Part 6

The classroom was starting to empty as some of its occupants had already gone to the cafeteria for lunch. Abigail remained seated at her desk with an open book on the table, lamenting the math grade she had just received.

"Darn it!" the teenager muttered with a hiss.

Her friend sitting beside her glanced over from the corner of her eye. "Bad again?" she asked, grinning teasingly.

Abigail turned to the face of the beautiful Italian-descendant girl and then squinted. "Are you satisfied because I got a lower grade? Are you satisfied because you can mock me as you please?" she retorted, annoyed.

Flavia, the golden-eyed, pretty girl nodded happily. "At least I know there's something an Abigail can't do. And that's math," she chuckled gleefully. Once again, Abigail just squinted. "Abby," she called.

"Hmm..." Abigail replied as she put her book back into her light blue backpack.

"My grandparents invited me to spend the weekend in Manhattan. Do you want to come?" she asked, pouting playfully.

Abigail pursed her lips, contemplating. "No," she refused.

"Why?" Flavia looked at Abigail sadly.

"This weekend, I have plans with Aunt Claire. She just got paid, so she's treating me to food and a stroll," Abigail's enthusiastic response further saddened Flavia.

"Come on, postpone your outing. I want to introduce you to my dad," she pleaded again.

Abigail shrugged. "Why do I have to meet your dad? I already know who your dad is. Haven't you been showing me his photos all this time?" she replied flatly.

Flavia pouted again. Abigail looked at her friend and felt sorry at the same time. Even though she sometimes felt unfairly treated by her parents who paid more attention to her younger brother, she felt luckier because at least she had both parents who would always be there for her if she needed them.

Meanwhile, Flavia... Abigail knew that since she was a child, Flavia had been living with her grandparents because her father was too busy with his own world. And Flavia's mother? To this day, all Abigail knew was that Flavia herself never even knew what her mother looked like. Whether her mother was still alive or not, Abigail couldn't say.

But even though she never lived with her father, as a child, Flavia loved and admired him greatly. Whenever there was an opportunity, all Flavia would express were praises and admiration for her father. Perhaps if Abigail were in Flavia's position, she would hate her own father. But Abigail was different, and so was Flavia. Her friend was a girl who was incredibly kind and had too much love. And sometimes, Abigail asked herself, did Flavia's father love her too?

At the beginning of her acquaintance with Flavia, Abigail assumed that the girl was very arrogant. Just because she was beautiful—given that she was of mixed heritage—and also wealthy, she didn't even socialize with her classmates. Until one day, Abigail discussed this with her aunt, Claire. Instead of agreeing, her aunt mocked her and gave her advice.

"Don't judge someone based on what you hear. Don't judge someone just because of your first impression of them. It could be that she doesn't socialize because she simply can't. And earlier you said she's of Italian descent? Maybe she has language barriers." Abigail still remembered her aunt's words then. "Or maybe she's just a shy person. And since you're not one to be shy, why don't you be the one to reach out and make friends with her?"

And the next day, Abigail did what her aunt suggested. She deliberately approached Flavia and introduced herself. And to her surprise, what her aunt said was indeed true. Because after a month of getting to know each other, Flavia's quiet and shy demeanor disappeared. It turned out that the girl could be even more talkative than Abigail.

In the end, Abigail also found out that Flavia had just moved to this city and now lived in a residential complex not far from where she lived. Flavia also introduced Abigail to her paternal grandparents. The middle-aged couple was very friendly and kind to her.

Believe it or not, at first, Abigail was afraid to visit Flavia's residence, which was more like a palace. Not to mention she had security guards and many workers at her house. Flavia was more like a princess from the fairy tales Abigail often read.

Everyone who knew Abigail's grandmother knew that Julie Hampton was known to be talkative and judgmental. She liked to gossip and criticize people as she pleased. It was not uncommon for Abigail to be scolded just for doing something she deemed inappropriate. And this contrasted sharply with Flavia's grandmother, Brianna Quirino.

Abigail's first impression of Brianna's grandmother was awe. How could she not, seeing her sharp gaze and her expressionless face, Abigail assumed that her friend's grandmother would kick her out right away. Or at least tell Flavia to stop being friends with her because they were not on the same level.

But Abigail was wrong.

She remembered her aunt's advice not to judge someone based on first impressions. Because it turned out, once again, she was wrong to assume because Brianna's grandmother turned out to be an extraordinarily kind woman. And even now, after being friends with Flavia for quite some time, Abigail felt like she was Brianna's second granddaughter. Because wherever she went or whatever she bought for Flavia, she would also buy it for Abigail.

Wasn't that a kind of luck for her too?

"Abby, please come with me, okay?" Flavia's persuasion brought Abigail back to reality.

"No, no, no, Via," Abigail refused again. Flavia looked at Abigail with a pouty face and then walked out of the class, stomping her feet. Abigail let her be, knowing that in the end, Flavia would come back to her anyway.

Flavia's silence only lasted until the end of the first class after the break. Because afterward, the girl approached again, and they resumed working on their assignments together.

"So, are you going to stay over at my house?" Abigail asked as they packed their belongings into their bags.

Flavia nodded, and together they walked towards the school gate.

What Abigail liked about Flavia's family—despite their wealth—was that they truly taught independence to Flavia. For instance, they deliberately allowed Flavia to use the school bus or public transportation instead of being chauffeured by a private driver.

Flavia's grandmother once said that all this was done so that Flavia could be trained and accustomed. So that Flavia would know what public transportation she could use if she ever found herself in an emergency.

They boarded a bus that took them to Abigail's residential complex. Afterwards, they walked a few hundred meters until they finally arrived in front of a two-story house.

Yes, Abigail didn't actually come from an ordinary family either. It could be said that her family's economic status was also in the upper-middle class. Her late grandfather was an extraordinarily wealthy cement factory owner. His business is now carried on by Abigail's own father and expanded to brick and tile factories.

Compared to Flavia, who didn't have uncles or aunts, Abigail was once again more fortunate because her grandmother had three sons and one daughter. Unlike Flavia, whose father was an only child.

The eldest son of her grandmother was Abigail's own father, Robby. He got married and had Abigail and her brother Revano. And now, her mother was pregnant with their third child. Then, the second son of her grandmother, her father's younger brother named Harry. He got married and now lived out of town. It had been five years since Robby got married, but he and his wife hadn't had any children yet. Then, in the third childbirth, her grandmother gave birth to a pair of twins, a boy named Gladwin, and a girl named Claire.

So far, among her father's siblings, Abigail could only get close to the twins Gladwin and Claire, especially Claire because besides their relatively close age, Claire was also the only daughter in her father's family. For Abigail, she felt more comfortable sharing everything about her problems with her aunt. In fact, if she wanted something, she was braver to ask Claire and Gladwin than her own parents.

Abigail and Flavia entered the house, greeted by a response only from her elderly mother's housekeeper. It seemed like nobody had returned yet. The large house was only occupied by Abigail's family and her grandmother. As for Gladwin and Claire, even though they weren't married yet, they already had their own place and seemed comfortable living there.

Abigail and Flavia went straight to the second floor where Abigail's room was and decided to rest there.

"Is Aunt Claire coming here?" Flavia asked shortly after they entered the room.

"Why, do you miss her?" Abigail teased.

Flavia blushed and nodded with a smile.

Abigail herself wondered what made Flavia so fond of her aunt. Her friend often asked about Claire. Well, Abigail couldn't deny that she admired her father's youngest sister. Even her grandmother often praised and compared Abigail to her. Not only because of their facial resemblance, but in every aspect, Claire was always used as a benchmark. The same was done by her father, Robby.

Claire, her father's youngest sister, was indeed an intelligent woman. She wasn't the spoiled type despite being the only daughter in her family. She was a hardworking person who Abigail truly admired.

Abigail didn't know her aunt's actual IQ test score. What she knew was that the twins graduated from high school at the age of sixteen due to successful acceleration. After that, her aunt graduated with honors at the age of nineteen and even went on to pursue a master's degree immediately afterward.

She was adept at managing finances. When Abigail's grandfather passed away and distributed his inheritance, her aunt used the money for investments, and from those investments, she now owned a luxurious house for a single woman like herself.

Her aunt also had a culinary business—which surprised her—and surprisingly, her business ran very smoothly. She was a wealthy woman at a relatively young age, but oddly enough, she still worked for someone else's company. Instead of working with Abigail's father or Harry or focusing on her own business. That's what often confused Abigail. As confused as she was understanding her aunt's character, which could be described as 'unpredictable'.

Believe it or not, Abigail often considered her aunt strange. Her aunt always gave off a 'grumpy' impression to those who saw her for the first time, even though in reality, she wasn't like that. Claire Hampton was indeed unique. She could be cold at one moment but then gentle the next second. She could act indifferent but also caring at the same time. People said her mood was unpredictable, and that was indeed true. But more than that, her aunt was a very loving person. Even though she helped people selectively.

"Abby?" Flavia once again brought Abigail back from her reverie.

"Hmm.."

"Do you think Aunt Claire would want to be my mother?" Flavia's question left Abigail momentarily speechless.