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3
I spun around, staring at Irma in disbelief, then turned a cold, hard look on Abner.
She couldn't seriously be asking me to apologize to an animal, could she?
Besides, I hadn't done anything to it.
Abner frowned, glanced at the cat curled up in Irma's arms, and said hesitantly,
"Glenn, Kiki understands people. You really did frighten it just now. Why don't you calm it down, say a word of apology? You can see it's still sick."
I froze where I stood, a clap of thunder going off in my head.
Abner and I had known each other a full twenty years. Betrothed since childhood, we'd grown up together, and we cared for each other.
I had no idea when his mind had twisted this far, that he would make his own fiancée, the rightful heir to Harmony Group, apologize to a cat.
Irma scooped up the kitten and thrust it in front of my face.
"Look how adorable Kiki is. Come on, sis, just coax it a little, say something nice to it."
I drew a deep breath and dug my nails hard into my palm to keep myself from losing control.
My hand stroked the cat gently, the words stuck in my throat.
Then, all at once, the kitten reacted as if startled, its mouth clamping down hard on the back of my hand, a tearing pain shooting through my whole body.
On pure reflex I flung my hand out and threw the cat off, then stood there shaking, clutching my hand.
Before I could even react, Irma let out a wail and threw herself down.
"Kiki, wake up, don't leave Mommy and Daddy!"
"Abner, save Kiki, hurry, he's the child we love most in the world!"
Abner's face went white in an instant too. He rushed over and gathered Kiki up.
"Kiki, open your eyes and look at Daddy. Daddy's taking you to the hospital right now."
With that, cat in one arm and Irma tucked under the other, he strode for the door.
The moment he crossed the threshold, Abner turned and gave me a sinister look.
"Glenn, I never thought you'd still be this incorrigible, still can't stand the sight of Irma."
"Today, unless you sign a written pledge handing twenty percent of the company's shares over to Irma, I will never marry you, not in this lifetime, and I certainly won't put my name on that worthless document as your spouse. You can just wait to be thrown out of Maxwell Group."
Then he added, his voice low and menacing,
"A hundred billion in Maxwell assets. You wouldn't want to end this year still unable to inherit the company, would you? Watch the equity slip through your fingers?"
I looked at Abner, hypocritical and sickening, lowered my hand, and straightened my spine, my voice resolute as I reminded him,
"Abner, don't forget whose backing built the Delgado family. Without Grandpa's help, without twenty years of Maxwell support, would the Delgados have ever clawed their way into the second tier?"
"Abner, do you really want to destroy Delgado Group, and take your father back out onto the streets digging sewers?"
Abner, this is the last chance I'm giving you.
Your father once saved Grandpa's life, so I don't want to wipe you out completely and leave Grandpa restless in the grave.
