Chapter 4 Gianna Is Missing

Janiya thought that everything would be fine and return to normal the next morning. However, the reports did not go away overnight, in fact, they got all the more detailed.

There were several stories doing the rounds, among which, one report spread like fire everywhere. "Janiya, the first daughter of the Hamilton family, didn't steal another woman's boyfriend. A source, who is close to both the families, has said that both the families have been trying to fix a match between Janiya and Aden for a long time. According to both their families, they feel that the couple would be a perfect match. Aden's family was not happy with his previous girlfriend and did not accept her. To keep the peace and for his family's happiness, the GM of the Glory Group broke it off with his girlfriend.

As soon as it was known that Janiya would be returning home, both the families arranged a blind date, on the very same night that Janiya came home. It was love at first sight and it is said that the sparks could be seen, even from a distance. Photos taken at the Passion Club are witnesses to their love."

After reading it, Janiya flung the newspaper to the ground, as if it had stung her. She could feel the beginning of a headache behind her eyes. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She did not know how to go about this nonsense. She thought to herself, 'Dad promised that he would keep everything under control. What's going on?'

Janiya was very confused, so was Aden. Aden felt as if he was losing all control of the situation and something very bad was about to happen.

He growled in frustration and shoved the newspaper aside. Aden picked up the phone and called Lachlan. "Lachlan, find out who is behind this." Aden leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He couldn't remember when was the last time things didn't go according to his plans. If his father was the only one who did this, then he could still fight for his happiness. However, if the Hamilton family joined, then it would get tricky.

Lachlan came to Aden's office and pulled a long face. "Bro, you are doomed. This time it was your father who made the move. Well, the Hamilton family have also taken action. You will have to explain to them."

Aden was standing at the window, completely silent. He was just staring out at the street below with unfathomable eyes, like how a God would look down at the Earth from the heavens. He was lonely as a stone sculpture, which was very distressing.

The silence stretched on after Lachlan delivered his findings to Aden. He thought that Aden was too upset by the news to say anything, when suddenly he heard Aden replying in a low voice, "Gianna cannot be hurt by this. No matter what the cost, I have to fight this till the end."

Lachlan bowed down his head and stared at his feet. He shook his head and sighed. He couldn't understand why Aden fell for Gianna. Yes, she was a beautiful woman, but she was not stunning enough. Gianna came from an ordinary family. Also, she was not a nice person. Aden was a rising star in the business field and could have any woman he wanted, but he fancied Gianna. Lachlan just couldn't wrap his head around that.

"Okay, but you have to know that all this will not be easy." Lachlan walked over to Aden and looked at the scene below, as if searching for an answer. After sometime he patted Aden on his shoulder and left the office.

Aden continued to stare out the window. His face looked as if it was carved from stone. It was very difficult to guess what was going on in his mind.

In the Hamilton family's villa.

Jedidiah was sitting in the study and his secretary was giving him the briefs about the newspaper articles. "Mr. Hamilton, yesterday I had arranged for these news articles to be stopped. However, everything didn't disappear peacefully, but got all the more heated. According to our investigation, the CEO of the Glory Group, Mr. Maison Morrison is the culprit and furthermore, he did it in your name."

"Maison? Why did he do it? What does he want?" Jedidiah couldn't understand why Maison pulled such an act. In the business world, the Morrison family were on par with the Hamilton family. If he did something to hurt Janiya, then Jedidiah swore that he would not spare Maison.

Jedidiah took a deep breath to calm himself. He picked up the phone and dialed Maison's number. "Hello, Mr. Morrison. This is Jedidiah Hamilton."

"Hello, Mr. Hamilton. How are you? I've heard a lot about you. What can I do for you today?" On the other end of the line, Maison was talking with a cunning smile.

"Actually it's not such a big deal. I just wanted to ask, what do you think about my daughter and your son?"

Maison smiled broadly and said in a friendly tone, "You are asking me about this? I don't know much about it, but if they fancy each other, then who are we to come in between them? I personally think this is an absolutely beautiful thing. Aden is a mature man. To be honest, I was very worried about his marriage, but I didn't expect he had such good taste and was your daughter's boyfriend."

Jedidiah was a very smart and shrewd man. He clearly understood what Maison was thinking. But Jedidiah had to first think about his daughter's happiness. "Mr. Morrison, I asked my daughter about it and she said that she was not familiar with your son. What happened that day was a mistake. Please don't think that this relationship has a future.

I think we should not interfere in our children's love lives. If they like each other, they will be together. But, if they don't, then they will not be happy together."

After the phone call, Maison frowned slightly and for a moment, was lost in thought. He waved his hand to the people beside him, giving them his instructions.

Aden had been spending his days in the office. Finally the newspapers stopped spreading news about Aden and Janiya. Slowly everything fell into place and Aden breathed a sigh of relief. He was surprised that Maison and the Hamilton family would stop their mind games and tricks to trap him into getting married to Janiya.

Aden's relief did not last long. Bad news came in the form of Gianna's disappearance.

As soon as he heard about it, Aden left everything and rushed to Gianna's house. He ran from room to room searching for her or any signs of her whereabouts, but there was no one there. He was not surprised.

Aden removed his coat and flung it on the chair. He loosened his tie and sat down on the sofa dejectedly. Aden thought back to whatever happened in the past few days and came to a conclusion that, there were two possibilities behind Gianna's disappearance; either Maison or the Hamilton family had done it.

On thinking further, Aden didn't think that the Hamilton family would have a hand in Gianna's disappearance. After all, if Janiya wanted to marry him, she wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of him. So the only person who could benefit from Gianna's disappearance was Maison.

He grabbed the car keys from the table and drove to the Morrison's mansion. Aden was so angry that he couldn't remember how he reached there. He ran up the steps and broke into the study and yelled, "Did you take Gianna away? Where is she?"

Maison sat in his chair and looked at Aden with steel in his eyes. He said in a stern voice, "Have you forgotten how to address your father? Have you forgotten your manners? Has that woman made you forget how to respect your elders?"

"Aden, don't upset Father. He was just praising you, by calling you a capable man. I'm not as good as you. Father thinks highly of you. How can you irritate him so?"

Only then did Aden see Weston sitting in the far corner of the study. He glanced at Weston indifferently and said to Maison, "Dad, I knew you took Gianna away. She is a nice girl. Why are you so determined to separate us? Why do you think Janiya is better than Gianna?

If you think that Gianna's family will not be able to help me in running the business, then I swear that I will make Glory Group a leading enterprise in Asopool in one year, without anyone's help. I promise."

After Maison heard Aden's words, his chest filled with pride and he looked at Aden with appreciation in his eyes. 'My son is indeed a bold and capable man!' However, the more Aden behaved in this manner, the more Maison was sure that Gianna was not suitable for Aden. That woman had seriously affected Aden's behavior.

Maison vowed that he wouldn't let Gianna become the bane in Aden's life.

"Aden, you are smart and I have always thought highly about you. You should know what to do. I don't want to hurt an innocent girl. You will have the final say, with regards to Gianna's fate."

Aden looked at Maison. He resented the fact that his father was not bothered about his happiness. His eyes were filled with disappointment. "Why? Why are you building the family's interests on the foundation of my pain? Is my happiness less important than your business?" Aden's voice was filled with hurt and anger.

As he looked at Aden, who was seething with anger, Weston came up with an idea. If the Hamilton family supported Aden, then Weston would never get the company. "Father is doing this for your own good. Janiya is a good match for you. She is beautiful and the Hamilton Group is her backer. To marry her must be the correct choice," Weston said in a voice as smooth as silk.