Chapter 182: Gift
"Am I interrupting something?" Ryan asked, pausing by the door.
His sharp gaze drifted from Jamal to Abigail. His voice was casual, but his eyes told a different story. His gaze was assessing and calculating. He looked at Jamal just a second longer, wondering silently if he was already making his move on Abigail.
Jamal straightened at once, clearing his throat lightly even though he was very startled. "No, sir," he said with a slight bow, already taking a step back. "Please excuse me."
Ryan gave a curt nod, but before Jamal could slip past him, he stopped him with a question. "How are you doing, Pete?"
Jamal paused and turned back. "I’m very fine, thank you, sir," he replied with a polite bow of his head, wondering if Ryan had heard anything. He doubted it since their voices had been low.
What if this had happened when he was kissing her earlier? That would have been a mess.
They were going to have to be more careful. They couldn’t afford to get carried away with their feelings and let their guards down around here whether or not there were cameras or bugs.
Ryan held his gaze for a beat longer, then dismissed him with a small wave of his hand. "Alright. Carry on."
Jamal didn’t wait. He turned and left swiftly, returning to his desk.
Abigail, now alone with Ryan, rose from her seat and offered him a wide smile, warm, deliberate, and disarming. Unlike their past tension-filled conversation, this smile came naturally.
She had made faux peace with him the night before, and in her heart, she was genuinely grateful that of all the people Ryan could have paired her with, ambitious old sharks, entitled heirs, or soulless opportunists, he had picked Jamal. The love of her life and the father of her son. For that, Abigail found it easy to offer him a smile