Chapter 34: Misunderstandings

Before Abigail took her anger out on her father, she forced herself to calm down and breathe. She readjusted her thoughts and realized she needed to be calm right now, or anything she said her father would be able to write off as her simply being irrational.

“No,” Abigail said finally, shaking her head. “Dad, listen, I don’t know what Lyall told you, or what he meant by them, or what even made him say the things he did.” Abigail paused, and drew in a deep breath. “But what I can tell you is this, I am not marrying him.”

Adam was quiet for a moment before answering his daughter. “Why not?”

Abigail was a bit taken aback by the tone of his voice.

Abigail was sure her father must either be entirely blind, or absolutely losing his mind. Did he not see the way Olivia stared at Lyall? Or the way he stole glances at her back?

And for that matter, was Lyall losing his mind? Who marries someone when they’re clearly in love with her sister?

And suddenly, she understood why Olivia wasn’t so distraught when Adam had said he wasn’t giving the company to her. The things this man asked of a successor was bordering on psychotic.

“Why would I?” Abigail asked as an answer. “I know nothing about him. I don’t know him at all. I don’t love him. And, by the way,” Abigail pointed out, “In case you haven’t noticed, Olivia is crazy – literally, crazy – about him.”

Adam waved his hand, “Those are not reasons not to get married. A marriage like this brings uncountable value to the company, you would be hard pressed to find someone of equal standing and profit possibility to the company.”

Abigail exhaled, so that’s what this was. Profit to the company and nothing more. It wasn’t her father’s feelings, or probably even Lyall’s, that was at stake here. Just how much profit this could bring to the company.

Abigail sighed, well then, that she could fight off without much concern.

“Well,” Abigail said again. “I’m not going to marry Lyall, thank you very much. I don’t love him, I have no interest in him. So if that’s all you called me here for tonight, I think I’ll just be going, thank you.”

Before Abigail could leave though, her father stopped her.

“Abigail,” Adam’s voice had a tone in it that Abigail had never heard before. “I want this marriage to go through.”

Abigail set her lips in a firm line. There was only so much her father could ask of her and expect her to carry through. This absolutely could not be one of those things.

“No,” Abigail said firmly. “It doesn’t matter if you want this or not. I will not marry him.”

Adam stared at his daughter, his expression harsh and unreadable.

“You will marry him,” Adam said again. “Or you will not inherit this company.”

Abigail heard the words before he said them. She had known, in the back of her mind, since he’d told her about the engagement, that this was coming. She had just known somehow. But Adam had already pushed her too far.

He asked and asked and asked. And she did everything he wanted. But she was absolutely her own person. She had survived on her own before him, and she would survive just fine after him.

He was in her life for what, a few weeks? And here he was trying to run every aspect of it?

Abigail was not having any of it.

“Then would you like me to write the resignation letter?” Abigail asked, her voice devoid of any emotion. “Or can you have one of your employees do it for you?”

Adam looked slightly taken aback, but Abigail kept herself calm. This wasn’t a power play on her part. She just refused to sell her body or herself for the benefit of the company. And she was willing to walk away from everything here if that was what it came with.

Adam cleared his throat and seemed to regain his composure.

“I’ll give you some time to think this over,” Adam said, stoically. “And perhaps, I will think it over as well.”

Her position was never going to change, but Abigail thought she didn’t have to press further. This wasn’t a powerplay, this was simply something she didn’t want to do.

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As soon as Abigail left her father’s office, she called Mark. She needed to see him right now, there was just nothing else for it.

She needed his strength around her. But more than that, she just wanted to be with him.

Abigail hadn’t admitted it to herself, but possibly the greatest reason she couldn’t go through with a marriage to Lyall, was that she was in love with Mark.

The thought pushed through her mind as she listened to the dial tone. Hoping he would pick up.

“Excellent timing,” Mark’s voice came through the other end. “How did you know I had just made spaghetti bolognaise, enough for two, and no one to share it with?”

Abigail sighed in relief, she hadn’t wanted to invite herself over to his place, but she hadn’t been sure she would be able to stop herself, either. Mark had solved that problem for her too.

“I’m coming over right now,” Abigail said laughing, heading to her office to grab her bag, and then to the elevator. “How about you send me the address where I can find the pasta, and I can help you out a bit with it?”

Mark laughed, “I’m sending it to you now.”

Abigail forwarded the directions to her driver, and made her way to the car. Once she got outside, she found the driver waiting, and the map already loaded onto the car’s GPS.

She didn’t hang up her call with Mark, though. She kept talking to him all the drive through.

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She told the driver not to bother waiting for her, she would call him if she needed.

Mark came out of his apartment to meet her, and showed her the way in. So the apartment wasn’t in China Town, but it was still modest. What Abigail thought would be reasonable for a man with his own business and having built himself and his company from the ground up.

Mark lead her to his apartment, and told her to make herself comfortable.

Abigail ranted from the moment she met him on the steps until they made it into the apartment, of the latest difficulties her family had put her through.

“And I know,” Abigail emphasized on the word. “That I was accepting a different life, but this? Marrying a business mogul just for the profits of the company?”

Abigail collapsed on the couch dramatically, having kicked her heels off and torn off the suit jacket. Now she lay on the sofa of his living room.

Mark hadn’t said anything yet, but only laughed at her antics so far.

“Am I being ridiculous?” Abigail asked, pushing herself off the sofa and leaning on the back of it, facing Mark working in the kitchen. “Tell me honestly, do you think I’m being ridiculous?”

“I think,” Mark said, spooning pasta into two plates, and bringing them over to Abigail. “I think, you should eat. You’ll feel much better after, this pasta is amazing.”

Abigail narrowed her eyes at him, but then the smell of the pasta wafted over to her, and she stared at the plate he had placed down in front of her.

She took one bite of the meal, and all her problems vanished out of her mind.

Mark poured her a glass of water and set it down beside her plate.

And they ate, with small little pieces of conversation interspersed. But mostly they ate.

Afterwards, Mark cleared the plates and Abigail helped him with the dishes, and once everything was cleaned and put away, Mark put on a movie and they settled against each other on the sofa.

It wasn’t long before Abigail turned more to Mark than the movie, her arms stretched over his side, and began running her hands up and down his chest. Mark turned to her playfully with a short kiss, but Abigail deepened it almost immediately, slipping her arm around his neck, and pulling him in closer to her.

Mark returned the gesture, pulling her closer against him. His hands slipped under her blouse, and Abigail reveled at the feeling of his hands on her skin.

“You know,” Abigail said between breathless kisses. “I haven’t seen your bedroom yet.”

Mark smiled into the kiss, “Miss Woodtriche, are you implying something?”

“Maybe,” Abigail said against his lips, “How about you show me, and we see?”

Mark stood, lifting Abigail with him as he went, and took them both into his bedroom. Abigail wrapped her legs around his waist, and kissed his neck as he carried her. Mark placed Abigail on the bed, and lay back down over her.