Day Forty-Eight…
~~*****~~
[ Phantomflake's Secret Place… ]
After visiting Old Man Xu, Abigail dropped by her place. It was a newly bought house, thanks to the diamond necklace given to her by the Dragon Lord.
The property was under Jane Frost. She would use this as her secret hideout when she returned as Phantomflake. There were several units of computer, one was set up as the central server. She also installed CCTV cameras in and out of the house for security purposes.
The internet was already installed. But she lacked furniture sets. She first prioritized weapons, computers, and devices instead of cooking appliances and furniture sets.
Abigail sat on the floor and leaned on the wall. She opened her laptop and began to do her search. She was compiling data about Maximilian Carlsen and Helena Carlsen.
As the command was running, Abigail looked around her room. "Hmm. I think having robotic friends like Riemc, Powy and Star S around this house will be enjoyable. Should I ask Nathan to give me a robot? I can't afford to buy one at this moment." Abigail smiled with excitement. She would try to ask Nathan once she got home.
Abigail shifted her gaze back to her laptop monitor screen. She printed several documents containing background information on Maximilian Carlsen and Helena Carlsen.
She put her laptop down and stood up, grabbing a whiteboard. She stuck Monica's photo at the center and drew a question mark symbol. Just a few inches away from Monica, Abigail pinned Veronica's photo. She also put a blank paper with a note: Monica's Mysterious Man.
Just below Monica's photo, Abigail placed Nathan and Ethan's pictures. Then she drew lines connecting Nathan and Ethan to Monica's photo. She also put Old Man Xu's photo. Just below Old Man Xu, Abigail put Maximilian Carlsen and Helena Carlsen.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtIt looked like Abigail was making a web map and Monica was the center of this map. She was listing the people that she could connect to Monica.
Abigail paused for a moment after she was done putting some description on the photos and how she would describe the relationship they had with each other.
"Hmm. I think… I missed something," she mumbled. She immediately wrote a mafia organization named The Raven. The Raven called the hit and hired her to assassinate Monica. This organization had been challenging the Syphiruz Mafia several times. But they kept being defeated by the Syphiruz.
"The Carlsen blackmailed Nathan's father and they knew something about Monica…" Abigail kept analyzing the connections between these people. Abigail also put her photo beside Monica and put a question mark.
"How was she able to hack my account and pretend to be me?" Abigail racked her brain so hard but she couldn't think of a reason. How did Monica become Shining Star? Was it by accident or intentional? Was it a premeditated plan?
Abigail had been looking at the whiteboard for several minutes. A few seconds later, her eyes lit up. She almost forgot something. Dave and the real Abigail somehow had connections with Helena Carlsen.
"Oh!" Abigail snapped her fingers. "Not Helena… but her boyfriend, Vincent!" Abigail recalled another person who had connections with the Carlsen. She chose to investigate Maximilian and Helene because they were somehow suspicious. How could a father and daughter from a faraway country be able to know a family drama involving Nathan, Monica, and Old Man Xu?
"Hmm. Dave! I have to ask Dave. He knows Vincent more." Abigail had this nagging feeling that knowing Vincent would also help her gather more information about Helena and her father.
Without further ado, Abigail dialed Dave's number. She needed to talk to him. Dave's phone rang for three seconds before he was able to answer the call.
"Hello, Abi?" There was a hint of longing in Dave's voice when he mentioned her name. He had been missing her but he restrained himself from contacting Abigail. He was still hurting because of Abigail and Nathan.
"Dave, I'm sorry to call you. Are you busy? Where are you?" Abigail had to thicken her face and become shameless because she needed some information. Though it was so awkward for the two of them, Abigail had to bother Dave at this moment.
"I'm at work. Police Precinct. I'm not busy. Why?" Dave promptly responded. Deep inside, he wanted to prolong this conversation. And if possible, he wanted to see Abigail. He missed her already.
"If it's okay with you… can we meet somewhere, near your office?" Abigail requested, biting her lower lip. She felt sorry for being so shameless. Here she was again, bothering Dave because she needed something from him.
"Sure. I'm free. Let's meet at Cafe Onse near our office." Dave didn't hesitate to say yes. In fact, he sounded cheerful and excited.
"Okay. Let's meet there in twenty minutes. I'm on my way now!" Abigail said goodbye to Dave and hang up the phone.
*****
Twenty Minutes Later…
Dave was already waiting in Cafe Onse. He already ordered food and drink for Abigail even before she arrived. Just when the food was served, Abigail reached the cafe. She immediately saw Dave from the entrance door of the Cafe.
Dave smiled and waved at her. Abigail halted on her steps for a moment. She noticed that Dave looked slimmer than before. Was he stressed? When she got closer to his spot, she noticed the dark circles under his eyes but those things didn't make him less attractive. He was still charming.
"Dave, are you okay? You become thinner. Are you not eating proper meals?" Abigail expressed her concern about Dave's health.
Dave just gave her a sheepish smile while scratching his face. "I had difficulty sleeping lately."
"I've been missing you," Dave added in a whisper. But Abigail still managed to hear those words clearly. Her heart clenched, feeling so guilty. It was her fault Dave didn't look well lately.
'Damn it! Abigail will hate this. Dave has to take care of his health… until the real Abigail returns. The real Abigail will never forgive me if something bad happens to her beloved man.'
"You should eat more and have enough sleep!" Abigail reprimanded Dave. "Waiter! I'll order another set of meals!" Abigail called the attention of the waiter nearby. Dave could only watch her in amusement. Deep inside, his heart was fluttering because Abigail was so worried about him.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"How are you, Abi?" Dave asked her after she was done ordering food.
Abigail exhaled sharply as she looked at him. "I have a lot of things to tell you. So many things happened to me. Dave… I've finally found my real family." She thought Dave had the right to know about this good news. If she was the real Abigail, of course, she would share this with her man and that man was Dave.
"Really? You've finally found them? How? When? Who are they?" Dave looked so happy for Abigail.
"It's a long story. But Nathan helped me out in finding them. They are the Yan Family."
Dave's smile disappeared at the mention of Nathan's name. He felt insecure and useless. He realized how powerful and influential Nathan was. He managed to find Abigail's family in a short period of time. Dave had also tried his best, searching for Abigail's parents. He used his skills and resources as a policeman but he still failed.
'Sigh… I am no match against Nathan Sparks… no wonder Abigail chose him over me.'
"Hey, Dave, are you okay? Did I say something to ruin your mood?" Abigail asked him worriedly.
'Damn! I am so insensitive! How could I mention Nathan's name in front of Dave.' Abigail gently smacked her lips when she realized her mistake.
But Dave just let out a soft chuckle. "No worries, Abi. I'm just fine."
"So tell me more…" Dave wanted to hear more updates about Abigail.
"Sigh. I met some troubles too. Not everyone in the Yan Family was happy to meet me. We also caught the culprit who hired an assassin to kill me. And the mastermind… my grandfather's youngest sister. She hates me because she didn't want my grandpa to give me their company. She felt like I didn't deserve their family wealth."
Dave's jaw dropped when he heard that. He had never expected that Abigail came from a wealthy family. "Yan Family? Which Yan Family are you referring to?"
"The Yan Family… the owner of the Yan Group!"
Dave: "..."