Gianna shouted in anger, "Shut up!"


    She never should''ve called Pepper. She was a youngdy of the Malone family. How could she not be Adrian''s daughter?


    Then, who was she supposed to be? Just the niece of Adrian''s ex-wife?


    That status was even worse than being an illegitimate child.


    "This can''t be true! It just can''t be."


    After saying that, Gianna turned and stumbled toward the door.


    She didn''t want to hear Pepper say anything else about her background.


    She knew none of it would be what she wanted to hear.


    She refused to believe the truth and wanted to get Adrian''s hair and do a DNA test.


    Her dad spoiled her so much as she had grown up in the Malone family, so she had to be his daughter.


    "Gianna!"


    Pepper was shoved aside again and again. It felt like someone crushed her heart and rubbed broken ss into it. The pain was unbearable.


    She stood there for a long moment before she reacted.


    When she saw Gianna rush out, she hurried after her.


    Gianna ran onto the main road in a mess. A blinding beam of headlights shed in front of her, and she froze in shock.


    She wanted to run, but her body didn''t respond.


    Someone yanked her hard from behind, causing her to fall back awkwardly. The speeding car rushed past.


    The man in the passenger seat leaned out and cursed loudly, "Are you crazy? If you wanna die, jump off a building!"


    Gianna was dragged aside, but she and the person behind her both fell to the ground.


    Her heart was pounding.


    Her hands and legs felt weak.


    She had just lifted her head when a pnded on her face.


    Pepper pped her so hard that blood appeared at the corner of her mouth. "Have you regained yourposure?"


    Gianna was nowposed.


    She clenched her teeth, pushed her messy hair aside, and stared at Pepper with red eyes.


    When Pepper saw her swollen cheek, pain filled her eyes. She reached out to touch her, but Gianna turned her away. Then, she pushed herself up in the silence and turned in the direction of the hotel.


    ...


    They returned to the same room as before.


    Gianna sat on the couch. She took the ice pack from Pepper''s hand and pressed it against her swollen face. Her voice sounded hoarse. "Go on. I''m listening."


    Only then did Pepper sit down beside her.


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to hit you just now. I was just—"


    Gianna cut her off. "Cut to the chase."


    Seeing that her daughter had no interest in bonding with her at all, Pepper paled. She pressed her lips together before speaking.


    "Back then, when your aunt was


    heavily pregnant, she was


    kidnapped During that time, she


    gave birth to a baby girl. That baby


    died after being


    run ove by a car


    While your aunt was trying to escape. The person behind the kidnapping was Adrian''s childhood friend. Because of that, your aunt divorced Adrian."


    Gianna frowned. "What does that have to do with me?"


    Pepper''s eyes reddened as she drifted into her memories.


    "Of course it has something to do with you. When that baby died, I was already


    seven months pregnant with you. As for your biological father..."


    When Pepper thought of Gianna''s biological father, she frowned slightly.


    Back then, when Wendy married into the Malone family, she lived in total luxury. Pepper was her younger sister.


    She had seen the Malone family''s wealth with her own eyes. She had seen how the refined young man of the Malone family loved, protected, and pursued her sister.


    There was no way she could ept marrying an ordinary man.


    With the help of the Malone family''s connections, she managed to get close to the Lewis family''s youngest son. They were considered the upper ss in Halden at the time.


    She even got pregnant.


    She dreamed of marrying into a wealthy family and living well because of her child.


    But her luck was terrible. The Lewis family backed the wrong side and copsed overnight.


    The youngest son of the Lewis family ran overseas.


    At that time, Pepper was heavily pregnant with Gianna, being over six months along. An abortion would''ve been too damaging to her body, so she could only give birth.


    She had nothing left as she lost everything. She became a single mother, pregnant and alone, enduring strange looks and open contempt.


    At the same time, Wendy was the matriarch of the Malone family. She had a sweet, well-behaved son. Her husband was gentle and caring. She was about to have both a son and a daughter.


    They were sisters, yet their lives turned outpletely different.


    Pepper felt that anyone in her position would''ve struggled to ept it and would''ve carried quiet jealousy.


    Then, one monthter, something happened to Wendy.


    "My biological father did what?" Gianna asked impatiently when Pepper stayed silent for too long.


    Pepper snapped out of her


    memories and looked at Gianna. He


    doesn''t matter. What matters is that after your aunt lost her daughter,


    she fell into depression gave birth toyou around that time.


    "During that time, Adrian brought your aunt to the hospital to visit. After losing her child, she didn''t


    speak didn''t cry, and didn''t smile. When she held you in her arms, she


    suddenly broke down crying."