Chapter 9: Chapter Nine

CHAPTER 9

"You are what?" Abigail's forest green eyes went wide, and she clasped her hands together over her head expressing her distress.

"I'm getting married," Richard repeated before slurping on his coffee, the one that I had brewed earlier for him.

"How? To whom?" Last time I checked, you didn't exactly have plans to style down with anyone. You've been single most of your life." the skin under her eye twitched. "And shouldn't you be breaking this news to me alone without an audience?" she asked, as her eyes flickered on me. "No offense Marah. It's just that I find it weird that I'm having this conversation with my dad and you are here."

"None taken." I retorted.

"Her presence here is crucial," Richard said.

"Crucial? I don't understand." Abigail uttered.

"She is the one I'm getting married to." Richard beckoned at me.

"Who?" she asked in a hollow voice.

"Marah."

She and I exchanged brief glances at each other, but I shifted my gaze away from her and glanced around the room, refusing to maintain eye contact with her.

Beads of sweat were already forming on my forehead, despite the chilly temperature in Richard's study. I used the back of my hand to wipe away the sweat.

"My Marah? She inquired.

"Yes, your Marah," Richard responded.

"How?"

"It's complicated." I blurted.

Well, that's one way to put it.

She turned to look at me "Uncomplicated it then." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Silence.

Maybe I wasn't prepared after all for this conversation with her. I glanced over at Richard with pleading eyes but he didn't seem to get the message I was trying to pass across.

I should have just kept quiet, but now I brought the attention to me. Four eyes were locked on mine, a pair demanding an explanation while the other just glinted with curiosity.

"Don't leave me waiting here. Explain to me, how you are suddenly getting married to my dad."

"Apparently, he proposed to me," I said in a deadpan manner.

She sneered. "He proposed to you. Clarify to me real quick. How did it start?"

There was a problem with the question, if she had asked how we met, I would have told her the story without thinking twice, but how did we start? That I did have an answer for. I racked my brain to cook up a lie on the spot.

"You see_"

"Stop probing the poor girl." Richard cut through my words.

"Perhaps it is you I should be questioning," she said as she focused her attention back on Richard. "You decided to settle down after decades, which isn't really necessary because I thought we had each other, yet, of all the women you could have picked it had to be Marah." she pointed at me. "Marah? Really dad? My best friend?"

"You are making this seem like a big deal. You should be happy for me. I finally plan on settling down."

"This is a big deal!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry but I can not accept this and I can be happy for you right now. So tell me, when did it start? Because I don't understand. Not once have I introduced her to you before your birthday party, which was just a few days ago." she paused. "I know you dad, I've known you long enough to know that you being engaged right now doesn't add up. It just doesn't." she shook her head. "Either you are lying to me or there is something else you aren't telling me."

"This is not a lie, Abigail." he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I really don't need to get into details but just know that I knew her before you did. Is that fine?"

"No, it's not. If you knew her before I did, why didn't you mention it? Why don't you tell me things." Her voice croaked.

"I don't tell you things because you overreact sometimes, which is exactly what you are doing now. I thought you would be at least excited."

She narrowed her eyes into spits "Are you trying to gaslight me right now Dad?"

"It isn't my intention, still," he wrinkled his brows. "There is a reason why I don't tell you every piece of information."

She spun around to face me. "So you just forgot to mention that you knew my dad? And that you were in a relationship with him? You never even gave me any hint that you knew him."

"She wanted to but I told her to keep it a secret," Richard replied.

She splayed her fingers over her face with one hand. "I feel like I've been trapped in a web of lies and secrets. I can't believe my dad is getting married to my best friend," she said, the corners of her lips curled downwards. "What about Edward? I thought you said you liked him?"

"I didn't expressly say I did." I countered.

"You said you were fascinated by him." she hollered.

"That was it. Fascination. Nothing more nothing less."

My gaze fluttered at Richard, my cheeks were flushed red out of the embarrassment I felt, admitting that I found Edward fascinating in front of him.

"This was your plan all along. All those times you weren't interested in any of the guys I was trying to set you up with, you were actually scheming to steal my dad all to yourself. You're a scheming little brat." she hissed in my direction.

"Abigail! You will refrain from speaking to her in that manner. What is wrong with you?" Richard growled.

"Nothing is wrong with me. I am reacting the way a normal human being would react after they've just heard that their dad and best friend have been gallivanting themselves secretly as lovers."

"Abigail, I'm so sorry but I had no schemes whatsoever. It happened naturally."

I cringed inwardly at the lie I just told her. This whole conversation was a lie. Heck! The next chapter of my life as the wife of Richard is about to be a lie. Why did I think it would be anything else?

I felt like a deceiver when lying. Whether it is a white lie lying by omission or lying to spare someone's feelings, a lie was a lie to me and _ him.

Lying doesn't make me feel good. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite is true. It made me look untrustworthy, unreliable, and a phony.

"Is this how you repay me? After everything I've done for you?"

"Abigail, it's really not what you think."

"Girl!" her eyes flashed. "You have no idea what I'm thinking right now." she ran her hands through her auburn hair. "You know what Marah, I think there is a line that friends should never cross and this is one of them. It's not just right. Haven't you heard of boundaries?"

"Abigail," Richard called. "Whatever form of resentment you feel should be directed to me, not her. I am the one to be blamed. It is all my fault. I couldn't control my feelings and went on to date her"

"You couldn't control your feelings because she clearly seduced you," she said, maintaining eye contact with me.

"Excuse me?"

"Isn't it true?"

Richard's gaze clashed with mine as if he could sense my growing anxiety. My reality set in like a bad sunburn and my throat was clogged with a lump of sobs threatening to cry out but I pushed it back in.

"Okay, that's enough. You aren't a child. I'll give you time to think this through." Richard said

There was a long pause, filled with no sound apart from Abigail's occasional muffled sniffs.

She ran her hands through her hair again and took some steps towards the door. She held onto the doorknob and spun around to face us.

"Whatever Dad. I'm out of here."

She opened the door, stepped out, and slammed it hard like she was transferring all the aggression she felt about Richard and me on the door.

She was extremely pissed.

The whole situation had my head spinning.

I had a feeling she was going to react this way but not the words she said. I have to admit that it hurt me. She has never spoken to me that way before. It was understandable. To some extent.

I wish this wasn't happening right now, I couldn't afford to lose the only person that I know to be a friend.

Why wouldn't Richard just tell her the reason why we are getting married in the first place? It might seem like I was stretching this but I can't help it. At least telling her the half-truth would put my mind at ease and she wouldn't think of me as someone who has been, according to her, convincing to steal her dad.

"That wasn't how I envisaged it would go," Richard said as he stood from his chair and moved towards me.

I brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear, not meeting his eyes. I didn't want him to know that I was hurting. Now that Abigail had just left, there was nothing more I could do. Part of me wanted to run over to her and tell her the truth while the other part of me wanted to remain here and not face her at all.

I don't know what this would mean for Abigail and me. Richard and I have left her with so many unanswered questions and kind of betrayed her trust. I don't think she will be coming to me with open arms anytime soon.

"What were you expecting? She is your daughter. You should know better."

"I don't think I know her well enough."

I glanced at him. "Well, now you know how she would react if she found out that you are getting married to her best friend."

"I think she is more upset that I'm getting married."

"How are you so sure? I'm certain it's because of me."

"No, it's not." He said as he clasped his arms behind his body. "I'll talk to her. Later. She'll come around."

"You believe so?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes." he exhaled loudly. "I have only thought of myself all this while and the company. I should apologize to her."

"I noticed that."

"I should apologize to you too. I'm sorry for putting you through this and weaving you into my plan."

"It's partly my fault. I agreed to it and I was expecting half of what I got."

"What was the other half you weren't expecting?"

I scrunch my nose in irritation"The scheming brat part. It doesn't really sit well with me."

"Ah, that part. I'm sorry about that."

"It is fine," I said, waving my hand dismissively.

He dipped his hands into his pants pocket. "There is something I would like to ask. Hopefully, you don't find this too intrusive."

My brows furrowed to gather. "What is it?"

"With the situation of things on ground, it is better if we are together most of the time. Once the news gets out, people are going to be curious and all eyes will be on you. To be on the safe side, I came up with a solution and that is we stay together."

I tilted my head to the side quizzically. Stay together? What does he mean by that?

"What do you mean by staying together?"

"When would you like to move in with me?"

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