"How long have you been standing here?” James asked Abigail. “Were you listening to our conversation? Who gave you the right? Just because you’re Uncle Edward’s wife doesn’t mean you can listen to our conversation. Have some decency.” James said to Abigail.
"Maybe you tricked Uncle Edward into marrying you. Or maybe he just felt sorry for you. But that doesn't mean you're accepted as part of the family. No one in my family will ever accept you." James said, bumping into the girl before leaving. He left the door open as Abigail stared at Edward.“What are you still doing out there, get inside,” Edward said as he stood up from his seat. Abigail slowly entered and closed the door. “Manager Irene wants me to give these documents,” Abigail said upon entering."Sit down, we need to talk," Edward said, walking towards the sofa. The woman, having no idea what was going on, placed the document she was carryAbigail couldn't hide her admiration as she stepped into Edward's unit. He had picked her up from the hotel and brought her to his condo. He said the renovation was finished and they could move in. She couldn't believe it, just last night he said his unit was under renovation. How quickly they finished the renovation. She couldn't hide her admiration, especially for her walk-in closet that Edward had built, especially the beautiful and expensive clothes that were inside.“Mr. President, you don’t have to do this,” Abigail said, looking at the young man. “I mean-----”“It’s fine,” Edward uttered.“Think of it this way, starting now you are training yourself to become a better version of yourself. I am not saying that you should change your personality. But just be confident in who you are. You’ve been hiding the real you for the longest time.” Edward added. The young woman looked at the young man w
Are you sure you want me to drop you off here?" The driver asked Abigail when she told him to drop her off a short distance from the building where she worked. The driver couldn't hide his surprise at what the young woman had said. "I'm okay here. It's uncomfortable when my colleagues see me getting out of a luxury car," said Abigail. She was certain that she would become a topic of conversation if they saw her."Thank you," said Abigail as she opened the door, got out of the car, and walked towards the building. She was about to enter the building when she suddenly ran into two of her colleagues. They were surprised to see her appearance, especially the color of her hair. "What do you want to happen now? Did you change your hair color to fit in?" asked a woman who was taken aback upon seeing her."Even if you change your hair color, your position in this company won't change. You're still just an office maid and a coffee maker," said James, who arrived with Tiffany, holding onto the
Amazed, Abigail gazed at the cruise ship standing before her. She could hardly believe that, after three months of saving her salary, her dream of marrying the man she loved most was about to come true. The events seemed to unfold too quickly, but she was ecstatic that her dream was becoming a reality. Ever since graduating from college, her only aspirations were to secure a stable job, which she achieved as an office clerk at Ulrick Group, and to find a partner to marry eventually.Upon joining the Ulrick Company, Abigail felt a wave of fear, questioning her ability to socialize due to her introverted nature. As a country girl stepping into the corporate world, she faced a daunting challenge. Despite her shyness and reserved demeanor, she discovered joy in her duties, cheerfully buying coffee for colleagues, photocopying documents, working late, and assisting with her coworkers' tasks.Working at the company became easier for Abigail, especially after meeting James Ulrick, the son of
"You haven't changed a bit. From high school until now, you still dress the same. How do you expect to get a boyfriend like that?" Tiffany remarked, looking her up and down. Abigail glanced at her friend. As far as she could recall, Tiffany didn't use to dress this way in high school or college. She used to say that it didn't matter what they wore as long as they were comfortable, that it was all about how one carries oneself. But now, it seemed Tiffany had changed 360 degrees; even her clothes and the bag she carried were branded. Abigail knew that Tiffany's family was affluent. It seemed she was the only one who remained unchanged over time."Come, I'll introduce you to someone," Tiffany said cheerfully, taking the young woman's hand and leading her to the table where James was seated."I met him earlier while touring the cruise," Tiffany explained, stopping in front of James."James, I want you to meet my friend, Abby," Tiffany introduced. "Abby, meet James," she said, turning to l
"Why isn't he here yet?" Abigail wondered aloud while waiting inside the function hall for James. All the other couples to be wed that day were already grouped, leaving her the only one alone. Several staff members approached her repeatedly, saying the wedding was about to start and that her groom needed to arrive soon or they would not be able to participate in the ceremony. The young woman assured the staff that the young man was on his way. However, minutes passed as she stood by the door of the function hall, and still, there was no sign of James.The woman's shoulders slumped as she watched the wedding ceremony unfold. All the couples present were joyful except for her. Not only was she unable to attend the wedding, but her groom also did not arrive. She watched them exchange vows with happiness while discreetly wiping away her tears. She didn't know what happened to James or why he failed to show up for their wedding. Was she the only one excited about their union?Abigail dropp
Tiffany and James were shocked by Abigail's sudden action. She delivered a strong slap to the man's face, tears streaming down her cheeks."Leave my cabin," she demanded firmly."What did you say?" James inquired."Get out of my cabin. I paid for this place," the girl yelled. But her shout didn't intimidate James. Instead of James and Tiffany leaving her room, James dragged her out of the cabin and pushed her to the floor. James wasn't satisfied with just ejecting Abigail; he even threw her suitcase out after her."Are you tallying up your expenses on me? How cheap," James remarked before slamming the cabin door shut. Abigail heard the laughter of Tiffany and James inside her cabin as she tearfully gathered her belongings.Where could she possibly go? The cruise was already at sea. What, would she jump into the ocean and swim back to the pier? These thoughts crossed the young woman's mind as she stood in front of the railing, on the deck of the cruise ship, watching the fireworks whil
Everyone turned to look at Abigail and the young man with her as they entered the cruise ship's casino. The crowd was in disbelief at the sight. Abigail could also hear the whispers of those present. She heard the name the people were calling the man with her."Are you Edward Ulrick?" the lady asked in surprise, halting and turning to face the young man. She was astonished that the man she was seeing was James' uncle; he bore no resemblance to what she had envisioned. The company employees' descriptions had not captured the handsomeness of Edward's features in her mind. She had imagined Edward as an older man, being James' uncle, yet the reality stood starkly different before her now.The young man stopped walking and turned towards the lady."Why? You seem startled," Edward said with a smile to the lady."Well, you don't look like what I had in mind," the lady replied. Edward's brow furrowed in curiosity at her words."I'm intrigued. What did you think I looked like?" the young man a
In addition to the group wedding that was the highlight of the cruise's Christmas event, a notable auction also took place in the cruise's casino, attended by businessmen known not only in the corporate world. The auction was one of the event highlights of that cruise. As the auction began, the first item up for bid was a Moussaieff Red Diamond, which is exceedingly rare."Is that the Moussaieff diamond?" Abigail exclaimed in surprise, gazing at the ring that was the first auction item."Do you know about that red diamond?" Edward asked in disbelief. He did not expect the young woman to be knowledgeable about it. Tiffany and James, who were behind the two, were also surprised to hear Abigail's remark."Of course. I work for a jewelry company; it's the bare minimum for me to know about these things," said Abigail. Although everyone treated her as just an office maid, she knew about the jewelry they made, especially since Ulrick Jewels was one of the most famous companies producing high-
Are you sure you want me to drop you off here?" The driver asked Abigail when she told him to drop her off a short distance from the building where she worked. The driver couldn't hide his surprise at what the young woman had said. "I'm okay here. It's uncomfortable when my colleagues see me getting out of a luxury car," said Abigail. She was certain that she would become a topic of conversation if they saw her."Thank you," said Abigail as she opened the door, got out of the car, and walked towards the building. She was about to enter the building when she suddenly ran into two of her colleagues. They were surprised to see her appearance, especially the color of her hair. "What do you want to happen now? Did you change your hair color to fit in?" asked a woman who was taken aback upon seeing her."Even if you change your hair color, your position in this company won't change. You're still just an office maid and a coffee maker," said James, who arrived with Tiffany, holding onto the
Abigail couldn't hide her admiration as she stepped into Edward's unit. He had picked her up from the hotel and brought her to his condo. He said the renovation was finished and they could move in. She couldn't believe it, just last night he said his unit was under renovation. How quickly they finished the renovation. She couldn't hide her admiration, especially for her walk-in closet that Edward had built, especially the beautiful and expensive clothes that were inside.“Mr. President, you don’t have to do this,” Abigail said, looking at the young man. “I mean-----”“It’s fine,” Edward uttered.“Think of it this way, starting now you are training yourself to become a better version of yourself. I am not saying that you should change your personality. But just be confident in who you are. You’ve been hiding the real you for the longest time.” Edward added. The young woman looked at the young man w
"How long have you been standing here?” James asked Abigail. “Were you listening to our conversation? Who gave you the right? Just because you’re Uncle Edward’s wife doesn’t mean you can listen to our conversation. Have some decency.” James said to Abigail."Maybe you tricked Uncle Edward into marrying you. Or maybe he just felt sorry for you. But that doesn't mean you're accepted as part of the family. No one in my family will ever accept you." James said, bumping into the girl before leaving. He left the door open as Abigail stared at Edward.“What are you still doing out there, get inside,” Edward said as he stood up from his seat. Abigail slowly entered and closed the door.“Manager Irene wants me to give these documents,” Abigail said upon entering."Sit down, we need to talk," Edward said, walking towards the sofa. The woman, having no idea what was going on, placed the document she was carry
Why did you choose her, president? There are many other qualified staff here. You know, she is good for nothing. She just stays locked in her desk and does nothing----" said the manager when Edward said that he wanted Abigail to be his secretary while he was at their branch."You said it yourself, that she doesn't contribute much. She’s the ideal choice for my secretary," Edward remarked. The woman stared at Edward in shock, unable to grasp his reasoning. Among all the candidates for the secretary position, why did he select Abigail? In her opinion, Abigail only seemed capable of fetching coffee for the staff."I want her desk inside my office as well. I don't want to keep going out whenever I need something. I have too much to do to waste time." The young man said."Yes, president." The woman added before leaving Edward's office, leaving James and the young man inside."I still don't understand why you came here. Do you think I'm not doing my job?"
What do you mean the president will be staying on this branch?” Abigail heard one of her colleagues say. She was on her way to the printer room when she overheard the conversation of two of her coworkers. “Why, is there a problem with our branch that the president needs to be here?” asked the other. “I think our General Manager here is doing a great job managing the branch.” The other girl added.“Hasn't he been here before? He was already conducting an inspection. I believe he will be here at our branch for a short time. I also think he intends to introduce his new jewelry design here. You know, other designers are already gearing up for the competition. There's even talk about the winner being taken to the main branch and joining the main designers' team. Just think about it—becoming a part of the elite jewelry design team at Ulrick Jewels.” Abigail just looked at them."Hey! Why are you looking at us? Are you eavesdropping on our discussion?" one of them retorted to Abigail. "Jus
When they returned, Abigail was surprised because Edward immediately took her to a fashion boutique and had her styled. Even though she was still confused about what was happening, after she was styled, the young man took her to a courthouse. It was only then that it dawned on the young woman that she and Edward were getting married. And their parents weren't at their wedding. The only ones present to witness their marriage were Edward's secretary and a friend of his."Hi." Edward's friend greeted Abigail with a smile. Abigail smiled back simply and looked at him. Besides Edward's secretary, she didn't recognize the two other people with him. She didn't know how to act in front of them.“Just Relax.” Said the woman with Edward’s friend. “Laylah. Wife of Akira.” She said, extending her hand and glancing at the young man talking to Edward and his secretary."Abigail," Abigail said simply. As she looked at the woman, she couldn't help but feel intimidated. There was a clear difference be
"What are you doing here." Abigail heard a baritone voice, accompanied by something touching her shoulder. When Abigail heard that voice, she suddenly returned to the present and looked up. When she looked up, she saw Edward, and he had placed his coat on her shoulder. Did Edward see that she was outside, so he came to find her?“Is this where you plan on staying for the night?” Edward asked, looking at the woman. “It’s cold outside. Do you want to get sick? Even if you don’t care about yourself. Don’t forget you’re carrying my child. I don’t want anything to happen to her.” Edward said to Abigail"Why are you here? Why are you still awake?" the woman asked the man. "I could also ask the same thing." Edward said to the woman."The door is locked. They seem to be asleep." The young woman said. Edward looked at the house door. He doubted that they didn't hear Abigail calling them. From what he saw earlier and the way the young woman looked now, it seemed to confirm his suspicion that t
"Ma," Abigail whispered, standing outside the gate. The woman heard her call and stopped. When she saw the young woman outside the gate, she looked like she had seen a ghost. A sweet smile spread across her lips when she saw her mother's face. Despite her frailty and the visible wrinkles, she still saw the beauty in her mother's face, the face she had yearned for. The young woman wondered if her mother missed her as much as she had missed her. They hadn't seen each other in years.When the visitors noticed her mother stop, they looked at her. Even her brother and father stopped. They looked at her and her belongings. Their faces showed surprise when they saw her in that place. It's not surprising. The people who saw her were also surprised. She noticed everyone staring at her hair. Its color was really striking. They weren't foreigners, but she was born with that hair color. She even heard one of her father's friends ask him if she was his child. She was the only one who didn't look l
"What are you doing here?" Edward asked as Abigail entered the warehouse, carrying a pillow and bedsheet with a mosquito coil and mosquito repellent lotion on top. When Edward's secretary saw what the girl was carrying, she immediately stood up to take the items from Abigail's hands."Thank you," the young woman said to the man, glancing at him briefly before turning to Edward. Her parents had agreed to let the young man spend the night, but they wouldn't let him stay in their house. Even though she knew her parents would be angry, she still went out to bring him things he would need for sleeping. Knowing Edward's circumstances, she knew he wasn't used to sleeping in such a place, and she felt ashamed because of what happened. She couldn't disobey her parents, though. She had no voice in that house. If she hadn't gotten pregnant, she might not have been able to return to that place."Why aren't you sleeping yet?" Edward asked the young woman. "I'm worried. You're not used to this pla