Chapter 42
The Spare Wife by Nadia Gordon
Chapter 42 After a shower, Abigail came out of the bathroom and dried her hair with a towel. She was about to blow dry her hair when Ana lise called out from the living room, âAbigail, itâs getting so late. Why isnât Sean back yet? Did he drink too much at a business meeting and is too drunk to get home?â
Abigail was startled by her grandmaâs voice. She quickly set the hairdryer down and stuck her head out to glance at the clock on the wall in the living room. It was 10.40PM.
She didnât think her grandma would still be waiting for Sean.
âWhy arenât you asleep, Grandma? Didnât I tell you? Heâs quite busy these days. He mustâve decided to sleep elsewhere tonight.â
Abigail rubbed her forehead. She was beginning to get a headache. Usually, Ana lise went to bed quite early, so much so that Abigail assumed her grandma wouldâve gone to sleep by the time she came out of her longer-than-usual shower.
âHurry up and give Sean a call to ask him where he is. See if he needs someone to pick him up.â
AH.
Ana lise trembled as she took Abigailâs phone from the table and held it out.
Her voice was stern, leaving no room for discussion.
Abigail sighed. She couldnât argue with her grandma, so she dried her hands and took the phone.
Under Ana liseâs solemn gaze, Abigail shiftily hid her screen as she scrolled to the number listed under the name B*stard.
Her finger hovered mid-air as she hesitated for a while before she finally made the call.
âHello. The number youâve dialed cannot be reached at the moment...â
When the crisp voice of the automated message rang out, Abigail exhaled in relief. She purposely put her phone on speakers and waved it in front of Ana lise.
âHis phone is switched off. Itâs not like Iâm trying to avoid calling him on purpose.â
âThe point is that you didnât even call him sooner,â Ana lise huffed as she glared at Abigail. âYouâre married now. Donât just focus on your career. You should be paying more attention to your husband. A man needs to feel the gentle love and care of his wife. Why wouldnât he come home if you expressed more care and concern for him?â
âYouâd never be able to find another man like Sean whoâs so filial and capable. A married woman needs to learn to work on her marriage too, understand?â
The look of indifference in Abigailâs eyes made Ana lise fret. Her voice became more and more agitated.
For a woman from Ana liseâs generation, it was bad news when a married man didnât come home at night.
âI got it, Grandma. Seanâs company has been extremely busy lately. Itâs worried about her grandmaâs high blood pressure. She quickly patted Ana liseâs hand and brought her back to her room.
After sending Ana lise back to her room, Abigail exhaled in relief and set her phone down. She picked up the hairdryer again.
In the wee hours of the morning, the alarm rang. A group of people with weary, disgruntled faces shuffled out of the meeting. The last man to walk out was still dressed in an unruffled suit. Even though he just finished a four-and-a-half-hour meeting, there was no trace of exhaustion on his handsome face.
âYour phone is fully charged now, Mr. Graham. I just turned it on for you.â
Seanâs assistant had been waiting by the door for him, and now that he came out, his assistant swiftly handed his phone over to him.
Sean glanced at the screen before heading back to the hotel.
It was a quiet night. He couldnât fall asleep.
After tossing and turning for some time, he took his phone and checked Twitter.
When he saw that the program, Top Designer, had topped the trending list, he suddenly recalled that Sabrina had called him today about this program.
Sean clicked on the official announcement and glanced at the list of special guests.
Alas, as soon as he saw the familiar name, the fleeting sense of drowsiness that was slowly creeping up on him instantly vanished.
He took a screenshot of the announcement and sent it to Kevinâs WhatsApp.
When he didnât get a reply, he called Kevin.
âHey, man. Did you not take a look at the time?â
thing out of the latterâs mouth was a complaint.
Sean heard the deafening music that was ringing on Kevinâs side. âWhatâs the matter? Did I disrupt you on your blind date?â he fired back sarcastically.
Kevin nearly spat out his drink. He signaled for his friend to lower the music before asking, âArenât you on a business trip? Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?â
âYouâd better give me a good explanation about whatâs happening with that list of special guests whoâve been invited for that program East Joy Talent is running.â Seanâs voice was icy.
Kevin knew he was in the wrong. After a pause, he said, âYou know how good Alanaâs designs are. Our talents expressed the most interest in her. It was a collective decision.â
âWhat does that have to do with Abigail?â Seanâs voice became even more chilly at the recollection of that secretive call Kevin had this morning. He spat the words out through gritted teeth.
An image of Seanâs icy expression flashed across Kevinâs mind and he hastily explained, âOh, Abigail. Sheâs Alanaâs personal assistant, so sheâs joining the show, of course.â
In the face of Seanâs harsh questioning, Kevin didnât dare to tell him that Abigail was Alana.
Sean stopped talking.