Abigail and her friend, Lana, sat on the plush sofa in the living room, laughing as they chatted.
"Girl, it's funny, but fan pages are annoying," Lana complained as she continued scrolling through her phone.
"I don't know. I like some of my fan pages," Abigail shrugged.
"Oh, not until someone gets scammed by one of those fake profiles claiming to be Abigail Hathaway," Lana pointed out.
"Well, I can live with that. The real issue is the blogs and their bullshit. I found one talking about my ass expecting a baby with a secret lover—who is a married man."
Lana burst into loud laughter.
"Sorry, so sorry, but why a married man, though?"
Abigail shook her head.
"I mean, I may fantasize about older men, but come on!"
Lana laughed again.
"Well, that's an annoying one. I saw this on the Channel official page last week. Have you checked it out?"
"It's nice, but my father will kill me if I don't stick to F&F unless it's business," Abigail rolled her eyes.
"You have a tough old man," Lana replied, and they laughed again.
As they chatted about the latest trends in fashion and the upcoming designer collections, Lana casually dropped Bruno's name into the conversation. She had been anticipating the meeting for a while now, and Abigail had promised her today was the day.
After all, she had paid for it.
"When is your brother coming back?" Lana asked, a sly smile on her face.
"Evening," Abigail said dismissively, trying to get back to their discussion, but Lana wasn't satisfied. She was getting impatient.
"You talked to him about me, right?" she asked, searching Abigail's face for any hint.
Abigail flashed a broad smile.
"Yes... of course... Although he can be a little... you know. But trust me, once he gets to know you, he'll warm up. Just put on your best behavior."
Lana rolled her eyes.
"I'm not worried. I've dealt with plenty of men like him before. It's just a matter of getting past that cold exterior. Once I do, he'll be all mine," she bragged, flipping her ponytail to seal the vibe.
"Yes, get him gurl!"
The two shared a laugh, but before their conversation could continue, the sound of the front door opening interrupted them. Both women turned to see Bruno walking in, the maid bowing as he passed by.
Lana's body tensed, and she made quick adjustments while Abigail was flabbergasted.
"Bruno?" Abigail gasped and checked her time.
Why is he home so early? She hadn't expected him to come home to company at this time! In fact, she wanted Lana to be gone before he got home, knowing she was yet to convince him. And why does he look so tired and worn out? I'm screwed; I'll have to refund her money.
Abigail cursed internally.
As Bruno entered the living room, his eyes quickly fell on Lana, who was smiling and waving at him. He knew he had seen her before—not around him, but in a commercial video or billboard.
Lana, a stunning and popular model with a flawless complexion and long, dark hair, was dressed in a sexy, figure-hugging jumpsuit that highlighted her curves in all the right places.
His brows furrowed as he realized what Abigail was trying to do, even though she knew he had someone—well, not anymore, but still... she wasn't aware of that.
Lana took the chance and stood up gracefully, offering him a warm smile as she approached.
"Hi, Bruno," she said, her voice silky smooth. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Lana Queens."
She stretched out her hand for a handshake.
Abigail prayed silently that he wouldn't ignore her.
But Bruno wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. His frustration was written all over his face, and before he could stop himself, he snapped, his voice harsh and cold.
"I don't have time for this," he growled, barely looking at her as he brushed past and headed toward the stairs.
Lana froze, shocked by the sharpness of his words. She had never heard him sound so harsh. For her, it was both exciting and strange.
She blinked and glanced back at Abigail with a questioning look. Abigail gave her an awkward, full-teeth smile and quickly stood up, walking over to Lana.
"Don't worry about him," she said softly, placing a hand on her arm, trying to calm her down. "He's had a bad day, that's all. I'll talk to him."
"Did I do something wrong?" Lana murmured.
Abigail shook her head, offering a warm smile.
"Nah, it's not you. He's just... complicated. But trust me, once he cools off, I'm sure he'll be more receptive."
"You should do something, Abby. I paid you for this," Lana said with a pout.
Abigail rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
With that, Abigail turned and made her way upstairs. Once she was out of sight, she sighed deeply and rolled her eyes dramatically.
Why did I ever make that deal? She's after my life. I should just refund her money.
However, she knew something was wrong with Bruno—something deeper than just a bad day at work.
As she reached Bruno's door, she took a deep breath and knocked softly before pushing it open.
Before she could say anything, Bruno shot her a cold, blood-chilling glare.
"Well, congratulations, Abby," he snapped. "Thanks for ruining my day with your brilliant romantic apology idea."
Abigail blinked.
"What... what happened?" she asked, genuinely confused.
Bruno let out a frustrated laugh, but there was no humor in it.
"What happened? Everything happened. Your great idea for me to kiss her first was stupid. Why did I ever listen to you... Can you get lost?"
Bruno snapped in frustration.
"What are you talking about? I thought it would help clear things up between you and your secret trophy girlfriend. Well, sorry for caring about my brother and offering to help," Abigail snapped back.
"Well, guess what? I'm done with the relationship. Now, can you leave me alone?"
Abigail frowned and folded her arms.
"You're telling me you followed my advice, and she just... ignored you? What a bitch... who the hell is she?"