At that mont, Abigail’s steps echoed sharply down the narrow hallway as she walked away from the man’s office. Her jaw was clenched beneath the mask, her grip tight around her small black handbag. The silence between her and Victoria only lasted for a few seconds before Victoria caught up beside her, her heels tapping quickly in sync.
"What the hell is going on?" Victoria’s voice was sharp, confused, but also a bit irritated. "You’re canceling everything? Why? You don’t want to deal with Cora anymore? That bitch Abigail, are you serious right now?"
Abigail said nothing. She kept walking, her face unreadable behind the dark sunglasses.
Victoria didn’t back down. "Hope you rember what’s at stake. Hope you rember what she did to you. To your face. You can’t just let that go. If you pull out now, you’re handing her the win on a silver platter. It’ll be a slap to both our faces. All this ti, all the planning you rember, right? Or are you seriously backing out without a plan?"
Still, Abigail said nothing.
Then Victoria gave a low laugh, her voice shifting into a smirk. "Wait... wait a minute. I get it now. You’ve got a better plan, don’t you?" She leaned in slightly, her eyes narrowing as she studied Abigail’s hidden face. "You’ve cooked up sothing way more dangerous. You’re playing the long ga. God, you had scared for a second. I actually thought you were letting that snake go. But you’re not. You’ve got sothing deadly, right?"
Abigail stopped walking. Dead in her tracks.
Victoria nearly bumped into her, stumbling slightly. "What?" she asked.
Slowly, Abigail turned around to face her. The hallway lights flickered faintly across her dark glasses and the edge of her face mask.
"I don’t have a plan," Abigail said quietly. Her voice was low, firm, but carried a sharp chill beneath it. "There is no next move. There’s no secret attack. I’m not playing the long ga. I’m done. All of this... everything... it’s over. I don’t want to hear about it anymore."
Imdiately upon hearing what Abigail just said Victoria’s smile faded.
At that mont, Victoria’s mouth fell slightly open, her brows drawing together in disbelief. She blinked rapidly again, trying to process what Abigail just said. The confusion on her face was impossible to miss.
"Wait, wait, wait... Abigail, what are you talking about?" she stamred. Her voice was half a whisper, half a shout, as if unsure whether to be angry or afraid. "Is this a joke? Are you seriously doing this right now? Like... is this so kind of April Fool’s prank or sothing? Because I don’t get it."
Victoria stepped in front of Abigail, trying to block her path. Her tone quickly shifted from disbelief to sothing sharper.
"You’re backing out? After everything? Is this betrayal or what? If soone’s pressuring you or threatening you, just tell . I swear, I will handle it myself. We’ve co too far to just throw this away. That plan... our plan it must go on. You hear ?"
Her voice cracked slightly at the end. She wasn’t just angry. She was terrified. Terrified that Abigail was really walking away. That all their ti, effort, and risk would turn into dust. That Cora would win.
But Abigail, still hidden behind her dark sunglasses and thick face mask, didn’t flinch.
Instead, she took one silent step forward, closing the space between them.
Then her voice, quiet but steady, cut through the air like a knife. "Victoria," she said, slowly, "do I look like soone that’s joking right now?"
Imdiately Victoria opened her mouth but found no words. She had never seen Abigail like this before calm, but cold. Serious, but heavy.
"I’m not walking away because I’m scared of Kora," Abigail continued. "I’m walking away because this... this is bigger than us. If we go forward with it, soone is going to get hurt. Maybe you. Maybe . Maybe both. I don’t want you stepping into sothing you won’t be able to get out from. Sothing that might destroy you... or even kill you."
There was a trembling in Victoria’s throat. "A-Abigail..."
But Abigail gently shook her head.
"Please," she said. "Treat this cautiously. I’m not asking you. I’m telling you. Stay away from this. Stay away from her. This... it’s over now. I won’t say it again."
At that mont, Victoria’s chest rose and fell fast as she stood her ground, her voice rising, sharp and emotional. "No, Abigail. I’m not backing away. You’re obviously not thinking straight. Maybe you’ve got malaria or sothing. Or maybe soone’s gotten into your head. But I’m not giving up. Not now. Not when we’re this close."
She took one step forward, her eyes filled with desperation. "You of all people know what we’ve risked. You know what we’ve planned. If you let this girl, that bitch, walk away now, she’s going to take Robert. She’s going to destroy everything I’ve worked for. Do you think she won’t? The engagent will be over. we’ll lose everything!"
But Abigail didn’t flinch.
Behind the dark sunglasses and face mask, her expression remained unreadable. Calm. Cold. Detached. Then, slowly, she tilted her head and said in a low voice, "Do I look like soone who gives a damn?"
Victoria froze.
Abigail took a step closer, and her voice grew firr. "Robert can go to hell for all I care. Let him go. I’m not interested in saving soone who might be the reason my entire family crumbles. If he becos a threat to us, then he has to go too. I’ve made peace with that."
Her words hit like slaps to Victoria’s face.
"And you," Abigail continued, her tone now cutting and laced with warning, "this should be the last ti I ever hear you speak Cora’s na. Don’t bring her up. Don’t bring this topic up again. I an it."
Victoria’s lips parted, but no words ca out. Her confidence faltered as Abigail’s eyes locked with hers through the sunglasses, the silence between them burning with finality.
"I’m warning you, Victoria. Stay away from this. My hands are clean now. If you decide to push your luck... if you go ahead with anything... just know, you’ll face the consequences alone. Don’t drag into it. I won’t be there to protect you."
With that, Abigail turned sharply, walked to the door, and without another glance, she pulled it open and walked out.
The sound of the door closing echoed in the room, leaving Victoria standing alone, frozen, her mind spinning, her hands trembling, her eyes wide with disbelief.
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