Adrian yanked at the top two buttons of his shirt, his voice rough with irritation. "If you weren''t on board from the beginning, you should have said so to your parents right away."


    Zane faced Gianna, his expression sharp. "Ms. Malone, you''ve always been like a little sister from a long-time family friend. Nothing''s ever going to happen between us. How many times have I said no-eight, nine, maybe ten? Haven''t I made myself clear?"


    Gianna had never imagined Zane would speak so bluntly, right in front of her parents.


    It felt as if someone had shredded her pride into pieces.


    For years, she had followed him relentlessly, always chasing after him. And yes, he had refused her every single time.


    But that had always been behind closed doors. Zane had spared her some dignity in private.


    Because of that small mercy, Gianna had continued pursuing him without restraint until everyone around knew she had a crush on him.


    Even the elders had noticed and, naturally, tried to nudge them together.


    She had practically marked him as hers. Any girl Zane dated was temporary-never serious, never aligned with his family, never marriage material.


    Among the young heiresses, it was assumed that Gianna and Zane would eventually be engaged. Out of respect and social etiquette, no one dared to approach him seriously. And if some naive girl tried, Gianna would make sure she backed off.


    That made her the only one close enough to Zane in their circle. In her mind, it was only a matter of time before he fell for her and agreed to marry.


    She had even tracked down his previous girlfriend and humiliated her until she left. When Zane learned of it, he had barely reacted.


    Yet this time, he dragged the Malone family into the mess over that awful Jessica and spoke mercilessly, showing no hesitation.


    "Gianna! Is he serious?"


    Gianna flinched at Adrian''s icy tone, still stunned. Her eyes, bright red with emotion, met his. "No... he might have said those things, but if he really didn''t care about me, why would he have tolerated me chasing him all these years? Why would he let mee and go at the Shaymans'' during New Year and other holidays?"


    Zane cut through her denial like a de. "I never allowed you to chase me. And the Malone and Shayman families never cut off ties."


    In other words, he had been clear in his rejections, but Gianna had persisted. He hadn''t been able to stop her.


    And because the Malones and Shaymans were old family friends, there was no way she could be forbidden from visiting during the holidays as a younger member of the family.


    His gaze was cold and mocking, striking her chest like a knife. Her face med.


    Tears slipped out before she could stop them. "No! I..."


    She tried to protest, but Adrian''s voice dropped with finality.


    "Enough. Haven''t you humiliated yourself enough? You''re my daughter. You will have plenty of admirers. Let him go!"


    Gianna froze sopletely that the tears stopped. The moment Adrian told Zane to leave, she realized-if Zane walked out now, everything between them would end.


    She had spent years chasing him and couldn''t bring herself to give up now.


    "Dad..." she pleaded, her voice trembling, but Pepper pulled her back.


    Gianna spun toward Pepper, who shook her head.


    Adrian valued reputation above all. He had already made his position clear.


    If Gianna wanted to remain his daughter in his eyes, she couldn''t continue acting so recklessly.


    Zane hade to reject her in person. If she persisted, it would only humiliate Adrian further and deepen his disappointment.


    If she were his biological daughter, a few mistakes might be forgiven. But she wasn''t.


    She had already failed him too many times today. With Zane standing


    firm, continuing to chase him would.


    yield nothing except more disgust


    from Adrian.


    Gianna knew it. Meeting Pepper''s warning gaze, she wiped her tears, shrugged off Pepper''s hand, and ran upstairs.


    Zane blocked her path. She thought maybe he had softened, seeing her shattered state.


    But when her tearful eyes met his, his voice was icy.


    "Answer me first. Where did you send my girlfriend?"


    Another stab straight to her heart. Her vision blurred and her eyes reddened.


    "How would know? You probably dug up what happened that night. I was med and stuck at the station all night, okay? I haven''t seen her since Maybe she ran off while you were abroad with some sleazy guy. If you care that much, go find her yourself."