Chapter 9

The scene fell into silence. The next moment, Abigail's attitude immediately did a complete 180, and a fawning, ingratiating smile appeared on her face. "Oh, so you're Samuel's boss! Hello there!" She pushed the lunch box toward Matthew and turned to shout at Owen, "Dad! Bring out our best chicken special right away!" Samuel was speechless. He should never have said Matthew was his boss. Seeing Abigail act this way toward Matthew made him quite uncomfortable. Matthew suppressed the smile tugging at his lips and looked at Samuel, whose expression had changed several times. "No charge?" "Of course not! You're Samuel's boss, which makes you my boss too. And the boss signs the paychecks, so anyone who pays Samuel is definitely worth treating well!" Abigail's words flowed smoothly. Samuel's mouth twitched slightly. Abigail really had quite the talent for adjusting her attitude based on who she was dealing with. "I can handle things here. They need you over there more." He really didn't want Abigail to have any unnecessary contact or connection with Matthew. "Alright, just don't be reckless. We're on your boss' turf, so we can't afford to mess up." Before leaving, Abigail lowered her voice and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in Samuel's ear. Abigail really was thorough in her thinking. She had only been back for two days, yet she had quickly integrated into the Parker family's life and was doing everything she could to help support everyone in the family. When Samuel turned back around, the annoying Matthew had already disappeared, along with that boxed meal. Only a hundred-dollar bill was left on the table. "Matthew! Dawson!" Samuel gritted his teeth as he spat out the name. He picked up the hundred-dollar bill. He would remember this! Meanwhile, Matthew got in the car and sneezed. Roy thoughtfully turned down the air conditioning. Through the car window, he watched the Parker family still bustling with activity, his gaze eventually settling on Abigail. There was something increasingly familiar about this young woman that he couldn't shake. "Mr. Dawson, where to now?" Roy asked. "Back to the office." Matthew looked away and sat up straight. "Also, have someone investigate Samuel's sister. I want a complete file on her in two hours." Roy responded, "Yes, Mr. Dawson!" … "Why the hell are you moving?" On her first day back with the Newmans, Anita handed Gianna a credit card as compensation for the years she had spent suffering away from home. "Who told you to tail them? Don't make any moves without my say-so from now on, or you can find yourself another job." Gianna had called up the wealthy friends she previously made to show off, but halfway through their journey, she coincidentally spotted Matthew. She ordered the Newman family's driver, Jorge Anderson, to follow his car, leading them here. Now that Matthew's car was starting up again, Jorge naturally obeyed Gianna's previous orders and continued following, only to receive a tongue-lashing. Jorge gripped the steering wheel tightly, suddenly thinking of Abigail. She never acted spoiled and always treated working people like them with respect and care. Gianna rolled down the window, straining to see who in the crowd could have made Matthew personally get out of his car. What she saw made her more excited than any shopping spree. "Ms. Newman, where are you headed? Mrs. Newman specifically told me to take good care of you," said Jorge. "Why are you so chatty? Just stay in the car." Gianna frowned and snapped at him when she saw him getting out of the car. Wearing a brand-new Chanel outfit she had bought that morning, complete with luxurious accessories and high heels, Gianna strutted over to Abigail and pulled her sunglasses down. "Oh my, Abigail! It really is you! I thought I was seeing things!" "If you can mistake a whole person, people might think you're blind," Jayden said mockingly from the side. Abigail remained expressionless as she looked at Gianna, who was dressed like a peacock showing off its feathers. "Boxed lunches are 20 dollars each. Line up on the left to pay, pick up on the right." Gianna took off her sunglasses, her eyes showing disgust as she pinched her nose and stepped back. "This is all my fault, Abigail. I should've talked Mom out of it back then so that you wouldn't have to live such a hard life. "How about this? I'll take you back and beg for mercy on your behalf. You're used to a comfortable life with the Newmans, so this must be unbearable." Gianna dramatically pulled out a handkerchief to cover her nose and mouth as if there really was a terrible stench in the air. Abigail gave a cold smile. "Line up on the left to pay, pick up on the right. If you're not eating, please refrain from blocking other customers. Thank you." "I'm giving you a chance here!" Gianna got angry. "Do you really want to live a hard life like this? Let me tell you, if you don't appreciate this opportunity, you'll regret it later." Abigail repeated the same words like a robot, "Line up on the left to pay, pick up on the right." "Abigail!" "Line up on the left to pay, pick up on the right." Gianna clenched her fists in fury. "I'm being generous and giving you a chance out of pity! If you don't appreciate it now, you'll be sorry later!" "Don't get ahead of yourself, Gianna." Samuel stepped in front of Abigail with a cold expression. "Don't you understand what my sister just said? If you're not buying food, stop causing trouble." Gianna sneered, "So, this is how it is now, Samuel? Just weeks ago, I was your precious little sister. It's amazing how fast you can turn your back on me." "You're a gold digger who won't own up to it, so you blame everyone else. What kind of person does that?" Jayden fired back. "The second you found out you came from money, you ditched us without looking back. Even dogs are more loyal to their families than you are." "I'm a Newman by birth! Abigail got to live in luxury all these years after stealing my place! You people probably orchestrated this whole mess for all I know! So who's really the bad guy here?" Yvonne had been quietly sitting in the back, but those words made her shake with rage. "You little brat! I can't believe I never saw your true colors!" Abigail put a supportive arm around Yvonne, gently patting her back. "Mom, she's not worth getting upset over. The past is the past. I'm back where I belong, and that's all that matters to me. Getting to come back to you all is the best thing that has ever happened to me." Jayden teared up at her words while Owen was already openly sobbing. "You're such a sweet young lady. My daughter's truly an angel." Seeing this family moment, Gianna's voice dripped with sarcasm. "How touching. You can all stick together and pretend everything's fine. We'll see how long you can keep up the happy poor family act." "Line up on the left to pay, pick up on the right." Abigail resumed her mechanical repetition. "Shut it!" Gianna cursed and stormed off in humiliation.