Built His Empire Then Watched It Burn When He Cheated novel Chapter 729

"Mom, are you being serious?"

Gianna's tears stopped instantly when Pepper mentioned that Jessica would pay—and that she even knew exactly where Jessica was hiding.

She lifted her chin, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Pepper, utterly untroubled by the thought of someone else suffering. In fact, a thrill danced in her gaze.

Jessica had crossed the wrong person. That was on her.

"Of course it's real. Don't feel sad. Since Zane clearly isn't paying attention, maybe you should consider someone else, Gianna..."

Pepper tried to steer her toward a new target, but Gianna cut her off sharply.

"No way. If I want a man, I'm going to get him."

She had been chasing Zane for years and wasn't about to give up now.

Besides, everyone around them already knew Gianna had a thing for Zane. If she suddenly changed her focus, it would make it obvious that she had thrown herself at him and failed.

She refused to be the joke, and she certainly wouldn't let some nobody like Jessica—an uneducated, low-class girl—outdo her.

"Gianna, Zane was completely set today. You can't force it. Listen to me..."

Pepper tried again, but Gianna pushed her away, seething.

"I said no! You can't judge a fire by how it sparks at first. He's just caught up with that b*tch for now. Give it time. Once the heat dies down, he'll see I'm the one for him."

Seeing Gianna wasn't listening, Pepper let it go. She didn't want their newly repaired mother-daughter bond to fracture again over this.

"By the way, Mom, Ellie clings to Anneliese like crazy. Could Anneliese be her birth mother? Otherwise, how could they look so much alike? There has to be some blood connection for them to be so close for no reason, right? Just like us—even before I realized you were my mom, I already felt how close we were."

Gianna had never been able to figure it out, so she threw the idea into the air.

Back then, even when their grandpa punished Steven—making him kneel in the family hall for two days straight and hitting him—Steven never admitted who Ellie's birth mother was.

Pepper's brow twitched as she held Gianna's shoulders tightly.

"She's not Ellie's mom. Trust me. Stop overthinking it."

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