"Mom, are you being serious?"
Gianna''s tears stopped instantly when Pepper mentioned that Jessica would pay— and that she even knew exactly where Jessica was hiding.
She lifted her chin, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Pepper, utterly untroubled by the thought of someone else suffering. In fact, a thrill danced in her gaze.
Jessica had crossed the wrong person. That was on her.
"Of course it''s real. Don''t feel sad. Since Zane clearly isn''t paying attention, maybe you should consider someone else, Gianna..."
Pepper tried to steer her toward a new target, but Gianna cut her off sharply.
"No way. If I want a man, I''m going to get him."
She had been chasing Zane for years and wasn''t about to give up now.
Besides, everyone around them already knew Gianna had a thing for Zane. If she suddenly changed her focus, it would make it obvious that she had thrown herself at him and failed.
She refused to be the joke, and she certainly wouldn''t let some nobody like Jessica —an uneducated, low-ss girl—outdo her.
"Gianna, Zane waspletely set today. You can''t force it. Listen to me..."
Pepper tried again, but Gianna pushed her away, seething.
"I said no! You can''t judge a fire by how it sparks at first. He''s just caught up with that b*tch for now. Give it time. Once the heat dies down, he''ll see I''m the one for him."
Seeing Gianna wasn''t listening, Pepper let it go. She didn''t want their newly repaired mother-daughter bond to fracture again over this.
"By the way, Mom, Ellie clings to Anneliese like crazy. Could Anneliese be her birth mother? Otherwise, how could they look so much alike? There has to be some blood connection for them to be so close for no reason, right? Just like us—even before I realized you were my mom, I already felt how close we were."
Gianna had never been able to figure it out, so she threw the idea into the air.
Back then, even when their grandpa punished Steven-making him kneel in the family hall for two days straight and hitting him—Steven never admitted who Ellie''s birth mother was.
Pepper''s brow twitched as she held Gianna''s shoulders tightly.
"She''s not Ellie''s mom. Trust me. Stop overthinking it."
Gianna looked up, rolling her shoulders as Pepper gripped too hard, making her wince.
"How do you know for sure? Maybe she is. Look at Anneliese-she has that irresistible, sly kind of charm. Steven treats her differently. At the stationst time he clearly took her side."
Pepper realized she''d lost her temper. She released her grip with a sigh. "How old was Anneliese four or five years ago? She wasn''t even eighteen. There''s no way she could bright under everyone''s noses in Oceaton those years. There''s no chance she got pregnant in secret. You''re imagining things."
have had Ellie. Plus, she living
Gianna knew about Anneliese''s past too, and it did seem impossible.
Still, a nagging doubt lingered in her chest.
After Pepper left, the frustration from earlier returned, sharp and insistent.
She needed an outlet.
Her eyes glimmered with resolve as she grabbed her phone and made a call.
Meanwhile, at the Banyans, Anneliese and Jonathan had just returned when someone knocked at the door.
At that moment, Jonathan had Anneliese pressed against the wardrobe, her legs wrapped around his waist, their mouths locked together.
His kiss was deep and demanding, his lips coaxing hers with a gentle intensity. "Do you really think you owe me?"
He was talking about giving her the award on stage today and reminding her of the times years ago when she had missed out on him.
She admitted feeling guilty and wanting to make it up to him, wanting to please him.
Her eyes shimmered with the reflection of his gaze, which seemed to hold only her.
She nodded, her fingers tracing the curves of his brow andshes.
???
Jonathan raised a brow, smiling. "They say love always leaves you feeling a little indebted. Seems my baby''spletely fallen for me, bun?"
Anneliese''s lips curved into a soft smile as she hummed and tugged gently at his
short, stiff hair.
"Why are you still doubting me? You''re going to make me mad."