Chapter 782
Panic washed over Gianna, but beneath it, resentment and rage rose just as fiercely.
Heh. So blood really does matter after all.
No matter how much Adrian spoiled me before, the second he had to choose between his real son and me, he picked Steven without even hesitating.
Gianna choked out a sob. “Dad, I… I really didn’t mean to. I was just scared p>
Before she could continue, Pepper stepped forward and interrupted her, “Adrian, the Malone family’s personal conflicts can be handled once we’re back home. Didn’t we come here today to discuss how we should properly apologize to the Fullbusters?” Pepper knew they could not keep moving along with Anneliese’s pace.
Anneliese was clearly trying to push Gianna into saying more and more, until Adrian and Steven grew even more disgusted with her.
At this point, no matter how Gianna cried or explained herself, it would only make her look like she was making excuses and refusing to admit her mistakes.
Worse, it allowed everyone from the Fullbuster family to sit there and watch her and Gianna embarrass themselves. If this continued, Gianna would truly be branded as an ungrateful snake.
Adrian did not want to keep sitting there as if he were the one being judged, either.
As soon as Pepper spoke, he nodded. “Gianna, apologize to Anneliese first p>
This time, Gianna no longer had the same stubborn attitude as before, when even an apology seemed impossible for her to give.
Now she felt trapped.
For the first time, she thought that if a sincere apology could end this quickly, that would already be the best result.
She quickly turned toward Anneliese.
Before she could speak, Steven cut in, “I don’t agree with what Aunt Pepper just said p>
His tone was calm, but every word carried weight. “Aunt Pepper isn’t part of the Malone family. How our family handles its own affairs shouldn’t be something an outsider involves herself in too much, right? Unless… you don’t think of yourself as an outsider at all p>
Pepper’s face stiffened.
She gazed at Adrian with a hurt look, then turned to Steven, her voice tinged with sorrow. “Steven, Gianna is my real daughter. Throughout all these years, I’ve considered you like my son as well. I believed we had truly become family p>
Wendy let out a cold laugh. “Pepper, your daughter has called me Mom for over twenty years. That was her decision, and it was yours as her birth mother as well p>
Her gaze turned cold. “But I’m still alive, my son has a mother. He doesn’t need you treating him like your own p>
Wendy thought, What kind of nonsense is this? Treating Steven like her own son? Claiming they are all one family?
She was not blind. She had noticed the way Pepper looked at Adrian long ago. She simply had not bothered to care.
Whatever happened between Adrian and Pepper was their own business. If both of them were fine with it, that had nothing to do with Wendy.
This, however, was crossing the line.
Pepper still had no real place in the Malone family, yet she was already trying to lay claim to Wendy’s son.
Wendy’s words left Pepper even more humiliated. She quickly looked at Wendy, flustered and anxious. “Wendy, that’s not what I meant p>
Wendy waved her off, clearly tired of listening. “Enough. My head starts hurting the moment I hear your voice p>
Pepper fell silent.
Wendy then looked back at Gianna.
“I want to hear your explanation, too.
What exactly are you so upset
about? You’ve enjoyed all the
Privileges of being the Malone
family’s heiress, yet you still turned around and hurt my son. Yo@spread rumors about him and tried to ruin his reputation.
“Go on, explain yourself properly p>
Gianna’s face had gone deathly pale, except for the blood staining her bitten lip.
When Steven first exposed her, she panicked, but internally, she hadn’t expected the situation to escalate this much.
After all, nothing truly disastrous had happened yet.
The rumors had been suppressed too quickly.
She thought a quick apology, a few tears, and a scolding from Adrian and Steven would be enough to make it all go away.
For the first time, genuine fear rooted itself deep within her bones, as if she had committed a terrible, unforgivable crime.
Under everyone’s gaze, Gianna broke down and confessed through tears.
“Dad, Steven, Aunt Wendy… I really never wanted to hurt you.
“I was just… I was too jealous.
“In the lab, Anneliese took away my
mentor’s attention and my seniors’ favor. Then she beat me in the
sheet competition. Her bestfriend even took Zane away from me, the man I had admired for so long. Even Aunt Wendy likes her more than me now.
“I was just jealous of her. I couldn’t stand it.
“I really suspected that Anneliese was Ellie’s real mother. I felt sorry for both Steven and Ellie Phated that Anneliese gave birth to Ellie and then left her, forcing Steven to raise her on his own all these years.
“He had such a hard time. Ellie grew up without a mother by her side, and she even became so quiet that she barely spoke.
“I only wanted to teach Anneliese a lesson, which is why I did something so foolish.
“I know I was wrong. I’m sorry p>