The scandal caused TerraLink Group’s stock prices to plummet, leading the board members to grow restless. The old foxes in the boardroom began pressuring Michelle to remove Vince from his position as general manager.
Naturally, Michelle refused. Once the Perkins family relinquished control, the company would be stripped bare and divided up by others.
When Gianna arrived at the Perkins family’s old residence, Vince was kneeling in front of his father’s portrait. His expression was cold, but his voice was steady as he said, word by word, “Roxan is not a mistress.”
Michelle trembled with rage, her voice shaking as she rebuked him, “A woman who shamelessly climbs into another’s bed for status—if that’s not a mistress, then what is? Vince, have you forgotten that Gianna is your legitimate wife? With the Chandler family creating such an ugly mess, how do you expect her to face the world?”
Vince fell silent for a moment before replying coolly, “Gianna and I have been married for three years, but I’ve never touched her. Does that even count as a marriage?”
His words left Michelle momentarily stunned, but at the doorway, Gianna laughed aloud.
It was true: for three years, they had slept in separate rooms, never crossing that line.
But there was one exception, an accident three months ago.
That night, Gianna had been returning from a school reunion. Passing a bar, she caught sight of Roxan supporting a clearly drunk Vince. The two of them stumbled toward a luxury car parked by the curb.
Despite everything she had endured over the past two years, the sight still stirred a bitter ache in Gianna’s heart. Her feet felt like they were weighed down with lead, and she couldn’t move a step.
Just as Roxan was about to open the car door, a rough-looking young man grabbed her arm. A heated argument broke out between the two.
Gianna couldn’t hear what they were saying, but whatever the man said next made Roxan’s expression falter. Left with no choice, she pushed Vince into the back seat and followed the man away.
Gianna stood frozen on the spot for over half an hour, but Roxan didn’t return.
Eventually, a traffic officer approached to issue a parking ticket. On impulse, Gianna retrieved the car keys from Vince’s pocket, started the car, and drove him home.
She barely managed to drag him to the bed before he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. His breath was hot and unsteady, his cheeks flushed unnaturally red, and the way he looked at her was hazy and unfocused.
A sense of danger surged through Gianna.
He wouldn’t...
Her fears were confirmed. Vince began pawing at her, tearing at her clothes, his fiery kisses landing everywhere.
She was scared and tried to struggle, but the disparity in strength between a man and a woman was too great.
Unable to break free, she bit down hard on his shoulder.
The sharp pain made him flinch, and he let out a low groan. Gianna thought the pain might snap him out of it, but instead, he held her even tighter. His breath, hot and heavy against her ear, carried a seductive murmur, “Anna, be good. Don’t fight.”
Gianna froze.
Anna.
It was the nickname he had given her when they were children. He had called her that countless times, but ever since university, he had grown distant and cold toward her. After meeting Roxan, he even started picking fights and giving her the silent treatment. He hadn’t called her that name in years.
Her brief moment of distraction gave him the chance to overpower her completely.
What followed was a night of madness.
The next morning, to avoid any awkwardness, Gianna left early.
Vince, however, never mentioned that night. Instead, he became even more attentive to Roxan, likely thinking he had mistaken Gianna for someone else in his drunken state.
The last flicker of hope in Gianna’s heart was snuffed out.
But fate loves to play cruel tricks. That one night left her pregnant—a fleeting moment of joy that ended in heartbreak when she lost the baby.
Her love had finally run dry.
“I’m not the only one tired of this sham marriage,” Gianna said with a faint smile, her tone calm and emotionless. “Vince, I’ve already filed for a divorce online. Please cooperate and sign it.”
