Chapter 58
<Chapter>Chapter 58: Gathering of Friends </Chapter>
Without a response from Felix, Gianna decided not to press further. She changed her shoes and left immediately.
Arriving at the café she'd agreed to meet Faith at, Gianna hurried to the table and sat opposite her friend.
"What's the rush for pulling me out here today?" Gianna asked.
"Gianna, my family set me up with a blind date, but I'm tied up this afternoon. I was hoping you could step in for me," Faith said.
Gianna nearly choked on her coffee.
‘Standing in for a blind date?’
After a struggle to swallow, she looked at Faith in disbelief. "Are you for real? This isn't some kind of joke?"
"No joke, my dear Gianna. Please do this favor for me! What I have to do this afternoon is super important."
Gianna pondered for a bit and then asked with a raised eyebrow, "I might consider it, but what's in it for me?"
"What do you want?" Faith asked.
"I'll be out of town next weekend, heading off from Dawnridge. Probably won't be back until the weekend after. Cover my work while I'm away?"
The last thing she wanted was to return to a mountain of paperwork and have to work overtime to catch up.
Faith couldn't help but chuckle. "Deal, I agree!"
Once they came to an agreement, Faith gave Gianna the details of the restaurant where she was supposed to meet her date and hurried off.
Gianna had plenty of time to spare before the afternoon meeting and wasn't eager to return to the Villa to see Felix. Instead, she decided to wander around a shopping mall.
She hadn't been browsing long when she bumped into Jasmine and Bella.
Their smiles twisted into sneers at the sight of Gianna.
Jasmine, much livelier than Bella, glared at Gianna with disgust and hatred. "Gianna, you wretch, how dare you show your face here!"
Gianna just frowned, not in the mood to deal with Jasmine's drama. She turned to leave without a word.
Jasmine felt a pang of guilt but quickly dismissed it. She marched up to confront her nemesis. "Stop right there! You made Uriah break up with me, and I'm going to make you pay for it today!" she seethed.
As Jasmine raised her hand to strike Gianna, her wrist was caught in a vice-like grip, unyielding to her attempts to wriggle free.
"You wretched woman, let go of me!" Jasmine demanded.
No sooner had the words left her mouth than she felt the sting of a slap across her cheek.
"Ah!" Jasmine shrieked. Gianna shoved her away and said with icy composure, "Jasmine, Uriah breaking up with you was your own doing; it had nothing to do with me. If anyone here is involved, it's Bella, given she's always been instrumental whenever you've tried to hassle me!"
Bella's face darkened. "Why would you say that, sister?"
"You know exactly why."
At that moment, Jasmine, fresh from receiving a favor from Bella, wasn't about to take Gianna's words to heart.
"You vile troublemaker! How dare you slap me? I'm going to tear you apart for this!" Jasmine lunged at Gianna like a madwoman, her anger fueling her attack.
Gianna's eyes turned frigid, and with a swift movement, she grabbed Jasmine's hand and landed another firm slap.
"If I hear one more insult from you, you'll get much worse than just a couple of slaps!" Gianna warned.
Realizing she was no match for Gianna, Jasmine clenched her teeth in rage and spat out, "You'll regret this, Gianna. Just you wait!"
Gianna, unfazed, released Jasmine and walked away without a word.
Bella rushed to Jasmine's side. "I warned you, Jasmine. My sister knows martial arts; we can't take her on. Why did you have to be so rash?"
Jasmine bit her lip hard, her eyes swimming with hatred as she thought of Uriah, who refused to take her back no matter what she tried.
"Bella, I can't let this go. If I can't beat her physically, I'll find another way to get back at her!" Jasmine declared.
"What way?" Bella asked, curiosity piqued.
Jasmine smirked. "I'm joining the cast this afternoon. When everyone sees my swollen face, they'll ask questions. And with the shoot for 'Many Years' starting next Friday, I'll grab that chance to make Gianna regret crossing me today."
Bella went quiet for a moment, concern evident on her face. "Jasmine, you’ve worked hard for this role. What if something goes wrong..."
"Don’t worry, anything happens, I'll handle it," Jasmine assured her.
Bella remained silent, but her expression became more resolute.
At three o'clock sharp, Gianna arrived on time at the café where Faith had arranged her blind date.
Scanning the room for the description Faith had given her, Gianna quickly spotted a man in a sleek silver-grey suit sitting alone by the window.
He was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his features handsome, and a gentle smile graced his lips. The moment she laid eyes on him, Gianna felt as if she were basking in the warmth of spring.
With a smile forming on her lips, she casually strolled over and tapped the table, "Mr. Trump?"
Dominic Trump looked up at the sound, his gaze landing on a strikingly beautiful face.
He paused for a moment, then offered a smile, "Miss Walton?"
Gianna nodded and took a seat across from him.
"Can I get you anything to drink?"
"No, thank you. I'm actually here to apologize, Mr. Trump. I've decided not to date anyone at the moment. My family set up this blind date, and I hope you can understand. You can just tell them we didn't hit it off," she said straightforwardly.
Dominic Trump fell silent for a brief moment, then shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I don't understand."
A look of surprise flashed in Gianna's eyes, "Mr. Trump, I thought I was being pretty clear."
His expression remained composed as he replied calmly, "You're not Faith."
Gianna could only fall silent.
Seeing her speechless, Dominic continued, "I've seen Faith's photo before coming here."
Gianna closed her lips tightly, swiftly regaining her composure. "I'm sorry for the confusion. Faith couldn't make it due to an important matter, so she asked me to come in her place to pass on the message."
The curvature of Dominic’s smile stayed constant, "Apologies are better delivered in person. Why don't you have the real Miss Walton talk to me instead? I'll tell our mutual contact that I'm quite interested in meeting her."
…
Mitchell hadn't expected to run into Gianna while out dining with a business associate.
Seeing the man sitting across from Gianna, he couldn't help but frown.
Dominic had just returned to the country and had no previous social overlap with Gianna's circles; they really shouldn't know each other.
Suddenly, it dawned upon Mitchell that he had heard about the Wens setting up a blind date for Dominic. Could it be that Gianna was the intended date?
With the thought nagging at him, he quickly dialed his secretary, "Check Dominic Trump's itinerary for this afternoon for me, will you?"
On her way back, Gianna made a call to Faith.
"Sweetie, looks like you've still got to meet that blind date guy."
"Why?"
"He'd already seen a photo of you before the date, so my cover was blown the moment I showed up."
Faith fell silent.
Grinding her teeth, she didn't need to guess—it had to be the photo her mom shared.
"I get it, and you had a tough one today. It must've been pretty awkward when you got caught."
"It wasn't too bad, actually. I was more worried about whether our pact still holds."
Faith paused briefly, then chuckled. "Don’t worry, it’s still on!"
"All right then, I won't keep you. Stay busy."
Right after their call ended, Gianna received a call from Felix.
"Gianna, where are you?!"
