In the city penitentiary,
Gabriel Sallow took a seat and breathed a long sigh while cursing the long queue he waited to meet Gianna. His style, attitude, and arrogance had melted with the richness of the sallow family. They were barely managing to keep their heads up the water, thanks to funds Gianna and Gavriel Sallow had saved in their names.
He looked at the lady who entered the other side of the room. Despite standing in a prison uniform, the natural elegance of the woman was hard to ignore.
He had expected Gianna to look skinny, unkempt, irritated, and haggard. But the woman who sat in front of him wasn't only clean and tidy but looked peaceful after ages. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail, and her skin was bare but the light sheen of lip balm was glowing under the room light.
"Are you here to stare at me?" An unamused voice of Gianna snapped Gabriel out of his stupor.
Shaking his head to disperse his thoughts, he genuinely asked her, "How are you doing?" Although she didn't particularly have a happy married life, she lived in richness with everything at her beck and call. Thus he instinctively expected her to quote her stay as worse but he was baffled at her calmness.
Gianna had accepted her fate. She didn't open her mouth in any court session but her lawyers failed to grab any evidence or reason that could be used to bail her out. Thus she was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment.
She briefed her life, "Hard bed, rough clothes, tasteless but food on time, books to keep me occupied." She got used to her routine with the crowd of women.
Gabriel was at a loss for words when he heard her bland words, without complaints or annoyance. For a socialite, even a month in prison was hell. Gianna could never go back to the life she lived even after three years.
He uneasily began to reveal as he was the first visitor after her sentence, "A foreign professor became dean of the university."
Gianna nodded, "I read the newspaper." Her morning routine had a newspaper. She was happy with that piece of news because Anya failed to climb that seat.
After a moment of awkward silence, Gabriel added, "Cordelia Matthews refused to attend court trial." She was faking illness and torturing doctors to stay in the hospital. "Benjamin Matthews might be imprisoned too." For attempting to murder Alvin and harming Ean Watson instead.
Gianna felt nothing by the news. She knew a long time ago that the Matthews were nothing but cunning creatures. She wanted to know about, "Liam? How is he doing?" She visibly swallowed the lump in her throat.
Liam had begged her to accept her doing. If she had caved into him, her punishment could have been reduced as low as six months, a hefty fine, and an apology to Anya and Alvin.
Even without Liam convincing her, she knew somewhere in her heart, Alvin was innocent, caught up in the adult world. But he was living breathing proof of her husband's cheating. So she ended up antagonizing him with the cheaters.
She has done evil, but she was too prideful to lower her head in front of Anya and Alvin again. Nevertheless, she did consider Liam's advice however, she had made up her mind into staying quiet, and she failed to utter any word when justice had asked her.
Gabriel briefed about whatever he learned about Liam after Gianna was arrested. In the end, he mentioned the latest news, "Brother-in-law gave all the shares to that bastard."
There was pin-drop silence for a few seconds when Gianna was frozen, shell-shocked. Then she burst into a peal of laughter which felt anything but happy. Her eyes moistened, rims turned red. Tears made their way down her cheeks but she laughed in pain and helplessness.
Gabriel was creeped out, ready to rush out in case Gianna had lost her mind but the laughter died down eventually. He slowly breathed seeing her shaking head.
"Not to him. To his son." She snickered, which painted her flushed face in self-loathing and a hint of hatred for Alvin, "He warned me in the hotel." She added
When she had called Zane 'a bastard's bastard' and Anya 'a wh*re,' Alvin had told her to stop Casper from writing down everything to Zane's name. He didn't wish anything from the Matthews family but he won't stop until all her nightmares come true.
Gabriel didn't know what she meant. He heard the cop mentioning he has to leave. So he breathed out loudly and came to the main point, "Brother Gavriel wants to start a new business. He sent me to ask if you could give us some money." Yes, he was concerned about her but he focused more on his livelihood.
Gianna's back stiffened at his words. She has a few million in investments, mutual funds, expensive jewelry in her bank locker, some trust funds, and savings.
Since Casper was making a fool of himself, Gianna wasn't ready to give up her remaining money that will be her support after her imprisonment. Upon that, Alvin wouldn't let the Sallow family get on their feet.
Even if she can't use that money, she would prefer Liam to use it than her selfish family who saw her as nothing but a duck that lays golden eggs.
She lied, "Everything is seized." She stood up when the warden went closer to take her. Pausing at the door, she glanced one last time at her youngest brother. He won't be visiting her again. With a hard lump in her throat, she left from there, drying her tears.
She truly hoped Casper doesn't ignore Liam because Liam won't ask for anything. That was the reason she always fought for him and tried to push him to the highest position.
"Anna, are you alright?" Her roommate asked, seeing the mark of tears and a flushed face.
Gianna struggled to swallow the lump in her throat so she nodded in response. She sat on her bed and grabbed the book to read and to keep her mind occupied.
But two things were impossible to disappear from her mind.
Three years and Liam.
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