Chapter 43
<Chapter>Chapter Forty-Three: Figure it Out </Chapter>
Gianna faced him with an unaffected expression. "I'm actually quite curious how you plan not to let it go."
The room fell into silence so profound that the drop of a pin would have echoed.
Feeling the icy aura emanating from Felix and fearing he would harm Gianna, Raymond quickly intervened. "Felix, let's just clear up exactly what happened between Gianna and Jasmine before jumping to conclusions. Everyone needs to cool down."
Uriah scoffed. "Does the reason even matter?! Jasmine's got a broken bone, and Gianna's untouched. It's clear who's in the wrong!"
Gianna turned to look at Uriah, a mocking smile briefly crossing her face.
"What are you laughing at?!" Uriah's eyes flashed with a cold fury.
"I'm laughing at how Faith must've been blind to fall for you and secretly play your lover for two years."
Both Uriah and Felix paled as Gianna spoke. Uriah was furious at her reference to his past, while Felix seemed to understand the underlying insult, feeling it was aimed not only at Uriah but also at him.
As emotions swirled among the group, Jasmine, nestled in Uriah's arms, spoke up.
"Gianna, I understand Faith was bitter when I returned to the country and won back my partner, and it makes sense that her friend would dislike me. But to retaliate in such a vicious way—I can't accept it!"
Gianna's eyebrow arched in disdain. "You're thinking too highly of yourself. Why would Faith be bitter? If she were here, she'd be thanking you for taking such a jerk off her hands—they say trash attracts trash!"
"Gianna!" Felix's face turned an angry shade of blue. With her provocations against Uriah and Jasmine, she was treading on thin ice.
"Apologize to Uriah and Jasmine at once!"
Gianna arched an eyebrow and chuckled, her eyes glinting with icy humor, "Felix, I already said I won't apologize."
With that, she turned to leave.
"Stop right there!"
Uriah set down Jasmine and strode up to Gianna, issuing an ultimatum: "Apologize or take a tumble from the horse like Jasmine. Your choice!"
Felix watched Gianna with a detached coolness, silently endorsing Uriah's demand.
Bella couldn't contain her inner glee; it seemed Gianna wasn't so important in Felix's heart after all. Otherwise, he wouldn't let Uriah pressure her like this.
Gianna looked down, a slight grin on her lips, her quiet voice reaching every ear present, "Sorry, I choose neither."
"Gianna, you're forcing my hand!"
Uriah reached out to grab Gianna, forcing an apology, but before he could touch her, his arm was seized.
His eyes darkened, and before he could react, Gianna sent him sprawling with a judo throw.
Pain racked his body, and he would have cried out if not for the sake of his pride.
Shock registered on everyone's faces, except for Mitchell and Felix; they had not anticipated Gianna's skill.
Felix squinted, suspicion deepening. When had Gianna acquired these moves? Was it before or after their marriage?
Gianna looked down at Uriah and enunciated clearly, "As I said, you're not capable of stopping me."
With that, she walked away, leaving Mitchell and Raymond to help Uriah to his feet.
Uriah, limping, approached Felix and said icily, "Felix, you saw what happened. Gianna has gone too far. If you don't sort this out for Jasmine and me, I won't let it rest!"
Felix was about to respond when a staff member from Horse Ranch Boulevard hurried in.
"Uriah, here's the security footage from when Jasmine had her accident. We copied it immediately after we heard of the incident!"
Bella's and Jasmine’s complexions paled instantly. How could there be footage?!
Their secret would unravel if that footage were seen.
What to do?!
They exchanged a look, and Jasmine blurted out, "Give me the footage!"
Once she had the recording, she could pretend there was a mistake and delete it. Then, she could casually mention she didn't feel like watching it anymore.
‘That might throw them off.’
As a staff member was about to hand Miss White the tablet, Raymond, standing to the side, suddenly reached out and took it, saying indifferently, "Let me handle it. Miss White is injured right now, and it's inconvenient for her to use her hands."
Jasmine remained silent.
Bella turned her head and quietly picked up a glass of water from beside her, intending to "accidentally" spill it on the tablet. But Raymond had already caught onto her scheme, turning a cold gaze upon her.
Bella, already feeling guilty, dropped the glass on the floor, startled by Raymond's piercing stare.
Raymond cracked a faint, enigmatic smile. "Miss Redstone, got a bit of a tremor there?"
Bella quickly hid her hands behind her back, feigning calm, "It's nothing, just the water was a bit hot, didn't have a good grip."
"Just be careful next time," he said coolly. "Holding something too hot can only end up hurting yourself."
Bella, reading between the lines, just gave him a cold look and kept silent.
Raymond sped through the surveillance footage at sixteen times the normal speed and quickly finished watching. Handing over the tablet to Felix, his expression had turned much colder. "Felix, see for yourself."
After a brief, mocking laugh toward Uriah, "Uriah, your girlfriend really is something special. Now I truly understand what it means to be hoisted with one's own petard."
Uriah frowned, but before he could respond, Raymond had already turned and left.
Jasmine’s face had turned deathly pale the moment Raymond had finished with the footage.
She had a sinking feeling that she couldn't keep today's events under wraps any longer.
Once Felix finished watching, his face was as cold as a winter tundra.
Feeling a surge of unspeakable anger and guilt, especially thinking about how he had just pressured Gianna into apologizing, Felix's grip on the tablet tightened until his knuckles were white.
In a fit of rage, he threw the tablet at Jasmine, who dodged with a shrill scream, her face turning as white as paper.
Uriah was stunned. The drastic shift in Felix and Raymond's attitudes suggested that Jasmine might not be as innocent as she appeared.
"Uriah, I warned you back in the lounge area to keep an eye on Jasmine. If you can't handle it, I don't mind stepping in!"
After Felix left, Uriah's eyes also took on a glacial edge, filled with rage as he confronted Jasmine.
"What the hell is going on here, Jasmine? I'm giving you this one chance. If you lie to me, we're done!"
Felix learned from a staff member that Gianna had returned to the hotel and rushed to her room. As he entered, he found Gianna packing her things.
"Gianna, I need to talk to you..." he began hesitantly.
Gianna looked at him with an indifferent gaze. "Felix, I've already told you I'm not going to apologize. Even if you drag me in front of Jasmine, I won't say sorry!"
"I don't want you to apologize. I've seen the security footage," Felix said, his voice rough with uncertainty about how to make amends.
Gianna pursed her lips, her eyes void of emotion. "Oh, since it's not about an apology, could you please get out of my way?"
"Where are you planning to go?"
Just as Gianna was about to reply, the aggravated voice of Natalie Clinton echoed from outside the door.
"Why does it matter to you where Gianna is going?!" demanded Natalie as she stormed into the room.
"Grandma, please, don't make things worse," Felix pleaded, knowing that Gianna was already furious, and if he didn't handle the situation carefully, her attitude toward him would only grow colder.
Natalie Clinton scoffed in contempt. "Now I understand why Gianna wants to divorce you. With a jerk like you, the sooner she's free from you, the better! I fully support her decision to divorce!"
