Gina’s smile wavered slightly as she lowered her gaze, feeling a small thrill of warmth at his concern. "Thank you for looking out for me. I really am grateful," she murmured.
But Theodore’s gaze remained hard, his thoughts calculating. He knew the time had come to reveal what he had discovered, despite the potential fallout. Before Claudia and Keith could tighten their grip on him, he had to take action. With a steely resolve, he opened a drawer, withdrew a slim file, and slid it across the desk.
"Sit down and look at this carefully," he instructed solemnly.
Gina’s smile faded, her expression growing tense as she took the seat across from him. Her hands moved slowly, almost nervously, as she opened the file. Her face hardened the moment her eyes fell on the words—Paternity Test Report. Her grip on the file tightened as she skimmed over the lines, the shocking truth sinking in... the test confirmed that Claudia was indeed her biological mother.
"I know this isn’t easy to take in," he said grimly, watching her closely. "But it’s the truth. I’ve been following Claudia for so long and recently, have discovered something shocking. To confirm my doubts, I took the liberty of conducting the test without your knowledge."
Gina’s jaw clenched as she closed the file abruptly, annoyance flickering in her eyes. "This is not a secret anymore. I already know."
"You knew!" Theodore raised an eyebrow. It turned out that he had suspected correctly.
Gina sighed, a sad look crossing her features. "I found out everything last night." She then narrated what she had found in her father’s study, her hands moving in animated gestures.
"They lied to me," she choked out, her voice breaking, "kept the truth hidden. I’ll never forgive them. Never..."
She covered her face with her hands and sobbed, her shoulders shaking.
Theodore pitied her. He stretched his handkerchief to her. "I know it’s difficult for you," he said softly, "but you have to be strong. Don’t let them use you as a puppet."
"Thanks." She took the handkerchief and wiped her tears away. "I don’t care about them. You are with me. That’s all that I need." She managed a smile, a hopeful look crossing her face.
Theodore gawked at her, hesitating how to tell her his real intention. He knew she was in pain, but he couldn’t lie to her anymore.
"Gina, I have to tell you something," he started cautiously. "I can’t be with you."
Gina’s face turned bleak, her heart sinking. The hope she had in her heart of starting a life with him crumbled around her. "What do you mean? Are you...breaking up with me?"
Theodore sighed, feeling a bit guilty. "This whole time, I wasn’t thinking about marrying you. I knew since the very beginning that Claudian was using you to trap me. In my heart, I was always very clear about you – we were not meant to be together."
His words hit her hard. The realization dawned on her. "You have been using me all these days!" she exclaimed with disbelief, tears blurring her vision. "You also lied to me – played with my emotions. Why?" Her loud voice echoed inside the room.
"Calm down," Theodore urged, rising to his feet and walking over to her. "My problem is with Claudia. I have no grudge with you. We can still be friends, okay? I can help you in your career, but love is something that can’t be forced."
"All those words, your promises – all were fake, just to make me find that videotape Claudia had," she barked. "Theodore, I trusted you. I loved you for years and you only saw me as a tool to use against your enemy!" She jumped to her feet, the chair screeching away. Her eyes were stormy as she glared at him. "I was ready to do everything for you – even go against my parents. But you are discarding me now that you find me not useful."
Theodore had indeed used her, but he regretted it now. "I didn’t know things would turn this ugly," he managed. "I never even imagined you could be Claudia’s daughter."
Gina squinted at him, a thought appearing in her mind. "Are you scared I’ll betray you?" she asked skeptically. "Is this why you are breaking up with me?" She grabbed his hands, her expression softening. "Then don’t. I love you, Theo. I’ll never betray you. Claudia can’t do anything against you; I won’t let her hurt you. Trust me. I am on your side. Together, we’ll deal with her."
"Gina, listen up." Theodore pulled his hands out of her grasp. "This is not about trusting you. I know you seriously tried to help me, and I appreciate that. I’ll be thankful to you forever. But I can’t give you the love you want. This is not possible."
Gina’s heart sank. She grew even more desperate. "Why? Why can’t you love me? I am beautiful and talented – and most importantly, I love you. You can try at least." She moved in closer, slipping her arms around his neck. "I can make you happy. I can do anything you say."
"Gina, come to your senses," Theodore snarled, trying to push her away. But she clung to him, her hands roaming over his chest. She leaned onto him, her lips brushing over his neck and jawline.
"Give me a chance to show you how serious I am," she whispered. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
"Enough, Gina," Theodore roared and pushed her away forcefully.
Gina’s whole body stumbled backward and sprawled on the floor. She glared up at him, feeling humiliated.
"You can’t get someone’s love by forcing yourself on him," he warned her, his expression tight. "I have my sympathy with you, and I am ready to help you. But this – I can’t give you."
"I don’t need your sympathy," she shrieked, slamming her hand on the floor. "I want your love – I want you!"
"Gina, you should leave." He turned aside, too tired to argue with her. "The driver will take you home."
"No, I am not going anywhere." She sprang to her feet and hugged him tightly from behind, pressing herself against his back. "Please marry me. I am begging you. I promise I’ll be an obedient wife."
"Stop it." He wriggled to break free, but she tightened his grip around him.
"You don’t know how much I love you," she continued. "For you, I can do anything – anything means anything. Please love me, Theo. You will never regret it."
"I am in love with someone else," Theodore snarled, breaking free from her grasp and turning to face her.
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