Dark Revenge Of A Jilted Bride: Till Life Do Us Part!-Chapter 132: A Gift II

"Should I follow you in?"

Gianna frowned at the question, at the intent threaded unmistakably into it, reading the quiet want behind his words.

For some reason she couldn’t quite name, she wasn’t ready to take that step Noah clearly wanted, wasn’t ready to cross that invisible line just yet.

"No, it’s already late," she answered, glancing at him with a soft, almost apologetic smile.

They were stopped right at the gate of the Thorne mansion.

Noah, however, knew Gianna’s words were a sorry excuse, thin at best, but he didn’t push further, wise enough to know his limits for now.

"Alright then. I will see you later, beauty."

He let the tension build between them for a mere second, the air thickening, charged, before leaning forward and tasting her lips.

Gianna opened for him without much thought, without hesitation, her hand lifting instinctively to stroke his hair, which felt like silk sliding through her fingers.

She only broke apart from him when the gate behind her seemed to be opening, the faint metallic sound snapping her back to awareness.

She inhaled, smiling at the frustration burning in Noah’s eyes. She didn’t blame him. They always seemed to be interrupted every time they got intimate.

"Goodnight, Noah," she spoke softly, tapping his cheek with gentle fingers. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

The act ceased when he darted a glance at the gate behind her, when the heat in his gaze cooled abruptly, lust melting into ice within seconds.

She instantly turned, frowning when she saw the gate had been opened by Zane.

He was looking at them, or rather at the car since the windows were tinted, dressed in a black two-piece jogger set with a black headset resting over his ears, looking like midnight sin incarnate, his tousled hair falling carelessly over his forehead.

Was he going for a run? At this time of night?

"What’s he doing here?" Noah’s hot question snapped her from her thoughts, edged with irritation.

She turned to him and shrugged lightly. "His friends live here."

"So?" Noah pressed. "Doesn’t he have his own place?"

"He does, but..." It is lonely for the great billionaire, she finished silently, sighing. "He just visits. You don’t have a cause to worry. We don’t talk."

But that did little to quell the anger rising fast in Noah, not until Gianna closed the distance between them, surprising him, and bit gently down on his lower lip.

"You don’t have to worry, Noah. Aren’t we engaged?" she teased.

She laughed when a slow smile bloomed across his lips, satisfaction easing his tension.

Men were so easy to please.

Tapping his cheek gently once more, she opened the door and stepped out of the car, the pleasure lingering on her face only to shift instantly into her signature cold mask when her gaze met Zane’s.

He glanced at her and then at the car, but said nothing. Instead, he stood by the gate, leaning against the concrete pillar, hands tucked deep into his pockets.

She walked past him without speaking as well.

There was no way she could have known that he had been waiting for her for a while; that when he had counted the hours and she hadn’t returned, he had left Spider’s place, ready to look for her...

Even ready to head over to Noah’s if she didn’t come back within the next thirty minutes.

—

"Finally! We thought you weren’t going to be back tonight!"

Gianna was met with her friends waiting in the smaller living room, bowls of popcorn balanced on their thighs as they watched television with old Mr. Thorne and his wife.

So much for slipping into her room without interruption, Gianna mused as she trudged into the room. It seemed it wasn’t only Zane who was sleepless tonight.

She dumped herself onto the sofa beside Areso, her purse and the package Isaac had given her resting on her lap.

"What is that?" Areso asked, sighting the beautiful leather bag, picking it up to admire, drawing everyone’s attention to the fine quality of the material.

"It’s for Gramps," Gianna said, glancing at old Mr. Thorne, whose brow immediately shot up.

"From Noah?"

Gianna shook her head, smiling, the truth sparking a small thrill in her chest. "From your old friend, Isaac Beckett."

She watched confusion flicker across old Mr. Thorne’s face, shifting to shock, then settling back into deeper confusion.

That was to be expected. Like everyone else, he probably thought his old friend was dead.

Again, she wondered about Isaac’s secrecy and his choice to stay away from the world’s activities.

Tired of humans and their shenanigans, perhaps?

But why keep it from his old friend too?

"You met Isaac?"

Gianna nodded. "He actually hosted the dinner. Rules his household as well."

She watched old Mr. Thorne exchange a furtive glance with his wife. "So, he is still in the country then..."

Gianna frowned. "You knew he was alive?"

Old Mr. Thorne snorted softly. "Of course. Isaac isn’t someone who would die easily. Yes, he had been in a coma, but I also knew he survived it. I just thought he had left the country, away from the madness of the city."

He reclined into his seat, a contemplative expression settling over his features. "How is he doing?"

"Hale and hearty," Gianna replied. "Leaning on a cane too."

Old Mr. Thorne exchanged another look with his wife.

"Out with it, Grandfather. What’s up with the fellow?" Athena asked, catching the unspoken weight in the air, echoing Gianna’s own thoughts.

"Well," old Mr. Thorne said gently, "he is the expression... more than meets the eye. Yes, he is my friend, but in the years before the comatose incident, I felt like I didn’t know him at all, especially when threats to his life became rampant. And when I tried to help, he lashed out, cut off the friendship entirely."

He paused, eyes narrowing slightly. "I’m surprised he gave you a gift to give me."

Areso handed the gift to Chelsea, who passed it to Athena, and then Athena handed it to her grandparents.

Florence opened the package, bringing out a case just as Gianna had guessed. When she opened it, it revealed cigarettes.

Gianna’s lips twitched as she heard old Mr. Thorne chuckle, shaking his head.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"A hand of friendship," he replied warmly. "I see he likes you."