Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 118: I Love My Job

Ryan didn’t move at first. The smirk that had been playing on his lips slowly faded, and the silence that followed Jamal’s revelation was loud enough to make the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner feel like thunder.

His eyes narrowed. ”What did you just say?” he asked, voice low and tightly controlled.

Jamal held his ground. ”She’s not mute. She can talk. She’s been pretending.”

Ryan leaned back in his chair slowly, resting an arm on the armrest as he regarded Jamal, his expression unreadable now. ”And how did you known this?”

”Earlier on when I went to pick her from the restaurant on Ms Genevieve’s instruction, I heard her mutter under her breath as I approached her table,” Jamal replied carefully. ”She didn’t hear me coming behind her. When we got to the car I asked her about it and she admitted she could talk. But she asked me to keep it a secret.”

”She spoke to you and asked you to keep it a secret or she signed? Are you certain you heard her speak?” Ryan asked again, and Jamal nodded.

”She spoke. I heard her voice,” Jamal said confidently.

She spoke? Ryan mused. How? Did she go for therapy? How did she regain her voice? Did it mean she regained her memory too? Was she pretending not to know anything and she knew everything already?

”Have you told anyone else about this?” Ryan asked quietly, and Jamal shook his head.

”I’m not stupid, sir. How could I possibly tell anyone else something of this importance?” Jamal asked, and Ryan nodded with approval.

”I suppose that was the reason you both were in the car for so long outside the restaurant,” Ryan said without thinking.

”How did you know?” Jamal asked, pretending to be shocked.

Ryan raised a brow, ”I have my ways of keeping my eyes on my kids,” he said offhandedly.

Jamal resisted the urge to scoff. He had his ways of keeping his eyes on his children yet he had lost Josh at the airport. Perhaps that was because Josh wasn’t really his child anyway, Jamal thought.

”Did she tell you why she is pretending to be mute?” Ryan asked and once again Jamal shook his head.

”She didn’t. But she seemed sort of terrified and begged me not to tell you.”

Ryan’s jaw tensed. ”I suspected it,” Ryan muttered to himself.

”You did?” Jamal asked rhetorically, wondering how he had suspected it.

Jamal said nothing as he watched him, wondering if it was a smart move to let him know Abigail could talk now. What was he going to do with this information now? He hoped it wouldn’t backfire.

Ryan’s head whipped back around to Jamal, ”Funny how I’ve had my men keeping their eyes on her for so long yet none of them knew about this. You on the other hand has been here only a couple of days and you not only won the hearts of my kids but you got me valuable information,” he said softly. ”You’re a very special young man, Pete.”

”Thank you, sir,” Jamal said with a polite bow.

”Is there anything else you’ve observed? Something you want to talk to me about? Perhaps about Jamal or Genevieve?” Ryan asked curiously.

”Nothing much. I think Mr Jamal might have fallen for Ms Genevieve. He asked me if I thought it would be possible to convince Genevieve to visit him and meet his family. Ms Genevieve seems to have fallen for him as well. I think your dream to get her to marry him might come through,” Jamal said, and Ryan chuckled, pleased to hear that.

Was that the reason Genevieve was misbehaving? Was she acting out because she thought she no longer needed him now that things were going smoothly with Jamal?

He didn’t like that she was growing wings. He needed to put her in her place. He needed to remind her that she was nobody without him. And now with this development about Abigail, he needed to also restrategize. He couldn’t afford to let his control over them slip.

”And Jamal? I heard you drove him somewhere today. Where did he go? Who did he meet?” Ryan asked curiously.

”I don’t know the name of the person but it was a business meeting at a restaurant. He met with an investor on behalf of his uncle,” Jamal lied easily.

”You’ve done well, Pete. Is there something you want me to do for you? A reward you want?” Ryan asked, watching him closely.

Jamal hesitated then shook his head.

”I know there is something. You couldn’t have told me all this for free. What is it?” Ryan asked, not missing Jamal’s hesitation.

”I don’t want a price tag to be attached to my loyalty to you. Although there is something I wanted, but it’s something I think I should ask of you. I wouldn’t want you to think me greedy,” Jamal said, making Ryan all the more curious.

”Go on and ask. I like greedy people,” he urged him.

”Ms Abigail mentioned that Ms Genevieve is in need of a secretary. Someone who understands sign language. I was wondering if I could apply for the position,” Jamal said without meeting Ryan’s gaze.

”Abigail told you that? Why?” Ryan asked thoughtfully.

”She said if I kept her secret she could find a way to help me get the job,” Jamal said, and Ryan chuckled.

”So, you want to be my daughter’s secretary?” Ryan asked, and Jamal shrugged.

”Being a secretary sounds much better than being a driver. And I’m sure the pay is higher too. Also, I think I can also be useful to you there by keeping an eye on them at the company,” Jamal said, and Ryan chuckled.

”You’re a smart one, aren’t you?” He asked, impressed.

”It’s all about survival, sir,” Jamal said, and Ryan nodded thoughtfully.

”I’m curious about something. Why aren’t you asking me any questions?” Ryan asked, and Jamal’s brows pulled together even though he knew exactly what Ryan was talking about.

”What sort of questions?” Jamal asked with mock innocence.

”Questions about why I’m not aware my daughter can speak. And why my daughter is scared of letting me know she is not mute. You must be curious, aren’t you?” Ryan asked, but Jamal shook his head.

”I’m not,” Jamal said, and Ryan raised a brow.

”You’re not? Why not?”

”I don’t think it is my business. I honestly don’t care what goes on in your family. Besides, I don’t think it is my place to ask you questions. You’re my employer. All I do is trust and obey you without question or doubt. That’s what I believe loyalty should be about,” Jamal said, and Ryan smiled, deeply impressed by Jamal’s response.

”Pete,” Ryan called with a satisfied sigh. ”I believe Genevieve wouldn’t mind having you work as her secretary. I don’t think Abigail would mind either, seeing how they both trust you. How did you get Genevieve to trust you, anyway?” Ryan asked curiously.

Jamal shrugged, ”She said she always fired the other drivers in the past because they kept spying on her and reporting to you. She said she’d fire me if I did the same. So, I told her I wouldn’t spy on her, and whenever you ask me to do something I tell her about it and promise not to report back to you,” Jamal said and Ryan laughed out loud.

”But you always report back to me,” Ryan said, amused by his wisdom.

”I love my job. It took me a while to get a job, so I have to protect it,” Jamal said, and Ryan nodded with approval.

”I understand. It’s alright. I’ll talk to Genevieve about making you her secretary,” Ryan said, and Jamal hesitated.

”If you do that Ms Abigail might be suspicious as to the reason you made me the secretary. She might think I revealed her secret to you. I don’t want her to know I told you,” Jamal said, and Ryan smiled.

”Don’t worry. I have no intention of letting her know I’m aware either. For now, I’m going to keep this information to myself and see how much longer she is willing to pretend to be mute,” Ryan assured him.

”Maybe you should let her bring up the suggestion instead. That way she will think she’s in charge of it,” Jamal suggested, and Ryan chuckled.

”Sure. I’ll do that. But now they would need to find a new driver...”

”I don’t think that would be necessary. If you want I can keep driving them around...”

”You can’t exactly do that. What if they need to go somewhere during work hours and you can’t leave your desk?” Ryan pointed out and his gaze flickered to the screen on his desk.

Before Jamal could say anything else, Ryan pressed a button by his desk, and the door opened before Abigail could knock on it.

Ryan noticed as Abigail’s eyes flickered between both of them with mild alarm as though she was scared that Pete was exposing her secret.

Ryan smirked and then smiled at her, ”Abi, you’re here. Pete was just leaving,” Ryan said, and Jamal rose and gave Ryan a polite nod before walking away without sparing Abigail a glance.