezed to sit next to Abig
Finnigan had a chill running down his spine upon hearing that. He responded, "Mr. Zane, you have a wonderful sense of humor."Xander raised his dashing eyebrows slightly. He stared coldly at Finnigan and asked, "Do you think I'm joking?"Finnigan clearly knew that Xander was not kidding. He was fully prepared when he agreed to take this job. He responded, "Mr. Zane, why don't you ask your wife's opinion before we make a decision.""Just be prepared." Xander went to the first floor. He then immediately saw Esther, who he had called to accompany Abigail, curled up on the couch. She was holding her phone and laughing like a fool. He asked, "Esther, how old are you?"Esther raised her head to glance at Xander before she lowered her head to look at her phone again. She responded, "Xander, you don't even know my age? You really don't love me at all. I'll tell you; I'll be twenty-three after Easter."Xander said in his deep voice, "You know you're almost twenty-three. And yet, you still