Between Gavin and Giselle, the air held the distinct sounds of fabric ripping followed by the mellow, trickling sound of water. 

Her pale purple bra came into Gavin's view.

Giselle's lips were flushed, and under the influence of the drug, a delicate pink bloomed across her skin. As her lips slightly parted, her breath emerged hot and palpable. 

Gavin felt his desire intensify. He let out a low groan.

Even though he knew this was Giselle's trap, he couldn't resist, nor could he refuse.

Whatever Giselle had given him was making him feel like he was burning from within.

With a low growl, Gavin pressed Giselle forcefully against his chest. Between them, only a thin layer of fabric separated their bodies.

Steam filled the air, leaving their skin wet with trails. A bead of water ran down Giselle's neck, snaking over her full curves and moving lower still.

The energy oscillating between

Gavin quickly got dressed before casting one last glance at Giselle.

Giselle kept clawing at her own body. "Gavin, don't go. Please…"

This was the first time she had shown weakness to him since leaving the psychiatric hospital.

Gavin's gaze betrayed a hint of contempt.

Suppressing the emotion in his voice, he said, "If you really can't handle it, you can take care of it yourself."

His eyes darkened with intensity for a moment as he recalled something, and he asked in a flippant tone, "Don't you do it often while looking at my photos?"

Without another word, Gavin turned and walked away.

Giselle gripped the sheets beneath her tightly. Desire and reason collided, each desperately trying to dominate the other.

The moment the door slammed shut, tears streamed from the corners of her eyes.

The sheets were crumpled under her grip as she fought to get up.

Giselle staggered to the dress

Marina hurried in from outside, asking quickly, "What's going on? I didn't catch what happened. Did you guys fight?"

Giselle was the first to turn to her. "It's nothing."

Coming over to hold her hand, Marina said, "Let's all go eat. The food's ready."

With that, she warmly guided Giselle toward the dining room.

Behind them, the "family of three" laughed as they chatted.

Giselle had convinced herself she was past caring, yet the pain still broke through. 

A quiet sigh escaped Marina. This situation was untenable. If things went on like this, that delicate, frail woman would truly succeed in taking over. 

Marina's dislike for Chantelle wasn't new; it had existed even before Chantelle became a Whitman, back when Camille worked for the Whitman family, and it persisted now. 

Even though Chantelle and Camille had secured their place in the Whitman family, and she was now the lady of the household, who could say whether she hadn't inherited her father's despicable traits?

Genetic inheritance worked in mysterious ways after all.

At the dinner table, Marina spoke first. "Giselle, your major in university was design, right? Gavin, I heard you recently opened a design studio.

"Now that Poppy is older and doesn't need constant care, why don't you let Giselle work there?"

Chantelle gave Gavin a surreptitious glance.

He remained expressionless as he said coldly, "That studio was opened for Chantelle."

Marina set down her spoon.

Chantelle quickly tried to smooth things over. "Mrs. Farrell Senior, the truth is, I wanted to be a designer in high school, but a lot of things happened. I had to give up my studies and leave because of that.

"Opening a design studio has always been my dream. Gav just wanted to help me achieve it. But if Giselle really wants it, I can let her have it."

Giselle smiled faintly. "Sure, I'll accept it then."

Chantelle's lips quivered slightly; she was unsure of how to respond. 

Marina hid a small smile by lowering her head, then placed a piece of meat on Giselle's plate.

Just as Marina thought she and Giselle had scored an absolute victory, Gavin spoke in a faint, flat voice. "What's yours is yours. No one can take it from you."

Chantelle's irritation vanished instantly.

She turned to Gavin, her eyes gentle and affectionate. "It's okay. Gigi can have whatever she likes."

Gavin sneered. "She can have whatever she likes? The reason she behaves this way now is all thanks to your coddling."

With that, he slammed down his utensils and stormed off.

Chantelle immediately stood. "That's just Gav for you. Mrs. Farrell Senior, Giselle, Poppy, take your time eating. I'll go check on Gav."

Before Marina could protest, Chantelle was already running toward Gavin.

Annoyed, Marina muttered, "How shameless! Does she really think this is her home? Who does that?"

Penelope continued eating, glancing at Giselle from the corner of her eyes.

She started complaining, "We used to eat happily together… Today's the first time that we're not happy."

Smiling, Marina patted Penelope on the head. "It's all your daddy's fault. I'll talk to him."

Penelope replied earnestly, "Daddy is good. Don't scold him."

Marina's smile faltered. She glanced at Giselle instinctively.

After dinner, Marina had the maids take Penelope away before she summoned Giselle to the drawing room.

She brought out dainty tea cups and poured tea for Giselle. "Gigi, I'm not going to criticize you, but you can't be so indifferent to Gav and Poppy.

"Remember how you had treated Gav after you got married? If you kept doing that, wouldn't Gav be completely under your thumb?"

As Giselle sipped the tea, the astringent taste spread through her mouth.

She gave a bitter smile. "Back then, I was only a substitute."

Gavin and Joshua Whitman, the third eldest of Giselle's cousins, were close childhood friends.

And Gavin had always treated Giselle like a younger sister.

As for Giselle, she had harbored feelings for Gavin from the moment she knew what love was.

Both families were well aware of her feelings and naturally supported them.

But when Gavin visited the Whitman residence in high school, he was captivated by Chantelle, who was the daughter of the Whitman family's maid.

On top of that, it wasn't just Gavin. All four of Giselle's cousins held a favorable impression of Chantelle.

During that time, the passionate young men considered themselves her saviors.

They helped her escape her abusive father, a damp and dark home, and school bullying. Gradually, Chantelle became their first love.

After the SATs, Marina discovered the relationship between Gavin and Chantelle.

There was no way the Farrell family could allow their heir to marry the daughter of a drunkard and gambler. As such, Marina gave Chantelle and Camille some money, and they both went abroad.

Gavin never returned home throughout his entire university years after that.

The year he graduated, Henry fell gravely ill, so he had no choice but to come home.

Henry told Gavin that his dying wish was to see Gavin settled and married, and the only future granddaughter-in-law he approved of was one person.

That night, Gavin confronted Giselle… at the very place where she had been bitten by the dog that day.

Under the moonlight, he gently kissed her, his voice full of yearning. "Marry me, Gigi."

Giselle wept with joy, nodding without hesitation and agreeing to marry the childhood crush she had secretly admired for many years.

Shortly after their wedding, they had Penelope.

The ten months of carrying Penelope were the happiest ten months of Giselle's life.

Gavin loved her very much, or at least it seemed that way.

A year after Penelope was born, Giselle's father, David Whitman, remarried. His new wife was none other than Chantelle's mother, the same woman who had been a maid in the Whitman household.

It was absolutely absurd.

Giselle firmly believed that everything had been planned from the start.

She made a big fuss at home over the marriage, and it was during that commotion that she discovered the truth.

Chantelle turned out to be the same girl Gavin and his cousins had once lauded as driven, gentle, strong-willed, beautiful, and kind.

From that day forward, Gavin grew distant toward Giselle.

Even the cousins who had once treasured her began to dislike her.

Repeated favoritism toward Chantelle drove Giselle to discover intimate photos sent by Chantelle to Gavin's phone, which made her explode in rage.

The consequence? She was sent to a psychiatric hospital.

Her train of thought stopped there as Marina said to her, "Forget it. I'll just let you youngsters deal with your own problems. You should go rest now, Gigi."

Giselle nodded.

When she got to her room, she suddenly felt her body becoming hot. Her neck felt like it was scorching, and a fire blazed relentlessly in her chest. 

Her throat was intensely dry, and the agonizing thirst, combined with the sensation of her whole body being on fire, sent her sprinting to the bathroom for a shower. 

Upon opening the door, she saw Gavin standing under the cold shower.

Their eyes met. Gavin gritted his teeth. "Giselle, how dare you drug me?"

Giselle couldn't even hear what he was saying. All she could think about was cooling off with cold water to feel better. She staggered toward the showerhead, murmuring, "It's so hot…"

Gavin narrowed his eyes at her, suddenly grabbing her wrist and pressing her against the icy wall. "So you've learned a thing or two about seducing men during the six months you were gone, huh?"

Giselle finally felt better as the cold water cascaded over her.

She needed to cool off even more, so she pushed Gavin. "Go away…"

Gavin sneered. "You're playing hard to get now? I know when you say no, you really mean yes."

With that, Gavin tore open Giselle's blouse.

Between Gavin and Giselle, the air held the distinct sounds of fabric ripping followed by the mellow, trickling sound of water. 

Her pale purple bra came into Gavin's view.

Giselle's lips were flushed, and under the influence of the drug, a delicate pink bloomed across her skin. As her lips slightly parted, her breath emerged hot and palpable. 

Gavin felt his desire intensify. He let out a low groan.

Even though he knew this was Giselle's trap, he couldn't resist, nor could he refuse.

Whatever Giselle had given him was making him feel like he was burning from within.

With a low growl, Gavin pressed Giselle forcefully against his chest. Between them, only a thin layer of fabric separated their bodies.

Steam filled the air, leaving their skin wet with trails. A bead of water ran down Giselle's neck, snaking over her full curves and moving lower still.

The energy oscillating between madness and desire combusted, settling into a state of pure, raw tension. 

Giselle pushed at him. 

Chapter 9