Chapter 325
Thomas slammed the phone down, eyes narrowing. "Guess it's time to handle Gianna. But if she's Iris, I gotta tread carefully. Mess this up, and I'm toast."
Late night at Cloudfield Manor.
Gianna, decked out in black nightwear, moved like a shadow, slipping into Felix's villa.
Felix wasn't home. Just a few servants and bodyguards hanging around.
Using the darkness as her ally, Gianna dodged everyone, scouring the place but no sign of Naomi.
After a bit of thinking, she decided to check the basement.
Ten minutes later, she found the basement entrance hidden behind the utility room.
Gianna made a beeline for the door, ready to unlock it when the villa lights blazed on.
A bad feeling hit her, and she was about to bolt when someone grabbed her wrist.
That familiar pine scent hit her, and Felix's icy voice came from behind, "Gianna, mind telling me why you're here?"
Gianna yanked her hand free, spun around, and glared at him. "Felix, cut the crap."
Seeing the wariness in her eyes, Felix's gaze darkened. "I told you I'd let Naomi go in a few days. Why don't you believe me?"
Gianna scoffed, "Trust? Between us? That's a joke."
"I'll have someone take you back," Felix said.
"Felix, I'm not leaving without Naomi."
Felix pressed his lips together, silent for a few seconds, then said in a low voice, "Fine, if you won't leave, stay the night."
Facing Felix's serious eyes, Gianna felt a wave of frustration. "Felix, I don't have time for your games. What do I have to do to get Naomi out of here?"
This was his turf. Going head-to-head with him was a losing battle.
Felix stared at her, thinking for a few seconds, then slowly said, "Spend the night with me, and I'll let her go."
Gianna's face twisted with anger, teeth gritted. "Don't push it!"
Seeing her face flush with anger, Felix raised an eyebrow. "Are you overthinking it? I meant stay with me for the night, not sleep with me."
The teasing in Felix's eyes made Gianna feel awkward. Stubbornly, she said, "No way! We're divorced. If word gets out, how am I supposed to find a boyfriend?"
"We just got divorced, and you're already thinking about a boyfriend?" Felix's tone was icy, his gaze colder.
Gianna smirked and reminded him, "Mr. Clinton, before you lecture me, maybe look in the mirror. We just split, and you took Bella to the hospital. Compared to you, I'm moving slow, aren't I?"
"Are you jealous?" Felix asked.
Gianna's smirk vanished. "There's no need for that."
She turned to leave.
But after just two steps, she was pulled into a tight hug from behind.
Gianna froze, then struggled. "Felix, let go of me!"
"Don't move. Just let me hold you for a bit."
Since the divorce, he'd been trying to keep his distance, not wanting her in danger because of the key. But the more he saw her, the stronger his desire grew, like weeds he couldn't control.
Gianna frowned and snapped, "Get it through your head—we're divorced!"
"Can't I hug you even if we're divorced?" Felix shot back.
After a few seconds of icy silence, Gianna said, "I don't want any physical contact with you!"
As soon as she said it, she felt Felix's body go rigid, and his grip tightened.
After a moment, Felix finally let her go. "Fine, I'll send Naomi back tomorrow."
Gianna bit her lip. She wanted to demand Naomi now but feared Felix would make more unreasonable demands, so she just left.
Not long after she left, James stepped out of the shadows. "Mr. Clinton, you shouldn't have agreed to release Naomi. We haven't squeezed enough info out of Jack yet. Just knowing the Forbes family is behind him isn't enough."
Felix's eyes darkened. "He already knows the Forbes family never took care of his mom and sister. That's enough."
James was still uneasy. "But what if Jack doesn't care about his sister and mom?"
Felix retorted, "If he didn't care, he wouldn't have stopped our people from assaulting Naomi that day."
James wanted to argue for keeping Naomi a bit longer, but Felix cut him off. "Send Naomi away tomorrow morning. Keep Jack locked up."
"Got it," James replied.
Early the next morning, Naomi was blindfolded and dropped off at her doorstep. When she tore off the blindfold, no one was around.
Remembering the warnings from the guys who brought her back, she shivered and quickly went inside.
Luckily, Edith Rivera wouldn't be discharged for a few more days. Otherwise, she'd be worried sick.
She charged her phone and turned it on, seeing several missed calls from Edith.
Naomi quickly called back, and Edith answered almost immediately.
"Naomi, where have you been? I was about to call the cops!" Edith's voice was frantic.
Naomi bit her lip and tried to sound casual. "Mom, I was on a business trip. Super busy, didn't have time to check my phone. Just got back today."
Naomi's job sometimes kept her out of touch, so Edith didn't push. She just felt guilty. "I'm sorry for being a burden. If it weren't for my illness, you wouldn't have to work so hard."
"Mom, don't say that. The doctor said you'll be out soon. Once you're home, things will get better."
"Okay, I won't disturb your work. Just visit me once a week if you're busy. Take care of yourself."
"Alright."
After hanging up, Naomi thought about her ordeal in the basement and started to cry.
Even though she wasn't violated, the memory of those men's hands on her felt cold and disgusting, like snakes. Thinking about it made her feel like she was falling into an abyss.
The doorbell rang suddenly.
Naomi walked to the door and saw it was Gianna. She took a deep breath, wiped her tears, and opened the door.
"Miss Redstone, are you here because I haven't been to work these past few days?" Naomi asked.
