Chapter 333
Bella's eyes had this icy glint, but she slapped on a smile.
"Hey Dad," Bella started, "Mom and I were thinking, let's get the whole Redstone clan together for a meal to celebrate the baby's safe arrival. You wanna tell Grandpa and Grandma, or should Mom handle it?"
Julian, his mind buzzing with thoughts of the shares he was about to snag, jumped in, "I'll handle it. I'll make sure every single Redstone shows up!"
"Cool, thanks, Dad. Oh, and don't forget to invite Daisy and Jared." Bella added.
Julian, who was kinda iffy at first, lit up at that. "Sure thing, as long as you and your mom are cool with it, I'll bring them. Jared's your brother, after all, and we're all family."
Bella nodded. "Thanks, Dad. Once we get those Clinton Group shares, I'll hand over 5% to you. No more dealing with Felix."
Julian was stoked and headed to the study to rally the Redstone family, even sticking around for dinner, which was a rare sight.
After dinner, Julian wanted to crash for the night, but Daisy called out of the blue, saying Jared had a fever and needed him ASAP.
"Bella, your brother's sick. I gotta check on him. I've already booked the biggest private room at Grandview Restaurant for tomorrow. Don't sweat it. Everyone will be there!" Julian said, all anxious.
"Okay, thanks, Dad!"
"You're my daughter; It's what I should do," Julian replied.
Once Julian left, Bella's smile vanished.
Lauren was fuming, clenching her teeth. "Looks like his heart's really with Daisy and Jared!"
"Mom, chill. After tomorrow, those pests will be out of our hair for good," Bella said.
"Bella, I'm still kinda nervous. Will everything go as planned?" Lauren asked, worry etched on her face.
Bella, seeing her mom's unease, reassured her, "Don't stress. Everything's set. Nothing's gonna go wrong. Oh, and call Gianna, invite her to the meal tomorrow."
Lauren, puzzled, asked, "Why invite her? The Redstone family already cut ties with her!"
Bella sighed, "Just let her know. Whether she shows up or not is her call, but if we don't tell her, it'll look bad on us."
Lauren, reluctantly, said, "Got it. You go rest; I'll call her later."
"Don't forget," Bella reminded.
"Okay. Don't worry."
After Bella went upstairs, Lauren dialed Gianna's number, but it was busy.
Her face darkened, realizing Gianna hadn't taken her off the blacklist!
She asked Aurora to call Gianna, and it went through.
"Hello, who is this?"
Hearing Gianna's voice, Lauren felt a wave of disgust and coldly said, "It's Lauren. Tomorrow at noon, the Redstone family is gathering at the biggest private room in Grandview Restaurant. Be there on time!"
On the other end, Gianna was stunned, surprised that Lauren had reached out.
Gianna shot back, "I'm busy, Ms. Martin. We've cut ties. Don't call me again."
"You!" Lauren was livid, ready to unleash a tirade, but Gianna hung up, nearly giving Lauren a heart attack.
Lauren fumed, "That Gianna drives me nuts!"
Aurora, treading carefully, asked, "Mrs. Redstone, should I call Gianna again?"
"No! Didn't you hear her? She said we've cut ties!"
Aurora stayed quiet, watching Lauren rant about Gianna without batting an eye.
Lauren had always had it out for Gianna. Since Gianna refused to bow down, Lauren often tore into her, and it was just the norm.
Meanwhile, after hanging up, Gianna read for a bit before turning off the lights and hitting the sack.
In the dead of night, a shadow slipped into her villa.
A strange scent filled the bedroom, and Gianna snapped awake.
Moonlight spilled through the window, revealing a dark figure lounging on the sofa by her bed, eyes cold and fixed on her.
"Who are you?" Gianna demanded, eyeing the figure warily, ready to throw down.
The figure on the sofa chuckled, standing up slowly. As the moonlight hit, a face came into view.
It was Thomas!
Gianna's eyes narrowed. "You got some nerve showing up here!"
Thomas raised an eyebrow, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Of course, I wanted to catch you myself, Iris!"
Gianna sneered, "You sent those goons to break into my house last time, didn't you?"
Thomas smirked, "Yep, had to test you to confirm your identity. Thought you were dead, but here you are. Not that it matters; you won't last long in my hands."
Gianna shot back, "You think you can take me?"
Thomas laughed darkly. "Of course not. That's why I laced your room with a hallucinogen. Should be kicking in right about now."
The hallucinogen was a colorless, odorless drug cooked up by the founder of Twilight. Any Twilight mercenary could get their hands on it.
Gianna had used it before, but she didn't expect Thomas to turn it on her.
"Thomas, you're a snake! You've been in bed with NightShadow all along, haven't you?" Gianna spat.
Thomas chuckled. "Yep, but what are you gonna do about it?"
As he finished, Gianna leaped from the bed to attack him, but she crumpled to the ground before reaching him.
Feeling weak, Gianna glared at Thomas. "What did you do to me?"
Thomas grinned smugly. "Iris, I'm not your match. I had to be ready. I not only dosed you with a hallucinogen but also a poison to weaken you. Hurts, doesn't it?"
Gianna hissed, "I won't let you get away with this!"
Thomas sneered, "Too bad, I won't give you the chance!"
Gianna tried to speak, but her vision blurred, and she soon blacked out.
Once she was out cold, Thomas sneered, scooped her up, and quickly left Elm Bay.
Felix found out about Gianna's disappearance the next morning.
"Mr. Clinton, Gianna didn't show up for work this morning. I called her, but no answer. I went to her villa and found her phone in the bedroom, but she was gone. Can you help find out where she went?"
