Gianna had become so unfamiliar to him that he almost didn’t recognize her.
“You...” Vince couldn’t help but speak up.
Gianna ignored him, calmly placing the washed dishes back in the cabinet. She removed her apron and brushed past him.
His gaze drifted downward, and his brows furrowed. Raising his voice, he called out, “Gianna, wait.”
She stopped but didn’t bother turning around. “What is it now?”
His voice carried a hint of awkwardness. “You... there’s a stain on the back of your pants. Looks like quite a lot. Is this a hormonal imbalance or something?”
Gianna took a deep breath, and she was just about to respond when Vince’s phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, he didn’t hesitate to answer, his tone softening immediately. “Rox, what’s wrong?”
Through the receiver came a girl’s sobbing voice, broken by hiccups.
“Vince, I twisted my ankle while trying to change the light fixture. It’s so swollen and hurts so much. Can you come over? I’m scared...”
“Don’t move. I’ll be right there!” Vince anxiously replied.
Gianna didn’t care about their affairs. She turned and headed to her bedroom to change her pants.
“Gianna,” Vince called after her. “Do you need me to take you to the hospital on the way? That bleeding looks like a lot.”
His attempt at concern felt shallow and insincere, like a casual afterthought.
She paused at the door and smirked faintly. “No need. Have you ever heard of a woman dying from her period? You’d better hurry to Roxan’s house. It’s dangerous for a girl to be home alone.”
Hearing her mention Roxan, Vince’s unease grew stronger.
But Roxan’s sobbing on the phone became even more pitiful. Without time to think further, he said to Gianna, “Alright then, I’ll go. Take care of yourself and drink more water if you’re not feeling well.”
Gianna didn’t respond. She simply closed the door.
For the next two days, Vince didn’t return.
It wasn’t hard to guess why—Roxan must have made him stay. Not that it mattered to Gianna; his absence only made things more convenient for her.
The bags Michelle had gifted her had already been sold as nine-tenths new, bringing in over 1.2 million dollars.
Having spent so many years with the Perkins family, Gianna knew that Michelle had always wanted to recover the couple’s heirloom pocket watch—a memento from her youth with Vince's late father. However, the demands of running the company after her husband’s death had left no time to track it down.
Years ago, Gianna had seen a photograph of the watch and taken a picture of it herself. She had quietly asked a friend to help locate it. Last month, her friend informed her that it had finally been found.
If not for the incident with the baby, she would have already brought it back. Thankfully, it wasn’t too late now.
Early the next morning, the package containing the pocket watch arrived. Though it bore some minor scratches, the photograph of Perkins family inside remained intact. That alone made it worthwhile.
Gianna was about to call Michelle to share the good news when her phone rang.
“Gia, can you come to the old house?” Michelle’s voice was tinged with frustration. “That Roxan has stirred up trouble again.”
From their conversation, Gianna quickly understood the gist of what had happened.
It was almost laughable. Roxan’s leech-like parents had shown up outside the TerraLink Group headquarters, causing a scene and demanding some “pocket money” from their son-in-law, the general manager.
Everyone knew that Vince’s wife was Gianna. Her father had passed away in an accident years ago, and her mother had died, saving the former TerraLink Group general manager.
Now, two random people were claiming to be his “in-laws,” causing a public spectacle.
What even more outrageous was Roxan’s mother, who, after crying and making a scene, went as far as to hoist a banner proclaiming that Roxan was Vince’s “second wife.” She essentially admitted that her daughter was a mistress, destroying another woman’s marriage.
The news exploded online. Media outlets rushed to report the scandal. Within half a day, the TerraLink Group building was swarmed by onlookers and reporters, leaving no room to breathe.
