Hearing those words, Anneliese felt the blood in her veins turn to ice. She


    instinctively denied the possibility.


    Her grandmother continued to press her, unyielding. "Well?"


    "If it''s him, I would never be with him." Her throat constricted, burning as the words escaped her lips.


    "Don''t forget those words."


    At the police station, Gianna and the three other women, including Anahi, found themselves confined to the same holding room that had once held Jessica.


    They had each been interrogated separately for an ufortably long time before being reunited. At this point, whatever mour or arrogance they once carried had drained from their faces.


    They looked utterly disheveled, theirplexions as pale as ghosts.


    "Why won''t they let us make any phone calls?" one of them sobbed. "Please, Gianna, can''t you call your father or your brother? We can''t spend the night here!"


    "There isn''t even a chair to sit on in here! You have to do something, Gianna! We only did this for you!"


    "You said Jessica was just a nobody! Gianna, you''re the heiress of the Malone family-how could you not even deal with her? And now you''ve dragged us down with you... If we had known..."


    "Are you done?" Gianna snapped, cutting them off irritably. Like the other three, her nerves were frayed to the breaking point.


    It wasn''t that she didn''t want to call for help.


    She had tried, but the police had refused to let her contact her family, clearly acting under strict orders to cut them off from the outside world.


    Her brother had known she was being held at the station—and to her horror, he had done nothing to help.


    If her brother ignored her, and she couldn''t contact her father for help... She didn''t even dare to imagine the consequences.


    No. Absolutely not.


    I have to save myself.


    Reaching out, she grabbed Anahi by the cor and hissed in a low voice, "This whole mess is your fault in the first ce! If they question you again, you''ll tell them it was your idea. You''re the one who couldn''t stand Jessica. You were in a bad mood when she offended you, so you decided to teach her a lesson. And you''re the one who bribed Erick to help us. Do you understand?"


    Anahi''s face went white with fear.


    "What? You know that''s not true! And bribing a cop would give me a criminal record! I..."


    Gianna snarled coldly, "Shut it. If you hadn''t refused to inflict an actual injury on yourself and instead chosen to barely scrape your skin-then run off clubbing afterward—we wouldn''t be stuck in this position!


    "Listen carefully. If you don''t do exactly as I say, I''ll have your father kicked out of the Malone Group the moment I''m out of here. Think about how fell punish you then Maybe hell really send you off to marry Mr. Bowers, hmm?"


    Thest traces of color quickly drained from Anahi''s face. Her father had always valued sons over daughters to an extreme degree. It was no exaggeration to say he cared nothing for her.


    He had even arranged to marry her off to Ignacio Bowers, a business partner of the Malone Group—an aging man well past fifty.


    If she hadn''t clung desperately to Gianna, proving to her father she still had some worth, she would''ve been forced into that marriage long ago. The thought filled her with dread.


    She couldn''t afford to offend Gianna. If she caused her father to be kicked out of the Malone Group, she didn''t dare imagine what would happen to her afterward.


    But why? Why should she take the me? It had all been Gianna''s doing!


    In the end, she bit her lip and nodded reluctantly. But her lowered eyes were red, filled with humiliation and resentment.


    Gianna wasn''t released from the police station until noon the next day. The ring sunlight stabbed at her eyes. After a sleepless night in the holding cell, her eyes were burning and swollen. Shame and fury burned in her heart.


    Steven''s driver was waiting outside the police station. Stepping forward, he opened the car door and said, "Ms. Malone, Mr. Malone has instructed me to send you home so you can reflect on your actions."


    She had her own residence in Oceaton. Since she loved the party scene and despised being restricted, she had avoided living with her elders. She preferred to live on her own, frequently staying out all night with her friends.


    The driver clearly meant to send her back to her own residence. She stared at him in disbelief, acting almost as though he had pped her in the face.


    "I''m not reflecting on anything! He''s the one who should reflect on his actions! Get lost!"


    After yelling at the driver, she stormed away and gged down a cab. Then, she left without a backward nce.


    The driver was just one of the many employees in the family. Powerless against his employers, he could do nothing but endure her temper. He immediately called Steven to report, "Mr. Malone Ms. Malone has refused to enter the car. She left in a cab. She also said..."


    His words trailed away as he hesitated to continue.


    Steven was working at the Oceaton sub-bureau. He didn''t even nce away from his paperwork while listening to the report. "Say it."


    "She said the one who should reflect isn''t her, but you." The driver had no intention


    to cover for Gianna, though he didn''t bother exaggerating her words either.


    Steven signed the file, then closed it. Tapping his pen against the paper, he sank into thought.


    The punishment had clearly been too light. Gianna showed no awareness of her wrongdoing and now, she was resentful as well.


    Gianna took the cab directly to the most luxurious gated enve in


    Oceaton. Nestled between


    mountains and water, the area was serene and lush Vis were scattered throughout like stars


    among the dense greenery, and


    from the outside, it was impossible


    to even glimpse any of the residents within.