Chapter 281
Giannaâs ashtray toss missed the mark, and thank heavens it did. Or else, she couldâve been charged with assault. And all this went down under the copsâ noses.
After the ashtray hit the wall and dropped, Joey was startled, then looked at the ashtray on the floor and yelled, âGianna, have you lost your marbles?â
âYes, Iâve lost it! I was driven mad by your damn family,â Gianna barked, âYou guys are so despicable, tricking me into coming home, supposedly agreeing to a divorce, but then drugging me and setting this huge trap. Your family makes me sick.â
Gianna was all worked up, yelling and swearing. Her words took everyone by surprise.
Hearing this, Cynthia and Jax were livid. To protect their daughter, they stood up. âIs this how the Edmunds treat my daughter? Itâs outrageous,â Jax fumed, picking up anything he could find and hurling it around to vent his anger.
The Edmunds tried to intervene, âYou canât just smash stuff. We paid for all of it. So your daughter having an affair is okay? Has she been messing around with this boy toy the whole time?â
Cynthia retorted angrily, âYour family is like a bunch of vampires. Your son was only able to become the hospital director because of my daughter. He keeps a mistress on the side and now plots against my daughter in the divorce, even wanting our family house. You are the shameless ones.â
The argument escalated to a full-blown fight. Once the fists started flying, it was hard to stop. The two cops couldnât intervene either. Gianna and Joey also started brawling, and Anastasia quickly stepped in to defend Gianna. The scene was total chaos; even the guy in the corner was stunned, watching the drama unfold.
The pent-up anger from the past months was finally let loose. Half an hour later, both families were hauled to the police station.
Anastasia sat in the station lobby, nursing her aching waist from when she got hit during the fight.
Giannaâs issue ultimately boiled down to a family dispute, not a criminal matter. The police advised both families to calm down and mediate, and then they could release the individuals involved.
As the Edmunds left, Carmen spat near Giannaâs feet and said, âShameless.â
Giannaâs face turned red and shot Carmen a fierce glare.
Joey sneered, âYou want a divorce? Not so easy.â
Gianna now had the Edmunds holding something over her. If she wanted a divorce, she had to pay a price. And Joey wanted the three houses in Giannaâs family.
After the Edmunds left, Cynthia comforted her daughter, âGianna, as long as you can divorce, just agree to whatever Joey wants. I just hope you can get away from this family sooner.â
Jax kept quiet; he wasnât willing to give in either.
âI will not let them have their way. Why should I give them the houses? They can dream on. Iâd rather die than give them the houses.â Gianna was equally adamant.
Jax agreed, âYouâre right, honey. Theyâre the ones at fault and now theyâre playing dirty. We canât back down. We need to continue with the divorce proceedings. Weâll be with you, and weâll win this.â
Anastasia didnât interrupt. If she were in the same situation, she wouldnât easily compromise either.
Eight years of marriage, eight years of youth wasted. And after the divorce, there was more harm to come. Who could accept this?
âThank you, dad.â After this incident, Gianna seemed more mature and composed. âDad, mom, you go back first. I want to talk to Anastasia alone.â
With Anastasia around, her parents were reassured. Before leaving, Cynthia reminded Anastasia, âAnastasia, sheâs your cousin. Stay with her and comfort her.â Cynthia used to have reservations about Anastasia in the past, but after going through so much, her attitude had also changed.
Anastasia assured, âYeah, you guys go ahead. Iâll stay with her.â
After they left, Gianna limped over to a flowerbed near the station and sat down, asking, âGot a smoke?â