"Uhm... Zac?" Abby could not answer Zac's question because she wasn't sure if he hadn't heard her in the first place or was testing her.Gin, who could see the difficulty in his sister's eyes, finally took over."Oh, hey, Zac. Sorry, I've been giving you guys a hard time with my childish behavior. I didn't mean to—""Gin, hey, buddy. There's no need to feel that way. I have a younger sister your age who's just as much trouble. You amaze me. You love Abby and always take care of her. I was very jealous of you. Especially since my future wife loves you more than me." Zac laughed, followed by Gin, who tried to break the ice, while Abby was silent.She had been trying to hide her face from Zac and Gin by deliberately protecting his sister by holding her close."So, what happens now? Are you okay, Abby? You've been quiet all day.""Ah, she's just tired. Let her rest a bit while we chat in the study. How about it?" Gin didn't wait for Zac's answer but immediately removed the embrace from Ab
"Zac? What happened to you? You've been quiet and not listening to me," Abby asked, finally deciding to meet with Zac and discuss their marriage.However, Zac wasn't in good shape. He was still thinking about the incident at the hotel, where Monica went too far with him.Zac came to his senses and flashed an awkward smile. Because of that incident, he wasn't thinking about Monica but rather about what his sister felt about daring to kiss his lips."I'm sorry. Maybe I was too tired with all the activities and preparations for our wedding." Zac reached for Abby's fingers and grasped them. "Don't say you're going to cancel.""What?" Abby laughed. "Are you crazy to think that, Zac? What happened to you?""Because you've been acting weird for the past few days. You've been avoiding me, and it's only today that you're finally willing to see me." Zac stroked Abby's cheek and reached up to kiss her soulfully. "Tell me, are you okay? We can postpone our wedding if you—""Zac... no, honey. I wo
"How was it, Abby? Did you tell your boyfriend?" Gin asked, welcoming Abby home. His sister rested her back against the back of the sofa and massaged her temples."The thought of becoming Zac's wife soon makes my head throb." She turned to Gin. "What are your plans next?""I want to take you to your childhood home, Abby. Let's go check on Papa."Abby looked at Gin with a furrowed brow, unable to believe that her brother had begun to understand what he had to do for the family. Unconsciously, Abby's eyes glazed over. She stroked Gin's jaw lovingly."You've grown up, Gin. The longer I look at you, the more I find our parents in you."Seeing Abby's demeanor and the tears rolling down her cheeks, Gin reached out and held her close. He regretted that he only realized and recognized his sister's character when his mother had disappeared somewhere. If only he had learned earlier, then it wouldn't have happened because he would have focused on the safety of his mother, father, and sister.Now
"Al, is Jude coming with Gin?" asked Abby, which made Alice, who was on the other side, frown."What's wrong, Abby? Is there a problem?""No, no. I'm just making sure. I thought he was going with my dad and Gin. I'm worried about them.""Oh, I thought something had happened," Alice replied calmly. "At first, I thought that Jude would come. But, he said, he had no authority. He would have gone if it had been Selena."Abby nodded, feeling a mixture of emotions. She was worried that later, on her wedding day, Gin wouldn't come because of unfinished business. Or worse, if something happened to him."Abby, hey... everything will be fine. Trust me." Abby nodded, even though she realized that Alice wouldn't be able to see her. "Do you need some company? I just made an apple pie. I can bring it to you."Alice lit up, and so did Abby. Being accompanied by the best friend who was always there in every struggle, there was no way she would refuse.She rushed to Abby's house. However, even before
"Hhmph!" A woman screeched loudly, but no sound or words came out other than an incoherent babble as her mouth was covered with a plaster at the moment.Her hands and feet were bound, her eyes covered with a piece of cloth tied tightly enough that she couldn't see anything despite the ingenious means she used every time she faced similar problems.This kind of thing was nothing new to her. However, this time, she seemed to be dealing with someone quite skillful and had committed the same crime for a long time."Did you check her cell phone?" asked a deep baritone voice she didn't recognize. She had been suspicious before, thinking Jude was behind all this. However, she had to admit that she was wrong."That's it, sir. There's nothing there. Just Abigail Genovhia's wedding schedule as our client wanted," another replied."Very well. Then we can move now. Just as Miss Marra requested, we must take Abigail and hold her hostage. If necessary, eliminate the trail so that no one will find h
Abby was wide-eyed, unable to believe that Garry knew her identity. For several years, she had been able to walk free without anyone knowing, but now it seemed to be the end of her quest for revenge.Stammering and unable to utter any words in her shock, Abby just stared at the man in front of her."Why are you so surprised?" the man asked. "I've been looking for you for a long time. You disappeared like the earth, and so did your father.""What do you want? You've destroyed my family; now, what do you want?"Garry's expression instantly changed when he heard Abby's accusation. He shook his head vaguely, still not shifting the gaze that Abby could not translate."What do you mean, did something happen to you guys?"Abby shook her head in disbelief. This man was Garry Emerson, wasn't he? Why did he not seem to remember his actions? Or was it just a charade to keep Abby from further acting against them?Or maybe they were the ones who were organizing a plan to destroy her.Abby wanted n
"Have you heard from Jude?" asked Abby, who was still worried about Alice, who had disappeared, and Jude, who had not heard from her. Gin just shook his head.He was also waiting for the news that Jude had promised. He repeatedly offered to help, but he refused. He would save Alice while Gin had to look after Abby.It was late in the day, and there was no way the man would give any news. Even if they were already on site, they would be working on a plan to free Alice."I'll go look for her," Abby said as she got up, but she was quickly intercepted by Gin and Zac, who already knew the news of Alice's disappearance."Abby, let Doctor Gregory do it. He asked me to look after you because he feels you are being targeted.""Who's after me? They won't find anything on me."Abby was wrong. If she meant treasure, there was a lot to be gained from her. The same could be said for herself. The criminals were stalking Abby. Not others. It had to be jealousy if Zac was to be believed."According to
"Sid? What are you doing here?" chided Monica to her sister, who was also caught just like her—sitting on a chair in a dimly lit room, lit only by a bulb. "I told you, you are on guard at the headquarters. Why are you doing this kind of foolishness?""What about you? You were caught yourself. What do you have to say, huh?"Monica was silent as Sidney shot at her with a sarcastic, obviously true sentence. No one knew what the dream was last night that their plan had failed so miserably. Before they even got what they wanted, at least to teach Abby a lesson, she had been caught."I know why you're here," Monica added, deflecting her sister's question without any intention of answering. Such rhetoric was not crucial for her to respond to. "You must not trust me; that's why you followed me. Let's be honest.""I–" Sidney could not respond quickly to her sister's accusation. It was true; that was the truth.It was only natural that she had her doubts. Several times, Monica had failed missio
Two years later...Abby looked at her and Zac's wedding photo with tears still falling. It wasn't supposed to be this way. She should have left when she first realized she was pregnant or maybe when she first started to feel different vibes in her heart towards Zac.He was too naive to get entangled in Abby's false love, but even when he knew that, he remained unmoved and loved Abby and tried to forget the crime she committed.Zac was a kind-hearted man who was hurt and took things wrong. However, Abby was touched when her father-in-law returned after visiting him. What was that sad look on his face?"What did he say?" Abby asked, curious. It had been so many times that her father-in-law and Gin had come to visit Zac. They even asked many questions, such as whether the case he was facing could be suspended with some bail. However, Zac strongly rejected their intentions."I made a mistake after all. Abby was hurt because of me. So let me serve my sentence as it should be so that I will
Right after her phone conversation with Ashton, Abby felt everything happened quickly. The next day, several police officers came to the Emerson family residence and revealed the evidence they had received regarding the case they had committed against the Anderson family.The only suspect, of course, was Amanda, while her daughter, Monica, was still unaccounted for and had disappeared into thin air.Gin read the headline news with a satisfied grin. Since the beginning, he had known many secrets about Alice, who turned out to be her aunt, then Ashton, who had been like a grim reaper for Amanda and Robert Marra, and Jude, who was the older brother of Tamara—Abby's assistant at the office.That was why they seemed to work together to avenge what had happened to James and Selena, and they became protectors for Abby and Gin.Abby couldn't believe how easily everything unfolded, and now it was time for her to tell Zac the truth. However, the news about his mother had left Zac quite devastat
Abby was still bothered by what Garry had said at dinner. She would get her father's share of the business they had worked on, but that wasn't what she wanted.Luckily, Abby was still an intelligent woman who had foreseen everything she would face. She had recorded the conversation between herself and Garry, and repeatedly listening to it made her feelings worse.This morning, she had been in and out of the bathroom several times, vomiting up everything she ate. Even when there was nothing else she could spit out, the nausea she felt intensified.She became suspicious of what she was feeling at the moment."Al, tell me honestly, did the doctors perform an abortion back then? Tell me if they removed the fetus?" Abby asked Alice who took the time to visit her. However, Alice chose not to say anything.As much as Abby hated Zac and the Emerson family, the fetus should not be victimized."Do you want to hear my words?""Alice, I'm not in the mood to negotiate.""No, you're not. I'm not go
Abby and Zac were already in the dining room with Garry, but she didn't see Amanda anywhere. Abby decided to search but didn't want to show everyone that she wanted to know how Amanda was after finding out her daughter was missing."What the hell did you guys do to eliminate those rats? Now I've lost track of my daughter." The woman sobbed. "By all means, search and find my daughter. I don't care about Sidney. I only want Monica. Are you listening!?"Abby had heard enough. Not from the beginning, but the snippets of conversation between Amanda and whoever was on the phone made her think.It was true that Alice had said that Amanda was the one who was being deceitful. She wanted to have everything and didn't even care about others. Everything was only about her. So, how did Garry deal with it all?How could he endure all this time living with a woman who didn't love him? Even behind his back, Amanda betrayed him and made him a target to get what she wanted.Did Garry do that on purpose
"Are you busy today? Mom and Dad asked us to come over for dinner. But if you don't want to, it's fine if we don't come," Zac said as he shaved while Abby cleaned up his work clothes that had just been washed.Something she'd never done before—cleaning up after herself. Even though several servants were ready to help or do everything for her, for now, she felt like doing everything, even taking care of Zac's needs at home and work.Abby's movements stopped when she heard Zac's words. Instantly, she remembered what happened on her wedding day. She shouldn't have been afraid and asked Garry what made him so sure of his words. It could be that this was her chance.The other thing that makes Abby do it is Gin's statement, which says everything that happened to their family resulted from Sidney's father, Robert Marra. If that was true, then what role did Garry play? That was what she needed to find out.One way was to get close to the head of the Emerson family."Okay, no problem. We'll go
Alice was relieved she had good instincts, especially regarding her best friend. If not, who knew what would have happened to Abby by now? It could be worse than this. She felt terrible when she learned that Abby had asked her to take her to a suspicious location. She had heard many things about the district. High crime, looting, robbery, even murder. Another one that worried Alice was the high abortion rate.Abby probably wouldn't do it, but what if she did?Alice followed where her friend was going, and when she entered a secluded alley, she knew her instincts were right. She was now pointing a gun at men dressed as doctors and medical staff—Alice wasn't sure if they were actually in the profession. There was no way a doctor would sully his title for the immoral deeds they were doing now."I'm Detective Denver. Let her go, or I'll take you to jail," Alice said firmly, gun in hand. The others raised their hands, allowing the convincing-looking woman to take Abby away.Alice left no
According to some, including Zac, everything was going well, and he was living a beautiful and passionate married life. However, he had no idea that a time bomb was about to explode. He only envisioned a life of love with Abby, who showed the same towards him.For Zac, Abby's attitude was getting better, and Abby didn't understand what she was going through. She became very attached to Zac and was reluctant to let him go to work or the slightest distance so that she would sulk."Al, do you know what I'm experiencing is very strange? How is it possible, who has been reluctant to get close to Zac except to attract attention and ensnare him with a love trap so that he falls into my trap for revenge, now everything seems to be reversed? I hate being apart from him." Abby wrung her hair in frustration while at the office and received a visit from her best friend. "Is there something wrong with me?"Alice held her chin and looked thoughtful. She had never experienced the same thing; even th
A fierce duel was inevitable between Jude and the man standing guard, along with some of the men who eventually moved to all sides to confront Jude's friend, who had managed to fend off the criminals attacking them outside."Jude, come in; I'll deal with them. Save Alice!" commanded one of them, who seemed to be the most elegant among the others and had been trying to block the attack on Jude.This time, however, the gang's boss would not let Jude go. He insisted the man stay there to fight the last drop of blood. Jude didn't mind doing that and still faced him, but his friend didn't let that happen. Again, Jude protected his position so he could immediately enter the room where Alice was. He managed to break down the door, which was already rickety and saw Alice trying to free herself by scraping the broken glass on the rope that bound her. Instead of breaking the rope, it was her hand that was scratched by the object, and she was helpless except to grimace in pain as the blood con
Not many expected this, including Gin when one of Zac's confidants, who he said was one of the men he could rely on to help find Alice, was a familiar face to the Genovhia family.Gin's eyes almost glazed over as the man entered the room and removed the distinctive brown hat and coat he always wore, even when meeting Abby."Mr. Thompson?" muttered Gin, still unable to believe what he saw. Did this mean the man had betrayed his sister?"Hi, Young Master Genovhia," the man greeted when he saw Gin in the room with the others. Gin was the only one he recognized, so to the others, he only bowed slightly. "What can I do for you, Mr. Emerson?"The man was immediately quick to ask the task Zac was going to give him. Meanwhile, Gin, who felt trapped in this, immediately grabbed the shirt collar of the man who had not yet sat in his chair and dragged him out of the room regardless of his brother-in-law's call.He was on the verge of throwing a punch if Mr. Thompson didn't stop him immediately.