Kiss Me, Don’t Talk: A Blizzard Night’s Confession novel Chapter 5

Verve had only been around for four years, but it was already making waves with its blend of high-end jewelry design and custom luxury gowns. Each piece was born from a brilliant combination of rare gemstones and tailor-made dresses, all put together by experienced artisans. They used delicate techniques like micro pavé setting and filigree to bring every detail to life. Instead of leaning on overpriced imported textiles, their gowns used luxe, tactile fabrics—silks, brocades, and custom weaves—finished with painstaking handwork.

Thanks to its fresh, modern designs and strict quality standards, Verve had quickly become a rising star in the world of affordable luxury.

Georgiana had back-to-back meetings all morning. First, she dove deep into the design drafts for their new collection, and then she hammered out the timeline for the product launch event.

Her phone vibrated from where it lay face down on the table. She finished up, closed the file in front of her, and smiled at her team.

“All right, everyone, get back to it. Thanks for working so hard.”

“Thank you, Georgiana,” they replied.

Once she was back in her office, Georgiana answered a call from Helena, the woman who raised her.

“Georgiana, what is it, now that you’re married you don’t even come see us anymore?”

Helena was always like this behind closed doors, bossy and impossible to please. Georgiana never understood why Helena disliked her so much. She tried to be patient, polite, always putting herself last, hoping it would soften Helena’s attitude. Somehow it never did.

When Georgiana's adoptive father, Okaes Gates, was still around, Helena could pretend to care, at least on the surface. After Georgiana’s real parents passed away, she’d been brought home to the Gates family at just seven years old by Okaes’s father. He spoiled her, let her run a little wild, and she never really had to worry about being bullied. But that sweet chapter didn’t last. He died when she was ten, and from then on everything changed. Mistakes meant punishments—standing in the corner, on her knees, or worse—it all became just another part of daily life.

Georgiana used to think that maybe she’d been too much of a brat, that it was her fault Helena resented her. But back with her real parents, she’d just been loved, plain and simple. Her mother always said little girls didn’t have to be perfect and let Georgiana pick first at everything. For a long time, she couldn’t understand how all that warmth disappeared overnight.

As a kid she was stubborn, loved to argue, even competed with Catherine for Helena’s attention. Now it felt ridiculous. Over time, after too many beatings and punishments, she learned to act docile and keep her head down.

Living under someone else's roof meant walking on eggshells, and that forced Georgiana to grow up fast. She learned to depend on herself, to plan ahead. The Gates family didn’t care about her future—just that she was alive and not causing trouble.

When she was fifteen, she met Garrison Brown. He actually noticed her, always sitting quietly in a corner, and made sure she didn’t feel invisible. For a while, it felt like a bit of light had crept in. But by then, her innocence was already long gone.

“Helena, I just got out of a meeting,” Georgiana said, fixing her tone to sound gentle, “I’m coming home now.”

Helena seemed to soften, at least a little. “Hurry up. Don’t keep me waiting.”

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