Dark Revenge Of A Jilted Bride: Till Life Do Us Part!-Chapter 67: Kidnapped

And I’m bound to invite you.

The cheek of that fool. Gianna mused darkly as she stood up, irritation still prickling beneath her skin, and began packing up her things so she could finally head home.

She had, of course, given Esme the same answer she had given Zane. No.

Her phone rang just then, breaking into her thoughts. She smiled faintly when she saw Athena’s name flashing on the screen. That made it the fourth call in the past thirty minutes. The other three had been from Florence.

She understood their worry. It was already ten p.m., and she was still in the office.

"Goodnight, Miss Gianna..."

"Goodnight, Vance."

Although she had told him to go home by eight p.m., he had insisted on staying back to work with her on the collections whose samples were almost ready.

A few hours ago, Areso had sent in some designs, along with names of actresses who would be helping with the sampling, and Gianna had chosen to stay back to vet everything herself.

She was also carrying more work home, telling herself she would rest after the convention, justifying—quite shamelessly—working herself to death.

Her thoughts paused when she noticed Vance lingering by the door.

"Any problem, Vance?"

He shook his head quickly. "Just waiting for you, ma’am. I’ll walk you to your car, then head home."

Gianna arched a brow, amused despite her exhaustion. "Go home, Vance. I can take care of myself."

He opened his mouth to argue, but she lifted her hand and gestured firmly toward the door. "Be going. That’s an order."

He shifted on his feet, clearly torn, then inclined his head in submission and walked out. The door shut softly behind him.

Gianna chuckled under her breath. Chivalrous men were starting to pop up around her. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

It took another ten minutes to finish packing and set things in order around her office.

She surveyed the space one last time, then nodded to herself. "Alright then, till tomorrow." Her voice echoed faintly in the emptiness before she walked out.

Grateful that the elevator was still working, she stepped in and rode it down. When it opened to the lobby, she apologized to the security guard strolling about for taking so much time.

The guard, clearly aware of who she was—from the rumors drifting through the building—waved her on in understanding.

Gianna smiled her thanks and hurried out of the company building toward the car park.

The lighting was dim, shadows pooling between the pillars, but she could clearly see that her car was the only one left in the garage.

She really was the last person in the office.

"Only after the convention..." she muttered, pressing her key and hearing the familiar welcome beep from her car.

She opened the driver’s door, tossed her bags onto the passenger seat, and slid inside. Just as she was about to shut the door—

A leg cut into the space.

It rested against the lining casually, intrusively. A leg clad in black trousers. A foot in a black combat shoe.

Adrenaline spiked instantly. Gianna’s reflex screamed at her to slam the door shut, to crush bone if she had to—but a bulky hand shot out and held the door firmly in place.

That was when panic fully set in.

Her heart slammed violently against her ribs, a wild, frantic pounding that filled her ears. Blood rushed so fast it made her dizzy. Her breath caught painfully in her throat, sharp and shallow, every instinct screaming danger.

What... what was going on?

She froze as the man lowered his head, her fear spiking further when she realized his face was covered with a mask.

Her thoughts spiraled in seconds. Was this a robbery? Did he want money?

"I... I have... money..." she stammered, her voice barely steady enough to form words. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The man chuckled sinisterly.

The sound sent a fresh wave of terror racing down her spine.

Her hand drifted toward her bag, though what she was really reaching for was her phone. If she could just make a call... any call...

As if reading her mind, the man lifted a gun and pressed it close to her face.

"Don’t move, celeb," he said coldly. "Or your blown brains will make the news by tomorrow morning."

Gianna went still instantly.

Something inside her snapped into place—survival mode. Her mind sharpened, racing, calculating.

"Who... are you..." she stammered as he gestured for her to get out of the car. "What... do you want?"

He didn’t answer. Not a single word.

Her legs trembled violently as she stepped out of the car, every movement stiff with fear. That was when she saw them.

They weren’t alone.

Two more men stood nearby, dressed exactly like the first—masked, bulky, armed.

Who were these men?

Her instinct to scream surged, and she remembered the security guard inside. But one look at the guns in their hands killed the thought instantly. She would only get herself killed. Get the guard killed too.

Having no choice, she followed as they led her toward a black van she hadn’t noticed earlier.

Or hadn’t she looked closely enough? Where had it come from?

"Get in."

She climbed into the back without resistance, fear stripping her of defiance. The door slammed shut behind her, locking with a chilling finality.

"Who are you... please?" Her voice cracked. "Is it money you want?"

Silence.

The men remained quiet as the van rolled out of the garage, as it merged onto the road. Then there was laughter.

Loud. Boisterous.

It startled her so badly she flinched.

"She thinks it’s money we want!"

More laughter followed.

Gianna couldn’t tell who had spoken. She had no idea where they were going. There were no side windows, no light. A black partition separated her from them.

She was trapped in darkness.

"So... what do you want then?" she asked, trying—and failing—to sound brave. Her voice came out shaky, weak.

"Oh, nothing, fine lady," one of them said mockingly. "We were just ordered to have a taste of you, and then get rid of you. Understand? A man can never say no to that, can he?"

Chills exploded across her skin as the meaning sank in slowly, brutally.

She was going to be raped. Then killed.

Her hands shook uncontrollably, dread pressing down on her chest like a suffocating weight. There was no way to reach anyone. There was no escape.

She could only hope, weakly, that someone would connect the dots.

But how?

She was known for working late nights. This would seem... normal.

Gianna didn’t realize when she started crying.

What wicked person had ordered this?

What had she done to deserve it?