Chapter 48

Giselle sat frozen in her chair, staring blankly at the staircase where Donovan had disappeared. His words echoed in her mind, leaving her head buzzing and her body still. For a moment, she couldn’t react at all.

“Giselle?” Zachary gently called, noticing her dazed expression.

“Yeah?” She snapped out of it and quietly took a deep breath.

While Giselle wrestled with complicated emotions, Grace continued her discussion with Dorothea.

“Did you hear that, Dorothea? Even Don doesn’t want to call off the marriage. So there’s nothing left to argue, right?”

Dorothea could only nod. “Technically, this incident has damaged our family’s reputation, and I did consider canceling the marriage. But Don’s not getting any younger. It wouldn’t be wise to delay this any further.”

“Exactly. Don is already… He’ll be in his 40s before long. Even though I’m just his sister-in-law, I’ve been worried sick about him!”

“Didn’t you cry a few years ago when he said he wanted to stay single forever? Now that he’s finally agreed to marry, we shouldn’t be too picky. Otherwise, he might get fed up and cancel the engagement himself–how infuriating that would be! He’s not a child anymore. If you insist on finding the perfect wife for him, it could take years. Then, who knows how long it would take him to agree to another marriage proposal?”

Grace sighed dramatically, like a concerned mother. “By the time everything’s settled, he’ll be in his 40s, and you still might not have a grandchild from him.” Her words sounded perfectly reasonable, but Giselle could see through her. Grace’s real intention was simply to maintain the alliance between the Kane and Holt families.

The Kanes had chosen Anne to marry Donovan not because she was the best match, but because Tony had once saved Dorothea’s life. Grace was also best friends with Bence, whose pharmaceutical empire would greatly benefit Kane Pharmaceutical Group.

Of course, all of that meant little now. What truly mattered was that Donovan had personally accepted the marriage and agreed to resume the engagement.

Giselle hadn’t expected things to come full circle after everything. But now Donovan had left the table, and she couldn’t chase after him in front of the Kanes. So she quietly took a sip of wine, her expression tense, trying to suppress her rising emotions.

Wiping her hands with a damp towel, she forced a polite smile and spoke to Dorothea.

“Thank you for the lovely dinner, Mrs. Kane Senior. Since you have family matters to discuss, I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll take my leave now. Also, I’ll bring your cat to my clinic for further treatment. I promise it’ll make a full recovery within a week. Once it is well, I’ll bring it back to you.”

“Alright.” Dorothea nodded. She didn’t know much about Giselle, but after the woman had saved her cat’s life, she couldn’t dislike her.

“Ms. Holt, I’ll entrust Fifi into your care for the next few days. Once she recovers, give me a call and I’ll come pick her up myself,” Dorothea said without any worry.

Giselle had intended to bid farewell to Erhan and Grace as well, but after remembering Grace’s earlier remarks, she changed her mind and left without a word.

Zachary hurried after her, determined to drive her home himself.

“I’m really sorry about today, Giselle. Please don’t take my mum and uncle’s words to heart. I’ll explain everything to them later.”

“There’s no need for that,” she said tiredly. “Thank you for the hospitality, Zach, especially for giving me the chance to open up Mrs. Kane Senior’s heart. I’ve already forgotten the unpleasant things said tonight.”

“That’s great. Let me drive you home now.”

“No, thank you. I don’t want to put you in an awkward position or cause any more trouble for you. You should stay and calm your mother down. After all, this is your family’s understanding.”

Giselle insisted on leaving alone, and Zachary had no choice but to ask the Rae family’s driver to take her home.

Since her car had sunk into the river recently, Giselle hadn’t yet bought a replacement. She’d been relying on cabs, which were terribly inconvenient.

As she settled into the driver’s MPV, she closed her eyes in an attempt to rest, but Donovan’s engagement weighed heavily on her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t relax.

The following morning, Giselle headed straight to Kane Pharmaceutical Group and strode into Donovan’s office.