Chapter 46: New plan
Abigail sat quietly in her office chair, staring at nothing in particular. Her mind kept going back to the previous night with Henry. She still remembered seeing his face, or at least part of it. He was known as Draco in some circles. She could not see his full face clearly because of the blur from the drug, but those piercing blue eyes stayed in her memory.
She tried hard to remember something more, but nothing came to her. Especially the last thing he said. What did he mean by telling her to stay in the dark? He had warned her not to find the truth. Why would he say something like that?
She was still lost in these thoughts when Miranda rushed into the office, looking excited. "The news!" Miranda said quickly. She walked over to the TV and switched it on. The screen showed a reporter talking about Archie Lane arriving back in the country. The headline flashed brightly across the bottom of the screen.
"Switch it off, switch it off," Abigail said, putting her hand on her forehead. "Don’t add to my headache." She sighed deeply and rubbed her temples.
Miranda chuckled and turned off the TV before sitting down in the chair in front of Abigail’s desk. "What’s happening to you today?" she asked with a curious smile. "You look like you have a lot on your mind."
Abigail leaned back in her chair and shook her head slowly. "I was able to see Henry’s face... or at least part of it," she explained. "But I don’t get it. Those eyes... they looked so familiar. I feel like I have seen them somewhere before, but I can’t remember where."
Miranda chuckled softly and tried to reassure her. "Don’t think too much about it right now. You have enough things to worry about. Maybe it will come to you later when you are calmer."
Abigail nodded. "I will try to talk to Madeline about it too. She might know something."
Miranda’s smile faded a little. She silently clenched her fists under the table but quickly nodded. "Yeah... you should tell her," she said. "Don’t forget to tell Oliver too," She suddenly added suddenly.
Abigail frowned and looked at her friend in confusion. "Ye...ah..." she said slowly, not understanding why Miranda mentioned Oliver.
Miranda nodded, stood up angrily, and left the office. She banged the door hard behind her.
Abigail blinked a few times. "What’s with her?" she said to herself, feeling a bit surprised by the sudden mood change.
Not long after, Michael came into the office carrying some files. He placed the report of work on her desk and mentioned the upcoming meeting with Draco’s company. "Here are the latest numbers and the schedule for next week," he said in a professional tone.
Abigail looked at him in a daze. Michael noticed her staring and started to feel uncomfortable. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Abigail sighed and looked away from him.
For some reason, the man still annoyed her. He had never explained why he suddenly left all those years ago, and now he acted like nothing had happened. She nodded at the report. "Thank you. You can go now," she said, dismissing him.
Michael turned to leave but stopped at the door. "Did you see the news?" he asked. "Archie is back in the country."
Abigail rolled her eyes and nodded. She turned her chair away from him. "Get out of my sight, Michael," she said tiredly. "I don’t want to see your face..." She sighed deeply and mumbled the last part under her breath, "Ever again." She held back her tears, trying hard not to cry.
She did not think she could ever love any man the way she had loved this one. She had loved Michael so much that sometimes she still wanted to hug him tight and forget about everything he did. But she knew she was worth more than that. She could not let herself go back to him.
She scoffed the moment he turned around and left calmly. She stayed lost in these thoughts for a while. Then a sudden idea popped into her head. She happily turned her chair back to the front and smiled at her phone.
"Five, four, three, two, one..." she counted quietly. She shook her head and laughed at herself. "Let me try again!" She clapped her hands happily. "Okay, seven, six, five, four, four.... three, three, two, one... zero!"
She closed her eyes and waited. A few seconds later, her phone started ringing loudly. Abigail bounced up in her chair and laughed at the phone. She picked it up and looked at the caller ID. "Archie!" she said with a big smile.
She smiled devilishly and answered the call. "Hello, Archie," she said sweetly. "I heard you are back in the country. How have you been?"
Archie’s voice came through the phone, warm and familiar. "Abigail! It’s so good to hear your voice. Yes, I just landed a few hours ago. I was going to call you later, but it looks like you beat me to it. How did you know I was back?"
Abigail laughed lightly. "I have my ways. The news is everywhere today. So tell me, what brings you back so early? Business or trouble?"
Archie chuckled on the other end. "A little bit of both, I think. You know how it is. But I also wanted to see some old friends. Especially you. We have a lot to catch up on."
They talked for a while longer, making plans to meet soon. Abigail felt a bit lighter after the call. Talking to Archie always brought back good memories and gave her new energy.
Even with everything going on — the confusing night with Henry, Michael’s sudden return, and the drama with Selena, having an old friend back in the country felt like a small bright spot in her busy and complicated life.
She leaned back in her chair again, smiling to herself. The day had started with heavy thoughts, but now she had something to look forward to.
She picked up her pen and started working on the reports Michael had left, feeling a little more focused than before.