Chapter 194
Chapter 194
Greg couldn't resist flicking Abigail's forehead when he saw the blank look on her face. "Do you understand?"
"Yes," Abigail answered, only to belatedly realize how submissive she sounded.
Fortunately for her, Benjamin had already pulled up outside the hospital in time to save her from flushing in embarrassment. When the partition wound down, he said quietly, "Mr. Buckley, Ma'am, we're here."
"Go find a parking space and wait for my call," Greg instructed.
"Got it."
After that, Greg got out of the car with Abigail.
They carried the things they had gotten for Amy and made their way into her hospital room. Presently, the woman was asleep.
Amy had suffered from grave injuries, and she had no objections to Abigail hiring a caretaker for her. She knew that her duty right now was to recuperate and lessen the chances of her body suffering from any post-injury side effects.
Upon registering Abigail's arrival, the caretaker made to wake Amy up. However, Abigail stopped her.
Amy didn't look like she was sleeping soundly at all. Her features were scrunched up in pain, and a sheen of cold sweat had broken out over her forehead.
The caretaker grabbed a warm towel to dab off the sweat, but Abigail took it over and said, "Here, let me."
Meanwhile, Greg didn't want to see Abigail tire herself out, but because Amy was someone she truly cared about, he let the matter drop.
Knowing that she would want to spend some time alone with Amy, he promptly said, "I'm going to go out for a smoke."
Abigail nodded.
After he left, she devoted her energy into taking care of Amy by rearranging her covers and wiping the sweat off her forehead. Amy must have sensed her presence at one point, for she slowly opened her eyes and gasped. "Dr. Kain? What are you doing here?"
She tried to sit up, but Abigail pressed her down firmly on the bed and said, "No, don't get up. Just lie down and get the rest you need. I've already called my mentor, and he told me he would fly in to personally see to your injuries."
Abigail's mentor was a first-rate medical professor who was renowned globally, but he hardly ever took on a case. Amy certainly hadn't expected Abigail to call him up and have him come over just to treat her injuries.
"I'm fine, Dr. Kain. There's no need to trouble Professor Blackwell with my case."
"I think I can tell if there's a need for him to drop by. Besides, you only got injured because of my severe oversight. I didn't protect you well enough; if anything happened to you, or if you had any long- term side effects after this, I'd never be able to forgive myself."
Abigail meant what she said. There weren't a lot of people that she cared about in her lifetime, but once she started caring for them, she would cherish and protect them at all costs. After all, she couldn't bear to see them hurt.
Amy was touched by this, and her eyes grew misty with fresh tears. However, she made no reply.
Abigail took out her phone and scrolled through it until she found the apology video that Genevieve had made during the livestream. Then, she sent it to Amy. "This is her apology, but I'll make her family pay for what she has done as well. I'll unleash upon them the pain that they have inflicted upon you a hundredfold."
Abigail was neither naive nor a saint. She didn't like to deal with troublesome stuff, but it wasn't so much that she was incapable of tackling them as she was lazy. She didn't think there was a deadline for when revenge was supposed to happen; indeed, she could have gone mad by getting back at Emma, Sasha and Jonathan for what they had done to her in the past. NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.
However, she was incorrigibly idle, and she didn't care about picking fights with them. She knew she was keeping them on the edge of their seats as they tried and failed to anticipate her next move, and the psychological torture that came from toying with their anxiety was far more cathartic than physical and violent vengeance.
However, she would not stay idle if someone she cared about was hurt by others, and she certainly did not want to drag out the time during which prompt vengeance was called for.
Amy watched Genevieve's apology video. Even though she was aware that Abigail had forced such an apology to be rendered in the first place, Amy felt thankful since really needed to hear it. "Thank you, Dr. Kain."
"Don't thank me. You're my assistant, and you've suffered on-the-job injuries for which I must be accountable as your superior. Surely it is only my obligation to stand up to that woman for you."
Abigail had said this with an air of formality, but Amy could hear the warm concern in her tone nonetheless. She smiled and asked, "What do you intend to do next, Dr. Kain?"
Not bothering with tact, Abigail said frankly, "I've already gotten someone to throw Genevieve out into the streets, and the working crowd would be making their way home by now. It won't take long for her to headline the tabloids with her epic fall from grace. Also, I handed all evidence of the Leynthalls' blackmailing activities and money-laundering through offshore companies to the Central Commission of Discipline Inspection. I bet the officials are hot on their tails right now."
Amy was more than aware that she could never be capable enough to stand up for herself and exact vengeance on someone as prominent as Genevieve. That said, Abigail didn't have to go to such lengths just to avenge her, but she did so anyway.
She was so moved that she grabbed Abigail's hand and said, "Dr. Kain, I'll dedicate my life to you from now on."
"What do I want your life for? Silly thing. I won't always be here for you, so you'll have to learn how to defend yourself in my absence. Even if it meant betraying me, you could have gone along with what she said. After all, the most important thing is for you to find ways to survive."
However, such words did not comfort Amy. The woman disagreed with her vehemently and replied, "No, if I can't live as a person with principles and boundaries, and if I were to abandon them under threat, there's no way I will go far in life. Dr. Kain, I have no intention of becoming someone as vile as that."
Abigail saw the steely glint in Amy's eyes and felt warmth course through her. Her heart softened as she said, "That'll do, Amy. Get some rest now."
"Okay," Amy replied with a nod.
Following that, Abigail didn't leave until she had given Amy several more reminders. She also told her that Greg had bought her all the necessities.
Amy was a little astonished by his gesture, but she quickly regained composure as she said quietly, "Please thank Mr. Buckley for me."
"I will," Abigail promised with a smile before she left the ward.
That was when she saw the tall and handsome figure standing at the end of the hallway.
She never liked men who smoked, but she felt butterflies in her stomach when she saw how good Greg looked; he was bathed in sunlight, and cigarette smoke unfurled over his silhouette.
As though sensing Abigail's gaze on him, Greg turned around. She saw the devoted look in his eyes that made her feel as though she had found where she belonged, and she walked toward him at once.
He deftly snubbed the cigarette and met her halfway. "You done?"
She hummed in response. "Let's go. I'm a little hungry."
As she said this, her hand fluttered to her stomach.
"Jose's Burrito Shack is just around the corner. How about we grab a bite there?" Greg asked a little hesitantly. After all, Jose's Burrito Shack was, as per its name, a shack. He wasn't sure how Abigail, being the great doctor that she was, would feel about dining there.
Much to his astonishment, she replied nonchalantly, "Okay."
For a brief moment, he was at a loss for words. "You know that it's just a shack, right? Are you sure you don't mind eating there?"
She tipped her head to one side, and her eyes glimmered in mild amusement as she asked, "You didn't seem to mind it being a shack when you suggested it."
He averted his gaze and mumbled, "No, but I did have my doubts after that. Anyway, the burritos are good. I'd say they're restaurant-quality."
"Okay, then what are we waiting for? A meal is all about the flavor of the food and the person you're eating with. I'm not too concerned about what the place looks like or where it is," she pointed out before linking her arm through his playfully.
He could smell the faint fragrance of her, and it soothed him very much. The person you're eating with, huh? Not the place? He began to realize that she took him by surprise in many ways.
He might be the president of a company now, but he had grown up on the streets, and there was no changing that fact. He didn't care much about what he ate, and he would happily sit down at any shabby diner if it meant he could fill up his stomach.
It was only after Buckley Group had legitimized its activities that his social circle expanded to include members of the elite, and after that, he had been forced to join them for expensive dinner parties and meals at high-end restaurants.
However, he had always preferred meals at homely joints and old diners. Whenever he brought Genevieve out to places like that, she would look upon him with contempt and tell him that he was a commoner regardless of his success; this had traumatized him greatly.
Now, he was terrified that Abigail might treat him with the same disdain Genevieve had, but he couldn't be more wrong. No one could possibly fathom the happiness he felt when she told him she was fine with eating burritos at a roadside shack with him.
"Come on, I'll piggy-back you over to the shack; it's just right across the street from here," Greg offered as he crouched down in front of her.
Abigail stopped in her tracks as her eyes glistened. No one had ever given her a piggy-back ride before, and there had been times in her childhood when she was envious of other children whose fathers let them ride on their shoulders. As she took in the strong outline of Greg's back, she felt tears pricking her eyes.
"I'm really heavy, though," she said hesitantly.
He merely laughed and said, "Don't worry. I can still carry you even if you're twice your weight now."
"Should I just hop on?" she asked, still a little wary.
He gave a tip of his head to indicate his answer.
She leaped onto his back, and after he had a firm grip under her knees, he straightened up and began to walk. "Let's go, my lady! I shall be your knight in shining armor, your human carriage and all that jazz."
His words amused her to no end, and she laughed as she countered teasingly, "You, a knight? I don't want a knight, though—I want a king!"
"Too late. You're on my back, and you're my damsel, so you'd have to stick with me even if I turn out to be a court jester," he said cheerily.
She laughed again. "I don't want to marry a court jester."
"Not even if I'm a stud of a court jester?"
They bantered all the way to the burrito shack across the street, and all the passers-by who saw them couldn't hide the envy in their eyes. However, the both of them continued their lively repartee as if no one was watching.
When they were nearing the shack, she patted his shoulder and said quietly, "Okay, you can let me down now. I can walk the rest of the way."
"We're not there yet, so be good," Greg pointed out before reaching up to pat her on the butt.
She stiffened at this. They were in broad daylight and out in public, but that did not seem to have deterred him from the intimate gesture. She turned a bright shade of red, and embarrassment creeped up on her.
The next second, she began to struggle. "Let me down!"
He couldn't hold her still no matter how hard he tried, so he gave up and set her down on the pavement at last.
"What's wrong?" he asked bewilderedly.
"You just hit me there! Why?" Abigail demanded, blushing furiously.
It took him a while to understand what she was talking about, and when he did, he leaned forward and whispered roguishly, "Now that you mention it, I kind of like how it felt. Want me to give it another pat?"
Flustered, she kicked him and ran as she shouted, "Get out of my sight!"
"Ow!" he cried in pain before chasing after her. "Hey, stop right there! I can't believe you just kicked me. You're just asking to be spanked!"
Abigail thought in disbelief, He's a madman!
There weren't a lot of people at this hour in the morning, but everyone within earshot turned around to look at them after they heard him shout.
She had never wished more fervently than she did now for a hole to open up in the ground and swallow her whole. She picked up her pace and ran into the shack, but she did not notice the malicious gaze that was fixed on them; it was akin to how a viper might assess its prey before it struck.