Chapter_56
Chapter 56
Abel set down his fork with a frustrated sigh. His appetite was gone. Even if he tried to eat, it would only make him feel worse. The food would sit in his stomach uneasily, and he wouldn’t be able to digest it.
“What I say now is useless,” he muttered, his voice heavy with defeat. “No one will believe me. Instead, everyone will think I’m just a scum who evades responsibility. Even my own mother thinks so now.”
“You’re indeed a scum!” Emmeline responded flatly, taking another sip of her cereal.
Abel shot up from his chair, anger flashing in his eyes. “What did you say? You don’t believe me?”
Emmeline didn’t flinch. “The point is, I never understand you!” she shot back, exasperated.
Abel was seething, his jaw tightening. “No one dares to criticize me like that!” His voice was a low growl. Anyone in his position would feel uncomfortable being wrongly accused, but Abel? He was used to having control, and being misunderstood like this was infuriating.
Emmeline sighed. Seeing him so upset, she started to believe the sincerity behind his anger. It wasn’t just about pride; it was pain. He wasn’t the kind of person who would act out without reason, and maybe there was more to the story than she had considered.
“Forget it,” Abel said, wiping his mouth with a tissue. “I don’t want to explain anymore.”
Frustrated, he grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the chair and began to leave. But just as he was about to hang it over his arm, it tore open.
“Ah!” Emmeline jumped up, alarmed. “That costs around ten thousand dollars!”
Abel glanced at the torn jacket with no care at all. “So what?” He shrugged dismissively. “I can’t wear a torn jacket anyway. I’ll just go upstairs and change.”
He tossed the torn jacket aside and walked out of the cafe, leaving without looking back.
Emmeline stared at the torn fabric in disbelief. “Ten thousand dollars…” she muttered under her breath. “Ugh, whatever. I’ll pay for it.”
She hurried upstairs to grab the jacket and caught up with him, calling out, “Mr. Abel, I’ll pay you for the jacket!”
But Abel didn’t respond. He ignored her and continued up the stairs to change. Minutes later, he emerged in a sleek black suit, looking as cold and detached as ever, and left again without acknowledging her.
Emmeline, feeling the sting of his indifference, grabbed her phone and quickly sent a message to Benjamin. After a short wait, Benjamin arrived, wearing a face mask to keep his identity hidden.
“What’s going on, Ms. Louise?” he asked, his voice muffled from behind the mask. “Why the urgent call?”
Emmeline handed him the torn jacket, still fuming. “This suit jacket. I need you to buy me an identical one.”
Benjamin took the jacket, inspecting it carefully. “Ms. Louise,” he began slowly, “this is a high-end suit. It’s no longer available in regular stores. It’s a rare piece.”
Emmeline raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean? Do I have to custom-order it?”
“Yes,” Benjamin answered, “A suit like this would cost around three hundred thousand dollars. And they won’t make just a jacket for you. It has to be a full set.”
Emmeline groaned in frustration. “Three hundred thousand? But I didn’t even tear his pants!” She pouted, not understanding the logic.
“Well, the jacket and pants are a set,” Benjamin explained. “Even if you didn’t tear the pants, you can’t pair that jacket with any other pants.”
Emmeline exhaled, clearly frustrated. “But if I buy him a three-hundred-thousand-dollar suit, he’ll definitely wonder where I got the money from. I’ll just pretend I don’t know how much it costs and get him a suit worth about ten thousand.”
Benjamin shook his head. “Ms. Louise, you can’t do that. On the surface, you run a coffee shop with modest income. If you buy a ten-thousand-dollar suit, Abel will definitely suspect something.”
Emmeline sighed, clearly losing patience. “Then what do you suggest I do? I’ll just buy a cheaper suit and call it a day.”
Benjamin gave a small shrug. “With your current income, you can only afford a suit worth a few hundred dollars.”
“That’s fine. A cheap suit will do,” Emmeline said, already heading for the door.
Benjamin followed behind her. “I can drive you to a good store.”
“No need,” Emmeline replied. “I just want something cheap. I’ll manage on my electric bike.”
Benjamin watched as Emmeline hopped on her electric bicycle and pedaled away. He sighed, shook his head, and took off his face mask. Then he walked to his luxury car, ready to deal with the situation in his own way.
In the meantime, Abel and Luca were in the car, making their way out of the area. Luca suddenly noticed a familiar figure by the side of the road.
“Mr. Abel,” Luca said, pointing. “It’s Ms. Louise.”
Abel followed Luca’s gaze and saw Emmeline park her electric bicycle in front of a modest men’s clothing store.
“Is she going to buy me a suit?” Abel wondered aloud, watching her enter the store. But his curiosity was met with confusion. The clothing store didn’t seem like the kind of place that sold the high-end suits Abel was accustomed to.
His thoughts were interrupted when he glanced at the store’s entrance and saw a group of entertainment reporters gathering. One of them was holding a live broadcast stand.
“Emmeline Louise just entered this men’s clothing store!” the reporter said into the camera. “We’re going to approach her and find out why she’s involved in the marriage between Alana Lane and Abel Ryker. Is she still as ignorant as she was five years ago?”
Abel’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t expected Emmeline to attract such attention, and certainly not in front of a simple men’s clothing store. Something about this situation didn’t sit well with him.
