Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Greg did not even bother looking at Abigail as he walked past her, which made it seem like she didn't exist at all. In the meantime, Abigail was trying really hard to suppress her anger, but what the man did was seemingly a little too much for her to put up with. "That's my daughter, Greg!"
However, Greg ignored the lady's words and turned his attention to Alissa while gently asking, "Do you want to come to my house?"
"Can I?" Alissa was excited, but she peeked at her mother warily to observe her expression. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Abigail felt as though a bucket of ice water had been poured on her, finding it hard to believe that her daughters would choose Greg over her without hesitation even though she was the one who had raised them throughout the past five years. For that, she didn't even dare to imagine how things would turn out should the paternity test result prove that Greg was indeed their father. Upon thinking about this, she began to feel panicky and told herself that she must never let Greg take her two children, whom she reckoned were the only family members she had, away from her. Thus, she quickly followed the man and said, "Wait up, Greg!"
Nonetheless, Greg didn't respond to Abigail at all. Despite his sweaty back, Alissa couldn't help feeling excited as she stayed in his arms. In fact, she found her father's embrace so much different from her mother's. This is what it feels like to be in Daddy's arms. It's totally different from when Mom carries me because Dad's firm chest makes me feel so safe. "Daddy, can you hug me like this until we arrive at your house?"
Greg was stunned upon hearing the child's words. Although Alissa hid her emotions well, the man could tell from her tone that she was feeling excited and content.
It only took one hug from me to make Alissa feel over the moon. Damn you, Abigail! You're the reason I've missed a big part of my little girl's childhood. You've deprived her of the fatherly love she deserves, and you cannot be forgiven for that.
When those thoughts filled the man's mind, he then looked back and glared at Abigail.
At the same time, Abigail was feeling bewildered about her daughter's 'betrayal' when Greg's angry stare suddenly stunned her.
What did I do to deserve that look? I haven't done anything else to him, have I? Furthermore, he is the one who's taking my daughter away from me! Why is he still staring at me like that? No way! You're not going to stare me down with your big eyes. She then opened her eyes widely and gawked at Greg in response. In order to make herself look more intimidating, she kept her chest up by arching it and jutting her chin, revealing her curvy silhouette underneath her clothes.
Greg froze slightly before his gaze darkened upon seeing this, whereas Abigail sensed the change in his eyes and subconsciously kept her head down, feeling overwhelmed by a sense of embarrassment.
What a scoundrel!
She then clenched her jaw and cursed Greg silently, but the man ignored her once again and turned his attention to Alissa. "I'll never say no to my little princess. In fact, I could even carry you in my arms while strolling around Harrion."
"Really?" Alissa felt as if she was in a dream, wondering why the man she called Daddy had left them since he was so mild-mannered. Thus, she directly asked, "Why did you leave me and Mommy five years ago, Daddy?"
As soon as Alissa heard that, she couldn't help but feel nervous, wondering what Greg had done to Alissa to put her under his spell.
Soon, Greg gave Abigail an ambiguous look and bitterly said, "I never abandoned you and your mother. Instead, it was your mother who left me five years ago, which is why I had no idea my cute little daughter even existed. If I had known about you, I wouldn't have let you live in a single-parent family for so many years."
"What? Is that really the case?" Alissa always thought it was Greg who abandoned Abigail, so she found it hard to digest the dramatic truth that she had just learned due to her young age.
She then rested her head on Greg's shoulder and asked her mother, "Mommy, is Daddy telling the truth?"
"You believe every word he says, so why do you still bother asking me?" answered Abigail unpleasantly.
Upon sensing her mother's anger, Alissa shied away and bitterly snaked her arms around Greg's neck. When he noticed the child's frightened look, Greg reacted with a darkened face and replied, "Watch your tone, Abigail. If you don't know anything about good parenting, I don't mind taking custody of her."
"You wish!" Abigail stomped the ground with her feet angrily, thinking she had seen through the man's ulterior motive. That's what he is up to. He's after my daughter's custody!
In the meantime, Greg refused to argue with Abigail in front of the child, so he carried her toward the car.
At the same time, Abigail, who saw the man carrying her daughter away, naturally followed right behind them, but when she realized she had to take Greg's ride and sit in the backseat, she didn't feel comfortable with that.
"Are you coming or what?" Greg asked with a glacial voice, feeling annoyed by the disgust in her eyes.
After taking a look at Alissa, Abigail took a deep breath and reluctantly entered the car.
Even after they hit the road, Abigail continued to show a darkened face, which was so intimidating that Alissa didn't dare say anything while she rested herself in Greg's embrace. As she indulged in Greg's warm and comfortable embrace, she figured she must tell Arianna how safe her daddy's hug made her feel. Daddy's hug is so perfect. I must tell Arianna about it when I get back.
Meanwhile, it was Greg's first time hugging a child so young.
To be honest, he wasn't a man who particularly loved children, but when he felt the chubby child enjoying his embrace, his heart seemingly melted.
His lips formed a slight smile subconsciously, and it somehow made himself seem gentler and more benevolent.
On the other hand, Abigail was stunned when she saw the side view of the man's face, for she was surprised to find his tender side.
At the same time, Greg could sense the lady staring at him, but he didn't want to be bothered by her at all.
Alissa was starting to feel a little tired after a long day, so she rested her head on Greg's chest. "Daddy, I want to take a nap now."
"Go ahead. I'll be here anyway."
"Daddy, I want you to carry me home even when I'm asleep." Alissa yawned while making sure she would get what she wanted even when she was struggling to keep her eyes open.
"Of course." Greg smiled with a pair of gentle eyes.
Not long after that, Alissa's snoring could be heard just as Abigail frowned and said with a soft voice, "Give me back my child." Nonetheless, Greg acted as if he didn't hear her voice and continued to hug the girl in his arms, completely ignoring her.
In the face of the man's indifference, Abigail kept telling herself to control her temper for the sake of her daughter, although she could barely tolerate Greg's presence. With nothing else she could do, she decided to turn her attention to the scenery outside the window.
This place has changed a lot since I last saw it five years ago. While the streets Abigail once knew were all occupied with modern buildings, she couldn't seem to find any familiar traces and traits of the place she once knew.
Then, she was reminded of the moment she left the place five years ago, thinking her home was no longer the same now that she was back again. At the thought of that, sadness was written all over her face.
Meanwhile, Greg turned to look at Abigail's side profile when he didn't hear a sound from her.
In reality, Abigail wasn't a particularly beautiful woman with her ordinary looks, but with her facial features combined on her palm-sized face, she looked very alluring. Unlike her usual domineering behavior, her small face which had a hint of sadness to it unknowingly elicited Greg's sympathy.
Well, I guess it isn't easy for a lady to raise two kids by herself in a foregin country for five years. The thought of that soon made Greg lighten up a lot.
When they arrived at Allie's Garden, Alissa was still asleep. In the meantime, Abigail could tell from the spacious courtyard that the mansion standing in front of them was none other than Greg's house.
While she wanted to carry her child in her arms, the man stepped out of the vehicle from the other side of the car and directly entered the courtyard. Upon witnessing that, Abigail couldn't help but ironically think that she looked like a babysitter, for it seemed like the child wasn't hers.
Even so, she reluctantly carried her daughter's belongings and followed right behind Greg into the house.
After that, Greg took Alissa to her room and tucked her in. He even turned up the temperature inside before stepping out. Throughout the entire time, Abigail followed the man closely behind, thinking that he wouldn't be able to handle Alissa well. At that moment, she felt rather relieved when she saw how skilled and familiar Greg was with the child. "It looks like you're pretty experienced. If I didn't know you, I would've thought you already had kids of your own."
Greg then shifted his gaze to Abigail in a ponderous manner. "Alissa is my daughter." As Abigail was about to turn him down, Greg beat her to it and said, "Don't tell me that I'm not her father. Have you ever seen a child who doesn't look like her father at all?"
Abigail was speechless, feeling puzzled and annoyed about the fact that her daughters looked more like Greg and less like her even though she was the one who gave birth to them. This is embarrassing! I guess even I can't deny that they do look like father and daughter. On the other hand, Greg reached for his phone and called Troy after he didn't hear anything from Abigail. "Take the clothes back to Allie's Garden. Also, I want to know who went to the test lab during this period of time."
"What do you mean?" Abigail could seemingly sense something wrong from Greg's voice, and she asked herself whether the paternity test results had been released. However, she was able to tell from Greg's reaction that it didn't turn out like the way she had expected after the result was made known.
Soon, Greg hung up the call and ridiculed the lady by saying, "What do I mean? You're smart, aren't you, Dr. Kain? We just got back to Harrion, but you're already trying to use your schemes." When he
finished his sentence, he immediately grabbed the test report and tossed it onto the table right in front of Abigail.
Abigail skimmed through the test result, stunned and stupefied. "How could this be?" Knowing who the father of her children was, she felt bewildered by the negative result coming from Greg's relationship with the kid. What's going on? Not long after that, she sensed Greg's unfriendly gaze and frowned. "Are you suspecting that I tampered with the result?"
"Did you not? You have always been afraid that I'd find out about Alissa, so that's why you've never mentioned a thing about me to her at all. Even when Alissa came to me by herself, you insisted on taking her away. Abigail, I can't think of anyone else who doesn't want me to return to Alissa's side besides you. Nonetheless, I know I'll need proof to justify my suspicions, and when I gather the evidence I need, I'd like to see how you'll explain yourself. Do you really think the paternity test result is going to decide whether I'm related to my child by blood? No way! Alissa is my daughter without a doubt!"
Upon hearing Greg's firm tone, Abigail was swamped by her complicated emotions as she didn't know what to do at that moment. However, a person's face flashed across her mind at that moment.
Is he the one who tampered with Greg's test result?