Breaking Mr. Cold (Giselle and Donovan) novel Chapter 3

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"Giselle, it's Renee's birthday today. Come back to the Holt residence for dinner tonight."

The voice on the phone was none other than Tony Holt, the man Giselle reluctantly called her father.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have answered his call, let alone set foot in that house. But there was something important she needed to take care of.

After a brief hesitation, she agreed.

Giselle hated talking about her rotten past with anyone. Since she was little, Tony had been unfaithful, carrying on an affair with her aunt, Renee Moore. It eventually led to the death of Giselle's birth mother, Rebecca Moore, who lost her battle with depression.

After Renee stepped into Rebecca's place as Giselle's stepmother, Giselle became an unwelcome outsider in her own home.

When Giselle was only ten, Tony sent her away to live overseas. Aside from the bare minimum of financial support, he showed her almost no fatherly affection, leaving her to raise herself.

Now that she'd finally achieved financial independence, the first thing she wanted was to cut all ties with the Holt family. It was time for a fresh start.

With that goal in mind, she drove to the Holt residence just after 4:00 pm. Half an hour later, her car pulled up in front of a timeless, elegant villa in an upscale neighborhood.

When Giselle walked into the living room, she saw Tony seated on the couch, chatting on the phone.

Nearby, Renee was in the middle of giving orders to the butler, but the moment she noticed Giselle, her face twisted with barely concealed disgust.

"Didn't I tell you today was Renee's birthday? Why did you come empty-handed?" Tony snapped.

Giselle had no patience for pleasantries. "I'm not here to celebrate anyone's birthday. I just came to get my personal documents and cut ties with this family for good."

Tony went quiet.

Renee eyed Giselle sideways, noting the limited-edition Hermès bag in her grip and the designer clothes from head to toe.

"So that's why you're suddenly cutting us off." Renee snorted. "You found yourself a sugar daddy to foot the bill, didn't you?"

Giselle sneered. "Yeah, I met this older guy—even older than Dad. He throws millions at me without even blinking. Money's not a problem anymore."

"You piece of shit!" Tony snarled, thrusting a finger in her face. "You're off screwing around all the time. Have you no shame left? Are you trying to humiliate me in my old age?"

"Shame?" Giselle shot back, her voice dripping with indifference. "Sorry, my parents died when I was young. I had no one around to raise me or teach me. So no, I don't know what shame is. But if you had any clue about it, you wouldn't have pulled all that disgusting shit back then."

"How dare you!" Tony's whole body shook with rage, his words hissing through clenched teeth. "Do you think I can't fucking control you anymore?"