Chapter 4

Abigail's third older brother, Jayden, came over. He was restraining his urge to ruffle Abigail's hair for fear of startling her. "Abby, do you have any favorite celebrities? I hang around theaters a lot, so just tell me whose autograph you want." Abigail wasn't particularly interested in such things, but not wanting to dampen Jayden's enthusiasm, she asked casually, "Do you know Atlas Knox?" Atlas was the entertainment industry's hottest musical genius. He'd been famous for years but remained highly mysterious, staying so far behind the scenes that even collaborating singers didn't know what he looked like. Jayden's eyes lit up. "You like him?" Abigail shook her head. "Not really, but we have some history." Jayden's face immediately fell, looking like he might cry. "Oh... I don't know him." She added kindly, "Better that you don't. He's not a good person." He fell silent. For Jayden, Abigail had brought a vintage silver guitar pick pendant. For Owen, a set of polished wooden worry stones. And for Yvonne, a lavender sleep pillow. She had delayed leaving the Newman residence for so long precisely to prepare these gifts. Fortunately, each one suited everyone's preferences perfectly. The Parker family had a fourth son too, but he was disabled with paralyzed legs. He was confined to a wheelchair and was very frail. It was no wonder everyone in the Parker family looked hardworking yet remained so poor—most of their money went toward his medical treatments. Abigail breathed a sigh of relief and closed her bag. Inside remained one last gift, saved for her fourth older brother. After learning about all the family members, Abigail followed Owen to her room. It was the largest one on the second floor, right next to her fourth brother, Xavier Parker's, room. Gianna had refused to stay there, claiming Xavier's illness was depressing and his nighttime groans of pain disturbed her sleep. She then moved to the third floor instead. Owen was worried Abigail might find it lacking and scratched his head. "There are so many people in the house, so this is the only room that's never been used before. It's brand new. Don't worry, though. We're building a new house that'll be ready soon. If you're not comfortable sleeping here these next few days, I can have Xavier move upstairs so that he won't disturb you." Abigail surveyed the room's decor. And well… It had its own bathroom, and it was clearly the best and largest room in the house. The only problem was the explosion of bright pink everywhere. Even the curtains were a puffy pink lace. Anyone walking in would think they had stumbled into a Barbie dollhouse. Abigail fought to keep her mouth from twitching. "It's fine. I can stay here." Rather than clearing out Gianna's room, they had chosen to redecorate this one. After 20 years of emotional attachment, they were probably still hoping Gianna might come back. Abigail understood completely. It was far more thoughtful than what had happened at the Newman residence, where Anita had immediately made her give up her room and move in with the housekeeper after Gianna returned. After washing up and changing into the pink strawberry and bear pajamas the Parker family had prepared, Abigail lay in bed, feeling more at peace than she ever had before. A blind mother, a father who cried easily, a sick brother, and a rather broken home. She had her work cut out for her. Still, the situation was much better than Abigail had expected. At least everyone seemed nothing like the lazy freeloaders Gianna had described. Poverty was the easiest problem to solve. Worst-case scenario, she'd take on more projects and earn more money. The urgent priority was medical treatment. Yvonne's eyes needed treatment, and so did Xavier's legs—though she hadn't met him yet. Abigail could handle these cases herself. Over the years, she had secretly learned quite a few skills behind the Newmans' backs and helped them considerably. She had occasionally mentioned her abilities, but they never believed her. The Parker family didn't know her well yet, so they probably wouldn't believe her either. She'd need to find help from others to avoid delaying treatment. Exhausted from the long journey, Abigail quickly fell into a deep sleep despite her racing mind. Meanwhile, the rest of the Parker family held their gifts, unable to sleep. Abigail's small backpack had looked practically flat; it clearly didn't carry much. Yet somehow, she had managed to fit gifts for each of them inside. They couldn't help thinking of Gianna. All these years, she'd return with a bulging bag no matter where she went. It'd be stuffed full of things she had bought for herself. They had grown used to it, thinking that was just how their little sister was. They spoiled her regardless. Being treated with such thoughtfulness for the first time left them feeling somewhat unsettled. Nonetheless, Adrian was quick to spoil the moment. "Don't fall for it. Gianna pulled the same act whenever she wanted something from us. These are just worthless little gifts anyway." Who knew what scheme Abigail was cooking up? Jayden slumped in defeat. "Easy for you to complain. She barely acknowledged me and then said I wasn't a good person. How did I mess up already?" … That night, Abigail was awakened by the sound of groaning. The suppressed moans sounded like laments in the quiet house, weak and heartbreaking. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, listening carefully to confirm the sounds were coming from the room next door. It was her fourth brother, Xavier, whom she had never met. Abigail was hesitating about whether to check on him when the groaning from next door turned into muffled sobs. The next second, a loud thud was heard. It was as if something had fallen. Abigail slipped out of bed and, worried about disturbing the others' sleep, turned on her phone's flashlight and tiptoed out of her room. She approached the door next to hers and was about to knock when it creaked open slightly. The door wasn't closed. Abigail whispered, "Do you need help?" When she got no response, she gripped the door handle and peeked inside. It was quite dark, but she could vaguely make out a figure curled up on the floor. She quickly rushed in, set her phone aside, and tried to help the person up. "Get out!"