âRight,â Abel said. âSheâs a single mother, and I donât want them to suffer.â
âSame here,â Emmelineâs voice caught. âIf it were me, I would do the same.â
âI once had a woman,â Abel said ruefully. âShe suffered with my child, but I wasnât there for them. So, taking care of Kendra is, in a way, me making up for my own guilt.â
As soon as he spoke, Emmeline froze. Abel, did he still have feelings for her?
âMr. Ryker,â Emmeline shook his arm excitedly. âWhat about that woman of yours? Why isnât she with you?â
Abel gave a wistful smile. âLetâs not talk about her. Itâs all in the past.â
Itâs all in the past?
Emmelineâs feet faltered.
The hope that had just risen was extinguished by his words.
Has she become a thing of the past for Abel?
She thought he had brought up the subject because of his feelings for her, but it turned out he was only remembering the past.
A tear fell from Emmelineâs eye with a soft âclick.â
Abel happened to catch sight of her tears and asked with concern, âEmmett, why are you crying when everything is fine?â
âIâ¦â Emmeline sniffled. âWhen you mentioned your woman and child suffering, I felt sorry for them.â
âSo I wanted to compensate her with marriage,â Abel said, âbut she was lost and I couldnât do anything about it.â
Sniffle, Emmeline couldnât hold back her tears anymore.
Abel, Iâm right in front of you, but Iâve become the most familiar stranger to you.
Waylon, give me back my man! Damn you, Worryfree!
Ughâ¦I feel so sad!
âEmmett, whatâs wrong with you?â Abel was startled and quickly pulled her into his arms.
âWhy are you crying? Who upset you?â he asked with concern.
âMr. Ryker, I feel so sad. Let me cry for a whileâ¦sobâ¦â Emmeline snuggled into his arms, sobbing softly.
âWhat are you so sad about? Itâs okay, Emmett, everythingâs fine now,â Abel said, trying to comfort her with gentle words.
Emmelineâs sadness had stirred up Abelâs emotions, and he could only hold her tightly and soothe her.
People passing by in the corridor looked on with surprise at the sight of two grown men embracing each other.
âStop staring, havenât you seen big brother comforting little brother before?â Luca whispered sharply.
Back at the Precipice, Emmeline settled into a guest room.
She opened the closet and found it filled with clothes that Abel had bought for her, but which he had removed from their bedroom.
Emmeline couldnât help but feel a pang of sadness.
Fortunately, Kendra and Quincy were brought back by their bodyguards.
The sound of the little babyâs crying and laughter filled the villa, making the atmosphere much cozier.
The next morning, Emmeline followed Abel to the Ryker Group.
The secretary couldnât believe her eyes when she saw Mr. Ryker bringing in such a handsome young boy. If a boy could look so beautiful, then what about herself, who had undergone aesthetic procedures? She felt inferior when comparing herself to him.
Her eyes kept wandering towards the CEOâs office, and the last time she looked, Abel slammed the door shut with a loud âbang!â
A group of executives gathered at the secretaryâs desk, all admiringly commenting, âMr. Ryker is so capable, where did he find such a handsome young man?â
âHeâs even more beautiful than all the women in our company.â
âBut heâs a man, havenât you seen the little mustache heâs got?â
âExactly, if this were a woman, where would that leave the rest of us?â
âWith him around, I feel like thereâs no point in even trying,â they sighed, before heading back to their offices to surreptitiously check their reflections.
âYouâll be learning about management in various departments from me,â Abel sat down behind the large desk and told âEmmett,â âHow much do you want to be paid?â
âI donât really care about the salary,â Emmeline twirled her little mustache and smiled, âMr. Ryker didnât even ask me for tuition, and besides, I donât really need the money.â
âThatâs not the point,â Abel replied, âYouâre interning with me, and according to regulations, you have to be paid. You wouldnât want me to make a mistake, would you?â