Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 241: Middle Ground

”No!” Jamal said firmly the moment Abigail told him of her plans.

Abigail said nothing as she merely watched him, making it clear silently that she intended to do exactly as she had just said and wasn’t going to argue with him about it.

Seeing that she wasn’t going to argue or try to convince him, Jamal frowned. ”Why would you want to go anywhere close to him? I thought you were in a haste to be as far away from him as possible? I don’t understand this. I can’t understand it.”

She arched a brow. ”Don’t you think you should have asked me to explain my reasons before blurting out no that way?”

”I walk into the room and the first thing you said was ’In stead of going to Ludus, I want to go to Husla to see Ryan.’ What did you expect me to say?”

”A simple ’why’ would have been a good enough start instead of plain ’no’. And don’t use that tone with me, Jamal. I do not like it. I’ve had Ryan and Genevieve telling me what to do all my life and I don’t intend for anyone else to control my life that way,” she said very calmly and Jamal sighed as he went to sit beside her.

”I’m not trying to control your life. We have plans. Everyone is putting everything they’re doing on hold to make sure we get out of here safely and you just want to let all their efforts to waste and go to the same person you’re being rescued from? I don’t get you.”

”He’s sick and he’s alone...”

”Which is more reason it is the best time to leave! Why do you care about his state all of a sudden?” Jamal cut in before she could finish. ”Didn’t you set his house ablaze and put up articles about him despite knowing about his condition?”

”Yes. I know what I did. And I didn’t think that I’d ever feel this way either. I’m as shocked by this as you, since I was always so sure I wanted him to die a slow and miserable death, but I don’t think I can just walk away this way. I’m still hurt by all he did, but he’s been a part of my life for twenty years. What kind of person would I be if I don’t feel a little sorry for him that he’s sick and might be dying? Emily said his heart is bad and he...”

Jamal frowned. ”Emily talked to you about Ryan?”

”She didn’t know I was on the call. She thought it was you and she said some stuff about how bad his heart is. I was reading up on his condition before you came,” she said, raising his phone so that he could see the screen.

Jamal took the phone from her and skimmed through what she had been reading.

”Alright. I get it. His condition might be more critical than we thought. But I don’t see why we have to change our plans.”

”I want to be there at least until he is discharged. I want to talk to him. I don’t want to run away from him with my son like a thief. I want to walk away now that he knows he can’t stop me and I have the Hanks behind me.” Abigail insisted.

”I can’t let you go there alone,” Jamal pointed out.

”Then come with me...”

Jamal drew in a deep breath before holding her gaze. ”I need you to understand that my life has been on hold since I got there. My staying back here was not planned yet I’ve stayed for this long. With Stefan gone, I need to get back to Ludus and return to work. I can’t possibly go to Husla just to watch you nurse Ryan back to health.”

Abigail looked into Jamal’s eyes and she could see he was pleading with her to see reasons. ”I understand. How about you go to Ludus and I’ll join you later after I’m done there? I lived in Husla for years, remember? I have friends there so I’ll be safe.”

Jamal shook his head. ”That’s not a risk I’m willing to take. I’m not leaving without you, but I don’t want us to go to Husla either. Besides, what about Josh?”

Abigail sighed softly. ”You could take him with you. I’m sure your family would want to...”

”Are you listening to yourself?” Jamal asked, shaking his head, ”you barely reunited with him and you think he would want to be away from you? Can you please think about Josh even if you choose not to consider my feelings here?”

Abigail frowned. ”I’m not choosing not to consider your feelings. Your feelings are valid to me.”

Jamal shook his head slowly. ”I’m sorry but I don’t think so. I don’t feel that way right now.”

Abigail took his hand, ”I’m sorry you don’t feel that way. Let’s look at this from another angle. You were right earlier when you talked about Ryan doing everything from a place of hurt and becoming a monster in the process of punishing those who hurt him. Maybe if he had someone like you in his life he wouldn’t have gone that far. Someone would have been there to keep him in check. But he didn’t. I’m not saying I’ve forgiven him, I haven’t. I don’t regret setting his house ablaze or anything else I did either. I’m just saying understand better. And I want to be there for him in the little way I can right now. I still need some answers from him.”

”You don’t have to get the answers immediately, do you? He’s not going to die any time soon hopefully...”

”What is he does? Nothing is guaranteed. Neither of us expected things would take this turn. Things keep changing and we could easily receive a call from Emily the next minute to say he’s dead.”

Neither of them said anything else for a while. Their hands remained intertwined as they stared at each other.

Finally Abigail spoke again, ”I’ve known you for only a short time, Jamal. And if there’s something I’ve learned about you, it’s the fact that you’re a very lovable and peace loving guy...”

”Are you resorting to flattery now?” Jamal asked, and she smiled.

”Shush and listen,” she said, and he smiled back, watching her. ”

Abigail continued without letting him finish, ”Ryan really liked you. I think we overestimated him. We demonized him and judged him based on all he had done in the past. All his crimes were targeted at getting revenge even though he overdid it. And all he wanted now was to make sure what he did never gets discovered and that was why he kept me under such a tight leash. I think he was in a haste to get you to win my heart and marry me because of his deteriorating condition. He wanted to make sure I’d always remain as his daughter and Josh would remain his son. And for some reason he trusted you to make it happen.”

”You don’t know that for sure,” Jamal said, and Abigail reached behind her for the documents she had taken out of the safe in his study.

”Take a look at this,” she handed one of them to him.

”What’s that?” Jamal asked as he took it from her

It was a copy of Ryan’s Will. Jamal frowned as he read through it.

He bequeathed seventy percent of all he had to Josh and twenty percent to Abigail, on the condition that Josh’s name remained Josh Ryan Harris and Abigail stayed married to Pete. He left Pete ten percent on the condition that he was married to Abigail and fulfiled the extra conditions given to him. If all his conditions were not met, then everything was to be given to charity.

”Why would he do this?” Jamal asked, looking up at Abigail.

”That question should be directed to him, not me, don’t you think?” Abigail said as she handed him another document.

Jamal took it from her and when he saw the content his frown deepened. It seemed like a copy of a letter and a nondisclosure agreement form Ryan had drawn up for them both.

Ryan’s signature was on it and Pete’s name was on it leaving room for his signature. The form said Pete was to take whatever secret he read in the letter to his grave.

The letter said he knew Pete was interested in Abigail and he always saw the way he looked at her even when he was trying not to look, so he was entrusting Abigail and Josh to him. He was to make sure Abigail never came in contact with the Hank family, take care of Abigail and Josh for the rest of his life and make sure Josh remains a Harris.

”This doesn’t make any sense,” Jamal said, and Abigail nodded.

”I agree. So, you should talk to him...”

”I’m not curious enough about the reason for this to want to talk to him,” Jamal said, and Abigail let out an exasperated sigh.

”Fine. Now think about your friend Callan...”

”What does Callan have to do with our discussion?” Jamal asked with a frown.

”Do you think Callan is going to forgive his father or not when he hears all that truly happened? I thought about it, and as much as I’d frown at the coldblooded killings, I wouldn’t hate my father for killing the people that made me grow up without my parents.”

Jamal sighed, ”So?”

”So, because I love you, and Callan is your best friend and I know you care about him a lot, it’d be best if I do this. That way Callan won’t hate me so much, and you won’t have to feel guilty for being with the daughter of the woman who killed his mother...”

”And what about you? Wont you hate him? Your Mom might have accidentally killed his mother, but his father killed your mother, your grandparents, stole your identity and your son and kept you hostage for years. You have so much more to hate him for,” Jamal pointed out.

”His father did it. He had nothing to do with what his father did,” Abigail said and Jamal nodded.

”The same way you have nothing to do with what your mother did. So, don’t use Callan as an excuse. He will understand the reason for all you’ve done,” Jamal said and Abigail scowled.

After a while Jamal spoke again. ”Since you really do want to go to Husla and I don’t want us to do that, how about we meet in the middle?”

”What is the middle here?” Abigail asked with a confused frown.

”Let’s go to Ludus as planned. We can use you and Josh’s authority as his children to have him flown to Ludus. It will be a win for everyone. Ludus is safe. I can get back to work, you can take care of him in Ludus, and he can meet Callan there as well. Does that work for you?”

Abigail smiled and nodded. ”Perfectly. But do you think Tom and the others will be cool with it?”

”Did you think they’d be cool with you going to Husla?” Jamal asked with a raised brow.

”My going to Husla wouldn’t inconvenience them as much as flying him to Ludus would,” she explained.

”It would inconvenience them more because they can’t focus on other things until you’re safe in Ludus. When Tom and Lucy arrives you can talk to Lucy about it. If you’re able to convince her, which I’m sure you can, she’d easily make Tom do it,” Jamal said, and Abigail smiled as she embraced him, glad they’d reached a middle ground and she didn’t have to be away from him to be with Ryan.

”Mommy? Daddy?” They heard Josh call out as he searched for them, and Jamal laughed as he rose.

”I wonder when I’d get used to being called that,” he said, pulling Abigail up, and they both laughed as they went to find him.