Chapter 25
When Zachary and Giselle got to the parking lot, he suggested they head to a gym near her neighborhood to make it easier for her to get home afterward. Then, he eased into the passenger seat beside her.
She agreed, but as she drove, her mind was clearly elsewhere.
Noticing her dazed look, he asked, “What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing,” she said, trying to brush it off. “Tonight was quite the coincidence, huh? To think we’d actually run into your uncle like that.”
Zachary laughed. “Oh, the owner of that restaurant is an old friend of his. He always takes his foreign clients there for dinner, so running into him isn’t surprising at all.”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but lean a bit closer toward her.
“My uncle’s always on my side–especially when it comes to dating,” he continued nonchalantly. “No matter what kind of woman I bring home, he never objects. And once he gives his approval, Grandma has to go along with it too. My parents? Their opinions don’t matter at all!”
Staring at his bright smile, Giselle couldn’t help but recall all the things she’d done with Donovan.
A twinge of guilt flickered through her, but it quickly vanished. After all, she wasn’t some saint who got caught up in guilt easily. She was always level–headed, knowing exactly what she wanted and what she was doing.
She went on to play tennis with Zachary for two hours at the gym. While she ended up drenched in sweat, she felt utterly refreshed and relaxed.
By the time Giselle got back to her apartment, it was nearly 10:00 pm. After parking her car, she entered the elevator and pressed the button for her floor.
Just then, her phone buzzed with a message from Zachary.
“Sweet dreams. Let’s hang out again tomorrow.”
As the elevator doors opened, she stepped out while casually typing her reply.
“Sure. Goodnight.”
But the moment she looked up and was about to start toward her door, she spotted a man leaning against it. He was glaring at her, and if looks could kill, she’d probably be dead by now.
Giselle froze, but she didn’t lose her composure.
“Mr. Kane, did you miss me that much?” she drawled, drawing closer to him. “It’s only been three days, and you’re already showing up at my door.”
Donovan remained silent, but the grim look on his face was unsettling.
She nudged him and urged, “Hey, move over. I need to open the door.”
Completely unfazed, she unlocked the door with her fingerprint and swung the door open. She even generously gave him the passkey.
“Next time, you can just let yourself in and wait for me in bed,” she added with a smirk. “There’s no need to freeze out here.”
Donovan had meant to hold it together for a few more minutes, but she always had a way of infuriating him within seconds–using the most nonchalant tone she could muster. His hand shot out, grabbing her chin roughly.
Pinning her against the door, he glowered at her and growled, “Giselle, how many times have I told you not to mess with him? Why the hell are you always going against me? What the fuck do you want? Are you just deliberately trying to piss me off?”
Recalling how she had shown up at the restaurant with Zachary tonight–looking like a pair of lovebirds–and imagining her playing tennis with him for two hours, dressed in that fitted white top that hugged her chest, his eyes burned with rage.
At that moment, he felt like he could strangle her on the spot.
But Giselle remained unshaken by his fury.
“Mr. Kane, you’re hurting me,” she said with a cold sneer.
Then, her sultry gaze fell on him as she continued sweetly, “Can’t you calm down a bit? Nothing happened between me and Zachary. It’s just… a little misunderstanding.”
Her unexpected words threw him off.
He froze, his anger gradually subsiding as his grip on her chin loosened.
Reaching out to pat his cheek, she added in a gentle yet mocking tone, “Relax. I haven’t even held his hand. He’s just a kid, and we were just hanging out. There’s no need to be jealous.”
Then suddenly, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him right on the lips.
