Chapter 777
Derek himself was completely unable to comprehend it. After the death of Adrian’s biological daughter, his immediate action was to bring home another little girl to raise as his own.
To outsiders, it looked no different from replacing his late daughter with a substitute, even forcing his own son to grow up sharing everything with someone who didn’t truly belong.
No matter how impressive Adrian was in his professional life, when it came to family, he was utterly incapable of handling things properly.
Penelope spoke, “Anne has always been gentle and emotionally fragile, and she’s still so young. How could she possibly endure rumors like that? She cried in my arms for a long time. Even after calming down, she still forced herself to smile and spent half the day playing with Ellie in the garden. Only after Ellie fell asleep did she finally let her emotions out. Jonathan is still upstairs with her, comforting her right now p>
At that moment, Anneliese and Jonathan were walking together around the bend of the second-floor stairs when they accidentally heard Penelope’s words.
Anneliese blinked, then tilted toward Jonathan and murmured, “Should I go downstairs and pretend I’ve been crying and fix my makeup first p>
She couldn’t simply interfere and undo Penelope’s entire narrative.
Yes, she was angry—someone had spread those disgusting rumors about her and Steven, and even Elizabeth had been convinced enough to confront her.
But Derek, Penelope, and Jonathan had never once doubted her, so she hadn’t actually been hurt or emotionally shaken by it.
As for crying in Penelope’s arms—that part was completely fabricated.
Her mood had indeed been off, but not because of the rumors. It was due to what had happened in that fire years ago.
Jonathan smiled faintly and pinched her cheek. “Why go through all that trouble? If Grandma says you cried, then you cried. Who would dare question her? Going down like this is better anyway-looking bright, glowing, and beautiful. It’ll be enough to annoy Gianna p>
Anneliese couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile. It was becoming clear to her that Jonathan was even more skilled than she was at provoking people.
She nodded and linked her arm with his. Their footsteps immediately drew everyone’s attention downstairs.
Steven lifted his gaze. When he saw Anneliese holding onto Jonathan so naturally and closely, his eyes briefly swept over Jonathan before settling on Anneliese’s face, studying her carefully and in detail.
Many people who had seen photos of Anneliese with Ellie often commented that they resembled each other. Before this, Steven had refrained from examining her too closely out of respect for Jonathan’s wife.
But now his gaze was fixed, sharp, and almost analytical, as if he were evaluating something and thinking deeply.
Gianna was also looking at Anneliese.
She had assumed Anneliese would at least be affected by the rumors-perhaps even argue with
Jonathan or show some strain.
between the But now as net
she
observed Anneliese there was now sign of exhaustion or distress at all. Instead, she was even smiling.
And between her and Jonathan, there was no distance or tension whatsoever. One glance at them made it feel like the entire room was filled with soft, pink, romantic warmth.
Gianna bit down so hard on her lip that it split. The pain meant nothing compared to her humiliation.
Nothing felt more suffocating than pouring everything into a scheme only to end up disgraced, while the target walked away completely untouched.
Her eyes burned red with anger and shame. When Anneliese met her gaze and saw her tearful, furious expression, Anneliese responded with a bright, dazzling smile, as if to say, You saw right. I’m perfectly fine. I wasn’t affected at all.
“Gianna p>
Steven’s deep, stern voice carried a warning that snapped her out of her spiral.
She turned toward him, still too enraged to properly process his words.
His brows furrowed slightly as he repeated himself in a colder tone.
“Go over there and apologize properly p>
A surge of resentment rose violently in Gianna’s chest. Choking up, she said, Steven she was smiling just now she’s clearly fine. Why should I apologize? She doesn’t even care about it p>
Steven hadn’t expected that even after being brought to the Fullbuster Residence, Gianna would still be reckless enough to provoke Anneliese in front of the Fullbusters.
Behind his glasses, his gaze landed on her as she continued to shout and refuse to back down. His expression was cold, detached, almost merciless.
He said nothing.
But that silence alone made Gianna feel as if she had been instantly deflated.
She bit her lip again, still unwilling to submit.