Dark Revenge Of A Jilted Bride: Till Life Do Us Part!-Chapter 122: Interview II
Noah was going to be having a field day, Gianna thought distractedly, her attention split even as she watched the interviewer fawn and sing the praises of the newest billionaire businessman in town.
The man was already making waves in the state, commanding headlines and admiration, without even having a fully operational permanent site on ground yet. It was impressive—undeniably so.
Guess money really did make the world go round.
But Gianna also knew that this declaration of hers was faux. A convenient shield. Something to keep the media off her back, something shiny enough to stop them from spinning theories about her and Zane’s relationship.
Because what other explanation could she give them?
Those busybodies! How could they even possibly believe she had sworn off men entirely because—
She paused, her lips twitching slightly.
She had sworn off men because of that incident.
Maybe it was time for a change.
She chuckled inwardly at herself, the sound bitter and amused all at once. Nah.
She wasn’t accepting Noah’s marriage contract—the sheer audacity of him to even propose such a thing.
Tsk. She would date him on her own terms, entirely on her own terms, and leave him on those same terms if she pleased.
She was also acutely aware of the absolute stillness beside her.
Zane hadn’t moved. Hadn’t shifted. Hadn’t reacted outwardly at all.
And that—that—was an added benefit of her lie.
He deserved to feel this. To taste a fraction of the pain and hopelessness she had swallowed when she’d seen him in the arms of an actress barely two months after that incident—just when she was barely out of her coma, still fragile, still broken.
Oh. What was she even thinking?
Her chest tightened. He probably didn’t care enough to feel pain, at least not in that way. He was probably feeling only guilt. Especially over the child.
She pressed her lips together firmly, deliberately shoving the thoughts into the farthest recess of her mind, and refocused on the blabbering interviewer.
"So," the woman chirped, clearly delighted, "what stage are you in this relationship?"
Gianna smiled smoothly. "I’m going to see his parents tonight. We’re having some sort of family dinner."
She felt it.
Zane’s barely perceptible wince beside her.
Her smile widened, sharpened.
"Wow," the interviewer said, eyes sparkling. "That would mean you and Esme Newman wouldn’t just be coworkers, but family. Is that a best-friends relationship I see forming?"
No. A war rival, Gianna thought dryly.
But she smiled anyway. "I know, right?"
It wouldn’t come from her mouth that she and Esme were rivals—not in the same sentence where she had just agreed to dating Noah and meeting his parents.
It would sound petty. Bitchy. And she wasn’t that.
Esme would reveal her true colors soon enough. The media didn’t need Gianna Aldo’s help.
With every step she took into fame—every success she basked in—Esme would unravel all on her own.
"A plus for the Beckett company then," the interviewer said, turning now to Zane. "What are your thoughts on this, Mr. Whitman? Especially as one of your best designers has been suspen—"
"Sacked, actually," Zane cut in calmly. Too calmly.
Inside him was chaos. A storm he barely contained.
"And no, I don’t feel threatened," he continued, composed to the point of stiffness.
"There’s enough room for both the Becketts and the Whitmans to coexist. I personally admired Miss Gianna’s designs at the convention. She deserved the win. The Becketts are lucky they hired her when they did. Any second later, and I might have been the lucky one."
Gianna wasn’t sure what to make of this sudden shift in him, but she played along, smiled along. Anything to drown the rumors and return everything to business.
___
"So... you’re dating Noah. Engaged even? How come none of us were aware?"
The words burst out of Zane before he could stop himself.
They had been lodged in his chest since she said it. Through the end of the interview. Through the exit of the station.
Through the walk toward the park where Rodney waited with the car to take them back to the Thorne mansion. To leave together as they had arrived together.
The latter had been for a united front. The illusion of no rivalry.
It had worked—judging by the audible gasps from reporters crowding the site hours ago.
Gianna stopped short now. So abruptly that Zane nearly barreled into her.
He hadn’t expected her to stop. Had assumed she’d ignore him, as usual, and slide into the car.
She turned slowly, eyes cold.
"Whitman," she said tightly, "I suggest you keep your nose out of my business if we intend to keep up whatever civility exists between us."
Zane swallowed, sliding his hands into his pockets, sculpting calm out of sheer will. "I can’t. We seem to be tied to this at all ends."
"No, we aren’t." Her irritation sharpened. "Don’t make it seem like we are. Apart from the fiasco Sabrina caused with her envy, nothing ties you to any of this."
"If you say so," Zane replied quietly, opening the car door for her.
Gianna hissed in disgust, ignored the gesture entirely, walked around the vehicle, opened the opposite door, and got in. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
When Zane moved to enter, she shot him a glare sharp enough to wound.
"What do you think you’re doing?"
He frowned. "Entering a car. Obviously."
Ignoring Rodney’s wide-eyed observation in the rearview mirror, Gianna scoffed. "Get another car. This charade is over. We don’t share spaces. Let’s keep it that way."
They stared at each other. A standoff. A silent battle of wills.
Finally, Zane sighed, stepped back, and shut the door gently.
"Drive," Gianna ordered immediately.
Rodney complied. Gianna leaned back, rubbing her forehead intermittently as the beginnings of a headache bloomed. She didn’t look back once.
"She left you? So much for we’re friends."
Zane frowned at the familiar, amused voice—then relaxed, a smile tugging at his lips when he turned and saw the face watching him, watching the car speed off.
Ethan Patterson. The best manager he knew.
"Ethan!" Zane exclaimed, throwing an arm around him.
The younger man rolled his eyes, unimpressed by the dramatics meant to dispel the tension and ugly cloud hanging over Zane’s head.
"That bad, huh?"
Zane exhaled weakly at being caught. "That bad. When did you get in?"
"A few minutes ago." Ethan answered.
"Athena called—something about the Aldos company. I came straight here to speak with Gianna, needed to get my facts straight for the shareholders’ meeting. An informant tipped me off about it... it’s happening tomorrow."
Zane sighed. No rest for him now.
"Well," he said finally, following Ethan toward his BMW, "tell me the plan."
