Revenge After Prison: Never Forgiven

Chapter 1 Going Home

In the prison on the outskirts of Cobridge, the prison guard said, "Inmate 847, Abigail Gibson. Your family's here to pick you up. Be good from now on. Don't come back."

Abigail mechanically took the storage box the guard handed her and gave a slight nod. She then followed the instructions to change out of her prison uniform and into the clothes she had worn when she arrived.

The short-sleeved dress had been sitting in storage for three years. The fabric was faded and worn, with several deep creases in the middle, and it hung loosely on her body.

Abigail thought, 'Family?' She let out a cold, mocking laugh.

Three years ago, the Gibson family had shown up at the orphanage with a paternity test, tearfully claiming that she was their long-lost heiress and brought her back to Cobridge.

It wasn't until she got there that Abigail found out her biological parents had adopted another daughter named Daniella Gibson to ease the pain of losing her.

The Gibson family had raised Daniella like a princess for fifteen years and couldn't bear to let her go.

To outsiders, they vaguely claimed Abigail had been sent to a village because of health reasons, while saying Daniella was her younger sister and still the youngest heiress of the Gibson family.

But then Daniella hit and killed someone with her car.

The Gibson family scolded Abigail, "If you hadn't insisted we go to your graduation ceremony, we wouldn't have missed Dani's performance. She was distracted while driving because of that. This is your fault. You owe her."

Before Abigail could even protest, the Gibson family had already taken care of all the paperwork and thrown her in prison.

Abigail thought, 'What family do I even have left?'

The prison gates slowly opened. Sunlight spilled in from outside, and Abigail squinted against the glare, spotting a man leaning against a car not far away.

He wore a beige long trench coat, a stark contrast to Abigail's thin dress, like they belonged to two different worlds.

That was Stephen Gibson, her biological second brother. The day she was brought back to the Gibson family, he was the one who'd picked her up, held her in his arms, and told her she'd now be the most cherished treasure of the Gibson household.

But later, it was Stephen who pinned down Abigail's hand and forced her to press her fingerprint on the confession letter just to protect Daniella.

Seeing Abigail standing still, Stephen walked up to her and reached out to take her bag. "Let's go home."

Abigail gave a bitter smile. When she had first gone to prison, she used to imagine every day that the Gibson family would come to take her home.

But in prison, Abigail had been beaten until she vomited blood, starved until she had to crawl on the floor, and locked in the bathroom all night shivering from the cold.

She endured all of it and made it through three years, and not once did anyone from the Gibson family come to see her.

Now Abigail had finally accepted the truth—that between her and Daniella, the only one the Gibsons ever truly loved was Daniella.

Stephen saying "Let's go home" didn't seem to mean much to Abigail anymore.

Abigail lowered her eyes and subtly avoided Stephen's hand. Her voice was distant. "No thanks. I can carry it."

Stephen's hand hung in midair, frozen for a few seconds. The Abigail he remembered was easy to please. As long as he was a little nice to her, she would forget everything unpleasant, call him "Stevie" and cling to him sweetly.

Stephen had pictured her crying and thanking him for picking her up. But faced with her indifference, it hit him like a punch to the gut—sharp and suffocating.

After all, Abigail was his real sister. Stephen held back his frustration and explained, "Dani's been depressed since the car accident. Her mood's been all over the place.

"We've had to take turns staying with her so she wouldn't hurt herself. That's why we didn't come visit you."

As he spoke, something seemed to occur to him. He said, "When you get back, don't stay in the main house. Go live in the nanny Georgia's room for a while, just in case Dani sees you and spirals again."

When Abigail heard that, she only found it ironic. Daniella had killed someone, yet somehow ended up being the one everyone saw as the victim.

The whole family took turns looking after Daniella and they were so caught up in it that they forgot about Abigail, their actual flesh and blood sitting in prison. Even now that Abigail was coming home, they were still afraid she might upset Daniella.

Abigail thought, 'I don't want this so-called home anymore. They can put me wherever they want—it doesn't matter.'

A breeze passed through. Abigail rubbed her arms to fight the chill and responded in a low voice, "Whatever you see fit."

Aside from that one glance at the beginning, she didn't look at Stephen again.

Stephen, however, suddenly remembered when Abigail was twelve. He had gone to pick her up, and she clung to his neck, timidly asking, "Stevie, when I get home, will I have my own room?"

He still remembered what he'd told her back then. He'd responded, "You're the apple of our eye. You'll always stay in the biggest, nicest room."

That room was later given to Daniella. Abigail had cried and threw a fit over it for a long time. But now, it seemed like Abigail didn't care about anything anymore.

Stephen's chest tightened like it was stuffed with something heavy and suffocating. He frowned. "If you're not happy about it, just tell me. I've got other properties. I can set you up somewhere else."

Abigail shook her head. "No need to trouble yourself, sir." That "sir" came from years of keeping her head down and knowing her place in prison.

However, Stephen felt a rush of anger building inside. It sat heavy in his chest, hot and unsettled. "You were only in prison for three years, doing just fine. But Dani nearly died multiple times.

"You can only blame yourself for dragging us to that stupid graduation ceremony. Dani only got into that accident because of you. She's not complaining, so what are you acting all high and mighty for?

"Did you forget what kind of life you had in the orphanage? Did we ever let you go without food or clothes under our roof? Don't be so ungrateful.

"If it weren't for the fact that you have to personally call off the engagement with the Fletcher family's heir, you think I'd waste my time picking you up?"

After he said that, Stephen turned without hesitation and slammed the car door shut. He didn't even look at Abigail as he started the engine and drove off without the slightest intention of waiting for her.

Abigail hadn't expected anyone to pick her up anyway, so she wasn't particularly hurt by it.

She just found it ironic. Abigail had thought Stephen came to pick her up out of some sense of blood ties or decency, but it turned out he was only here to make sure she broke off the engagement with the Fletcher family's heir.

That engagement had been arranged by Abigail's grandfather, Wyatt, when she was a child. It was originally intended for Daniella. But after Abigail returned, Wyatt insisted on replacing Daniella with Abigail as the one engaged to the Fletcher boy.

Because of this, everyone hated Abigail for stealing Daniella's Fiancé. Even the Fletcher heir himself, Ralph Fletcher, believed Abigail deliberately came between him and Daniella, and despised her for it.

Now, Abigail was someone who'd served three years in prison, while Ralph had taken over the Fletcher family and was now firmly in charge. He was completely out of her league.

Abigail thought, 'This engagement should be called off. I have no reason to feel anything about it.'

She tightened her grip on the bag in her hand. There was a phone inside, but it had long since run out of battery, along with some spare change she was reluctant to spend on transportation.

Stephen told Abigail to figure it out herself, so she had no choice but to walk.

It wasn't until Abigail reached the foot of the hill that she realized Cobridge was no longer the place she remembered. She didn't know which direction the Gibson Villa was in.

She tried to find someone to ask, but the moment people saw the way she was dressed, they immediately recognized her as someone freshly released from the prison up the hill. Everyone avoided her like the plague.

Abigail felt lost and unsure what to do, so she randomly picked a direction and started walking.

Just then, a black sedan slowly pulled up beside her. A man's cool, composed voice came from inside. "Ms. Gibson."

Chapter 2 The Stolen Fiancé

The black car blocked the road ahead. The window rolled down, revealing half of the man's face. To Abigail, that face was all too familiar.

Ralph's voice was indifferent. "You won't get to Gibson Villa going this way. Are you planning to walk all the way there?"

Abigail looked at him, unsure how to respond. What she wanted was just to get far enough from the prison to find a ride home.

Ralph said, "Cobridge has changed a lot in the past three years. You won't make it on foot. I'm heading to Gibson Villa."

Abigail didn't understand. She thought, 'Is he offering me a ride?'

She stood there for a moment in a daze. Ralph looked more mature and composed now, no longer as unruly and arrogant as he had been three years ago. For a second, Abigail drifted into old memories and didn't know how to answer.

Ralph, however, had run out of patience. He got out of the car with a cold expression and stepped in front of her. "Get in. I'll take you back. How much longer are you planning to stand here?"

His words made Abigail fall silent. She didn't know why Ralph was here, and she didn't want to know. Thinking of her grandfather Wyatt, she turned and got into the car.

Inside, there was an unfamiliar, floral scent that made Abigail feel disoriented. She had sat in Ralph's car before. Back then, he'd always kept candy in the car, and it'd always had a sweet smell. The candy had been for her.

Because of that candy, Abigail had once believed she was special to Ralph. She had once been happy, thinking the feelings between them were mutual.

But the truth was, she had once heard him with her own ears, speaking about her to his friends with nothing but disdain.

Ralph had said, "It's just some cheap candy. That's all it took to get her wrapped around my finger. I only gave it to her because I felt bad for her.

"That engagement? It was just some joke between our grandfathers. Besides, the Gibson family has more than one heiress."

The people around him had all agreed. In their eyes, Daniella, who had grown up with a wealthy upbringing, was a much better match for Ralph than Abigail. And Abigail, to them, was nothing more than someone Ralph humored because he happened to pity her.

Abigail thought about how the gifts Ralph gave Daniella were nothing like the candy he used to give her. Now that Abigail looked back, it was clear how much—or how little—Ralph ever cared about her.

Abigail never liked to force anything, not even an engagement that had originally belonged to her.

She had brought up ending it with Wyatt. Wyatt loved her and thought she'd been wronged, and wanted to go confront Ralph about it. She stopped him and asked for his agreement instead.

Wyatt agreed, but before the engagement could be called off, she ended up taking Daniella's place and going to prison.

It was only then that Abigail realized she was never that important to them. To be honest, aside from Wyatt, everyone else in the Gibson family—and Ralph—never truly welcomed her. She was like an intruder who had disturbed their perfect little family.

They never said it outright, but everything they did made it clear they wanted her gone. And yet it wasn't like she had done anything wrong.

Abigail had grown up struggling to survive in an orphanage. Even after being adopted, she lived cautiously.

She once thought her birth parents must have really loved her to go through all that effort to find her. But reality hit her hard.

They already had an adopted daughter they adored, showered her with affection. Abigail wasn't like that—she'd grown up scraping by with nothing.

They looked down on Abigail, treated her like she didn't belong. If it hadn't been for the blood tie, they wouldn't have wanted her at all.

Back then, only Ralph had paid attention to Abigail's mood when she was feeling down. He'd offer her candy to cheer her up. To her, Ralph was like the light of her life. But that light only touched her for a brief moment.

Three years in prison was enough to repay whatever debt she owed the Gibsons for bringing her into this world. As for that so-called family, she didn't want it anymore. She didn't want Ralph either.

The car pulled into Gibson Villa. As it came to a stop, a girl in a white dress walked over with a bright smile on her pretty face. "Ralphie, what took you so long? Stevie and I have been waiting for you forever."

Stephen followed right behind, draping a coat over her shoulders.

Daniella's smile froze the moment she saw Abigail. Her eyes turned slightly red, like she had been wronged.

"Abigail? Why are you in Ralph's car?" Stephen questioned right away, his brows furrowed in what looked like obvious displeasure.

"I ran into her on my way here. Didn't you send someone to pick her up?" Ralph asked. His words made Stephen fall silent.

Stephen thought, 'What am I supposed to say? That I did go but left her behind because I was pissed off by her attitude?'

"Stevie must've forgotten," Daniella said lightly. "Abby, why didn't you call us? Good thing Ralphie ran into you."

To anyone listening, Daniella sounded kind and considerate. Abigail had thought the same when she first returned to the Gibson family.

But after being falsely accused by Daniella again and again, she finally saw it clearly. Some people were just good at pretending to be nice, always appearing soft and understanding.

And the Gibson family fell for it every time. To them, Daniella was exactly the kind of daughter and sister they wanted.

"Abby, it's so good to have you back. I'm really happy, and so are Mom, Dad, and all our brothers," Daniella said with a radiant smile. Stephen looked at her with obvious affection in his eyes.

Abigail didn't know and didn't care whether the Gibson family was happy. The only person she cared about was Wyatt. She knew Wyatt would be thrilled to see her. A hint of urgency started to build in Abigail's chest.

"Abigail, Dani's talking to you. Didn't you hear her?" Stephen snapped, glaring at her like she was his enemy.

Daniella bit her lip and tugged on Stephen's sleeve. "Stevie, don't be like that. Abby never liked me. It's normal for her to ignore me. I'm used to it."

Stephen got even angrier and shouted at Abigail, "Dani doesn't owe you anything."

Abigail just found it ridiculous. "She doesn't owe me anything, so you think I owe her instead?"

Chapter 3 The Apple Of Their Eye

In the eyes of the Gibson family, Abigail owed Daniella just for coming back—because Daniella had gone from being the real heiress to the adopted one because of her.

But none of that was Abigail's choice. It wasn't her who found the Gibson family. They were the ones who found her. They brought her home, only to treat her like she didn't belong.

Abigail felt confused and thought, 'If they think Daniella is so perfect that she could take the place of their real flesh and blood, then why bother looking for me and bringing me back?

'Was it just so I could watch them spoil Daniella to her heart's content?'

The sarcasm in Abigail's eyes was obvious, and it made Stephen furious. His face darkened. "If you hadn't been so reckless and selfish, Dani wouldn't have ended up in that mess."

"What mess?" Abigail shot back.

Daniella's expression changed instantly. "Stevie, today's Abby's homecoming. Let's not bring up the past." She turned to Ralph. "Ralphie, didn't you say you wanted to meet my grandpa? Let's go."

Ralph looked at Abigail, his eyes brooding and unreadable. "You're not coming?" he asked indifferently.

Abigail's eyes lit up. She answered almost instinctively, "I am."

Ralph gave a slight nod. "Then let's go."

Abigail was about to follow when Stephen suddenly grabbed her arm. His grip was so strong it made her frown in pain.

"You're planning to show up like that in front of Grandpa? What, trying to tattle on us again?" Stephen sneered.

Abigail didn't think there was anything wrong with what she was wearing. At least it was clean and tidy. But when it came to seeing Wyatt, she didn't want to argue with Stephen.

"I don't have a change of clothes," Abigail said.

In prison, she'd worn uniforms. She hadn't been allowed to wear her own clothes. The dress she had on now was the same one she'd worn three years ago. After being stored that long, it was faded and worn—understandably.

"Come with me," Stephen said, his gaze suddenly hard to read. Then he turned and walked away. Abigail followed behind him.

After three years, the villa had changed a lot, and everything felt unfamiliar to Abigail.

When they reached the second floor, Stephen's expression shifted slightly. "You've been gone for three years, and no one's been using your room. We turned it into Dani's walk-in closet."

Abigail paused for a moment, then gave a nod without much emotion. "Got it."

Her indifference, to Stephen, felt like she was giving him attitude again. He wanted to snap, but in the end, he knew they were in the wrong for how they had treated Abigail, so he held back.

With a grim expression, Stephen opened the door. Inside was an entire room turned into a walk-in closet. Transparent wardrobes lined the walls, filled with rows of clothes like a department store display, a clear sign of how much the Gibson family spoiled Daniella.

Stephen pulled out an outfit from a corner and tossed it to Abigail. "These are clothes Dani doesn't like. She doesn't like anyone touching her stuff. You don't need to return it after you wear it. If you don't want it, throw it away."

Abigail changed and came out. The fitted sweater hung a little loose on her, but she adjusted it quickly and stepped out. "I'm done."

Stephen glanced at her, his expression hard to read. "Let's go."

Abigail didn't care about his cold attitude. Her heart was filled with excitement and nervousness at the thought of seeing Wyatt.

Stephen walked fast. Before Abigail could even catch up, he had already disappeared.

Abigail didn't mind. She knew exactly where Wyatt lived. But just as she was about to step out of the villa, the joy bubbling in her chest vanished in an instant.

"Abby, you're finally home." Her mother, Bianca Gibson, teared up the moment she saw Abigail and choked up.

Bianca reached out to pull her into an embrace, but Abigail stepped back to avoid her.

Bianca's face fell. Her expression turned sorrowful. "Abby, are you blaming me?"

Abigail didn't understand why Bianca would ask that and thought, 'Am I not supposed to blame her? They sent me to prison, made me suffer all that pain. I'm not allowed to blame them?'

"Mrs. Gibson, I'm going to see Grandpa." Abigail's voice was slightly hoarse.

Bianca looked like she had been dealt a heavy blow. Her whole body swayed. "Abby, what did you just call me? You really are blaming me."

Tears streamed down Bianca's face. Even crying like this, she still looked elegant and beautiful, only now with a touch of fragility.

When Abigail had first returned to the Gibson family, she used to really like Bianca. She thought Bianca was graceful, dignified, and kind.

Abigail had hoped so many times that Bianca would speak to her the way she did to Daniella, with gentleness and affection.

But the only time Bianca had ever treated Abigail with that same softness was when she make Abigail go to prison in Daniella's place.

Abigail thought, 'What a joke.'

"Mom, why are you crying?" Daniella rushed over, full of concern as she came to Bianca's side.

Daniella's voice quivered with emotion, and her eyes turned teary just like Bianca's. "Abby, if you're mad, take it out on me. Just don't make Mom this sad.

"She's been skipping meals and losing sleep over you. She's already worn herself out. You may not care, but I do."

Bianca couldn't bear to see the adopted daughter she had lovingly raised in tears. She wiped her own tears away at once. "Dani, I'm fine. Don't cry, sweetie. I'm okay."

"Mom, Abby has every right to resent me. If it weren't for me, she would've gotten all your love," Daniella said, biting her lip, her eyes brimming with tears, looking heartbreakingly pitiful.

"This isn't your fault, Dani. Don't overthink it," Bianca said patiently, comforting her. The two of them looked especially warm and close.

Chapter 4 Prison Life

Abigail didn't want to see Bianca and Daniella putting on their sweet mother-daughter act.

Just as Abigail walked past them, she saw Stephen coming from the other direction. He seemed to notice Bianca crying and quickened his pace, his tone sharp with anger. "Abigail, what did you say to Mom?"

Abigail stared at him expressionlessly and asked calmly, "Mr. Gibson, maybe you should ask your mother what she said to me. I only said one thing to her."

Stephen looked at Abigail with clear disbelief. He was about to say something when Bianca spoke up, "Stevie, be nicer to Abby. I'm fine. I'm just really happy to see her again."

Stephen was scolded by Bianca and gave Abigail an annoyed look, but didn't say anything more.

"Abby, I got you new clothes and shoes. Why are you wearing something that doesn't even fit?" Bianca glanced at Abigail, frowning slightly.

Abigail looked up, her tone still laced with impatience. "No need. This is fine. I'm going to see Grandpa."

She was about to leave, but Stephen reached out to block her and said, "Grandpa's already sleeping."

"No way. Ralph is still with him, isn't he?" Abigail's voice grew anxious. She hadn't seen Wyatt in three years, and now she was desperate to see him.

"Ralph already left," Stephen replied, clearly annoyed. He thought, 'If it weren't for her, Ralph would've stayed for dinner.'

"Abby, don't worry. You can see Grandpa tomorrow," Bianca said gently, trying to soothe Abigail.

Abigail lowered her eyes in frustration. If it weren't for them, she would've made it in time to see Wyatt. She stayed quiet and turned to go inside.

"Abby, your room's all ready. Now that you're back, I really want to make things right," Bianca remarked softly.

Abigail didn't react. She never planned to stay here in the first place. She just hadn't seen Wyatt yet.

"Okay," Abigail replied with a nod.

Bianca was overjoyed. Her eyes swept over the backpack in Abigail's hand, and a flash of pain crossed her expression. "Stevie, is Abby's room all set up? Let her get some rest first."

Stephen looked a little uneasy. He answered, "The room's not ready yet. Just let her stay in the maid's room for now."

"Stevie, what did you just say?" Bianca looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Stephen didn't say another word.

Abigail spoke up, "Where's the maid's room?"

She didn't want to argue with them anymore. After getting an answer, she picked up her backpack and walked into the room on the first floor.

Bianca looked like she still wanted to say something, but when she thought of what Stephen had done, she stayed quiet.

Abigail shut the door. The maid's room was simply furnished, but it had everything she needed. The Gibson family was wealthy, and even the maid's room wasn't small.

Abigail wasn't picky about where she lived. She'd stayed in solitary confinement in prison before. In fact, the conditions here weren't bad at all.

She unpacked a little, took out her phone to charge it, and replied to a few messages. Then she heard a knock at the door.

"Abby, Mom asked me to call you for dinner." Daniella stood at the door with a bright smile.

But Abigail clearly saw the hostility hidden in Daniella's eyes. She replied, "Got it. Let's go."

At the dinner table, Bianca enthusiastically placed food onto Abigail's plate. Abigail instinctively shielded her own plate and pulled away. A piece of broccoli fell onto the table.

Stephen's voice was low and laced with anger. "Abigail, what are you dodging for? Mom's just trying to serve you."

"Sorry. It's a habit," Abigail said.

She really had gotten used to it. In prison, anytime someone reached over during meals, it was either to steal food from her plate or to throw trash onto it. If she didn't move fast enough, she wouldn't be able to eat at all.

Stephen let out a sharp laugh out of anger. "Abigail, you're such a bad liar. You think we're actually going to believe that?"

Abigail put down her utensils and looked straight at him. "Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

Bianca quickly stepped in. "Stevie, Abby didn't mean anything by it. Come on, let's eat before the food gets cold."

Stephen held back his anger and stayed quiet, but the way he looked at Abigail felt like he was throwing knives at her.

Abigail pretended not to notice. She'd seen worse—crueler, darker stares than his. Compared to them, Stephen was nothing.

"Abby, why aren't you eating? Is the food not to your taste?" Bianca looked at her, concerned.

Abigail didn't know why Bianca was paying so much attention to her today. If this had been three years ago, she would've been thrilled, thinking Bianca had finally seen her, finally cared, finally wanted to be gentle with her.

Three years ago, Abigail would've needed Bianca's attention. But now, she didn't.

"No, it's just a bit too heavy. I can't handle it," Abigail said.

The food on the table wasn't greasy, but everything had that sweet-and-spicy flavor Daniella liked.

Stephen couldn't help himself and sneered, "Didn't you eat just fine before? Now suddenly you can't?"

Abigail looked up at him, her voice flat. "Back then I hadn't starved myself sick. After three years in prison, being hungry became normal. Eating fast became normal. And getting stomach problems became normal, too."

Stephen froze. Bianca's eyes turned red as she asked, "Abby, why didn't you call us and say something? I always thought you were doing fine in there."

Abigail only found it ironic. 'How could prison life ever be fine?' she thought. They were the ones who sent her in, and after that, they didn't lift a finger to help.

Prison was the kind of place where the strong thrived and the weak got crushed. Abigail had no money, no power. Getting pushed around was her everyday reality.

As for the phone calls, Abigail could only let out a cold laugh at the thought. "I did call," she said.

"That's impossible," Stephen blurted out. "No one at home ever got a call from you." As he spoke, he suddenly stopped.

A trace of mockery appeared in Abigail's eyes. "Two months after I went in, I called home. A maid answered. She told me you all said I should focus on serving my sentence and not call again."

The atmosphere at the table froze instantly.

Chapter 5 Without A Degree

Abigail quietly finished the macaroni on her plate, not leaving a single bite. It had been a long time since she'd had macaroni that tasted this good.

Only the celery remained, standing out on the plate. Abigail set down her utensils, stood up, and looked at the others. "I'm done."

Bianca hurriedly reached for her plate. "You barely ate anything. Let me get you more macaroni."

"No need. I'm heading out. You all enjoy." Abigail didn't want to keep going in circles with the Gibsons. She turned around and walked off without hesitation.

"Abby, you said you'd stay at home." Bianca's voice trembled with panic, like a cry. Her chair scraped loudly against the floor as she moved.

Stephen stood up and steadied Bianca. He looked at Abigail, guilt and disapproval written in his eyes.

Abigail frowned slightly. Her hands at her sides trembled. She couldn't handle that sound. It reminded her of the three months of abuse in prison.

She fought the urge to run and lowered her gaze. Her voice was calm. "I'll come back."

With that, Abigail didn't stop again and quickly disappeared from their sight. After she left, Ralph set down his utensils.

*****

Abigail walked out the front gates of Gibson Villa and took out her phone. She opened the last message. A new one had just come in—it was an address, asking her to come in for an interview.

Abigail didn't recognize the location. Her finger paused on the screen for a few seconds. She decided to leave the villa neighborhood first.

Three years in prison had left Abigail completely out of step with the world. It took her forty minutes to walk from the villa district to the nearest bus stop.

Once she got on the bus, she realized the stop wasn't near the address. She would have to walk the rest of the way.

Abigail looked down at the street outside the window. A BMW drove by, and her gaze fixed on it.

Through the open car window, she saw that Stephen turned to speak. Sitting beside him was Daniella, smiling sweetly.

Abigail turned her eyes away without any expression. The bus announcement played as the BMW passed.

"Stevie, what are you looking at?" Daniella asked.

Stephen snapped out of it and shook his head. "Nothing." He thought he had seen Abigail on the bus.

It took Abigail two minutes to ask a passerby for directions. She kept her head down, fiddling with her phone. She knew what navigation was, but had never used it before. This was her first time.

After a bit of trial and error, Abigail managed to enter the destination. Following the map, she walked to a tall building—that was the place.

Abigail put her phone away and stepped inside. A girl at the front desk stopped her. "What are you here for? Do you have an appointment?"

"I need an appointment just to come in? I'm here for an interview." Abigail hadn't expected it to be this strict and wondered if she'd even make it in today.

The receptionist looked her up and down and said impatiently, "Why are you here for an interview in the afternoon? Elevator's over there. Third floor."

Abigail frowned slightly, thinking she should explain. But before she could speak, the receptionist looked past her and suddenly changed her tone, cheerful and eager. "Ms. Harper, you're here for work?"

Abigail glanced back, said nothing, and walked straight toward the elevator. When she reached the third floor, she sent a message: [I'm here.]

She quickly found the room with a sign on the door that said "Interview Room" and knocked.

"Come in," someone inside said.

She pushed the door open. Inside sat a man and a woman.

Both of them looked at her, seeming a little puzzled. The woman pointed at the chair across from them and asked, "You're here for the interview? Just wait a moment. The interviewer isn't here yet."

Abigail gave a small nod and sat quietly, waiting.

Not long after, the door opened again.

"Ms. Harper," said the man and woman in unison.

Abigail glanced back. It was the same beautiful woman she had seen downstairs—Director Claudia Harper.

Claudia looked annoyed. She gave Abigail a once-over and asked, "Why are you showing up for an interview at this hour?" Before Abigail could respond, Claudia questioned, "What's your major?"

Abigail frowned. Before she went to prison, she had just received her college acceptance letter. She never even got the chance to attend.

But she had already completed a full set of college coursework, including advanced projects. In terms of knowledge, she was more than qualified.

"I didn't go to college," Abigail answered.

Claudia's face fell instantly, and she snapped, "Who told you to show up for an interview without a college degree?"

Abigail opened her mouth to explain, but Claudia cut in, "This isn't some no-name company that hires people without degrees. I don't care who sent you. There are no shortcuts here. Get out."

Abigail stood up abruptly, her eyes calm and cold as they locked on Claudia. "First, a degree isn't the only proof of ability. Second, I don't think your company is a good fit for me anyway."

"You—" Claudia raised her hand, about to yell again, when the door opened once more.

The moment she saw who it was, Claudia's entire demeanor changed. Her face lit up with a smile. "Mr. Gibson, Dani, why didn't you call me? I would've come down to pick you up."

Daniella looked surprised to see Abigail. "Abby, what are you doing here? Are you here for the interview? But the minimum requirement is a master's degree, and you've never even been to college."

As she spoke, her eyes shifted, and she bit her lip. "Stevie, Abby doesn't meet the qualifications. Maybe I should give up my spot for her instead."

Chapter 6 The Interview

Stephen didn't even hesitate before he refused. "No. This is an opportunity you earned for yourself."

Then he turned to Abigail, frowning slightly. "Who told you to come here? You don't meet the education requirements. Even if they gave you the chance, you wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Are you done?" Abigail didn't want to argue with them anymore. Since it was clear this wasn't going to work out, she turned to leave.

Stephen was irritated by her indifference and snapped, "What kind of attitude is that? You're the one who's underqualified—who else do you think is to blame?"

Abigail turned back to look at him. Her voice was calm, but her eyes carried a trace of mockery. "And what kind of attitude would you like me to have?"

Stephen's expression darkened. His voice tightened with anger. "Don't act like the world owes you something. Dani earned her graduate degree through hard work. If you'd put in even half the effort she did, you wouldn't have ended up—"

A soft laugh from Abigail cut him off. His gaze grew grimmer as he questioned, "What are you laughing at?"

Abigail gave a cold smile. "Three years ago, I was accepted into Vanguard University."

The room went silent. Abigail looked straight at Stephen, her eyes full of ridicule.

Stephen said she didn't try hard enough. From the moment Abigail returned to the Gibson family, she knew she couldn't compete with the pampered and beloved Daniella. The only thing Abigail had was her grades.

To make the Gibsons proud, Abigail had thrown herself into studying like her life depended on it. And in the end, she got accepted into one of the best schools—Vanguard University.

The day she received the acceptance letter, Abigail had been so excited to tell them. And that was the day she found out they wanted her to take the fall for Daniella and go to prison in her place.

Stephen stood frozen, stunned, disbelief written all over his face.

Daniella clenched her teeth, silently thinking, 'Abigail actually got into Vanguard University? That's impossible.'

"Abby, is that true? But we never got a call from Vanguard University. Abby, I'm not saying you're lying, I'd be happy too if you really got in. I just—" Daniella stammered, flustered.

Stephen snapped out of it and turned to Abigail, his eyes full of suspicion. "Are you sure you got the offer? Abigail, this kind of thing can be verified. Don't think you can fool me."

Abigail was used to it. No matter what Daniella said, Stephen would always believe her. Not just Stephen—everyone in the Gibson family did, except Wyatt.

"Believe whatever you want," Abigail said. Her face was so composed it was impossible to tell if she was lying.

Stephen's thoughts grew complicated. 'If it's true, then we really did ruin Abigail's future,' he thought.

As she walked out of the interview area, Abigail hesitated for a moment before sending a message to that person.

It wasn't that she wanted to complain—he was the one who gave her this address, so whether it worked out or not, he needed to know.

*****

At that moment, in the top-floor executive suite, the CEO's assistant Jeremiah Walsh received a call from his boss. His expression shifted. "Understood. Do you want me to reveal your identity to Ms. Abigail Gibson?"

"No need," came the man's deep, indifferent voice.

Just before the call ended, Jeremiah heard him add, "She'll figure it out."

*****

"Ms. Gibson?" Jeremiah rushed out just in time to catch Abigail before she left the building. "Ms. Gibson, one moment, please."

His eyes quietly scanned her. 'So this is the woman who made our usually distant CEO pull strings behind the scenes. She really is beautiful—but that aura of hers is cold as ice,' he thought.

Jeremiah kept the thought to himself and showed nothing on his face.

Abigail looked at the clearly forced smile on his face, a trace of confusion in her expression. "Did you need something from me?"

"Actually, I have a position that I think would be a great fit for you, Ms. Gibson. Would you be interested in giving it a try?" Jeremiah didn't waste time, getting straight to the point.

Something flickered in Abigail's eyes as her gaze settled on his face. For some reason, he actually felt a hint of pressure.

"Why me?" Abigail asked. As her cool, indifferent voice rang out, the pressure instantly vanished.

Jeremiah's eyes narrowed slightly in thought, but he kept his smile polite. "Ms. Gibson, no need to overthink it. The reason it's you is simply because someone gave the order."

Abigail was silent for a few seconds. She really did need a job—after she visited Wyatt, she'd have to leave the Gibson family for good.

"All right," she said.

Jeremiah had completed his task. He gestured politely with a smile. "Ms. Gibson, this way please."

*****

By the time Abigail walked out of the company, the sun was already setting. She strolled slowly toward the bus stop, taking in the deep crimson glow along the horizon.

But after waiting at the stop for half an hour, she finally realized—the buses had probably stopped running.

She glanced at the time. It was already seven. Abigail vaguely remembered the route back to Gibson Villa. Since she had promised to return, she wasn't about to go back on her word. She still hadn't seen Wyatt.

At eight o'clock, at the dining table in Gibson Villa, Stephen sat with an increasingly sour expression, staring at the empty chair. "Mom, let's stop waiting," he said.

"No," Bianca replied firmly. Tears welled in her eyes as she whispered, "Abby will come back. She promised me she'd stay here."

"Then she needs to start treating this place like home. Mom, if she's still not back by now, it's obvious she never planned to come back. She's just tricking us." Stephen was fuming, his face twisted with rage, feeling completely duped.

"Stevie, maybe Abby's not coming back because of the job. It's all my fault. I should've given the opportunity to her. Abby must be mad at me." Daniella's voice trembled as she spoke, ending with a choked sob.