Chapter 4

There was an island in the middle of the room that separated them. She thought he was going to cross the island and approached her. This small thought with his unpredictable personality made her wobble backward in slight terror. Fortunately, he stopped at the island and opened a top drawer.

Abigail let out a sigh of relief. Her spine recoiled and she lowered her shoulders. Could it be that it's all in her head? Her imagination was running wild to think that he would attack her.

"You've gotten skinnier."

The statement held no emotion nor sympathy. It just sounded like a comment. She may have lost a few pounds but she had always been a skinny, frail girl with long wavy hair. Her pearly white skin was even mistaken for being pale or sick.

"I'm sorry?"

On the top drawer of the island, he took his tie, rolled it up, and neatly placed it in. He batted his full lashes and looked at her with the same expression as before. The coldness and emptiness in his irises made her question everything she was doing from her words to her breathing pattern.

Without ever leaving eye contact, he started to remove his outer jacket and placed it on the island. Then, he attempted to unbutton his white collared shirt. She saw a glimpse of his rock-hard chest of bronzed caramel skin that looked like it had been in the sun.

Suddenly, there was a flash of ripped abs.

"Wh--what are you doing?" Abigail muttered and looked away. She was still cornered in the back of the room.

"Are you questioning why I'm changing in my closet?"

Her mouth opened but she couldn't say anything. She hated how he could turn everything she said against her.

There was a short silence that made her body start to heat up. From the corners of her eyes, she saw him tear open his shirt, exposing his flawless torso of defined muscles. She didn't want to see more than what she already did and turned her body around to face the corner.

"You are welcome to leave at any moment." Lucas's low voice rumbled with annoyance.

As soon as Abigail heard this, she bolted for the door and didn't bother to look back. She never retrieved the rack. She raced out of there, still in fear that he might be on her heels. It took her a full minute to make it out of the wing and only then did she feel safe. The amazing thing about being in this giant castle was that she could easily pick a room and hide herself in.

When she regained control of herself, her back was against the wall in a small office on the first floor.

Her body temperature was hot and her heart was racing fast. She felt lightheaded and her mouth was parched. She was telling herself not to panic repeatedly. Her eyes were closed as she took deep breaths. Heat crawled up her neck and blushed her cheeks. It took her a few more minutes but she managed to calm herself from shaking. She decided to stay in that room for a while until her heartbeat was reduced to normal.

When she felt like she'd had enough time to herself, she brought herself out and that's when her pager went off. She took it out. There was a small message to attend the meeting with the chefs she was supposed to have two days prior. The rescheduled meeting was a crucial part of the event.

With that person in town influencing the possibilities of the future, she prayed that all goes well.

The meeting lasted the rest of the day with a tad of eternal exhaustion to it. The large kitchen staff consisted of seven Michelin-star chefs. Each chef had their own team but they all worked together to prepare the hundreds of fine dining dishes needed.

She went over many of the details to make sure everything was as perfect as can be.

It's fair to say that ever since Abigail's Mother passed away, she was the acting Head of Housekeeping. Despite her young age, everyone in the Manor listened and catered to her every need.

Abigail did work hard to earn that respect, however. She learned everything that had to be done diligently. During the day, she attended the academy and in the evening, she would finish her schoolwork as quickly as possible before studying the housekeeping book record. She would ask the maids, chefs, groundskeepers, and even her Father further questions to deepen her knowledge.

Abigail barely had memories of her Mother and if not for pictures, she would've forgotten what she looked like. Everyone also knew that Sir Barrington doted on Abigail ever since she was a little girl, giving her the nickname Missy. The Barringtons hadn't had a daughter in the last several generations, so she would be the closest one they could ever have. Maybe that was why she was specially treated with favor.

A blue notebook was closed with a thud and Abigail stood up. She stretched from her seat, followed by the sound of chairs pulling apart.

"We will do our very best, Missy," Chef Brian nodded with a quick smile.

Abigail thanked all the staff for their time and effort and adjourned the meeting. She was the last one to leave the room but not before slamming into her brother on the way out.

"Damn it, Abigail! I was looking for you everywhere.

The sister saw a hint of terror in his eyes but it was lifted as soon as he spoke. He was out of breath and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"For what? Did something happen?"

He composed his body and this time, shrugged his shoulders as if he wasn't in a frenzy just now.

"Nothing. Claire sent you pictures of her dress but you didn't answer. I texted you, but you didn't reply. I just wanted to know where you were.

Almost immediately, she felt around herself and realized that her phone wasn't with her. Beckoning her brother to come inside, they searched every seat in the room until the chairs were pulled out and the floor empty. What's left was overturning the table.

"Call it?" She requested.

He dialed her number and put the phone to his ear. They waited to hear a ringtone but were disappointed by the silent air.

Her shoulders slouched. Her eyes ran back and forth, tracing her steps from today in her head. Losing a phone in a house this big would take days to recover. Where could she have put it?

"Abigail?" John's voice suddenly changed.

She looked up, surprised at the unexpected tone.

"You know Lucas had returned?"

Her sparkling orbs broke contact and naturally trailed down at the mention of his name. She nodded her head. There was a small moment of silence.

"Are you in distress?"

"Of course not," Abigail choked. She forced a smile. "It's understandable why he should be back. Naturally, he'll be there to congratulate you."

John snorted sarcastically. "I would very much prefer his absence if I could. But we can't go against the wishes of the Master. He's our benefactor in every way we look at it."

Abigail nodded. That much was a fact. Sir Barrington had paid for John's higher studies at the most expensive private institution in the whole country. Even now, he was already inquiring that whichever university she wanted to attend after she graduates this year, he will fully pay for it.

"Hey," John muttered. One side of his lips pulled up into a warm smile. "You'll be alright."

She looked at him with crossed brows and grinned back. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you lost your phone already."

She bit her bottom lip to prevent herself from the embarrassment.

"I saw that eye roll, by the way," he joked.

"I'm going to excuse myself from talking with your annoying self, and go find my phone so I can look at Claire's dress."

She purposely exaggerated the eye roll with her whole head and left. Abigail retraced her steps and fortunately, she didn't do much today. The next stop after the small, secluded office was literally Lucas's living quarters.