4 - Why are you so thin? Don't you eat?

Ivy spurt into a peal of nervous laughter. "What do you think is wrong with her? She's just twenty, never been under so much pressure. She's overwhelmed with everything. It's nothing serious," she assured him.

Tony frowned. "Twenty? She looks like she's twelve. Too thin."

Ivy was taken off guard, not expecting Tony to make those observations in a woman he didn't like but the fact was staring her in the face. Tony had had too much experience with women and didn't need a doctor to know that something was wrong with the woman his mother brought for him. Ivy couldn't tell Tony the truth. He would despise Abigail. "She is petite. Nothing serious. Everything happened so...ehm…I mean so fast, she's being nostalgic," she tactfully said but her actions spoke otherwise and Tony was too smart to not notice.

"Then why are you nervous and stuttering? I never heard you stammer before. Besides, she is the lightest woman I have ever carried. Doesn't she eat? She seems to be underweight. She's too thin and I don't buy into that petite excuse of yours," he stated nonchalantly. Tony was heartbroken and he didn't want to get married to any woman yet. If time hadn't closed up on him, this would have never been an option.

"Was I stuttering? I didn't realise it. You go and rest. The doctor will be here to take care of her," Ivy dismissed him. Tony didn't see the reason for arguing with her anymore. After tomorrow, he would do whatever he liked and no one would stop him. When Ivy saw Tony walking the other way, she asked neurologically, "where are you going?"

Tony responded indifferently, "to my room. This door opens there, remember?" Ivy had forgotten the door connecting the master and madam's room without having to go through the main door on the corridor and heaved alleviated.

As soon as Tony entered his room, Ivy heard things being smashed. Instantly, she was overrun with sorrow but she couldn't care to go check on her broken-hearted son. It wasn't her fault that he didn't listen to her. He laid his bed and so must he lie on it.

Ivy had changed up Abigail and put light clothes on her before the doctor arrived. A deep frown disfigured his face when he examined her. Her skin was dry and slightly flaky, her brown hair was dry, lifeless, dull and appeared like straw. Her nails were brittle, breaking easily. Dr Dan shook his head. "Has she been starving herself?"

"Let's just say so. Aren't you the doctor?" Ivy was slightly sardonic. Dr Dan was the family doctor, always treading with caution. The elite families in M City were quite difficult to deal with. Wondering how Abigail got into the state she was, it was better to keep his suspicions to himself. He pursed his lips and proceeded with the treatment. "She needs a lot of rest," he said after almost an hour. Ivy wasn't hearing it. If Abigail failed to appear before the elders of the Wrights and Woods family during the inauguration, the whole marriage could be termed a sham.

"After tomorrow, she will have all the needed rest but for now, "I need her at Tony's inauguration." Her voice sounded determined therefore the doctor couldn't say otherwise, choosing to remain silent. He couldn't afford to argue with anyone among the elite rank. 

"I have prescribed some appetite boosters and supplements for her. If she takes them well with healthy meals, she will start feeling better in fourteen days. But the treatment will have to continue for her to recover fully," he instructed.

"Don't worry, I will take good care of her," Ivy assured him. After a few hours, the doctor left. Ivy went to her room to freshen up, returning to personally take care of Abigail. She didn't even want to leave her in the hands of the maids or housekeepers.

Abigail woke up to the view of a magnificent chandelier above her head. Gosh, she's dreaming again. She squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds and opened them again. The bed was soft and posh, and so was every piece of furniture in the room. The colour theme in the room was in shades of cream and gold but Abigail began having ideas. Wait a minute, where was she? Her thoughts went in a race, all rushing in when she saw the ring on her finger. Her heart thumped with the speed of a racing car. Yes. She vividly recalled getting married and fainting when she got home. Embarrassment washed her when she recalled everything, even though she didn't know how she got into this room.

The last time she slept on a bed close to this softness was eight years ago. Her step-sisters moved into her room, forcing her to sleep on the floor. By then, her father thought they were just getting to know each other and told Abigail to be considerate when she complained.

Somehow, she felt like a princess once again but was soon fried in regret when she realized how much shame she must have caused Ivy and she didn't know how to face her. Adding to her dismay, the door pushed open. "You are awake. I was beginning to get worried," Ivy said in relief.

Abigail was conscience-stricken, facepalming, "I'm so sorry, I embarrassed you," she tried to apologize. Ivy shushed her warmly,

"Hey, you did no such thing. Here, this porridge is good for your health. Have some before we prepare for the inauguration," she brought the bowl to the bed. Abigail had just recalled that they had to go somewhere. Being anywhere near Tony caused her to feel edgy. "What do I have to do when I get there?"

"Nothing, except answering a few questions from the media. If you feel uncomfortable with them, just say no comments okay?" Ivy didn't care so much about the media. All she wanted was for the transition to be done smoothly.

Abigail was grateful for Ivy's help. She didn't expect Ivy to treat her so well after taking care of her father's medical expenses. Still, she harboured a great concern. "Okay, but will Tony be fine with that?"

Tony had always had women who complimented him, acting perfectly in front of the media and knowing the answers to give. Abigail was seen to have zero confidence, compared to those women but Ivy believed that with time and the right amount of training, Abigail would surpass them. "For now, I don't care what he thinks. My only concern is for you to be better,"

Ivy said and began to feed her the porridge.  Abigail teared up. Aside from her father, she has never experienced so much care from anyone. She wiped the tear quickly before it fell, just when Ivy had shifted her gaze to the porridge. After a few spoonfuls, she was full, "I think I've had enough," she said appreciatively but Ivy was confident to keep her promise and that was making sure that Abigail was well taken care of, including eating.

"No way, the doctor said you have to eat well and take your supplements. Don't you want to get better? You have to eat more." Abigail didn't know how to refuse. She genuinely felt full because she was used to eating small portions but not wanting to upset Ivy, she swallowed a few more spoonfuls. Soon her tummy hurt slightly from eating too much but she kept it to herself.

Ivy helped her to the bathroom and she felt uneasy. She never appeared naked in front of anyone before but Ivy had already started removing her clothes. "I can do it," she held Ivy's hand, staring pleadingly into her eyes. Ivy chuckled,

"See, your hands are shaking. How could you do this yourself?" Ignoring Abigail's plea, she continued to undress her, got her into the jacuzzi and began to bathe her. Abigail was uncomfortable throughout the process but didn't complain. She wondered why Ivy was doing this herself. She could have just let the maids help her.

"Mom, why not let the maids, you are very busy." Abigail found the word, mom, a bit awkward but she couldn't get a name better than that to call her.

"First lesson you learn in life. Don't entrust everything to the maids, lest they know too much, and turn you over to your enemies for spindrift," Ivy educated her. Abigail understood quite well. How did secrets of the elites emerge in the open? She was grateful for this word of advice.

"I will always remember that," she said genuinely. Ivy only smiled while selecting a dress for the occasion. She had randomly picked these clothes for Abigail when she was being prepared for the wedding. They were expensive but not the sexy or exposing kind.

For today's occasion, she made sure to pick a dress that covered Abigail's skin entirely but was still lavish. She made her up and combed her hair. Accessorizing with a three-inch stiletto. She wasn't sure if it was safe for Abigail but it matched the dress perfectly.

Tony had waited downstairs for close to an hour and was getting impatient. His eyes darkened at the sight of Abigails' outfit when she descended the stairs. She looked too decent and he couldn't believe he had waited this long for this. The wedding gown to him was a disaster but he could only accentuate it to the chase with time but this dress wasn't his zest.

"Mum, couldn't you choose something sexier? This looks rather...."

"Gorgeous?" Ivy responded explicitly. How could she explain that Abigail's skin was so pale, she couldn't bear exposing them?

Whereas Tony wasn't going to let her off easily either. "That wasn't the word I was going to use," he said frankly.

Ivy put on a cute smile while Abigail stood awkward and nervous in front of Tony. "I think you are already late. Don't let people think that you don't take your inauguration seriously," Ivy reminded him. If Tony then insisted on Abigail changing her dress, they were going to be late. Ivy had already planned everything.

"Fine." Tony gave up and began walking to the car when his mother reminded him,

"Charity begins at home. If you can't hold her hand, take her to the car and open the door for her, it won't come naturally when you get to the venue. Don't let people think that you are still in love with a woman who chose another man over you."

Tony understood and walked back to take Abigail's hand. She was so frail he thought her hand was going to break. "Why are you so thin? Don't you eat?" He asked with a rather irritated groan. Abigail stole a glance at Ivy, who shook her head, telling her to ignore Tony's words. As usual, the distance between them was quite wide with each sitting at the far end of the window but when Ivy talked about the media, Abigail didn't know that she was going to be swarmed by them. She didn't know how she was going to face them and was aghast when the limo stopped right in front of them.