Silence settled heavily in the room after Gianna’s word, thick, oppressing, as its victims exchanged furtive glances at the implication hanging in the air.
Arthur Beckett was the backer? What would that even an?
Gianna didn’t know.
With all the threads of information and half-ford clues floating everywhere, colliding and tangling, she truly didn’t know.
She only knew one thing with certainty—that she needed to uncover the truth before everything beca even more complicated, before it spiraled further out of reach.
Elite clubs, powerful n and backers, and whatnot, was no small matter.
"Gianna... why would you say that?" old Mr. Thorne finally asked, leaning forward in his seat, interest sharp in his eyes. The ntion of the said elite club had clearly caught his attention.
An elite club he himself wasn’t part of... or aware of. What were the odds?
"During my last dinner with Clent and his family," Gianna said, her voice low, steady despite the fatigue creeping in, "when he tried to make sign off my shares, he talked about getting Arthur to sack if I didn’t cooperate..."
She sighed, shoulders lifting in a weak shrug. "I don’t know, Gramps. I’m just grasping at straws. Arthur may just be soone he t on the golf course... my employer might be innocent."
"Or not," old Mr. Thorne replied quietly, a deep crease forming on his forehead.
"We’ll be checking him out," he continued. "He hasn’t had a very pristine past or reputation. There are rumors that trail him sotis—things that never quite get pinned or confird, no matter what..."
He paused, eyes narrowing. "Sothing about a cri ring?"
Gianna exhaled tiredly. Great.
"But," he added, "they might just be rumors. We’ll check it out properly."
Athena nodded at once. "Yes. I’ll get Susan to dig into it with the Nimbus operation. Spider’s already with us, so he knows what to look for..."
"So," Ewan began, summing it up carefully, "what we have is that Es and Sabrina are behind the accidents and the rumors that went out hours ago—"
Zane’s head snapped up sharply, rage flickering deep in his eyes. "What did I miss?"
"Es and Sabrina," Ewan said. "They’re behind the accident that almost claid Gianna and Noah’s lives. Es, annoyed that her brother got involved, cut off Sabrina—and I’d say she’s behind the tomato attack."
He gestured toward Spider’s laptop, when Athena’s brow went up.
"One of the screens—the one outside the restaurant. I saw her making a call. Minutes later, the attackers arrived. My gut says she’s behind it. Sabrina, determined to make the best of her situation then, goes completely wacko."
A pause followed. Zane clenched his fists, jaw tight, his mind clearly racing through how to deal with Sabrina first—then Es. It didn’t matter who she belonged to.
"Also," Ewan added, "I think they’re behind the kidnapping incident. It would make sense—Es could’ve gotten the n into the building, maybe even bribed the guard. We can—"
Gianna was already shaking her head, cutting him off, drawing all attention back to herself.
"I only need protection," she said firmly. "But as for dealing with them—I’ll handle that myself. My own way."
"Herbert is already dead, and Antonio is in prison. Karma has already dealt them their cards. Es. Sabrina. My family." Her lips pressed together briefly. "They’re obsessed with seeing fail. I’ll prove them wrong. And then I’ll make sure they rot in jail."
She turned slightly toward Spider. "Just compile the evidence—everything you find—and send it to , the sa way you send it to the others."
Spider nodded quickly, noting the steel that had crept unmistakably into her voice.
"For their connection to Philemon’s gang..." Gianna paused, lips pressing tighter. "I’ll leave that part to you."
She didn’t specify who you was—but everyone understood.
"The elite club and all that... I’d rather other corporations weren’t dragged into this. I don’t want—"
"It might, my dear," Florence interrupted gently. "If your uncle really has a backer, and that backer is a nosy one, things could spiral. But we can’t withhold justice just to avoid making a naless figure uncomfortable. Or do you want that?"
Gianna shook her head slowly. "I want justice served for my parents, no matter whose ass is gored."
For my child too.
Her uncle would pay for staying silent over the murder of his own brother. And so would his family. And so would Es.
They wanted her gone, wanted her erased from their lives? Fine. She would show up everywhere—in her best form—until they drowned in their own misery.
With every determined thought, her face tightened, hardening into sothing ironclad.
"Spider," she called a mont later, turning fully to the hacker, "I need you to find soone for . My family’s lawyer. He’s been missing since my grandfather’s death."
Her teeth clenched. "Please. Just find him. He has a lot of explaining to do."
Gianna was bent on stripping everything away from her uncle—starting with the house, then the company. All the wrath she had reserved for dead Herbert would be poured onto him instead.
"Do you have a na? Anything?" Spider asked.
Gianna nodded. "I’ll send it to you."
Then... the second thing. The interview.
Her gaze drifted to Zane, whose head had bowed again.
She didn’t know exactly what he was thinking, but she knew enough of what he was feeling—and she didn’t give a damn.
He was the reason she was in this ss in the first place. He and his cursed family.
"Are you still doing the interview?" Areso asked softly from beside her when silence settled again.
Gianna nodded. "It needs to be done. It’ll prove Sabrina wrong, at least. It’ll make them scramble."
When she smiled, it was sharp—sinister enough to make Athena smirk. Her friend was going to be fine, and was going to be stronger.
And she would be there to make sure every enemy—old and new—got exactly what they deserved. One never knew what would surface when one started digging.
"I’m going upstairs," Gianna said at last, glancing at the clock. "To refresh for the interview."
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