Dark Revenge Of A Jilted Bride: Till Life Do Us Part!-Chapter 29: Fallout IV

"Have who?" Zane repeated when silence greeted him.

When he had seen Gianna slipping out of the room, he had dismissed the reporter he’d been talking to and followed after her without thinking. Only to hear her dumping him on her cousin like he was some tramp, some petulant child that needed dismissing.

Had he ever shown that he wanted Sabrina? What had Sabrina been feeding her with?

He felt his anger rise, but just as quickly, he stamped it down. Why was he getting angry with Sabrina? So what if she fed Gianna lies? What exactly was he hoping for? What was wrong with him these days?

"Sabrina, take care of the reporters... make sure everything is smooth." His voice had returned to its usual quality, still authoritative.

Sabrina, relieved to be let off the hook, walked—no, rushed—past Gianna and Zane and slipped back into the room they had just left.

"Aldo, let’s talk in my office."

Without waiting for her response, he started toward the elevator, knowing she would follow, simply because she had always been a curious one.

In the elevator, none spoke. Neither tried to cut through the thick tension in the space, as if speaking would somehow disrupt their lives.

Even though they stood far apart, each almost hugging the walls at opposite ends, this was the closest they had been alone—apart from that night—since five years ago.

In the office though, Gianna’s tongue loosened, her words coming out sharp. "What were you about to say about the certificate before I cut in?"

Zane shrugged and settled into his seat, gesturing to one of the visitor chairs. "Sit down, Gianna. As you said, we are friends of friends. We can be civil, at least... even while hating each other."

But Gianna was too restless to sit. She folded her hands instead. "Get talking, Whitman. I haven’t all the time in the world."

"Still have a smart mouth when you only have a basic job at the Becketts... one you might not even have after today. Is that what you want?"

"That was not my question." She paused, inhaling deeply, centering herself. Zane didn’t need to see she was rattled. He didn’t deserve even that much—didn’t deserve a peek into her real emotions.

She finally strolled to the seat and sat down, crossing her legs. "Chelsea was here this morning?"

Zane, surprised by the swift change in tempo but masking it with bored indifference, nodded. "She almost broke my head with my laptop."

Gianna smiled before she could help it, and Zane found himself staring.

Why would a demon have such an angelic smile? he wondered.

He caught himself when she cocked a brow—Why are you staring, fool?

"Areso too. They thought I had a hand in it, curious about why it was still making rounds in the news..." He paused. "But if I had wiped it clean last night when I saw the message, the effect could have gone two ways. And tt wouldn’t have killed the problem—might have escalated it. A lot of people had already seen the news. So I figured an interview would be better."

Or rather, Sandro had figured that out.

Zane still remembered, with horror, when his friend had shown him the news.

Like he had planned earlier, he had packed some of his things and moved to Sandro’s place to stay for a while—till the hostility he felt everywhere was reduced. And just when he had been about to work on one of his documents, before retiring for the night, Sandro had barged into his room with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

You had a one-night stand with Gianna.

Followed by, Is that why you’ve been curious about fate? You both even married? What the hell, man!

But his mind had gone numb, his hands too, unable to process, until Sandro stamped the table with his fists.

Zane, focus!

And focus he had, when he called Spider, their tech guru, to take care of the nuisance. Sandro, however, had offered a better option after hearing Spider’s analysis. An interview.

Zane watched now as Gianna nodded once, slowly, agreeing with him.

"That was why you texted me..."

"I had no choice."

Had no choice but to use that number too, since she had blocked his main contact.

He wondered what she’d felt when she saw the number—if she even remembered it. Because he did remember.

The message from five years ago was still attached to it, probably why he didn’t use that number... hadn’t used it since then. It brought back unnecessary emotions.

"As I said, I wanted us to get our facts straight..."

"And when I didn’t, you thought to..." She paused, leaned back. "What had you been about to say, Whitman?"

Zane leaned back as well, though his hands remained clasped on the table. "That it was real?"

He waited for anger on Gianna’s face, but there was none. She only looked at him like he was stupid. He hated that look. It made him want to explain himself...

"I thought it would be beneficial..."

She lifted that brow of hers. "Enlighten me, Whitman, how you could think that—knowing we hate each other, knowing my stance on marriage with you?"

"It will be a contractual marriage of sorts... will help with your work. You don’t need to start from the bottom, Aldo. You can have a space here—a better one even—as my partner. I benefit from your expertise. You are a good designer, would be a strong addition to my company... help my image to the general public too."

A pause. He wetted his lips. "Then there is your grandfather’s company..."

And to that, he finally saw the first sign of real expression on her face.

"And what about it?"

"I know about your uncle... When I found out from Athena months ago that your parents had died in an accident—"

"Murdered by your father, you mean."

Zane’s hands clasped tighter at the reminder of his father’s cruelty, thrown like a blade. "We don’t know that. It could be your greedy uncle for all we know."

Gianna’s chuckle was a harsh, disbelieving one. "My uncle may be stupid, but he wouldn’t go that far. He already had a good standing in the company. We don’t have murderers in the Aldo family."