Claim
Chapter 8
1/1
The living room went quiet again, and Giselle remained dazed for a long moment.
She tapped open the bank notification on her phone, staring at that staggering string of zeros, but it didn’t thrill her. If anything, it only weighed on her more. Donovan had written her off with a measly ten million dollars–pocket change to a man like him. Yet for some other woman, he’d pour out his entire fortune, even his whole self, just to build a happy marriage.
The thought brought a faint tightness to Giselle’s chest.
She took a slim cigarette from the coffee table drawer, lit it, and let it rest between her fingers. Then she brought it to her lips, drew a deep breath, and exhaled the smoke with a smooth, practiced ease.
Wrapped in that hazy cloud, her tension loosened. The hollow melancholy from moments before was already fading away.
In the days that followed, Giselle threw herself into scouting locations for her new veterinary clinic, leaving no time for those toxic people and their drama. She’d studied veterinary medicine abroad and had always loved animals. After returning home, she launched her own veterinary clinic.
Thanks to her natural talent and sharp business sense, Giselle now ran a chain of clinics offering pet healthcare, grooming, food, and boarding–primarily serving high end clients with deep pockets.
Whenever those wealthy socialites‘ pets fell ill with mysterious conditions, her expertise always saved them. Over time, she’d built a solid reputation in the Industry
One morning, after finishing a meeting with her team, Giselle was on her phone during a break when it chimed with a WhatsApp notification. It was another message from Zach.
He asked if she was free that day and invited her to go mountain biking. He even sent a photo of a high–end bike, bragging that it was his new ride and encouraging her to try it out.
Since she didn’t have anything important that afternoon and honestly, she’d been itching to hit the trails after so long–she happily agreed without hesitation.
Giselle went home to change into her professional mountain biking gear and packed some casual clothes for later. Then, she hopped in her car and plugged the address Zach had sent into her GPS.
She sped the whole way, driving like she was in some kind of race, and made it there in under half an hour.
The place was out in the suburbs- a national forest park or something similar. Rolling hills, lakes, and stone steps made the area incredibly scenic.
The perfect terrain had allowed for some mountain bike trails to be built, drawing plenty of riders eager for an adrenaline rush.
Giselle had just parked her car and stepped out when someone called from behind, “Giselle!”
She turned to see a tall, handsome young man walking toward her. Like her, he was dressed in sleek mountain biking gear, pushing a brand–new mountain bike.
It was Zach.
They’d first met six months ago at a wingsuit flying event organized by their group. Giselle didn’t actually know the guy’s name. She’d never asked, and he’d never offered.
From what friends had told her, he was some ultra–rich heir, just 24, still working on his master’s at the world–famous Machett Institute of Technology. He was also into extreme sports, just like her.
They didn’t talk much. She’d only seen him two or three times, always in group outings with friends. Today was the first time they’d met alone.
“Here, I got this just for you,” Zach said as he wheeled the bike over to her, introducing it with a proud grin. “This model’s top–tier, specs–wise. It took me two months to get it through a personal shopper.”
“Oh, is that so? Let me take a look.”
After all, Giselle was a hardcore enthusiast in this field and knew her stuff. As Zach explained, she crouched down, inspecting the bike with sharp interest and testing it with practiced ease.
The mountain bike featured top–of–the–line braking systems and electronic shifting, with impact resistance that was nearly unmatched anywhere else.
Every component was high–end, from the inverted forks all the way down to the tires. A beast like this easily commanded five figures.
“This one’s yours. Mine’s over there,” Zach said, motioning for his assistant to bring the other bike closer. “Mine’s blue. We’d be a matching pair.”
At the words “matching pair“, Giselle let out a noncommittal chuckle. “Let’s get going. We should head over and get ready. Which trail do you want?”
“Your call. I’m good with anything. Wait.” Zach looked up, his gaze locking onto hers with sudden intensity. “Before we start, there’s something important I need
to ask you.”
“What?”
