Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Jamal's heart was beating fast as he dialed his mother's line and waited for her to receive the call.

He paced around the room while Abigail was perched on the bed watching him. Despite all that was going on, Abigail was very happy to be able to sit this way with Jamal and talk freely without having to worry about anything.

The moment the call connected, Jamal stopped pacing. "Hey, mom!"

"I was just about to call you. I was in the middle of a meeting that lasted too long and I was just informed about the change of plans. Are you okay? Are you all out of the house now?"

"Yes. We are out and we are fine. When last did you hear from Aunt Andy?" Jamal asked, going straight to the point since that was more important to him.

Aunt Andy was like his second mother, and he wasn't just worried about her because of Mari. He was worried about her because she had been a part of his life from birth and has always loved him like her own son.

"Andy is fine…"

"Mom, when last did you hear from her? Mari said she didn't show up at her concert and she has been unable to reach both her parents," Jamal cut in, not wanting his mother to give him false assurances.

"She didn't show up at the concert because we got wind that they were going to be attacked there. Somehow, the Cartel has identified Alex as Cassidy, and they're going after him and Andy so they had to disappear and lie low for some time while we do what we can over here. Everything is going slowly right now because our attention has been divided and we are giving priority to you and Abigail. They decided to cut contact with Mari to keep her safe. You can assure her that her parents are okay. The moment you're back in Ludus safely, we will try to end this once and for all," Candace said confidently.

Jamal let out a sigh of relief. "So, where are they?"

"I don't know. We agreed that they keep their location a secret from everyone, including us. So, all you have to know is that they're fine," Candace said and Jamal nodded.

"Alright. I will let Mari know. We are okay. I miss you. Can't wait to see you," Jamal said, and Abigail smiled at the softness of his tone.

"Give my love to Abigail, and to my grandson…"

"His name is Josh," Jamal said, and his mother rolled her eyes but smiled.

"I know his name. I prefer to refer to him as my grandson. I need to get used to the fact that I'm a grandma," Candace said and Jamal laughed.

"I haven't gotten used to being a Dad myself. It still feels surreal. We told him today and he was so happy. I can't believe I have such a grown up, brilliant son," he said, smiling widely.

Candace laughed. "I can't believe it either, but I'm sure we'll get used to it. I can't wait to meet him."

"How is Pres and Mila? Have you been able to get through to them?" Jamal asked, and his mother sighed.

"They're okay. Let's talk about them some other time. I need to be somewhere now."

"Take work easy, Mom. Try not to develop wrinkles before I get there," he said, and she laughed before hanging up.

Jamal didn't look at Abigail before dialing Mari's line.

Mari picked up immediately. "Hey, what did they say?" She asked, pacing her room since Jax had left earlier saying he wanted to meet with some people.

"Everything is alright. She didn't attend the concert because they received word that there'd be an attack. So, they decided to lie low and are cutting contact with you until everything is resolved," Jamal explained and Mari frowned.

"You're not lying to me, right? You wouldn't lie about such a thing, right?" Mari asked skeptically.

"You know I'd never lie to you, Mari. Never," Jamal assured her.

Mari let out a deep breath. "Alright. I can breathe now. My stomach has been in knots all morning."

"Well, you can relax. Everything is okay. And now that we've confirmed that, you should know Abigail and I left Ryan's place this morning. We are at a secure location now and will be leaving for Ludus as soon as Tom arrives," Jamal said, and Mari squealed happily, making him wince as he pulled the phone back from his ear and placed the call on speaker so that Abigail could hear her.

"Is she there with you right now? Give the phone to my new BFF already. I need to say hello to her," Mari said happily. "Switch to video call, pleeaaaaassssseeeeee!"

Jamal chuckled as he turned to look at Abigail, who was giggling, amused by Mari's dramatic behaviour. He raised a brow, asking silently if she wanted to talk to Mari, and Abigail nodded.

"Give me a minute," he said as he switched to video call and handed the phone to Abigail.

"Hello, Mari," Abigail greeted with a grin, and laughed when Mari screeched.

"Oh, my god! I can't believe I'm finally hearing your voice and seeing your face. You look so beautiful! Oh my God! Wait, I think Emily would be jealous if we don't include her in this call. She's been dying to talk to you too. Give me a second to call her. And while you wait, please chase Jamal out of the room. Girls only," Mari said, and Jamal raised a brow.

"Girls only? Really?" Jamal asked with mock annoyance as he placed his face in front of the camera.

"Yeah. Girls. Only the gender without a talala. So, shoo!" she said, waving him away like she was swatting a fly.

Jamal shook his head as he stepped aside, while Abigail laughed, unsure how to keep up with Mari's energy.

"I have so much to tell you, Dawn. I've been keeping tabs on Jamal all my life waiting for a moment like this. I'll tell you the names of every girl who has ever looked his way and I have pictures of his Prom and…"

"Shut up, Mari. And talk about something else," Jamal snapped.

"What are you still doing there, Jam? Throw him out, Dawn," Mari said, and Abigail laughed.

Abigail was so amused by Mari's bubbly personality that she just kept smiling and laughing. She had no doubt that Mari's temperament was a blend of Choleric and sanguine.

Jamal laughed as he picked up Abigail's phone, "Don't believe everything she says. She lies half the time."

"Yep. Don't believe me when I say Jamal is a wonderful guy. It's one of the many lies I tell," Mari said, making them both laugh.

"I'll transfer the video and pictures from your phone to my laptop then I'll have them get rid of it. Enjoy your call," he said before walking away.

As he left, Mari dialed Emily's line so she could add her to the call.

As Emily joined the call, she didn't take note of Abigail immediately because she was distracted and assumed it was Jamal, "Jam did Mari tell you about Ryan's condition already? He has Coronary Artery Disease and I was just taking a look at his file. His heart is pretty damaged. I don't think he'd survive for long on that…"

"Emily! Shush and see who's on the call," Mari cut in, but Abigail's brows were pulled together now.

Emily paused when she looked closely at the screen and saw Abigail. "Abigail?"

"He was sick?" She asked Emily.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were on the call and I was just running my mouth. I'm Emily. It's nice to meet you, Abigail," Emily said with a wide smile.

"It's nice to meet you too. How bad is his condition? Is he in a critical state?" Abigail asked, her brows pulled together in a frown.

Mari frowned. This wasn't the reason she had added Emily to the call. She had wanted them to have a lighthearted conversation and get to know each other, but now she could see that Abigail was worried.

Emily hesitated before nodding. "It's not looking good. From the looks of things he knew he had serious heart problems but didn't want to do anything about it. The senior surgeon got in touch with his Doctor, and was told he had a Do Not Resuscitate Order. It's almost like he was just waiting to die until now and doing the bare minimum to keep his heart beating."

"How did you gather so many information when it's not even your shift?" Mari asked, and Emily shrugged.

"Eavesdropping and stuff. By now everyone thinks I'm weird for being so interested in his case," Emily said with a sigh.

As they spoke, Abigail remained silent, unable to shake the heaviness in her heart now. She'd zoned out.

She was beginning to understand the reason for Ryan's rush since she returned. He seemed to have been trying to tidy up things while he waited to die.

He had truly wanted Pete to marry her so that she wouldn't leave but remain there as his daughter. And he had adopted Josh so he could take over everything and carry on his name.

She didn't know what to think or how to feel. She was mad at him, but at the same time she felt sorry for him. She didn't want him to die, she wanted him to suffer and pay for all he had done. But at the same time she didn't want him to be down with a bad heart.

With Genevieve gone, he was probably alone at the hospital with no one beside him.

Abigail sighed deeply, not liking that she was thinking in this direction, but she was.

Maybe she was not a monster after all, and Ryan's wickedness had not stifled all the kindness inside her.

She'd have to make do with taking over the company and burning his house, Abigail decided, making up her mind to go to Husla instead of Ludus.

No matter how evil Ryan had been, Jamal was right earlier. He could have done much worse to her, and he had become a monster because of his pain. He had raised her despite the fact that seeing her every day must have hurt and reminded him of the woman he loved and lost.

She would go take care of him.