Chapter 39 What a Petty Man
Arianna had rarely seen Abigail sporting such a dark expression, so she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong, Mommy?”
“Nothing. I’ll be going out for a while, so stay here and don’t go anywhere. When your daddy comes back, just tell him I’m not around.” Upon finishing her words, Abigail lifted the quilt and got out of the bed. She hadn’t gotten changed since last night, so her clothes were all wrinkled. Abigail frowned, for she couldn’t bear to wear these clothes. However, if I go back to the hotel now… She sighed and opened the door, only to see Troy standing outside the ward.
“Good morning, Dr. Kain.”
“Morning.” A doubtful Abigail subconsciously asked, “Doesn’t Greg have to work today? What are you doing here?”
Troy hurriedly passed the stuff in his hands to her. “Mr. Buckley said that these are for you.”
Abigail took a glance and realized they were new clothes and shoes. She had hurled the shoes he bought for her into the trash can the day before, and it embarrassed him very much. Therefore, she thought that a conceited man like him would never do such a thing again, but she never expected that he’d prepare new clothes for her. She was slightly touched, but she couldn’t put her feelings into words. It was a strange yet warm feeling. “Please help me to thank him.”
“Mr. Buckley said that this is the bill, and you’ll just have to transfer the money to his Venmo account. This is his email address.”
Troy’s words surprised Abigail. After taking a look at the bill and the email address, she became startled for a moment before she burst into laughter. He’s pretty interesting. I told him yesterday that I’d give the money back to him, and he remembers it. What a petty man!
“Got it.” She took the clothes and shoes before returning to the ward.
With her hands supporting her chin, Arianna said with a smile, “Mommy, Daddy is really good to you.”
“He’s good to me? He wants the money back. It’s not like these things are free.” Abigail was speechless at Arianna’s blind admiration for her father.
However, Arianna asked with a smile, “Mommy, if Daddy gave it to you for free, would you still take it?”
Of course not! Certainly, Abigail wouldn’t say it. After flashing a smile at her daughter, she went into the restroom to get changed. It had to be said that Greg was adept at visual measurement, for the clothes fit her perfectly. When she stepped out of the restroom, she saw Troy holding a set of cosmetics, which was the latest collection that didn’t have a strong scent. She loved it. “Thanks. How much are all these things? Give me a figure, and I’ll transfer the money to him later.”
After putting on some makeup, she felt much better.
Just then, Troy walked over with a cup of ginger tea. “Mr. Buckley told me that you’re sick. It’s clever of you if you want to infect the Kains with your illness, but it’ll also harm yourself, so it’s rather inappropriate. He said that you’d better recuperate first.”
Abigail became startled. “He knows where I’m going?”
Upon finishing her words, she kept her mouth shut. Greg had seen her in a horrible state, so it was expected that he could figure out her intentions. Meanwhile steam could still be seen billowing from the ginger tea. She took a sip as the warmth of the liquid penetrated her body, making her feel much better.
“Thanks.” After chugging down the ginger tea, Abigail added Greg’s email address on her Venmo.
It was only then did Troy utter in a hushed voice, “Dr. Kain, it’s 380,000 in total.”
Without even frowning, Abigail transferred the money to him.
Greg was on the way to his company when he heard a beep from his phone. Upon seeing that it was Abigail’s request to add him on Venmo, he immediately approved it. Then, the phone sounded again as he was notified of a transaction. With a smile, he took the money and transferred all of it to Alissa. ‘This is the money for you to buy some food. Keep it.’
Meanwhile, Alissa had just disembarked from the plane. When she saw the photos sent to her by Arianna, she was green with envy. However, before she could stomp her feet on the ground, she saw the money transfer record from Greg and was shocked by it. There’s so much money! ‘Daddy, have you accidentally added a few zeroes?’ she hurriedly asked.
The corners of Greg’s lips curled up. ‘No, the money is for you. Just buy whatever you want with it. Don’t let your mommy find out.’
‘Thanks, Daddy! You’re the best!’ Alissa was over the moon. She had her eyes on a necklace recently, and her mother’s birthday was just around the corner. Hence, she had been frustrated as she didn’t have the money. It didn’t cross her mind that her father would send her the money just when she needed it, and it was wonderful.
Greg seemed able to tell that Alissa was joyful through the text, which made his heart soften.
In the meantime, Alissa sent the photo to Arianna and said smugly, ‘Do you see it now? Even though I’m not by Daddy’s side, he still misses me.’
The photo made Arianna feel crestfallen. “Mommy.” She pouted and appeared aggrieved.
Abigail was about to leave the place when she saw Arianna sporting such an expression, so she stopped in her tracks. “What’s wrong, Aria?”
“How much money did you transfer to Daddy just now?”
“380,000. What’s wrong?”
In order to expose her sister, Arianna passed the phone to her mother. “Daddy has transferred all of it to Allie.”
Upon hearing that, Abigail was stunned. “What did you just say?”
Then, she hurriedly took a glance at the phone and called Alissa.
Alissa was still feeling jovial when she saw her mother calling her, so she quickly picked up the call. “Mommy!”
“Do not touch the money your daddy has transferred to you! Do you hear me? Also, I’ll transfer the money to your bank account later, but you mustn’t touch it until you’re eighteen.”
Alissa exclaimed, “Mommy, that’s the money Daddy gave me!”
“He keyed in the wrong number.”
“Daddy said it’s not wrong. It’s the money for me.”
“No way. You’re just a kid, so how can you have 380,000? Not even 38,000 is acceptable. I said that I’ll transfer the money to your bank account, and you can’t touch it until you’re eighteen. It’s decided. Bye.”
After Abigail hung up the call, Arianna felt gleeful. An incensed Alissa sent her sister a message. ‘Scoundrel! Why would you expose me?’
‘Scoundrels and women are the most difficult people in the world. It so happens that I’m both a scoundrel and a woman. Have a fun trip, Allie!’ Upon replying to the message, Arianna turned off her phone. She could imagine Alissa stomping her feet on the ground now. Yay! That feels great!
On the other hand, Abigail didn’t notice what Arianna was doing. Nevertheless, she disapproved of what Greg had done. What was he trying to achieve? Then, she sent a message to Greg. ‘I’ll treat you to lunch later. There’s something I need to tell you. We’ll meet up somewhere near your company.’ Following that, she kept her phone and told her daughter to behave herself before leaving the hospital.
When Greg saw her invitation to have lunch together, he was surprised. Has her temperament changed? Has she become amiable after recovering from her illness? With that said, he still told his secretary to exclude any work from his lunchtime.
After Abigail left the hospital, she recalled the phone number she had seen earlier, and her stomach started churning again. The Kains! Philip Kain!
She didn’t want to acknowledge that she and that man were related by blood, but now, she had to head to the Kain Residence. After all, she was eager to find out the cause of her mother’s death. She was still a young child when her mother passed away, so she remembered little to nothing about her mother. Moreover, she had never seen anything about her mother ever since Sasha moved in; there wasn’t even a photo, and it seemed as though this person had never existed. How resentful were they of her mother to have done all these?
She initially thought that her mother had died of an illness, but judging from what Philip told her, she had her own speculations. After taking a deep breath, she went to a nearby restaurant and bought some food. With some food in her stomach now, she felt much better and warmer. With that, she ambled toward the Kain Residence.
Meanwhile, Philip and Sasha were already waiting anxiously at the door. The fact that Abigail had managed to lay a hand on them made them realize that she was already different from the past. Fortunately, Philip still had something to fall back on.
“Philip, that b*tch named Abigail is late. Why isn’t she here yet? Emma is still suffering in the detention center.” Sasha was apprehensive, but she could only complain to her husband.
On the other hand, Philip’s gaze appeared glacial. “I told you to hire some bodyguards yesterday. Where are they?”
“I’ve found some bodyguards, and they’ll be here soon.” Sasha was still traumatized by what Abigail had done previously, so she didn’t dare waste any time when Philip told her to get some bodyguards.
At that moment, she saw four men shuffling toward them. She walked over hurriedly and ordered, “If there’s a chance, you must teach that b*tch a lesson later.”
“We will, Madam.” Naturally, these men happily agreed to it for the money.
Seeing as there were bodyguards around, Philip straightened his back. “If she refuses to drop the lawsuit, I’ll teach her a lesson and let her know that I’m her father!” he said through clenched teeth.
In fact, Abigail was already there. She didn’t walk over because she wanted to find out what Philip and Sasha were up to. Seeing what they had done, she sneered. “I don’t have a father like you.”
When they heard her cold voice, Philip and Sasha couldn’t help but step back and hide behind the bodyguards. “Abigail, I’m warning you. If you don’t help get Emma out—”
“What will you do?” Abigail arrogantly fished out a scalpel from her sleeve and fiddled with it. Even though the scalpel was thin, a cold glint could be seen flashing across it under the sunlight.
Sasha couldn’t help but gulp as she pulled Philip’s sleeve and said with an insincere smile, “Abigail, we’re family members, so it’s not necessary for us to fight against each other in court. Don’t you agree? Moreover, Emma has already stayed in the detention center for one night. Will you please let her off?”
On the day before, she found out that Jonathan had left the country when Emma was detained. Now that they didn’t have anyone to seek help from, coupled with the fact that it was difficult to deal with Abigail, she decided to put herself in a lower position and get Emma released first.
Meanwhile, Abigail could easily see through her intentions. She scoffed and said, “What if I say no? What can you do to me?”
