Dark Revenge Of An Unwanted Wife: The Twins Are Not Yours! - Chapter 271

Chapter 271: Bullshit!
“What are we doing here?” Gianna asked as she parked the car in the spot that Athena had pointed out earlier. “This place is like a wasteland, hotter than the city because of the lack of trees—or is it the lack of humans…”

She turned to Athena, turning off the ignition. “How can your private lab be here? It’s not a conducive environment, considering the quantity and nature of chemicals you work with. Or is something else at play here?”

Athena chuckled and opened the door, stepping out without providing her friend with a response. There was no way she could explain it after all; this time, the best approach would be to show Gianna instead.

“Come on, Gianna, I’ll just show you,” She said, tsking at the frown on Gianna’s face.

When Gianna raised an eyebrow in confusion, Athena shook her head and started walking toward the phone booth, comfortable in the knowledge that Gianna would follow.

“What are we doing at a phone booth, Athena? Is this some kind of joke… or wait!” Gianna paused, her eyes widening dramatically. “Don’t tell me it’s some secret door, a passageway or something.”

She searched the booth frantically for any sort of clue that might trigger a hidden entrance. But for the life of her, she couldn’t find a single indication that the booth was anything more than an ordinary relic.

When she returned her gaze to Athena, she found the latter watching her with amusement.

“What?!”

Athena merely shrugged. “Just brace yourself. We are about to go down.”

Gianna furrowed her brows, observing Athena punch in some numbers on the dial, as if she were about to make a call. But the telephone remained firmly in its position, and Gianna noticed a creaking sound coming from below. Before she could ask about the strange noises, the pavement beneath her suddenly dropped with an astonishing sound, taking them both beneath the surface.

Her scream echoed throughout the region.

“Jeez, Gianna, calm down…” Athena began to laugh as she stepped out of the booth and into the passageway leading to her private lab. “It’s just an elevator…”

Still in shock, Gianna sauntered out of the booth slowly, her gaze widening as she watched it ascend with surprising speed. “That is no fucking elevator, Athena. That’s… that’s a death box! Do you want to kill me?!”

Athena laughed even harder, not stopping until she reached the iron door.

“You could have warned me about this, like, give me a heads-up…” Gianna complained, briskly dusting off her body.

“I told you to brace yourself,” Athena replied as she entered the necessary codes, summoning the strength to slide the door open. Aiden had always excelled at this task, but she had to make do with her own abilities for now.

“Brace myself? That’s hardly a proper warning, Athena,” Gianna continued, oblivious to the inner turmoil swirling within Athena.

“So what’s next?” She stood behind Athena, her eyes darting around the dimly lit environment. “Couldn’t you have found a space above ground? I’m sure there are better apartments that would suit your lab requirements instead of this place…”

“Yeah, there might be,” Athena replied thoughtfully. “But this place is better. My research works best underground. There are fewer attempts to break in since it’s hidden away, kept safe from anyone who might want to acquire my research.”

Finally pulling the door open a bit, she let out a small groan.

Seeing her struggle, Gianna lent a hand, and together they shoved the heavy door open to enter. Once inside, the door shut solidly behind them.

“You know you should have called Aiden. Are we really going to pull this door open again?”

Athena sighed, pointing to the couch situated against one wall. “Please wait here. And about Aiden… we aren’t exactly on speaking terms right now.”

Gianna’s interest piqued, and her brows raised. “You’re arguing with Aiden? That’s new. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that one before. What happened?”

Sighing again, Athena sank into the couch beside Gianna. “He knew about Scarlett. I told him about it that night four days ago, hoping to see if we could do something about it—maybe confront some people. But it turns out he’s been aware of it all this time.”

Gianna’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. “For real? That’s crazy! Why would he keep something like that from you, especially considering how close you are with her?”

“He claimed it was for my protection.”

“That’s bullshit!” Gianna exclaimed, smacking her thighs in frustration as if they were to blame for the situation. “Protecting you from the pain or what? He should have told you by now; hasn’t it been close to two years? That’s more than enough time to reveal the truth.”

A pause filled the air.

“Damn, he really messed up.” Gianna flung her arms around Athena’s shoulders in a comforting embrace. “Has he apologized?”

Athena snorted softly at the memory. “He did, that night…”

“No, that doesn’t count. You were overwhelmed with emotions then… I’m talking about after that night. Has he really apologized?” Gianna pressed, her voice laced with concern.

Athena sighed, looking down at her hands. “I blocked his number. So perhaps he has sent a text…”

“That’s not what I mean either! Has he come to see you either at home or at the hospital to apologize?”

Athena shook her head, the realization weighing heavily on her shoulders.

Gianna sputtered an incredulous laugh. “For real? I need to smack his head then. Is he crazy?”

Athena chuckled softly, albeit sadly. “Maybe it’s because I made a snide remark before he left…”

Curious now, Gianna turned to her, eager to know. “What did you say?”

“I told him that this must be why his wife left him…” Athena responded, a hesitant pause hanging in the air.

To her surprise, Gianna burst into laughter.

“Why are you laughing?” Athena asked, taken aback by her friend’s reaction.

But Gianna just couldn’t stop. The laughter came in waves—pausing for breath, then restarting, each occurrence managing to coax a chuckle from Athena despite herself.

After a while, the choruses of laughter finally brought Athena to a point of weariness. “C’mon, Gianna.”

“I can see where Kathleen got her smart mouth from!” Gianna exclaimed. “But still, that’s not enough for him to ghost you. I’m guessing his pride is consuming him. I never thought he would be that egotistical…”

Athena nodded in agreement. “I guess all men are the same then,” She muttered, standing up. “Stay here. Let me grab the batch of drugs. I’ll be right back…”

Then she paused, calculating her next thought carefully. “Gianna, you mentioned that the presentation isn’t important, right?”

Gianna nodded. “Is there a problem?”

“Do you have any other presentations or work to handle this afternoon?” Athena asked, her worry shifting to her friend’s schedule.

Gianna shook her head, but her eyes revealed that she was still inquiring about what the problem might be.

“Can you stay here until five or thereabouts?”

Gianna furrowed her brows. “I thought you were just getting a batch of drugs…”

Athena nodded slowly, an idea forming in her mind. “Yeah. But on second thought, I think I should prepare another supply since the components are assembled already. Just a little heat and some tunings, and they will be good to go. Can you wait for me?”

Athena felt hopeful, believing that if all went well, she could also begin working on the case concerning the individuals responsible for the Grey disease. Since she was already here, it made sense to multitask as efficiently as possible.

“Yes, I can wait. I just wish I’d brought some snacks with me…” Gianna mused, glancing around the brightly lit room.

“I wish I had some too…” Athena murmured as she walked into the lab. Her stomach grumbled softly at the thought of food. “Just knock on the door when it’s five. I tend to lose track of time when I’m working.”

Gianna nodded and waved her hand dismissively, resting her head against the couch and deciding to catch some sleep since food would remain a distant dream for now.

Inside the lab, Athena made a quick call to Finn. “Hello, Finn, are you still at the hospital?”

There was a pause at the other end of the line.

“Finn…” She prompted.

“Yes, ma’am, I’m still at the hospital,” Finn finally replied.

Athena sighed in relief, grateful for her dependable employee. “I need a favor, Finn.”

“Of course, ma’am. Please go ahead,” He said, ever the dutiful doctor.

“I know you were supposed to take your break now and all, but can you work for a couple more hours? I left the hospital to handle some urgent matters, and I trust you the most to manage the staff and patients. Can you do that for me until Doctor Linda comes in for her evening shift? Please?”

“Of course, ma’am. I still have a week of rest after all,” Finn reassured her.

Athena chuckled with him, feeling a bit more at ease. “Thank you, Finn.”

She exhaled in relief, ending the call, her eyes beginning to scan the equipment laid out for drug preparation. Linda and Finn were her most competent doctors, focused on their work and not swayed by the petty gossip that floated around or the influence of the evil twins.

Their reliability made them invaluable to her—particularly when she was absent.

Just as she was about to dive into her work, her phone dinged with a text notification.

A smile stretched across her lips when she saw it was from Antonio.

“Would you go on a date with me, beautiful woman? It’s been a while since we last connected; we’ve both been busy with our respective jobs. Is seven p.m. okay?”

Athena’s excitement bubbled up, and she quickly texted back, “Yes. It is perfect.”

Immediately after sending her response, her phone started ringing. She laughed softly as she answered the call. “Were you waiting for my text?”

“Of course,” Antonio responded, his joy evident in his voice. “So, I’ll pick you up at seven? At your place or Mr. Thorne’s?”

“My place,” She replied, her smile growing.