Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 326: Age Factor

Abigail took a deep breath before speaking into the phone. "Good morning. How was your trip?" Abigail asked Tom politely.

"Good morning. It was pleasant. How have you been? Do you like Jamal’s place? Or would you rather get your own place and have him move in with you instead?" He asked in a teasing tone.

Abigail giggled. "I like it. It’s comfortable," she said, looking around the room.

"Alright. How do you feel about what Genevieve did?" Tom asked, since he had heard from Genevieve that she was yet to reach out to her.

Abigail sighed. She had been avoiding thinking or talking about it. "I don’t know how I feel or what she was thinking when she did that. I wish she talked to me first. Won’t she be in trouble with the law for admitting to all of that publicly?"

"No. She won’t get in trouble. Jade has been on it since yesterday, and according to Jade, at the age of five, Genevieve was below the minimum age of criminal responsibility in virtually all jurisdictions worldwide. Children under that age are legally presumed to be unable to form criminal intent or fully understand the consequences of their actions. Therefore, she could not have committed a crime such as an accessory offense or a failure to report at that age. And in most legal systems there is generally no affirmative legal duty for an ordinary citizen to report a crime they witness. While it is a civic and moral obligation, the failure to report is typically not a standalone criminal offense. So, she was a witness not an accomplice. And no matter what Genevieve says or thinks, no one expects a child of five to actually understand or grasp the gravity of the crime committed."

Abigail relaxed a little. "What of regarding impersonation?"

"Her age also factors in. No matter what she says, she did what she was asked to do by the man she believed was her father. Any child of that age would do as asked by their parent. Her intent was for personal survival not a criminal one. It is true that you were hurt in the process and can press charges against her based on that, but she won’t be prosecuted if you don’t press charges," Tom explained.

"That’s a relief, then. I won’t press charges. As much as I don’t like my business being in the public this way, I suppose it was unavoidable. But I would have liked it to be out there on my terms. A part of me is glad though that she has exposed the truth that Ryan didn’t want to admit," Abigail said thoughtfully.

"Yeah. I spoke with her earlier," Tom said, and Abigail raised a brow.

"You did?"

"Yes. She wanted to talk to me, so Stefan called. She says she wants to give back everything to you. All she got by being you..."

"She doesn’t have to. I don’t have any need for it. I have more than I need," Abigail cut in.

Tom smiled. "She said you would say something like that. And she didn’t want to tell you about it because you might not accept them from her. She said she will feel less ashamed if she gives it all back to you," Tom said, and Abigail shook her head.

"Well, then let her shame be my punishment to her. She should keep it all and always feel ashamed," Abigail said, and this time Tom chuckled.

"I guess you do not want to absolve her from her guilt?"

"That’s something she’d have to do for herself because even if I say I forgive her, she’d always feel guilty until she forgives herself," Abigail said, and Tom nodded in agreement.

"You’re right."

"Is Lucy there with you? Can I say hello to her?" Abigail asked, wanting to change the topic.

"She stepped out with the kids to get their groceries. Will you be comfortable giving an interview? Maybe sharing your own side of the story or just talking about how it feels being back with your family?" Tom asked, and Abigail thought about it for a minute.

"Can I think about it?" She asked, not wanting to give any response immediately until she spoke with Jamal.

"Sure, you can. How about I take you out on a date when I get back? Just the both of us?" Tom asked, surprising them both since he had not planned to ask her that.

"A date?" Abigail repeated.

"Yeah," Tom said with an awkward laugh. "I’ve been doing that with Bella and Brenda since they were kids, and I figure you might never have experienced that. You might be my grandfather’s daughter, but in a way you’re like a kid to me, and as the head of the family I’m going to be the one to walk you down the aisle anyway, and have the father-daughter dance with you when you get married, so we should start bonding so we can give them a good show, what do you think?" He asked, and tears sprung to her eyes.

She had not thought about any of that. She had never thought about being walked down the aisle or having a father-daughter dance.

"I think that’d be nice," she said in a small voice.

"Good. Look forward to it. See you when we get back," Tom said before hanging up.

After the call ended, Abigail sat there smiling for a moment before going to find Jamal and Josh.

The door was open, so she stopped and leaned quietly against the frame as she watched them.

Josh’s hair was all over the place, and his sleepy face looked both grumpy and adorable as he rubbed his eyes and blinked up at Jamal. "Can I go to the office with you?"

Jamal smiled. "You want to go to work with me?"

Josh nodded quickly. "Yes! I want to see what you do there. I’ll be quiet. I promise."

Jamal chuckled, brushing a hand through Josh’s curls. He remembered making a similar request when he was young. "You will, huh?" He paused and then said gently, "I will love to take you there, but not yet. I’ve been away for a while and I’ll be very busy for the next couple of days so I won’t be able to keep my eyes on you. But I promise to do that once I’m settled. Not just once, but often so you can learn how things work there. My grandfather used to take me to the office when I was young."

Josh’s eyes widened. "He did? Why didn’t your dad take you instead?"

The question made Jamal pause. He smiled faintly. "Because my father wasn’t there to do that," he said after a moment. "And he didn’t have a big company like my grandpa did. So Grandpa made sure I learned from him."

Josh tilted his head, thinking about that. "So your dad had a small company?" he asked curiously. "Where was he?"

Before Jamal could come up with a response, Abigail laughed softly from the doorway. "Alright, you two, that’s enough question for the morning," she said, stepping into the room with a teasing smile. "Let’s save the history lesson for later and go have breakfast."

She winked at Jamal, who flashed her a smile of gratitude for saving him, since he had no idea how to answer Josh’s question. He had not prepared for it.

She returned his smile with a knowing look as they all began to head toward the kitchen together.