Dark Revenge Of A Jilted Bride: Till Life Do Us Part!-Chapter 28: Fallout III

Gianna found herself being appreciative of the guards again when she stepped out of the car and stood before Whitman Jewelleries.

The crowd of reporters was plenty—a staggering amount. Some were even here with their full crew, media team and all.

She wondered if the news company Zane had chosen for the interview was already here.

Of course they were! she answered herself. They would never come late; they would never give Zane the chance to change his mind.

Like before, the newsmen rushed toward her, but the guards were ready. They kept her shielded from their touches, from their mind-blowing questions, until she got to the lobby.

In the lobby, she became the center of attention. There was hostility, just like at Becketts, but also shock. They hadn’t expected to see her here.

She didn’t waste time. She met the receptionist, who was looking at her strangely—actually, respectfully. Saving her hide, probably, in case this really was the boss’ wife.

"How can I help you, Mrs...?"

"Miss Gianna," Gianna corrected instantly. "Where is the interview holding?"

"On the second floor. Room B17. But it’s already in se—"

But already, Gianna was leaving, fast strides toward the elevator. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

In the elevator, she took deep breaths, hoping she wasn’t late to make corrections. He had texted her early to get their story right... had he expected her to do an interview too? Didn’t he know the right story to tell?

She pressed her hand to her forehead, massaging slowly. And her friends had been here this morning—they had told her so before leaving. What had they told him? How had that meeting gone?

When the elevator pinged, she rushed out, heading toward the room in question, her stride only breaking when she saw Sabrina come out from the room.

Not this. Not now. She just wasn’t in the mood.

"What are you doing here, Gianna? When I heard from the..."

"Not now, Sabrina. Get out of my way."

Sabrina scoffed, folding her hands across her chest. "And why would I do that?"

"Because you want Zane for yourself," Gianna said. "I am here to deny the affiliation... or do you want us—"

Sabrina hissed, cutting her off. "And how am I sure that..."

"Sabrina!"

Sabrina huffed and stepped out of the way, deciding to trust the pride of her cousin—which she believed was utterly stupid, but would be to her own advantage today.

So what if Zane had left her five years ago? Didn’t she know the net worth of Zane now? And what of that handsomeness, those sleek hands?

If she were her cousin, she would have forgiven the man and run with this tide!

Meanwhile, when Gianna burst into the room, where camera flashes were on and about, they barely noticed her presence. The hall was full, and all attention was hung on Zane and his words.

As she moved forward, slipping between bodies, her ears caught his sentences.

"...the anonymous poster has been apprehended... as you all know, privacy is one of the things I cherish... I don’t appreciate my business being brought out to the world. And for the matter of Gianna and I—"

Gianna’s ears literally perked up. She was closer to the stage now, and a few people were beginning to notice her, to murmur, to point at her.

"Yes, we have known for quite some time. And yes, the marriage certificate that was shared online is—"

"A fake!" Gianna shouted, somewhat managing to keep her anger in check.

What had he been about to say? That it was real? Did this dunce not get what she had said that morning before they parted?

When she marched up on the stage, waving away the guards that tried to stop her, she beelined to Zane’s spot, nudged him aside, and spoke.

"Sorry, the interview should be done by both of us, but I got the memo late, and had a hard time getting here. You lot are quite persistent."

A few laughs greeted her, somewhat reducing the tension in the room.

"As I said, the certificate is a fake. A result of a dare. As you all know, nights ago my best friend was married, so the reception night was a crazy one. We lost a game, and were dared to do something so scandalous... but nothing we can’t do for friends, eh?"

She let a laugh escape—forced, but it achieved the required result. She even tapped Zane lightly on the arm like a friend would.

"We are not married people, can never be... the whole night was just a dare. Plans of friends trying to matchmake friends. Sadly, it didn’t work out. Zane and I are way too far from the spectrum—friends at best, family even. But not a couple. And I will appreciate it if the necessary changes are made. Already my job at Becketts is tethering on a state of loss because of this invasion of privacy."

She paused here, watching the effect of her words sink into the minds of the people.

"And I wouldn’t want that. Dane is a good friend of mine too. Selling out to the Whitmans was a choice he made—a personal choice that had no way to do with me. As a matter of fact, I wasn’t aware of it until two days ago. You can make your findings."

Another pause. "In other words, I would rather my reputation be cleaned up and unnecessary rumors die down. Is that okay?"

She could see that some of the newsmen were not happy—the scoop was no longer interesting. And she was glad for it.

More questions came up, of course, but they were just weak bullets, which she and Zane—who had caught on to the game—deflected very easily. By the end of it all, it was set in stone that she and Zane were just friends of friends.

While he talked with one of the reporters, she slipped out of the room, pleased that she had done well—done exactly what she came here for—hoping that she still had her job at Becketts.

"So, you did do it?" Sabrina. A smiling Sabrina.

"I said I would, cousin. You can have him."

"Have who?"

Zane’s chilly voice stopped whatever Sabrina had to say. The latter actually paled.