Not One, But Two!

Chapter 65

Philip squinted quietly. A long while later, he said, "Just stay away from that ruby necklace. It'll kill you. Don't say I didn't warn ya."

He then went to his company happily. Eight million wasn't much, but it was better than nothing, and Philip could see another way to enrich himself.

He didn't know how much Abigail charged for every surgery she performed, but he did know her clients were rich. After all, she did pay eight million in the blink of an eye. Now, he had to come up with a plan to control Abigail.

Abigail called Greg the moment she left. "I need your help."

"Where are you? I'll be back in Allie's Garden."

Abigail wouldn't simply hire anyone to appraise the necklace of course.

She didn't believe that Philip actually left something so valuable to her out of kindness. She knew him too well. It was unlike him not to sell it.

When Abigail came back to Allie's Garden, Greg was already waiting for her.

"Did they trouble you?" Greg thought Abigail was bullied, and he wanted to teach the Kains a lesson.

She shook her head. Abigail held his hand and dragged him into the house. "I need someone to appraise this necklace. See if it's authentic. Can you call Stanley? I need him to see if this belonged to my mother."

She took the ruby necklace out.

Greg squinted. "No need for an appraiser. That's the real article," he said softly.

Abigail heaved a sigh of relief. Greg was a smart and powerful man, and he could verify whether something was authentic or not with ease. In that case, this makes the necklace even more curious. "Tell Stanley to come over." It had been too long, and Stanley still hadn't given Abigail her mother's details. She knew something must be up, so she wanted to see Stanley again.

Greg knew Abigail's mother was important to her, but he was too busy lately, so he didn't have time to deal with Stanley. The scar on his back had formed a scab, and it was itchy. So I endured that whip for nothing? He snorted and called Stanley.

Stanley didn't take it at first, but he couldn't keep it up forever. Finally, when the phone rang for the tenth time, he picked it up. "Mr. Buckley—"

"And here I thought you didn't want to take my call. Where are you, Stanly?" Greg sounded annoyed.

Stanley sighed. "It does not matter. What do you need, Mr. Buckley?"

"Come to Allie's Garden. I need your help." And then he hung up.

Stanley felt a little frustrated. Can I not go? He really wished he could disappear right away, but he knew that was impossible.

Abigail sat back on her chair, thinking about her mother.

Stanley arrived not long later, and Greg called him over to Abigail.

Stanley wasn't surprised to see Abigail waiting for him. "I can't sort your mother's stuff out. I don't even know where to begin, and I don't even have a photo of her. It's hard for me too, you know." Stanley knew he had to keep some things a secret from her, but he had no choice.

Since Stanley seemed like he wanted to help, Abigail took the redwood box out. "You can keep the details from me, but at least help me out, uncle."

Uncle, huh? It hurt Stanley to hear her call him that. "This is…" He paused for a moment when he saw the box, and he opened it. "The ruby necklace? Why do you have it?"

Abigail noticed the look in his eyes, and she asked, "Does this really belong to Mom?"

Stanley sighed. "It's your aunt's dowry. The guy was about to give it to your aunt, but he fell for your mother instead, so he took the necklace back through deception and gave it to your mother. He said it's his family heirloom. Thanks to what that guy did, your aunt started hating your mother. Think about it— her own fiancé took her dowry and gave it to another woman. Anyone would hate to be in that situation. Your aunt said that if she sees this necklace, she'll kill whoever has it."

Abigail's heart sank. She knew there was history behind the necklace, but she never expected it to be this convoluted. No wonder Philip didn't sell it. Mortimer Village might not be huge, but Isabel's husband used to be famous around the area, and he had nearly ten thousand disciples. If something were to happen, it'd be terrifying. She sighed. "So this really belongs to my Mom?"

"Technically, yes. Where did you get it?"

"From Philip," she said honestly.

Stanley frowned. "Philip? Why did she marry him? That guy wasn't Philip."

"Who was that man then?" Abigail thought that was a lead.

Stanley looked at her. "Must you ask that?" he whispered.

"I must find my mother."

Stanley couldn't refuse her, not after she showed him his resolve. "That man's name is Samuel. Samuel Sawyer."

"Sawyer? I thought they're from Mortimer Village. Shouldn't he be from the Mortimer Family?"

"No. They're from out of town."

Abigail was silent for a long time. She had thought everyone in the Mortimer Village was a part of the same family, but now she knew they weren't. This world is a big one. There are probably at least ten thousand people called Samuel Sawyer. How on earth am I supposed to find him? And if he's Mom's true love, why did she marry Philip then? And why did Philip say she eloped with someone else? What else don't I know? Abigail was at a dead end.

Since they couldn't reach a conclusion, Greg stepped in. "What's Isabel doing about it?"

"She doesn't really care about this, so she won't do anything to Abigail. Let's put an end to this here, Mr. Buckley. I know what you want to do, but it's impossible. Abigail's mother eloping with my sister's would-be fiancé hurt her too much. And the family cares a lot about virginity and tradition. Some might say it's ego. It's impossible to talk about that now."

Stanley knew that thinking was outdated, but he could do nothing about it. That was how their family was like.

Greg wanted to say something, but Abigail stopped him. "I see. I'll look into it myself, and I won't return to Mortimer Village, so don't worry. You helped me out in this case, and I thank you for that, uncle. I hope we won't become enemies."

"You're making it sound like we'll become enemies. If you manage to find your mother, I'll be happy for the both of you."

Stanley wasn't lying. He and Abigail's mother were close ever since they were kids, but he lost all contact with her after she eloped. I wonder if she's still well.

Abigail saw genuine love in his eyes, and she felt comforted. "I will find Mom. I swear."

"Call me if you need anything. I can help you as long as it doesn't involve the village." That was as much as he could do at the moment.

Abigail nodded.

Since the conversation was over, Greg said, "I'll help too, if you need me. Why don't I look into this Sawyer guy for you?"

"Thanks." Abigail didn't want to trouble him, but she knew he could find leads faster than she could, given his power. ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Greg nodded, and he went out to make a call.

The more Stanley looked at Abigail, the more he thought she resembled her mother. He sighed and took out a scroll from his pocket and handed it to her. "I drew this from memory. It's a picture of your mother. It's been a long time, so her lokos might have changed. You can look for her if you want to. I'm decent at painting. Sure, it's not photorealistic, but it's close. No photos though."

Abigail took it and unfurled the scroll, revealing the picture of a beautiful woman on it. So this is Mom? Abigail was a little excited. It was the first time she saw her mother's picture after more than two decades. What kind of daughter am I? "She's my mother?"

"Yep. When she was young. She's famous for her beauty in our area, but alas, that's also why fate looked harshly on her." Stanley sighed.

Abigail kept the scroll carefully and bowed to Stanley.

"What are you doing?"

"Thank you, uncle. For everything. I might fail in this search, but at least this picture helps with the longing. I never knew what she looked like and what kind of person she was. But now, at least I know what she looks like. Thank you, really." She was tearful.

Stanley felt heartbroken. He heard about what Abigial had experienced, and now that she was tearing up, he gave her a hug. "I'm too weak. The village's rules are too strict, and your mother ran away with your sister's would-be husband. It impacts the family a lot, but I will help whenever I can. Come to me if you need anything. You're my niece, after all. With your mother gone, I'm the closest thing you're going to get to a family member."

Abigail shed a tear. The warmth and love from a family member of hers made her sentimental. "Thank you, uncle." She hugged him tightly.

And then, she heard Greg exclaiming outside.

Abigail paused for a moment, but then she remembered something, so she pushed Stanley away and ran out.