The Training

Later that afternoon...

The first day of training for Abigail went well. She learned a lot about the company and how it dealt with its valued clients. She enjoyed it and was eager to learn more. At the end of the day, she was tired and excited at the same time.

She was getting ready to leave for home when she remembered what had happened in the morning. Her face fell.

Abigail couldn't tell what Christopher's mood would be like. She was used to his calm, composed, and gentle demeanor, not this frantic and enraged one. She had seen him get angry quite a few times and knew how bad his temper was.

His rage was the thing she dreaded the most.

Abigail was disturbed. She wanted to go home early. She would now inform him of the training before he found out from the outside.

She exited the training room, swinging her bag over her shoulder. When she saw Jasper approaching, she came to a halt in the track.

"How was training?" he inquired.

"It was fantastic. I'm having fun with it." She smiled.

Jasper wanted her to spend some time with him. He wished to take her out to coffee or anywhere she liked to go, but he was not sure how to ask her.

"Are you going home?" he asked instead of inviting her to join him for coffee.

"Yeah."

"Uh… I will give you a ride," he offered.

"There is no need. I will get a taxi."

Jasper was restless but couldn't persuade her because he assumed she would perceive him as clingy. "All right," he said, keeping his emotions in check. "Be on time tomorrow."

"Sure." Abigail waved goodbye and walked away.

Jasper stared at her until she was no longer in his line of sight, his face gradually becoming gloomy.

Abigail looked for a taxi. She thought it would be easy to get a cab here, but she didn't get one after waiting for nearly half an hour. If she had known that getting a taxi here would be quite difficult, she would have accepted Jasper's offer. She sighed and thought of walking to the nearest bus stop.

As she walked down the street, a familiar car pulled over beside her.

"Britney!" Abigail was taken aback.

"Abigail!" Britney seemed to be as surprised as she was. "What are you doing here?"

"I… um…" Abigail subconsciously glanced back at the office building.

Britney's eyes widened as she asked, "Did you come here for an interview?"

"No… I…"

"Get in the car first."

Abigail stepped in.

"Now tell me what you were doing here." Britney curiously looked at her.

"I'm here for training," Abigail explained.

She was still a little upset with her for how she had talked to her that day. So, she was replying to her shortly.

Britney was even more surprised, mouth agape. "Training! How did you manage that?"

Britney was well aware of this company and knew how difficult it was to secure a job there. Getting a training spot here meant a guaranteed job, and the employees here were all highly skilled. She was perplexed as to what quality Abigail possessed to be accepted as a trainee at Essence Concierge.

Abigail was silent. She couldn't possibly tell her that she knew the CEO of the company. She had refused to accept her favor. How could she tell her that she had begged Jasper to hire her?

"It is my good fortune, I must say," she mumbled.

"Your fate!" Britney was skeptical. She wanted to know more, so she asked, "Shall we go for a coffee?"

Abigail wanted to say no, but she was afraid of upsetting her. She didn't want to sour their relationship, so she decided to accompany her. After all, it was only 5 p.m., and Christopher would never come home so early.

"Okay."

Britney pressed the gas pedal. "Getting a taxi here will be difficult at times. You can take the subway, which is only a few minutes away."

"I see… You appeared to be familiar with the neighborhood."

Britney laughed. "I know every street in the city. I don't lock myself in the house."

"I see what you are saying." Abigail was aware that she was mocking her.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Abigail," Britney tried to correct herself. "I said that because I used to roam around a lot. Please don't take it any other way."

"I didn't mind at all." Abigail forced a smile.

"I am relieved."

They arrived at a small café, where tables were set in an open space.

"Did Chris know that you have joined Essence Concierge?" Britney asked as soon as she took her seat. She didn't tell her that "the Sherman Group" was the biggest client of the company. Her sparkling eyes were filled with wonder.

Abigail's face fell when Britney mentioned Christopher. "I haven't told him yet."

Britney didn't fail to notice the glumness in her expression. She suspected that something was not right between Christopher and Abigail. Her lips curled into a sneer that quickly faded.

"Is there any problem with Christopher? I heard he was staying with Brad these days. Mom and Dad were very upset to hear it. Did you argue with him?"

Her tone was full of concern.

Abigail couldn't hold back her emotions any longer. She let out her pent-up frustration. "I don't know what's wrong with him. When he saw my new look, he became enraged and left. He had returned home the day before, but he was still furious. Then this morning… he was all right— calm, gentle, and caring… but he suddenly became upset because I asked him if he was going to work or not. Phew…"

She rested an elbow on the table and held her head up. "I don't have this many mood swings even during PMS."

"I don't know what to say." Britney let out an audible sigh. "It is said that a man acts sweet one minute and rude the next when he is cheating on his wife. I can't say Christopher is untrustworthy, but keep in mind that Vivian is now working in his office. Men are men. How long can he resist the charm of a gorgeous woman when she is all set to lure him?"

Abigail blinked, agitated. She pictured Christopher and Vivian kissing madly with each other. She shrugged, defeated.

Behind the closed door, anything could have happened. What was she going to do?

"I'm doing everything I can to attract him. He is not paying attention to me." She sulked.

"I doubt it," Britney snapped. "If you really tried that hard, he wouldn't have been attracted to another woman."

Abigail's thoughts wandered. She couldn't argue with what Britney said.

This morning, everything was so romantic. Christopher was so close to her. They could have shared a kiss if she had acted a little more wisely. But she had ruined the mood just by mentioning the office.

She now realized where she had gone wrong in the morning. She would rectify her mistake.

"I will try harder," she mumbled, and Britney smirked.