When Gianna stepped into the Thorne's mansion, the peace and quiet was exactly what she wanted.
The atmosphere was tainted—softly, beautifully—with the smell of jasmine, lavender, and a dozen other flowers drifting through the gardens. It was the fragrance she loved, the one thing she needed now to loosen the grief coiled tight in her chest.
She didn't think she could ever tire of inhaling this air, could ever stop taking steady, grounding breaths the moment she walked into this place. She didn't think she would ever want to leave it either, especially now that her friend would soon be joining Ewan at his own estate with their children.
A heaviness tugged at her heart. She would miss them. Truthfully, she was already missing her best friend.
She sighed quietly and returned the greeting of the guard who had opened the gates for her.
Do they ever sleep? she wondered, noticing others stationed at their usual strategic points as she strolled toward the porch.
She had expected them to relax a little, considering they had dealt with the evil that had come with the Grey Virus. But then… old Mr. Thorne might have their heads first.
Evil never truly slept, so best to remain vigilant at all times.
Inside, the house was just as silent. Just what she wanted. She wasn't in the mood to be questioned by her friends or by the overzealous twins.
With a soft exhale, she immediately zoomed to her room, needing a hot bath—something scorching enough to wash off whatever of Zane clung to her. She shuddered at the thought, at the memory, at the stupidity.
How had she slept with her number-one enemy? Shouldn't she have sensed it even in her drunk state?
She huffed, stepping into her room, only to release another breath when she saw Chelsea—her good, dependable friend—fast asleep on her bed, curled under the duvet like a peaceful cat.
Closing the door gently so as not to wake the latter and in turn attract a million questions, Gianna tiptoed toward the bathroom, praying Chelsea was in one of those deep knockout sleeps she was famous for.
Inside the bathroom, she stepped under the shower and pushed the tab for hot water. As steam filled the space, so did her sense of being scrubbed clean—of ridding herself of Zane's filth.
She scrubbed herself raw, but calmly, her movements slow and methodical. She didn't cuss, didn't think, didn't let her mind wander. Not until she was done did she breathe out through her mouth, feeling thoroughly purged.
But the moment she stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a silk burgundy bathrobe, and saw Chelsea now sitting upright on the bed, she cussed loudly.
"My bedhair looks that bad?" Chelsea asked, touching her hair while crossing her legs with sleepy precision. "Should be, if it warranted a cuss word from you. I would have taken a bath, but I haven't the strength for it."
She eyed Gianna settling at the vanity table, drying her hair with brisk movements. "And you… where are you coming from?"
Gianna rolled her eyes, preparing for the unavoidable interrogation. "Had a one-night stand."
A beat of silence passed before Chelsea burst out laughing.
"Are you crazy? Athena's wedding did a time on you? I thought you were done drinking and forgetting yourself?"
"So did I. You can imagine the surprise…" Gianna deadpanned, her sarcasm wasted on Chelsea, who was already grinning.
"And I take it you didn't see the face of your one-night stand, at least?"
Gianna shook her head, placing the drying towel on the pole beside her.
Chelsea snorted. "Maybe one day you should take a peep… could possibly be a wealthy billionaire."
Gianna's glare made Chelsea laugh harder. Before Gianna could tell her to go back to sleep, there was a knock at the door.
She groaned. Loudly.
"Who is there?"
No answer—but the door pushed open, revealing Areso in a silk purple nightgown, her hair loose and stunning as always. It didn't matter that the time was barely six AM.
"I heard Chelsea's hoots… what am I missing?" Areso asked as she walked in and shut the door behind her.
Gianna stared at her, fully exasperated—the kind of exasperation that tightened her jaw and made her eyes narrow in silent begging.
Areso, the baddest fashion designer in the entire universe. She had yet to see another who could do with fabrics what Areso did.
As for Chelsea—well, Chelsea was a pediatrician, the best in her field. It was crazy that Gianna had somehow ended up with friends who were top in theirs, insanely ambitious like she was.
It was a blessing she cherished, but right now? It was exhausting. They were just as ambitious in gossip!
"Why do you look like that? Chelsea up to her antics again?" Areso asked.
Gianna nodded with a pout, silently seeking deliverance. Chelsea scoffed.
Here it goes.
"She had a one-night stand."
Areso's eyes only widened a fraction. "You didn't see it coming?" she asked Chelsea, who blinked, confused.
"I didn't know there were pointers…"
Gianna herself was curious. Did she give off 'I'm going to get drunk off my ass and have a one-night stand' vibes during the reception?
"Well, how could you?" Areso teased. "When you were too busy clinking glasses with the handsome doctor Damien."
Chelsea blushed immediately. "Ehm… we were talking about work—"
Gianna ooh'd dramatically, delighted now that someone else was on the hot seat.
"Seeing as you both work at the same hospital now," Areso continued smugly, dropping onto the bed and crossing her legs, "should I prepare to bridesmaid again?"
Chelsea cursed and pointed at her. "And what about you? With Dario? You think I didn't see you—"
Gianna settled deeper under the sheets, amused. All she needed was a glass of champagne. Watching her two friends go at each other was the perfect morning entertainment.
She placed her head on a pillow, hoping that once they were done, they would let her be. She needed at least an hour of sleep if she wanted her wits intact before confronting Dane and his betrayal.
So much for being in business together for years to come.
"What is she doing?" Areso asked suddenly.
Gianna bit her lip, swallowing a cuss. Didn't these two know she needed rest?
"Probably trying to escape probing," Chelsea replied. "But there's nothing much, dear Areso. She didn't take a peek at her one-night stand."
Gianna's teeth clenched as her mind unhelpfully supplied the image of said one-night stand. Nemesis. The bitterness coated her tongue, seeped into her chest.
"What do you expect though?" Areso continued. "I saw her arguing with Zane during the reception. Gianna, what did he want?"
The acquisition was probably what he had wanted to talk about then. She remembered now.
But he hadn't gotten two words in before she shut him down when he asked about her work in the company.
"Gianna??" Chelsea called again.
She shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
"The hell she is asleep," Areso muttered. "Now, we will never find out what's her deal with Zane Whitman. Do you think Athena knows?"
"None of us knows, Areso. Gia has refused to talk about it."
And she wasn't planning to. Gianna surmised, beckoning on sleep. Today will be a long day.