Chapter 1738:


    “Stand up,” Christina said firmly, drawing Gillian back to her feet.


    “I’m so incredibly sorry,” Gillian whispered, ovee with guilt.


    “You’re the one who was wronged here. Why are you the one apologizing?” Christina asked. “You’re not going anywhere. In fact, I’m going to help you make this right.”


    Gillian stared at her, stunned. She had never dared to hope that Christina would want to help her seek justice. The kindness of it hit her so hard that fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.


    She had known, somewhere in the back of her mind, that most people would simply me her — assume she had lured Alban, that it had been her fault. But Christina had seen it differently from the very first moment, and had treated her as exactly what she was: a victim.


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    It was all the proof Gillian had ever needed of the kind of person Christina truly was.


    “Oh, Miss Jones…” she sobbed, tears streaming freely as the weight of days of silence finally lifted from her shoulders.


    Christina reached out and gently wiped the tears from Gillian’s cheeks.


    “Stop crying. You’ve done nothing wrong. I know how much this hurts, but I’m going to fix it. Get some rest tonight — tomorrow, we’re going to see the Martels and settle this once and for all,” Christina said.


    Gillian’s thoughts immediately went to the tension between the two families, and she began shaking her head, her face pale with rm.


    “No, please — Miss Jones, don’t start trouble on my ount. I’ll be fine. He was tricked too. It wasn’t intentional. I’m okay, really,” Gillian insisted.


    Given that Alban was wealthy and undeniably handsome, many would argue she hadn’t exactly suffered. By society’s measure, he was considered a prize catch. More than that, Gillian couldn’t stand the thought of dragging the Jones family into a mess she felt responsible for creating.


    “It doesn’t matter whether he meant it or not. He’s a grown man, and he has to take responsibility for what happened,” Christina said firmly.


    “But—” Gillian tried to interject.


    Christina didn’t let her. “No ‘buts.’ We either call the police right now, or we go talk to him directly. Your choice — but doing nothing is not an option.”


    Gillian felt a swell of gratitude, her voice thickening with emotion. “I’m just so worried about causing you trouble. Maybe it’s better if we let it go.”


    “No. If you don’t want the police involved, then we’re going to the Martel house. Alban needs to make this right, and at the very least, he’s going topensate you for what he put you through,” Christina said, her mind made up.


    Had Alban not also been a victim of the same setup — and had Gillian not been so reluctant to involve the authorities — Christina would have had no hesitation sending him straight to jail.


    “Do you think they’ll actually listen? What if they use us of trying to extort money from them?” Gillian asked, her voice small and anxious.


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