Dark Revenge Of A Jilted Bride: Till Life Do Us Part!-Chapter 45: New Deal?

Gianna could barely contain herself. Her knee bounced beneath the table, fingers laced so tightly on the desk that her knuckles pressed white. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"What do you think?" she asked, her voice slightly breathless with excitement.

Beside her, Vance looked like a man about to face an execution panel.

He sat stiffly on the round chair, shoulders hunched, eyes darting between Daphne and Mason as though expecting one of them to throw a shoe at him.

His hand trembled when he smoothed the front of his shirt. He had never—never—been in the room with both executives at once, except the day they rejected his first design for looking "too gangster-like."

The memory still singed him. They had told him to tuck his street nature away from work, and until then, his dependence on charity for his schooling had never felt like a wound.

Ever since that day, he had treaded carefully, quietly... and now this woman he respected so deeply had placed him right back before them, presenting designs that were, in his mind, dangerously unique.

From the expressions on the executives’ faces, he knew instantly—they thought so too. They were not on board.

His throat tightened for Gianna, because she had been the first person apart from his mother to believe in his talent, in its uniqueness, and he would never forget that.

"Gianna..." Daphne began, her tone measured. "I understand you are trying to reduce the workload on yourself... it was why I had asked if you could take it. Run with this idea, as it would demand a lot..."

Gianna shook her head immediately, leaning forward. "I will deliver my quota, Daphne... I am not running from any hard work. But Vance’s work will complement it, bring more earnings..."

Her fingers fluttered briefly above her phone before settling on it. "You can leave the naming and all to me... my creative juices are already overflowing on that part. And the designs—yes, I know they are rough sketches, but we can work on it, albeit maintaining its skeleton..."

She paused then, meeting their gazes intensely, her expression open yet resolute, almost pleading. "I know what I am doing... and I know this is a deep risk I am asking the company to take, but you can trust me... I will deliver on this too."

Mason sighed, rubbing his thumb along the edge of Vance’s phone before picking it up again.

Vance’s breath caught audibly.

"Look at this, Gianna. It looks well... monstrophic. Not what we want..."

Gianna took the phone, studying the design in question. She could see why it would unsettle them—its sharp edges, its boldness—but she shook her head anyway.

"It is perfect. I have just the right theme for it. I can even work with my friend... she is a fashion designer... we can work with this theme."

Daphne laughed lightly, crossing her arms. "You are quite convincing, Gianna, but unless your friend is an international designer like Areso, then..."

"She is." Gianna smiled, confident without arrogance. "Areso is one of my best girls. Surely, you must notice that I wear only her gowns for public parties..."

Daphne had noticed—she had studied Gianna thoroughly when she first stepped into the company—but she had attributed the clothes to wealth, not personal connection.

"Wow..." she breathed softly. "Well, if that’s the case..."

A slight pause. "We will have to see a sketch of the gown... hear from her too..."

Gianna nodded, a small but triumphant smile tugging at her lips, practically twerking inwardly. "Consider it done."

Mason sighed again. "Then I will take it up with my father. Let’s see what he says."

Vance stared at him, disbelieving. His eyes were already glistening without his notice, his mind leaping ahead—imagining the hospital bills paid, imagining his mother free from the clutches of sickness and death.

His chest tightened, and a small, broken sound escaped him.

"Vance... are you okay?" Gianna asked softly, nudging him with her shoulder.

Realizing himself, Vance cursed under his breath, wiped quickly at his eyes, and muttered a weak yes and thank you to Gianna.

Next, he rose abruptly, bowed awkwardly to the superiors, grabbed his phone from the table, and bolted out of the office in historic embarrassment.

"Taking a stray in..." Mason murmured once the silence settled.

Gianna’s lips puckered with irritation. "He is not a stray. His name is Vance, and he is a badass designer. Untapped, but he is gold. I’m lucky to have found him."

Mason snorted, displeased with the admiration in her tone. "Well, let’s hope the display is not in vain."

Gianna nodded, rising to her feet and smoothing her skirt. "Thank you for listening to me." She tilted her head in a polite bow to her superiors. "I really appreciate it. I will be returning to the drawing board."

To her, lunch was done and dusted. She still had to build a case, maybe prepare a proposal should Arthur call her to present the idea again to the board.

"You are welcome, Gianna..." Daphne said, getting to her feet.

If this worked out like Gianna envisioned, then the company was about to experience something monumental—something not even seen in their field.

The Whitmans might try to poach her...

The thought made Daphne purse her lips sharply.

As Gianna reached the door, Daphne called, "If the Whitmans offered you a seat in their company, would you take it? Because I am sure it will come to that very soon. I have a good feeling about this idea of yours... but I want to be assured of your loyalty."

Gianna smiled sincerely at the woman she was beginning to admire. "Oh don’t worry, Daphne. I already rejected them."

She stepped out, leaving an open-mouthed Daphne behind.

"She meant that, didn’t she?" Daphne asked after a moment, turning to Mason.

He nodded. "I wouldn’t put it past her. Her confidence is insane, isn’t it?"

Daphne nodded, exhaling. "I’m not sure why she picked us over them, but I am glad she did."

The idea of Gianna working for the already proud Whitmans made her shudder.

Arthur was right. Gianna was their ticket out of second place, and Daphne was determined to give her all the fuel she needed.

Meanwhile, Gianna hummed a classic tune as she walked into her office, her steps light, her body wanting to waltz.

She even spun once, stopping only when she noticed Lottie staring at her like she had grown wings.

"Good things are happening..." Gianna muttered as explanation, before turning toward her office.

"Wait, Miss Gianna!"

Gianna paused and turned her head, frowning slightly when Lottie picked up the packaged lunch on the table and approached, cheeks flushing pink.

"I noticed you bolted out of the cafeteria with Vance without finishing lunch, so I..." She extended the pack shyly. "I kept it for you."

Gianna blinked at the lunch pack, then at her secretary.

Good choice, her mind murmured. Good choice indeed.

She slowly accepted it. "Thanks, Lottie. Thanks really, I appreciate it."

"You’re welcome, Miss Gianna!" Lottie chirped—loud enough that Gianna winced a little before smiling.

This secretary of hers could be overboard sometimes, she thought fondly as she strolled into her office, humming once more.

A knock sounded minutes later, cutting off her drawing.

"Come in, Lottie..."

But it wasn’t Lottie. Mason stepped in, closing the door softly behind him.

Gianna raised a brow.

He approached, gaze fixed on her, expression unreadable. "Can see you are right back at work..."

Gianna shrugged lightly. "That’s what I am paid for."

She set her pencil down and reclined, watching him settle into the seat across from her. Silence stretched—thick, charged, waiting.

Then...

"My father thinks you should present the idea formally to the board. It’s a big one. Daring, risky, but profitable if you are able to pull it off."

Gianna’s smile could have lit up a whole city. "Thank you, Mason!"

Without thinking, she leaned forward and clasped his hand, squeezing it in pure joy. "Thank you!"

Mason smiled, gentle and controlled, masking his surprise at the sudden contact, at the welcome warmth. "You are welcome. Just don’t throw us under the bus."

"I won’t!" she said, cheeks glowing, eyes shining. She was so swept up in relief that it took her a moment to feel Mason’s thumb gently tracing circles on her palm.

"Mason..." she said quietly.

"I know... overstepping boundaries..." he murmured, withdrawing his hand. "But I just can’t help it. And I can’t believe either that you are dating my cousin."

Gianna sighed. "We are not dating, Mason."

Mason smiled sadly. "It’s too late for denial, don’t you think? It’s all over the news, all over the socials... and what about the declaration of his love?"

Gianna shrugged, her expression steady. "To put understanding to why he would spend 100 million on a lady? Or better still to announce his worth in the sight of the elites."

She had thought about it long and hard last night, and after talking with Spider this morning, she realized the truth:

Just as she had used Noah Newman to get her mother’s necklace... he had used her too—to gain footing in a country he had been absent from for almost half his life, to raise the prestige of his company and his father’s name.

It was a win–win, to say the least.

He had invested in her—and according to Spider, he was already earning the returns a hundredfold.