âAbel,â Rosaline urged urgently, âquickly apologize to your father, his blood pressure is rising.â
Abel was also worried, as high blood pressure could lead to a stroke.
âDad, please donât be angry, I really donât have anything going on in that department,â he said.
Lewis rolled his eyes in frustration and glared at his son. âReally?â
âWhen have I ever lied to you?â Abel replied.
âThen what about that boyâ¦â Lewis trailed off.
âI do like Emmett, but I treat him like a little brother. Heâs really fun to be around,â Abel explained.
âAre you sure thereâs nothing else going on?â Lewis asked suspiciously.
âNope!â Abel replied.
âBut you slept with him last night,â Lewis pressed.
âWe didnât do anything, and we were both fully clothed,â Abel explained.
Lewis finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, âNever mind about the car money, itâs just a small matter. But you have to promise me one thing.â
âWhat is it?â Abel asked.
Lewis pointed at Evelyn, âStarting today, you have to officially date Ms. Evelyn. We donât want the upper class of Struyria to think youâre a weirdo.â
Abel didnât respond. He didnât think of himself as a weirdo, even though he couldnât explain why he liked that boy. He didnât want to date Evelyn either.
âYou donât want to kill me, do you?â Lewisâ face was starting to turn red again.
Abel remained silent, not wanting to anger his father but also not willing to compromise on his own feelings.
âIâll let you treat Ms. Evelyn as your girlfriend,â Lewis said. âI donât want my future daughter-in-law and the stepmother of my precious grandchildren to be a man! Can you promise me that?â
âOf course, the mother of the four kids will be a woman,â Abel said. âYou donât have to worry about that.
Iâve never planned on marrying a man. It just doesnât feel right for me.â
âThatâs settled then,â said Lewis, pointing to Evelyn. âYou can go for Ms. Evelyn. Sheâs a heiress from the Altney family, and you two even had an engagement before. It couldnât be more perfect.â
Evelyn blushed and lowered her head in shyness at his words.
Abel stayed silent, deep in thought. He never really considered this option.
Rosaline chimed in, âYou should just agree to your dadâs request and date Ms. Evelyn. You donât want to keep his blood pressure up all the time.â
âAh, darn it,â groaned Lewis, clutching his head. âIâve been so confused. Maybe we should just take me to the hospital.â
âAbel,â Rosalineâs eyes were red, âas your mother, Iâm begging you.â
âIâll give it a try,â Abel said calmly, âbut I canât guarantee there will be any progress between Ms. Evelyn and me.â
âAs long as you two start dating, itâs good enough,â Lewis said. âI have enough patience to wait. Evelyn is gentle and beautiful. Any man would fall in love with her, unless youâre not a man!â
Abel thought to himself, I am a man, but I wonât fall in love with her.
Ding dong, his phone beeped.
Abel swiped the screen, and it happened to be a message from Emmett.
âIâll go change my clothes,â he said, leaving the room in a hurry.
As he walked up the stairs, he checked the message from Emmett.
âMr. Ryker, did your parents spank your bottom?â Emmett asked.
Abel couldnât help but smile mischievously, feeling a sudden urge to play a prank on the little guy.
So he replied, âYeah, they spanked me, and the soles of their slippers hurt so bad.â
Emmeline, on the other end, felt a pang in her heart upon reading the message.
She knew that Abel was usually serious and reserved, not one to joke around.
As he spoke, it became apparent that he had indeed been physically disciplined. Emmeline felt a pang of sympathy for him and quickly initiated a voice call.
The ringtone echoed, and Abel darted into his bedroom, shutting the door and answering the call.
âEmmett.â A hoarse, gentle voice emanated from his phone.
âMr. Ryker, did you get spanked? Do you want me to go and give that old man a piece of my mind?â
Emmeline asked on the other end.
Abel smiled faintly. For some reason, he felt happy hearing the little guyâs voice, despite the teasing.
âI was just kidding, nobody is spanking me. I am a grown-up,â he said.
âI see,â Emmeline said, touching her chest. âYou made me worried there.â
âEmmett,â Abel said, âwhere are you? Donât go driving around recklessly.â
âIâm at my own villa,â Emmeline replied. âI just canât stop worrying about Mr. Ryker.â
Abel felt a warm sensation in his chest, sensing that this little guy was truly thoughtful and caring towards him.
âThatâs good,â Abel said warmly. âIâll contact you later. Be good, okay?â