恶霸鲁尼 奖学金

[ At Stephen\'s Place... ]

~ 7:35 am ~

Abigail woke up feeling refreshed. She just got her sweetest revenge against Veronica last night. Her lips tugged upward in a triumphant smile as she recalled Veronica\'s dark expression when she left Stephen\'s place.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" Cherry greeted her as she delivered her breakfast in bed.

"Oh, thank you for this, Sweety," Abigail responded cheerfully.

Both women burst into laughter. "You are in a good mood. What is the reason for this? Or should I say... who is the reason?" Cherry eyed Abigail teasingly. She put the tray of food on the bedside table.

"I just feel good since I can remove my arm sling now. I\'m recovering pretty fast and I can do more things."

Cherry interpreted her words as she was excited to go back to filming. "Take it easy, Abi. You just experienced a life-and-death situation. Now, you get involved with my business. You take care of me as a big sis does."

Abigail just shook her head. "It\'s nothing. Phantomflake... wants me to do this."

At the mention of Phantomflake\'s name, Cherry\'s expression changed. There was a gleam of sadness in her eyes.

"Hey, what\'s wrong? You seem to be down in the dumps. Did Nathan bully you again because of Phantomflake?" Abigail grabbed Cherry\'s shoulder, making her glance at her face.

Meanwhile, Cherry took a deep breath. She could only share this with Abigail. She was glad that she could talk to her about Phantomflake.

"Abi... did my sis mention anything to you related to her stay in Country Z?"

Abigail gazed at her in confusion. She didn\'t know why Cherry was asking her this. She tried to recall that moment but failed to remember a significant memory that happened in Country Z.

"Why? All I could remember is that... she went there for her treatment. Physical therapy." Abigail nonchalantly responded.

Cherry bobbed her head. "Yeah. That\'s what I know as well. But Dr. Zhou has another version of the story. I think... my sis hid something from us."

Abigail became more confused when she heard that. \'Secret? What kind of secret? Eh?\'

"What are you talking about, Cherry? Are you referring to Stephen? Or his father?" Abigail asked her inquisitively.

"Of course, it\'s Stephen! I heard from him that he met my sis in Country Z and he was her doctor." Cherry didn\'t hesitate to share this information with Abigail because she trusted her.

Abigail: "..."

Abigail was at a loss for words because she couldn\'t remember meeting Stephen in Country Z.

"According to him... My sis suffered psychological trauma. I think... her anxiety and depression started when she failed her mission. I think... her target at that time was the leader of King Stallion Mafia."

For some unknown reason, Abigail felt a sudden throb in her head. King Stallion rang a bell.

\'Argh~" Abigail whimpered at the painful sensation in her head. A fragment of memory flashed in her mind.

"Abi, are you okay?!" Cherry moved closer to her, holding her shoulders. Abigail tugged her hair using her left hand and her face wrinkled with the pain.

Seeing her in this state, Cherry immediately called Stephen for help. She came out of Abigail\'s room in a hurry.

"Stephen!!! Doc! Please help!"

Stephen and Nathan were talking on the balcony when they heard Cherry. Both of them stood up, giving Cherry a questioning gaze.

"What happened?" Stephen asked her.

"Abigail is in pain," Cherry mumbled in between her pants.

Nathan\'s eyes widened when he heard that. Without waiting for Stephen and Cherry, Nathan sprinted inside the house, rushing to Abigail\'s room. Nathan only took him a few seconds before he reached her bedroom.

Bam!

The door almost flew when Nathan pushed it hard. Then Abigail\'s wincing in pain came into his view. Her body was trembling and her hand was tugging her hair. Clenching her jaw, her eyes were closed tightly.

"Abi!" Nathan called her name. With large strides, Nathan closed their gaps. He climbed her bed and grabbed her shoulders.

"Abi. Can you hear me? It\'s me, Nathan. Where are you hurting?" Nathan asked her worriedly.

Hearing his voice, Abigail opened her eyes. Nathan saw fear in those emerald eyes as she looked at him. "What\'s wrong?" Nathan\'s voice softened when he talked to her.

Abigail didn\'t say a word. Her panic-stricken face calmed down a little bit when she saw Nathan\'s face. Then she just found herself pouncing on Nathan as she threw her body onto him. Nathan\'s body stiffened for a moment at the feel of Abigail\'s soft body. She was hugging him tightly.

They were in this current position when Stephen and Cherry entered the room. The two were surprised to see Abigail and Nathan embracing each other. They didn\'t make a noise. They just watched the two at the back.

"What happened to her?" Stephen asked Cherry in a low voice.

Cherry just shook her head. "I don\'t know. We were just talking about my sis when her head suddenly ached."

Stephen observed Abigail from the distance. He could only speculate two things. First, Abigail must not be feeling well. Second, Abigail had some panic attacks. The latter was based on his observation. Abigail\'s body was trembling and she looked scared about something so she held onto Nathan tightly.

"What were you talking about with her?" Stephen asked once more.

"We were just talking about my sis and what happened to her in Country Z." Cherry simply said. She couldn\'t tell Stephen that they were talking about Phantomflake\'s mission.

"Okay. I will just get some medicine. Go and get some water. Let\'s allow Nathan to calm her down." Stephen left the room, followed by Cherry. It felt so awkward to stay there and continued watching the two so they decided to leave.

Little did they know, Abigail was triggered at the mention of King Stallion Mafia. Her head throbbed then a sudden flashback popped up in her head. It was distorted memory that she couldn\'t understand. But her heart raised and she somehow felt scared of something unknown.

Several seconds had passed and Abigail finally loosened her grip on Nathan\'s body. But she was still clinging onto him. Her face was buried in his chest. She was trying to catch her breath and the pain was now slowly dissipating. It looked like Nathan\'s presence helped her to calm down.

Surprised at his own action, Nathan just let her hug him. Then he gently patted her back, comforting her. At first, he thought Abigail was just faking it. But the look in her eyes would never lie. She was scared a while ago.

\'What made her scared?\' Nathan mused to himself as he gazed down at her. It was seldom for him to see her in this vulnerable state.

When Abigail\'s breathing became even, Nathan decided to break the silence. He cleared his throat first before he spoke up. "Is your head still hurting?"

Abigail shook her head and looked up. The two of them froze when they realized that their faces were just a few centimeters away from each other. They were so close, almost kissing. A blush subconsciously overtook her cheeks. She could feel her face burning.

\'Damn! Nate, your gorgeous face is so close...\' Abigail bit her lower lip but she didn\'t break their eye-to-eye contact.

Nathan didn\'t know why but he couldn\'t look away as well. Abigail was like a magnet, drawing him near. It did not take long before Nathan started to lower his head, inching closer and closer to her. Abigail held her breath, anticipating a kiss.

Just when their lips were about to touch, Cherry entered the room and dropped the glass of water.

CRASH!

The breaking sound of glass echoed in the room thus diverting Nathan\'s attention. Both Abigail and Nathan turned in her direction and saw Cherry looking so guilty. She bit her lower lip and apologized to both of them.

She even covered her eyes and turned around. "I\'m sorry. I didn\'t mean to interrupt. Go on. Don\'t mind me. Just kiss!"

Abigail: "..." ( *Her cheeks reddened further* )

Nathan: ( *Shotting Cherry aka Black Rose a cold sharp glare* )

It did not take long before Stephen entered the room, joining them. He sensed the awkward atmosphere inside the room. "What\'s happening here?" Stephen asked, shifting his gaze from Cherry to Nathan and Abigail.

Abigail gently pushed Nathan away, creating a distance between them. She feigned innocence as if nothing happened. Well, literally, nothing happened because the anticipated kiss was interrupted. Thanks to her friend, Black Rose!

"I saw nothing!" Cherry blurted out in response to Stephen\'s query. Her statement made Stephen more confused. He glanced at Nathan, giving him a questioning gaze.

Nathan just got off the bed. "Clean the broken glass before someone gets hurt." Nathan traced his steps toward the door, walking past Cherry and Stephen.

Bam!

Nathan closed the door forcefully behind him, cursing and scolding himself.

Stephen and Cherry exchanged glances with one another. Stephen shrugged his shoulders while Cherry smiled at him sheepishly.

After a while, Stephen focused his attention back on Abigail. "How do you feel?"  He sat on the edge of her bed and extended his hand to touch her forehead.

"I\'m fine now..." Abigail meekly said, not meeting his gaze.

Cherry just smiled inwardly as she watched Abigail teasingly. \'Ahuh! Those two are a thing. Hmm. They were about to kiss.\'

"You have a fever. You are burning," Stephen declared.

"Cough! Cough!" Abigail choked on her saliva. She felt more embarrassed. She wasn\'t hot because of a fever. She was hot because of Nathan.