Chapter 771

The moment Pepper heard Wendy's proposal, her pulse spiked violently. She instinctively glanced toward Adrian, silently urging him to respond.

She desperately wanted him to agree. Whether Wendy was taunting him or whether he accepted out of wounded pride didn't matter to her. She only wanted to hear him

say yes.

Pepper understood Adrian too well. His ego had always been one of his weakest spots. Being challenged by his ex-wife like this could easily push him into doing something reckless.

Yet reality crushed her expectations.

Adrian's expression instantly darkened, fury flashing across his face as though Wendy's words had humiliated him beyond endurance.

The muscles at his temple twitched sharply. Ignoring everyone else, he tightened his grip around Wendy's wrist, his voice strained with desperation.

"Wendy, there has never been anyone else for me. The only woman I've ever wanted as my wife is you. I know you're upset. You can deny it all you want. You can insist you don't still have feelings for me and claim those words meant nothing, but I won't let go of us. I'll act like I never heard what you just said.

"Come sit down first, alright? I'll make your favorite coffee for you. I've kept it here all this time just for you..."

Pepper's expression stiffened instantly.

The metallic taste of blood spread through her mouth as she bit down hard on her tongue to stop herself from exploding. If not for that shred of restraint, she might have lunged at the pair standing before her.

This was completely different from the outcome she had imagined.

D*mn it!

Wendy forcefully pulled herself free from Adrian's hold. Her breathing turned uneven, anger rising visibly in her chest. After taking several sharp breaths, she snapped coldly, "Adrian, are you incapable of understanding simple words? Yes, I'm furious. But not because of you and me.

"I'm angry because you stood by while people dragged my son's reputation through the dirt and slandered my goddaughter as well. That's the only reason I came here today. I couldn't care less about whatever relationship the two of you have now or might have in the future!"

Adrian stared at her blankly for a moment before frowning.

"What do you mean I allowed people to ruin Steven's reputation? And since when do you even have a goddaughter? Why haven't I heard anything about this?"

The instant those words left his mouth, Pepper's face subtly changed.

Of course, Wendy was referring to the gossip surrounding Steven and Anneliese. Pepper had seen every bit of it herself.

Unlike Gianna, however, she hadn't simply enjoyed the drama without thinking deeper.

Rumors could be troublesome to trace, but if someone investigated quickly enough, uncovering the source was never impossible.

The second Pepper came across those stories online, she immediately called Gianna to ask whether she was responsible.

Gianna had denied it repeatedly and

sounded completely certain, which was why Pepper had eventually believed her and comfortably watched the chaos unfold from the Sidelines

However, upon seeing Wendy storm into Adrian's company in such a towering rage, Pepper suddenly felt uneasy. Could Gianna have lied to me? No... that can't be possible.

Gianna knew perfectly well that their fates were tied together now. Mother and daughter were on the same side. There was no benefit in deceiving her.

Perhaps Wendy simply meant Adrian had failed to stop the rumors from spreading,

and the real culprit was one of his enemies in business.

Thinking that, Pepper barely managed to calm herself.

Then, Wendy shattered that illusion with her next sentence.

"The person who spread those rumors about Steven and Anneliese wasn't some

outsider. It was your beloved daughter, Gianna."

Wendy had originally been

scheduled to attend an important

runway event that day. While at the venue, she received a call from

Steve and learn everything that

had happened. Furious, she abandoned the event immediately and came straight to confront Adrian.

"Wendy, that can't possibly be true!" Pepper protested at once. "You must have misunderstood something.

Steven is Gianna's brother. Everet

since she was young, she's always admired him more than anyone. Why would she deliberately ruin his name? Besides, damaging the Malone family's reputation would hurt Gianna too."

As she spoke, Pepper hurried forward again, attempting to grab Wendy's hand.

"Wendy, there's definitely been some mistake here. Please calm down first..."

Before Pepper could touch her, Wendy smoothly stepped aside and avoided the contact altogether. Her eyes settled on Pepper with icy sharpness.

"Tell me honestly," Wendy said coolly. "Were you part of this too?"

Pepper froze in disbelief. "Wendy, what are you saying? Why would I ever do something like that?"

One of Wendy's brows lifted slightly.

"So, you're saying Gianna handled everything by herself?"

Pepper was stunned speechless. When do I ever admit anything like that?

Her face instantly filled with panic and grievance as she clung tightly to Adrian's arm beside her, silently seeking his support.