CHAPTER 161: CHAPTER 161

However Abigail didn’t respond immediately. She simply stared at him, waiting for his own interpretation.

Then Robert set the phone down and gestured toward it. "Abigail, this is just a photo. A business picture. There’s nothing unusual here. we finished a business meeting and decided to take the shot."

At that moment he shook his head, clearly baffled. "Because if you are, I don’t see the point. What exactly is raising your eyebrows here? This is just a normal picture, a business picture. So what is there to actually raise an eyebrow about?"

Upon hearing what Robert just said, Abigail’s expression changed completely. The fire in her eyes burned hotter than ever. She leaned forward slightly in her seat, her voice low but sharp, laced with disbelief and building anger.

"Robert," she said, trying to hold back her rage, "do you honestly think I’m stupid? Or do I look like a child to you?"

Robert blinked, momentarily taken aback by the sudden change in her tone.

"This picture," she continued, tapping her finger aggressively on her phone screen, "has been all over the media. Do you understand what that means? It caused a full-blown scandal. People are talking. And not just whispering no. They’re pointing fingers, creating rumors, dragging reputations through the mud. And you... you’re just going to sit here and say it’s a business picture?"

Her voice rose a little, despite her attempt to remain composed.

"This wasn’t taken at some meeting table or a corporate event. Look at their smiles. Look at the body language. It was cozy, it was casual it looked personal. You were in that picture with Cora, and Samuel... and now, look at the news. Samuel is in deep waters. And Cora, Cora came out denying everything."

Abigail’s jaw tightened, and her eyes narrowed as she continued.

"She came out to the press, she made statements, she called it false. She said nothing happened. But even in her attempt to clean the mess, she never once mentioned your name. Not once, Robert."

Immediately Robert opened his mouth to speak, but Abigail quickly held up her hand.

"No. Let me finish," she said firmly.

"I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re hiding something. This whole thing doesn’t sit right with me. If it was just business, why wasn’t your name cleared publicly also? Why weren’t you removed from the narrative? You were there, Robert. You were in that picture. And now, everything is about falling apart, and you want me to believe it’s nothing?"

She stared at him hard.

"I want the truth. What was your business with Cora? What exactly tied you to that scene? Because right now, all I see is someone hiding behind silence, hoping it will blow over. But I’m not the media. I’m not a random stranger. I need to know what’s going on... and I need to know it now."

Without wasting anymore time she crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair, her gaze not breaking for even a second.

At that moment, after hearing what Abigail just said, Robert’s jaw tensed slightly. He had hoped this conversation wouldn’t happen. He had hoped the situation would quietly resolve itself, or at least that Abigail would never ask this deep. But now, sitting across from her and seeing the fire in her eyes, he realized there was no dodging this. Her tone, her eyes, her body language, everything screamed betrayal. And the worst part was, he couldn’t give her what she wanted.

Robert leaned back a little more in his chair, folding his arms across his chest as he looked away briefly, then back at her. "Abigail," he said quietly, trying to keep his voice calm and measured, "I can’t give you any proof right now because the matter is let’s just say, it’s confidential. It was supposed to remain between me and Cora. That’s how she wanted it. It was a private business matter that had to be handled discreetly."

He paused, gauging her reaction, but Abigail was not blinking. She was unmoved, cold, and visibly angry. Her hands were clenched on the table, her nails digging slightly into the leather surface. "Confidential?" she repeated, her voice laced with disbelief. "You think I’m going to sit here like a fool and believe that line? You were in a picture with a woman, Cora who is at the center of a dating scandal, and the picture wasn’t exactly innocent. You were smiling. You looked comfortable. And now you’re telling me it’s business?"

Robert opened his mouth to speak again, but Abigail cut him off.

"If this was just business, Robert, then where is the documentation? Where’s the contract? Where’s the proof of the so-called deal you both made? Because I checked,Robert . I checked with the business registry, and there was no recent filing involving you and Cora’s company. Nothing that shows you were working together officially. So again, what business?"

Robert could feel his throat tighten. She had done her homework. He hadn’t expected her to go that far. His mind raced for an answer, something that could at least ease her anger, but everything he came up with would only make things worse. He couldn’t reveal the real purpose of the meeting, it wasn’t his secret to tell.

"I’m telling you, Abigail," Rupert said more firmly now, leaning forward. "It’s not what you think. You have to trust me."

Abigail’s laugh was sharp and bitter. "Trust you?" she repeated. "Robert, the man I trusted wouldn’t hide behind vague answers. He wouldn’t sit across from me feeding me lines like I’m some idiot who doesn’t deserve the truth. Do you even realize how humiliating this is for me? Do you know what people have been saying?"

There was a moment of heavy silence between them, the tension so thick it could snap.

At that moment Robert’s voice dropped to almost a whisper. "I can’t tell you what happened, Abigail. I promised Cora. It was her request. She asked for discretion, and I gave her my word."

Upon hearing what Robert just said, Abigail slowly stood to her feet, her eyes never leaving Robert’s. "Then you’ve made your choice," she said quietly. "And now I’m going to make mine. If I find out you’re lying to me, Robert, if I find out there’s more to this than you’re saying, you’re not going to like what I’ll do."