Not One, But Two!

Chapter 64

Greg was still rather worried. "The Kains are vicious, blood-sucking creatures. I think it's best if Troy goes with you."

"I really don't need him. I don't want the Kains to know that you're my friend, and I don't want them to know about the kids. They are the sort of people who can do anything just for their own benefits." Abigail flashed him a bitter smile. It was hard for her to explain how things were like in a family like hers.

"You're different from them," Greg whispered when he saw her expression.

"I know." She left on her own in the end. She's too stubborn and too strong—it hurts just seeing how independent she is, he thought as he stared at her back. "Troy, I need you to find a few men to follow and protect Abigail. If the Kains are too much, you can just kick them out of Harrion. You don't have to care about my reputation." Although Abigail told him that she didn't want him to do anything, he was more than ready to have the Kain Corporation turn to dust in Harrion if the Kain Family went overboard with their actions.

Troy hurried off to follow his orders. Abigail didn't know about any of this, and all she was thinking about was whether what Philip had said was true. What if he's using this to fool me? After a while, she arrived at the Kains' front door.

Although she had once lived in that house, she felt rather disgusted at the sight of it. However, she had to tolerate all of it for the sake of her mother. When Emma saw Abigail standing outside the house, Emma scoffed. "She didn't want to come back when I asked her to, yet she came crawling back. She's a donkey that only walks when you don't need it to!"

"Shut up. She's my only hope now, and I'll make sure you suffer if you infuriate her." Philip hissed.

Sasha was a smart woman, and she understood that Abigail could be helpful to the Kain Family at that point. "Are you back, Abigail? Please get her a cup of tea, Mrs. Nova."

Abigail grew cautious when she noticed Sasha's excessively welcoming gestures. "It's fine. I'm not thirsty." She wouldn't eat anything offered to her by the Kain Family, as she might just end up poisoned, drugged, or in some state where she would be helpless.

Philip hurried out of the study after hearing that Abigail was back. "You're back, Abigail. Why don't you take a seat? Are you tired? Hungry? I'll get Mrs. Nova to cook you something." This was the first time after more than 20 years that Philip had given Abigail a warm feeling in her chest, but the warmth came with a sense of bitterness.

"You don't have to put on an act in front of me; just be straightforward. It's been more than 20 years, and you aren't going to win my heart with a few sentences. Furthermore, you aren't the sort of person who would say such things, so why would you trouble yourself that way?" Abigail's words made Philip's smile stiffen for a while.

"What sort of attitude is that? I'm your father, you know." He twisted his smile into a frown.

"Don't pull that father card on me. You have no right to be my father, and I don't need you as one." Abigail didn't want to give herself the space to imagine any other reality apart from the one she lived in. Philip had hurt her too many times, and she used to convince herself that blood was thicker than water and that her father would love her someday. However, after the near-death experience five years ago, she realized that she would never mean anything to Philip no matter what she did. All he cared about was his own benefits.

Philip's face turned even grimmer, and the atmosphere grew tense in the room. Sasha quickly joined the conversation while smiling. "Look, how could you talk to your father like that, Abigail? He's the one

who gave you this life, right? Since you are home, you shouldn't be so uptight. Sit down and have some tea to warm yourself up."

Philip tried to contain his temper. Emma, on the other hand, scoffed when she saw how insistent Abigail was on not drinking anything. "What is this? Are you not willing to drink our cheap tea now that you're earning big bucks? If you're that great of a daughter, you should bring some better tea home for us. When Jonathan came back from his trip this time, he bought some tea for us, and that's the one we made for you. Try it. I'm not sure if you'll get another chance to try it otherwise." Emma spoke in a mocking tone, but Abigail wasn't in the mood to respond to her. The whole family made her feel disgusted.

"I heard that you have news about my mother. What do I need to do for you to give me my mother's details?" Abigail didn't bother to go around in circles.

Philip's gaze darkened. "The company's business hasn't been good in the past two years, so if you want your mother's details, I'll need you to give me ten million. As long as we have the money, the company will be able to stand back up again. I'll send you your mother's details right after I receive the cash."

Upon hearing Philip's words, Abigail was glad that she hadn't felt too hopeful after hearing what he said earlier. I was right, after all! This man is just a leech who wants to suck all the blood out of me! How dare he ask for ten million?! "I don't have the money," Abigail uttered.

Philip lost it immediately. "What do you mean? Do you think I don't know about the black card that Emma snatched over once? That's an unlimited card."

"That's a credit card, and I have to pay the bills even if the credit is unlimited. Are you going to pay for it then?" she asked.

"You'll be the one paying, of course. Since you're not married, you're still a part of the Kain Family. I've taken care of you since you were a kid, so isn't it about time you repaid whatever I did for you?" Philip expected her to repay him. This didn't fit with Abigail's moral values at all.

"Is this your true motive, Philip?" she asked.

"That's right," he replied. Abigail felt like puking when she saw his face. "As I said, I don't have money."

"You can go borrow money from someone, then! I know you're the best surgeon in the world, and you're really well-known. Won't one of your patients lend you some cash? I heard that you treated Mr. Buckley's mother previously. I bet he'd give you some cash. It's fine if you don't get ten million—you can give me half the amount first. Anyway, you won't get your mother's information until this is all done."

Abigail felt the urge to attack Philip when she noticed the disrespectful and demanding manner in which he spoke to her. She would've probably already beaten him up if he weren't her father. "How do I know that you have my mother's information? What if you're lying?"

"Why would I lie to you? I also have a necklace that your mother left behind. Ten million, and I'll give it to you." Sasha's eyes lit up when she heard what Philip said.

"A necklace? What necklace is this, and why don't I know about it?" Sasha asked.

"Hush! It's an expensive necklace. You'd probably take it for yourself if you saw it," Philip grumbled. Abigail sniggered upon hearing what Philip said. If the necklace was really expensive, then why did he keep it around instead of selling it off?

"Do you think I'm a three-year-old, Philip? If my mother left anything valuable behind, it would probably be gone now." Her words felt like a slap across his face because Abigail was indirectly calling him a thief. "I can't sell this necklace," he uttered with a rather glum expression.

"Explain yourself," Abigail said.

"I can't. Hold on. I'll show you something." Philip headed upstairs to bring down a box made of redwood. It was an old box that looked like it was worth at least 100,000. Abigail narrowed her eyes. Does this belong to my mom?

On the other hand, Sasha's eyes lit upon seeing the box. "Why didn't you give this to me, Philip? You kept a good thing for yourself! I'm your wife!" she cried.

"This belongs to Adeline. Would you even wear them?" Philip was annoyed by the greedy look in his wife's eyes. He pushed the box toward Abigail instead. Abigail opened it to find a ruby necklace that sparkled a little under the light. The necklace would cost a few hundreds of thousands at least.

Abigail was taken aback by this. "Does this really belong to my mother?"

"Yes. It's genuine. You can get someone to check it if you want to." Abigail excitedly reached for the necklace, but Philip got there one second earlier. "What about your side of the deal?"

Abigail didn't want to give Philip any money, but she would have to buy the necklace if it really belonged to her mother. Otherwise, Sasha would steal it eventually.

Although Abigail didn't know why Philip hadn't sold the necklace, she told herself that she would investigate the situation a little further. "I'll give you eight million. That's all I have now." Abigail wasn't about to give him ten million.

Philip frowned. "Ten million and nothing less."

"It's pointless for you to keep this necklace. You'd get eight million at most if you went to the auction. Anyway, that's all that I have. Take it if you want it. If you don't want the money, then I'm fine without the necklace. I don't need it." She turned to leave after that.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Philip panicked when he saw her leave. "Fine, fine! Eight million it is! I want the money now." Abigail heaved a sigh of relief after that. She walked over and transferred the money to Philip, and Philip relaxed after seeing the money.

Then, Abigail quickly grabbed the redwood box and looked at it once more before hugging it in her arms. "Is this the information about my mom you were talking about?"

"Yeah." Abigail felt like she had been scammed, but she was glad she had her mother's necklace. She headed out immediately after that as she couldn't bear to be in this house a second longer.

Sasha was so jealous that her eyes had turned red. "I've been with you for so long, yet you've never given me something as nice as that ruby, Philip. Do you really care about me? You could've given it to Emma if not me. What sort of family is Jonathan from? Emma never has any presentable accessories when she's out with him," Sasha complained.

Emma was just as furious, and she voiced out after Sasha. "Yeah, Dad. I'm about to get married to the Frasers. All the money will come when that happens! Why did you give the necklace to that woman?"

"Shut up! What do you all know? That ruby is valuable, but I kept it around without selling it. Do you know why? You guys thought it was a good thing, right? That ruby actually takes lives! Just you guys wait. That brat is about to drop dead!" Philip let out a cold laugh. There wasn't a hint of fatherly love in his eyes, but only an evil look that could make others shudder.

Both Sasha and Emma froze. "What's the story behind the ruby?" they asked.