Chapter 23
<Chapter>Chapter 23: Seeking a Remedy for the Heart </Chapter>
Gianna pursed her lips. "Let's discuss you revealing our secret marriage at tonight's event."
Fortunately, the guests were all connected to the Redstone family. With some discreet manipulation, she could make sure their three-year hidden marriage stayed undisclosed to the public.
Felix stayed quiet, his eyes filled with smoldering anger. "Don't forget, Gianna, if it weren't for me, who knows how that mess with the male model would have blown up!"
Gianna laughed, but her eyes showed no warmth. "I never asked for your help. You took it upon yourself. Besides, your actions caused me trouble."
Felix glanced at her with a cold, sarcastic expression, curious about her following words. "What's the problem? Is it messing with your plans for the future?"
Gianna frowned, "Must you always speak so crudely?"
"The truth often sounds unpleasant."
"Felix, I don't want to make a scene. What's it going to take for you to agree to a divorce?"
Felix abruptly stood, looming over Gianna, his words deliberate and resolute, " As I said, I do not agree to any divorce. Get that out of your head!"
Gianna took a deep breath, trying to control her anger and stay composed, "If you don't want a divorce, there must be a reason. My reason is that I don't love you anymore, and I refuse to continue in a loveless marriage."
For some reason, the idea of Gianna moving forward without him sparked a restless annoyance in Felix, which he couldn't quite understand.
With a cold glare, he said, "You created this situation, and now you'll have to deal with it!"
As Felix turned to go, Gianna bit her lip and uttered, "If you don't agree, then I'll have to discuss this with Grandma myself!"
"You dare?!" Felix's voice dripped with fury, his gaze fixed on Gianna, as menacing as a predator's.
Not intimidated by his threatening gaze, Gianna fearlessly locked eyes with him. "If you want to keep dragging this out, then I'll have no choice but to ask Grandma to make you grant the divorce."
Felix fixed her with a steely look before scoffing, "Go ahead and try. See if I'll comply!"
Once he left, Gianna was overwhelmed with frustration.
‘It was just a signature—why was he so stubbornly refusing?’
The phone on the table rang suddenly. Faith's voice came through as soon as Gianna answered, "Where have you been? I just made a quick call to my Mom, and when I came back, you were gone. People around here are whispering about you and Felix getting married. Did you go public?!"
Gianna's grip on the phone tightened involuntarily, her fingers whitening before she managed a quiet acknowledgment.
"What's going on? Weren't you two getting a divorce?"
"We'll talk another time. I'm a bit worn out today," she said and ended the call.
After lingering on the couch for a while, Gianna eventually rose and returned to her bedroom.
In the study.
Felix was on the phone with Sophia.
"Felix, I've got it all figured out. Tonight's mess was Jasmine Astor's doing. Jasmine was close friends with Miss Bella overseas and had no known quarrel with Miss Redstone. So tonight’s incident might very well involve Miss Bella."
A chill flashed in Felix's eyes as he responded in a cold voice, "Send everything you've found to my phone."
"Absolutely."
Felix felt a chill as messages flooded his inbox. He quickly texted Sophia, telling her to delete all their messages, then dialed Bella's number.
After picking up, Bella took a moment to find her voice. "Felix, I thought you wanted nothing to do with me. Why are you calling?"
"Are you involved in tonight's incident?" he asked, getting to the point.
Bella's breath caught, hurt and anger evident in her words. "Are you accusing me?"
"Answer the question," Felix demanded, his tone detached.
"No! Even if my sister is at her worst, she's still my flesh and blood. How could I possibly harm her?"
Felix's eyes flashed with ice as he responded solemnly. "I've looked into it. It appears Jasmine Astor is to blame, but if I dig deeper, I’m confident I'll find the evidence I need. I'm giving you one last chance—does this involve you?"
Startled by his icy tone, Bella finally admitted, "Yes, it was me. I'm sick of seeing you with her when it should be me by your side! I was so jealous that I nearly lost my mind. Do you think I'm a fool?"
Felix's expression hardened, his voice remaining cold. "Let's leave it at that. No more silly games. I don't want you to ruin the last shred of decency I see in you!"
He ended the call, feeling annoyed. It was time to speed up the process of acquiring MY FASHION. Once Bella had it, he would shut every door to her permanently.
The following day, Gianna had barely woken up when her phone rang. It was Julian.
"Gianna, are you up?"
Gianna noticed the careful tone in his voice and frowned. "Is something wrong?"
Julian cleared his throat before cautiously speaking, "We didn't get a chance to catch up at your grandfather's birthday gala yesterday. Tonight, he's asked the staff to prepare your favorite dishes. Why don't you come over to the ancestral home and join us for dinner?"
Gianna eventually grasped the change in Julian's demeanor, but their hopes were doomed to disappointment. Setting aside her tense relationship with Felix, she refused to accept his assistance for the Redstone family, even if they were on good terms.
"I appreciate the invite, but I'm swamped. I can't promise I'll be able to make it."
"I thought you were a full-time homemaker. How can you be too busy?" Julian asked, perplexed.
"I landed a new job, so I've got to head off to work. If there's nothing else, I'll leave it at that."
Julian stood still for a moment, snapped back to reality only when the busy tone beeped through the phone.
With a disgusted expression, Lauren curled her lips and inquired, "Well? Is she coming over or not?"
Julian shook his head, "She said she's got a job now and can't make it."
Lauren scoffed , "What kind of job could she possibly find? Dishwashing at some restaurant? If that's the case, tell her to quit before she embarrasses the Redstone family!"
Julian gave Lauren a cold glance, his eyes lacking any warmth, "Gianna is Felix's wife, no matter what. Watch your mouth!"
"If Felix hadn't been crippled, do you think the Redstone family would've ever accepted a woman without even a high school diploma as his wife?" Lauren sniped.
Gianna had left high school and disappeared for a period, never mentioning the idea of returning to school when she came back.
Within the Redstone family, Gianna had the most minor education, and Leah would occasionally mock her. Lauren always found it embarrassing without Bella's achievements. Who knows what else Leah might have said.
"Lauren! Let me remind you, Gianna is still your biological daughter, no matter what."
"I have no such daughter! In my eyes, I only gave birth to Belle!"
After uttering those words, Lauren turned around and stormed off.
Watching Lauren walk away, Julian felt a wave of headache wash over him.
He dialed his assistant's number, "Find out where Gianna is working."
...
At ten in the morning, inside the conference room on the top floor of MY FASHION.
Aidan glared at Gianna angrily, slamming the documents onto the table, "Gianna, the department I oversee is completely understaffed after the layoffs, and we haven't hired any replacements yet. We're on the brink of collapse! Several of our partners are demanding products, and my team has been working overtime into the early hours for over a week. Just in the last few days, multiple employees, unable to handle the workload, have come to me with their resignations! You caused this mess . Don't you think you owe me a solution?"
