CHAPTER 60

I WON'T BE ANYONE'S PAWN..

The morning after the Lois dinner carried with it, a strange heaviness. Abigail woke later than usual, her body still weary from the night before not just from the endless scrutiny, but from Luke’s commanding intensity once they had returned home. She lay for a while with her cheek pressed against the pillow, replaying fragments of the dinner in her head. Carmen’s sudden defense, the other wives’ snide laughter. Obetta’s ever-smug smirk.

Beside her, Luke’s side of the bed was already cold. He had risen before dawn, the way he often did when his mind was set on business. He hadn’t kissed her goodbye, but the imprint of his hand on her waist still lingered, proof of his silent claim.

Abigail pushed herself up, wrapped a robe around her, and wandered into the sunlit lounge of their wing. The quiet was comforting. Until it wasn’t.

A knock at the door broke the silence. It wasn’t one of the staff they usually announced themselves softly, never knocking like strangers. Abigail’s chest tightened as she walked to answer.

When she pulled the door open, she froze.

“Good morning, Mrs. Vandell,” Carmen Lois said smoothly, standing there as though she had every right to appear uninvited.

And beside her, leaning against the doorframe with that same gleam of mockery in her eyes, was Obetta.

Abigail’s stomach dropped.

“Are you going to invite us in,” Obetta drawled, her lips curling into a smile, “or should we discuss here in the hall where everyone can hear?”

Abigail forced herself to swallow her instinctive shock. She remembered Luke’s words. Don’t depend on anyone. Don’t yield. Straightening her spine, she stepped aside. “Come in.”

The sitting room suddenly felt smaller with the two women inside. Carmen moved gracefully, as though she owned the space, trailing her fingers across the back of the sofa before lowering herself onto it. She crossed her legs and gave Abigail a mild smile, unreadable but deliberate.

Obetta, in contrast, dropped into a chair with the air of someone staking a claim. She glanced around at the high ceilings, the velvet curtains, and smirked. “Luke certainly spoils you, doesn’t he? Must feel like playing princess in a castle.”

Abigail refused to take the bait. “What do you want?”

Carmen tilted her head. “Direct. I like that.” Her eyes gleamed faintly, sharp behind their calm. “I came because last night was… messy. It was important that someone spoke for you. I thought you might want to understand why I did.”

Abigail sat opposite her, folding her hands in her lap so tightly her knuckles ached. “I do. But you’ll forgive me if I don’t believe you did it out of kindness.”

Obetta let out a sharp laugh. “Oh, she’s learning! Did Luke coach you to say that?”

Abigail didn’t flinch. “No. That’s me.”

Carmen’s smile deepened. “Good. Then let’s be honest. I defended you because it unsettled them. It gave me the upper hand in a room where everyone assumes they already know my role.” She leaned forward slightly, her gaze locking onto Abigail’s. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t see potential in you.”

Abigail blinked. “Potential?”

“Yes. You’re not from their world, yet you survived last night without breaking. That makes you dangerous in ways they don’t yet realize.” Carmen’s tone was cool, measured. “Which is why I’d rather stand near you than against you.”

Obetta rolled her eyes. “Don’t let her fool you, Abigail. Carmen doesn’t stand near anyone. She uses them until they’re no longer useful. She’s telling you this because she thinks you’ll owe her loyalty if she throws you a bone.”

Carmen’s lips curved faintly. “And you’re here because you’d rather see her humiliated before she even learns how to fight. Don’t pretend otherwise, Obetta.”

The tension between them hung like a blade. Abigail sat caught between their sparring, her heart pounding, but she forced herself to speak.

“I won’t be anyone’s pawn,” she said quietly but firmly. “Not yours, Carmen. Not yours, Obetta. I’m Luke’s wife. That’s not going to change.”

Obetta’s expression sharpened, anger flickering in her eyes. “Wife?” She spat the word like poison. “Marriage means nothing in this circle, Abigail. Nothing. It’s an arrangement. Luke will get tired of you if he hasn’t already.”

The words sliced, but Abigail didn’t flinch. She remembered Luke’s possessive whisper the night before, his insistence that no one would take her down. Gathering her courage, she met Obetta’s glare.

“You keep saying that,” Abigail said softly, almost pitying. “As if repeating it will make it true. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m the one beside him now. Not you.”

Obetta stiffened, her nails digging into the armrest. Carmen’s eyes flicked between them, clearly amused by the fire sparking in Abigail’s voice.

Abigail leaned forward, her tone steady. “You come into my home, sit in front of me, and try to convince me I’m nothing. But the more you try, the more obvious it becomes, how much it bothers you that I’m here at all.”

Obetta’s cheeks flushed with heat. “You think you’re clever”

“No,” Abigail interrupted, surprising even herself with the sharpness in her voice. “I don’t think I’m clever. I think I’m his wife. That’s enough.”

Carmen let out a low chuckle, the sound rich with intrigue. “Well. Perhaps I was right to come.”

Abigail turned to her, wary. “Why?”

“Because you’re not meek,” Carmen said simply. “And that makes you worth watching.”

Obetta scoffed. “Or it makes her worth crushing before she grows teeth.”

Carmen ignored her, her gaze still on Abigail. “You have a choice. You can learn to navigate this world, to see the currents beneath the surface. Or you can cling to defiance alone and defiance without strategy burns quickly.”

Abigail felt the weight of her words settle. Carmen wasn’t offering friendship; she was offering acknowledgment. A warning dressed as advice.

“And what happens,” Abigail asked slowly, “if I don’t take your advice?”

Carmen’s smile thinned. “Then you’ll learn the hard way.”

Obetta leaned forward, her eyes glinting maliciously. “Which I will enjoy watching.”

Abigail rose to her feet, her voice calm despite the pounding in her chest. “I don’t need either of you to decide my worth. You came here today thinking you could shake me. You didn’t.” Her gaze flicked between them, steady. “So if you’re finished, I’d like you both to leave.”

For a long moment, silence pressed heavy in the room. Then Carmen stood, smoothing her dress with a quiet elegance. “Very well. But remember what I said, Abigail. Every move counts. And every ally or enemy you make will shape how long you last.”

Obetta rose more sharply, her chair scraping the floor. She shot Abigail one last venomous look. “Enjoy your little victory. It won’t last.”

They left together, though the air between them was anything but united. Abigail closed the door behind them, her hands trembling only once she was alone. She pressed her forehead against the wood, letting out a shaky breath.

Her heart thundered with adrenaline, but under it all was something else. Pride. She hadn’t cowered. She hadn’t begged. She had faced them both and stood her ground.

She thought of Luke then, of his steady, demanding gaze. He had told her to learn. And maybe, just maybe, she was beginning to.

That evening, Luke returned late. Abigail met him in the study, her nerves humming. He set his briefcase down, glanced at her, and immediately caught the tension in her stance.

“They came,” she said quietly.

His brows lifted just slightly. “Carmen?”

"And Obetta,” Abigail added.

Luke’s mouth curved faintly, though it wasn’t surprise it was inevitability. “Of course they did.”

Abigail blinked. “You knew?”

“I expected it,” he said simply, pouring himself a drink. “The moment Carmen opened her mouth last night, it was only a matter of time before she came to you. And Obetta…” His gaze flicked to hers, sharp. “Obetta is predictable. She’ll keep clawing until her nails break.”

Abigail crossed her arms, torn between frustration and awe. “You let them come to me?”

Luke took a slow sip, his eyes never leaving hers. “You needed it.”

Her chest tightened. “I could have been humiliated ”

“But you weren’t,” he cut in smoothly. “You stood your ground. Didn’t you?”

Abigail exhaled, realizing he was right. She had. And the way he looked at her now told her he knew it, even if he wouldn’t put it into praise.

Luke set the glass down and walked toward her, his hand brushing her jaw, tilting her face up to his. “This is your world now, Abigail. Every test, every scheme, every venomous word they’ll all come for you. But if you endure, if you learn, you’ll be more than they ever expected.”

Her heart pounded under his steady gaze. “And if I fail?”

His lips brushed hers in a whisper of a kiss, dark and commanding. “Then you’re not mine.”

The words both chilled and steadied her. Because beneath them, was the truth she had already felt he would never let her be weak. And for the first time, she didn’t want him to.