CHAPTER 176: LOYALTY

After her first series of meetings for the day, Genevieve paced around her office, her heart beating fast as she wondered if she had made the right decision in giving Pete the go ahead to pursue Abigail.

What if Abigail found out about it? Wouldn’t it seem like she was messing with Abigail’s life just like her father was doing?

If she was in Abigail’s shoes, what would she want her to do about the situation? Genevieve wondered, then decided to text Stefan and ask for his opinion even though he was yet to respond to her first text.

Just as she picked up her phone to text him, his call came in, and her heart skipped a beat.

"I was just about to text you again," she said the moment she received the call.

"I just woke up and saw your text," Stefan said, his voice husky.

"Oh. Did you sleep well?" She asked, trying to shake off the butterflies in her belly at his voice.

"I did. So, you’re coming to Ludus," he said, sounding excited.

"Yes. But before we get into that I need your opinion on something," she said, knowing that if she didn’t talk about it now she’d get distracted and forget.

"Oh. Talk to me then," Stefan said, and Genevieve drew a deep breath.

"It’s about Abigail," she said, and Stefan raised a brow.

"The mute girl your Dad likes?" He asked curiously, wondering why Genevieve who always avoided conversations about Abigail was suddenly bringing it up.

"Yes."

"Okay. What about her?"

"My Dad wants Pete to get married to her," Genevieve said, and Stefan’s brow shot up.

"Your Dad wants Pete, your driver, to marry Abigail? I’m not sure I understand what you’re talking about," Stefan said, and Genevieve’s brows pulled together as she tried to figure out the best way to explain the situation to him without giving so much information away.

"So, the thing is Abigail is an orphan put under my father’s care. He likes to control us. But he loves to control her most. I don’t exactly know the details. But he wants her to marry Pete so that Pete can keep an eye on her and report everything to him. Abigail has a guy she loves. She has a son for him. So my Dad told me about his plan, and I asked Pete why he agreed, and Pete said he is in love with Abigail. He asked me to let him try to win her heart and I agreed to not interfere and stuff. But I’m worried. I’m not sure if that was the right thing to do or not. What do you think? Should I tell Abigail about their plan?" Genevieve asked, and Stefan smiled, impressed that she was actually thinking of Abigail this way.

He knew Jamal well enough to know that Jamal wouldn’t like that she had given him permission to deceive Abigail.

"Why do you want to tell Abigail about their plan after giving Pete your word?" Stefan asked curiously.

"Abigail is my sister. I owe Abigail loyalty not Pete. Plus I promised her to be a better sister to her. I don’t think this is right. I think she should know what she is getting involved in. I’d want to know if I was in her shoes. I’d want me to tell me the truth about the situation," Genevieve said, and Stefan nodded.

"You’re right. I think you should tell her about it," he advised, knowing this would build trust between Genevieve and Abigail.

The person whose trust Genevieve needed to earn was Abigail not necessarily Jamal.

"What if I tell her and she refuses to play along with Pete and then my father sends someone else to pretend to love her?" Genevieve asked with a sigh.

"You should make that clear to her and prepare her mind for that possibility as well," Stefan advised.

"Okay. I will do that. Thank you," Genevieve said, feeling better now. "You won’t tell Pete about this, right?" She asked hesitantly.

"You want me to?"

"Of course not!" Genevieve exclaimed, and Stefan chuckled.

"Don’t worry. I won’t," he promised. "So, now that you’re done worrying about your sister, can we talk about your coming to see me?" Stefan asked, and Genevieve grinned.

"Yeah. Sure. You let me know when you’re ready to have me and I’ll come over to see you," she said excitedly.

Stefan knew he couldn’t make that decision alone. He was going to have to consult with the rest of the family. The clan was meeting that weekend to talk about how to handle things, and they were going to have to decide on when to have her over as well.

"Can I let you know by weekend? You know I just got back from the impromptu trip to Westend so I have to reorganize my schedule. I need to be able to have time for you when you come," he said, and Genevieve smiled.

"Sure. I understand," she said, and they talked for a while about his plans for the day before they hung up.

The moment Genevieve was done she walked out of her office and saw Jamal just stepping out of Abigail’s office with a wide smile.

"Pete, I need you to go to Mr Smith’s office and find out how far he’s gone with the task I assigned him to do," she instructed, not wanting him to eavesdrop on her conversation with Abigail.

Understanding that she was sending him away because she wanted to talk to Abigail, Jamal left since he knew he’d find out what they talked about from Abigail.

As Jamal left, Genevieve knocked on Abigail’s office door and stepped in.

Abigail looked up from Jamal’s letter which she had just opened, and was surprised to see Genevieve.

What did Genevieve want? Was she here to tell her about Pete? She wondered, hoping that was what she wanted to do.

"Can I talk to you if you’re not too busy?" Genevieve asked, and Abigail nodded and gestured towards the seat opposite her for Genevieve to sit down.

Genevieve sat down, and then looked at Abigail for a moment, her heart racing as she tried to figure out how to tell Abigail what she had to say while also wondering if she was doing the right thing.

Abigail stared back at Genevieve as she waited for her to speak.

Genevieve cleared her throat, "Uhm, how much do you trust Pete?"

Abigail raised a brow and then shrugged.

Genevieve handed Abigail her phone to type, and as Abigail did so, Genevieve watched her, wondering how long before Abigail would stop pretending to be mute and would talk to her.

[I think Pete is cool. And so far he has shown me that I can trust him. Why do you ask?]

"Dad wants Pete to marry you. He asked Pete to make you fall for him and marry you so that he can report all you do to him," Genevieve said, and Abigail pretended to be shocked.

Abigail typed on the phone, [Dad wants me to marry Pete? He told you that?]

"Yes. And I confirmed with Pete, too." Genevieve nodded.

Abigail frowned even though deep down she couldn’t help feeling relieved that Genevieve had decided to tell her about it.

Until that moment she hadn’t realized how much she wanted to be able to trust Genevieve and count on her.

[Did Pete say he was going to do it?] Abigail asked and Genevieve went on to tell her all about their conversation and what Pete said about liking her for real and how she had given Pete the go ahead.

"You don’t have to play along if you don’t want to. But I think Dad will always find a way to keep an eye on you and maybe it’s best you play along and let him believe you don’t know what’s going on," Genevieve said, and Abigail pretended to think about it for a moment.

[So, you think I should play along with Pete and marry him?] Abigail asked and Genevieve shrugged.

"I don’t know. It’s entirely up to you. I just thought I should let you know what’s going on so you don’t make any mistakes. I know you have someone you love already, so I understand if you don’t want to play along. Whatever you decide to do, I will be on your side," Genevieve promised.

[Why are you telling me all this?] Abigail asked.

Genevieve shrugged. "I told you I want to be a good sister to you."

[Do you trust Pete?]

Genevieve hesitated. "I think I do. He hasn’t given me reasons not to. Still, I think you should be careful. Don’t be too trusting," Genevieve advised as she rose to leave.

[Thank you.] Abigail typed before handing the phone back to her.

Genevieve nodded. "I will leave you to get back to work now. Let me know whatever you decide," she said, and headed for the door.

Abigail watched her as she walked away and decided to give Genevieve something back in return for the loyalty she had just shown.

Just as Genevieve touched the doorknob Abigail stopped her. "Thank you, Genevieve."

Genevieve’s heart skipped a beat when she heard Abigail’s voice. She turned to look at Abigail, surprised that she had spoken to her.