Chapter 34: Chapter 34 Leaked secret.
Why luck was by her side, it also came with bad luck as a deadly earthquake struck, shaking the earth’s core—or rather, the building to be precise.
Falling down countlessly, Gianna ran out, still gasping and trembling from all the beatings she had endured so far. Who were those men, and why were they so bent on taking her?
Aside from trying to defile her, they also wanted her to follow them wherever they came from. Whoever they were, Gianna had the creeping thought that her parents were behind this. That phone call her father made must have triggered it all, and she wouldn’t be surprised if they had auctioned her off. At this point, anything was possible.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Gianna screamed as she plunged into a deep crack that swallowed her whole.
She kept falling until she crashed right on top of Daniel, who had been about to leave through the final staircase.
Daniel groaned in pain as her crushing weight slammed him onto the floor. He held his head, which had just healed, only to feel it punctured slightly again.
"Why can’t you all leave my forehead alone," Daniel muttered, grimacing. And why the hell was she here?
Okay, he was being rude, but he didn’t want more issues on his plate—especially not with thugs running in and mistaking him for her savior.
"Oh, it’s you—you’re alright!" Gianna smiled weakly, trying to stand and hug Daniel, but her legs gave way, and she fell heavily back to the ground.
Ouch!
"Daniel, isn’t that your name?" Gianna asked. Daniel gave a short nod. She twisted her face in agony, her body aching so badly she doubted she would survive.
"The building will soon collapse, and I don’t know if anyone else is inside. We have to warn them." Gianna declared.
Daniel blinked. Since when did she turn into a saint, ready to die a martyr? He wasn’t about to sacrifice his life for cruel mafias who killed innocent people for their selfish desires.
"And why should I do that?" Daniel asked, watching Gianna struggle to stand until she finally propped herself up with a stick.
"Look at yourself, girl—you’re injured and probably won’t make it out alive. But instead of prioritizing your life, you’re choosing them? People that abandoned you?" Daniel scoffed.
She was telling him to play hero, to die for the masses and be remembered as a monument for praise. To him, that wasn’t heroism—it was pathetic.
Gianna froze, speechless. His eyes shone with defiance, telling her everything: she was on her own.
"Okay, I get where you’re going, but my family—"
That did it. Daniel wasn’t about to sit here and listen to her rant about life’s unfairness. He too had suffered—probably worse—and yet he hadn’t let it define him. Once a coward, he had clawed his way into courage, though he knew it wasn’t always like this. Still, every second wasted gave Matt time to catch up.
"Haven’t you learned your lesson? No one cares about you. No one loves you. The moment you put that into your thick skull is when you’ll finally heal," Daniel deadpanned. His words were sharp, intended to wound.
"So free me, girl, and stop being a pest. I need to escape—since you’re clearly not ready to start loving yourself."
With that, he headed for the stairs—just as Matt appeared.
Daniel flinched back as Matt blocked the way, glaring menacingly.
"Caught you. Now let’s end this." Matt lunged. Daniel stumbled backward, but the building groaned and swung violently, bending at an impossible angle. Everything not bolted down slid off, carried away by gravity.
Daniel, Gianna, and Matt were all swept together, tumbling until they landed near the barricade between two floors.
"No... this isn’t good," Daniel muttered as the barricade creaked dangerously.
Gianna, too close to the edge, panicked. Clutching her throat, she squeezed her eyes shut.
"I don’t want to die! Please!" she cried.
Daniel wasn’t about to babysit. He tried crawling upward, but the building groaned again, tilted too sharply for him to gain traction.
"At least, Daniel, if I don’t kill you today, I’ll be fulfilled knowing you’ll die with me," Matt smirked darkly.
Gianna, caught in the middle, was bewildered by the venom in Matt’s stare.
"Matt, not again. What did Daniel even do this time?" she asked.
Matt laughed, that hollow, soul-pricking laugh.
"Oh, you were chilling in the hospital, so you didn’t get the update," he mocked.
"The young whore here pushed our mother down the stairs. He’s the reason she landed in the hospital. And to make matters worse, he unplugged her life support." Matt’s voice cracked as tears spilled.
"Mom is dead. My mother is dead—because of you, Daniel!" he shouted, sobbing.
Gianna’s face twisted in shock. She staggered back, then turned her glare on Daniel.
"So you were this monstrous? I thought you were innocent. How dare you kill her!" Gianna screamed, grabbing Daniel’s collar.
"I rescued you when you could have died. I took you for treatment when you were abandoned. And this is how you repay us?" Her voice broke with raw sorrow.
Everyone kept disappointing her—her family betrayed her, her lover Jake chose the mafia over love, and now Daniel, whom she thought different, was a monster too.
"I just wish you had died," Gianna whispered, her voice trembling with cruelty.
The words pierced Daniel’s chest like blades. Pure brutality.
Matt, seizing the moment, grabbed Daniel’s legs violently.
"We’re all going to die together," he hissed.
The barricade groaned louder, ready to give way. The building itself seemed moments from collapse. Either they’d fall and smash their heads on the marble below—or the building would do it for them.
Daniel felt himself being dragged when his pocket shook loose. A small vial of suppressant liquid tumbled out.
Before it could fall, Matt snatched it up and inspected it.
Daniel froze, panic shooting through him.
"Give it back..." Daniel demanded, voice shaking.
Matt’s grin spread devilishly.
"An omega, huh?" he sneered. "That’s your little secret. I wonder what Adrian would say about this."
Daniel’s world collapsed in that instant. If Matt survived, he would expose everything.
"I’m sorry, Matt. Send my condolences to your mom. And one last thing—I didn’t unplug her life support. You’ve been deceived."
With a sudden violent shove, Daniel pushed Matt backward.
"Nooo!" Matt screamed as he plummeted, his body smashing against the marble floor with a sickening crack.
Gianna gasped, horror-stricken, staring at Daniel with trembling eyes. She realized—she knew his secret too. And if he killed Matt to protect it, she might be next.
"Please, spare me. I won’t say anything," Gianna begged, clinging desperately to an iron bar to stop herself from sliding.
Daniel, now just inches from safety, shrugged coldly.
"Good luck, Gianna. Rest in peace."
He shoved a block aside, dislodging the bar she clung to.
"Please, no! No!" she cried, her eyes wide with betrayal.
Daniel turned away, but guilt gripped him. He spun back and lunged, grabbing for her hands.
"I’m sorry—hold on!" he urged.
But he was too late. Her fingers slipped free, and she plummeted. This time she landed face-first, her blood pooling beneath her.
Daniel collapsed in dismay, consumed with guilt.
What had he done?