Chapter 29
Giselle paid no attention to the chaos around her. With a dramatic turn, she got into her car and drove away quickly.
Over the years, while she was quietly building her strength, she had been secretly gathering incriminating information on the Holts, planning to deploy it at just the right time.
Initially, she had planned to privately use Anne’s chaotic 20–year–old video to threaten Renee, never intending to make it public. She even thought about allowing them to retain some dignity.
However, after her pet shop was vandalized and Sebastian pushed her down the stairs, nearly costing her life, she decided to act. Choosing the moment when Anne was most in the spotlight, she delivered a devastating blow.
When Giselle got home, she unlocked her phone and saw that the scandalous video from Anne’s engagement ceremony was already going viral online.
In this age of digital media, even the most shocking news from the most remote places could spread rapidly on the internet, let alone a significant event like the engagement between two prominent families, the Kanes and the Holts.
Furthermore, Anne had built various personas in high society as a top graduate from Oxhall University, a wealthy socialite, a young violin prodigy, the founder of a famous art gallery, an environmental ambassador, and a jewelry investor.
With the scandal breaking, Anne’s meticulously crafted reputation crumbled like a landslide. Despite the Holts‘ frantic attempts at damage control by issuing statements asserting the video was fake and sharing copies of police reports and lawyer notices, they couldn’t quell the online buzz.
Giselle felt she had achieved a phased victory. She was finally able to rest peacefully. Dismissing any thoughts of repercussions, she turned off her phone and drifted into a deep sleep.
She slept deeply until noon the following day, only to be jolted awake by her dog’s frantic barking. Blinking her groggy eyes and still feeling disoriented, she instinctively glanced upward.
Oh, no. A man was
Landing next to the bed.
At first, she thought Donovan’s cold stare was a figment of her imagination. But suddenly, he bent down, seized her with a large hand, and roughly pulled her from the bed. She screamed, still in a daze, as he tightly gripped her hair.
“Did you release
video?” he demanded, his eyes fierce. He leaned close to her face and asked accusingly, “How could you sink so low?” Giselle had been expecting his arrival and had braced herself for his anger. She remained composed, unfazed by the situation.
With a smirk, she replied, “Really? After a year of being with me, you should know how I handle things. I offered you an opportunity before, but you refused to compromise. So, I had to handle it on my terms.”
His eyes blazed with a fury t
She continued taunting.at could have set her alight.
1
“How does it feel? You never thought the pure woman you cherished would turn out to be such a wild spirit, did you?”
He wasn’t one to use violence against women. Otherwise, he might have already struck her in his anger.
What infuriated him wasn’t Anne’s chaotic past or the public scandal that had followed. His deepest rage was directed at the person who had leaked the video- which was Giselle.
The woman with whom he’d shared countless intimate moments had proven to be selfish and ruthless beyond his worst expectations, using methods more unscrupulous than he had imagined.
“Giselle, must you be so shameless?” He pulled her hair harder, forcing her to look up at him.
Meeting his gaze, she laughed softly. “Yes, I’m shameless. But what about you? You talk about marriage while still sleeping with me. We’re both just scumbags. So, why pretend otherwise?”
