Torrential rain pounded Pinecrest.
As evening fell, Edith walked out of Piano Paradise after work and waited at the bus stop. Summer weather could turn on a dime, like a kid’s mood. Without an umbrella, Edith soon got drenched by the wind and rain.
As Romy Latham, her colleague, drove by, she looked at Edith with sympathy and offered, “Edith, want a ride?”
“No, thanks,” Edith replied. “The bus will be here any minute now.”
Edith’s eyes sparkled. Far from feeling aggrieved about being caught in the rain, she was thrilled.
Romy shook her head as she drove off, saying, “What a weirdo!”
Little did she know that what she saw as a sorry state was, for Edith, an exhilarating new experience. Even though life was less comfortable after leaving the Meyers family, Edith loved the exhilarating freedom of living independently.
‘Didn’t Amelia thrive against all odds? I can do the same,’ Edith thought.
“She offered you a ride. Why didn’t you get in?” Suddenly, someone stepped forward with an umbrella, shielding Edith from the wind and rain above. That familiar voice and scent filled Edith with surprise and delight. She turned, eyes wide. “Giovanna?”
But Edith’s bright expression faltered when she saw Giovanna in that edgy black leather jacket.
‘Giovanna has great fashion sense but deliberately steered me wrong,’ Edith thought bitterly. ‘What kind of friend is that?’
“You’ve changed your style. Not bad,” Giovanna sized up Edith, her tone as cold and detached as ever.
Edith pursed her lips tightly and deliberately stepped aside, moving out from under the umbrella’s shelter.
“Mad at me?” Giovanna chuckled lightly, once again shielding Edith from the wind and rain. “Finally realized my fashion and makeup advice was tacky as hell?”
“Giovanna!” Edith finally snapped, her anger boiling over.
“Not bad, you’ve grown some backbone,” Giovanna said, her smile widening.
Edith snapped, “So, you deliberately made me look ugly.”
She paused, then added with a bitter laugh, “Though I was not pretty, to begin with.”
“I’m sorry.” Suddenly, Giovanna’s smile vanished, and she apologized solemnly.
Edith froze, stunned by the unexpected apology.
“I admit it. I deliberately sought you out to be friends. And yes, I intentionally misled your sense of style, making you look downright awful.” Giovanna did not hide what she had done.
Her honesty cut through Edith like a knife, reopening old wounds.
Tears streamed down Edith’s cheeks as she looked away, refusing to look at Giovanna.
A sour ache of grievance, anger, and heartbreak welled up in her chest.
Edith wanted to yell, curse at Giovanna, and even hit her.
But in the end, she did nothing.
“Giovanna, just go. We’re no longer friends. I never want to see you again,” Edith choked out, desperately fighting the urge to burst into tears.
Giovanna didn’t leave. Instead, she stepped right in front of Edith. “Aren’t you even curious why I did all this?”
“Is it because you hate my aunt?” Edith asked. “She harmed your aunt, after all.”
“Not only that,” Giovanna replied.
Edith’s curvy body trembled in the wind and rain as she asked, “So, you hate me too?”
“You’re innocent. I don’t hate you. But I don’t want you to become a millstone around Daniel’s neck,” Giovanna sighed. “Silly girl, don’t you understand? Ever since Joanna married into the Zuckerberg family, the Meyers family has been grooming you to be Daniel’s future bride.”
“What?” Edith froze. “Giovanna, don’t talk nonsense. My dad loves me the most…”
“He does love you, but Joanna is the one who calls the shots in the Meyers family!” Giovanna shook her head. “Tell me, who kept telling you since you were a kid that you should marry Daniel someday?
“And who was always bragging to you about how outstanding Daniel was? Who kept arranging all those chances for you to see Daniel?”
Edith’s face turned pale in an instant.
Edith thought to herself, ‘It was… Aunt Joanna…’
“I couldn’t let Daniel fall for you,” Giovanna said.
Now that everything was clear, Edith let out a bitter laugh. “Just as you wished, Daniel thinks I’m hideous. He feels nothing but disgust for me, not a shred of affection.”
“Go ahead and hate me however you want. You can even hit me and yell at me if you want,” Giovanna said.
Edith also wanted to scold or hit Giovanna, but she wasn’t the type to curse or fight.
Like a pitiful little animal, she trembled and whimpered, lost in her sorrow.
Giovanna waited until Edith had finished venting before she finally said, “Daniel’s poison has flared up.”
Edith’s head snapped up in shock. “What did you just say?”
“Before your aunt married into the Zuckerberg family, she poisoned Daniel. Although she gave him the antidote later, the lingering effects of the toxin have been plaguing him ever since,” Giovanna said.
“How could that be?” Edith shuddered violently and forgot her resentment toward Giovanna. She seized Giovanna’s hand and asked anxiously, “How is he now?”
Giovanna said, “He collapsed and is now lying in the hospital. Landon and Amelia found him the best doctors, but they still can’t purge the toxins.”
“Will he die?” Edith asked, her voice trembling.
Giovanna said, “No. But he’ll suffer from chronic migraines for life. And if he collapses in the wrong place someday, he might…”
Giovanna left the rest unsaid, letting Edith’s imagination run wild.
Sometimes, Giovanna thought she was awful, turning the innocent Edith into the ugliest socialite in Lunova.
‘But only this way would Daniel not fall for Edith. The Meyers family ruined my aunt’s life. Daniel can’t fall for the daughter of his enemy,' Giovanna thought.
Edith asked, “So, you came to me because you want me to get the antidote from my aunt?”
“You finally showed some brains.” Giovanna couldn’t help but chuckle, genuinely pleased to see how much Edith had grown.
Edith yanked her hand away in anger. “You’re just picking on me because I’m stupid.”
“You’re not stupid, just kind-hearted. Given the Meyers family’s toxic environment, it’s a miracle you turned out so upright and honest,” Giovanna teased.
Edith couldn’t even tell whether Giovanna was complimenting her or just taking a jab at the Meyers family.
She could only glare at Giovanna in frustration. “Giovanna!”
“Hungry? Let’s grab a bite first,” Giovanna said, not taking no for an answer as she grabbed Edith by the arm and practically shoved her into the car.
With Daniel’s safety weighing on her mind, eating was the last thing Edith could think about.
Edith thought for a long moment. Then, looking Giovanna straight in the eye, she said solemnly, “I know you came to me for Daniel’s sake. Tell me what you need me to do, just be direct.”
“I need your aunt’s poison formula,” Giovanna said bluntly, getting straight to the point.
“I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything,” Edith said, her mind already made up.
She decided to go back to Lunova.
No matter what Daniel thought of her, she still wanted to help him.
“No rush, let’s grab a bite first.” Giovanna took something from her bag and pressed it into Edith’s hand. “Here, for you.”
It was a ladies' watch.
The watch was exquisitely crafted and high-end, radiating effortless elegance and wealth.
It perfectly matched Edith’s smart-casual work outfit.
Edith gazed at the watch, a storm of emotions swirling inside her.
‘As best friends, we often exchanged gifts. But Giovanna’s presents were always awful,’ Edith thought. ‘Well, forget it. Anyway, this watch is a proper gift.'
“I was wrong to hurt you before. From now on, I promise I’ll never lie to you again,” Giovanna said.
Edith sighed. As she put the watch into her bag, she wanted to call Amelia to ask about the details of Daniel’s situation.
As soon as Edith unlocked her phone, she saw the message from Landon, which said: [Daniel has been hospitalized due to poisoning. He asked me to look out for you. Let me know if you need anything.]
Giovanna caught a glimpse of the message and felt mixed emotions.
‘Daniel feels way too guilty toward Edith,’ Giovanna thought. ‘But I don’t regret a thing I have done.'
“Giovanna, take me to the airport,” Edith sighed. “Consider this the Meyers family repaying its debt to the Hughes family. I’ll make it right myself.”