Chapter 17

The moment Giselle landed, her mind went blank, her heart nearly stopping. Only when she felt something shifting beneath her did she realize she was lying on top of someone. Then, that familiar scent hit her. She turned her head and found herself face-to-face with Donovan—the idiot who'd rushed in to catch her.

For a second, Giselle just stared, dumbstruck. Her mind was still foggy, her body numb to the pain. Donovan, meanwhile, rolled his eyes and tried to sit up, but the searing agony in his back and left arm told him he was badly hurt. Even though it was only a fall from the second floor, Giselle—an adult weighing around 100 pounds—would still hit the ground with enough force to injure anyone she landed on. She had no idea what had gotten into Donovan, but he'd dashed in to catch her barehanded, risking terrible injury. He must have acted purely on reflex.

“Don!” Anne was the first to reach him, her face frantic with panic. “Are you okay? Can you move? Are you hurt? What were you thinking, trying to save her?”

Meanwhile, Tony and Renee rushed downstairs in a panic, crowding around Donovan with frantic apologies and anxious questions about his injuries, their faces tight with worry. Giselle—just as much a victim—sat slumped to the side, unnoticed, with no one bothering to check if she was alive.

Renee grumbled, “Don, what were you thinking, charging in like that? Do you realize how dangerous that was? It could have hit your head—or something even worse! You scared me to death!” Assuming Donovan didn't know the full story, she twisted the truth without hesitation, turning on Giselle with venom. “If you want to throw yourself off a building, do it somewhere else! Did you have to embarrass us in front of a guest? Thank goodness Mr. Kane is alright. If anything had happened to him, we’d have sued you for everything you’re worth!”

Giselle’s face turned ashen at those disgusting words. Dazed from the ordeal and still in pain, she could barely process her surroundings. Meanwhile, Donovan shook off the hands trying to steady him, jaw clenched as he pushed through the pain to stand. His cold gaze swept over the Holt family before he turned slightly, his voice dark and deliberate. “Mr. Holt, if I saw correctly, your family was just involved in an attempted murder.”

“Well…” Tony shot a helpless look at Sebastian—the actual culprit—who stood nearby, then sighed. He had no idea how to explain this. Renee jumped in defensively. “Don’t make it sound so serious, Don. Here’s what happened. Tony’s troublemaker daughter, Giselle, showed up at our house again looking for a fight. She even tried to kill me! Sebastian couldn’t just stand there and let that happen, so he stepped in to protect me. But then she—”

“Enough,” Donovan snapped, cutting her off. “I have no interest in getting tangled up in the Holts’ family drama, but every time I step foot in this house, it’s some new mess. It completely ruins my mood! We’re delaying the wedding if you can’t sort out your family issues!”

He wasn’t about to spend another second in that chaotic house. Without another word, he stormed out, the air turning cold behind him. Seeing him leave so abruptly with what looked like a broken hand, Anne was furious. The idea of him recklessly saving Giselle and then talking about postponing their wedding pushed her past her limit. She threw Giselle a vicious glare before snarling, her voice raw with rage, “You bitch! Why didn’t you just die from that fall? All our problems would disappear if you were dead! We wouldn’t keep ending up in these damn messes!”