âWe donât have much of a choice now,â Lewis said. âLetâs just go over to the Ryker Mansion first. Your mother and Evelyn will come along too. If the need arises, just apologize to your grandfather and tell him youâre dating Evelyn. Once the media gets wind of that, theyâll forget this ever happened!â
âI donât agree,â Abel said curtly. âI would rather the whole city think Iâm gay than to lie and say Iâm dating Evelyn Murphy.â
âYou⦠Youâ¦!! Hgghhh!â Lewis wheezed angrily.
âFather, please calm down,â Abel told Lewis. âItâs no big deal, Iâll handle it.â
âYouâll handle it? Pfft! Iâll watch and see how you handle it!â Lewis slammed the phone down.
âGod d*mn it!â Abel cursed. âWho did this to me?â
âAbelâ¦â Emmeline called Abelâs name gently. âThis must be Adamâs doing. Ever since you brought me back from his place, heâs held a grudge against youâ¦â
âI thought so too,â Abel agreed with her. âThat man is rotten inside and out.â
âOh, yes! I almost forgot,â Emmeline said as she suddenly recalled her encounter with Alana Lane. âI met a strange woman at Adamâs place too.â
âStrange woman?â Abel cocked an eyebrow. âWhat do you mean?â
âThe woman was incredibly beautiful, but she only had three fingers on her left hand, and she addressed Adam very formally,â Emmeline said.
âAlana?â Abel reared back in shock âYou met Alana?â
âHow would I know what her name is? I just heard Adam ask her what level she was at, and she told him Level 2,â Emmeline told Abel.
âWhatâs this level nonsense?â Abel was confused.
âIt sounded like they were talking about assassin training,â Emmeline said. âAdam told her she was not assassin material.â
Abelâs expression turned grave as he took in a deep breath. âSo thatâs where youâve been all this while, Alana? Hiding with Adam and becoming his assassin?â Abel said out loud.
âAbel, is this going to trouble you?â Emmeline asked on purpose.
âYup,â Abel nodded slowly. âBig trouble.â
âSo, what will you do?â Emmeline asked.
âIâll talk it out with Adam soon,â Abel replied. âBut Iâll have to deal with the family meeting first.â
âGo ahead,â Emmeline said. âI know youâll get through this. Itâs no big deal for you,â she comforted him.
âMm,â Abel made an affectionate sound as he stroked her cheek. âEmmett, donât you worry. I promise Iâll protect you. I wonât let anyone hurt you,â Abel reassured.
âWill you leave me?â Emmeline asked.
âOf course not. Donât ever think that way,â Abel said gently.
âThen Iâm not worried anymore,â Emmeline smiled. âIâm worried for you now. How are you going to stop the rumors?â
âLet them say whatever they want. I know I havenât done anything wrong, so I have nothing to be afraid of,â Abelâs expression darkened.
âBut⦠if your reputation is damaged, Ryker Group will be affected too. The Rykers will surely bring that up!â Emmeline thought on his behalf.
âLetâs deal with that when it happens,â Abel pinched her jaw lightly. âDonât worry, no one can hurt me.
Just sit here and wait for me to come home, alright? Donât go anywhere.â
Emmeline felt the heat rush to her body. âI got it, Abel,â she nodded gently.
âThatâs my boy,â Abel said before he put on his coat and strode out of the office.
Emmeline thought about the situation for a moment before giving Benjamin a call.
âMs. Louise,â Benjaminâs voice spoke through the phone. âIâve seen the news about you and Abel. Itâs everywhere! What do you need me to do?â
âGet in contact with the media,â Emma instructed. âI think itâs almost time for my grand appearance.â
âGrand appearance? Isnât it still a little early?â Benjamin asked.
âI donât have a choice. I canât just allow Abel to be ruined like that,â Emmeline sighed.
âHmm, thatâs true,â Benjamin nodded. âThe only way to save his reputation now is if your true identity is revealed.â
âThereâs also the matter of the four munchkins,â Emmeline added. âImagine how sad theyâd be if they thought their father was gay. They might think that Daddy betrayed Mommyâ¦â
âMakes sense,â Benjamin agreed. âWeâll follow your plan.â
âOnce youâve gotten in touch with the media, get them to go to the Ryker Mansion,â Emmeline said.
âOf course, Ms. Louise,â Benjamin said before hanging up.
Less than an hour later, a few journalists had already gathered together, eagerly awaiting Emmelineâs arrival.