Chapter 233: Chapter 233
At that moment, Robert’s eyes were blazing, his voice already rough around the edges from holding back everything he truly wanted to say.
"You know what, Abigail?" he said, teeth clenched. "Say whatever you like. Do whatever pleases you. Twist everything till you feel better. Honestly, it’s not my concern anymore."
Abigail blinked in disbelief, folding her arms across her chest like she was bracing for a storm. But Robert didn’t even give her another look. Without a pause, without waiting for a single word in response, he turned around and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.
The sound echoed in the room like a slap.
Victoria stood frozen, her eyes wide as her gaze followed the door that had just swung shut. "Damn it," she muttered under her breath.
Then she suddenly let out a short, frustrated laugh, dragging her fingers through her hair.
"Did you see that?" she asked no one in particular, but Abigail was still standing stiff. "He just he just walked out. My own brother, storming out like that... and for what? For Cora?"
At that moment Victoria dropped back onto the chair like her legs couldn’t carry her anymore.
"He’s acting like she’s some damn queen," she continued angrily. "As if Cora is untouchable. As if she’s up there on some throne and the rest of us are crawling in the dirt."
She sighed again, shaking her head. "You saw the way he was hurting, Abigail... you saw it."
Her voice was softer now. A little shaky.
"That pain in his eyes? That wasn’t just anger. That was something deeper. I’ve never seen him like this. Never seen him so... so protective. So defensive. So broken over someone. Not even when he and his ex broke things off."
She looked up, locking eyes with Abigail.
"Whether he says it out loud or not, one thing’s clear he has deep feelings for her. Real ones. And the worst part? He’s not even trying to hide it anymore."
Victoria shook her head again, but this time there was no anger in her voice. Just disbelief. Disappointment.
"It’s crazy. That little plan of ours... it didn’t just fail. It crashed and burned."
At that moment, Abigail let out a slow, heavy sigh, her chest rising and falling with frustration. She dropped her hand to the side of the desk, tapping her fingers restlessly against the polished surface. Her lips curved into a bitter smirk as she turned to face Victoria, who had been pacing behind her with folded arms and narrowed eyes.
"Well," Abigail said, her voice low and sharp, "it seems the plan didn’t work after all."
She gave a short, humorless chuckle before shaking her head. "But what surprises me most... I’ve never seen Robert that angry at me before. Not like that. He didn’t even look at me like his sister just another person getting in his way."
Victoria stopped pacing and turned her full attention to Abigail, her face unreadable. Abigail continued, her tone growing more heated.
"I don’t really know what got into him, but fine. Since that plan didn’t work, it’s obvious they’ll forge ahead with the next one. They’ve probably already talked about it behind our backs. And as for that good-for-nothing." she slapped her hand on the desk with a loud smack, "When I see him, I swear, I’m going to strangle his neck!"
Victoria raised her brows slightly but said nothing.
"He can’t just show up, feed me hope, and then disappear like smoke," Abigail hissed. "That’s not how this works. Not with me."
There was a pause. Abigail stepped away from the desk and walked slowly toward the window, pulling back the curtain just enough to see the driveway outside. Her voice came quieter now, but laced with more venom.
"And now that I know Robert is actually interested in Cora..." Her lips curled. "Then I’m not going to go easy on her anymore. No more pity. I’m going to push her to the edge. I’ll make her question her place, her worth, everything. She won’t know what hit her."
Victoria crossed her arms tighter, her expression slowly shifting as she watched Abigail’s mind spiral.
Abigail suddenly turned around. "And one more thing..."
Victoria blinked. "What?"
"I’m very, very curious to ask."
Victoria tilted her head. "Curious? About what?"
There was tension in the air now, a stillness between them as Abigail didn’t answer immediately.
At that moment, Victoria would then face Abigail, asking.
" What are you curious about? What’s going on? Is there something troubling you aside of what Robert just did?"
At that moment, Abigail took in a deep breath, her arms crossed tightly against her chest as she turned sharply to face Victoria. Her eyes narrowed, and a faint trace of bitterness laced her voice.
"Well," Abigail said with a forced chuckle, "it is not something really, really bad... but didn’t you hear Robert clearly mention something about contracts with that lady?"
Victoria blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Exactly!" Abigail snapped, pointing in the air with annoyance. "That’s what I’m talking about. He said something about a contract. Which means hello? Robert and Cora are actually working together on something. A contract, Victoria. A real business deal."
She tilted her head and added with a mocking tone, "So... you really didn’t know about it?"
Victoria furrowed her brow, shaking her head slowly, clearly confused. "No. No, this is actually the second time I’m hearing it from Robert’s own mouth again. I swear, Abigail, I’m shocked. He didn’t mention anything to me. Not even a hint. I’ve never even heard about this deal. I don’t know anything about it."
Abigail gave a cold smile. "Then that makes it worse. Don’t you see? Not only does Robert like her, he trusts her enough to partner with her on something important. And he didn’t tell you, didn’t tell me. That should tell you how serious this is."
She began pacing the floor, anger rising with each step. "I mean, Victoria, come on. Since when did Robert start hiding things from us? This lady just came from nowhere, and suddenly she’s got a seat at the table? That doesn’t sit well with me at all."
Victoria sighed and sat back slowly. "So what now?"
"What now?" Abigail’s eyes flared. "Now we do what we should have done from the beginning. We deal with Cora. Not lightly. Not politely. Not cautiously."
She stopped pacing and faced Victoria with a steely glare.
"If she wants to play with fire, I’ll bring the whole damn storm. She’s going to learn that this little dream of hers whatever it is with Robert it ends now. I won’t stand by and watch her get both the man and the business. No. Not this time."
At that moment, Victoria took a step closer, her brows furrowed and her voice low but intense. "What exactly are you planning, Abigail?" she asked. "We can’t keep sitting around doing nothing while that good-for-nothing bitch continues to worm her way into everything. Do you not see what she’s doing? She’s using tactics that are too calculated for someone like her. If we don’t move now, she’s going to sweep everything from under us before we even realize it. This isn’t the time to hesitate."