Chapter 5 Five

While at the same time, at the Gil's.

The living room was filled with people, and everyone of the family was there – her grandmother, Ciara, her father, Jaden, her stepmother, Helen, the sister of Shawn, Katya, and a few good friends of Annie.

Annie and Steven were sitting on the sofa to the side, and the atmosphere were slightly gloomy.

"If you ask me, Annie, I would say you are just too weak. You and my brother love each other, how dare she do such a thing to you? She knew how sensitive your relationship is and she called the cop. I think she just wanted to ruin you."

"Katya is right. She just broke up with Steven

and immediately hooked up with another man in the bar. She's not some decent woman."

"Annie, she did all these just because you are a public figure. Now everyone is talking about you online. They say you seduced Steven and was caught by his fiancée. They even say you took drugs. What a nonsense! You need to do something to solve the problem."

"Yeah, what a vicious woman she is. You cannot just let her be!"

Annie cast a pitiful glance at the Ciara sitting at the head of the table and easily put up a fragile and sorrowful look on her snow-white face.

"What can I do? How can I fight against my own sister if she insists? We are a family, after all. I don't want to make it difficult for my father and mother."

Hearing what she said, Ciara cast an approving glance at her.

However, Jaden growled in anger. "Why is it difficult for me? You treat her as your sister, but you ask her, does she ever think of you as her sister?"

"Uncle Gil, it's not her fault. After all, it's me..."

Steven knitted his eyebrows and said calmly.

Annie hurriedly said, "No, it's all my fault. If I did not fall in love with Steven, she would not..."

"Annie, it's not what I mean."

Steven stopped her and said in a grim tone, "I just wish that we have told her everything earlier. I should not wait that long just because I do not want to hurt her. All the grievance you have suffered today is because I did not handle it well."

Annie felt moved and stared at him gratefully, "Steven..."

"Ahem!"

With a light cough, Ciara looked at Steven with a slight smile on her face.

"Steven, now that things have already come to this point, and you have seen what those people say on the internet, we can not just cover it up anymore. What do you think we should do to solve the problem?"

The expression of Steven turned gloomy, and Annie clenched her hands secretly, looking somewhat nervous.

"Don't worried, Mrs. Gil. I would never just watch Annie suffer. I would prepare a statement when I go back and announce my relationship with Annie."

Pleasure was obvious on Ciara's face.

"But everyone knows that you have an engagement. Would they buy it?"

Steven held her hand and explained, "They just know I have an engagement but not a lot of people know who my fiancée is. I just need to tell them you are my fiancée and that's it. They won't have anything to say then."

Only then did Annie show a touch of joy on her face.

But the next second, she frowned again.

"But Zoe..."

"Don't you worry about that. I will talk to her."

Ciara said with the proud authority her position in this family had given her.

"And you don't need to announce it online, lest some unnecessary problems would come up again. The day after tomorrow would be Annie's birthday. We can invite some reporters and make an announcement then and there."

Steven nodded, "Alright, then that's it."

"But you should talk to your parents. It's your marriage. You should at least talk to them."

"Don't worry. They have agreed. My parents also like Annie a lot."

"That's great." Ciara's face finally showed a touch of relief. "Perhaps you can stay and have a lunch with us?"

"No need, Mrs. Gio. I still have some businesses to attend to in the company. We will visit you again."

"Right, you are a successful business man. If that's the case, then don't let me stop you."

Ciara turned to Annie, who was sitting right next to her, "Annie, why don't you send Steven off?"

Annie stood up obediently, "Yes, Grandma."

It was only after both of them had left the house that Ciara's face darkened.

Her smile was gone, and she looked at Jaden, who was sitting to her left, with a fierce gaze, and said in a grim tone, "Call your cold-hearted daughter. Ask her to come back tonight."

Jaden said in a hurry, "Yes, mother."

...

Zoe hung up the phone when she was done with the man over the phone.

Unexpectedly, the phone rang again.

Watching the name on the screen, she was slightly stunned, and her eyebrows was knitted subconsciously.

Even her appetite disappeared in an instant.

She answered it in the end, and her tone was cold, "Dad."

"So you know I'm your dad!"

Jaden's thundering voice came over from the phone and she could not help but put the phone slightly away from her ear.

In the end, she just put the phone on the desk and turned on the speaker instead.

"What do you want?"

"When did you come back to the country."

She sighed silently, and said lightly, "Why do you ask?"

"Why? You should have told me before you came back. Do you still think I'm your father? Are we still your family?"

Hearing this, she raised the corner of her mouth in mockery, "Mr. Gil, if I remember correctly, I did call you when I just returned."

The other end of the phone went silent.

After a while, Jaden said, in a questioning tone, "When did you call? How come I don't remember?"

Zoe felt hopeless.

She did know, since the day when Annie returned home, Jaden had not paid much attention to her.

But it still surprised her when she found herself completely ignored. He could not even remember she ever called him.

It almost chuckled her when he asked her why she did not let him know after she came back.

Apparently, Jaden also realized his mistake, and he sound a little embarrassed.

"Alright, the company has been expanding its business these two years, and I have been too busy. Maybe I just forgot. I am your father, you should understand this. Since you have come back, why don't you come home these days? What's the matter with you!"

Zoe did not want to waste any more time debating nonsense with him, and asked coldly, "What do you want exactly?"

"I..." Jaden was enraged by her cold tone, but finally suppressed his anger thinking of her temper.

Instead, he said plainly, "Your grandma asked you to come back for dinner tonight."

"I won't go."

"Nonsense." He growled, "We are still a family. What's wrong with having a dinner with us. Do you even need me to come to you and get you an invitation?"

Zoe just sneered, "You never think about me even when there's a holiday. Now, all of a sudden, you ask me to have a dinner. I am afraid I might be poisoned instead!"