"I am not here to force my opinions on you." Terrence sighed as he walked closer towards Abigail.
Abigail only looked at her brother. She remained silent.
"I am just worried since it would be your first time for that. You were used to being with us, so I wanted to know if you could handle that." Terrence sat down beside Abigail.
Even though it was quiet, Terrence knew that Abigail was listening to what he was saying.
"I told you. I am happy and proud of what you have achieved. I wasn't trying to down you or to down what you got, Abigail. I hope you realize that." Terrence stated before he stopped talking. He was waiting for Abigail's response first.
Abigail lowered her head. Guilt was creeping into her brain. She bit her lips.
"I-I'm sorry, Brother." Her voice trembled slightly.
Abigail was feeling guilty and defensive these past few days. That was the reason why, even though she wanted to talk to her brother, she had no courage to do so.
She was used to getting what she wanted, and when her brother reacted that way days ago, she felt terrible and wronged.
Terrence sighed. "Don't do that again, Abigail." He reminded using a strict voice.
Abigail slowly nodded. "It's just that…" she slowly peeked on her side to see what Terrence was doing.
When she saw that Terrence wasn't looking at her, she gathered her courage to explain her side.
"It's just... at that time, I thought you weren't happy and proud of me. It made me feel bad cause I thought you all would be happy with it." Abigail confessed her feelings.
"I am sorry too for being disrespectful to you brother. I know I have wronged you when I said those words…" Abigail was deeply ashamed.
When she calmed down, she realized how bad her words were.
"I do not really mean that, Brother. I am thankful that you're there to work. I wasn't putting down your work or your words. It's wrong of me. I should have not said any of that." Abigail added.
Terrence remained silent when Abigail looked at her. He just stared at her. He noticed that Abigail's eyes were starting to be teary.
He wanted to chuckle at the moment, but he stopped himself. He wanted to find out more about what Abigail would tell him.
Abigail's eyes widened for a fraction when she didn't hear any reply from Terrence.
"Brother! I am really sorry!" She burst into light tears. "I know that you mean your words when you said that you will get us out of poverty! I trust you, brother!"
Terrence lightly laughed when he saw how Abigail cried in front of him.
"You're just the same as ever, Abigail." Terrence smiled slightly.
"Brother~!" Abigail burst into more tears as she saw Terrence laughing teasingly at her.
"Yes, Abigail?" Terrence asked jokingly. He chuckled before getting closer to hug Abigail. He patted her back.
"I do accept your apology, Abigail." Terrence calmly answered. He knew that Abigail was genuine with her words.
Abigail smiled, but she continued to bawl into tears. She slightly hit Terrence's arms. "I thought you were ignoring me, Brother."
"Shhh," Terrence hushed Abigail. "I was just teasing you."
Abigail glared at Terrence but hugged him back. At that moment, the two of them knew they were already okay.
Terrence's smile became wider. He was happy that he and Abigail were already fine.
After a few minutes, Abigail stopped crying. They let go of their hug so that Abigail could wipe her tears.
"I'll think about the scholarship today, Brother. I'll put your words in my mind and decide for it." Abigail nodded like a lost puppy.
"That's good, Abigail." Terrence proudly answered. At least now, Abigail was listening to his words.
When the two of them stared at each other, they burst into laughter.
"Should we go out now? I'm sure Mom is expecting us." Terrence glanced at the door before looking at the clock beside the bed. He and Abigail talked for almost an hour.
Abigail nodded before flashing a smile on her face. "Yes, Brother. We should!"
Terrence laughed at Abigail's enthusiasm. He let Abigail go first, before following her.
Terrence stared at Abigail's back as they left the room. He couldn't help but think what might happen to her if she accepted the scholarship.
'What should I do now?' Terrence secretly sighed.
The events these past few days didn't even happen in his past life, so he do not know what to expect.
If Abigail would accept that scholarship, then, of course, he would need to give his sister a lot of money. He didn't want Abigail to be bullied by those rich students she would be studying with at the school.
He, on the other hand, would work on his resources and expand his wealth. This won't only benefit him but his family, too, in case of trouble.
He does not want to think negatively, but if there will be a time that Abigail will be in trouble, at least he would be there to defend her.
He would give it all to protect Abigail.
The reason why he was working this hard was so his family could enjoy life. After all, it would be a waste if he wouldn't use his advantages so that they could live better.
And he realized that he needed to face the world, too. Not just meeting William or his father, but also to gain courage and be brave enough to do whatever he wanted.
"Oh my!" Tiana's loud exclaim echoed in the whole house as she saw both her kids walking out of the room happily.
She was glad that they talked their problem out and resolved it. The awkwardness and the silence of their house these past few days were suffocating.
"Mom," Terrence greeted Tiana when he saw her.
"Mom, me and brother are okay now! I'm sorry for all the trouble." Abigail apologized.
Tiana tilted her head to the side. A smile appeared on her face. "It's fine. What matters is you two are okay now. No more fighting. Do you two understand that?"