Chapter 26
<Chapter>Chapter Twenty-Six: Brink of Desperation </Chapter>
Surrounded by an icy aura, Felix's gaze bore down on her with a heavy intensity, almost stealing her breath away.
As Felix drew nearer, the temperature around Gianna seemed to plummet.
He was furious!
To be precise, she had never seen him this angry.
Stopping in front of her, Felix let out a scornful chuckle, "Quite bold of you to take it upon yourself to get the divorce agreement notarized at the civil office!"
Even Gianna, who was often oblivious, realized that Ximena had orchestrated this without Felix's knowledge, and somehow, he had caught wind of it.
Concealing the agreement behind her back, she met Felix's gaze without hesitation, "Mr. Clinton, did you come to join me in finalizing the notarization?"
Noticing her subtle movement, Felix's eyes turned cold, "Gianna, even if you have a signed divorce agreement, without my consent, you won't be getting a divorce!"
Gianna's grip tightened reflexively, "What will it take for you to agree to a divorce? Do I really need to sleep with another man for you to comply?!”
Felix chuckled bitterly, his words coated with frost, "You can try, as long as you don't fear the destruction it brings to both your home and your lover!"
Gianna's lips tightened, realizing the divorce wouldn't happen today and unwilling to waste more time.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
Noticing the Lamborghini behind Gianna, Felix's gaze grew colder.
"Whose car is that?"
Gianna had been jobless for years, only recently starting to work again – there was no way she could afford such a luxury.
With a sly smile, she replied, "It seems to be no business of Mr. Clinton's." She didn't wait to see how Felix reacted; she just drove away.
Felix observed the Lamborghini vanish down the road, squinting slightly, and remarked, "Sophia, find out who owns that Lambo!"
...
Gianna had just returned to the base of MY FASHION when Julian intercepted her.
Surprised by the car she was driving, Julian asked, "Gianna, did Felix buy you that ride for work?"
He had done his research. Gianna was simply an ordinary employee at MY FASHION, likely there just to pass the time.
Without explaining, Gianna frowned, "What do you want?"
She hadn't expected Julian to show up here.
Julian smiled warmly, his voice gentle, "I've been trying to reach you for days, so I had to come myself. Come home this weekend, will you? Grandpa and Grandma miss you."
Following a short pause, Gianna nodded. "Got it. If there's nothing else, I need to get to work."
"All right, it's settled then. I'll have the Redstone family driver pick you up on Saturday."
After Julian left, Gianna turned and walked into the building. As evening came and she wanted to avoid dealing with Felix, she chose to work late. Around ten at night, just as she was about to leave, her phone rang—it was Faith.
"Gianna, I'm so upset. Could you come and keep me company?"
Faith's voice was tearful, and Gianna promptly replied, "Where are you? I'll be right there!"
After Faith mentioned the name of a club, she ended the call.
Gianna hurried to her car, filled with confusion and concern.
‘Wasn't Faith supposed to spend her birthday evening with her boyfriend?’
In the private room, the sight of bottles scattered all over made Gianna frown.
Faith was huddled in a corner of the sofa, clutching a bottle and crying. Her makeup was smeared, mascara circled her eyes, and her cheeks were streaked with tears; she was a complete mess.
Gianna sat down beside her, gently took the bottle from her hands, and inquired, "What happened? Where's your boyfriend?"
Perhaps the mention of 'boyfriend' hit a nerve; Faith burst into sobs, chokingly, "That jerk... I dumped him..."
Through Faith's disjointed story, Gianna pieced together what had happened.
Today, her boyfriend invited her to dinner, and she believed it was to celebrate her birthday. However, it turned out he wanted to break up with her.
The reason? His old college flame had just moved back to town, and he decided he wanted to get back together with her.
Upon learning about Faith's disastrous birthday dinner, Gianna gently patted her on the back. "Don't cry over that jerk. It's a good thing you found out sooner rather than later. You'll find someone better."
Despite her swollen, teary eyes, Faith still managed to reach for Gianna's bottle of liquor.
"I need a drink! Give me that..."
Gianna set the bottle aside, "No more for you, and you're already tipsy. I'm taking you home."
"No, I'm not drunk yet! I want more!"
Avoiding an argument with a drunk person, Gianna lifted Faith onto her shoulders and carried her out.
After dropping Faith off at her place, Gianna noticed her phone was missing. She remembered leaving it back in the private room at the club.
Returning, it was well past eleven when she arrived. She went directly to the private room, and upon opening the door, she discovered a stocky man in the center, tinkering with a silver phone.
Gianna narrowed her eyes as she approached him. "Excuse me, sir, that's my phone you've got there. Could I have it back, please?"
The people in the room stopped what they were doing to watch the situation, excitedly anticipating some drama.
It appeared that this woman didn't know who Yusuf was, or she wouldn't be so daring.
Gianna's beauty captivated Yusuf, and a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes. "This lady is far more stunning than any I've seen before," he thought.
He leered at Gianna, his tone playful. "Pretty lady, do you have any proof that phone's yours?"
Patiently, she replied, "I can unlock it."
Yusuf chuckled, nodding, "All right, let's say it's yours. But since I found it, shouldn't you offer me something in return?"
"What do you want?" she asked.
"Simple. Finish these three drinks, and I'll return your phone."
Gianna glanced at the glasses on the table. "You're serious?"
"Absolutely."
"Fine."
She quickly drank the three glasses, placed them on the table, and gazed at Yusuf. "I've done what you asked. My phone, please."
Yusuf smiled and gave her the phone.
"Thank you."
Gianna whirls around and strides out, leaving behind a room full of tacit understanding. She's become the evening's prey for Yusuf.
Yusuf observes Gianna walking away with a smug smirk and leans toward his associate. "Get a couple of guys to tail her. Take her straight to my room."
Not long after leaving the private room, Gianna feels that something is amiss. An unexplained warmth surges within her, almost making her knees weak.
She braces against the wall, intending to make a quick escape, when a voice arises from behind.
"There she is! Grab her!"
