Breaking Free, Loving Again -The Flash Marriage with Mr. CEO-Chapter 520: Didn’t acknowledge you as my mother.

In the meantime, Arwen had left home to find Gianna.

On her way, she considered calling Aiden but, for some reason, changed her mind. Instead, she gave Mia a call, instructing her to prepare a few bodyguards and send them to the location Gianna had shared.

"Madam, is there an issue?" Alfred asked, glancing at Arwen through the rearview mirror. Her expression was twisted with concern and worry.

Arwen looked at him and shook her head. "I hope there is not."

She didn't say more, and Alfred knew better than to press her.

With the location received, he simply drove them to the destination.

***

Meanwhile, back at Thorne's Residence —

Jacob's jaws clenched as he stared down at Gianna, feeling every nerve of his body tick.

When he had made the decision to bring this woman into his home, he never expected her to turn out like this.

He had acted out of goodness.

And now that goodness was turning around and biting him.

This woman …

She doesn't fall under the usual definition he had kept for defining a woman.

She was a nightmare wrapped in itching arrogance, sarcasm and high heels.

And yet …

Somewhere deep down, something stirred —a strange, infuriating intrigue.

Because despite how badly she infuriated him, despite the legal threats and accusations … he couldn't look away.

Something about her kept his gaze hooked at her. He simply wasn't able to resist.

While he glared down at her, Gianna also stared at him, unblinking. Her gaze held the clear challenge for him, asking him to bring out the worst, and she would promise him to give the taste tenfold.

Cough!

A crisp, intentional cough sliced through the thick tension, snapping them both out of their standoff.

They turned in unison —

To find someone standing at the doorway, looking hesitant.

"Am I … disturbing something?" Jason asked, rubbing the tip of his nose while casting a suspicious look between the two.

He hadn't witnessed what happened before he arrived, but seeing them now —standing so close, their expression unreadable yet so entranced at each other, tension thick in the air —he didn't need to.

He could guess.

Jacob read Jason's expression too well, and stepped back almost immediately, his expression stiffening into something neutral —too neutral.

Gianna, however, remained casual, not reading too much. She simply stared at Jason with a slight sense of familiarity in her gaze. But she couldn't guess his identity immediately.

"No," Jacob replied tersely. "You are not disturbing something. It's just that you are a bit too late." He then walked up to him with his hands tucked inside his pocket, hiding away the frustration that was twisting at the bottom of his gut. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Jason raised a brow. "Well, my friend, I would say I arrived right on time —considering you called me …" he glanced at his watch, "thirty-five minutes ago. I would say that's decent, seeing as my hospital is still an hour's drive away."

If Jacob had been in a better mood, he would have brushed off Jason's sarcasm like always.

But now?

He was already at the edge, and Jason's snark only added fuel to the fire.

Gianna tilted her head slightly. "Wait … Hospital?" she asked, her tone skeptical. "You are Dr. Clark, right?" she asked, finally remembering where she had possibly seen him.

Jason offered her a small smile, and nodded, "Yes, I am. But … have we met before?"

She was about to speak when Arwen's familiar voice cut in through the air —

"Anna!"

Both Jason and Jacob turned toward the voice, confused.

Before they could piece things together, Gianna responded almost instantly.

"I am here, Wenna! This way!"

Jacob frowned, turning to glare at her again, but she simply rolled her eyes and ignored him.

Jason, meanwhile, was trying to make sense of the pieces. Arwen's voice was unmistakable —but hearing it at Jacob's residence, calling someone Anna, left him completely perplexed.

He turned to Jacob, about to ask for clarification, but stopped when he saw Jacob's unreadable frown.

And just as the confusion began to settle into silence —

Arwen rushed into the room.

"Anna, you are here," she said, heading straight to her friend. "Are you okay? Where did you get hurt?"

Her eyes dropped to Gianna's legs, which were slightly swollen, with bruises that had been cleaned and tended to already.

Arwen sighed in relief when she saw the situation was not as bad as Gianna had complained it to be. "Thank goodness, you aren't much hurt. Are your legs still hurting?"

"Of course, it's hurting, Wenna," Gianna spoke as it was too obvious. "I got into an accident and injured my leg. If it wouldn't hurt, how would I get justice?" Saying that, she gave a knowing look to Jacob, who was staring equally coldly at her.

Arwen couldn't help but shake at her friend's antics internally. As expected from Gianna.

Nodding, she said, "Fine, we will deal with that later. For now, let's leave first and get you checked by a doctor."

*ahem, ahem*

Just as she said, she heard someone clear his throat suggestively.

"Do you think I can help?"

Arwen turned to look and paused seeing Jason there. "Dr. Clark!" she said before her gaze darted to look at Jason, who was also watching her way with irritation clear on his expression. "Mr. Thorne! You are also here."

"Well, this is Thorne's Residence," Jacob said, moving his finger awkwardly at the place, continuing, "So, yes, Jacob is here at his place."

Arwen blinked as the realization dawned upon her.

This was Thorne's Residence, which means the person who probably hit Gianna was none other than Jacob.

"Did you …"

Before Gianna could further exaggerate it, Jacob spoke, clearing everything out.

"I didn't hit her," he said, his tone for the first time coming out so strict in front of Arwen. She hadn't met him a lot many times, but all the times she did, he had always looked cheerful. But since he didn't look the same today, she knows who to give the credit to.

When Gianna heard him, she quickly reacted. "Yes, yes, you didn't play any part. I am simply blaming you, isn't it?"

Jacob's jaw ticked, and Jason couldn't help but cough hard.

Arwen was also caught off guard. She briefly turned to look at Gianna, only to see her sitting there with pursed lips.

"I did play a role", Jason admitted through gritted teeth, "but I wasn't the exact reason Ms. Anna got hurt."

"It's not Anna, but Gianna," Gianna corrected him sharply, her tone clipped. "If you don't know, ask it. Don't overstep."

Jacob ignored her this time. Glancing at Arwen, he simply continued evenly, "I have no idea what she was doing, standing in the middle of the road blocking the way with a rock. But I do know one thing clearly —she didn't get injured because I hit her with my car, but because she couldn't manage her fear properly."

His gaze shifted to Gianna, locking eyes with her as he continued, his voice firm. "Frightened by the sight of my approaching car, she stumbled over the very rock she had placed herself and got hurt. And not just that —she was so overwhelmed that she fainted on the spot. I had no choice but to carry her here."

Gianna felt his words were crafted to embarrass her. Fine, she got scared, but did he have highlight it like that to pin the blame on her?

"I was scared, but who is there to blame?" she asked, looking into his eyes with a challenge. "Which billion-dollar reward were you racing for that you have to drive like that? It was so late, shouldn't you be driving safely instead?"

"I didn't acknowledge you as my mother, so keep the advice for yourself," he retorted, which made Gianna instantly flare up.

"You —"

"Anna!" Arwen interrupted her, shaking her head at her. "What were you doing in the middle of the road like that?"

Gianna's brows furrowed as though she were embarrassed. I was stuck there," she replied, before continuing to explain further. "My flight arrived late, and I had to book a cab back to my apartment. But halfway, that cab broke down and I had to walk."

"I tried stopping many cars to seek help, but none cared. In the end, I had to choose this way to stop someone. Who knew someone would use this situation to hurt me? I am not going to let this slide. He will at least have to take the blame." She finished her words, eyeing Jacob meaningfully.

Jacob was about to flare when Jason interrupted him, stepping forward to ease the situation.

"Oh … well, Jacob was indeed wrong to speed like that and scare you. How about we discuss how to deal with that later?" He then glanced down at her leg and suggested. "For now, let me check on you. Your leg seems swollen. It will only be better if we understand the cause at the early stage."