Chapter 317
Samuel felt kinda lost. "Seriously, I came to find you. Mom and Dad have been missing you like crazy these past few years."
Hearing Timothy Drake and Eliza Miller's names made Gianna's eyes tear up.
She turned her head and asked softly, "How are Mom and Dad doing?"
Back in the day, the Redstone family ditched her at an orphanage. When she was five, she saved Xavier from the Drake family who had been kidnapped, and the Drakes took her in. When she was sixteen, the Drakes got word that the Redstone family was looking for their long-lost daughter and asked if she wanted to go back.
If she didn't return to the Redstone family, she'd always be the Drake family's daughter. If she did, they wouldn't bother her anymore.
Gianna thought long and hard and decided to go back to the Redstone family. Even though Timothy and Eliza were awesome to her, they weren't her real parents.
She also wanted to see what her biological parents were like.
But she ended up with the cold-hearted Redstone family. She never felt the love she craved; instead, she felt used and ignored.
Samuel glanced at her and asked, "If you care so much, why haven't you reached out to them all these years?"
If they hadn't heard about Gianna's rough time with the Redstone family, they wouldn't have known that the Gianna they cherished was being bullied in Dawnridge.
They initially planned to deal with the Redstone family directly, but considering they were Gianna's relatives, Timothy and Eliza held back and sent Samuel to Dawnridge first. If Gianna was really having a hard time, they would immediately bring her back to Thundertop.
Gianna bit her lower lip and said guiltily, "When I left, Mom and Dad said not to contact them anymore."
Samuel shot back, "That was just out of anger, and you took it seriously? From childhood to now, how have Mom and Dad spoiled you? They never even said a harsh word to you. All you had to do was sweet-talk them a little, and it would've been fine. I can't believe you were so heartless not to contact them for so many years! And you didn't even tell us when you were getting bullied by the Redstone family and the Clinton family. Do you even consider us your family?"
Facing Samuel's questioning eyes, Gianna opened her mouth and said with a bitter smile, "It's because I consider you my family that I didn't want to tell you these things. Otherwise, it would only make you worry."
Samuel said, "Alright, enough talk. Pack your stuff and go back to Thundertop with me. As for your marriage with Felix, Mom and Dad will help you get a divorce."
If Gianna had stayed with them, they would never have let her marry so early and suffer so much.
Moreover, in their eyes, Felix was not worthy of Gianna.
Gianna deserved only the most eligible bachelors from the most powerful families in Thundertop.
Gianna shook her head. "No need. It's enough to know that Mom and Dad are well. I have a company in Dawnridge, and I don't want to go to Thundertop for now."
Samuel frowned and asked, "You still can't let go of Felix?"
They had heard about Gianna running around for Felix's leg. If Felix had treated her well, it would have been fine, but Felix turned out to be unfaithful. They would never let Gianna stay with Felix.
Seeing Samuel's misunderstanding, Gianna quickly explained, "No, I've already divorced him, but I still don't want to go to Thundertop. I don't want to trouble Mom and Dad anymore."
Samuel responded, "We never considered you a trouble. I'll be staying in Dawnridge for a while. Think it over. Even if you don't want to live in Thundertop, at least go back with me to visit Mom and Dad, okay? Right now, when they miss you, they still look at your sixteen-year-old photo. Can you really bear to let them do that?"
Gianna bit her lip. "Alright, I get it. I'll think about it."
"Hand over your phone," Samuel demanded.
Seeing Samuel's outstretched hand, Gianna hesitated for a moment before slowly taking out her phone and handing it to him.
"Samuel, what are you up to?" Gianna asked.
"Adding your contact."
His tone was a bit sharp, and Gianna was taken aback. When she left, she changed all her contact info to avoid making them feel like she was still trying to cling to the Drake family.
After they added each other as friends, Samuel handed the phone back to her, then pulled her into a hug and snapped a selfie of the two of them.
Gianna's lips parted slightly, her eyes full of surprise, making her look a bit dazed in the photo.
Samuel immediately added Gianna to the family group chat and posted the photo.
Samuel: [Finally found Gianna!]
As soon as the message was sent, everyone started replying.
Timothy: [The last photo we had of Gianna was when she was sixteen. Finally, we can update the album!]
Eliza: [Gianna is still the prettiest. When she comes back to Thundertop, she'll have all the men swooning!]
Caleb: [Samuel, you lied to me saying you were going to Dawnridge for business, but you went to see Gianna! That's so unfair!]
Brandon: [Samuel added Gianna to the group.]
Xavier: [Gianna, welcome home!]
With that, Xavier transferred Gianna $30,000, which startled her.
Gianna: [Xavier, thanks. But I don't need money.]
Timothy: [Whether you need it or not is your business. This is our token of love, so accept it.]
Timothy then directly transferred $200,000 to Gianna in the group chat.
After all these years, Timothy was still as generous as ever.
The others quickly followed suit, transferring money to Gianna as if they were afraid of being outdone.
Gianna looked at Samuel with a face full of helplessness and said, "Samuel, I can't accept this money."
She felt guilty enough for not keeping in touch with the Drake family all these years, let alone accepting their money.
Samuel took the phone from her hand and accepted all the transfers in the group chat.
He said, "Gianna, remember that in our hearts, you will always be a Drake. So don't feel guilty."
Gianna felt a bit helpless and silently decided to prepare gifts for everyone when she visited Thundertop.
"Alright, thank you, Samuel."
Samuel reminded, "Alright, enough chatting. It's getting late. I'll take you home."
Gianna nodded. "Okay. Samuel, if staying at a hotel is inconvenient, you can stay at my villa. I'm living alone anyway."
Samuel declined, "No need. I'll be out and about meeting some business partners for the next few days."
Before coming here, he wasn't optimistic about doing business in Dawnridge, but after learning more, he realized that the spending power in Dawnridge was comparable to that of major cities. So he decided to conduct a thorough survey and, if suitable, set up a branch in Dawnridge.
"Alright then."
After Samuel dropped Gianna off at Elm Bay, Gianna, worried about him having trouble finding a cab, offered him her car since she had another one.
Samuel smiled and didn't refuse. "Then I'll use your car while I'm in Dawnridge!"
"Okay. Drive safely."
After Samuel left, the smile on Gianna's face hadn't faded when she turned around and met a pair of cold eyes.
"Who is that man?" Felix asked coldly.
