Chapter 46 Chapter 46 18 Now that the Fletcher family was thriving while the Gibson family continued its downward spiral , Bianca felt more certain than ever that they needed to secure this engagement as soon as possible . " Don't worry , Dani , " she said gently . " Once your father gets home , I'll ask him to set up a meeting with the Fletcher family . If possible , you and Ralph should get engaged . Wouldn't that be ideal ? " Bianca could see exactly what Daniella was hoping for . Daniella blushed but couldn't hide the joy in her eyes . She leaned into Bianca and said playfully , " Mom , you're the best . " As twilight fell , a black car pulled up to the villa . Spotting it from the window , Daniella sprang up in delight . " Mom , Stevie , Dad's back ! " With that , she ran outside . Bianca chuckled and followed her out , with Stephen right behind . But as soon as they stepped outside , they heard Daniella's sharp voice . " Abby ? What are you doing in Dad's car ? " Bianca looked over in surprise and saw Abigail standing just behind Gabriel . From her expression , Abigail could tell Daniella was trying hard to keep up appearances . A flash of mockery flickered in her eyes as she replied coolly , " Coincidence . " Daniella clearly didn't buy it . " Abby , you work in two different directions . How could it be a coincidence ? You must've asked Dad to pick you up , didn't you ? " As if concerned , she turned to Gabriel . " Dad's already working so hard every day . If you don't mind , maybe next time you could ride back with Stevie and me instead ? It's better not to trouble Dad again . " She waited , expecting Gabriel to be moved by her thoughtfulness , but she completely missed the awkward flicker that crossed his face . Bianca noticed that and said , " Let's not stand around outside . We can talk inside . " Abigail let out a short , sharp laugh and gave Daniella a pointed look before striding into the house without hesitation . Daniella was seething inside , though she kept up her innocent facade . When she glanced up and caught Gabriel's uncomfortable expression , a pang of unease hit her . Sensing that things didn't go as she wished , Daniella chose to keep silent . Once inside , Abigail went directly upstairs , and the sound of her door shutting echoed through the house . Stephen frowned at the second floor and snapped , " Dad , why'd you go pick Abigail up ? If you had time , you should've picked up Dani instead . " Gabriel shot Stephen a sharp look , clearly embarrassed . He wondered , ' What was I supposed to say ? Should I say running into Abigail was just a coincidence ? ' Even in front of his own family , Gabriel found it hard to admit . He snapped , " Do I need your permission to decide who I pick up ? " Stephen fell silent . Daniella , however , felt a jolt of alarm , thinking , ' Why ? Dad's never liked Abigail , but why did he pick her up ? ' " Alright , enough of that , " Bianca said , stepping in before things got worse . " Your father probably hasn't even had dinner yet . " Bianca knew Gabriel and believed that it was just a coincidence . She also knew Gabriel cared about his authority , so she didn't get him exposed . Gabriel glanced at Bianca and replied , " I already ate at the office . " 1/2 21:34 Wed , 18 Jun Chapter 46 90 % Bianca nodded and had the housekeeper bring some fruit . She personally peeled an apple while speaking , " You came home just in time . Dani was about to call you ." Gabriel looked puzzled . " Oh ? What's wrong ? " Daniella's cheeks turned pink . Bianca , knowing her daughter's shy nature , stepped in to explain , " I was thinking since everything's more or less decided , why not let Dani and Ralph get engaged first ? That way , they can start building their relationship more openly without any gossip . " Gabriel fell into thoughtful silence and then nodded . He also saw the value in securing this marriage alliance - it could greatly help the Gibson family . He replied , " Alright . Let's plan a visit to the Fletcher family soon ." " Dad , how about tomorrow ? " Daniella chimed in . " Stevie and I aren't working tomorrow . We can visit Ralph's parents and grandfather together . " She lowered her gaze bashfully . Gabriel , of course , saw right through her eagerness . After a brief pause , he agreed . Having gotten her way , Daniella was all smiles again , lavishing affection on both her parents . Upstairs , Abigail knew nothing of the cheerful chatter below . She was logging into an alternate account . The moment she signed in , her inbox chimed with dozens of unread messages . She skimmed them briefly and clicked on the one with the most notifications . The ID was named " Tipsy In The Teahouse " . At the top were a few simple sentences , followed by three design drafts . It timestamped three years ago , just two days before she was imprisoned . She scrolled past the old messages and typed a new one : [ I'm here . ] Less than thirty seconds later , a reply came through : [ Iris , you finally replied ! Where have you been these past three years ? Did you forget your password or something ? ] Abigail ignored the latter questions and went straight to the point : [ Did you need something from me ? ] Tipsy In The Teahouse : [ Do you remember the three design drafts you sent me three years ago ? ] Abigail replied : [ Of course . You still haven't paid me . ] Tipsy In The Teahouse : [ Hey , I tried ! You vanished into thin air after that . ] The message was followed by a pleading emoji . Abigail remained unmoved . [ It's not too late now . ] Then she sent over a bank account number . If she hadn't seen that brand name on her phone today , she might have forgotten all about those designs . A few minutes passed , then came a payment confirmation screenshot , followed by a message : [ Iris , any chance you're open to doing a few more designs ? ] 2/2