CHAPTER 163: CHAPTER 163

But Rebert didn’t. And somehow, that confirmed everything.

That was when something inside Abigail changed.

Her anger didn’t die down, it sharpened. Her heart didn’t break it solidified. If there was one thing Robert should have remembered about her, it was that Abigail was not the kind of woman who folded in defeat. She never had been. And she wasn’t going to start now.

She squared her shoulders, her voice firm but steady.

"You know me," she said slowly, with weight in every word. "You know I’m not the kind of woman who’ll fold her hands and watch another woman take what rightfully belongs to her. You know that."

Her jaw clenched, and her eyes sparkled with something fierce something unrelenting.

"I’m a woman. A real woman. And it would be extremely bad of me no, it would be disgraceful, if I fold my hands and allow another lady to defeat me in this kind of manner."

At that moment,Robert’s voice rose, sharp and commanding, cutting through the tension like a blade. "Abigail, don’t you dare do something stupid," he snapped, his tone thick with frustration. His eyes locked on hers, burning with a mix of disbelief and anger. "Why are you trying to go this far? Why are you even thinking of pushing things to this extent?"

Then he shook his head slowly, stepping closer. "You’re crossing a line. You’re overstepping, Abigail. You’re acting like you don’t understand what this whole thing between us even is." His voice dropped a notch, colder now. "This isn’t some fairytale romance. It was never a love story. It was two families our families, trying to force something that wasn’t there. And I made it very clear from the start that I didn’t want it."

His chest rose and fell as he struggled to keep his composure. "So why are you acting like you’re entitled to me? Like you deserve to get everything you want just because you decided you should?"

Abigail, whose hands had been balled into tight fists, slowly raised her head. Her expression wasn’t just angry anymore, it was a mixture of pain and betrayal, the kind that simmers and hardens into something more dangerous.

"Oh, so now it’s my fault?" she said, her voice trembling, but not from fear, rather from holding back the flood inside her. "You didn’t tell me on time,Robert. You didn’t have the guts to look me in the eyes and say, ’I don’t want this.’ Not once! You let me believe. You let me stay here hoping, working, building something out of this arrangement while you pretended."

Her eyes glistened. "Two years, Robert. Two damn years of smiling through awkward dinners, playing the good girl because I thought, maybe with time... maybe it’ll work." Her voice cracked. "But you said nothing. Nothing! You just let it ride."

Then she paused, gathering herself, and when she continued, there was fire in her tone.

"And now... now I see it clearly." Her gaze narrowed. "It’s her, isn’t it? Cora. That’s why you’re pulling away now. Because of her. Because she smiled at you, and you felt something. Because she showed up, and suddenly I’m disposable."

Robert’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t say a word. And his silence said everything.

Abigail scoffed bitterly. "Well, thank you for the confirmation. You didn’t even need to speak. I see it all now, but it’s too late to back away."

She stepped forward, her voice firm and resolute. "Like I said before, Robert... I’m not the type of woman who will sit around, fold her hands, and watch another woman take what rightfully belongs to me. I’m not weak. I’m not stupid."

At that moment Robert opened his mouth to say something, but Abigail raised a hand to silence him.

"I know exactly who the obstacle is here," she said coldly. "And believe me when I say... I will remove her."

Just as she turned to walk out, Robert, who had been silent in the corner, tension radiating from his still posture, stood up abruptly, his voice thunderous and urgent.

"Abigail, do no such thing."

At that moment, Abigail’s eyes were dark, her expression hard and unreadable. She turned slowly to face Robert, her lips pressed into a tight line. The fire in her gaze could melt steel, but her voice was cold and sharp when she said, "Then watch me do it."

Immediately Robert froze. It wasn’t just what she said. It was how she said it calm, direct, and laced with a promise of destruction. Before he could utter a word, Abigail turned sharply on her heel and walked away with the kind of pride that came from knowing she was backed by power family power, influence, and her own unyielding will.

However Robert stood there, fists clenched at his sides, jaw tight. He wasn’t a man easily rattled, but this wasn’t about pride or ego anymore. This was turning into a dangerous game one that had the potential to ruin not just him, but the innocent person at the center of it all: Cora.

He knew Abigail’s family. They weren’t just influential they were relentless when it came to preserving their image and forcing things to work the way they wanted. They didn’t just want the marriage between him and Abigail; they had been building everything around it, social ties, business partnerships, expectations. For years. Backing out now would feel like betrayal to them. But staying? That would be betrayal to himself.

He liked Cora. He liked the way her eyes lit up when she talked about business, the way her ambition didn’t overshadow her kindness. She wasn’t like the people he was used to. She didn’t care about pedigree or pressure. And that made her special maybe too special for someone like him.

And now, because of his silence, because he hadn’t spoken up sooner, she was about to be dragged into a mess she never asked for. Abigail was like a storm, and Cora had no idea that she was standing right in its path.

Robert didn’t even think. He moved. He started after Abigail, wanting to stop her before she did something she couldn’t undo. Maybe he could talk her down. Maybe he could find a way to defuse the situation. But as he turned the corner, what he saw stopped him dead in his tracks.

Abigail was there, standing with her back to him, but she wasn’t alone. Right beside her was Victoria.

Robert’s eyes narrowed instantly, his chest rising and falling with the weight of suppressed rage. Of course. It all made sense now. Victoria, always watching, always listening, always pretending to be neutral. But she wasn’t neutral. She never was.

So it was Victoria who had told Abigail, she had played the informant.

And in that moment, all of Robert’s frustration boiled to the surface. His teeth clenched as his eyes locked on the girl beside Abigail. That little prick. That little girl really wants to belong to Abigail’s club by all means.