Abby told the taxi driver to pull over in front of the gate ahead. He did as instructed and put it in park. She paid the fare and got out of the taxi. The gate was open and she walked in. She rang the doorbell and waited for the maids to open.
"Good morning, Ma'am!" The maid who opened the door greeted her.
"Morning!" Abby replied in a yawn.
She didn't eat dinner the night before and was hungry.
"Is Vincent still at home?" She asked eagerly.
"No, Ma'am! He left early this morning." The maid replied.
"Probably going to complain to my father like usual." Abby muttered as they walked to the living room.
"Um, Jenny?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" The maid replied and stopped as they got to the staircase.
"Have my breakfast ready. I'll go up to my room and freshen up. I won't take long though." Abby ordered as she climbed up the stairs.
"Okay, Ma'am!" The maid replied.
Abby got to the landing and walked to her room. She opened the door and tossed her handbag on the bed. The room was the master's bedroom. It had a king-sized bed, a walk-in wardrobe and a stationary shelf on the wall, close to the entrance. She slipped out of her heels and went to the bathroom. She went to the shower cubicle and stood under the shower head. Water ran through the holes on the head and descended on her body. She took five minutes in the shower and turned off the tap. She came out of the bathroom with a white dressing gown and walked to the wardrobe. She searched for the right outfit to wear among those hung on the clothes rail. She picked a green one-shoulder necked gown whose sleeve was long.
Abby put it on and sat in front of the mirror on the dressing table. She brushed her hair and wore a pair of dangle earrings and wore light make-up. She picked out a pair of heels from the shelves where her shoes were and put them on. She grabbed her handbag and left the room. She was climbing down the stairs when her phone rang. She took it out of her bag and sighed when she saw the caller ID. She accepted the call.
"You finally decided to answer." The caller said flatly from the other end.
"I was busy last night." Abby replied calmly, close to the bottom.
"Where are you?" The caller asked.
"I am at home. I'm on my way to work." Abby replied.
The caller hung up and Abby shook her head dismissively.
|•••REX'S HOUSE•••|
Rex had driven to his house and parked outside of the gate. He got out of the car and locked it with the key. He had walked in, almost close to the front door when a puppy ran to him. It was a golden retriever and Rex bent down to pick it up.
"Hey! Miss me?" He asked the puppy.
The puppy licked his face and barked cheerfully.
"Lucky!" A voice called softly.
Rex looked away from the puppy and looked at the direction where he heard the voice. A little girl appeared from the corner of the building with her gaze on the grass.
"Lucky! Where are you?"
The puppy barked and got her attention. She looked forward and saw the puppy in Rex's arms.
"Uncle Rex!" The little girl said happily with a smile on her face.
Rex bent down and let the puppy run to her. The girl walked towards him and the puppy followed.
"Uncle Rex!" She repeated.
"You called my name twice, do you miss me as well?" He asked.
"Uh-huh!" The girl replied,
"I stayed all night waiting for you to come home."
"I'm sorry, Kathy! I had things to do and couldn't come home yesterday." Rex apologized sweetly.
"Oho! Okay!" Kathy replied ruefully.
"Tell me whatever you want and I'll get them for you on my way home." Rex proposed.
"Really, Uncle? Anything?" Kathy asked excitedly.
"Yes, anything!" Rex said.
"Okay, I want..." She said as they walked into the house,
"A big tub of strawberry ice cream. No, Chocolate. This big."
Kathy moved her hands apart and showed him how big the tub must be.
"And I want a packet of my favourite biscuits, a lot of lollipops and..." She listed.
"Seems to me you're making an appointment with the dentist." Rex said jokingly and chuckled.
They were in the living room and Rex caught a glimpse of Emma coming in. The smile on his face disappeared as soon as he saw her.
"Kathy, why don't you and Lucky watch some cartoons on television while I go and have my bath." He said airily while looking at Emma.
"Okay! Come on, Lucky! Let's go and watch Bluey!" Kathy said cheerily.
Rex walked to the staircase where Emma stood.
"We need to talk." Emma said softly.
"I'm not in the mood!" He said curtly and climbed up the stairs.
Emma glanced at Kathy whose gaze was on the television and followed Rex.
"Rex!" She called.
Rex ignored her and went to his room. He opened the door and left it open for her. He took off his shirt, wearing his white vest with his trousers. He perched down on the bed and removed his shoes.
"Rex!" Emma called as she walked into the room.
"We need to talk."
"I already said I didn't want to." Rex replied coolly.
"Can you at least listen to what I have to say?" Emma said.
"Listen to what exactly?" He asked rhetorically,
"Listen to how you aborted our child without my consent? A child I didn't know that existed until yesterday? Is that what you want to talk about?"
"Did you even ask me what I wanted?" Rex asked.
"I had no choice. It was either having a child or losing my modelling career. I didn't want to lose my perfect shape to pregnancy. What will my fans think of me?" Emma said.
"Your fans? You care more about what others would say than our relationship. Wow! I never knew you were this selfish!" Rex said ironically, already pissed off by her response.
"My career is more important than a stupid baby. We can always have another one. It isn't too late." Emma said.
Rex scoffed and backed her.
"Where were you last night?" Emma asked.
"I went to clear my head." Rex said dryly and removed his phone from his pocket.
"You went to clear your head or met up with your secret lover?" Emma asked eagerly.
"I'm not in the mood to drag words with you. I don't want Kathy to hear us arguing. Let's just maintain this silence until her father comes to get her." Rex said.
He picked up the shirt he had kept on the bed. He chucked it to her as he walked passed her to the bathroom.
"Check if you will see any lipstick marks on it." Rex said sarcastically.
|•••DE VILE'S FASHION EMPIRE•••|
Abby's driver drove in and parked at the car park. He got out of the car and opened the backseat door for Abby. She got out and walked to the door. The sensors on the door captured her movement and slid open.
"Good morning, Miss Abby!" The receptionist greeted her.
Abby simply nodded and went to the lift. She pressed a button on the wall and the doors slid open. She got in and stopped on the third floor. She went straight to an office and glanced through the glass wall to check if the person she was looking for was there. She pulled open the door and walked in.
"10:34 a.m!" The man said, seated at his desk,
"Where did you go last night?"
"I went to see a friend." Abby replied feebly.
"A friend, huh?" The man replied ironically.
"Vincent, I-." Abby replied
"Was that friend that important that you couldn't answer any of my calls?" Vincent replied, cutting her off.
He stood up from his chair and walked towards her. Abby moved backwards anytime he got close to her. Vincent grabbed by the arm and tightened his grip.
"I want you to tell me the truth. Where were you?" Vincent said vehemently, looking at her coldly.