Chapter 22

Sienna’s POV

I woke up feeling lighter than I had in days, relieved that last night’s argument had at least settled one thing—I wasn’t going anywhere. Hester had been put in her place, and for once, Max hadn’t completely dismissed me. Maybe, just maybe, things would finally start getting better.

That hope shattered the moment I picked up my phone.

My notifications were in the thousands. Texts. Missed calls. Social media mentions flooding my screen like an unstoppable tidal wave. My stomach dropped as I clicked on the first article that popped up.

"MAXWELL HOLLANDALE'S FIANCÉE EXPOSED: SIENNA BROOKS—A GOLD DIGGER AND A HARLOT?"

I froze. My fingers trembled as I scrolled down. Dozens of articles, all saying the same thing.

Then I saw the pictures.

Leaked. Everywhere.

My heart slammed against my ribs. It was me—but it wasn’t me.

The woman in the photos looked just like me, but I knew my own body, and I knew when something had been edited. These weren’t real.

And yet, there they were. On the internet. On my own social media account, no less.

My blood ran cold.

I would never—could never—post something like this.

Who did this?

A choked sob escaped my throat. My entire body shook as I refreshed my page, hoping—praying—it was some kind of mistake. But the posts were still there. The comments were already rolling in.

"Wow, she really is shameless."

"Max deserves better."

"Guess we know why she was famous in Hollywood. She slept her way up."

"Disgusting."

The world was tearing me apart, and I had no idea how to stop it. A knock sounded at my door, and before I could respond, Harry stepped in.

“Miss Brooks—” He stopped mid-sentence, taking one look at me and the phone in my shaking hands. His jaw tightened. “You saw it.”

I could barely nod.

Harry sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was watching last night,” he said.

I frowned, still trying to process everything. “Watching what?”

“Hester,” he said simply.

My breath hitched. “What about her?”

“I saw her in your room while you were asleep,” Harry said. His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. “She had your phone. She did this.”

I stared at him, the words not fully registering. “She... hacked into my account?”

He nodded. “I was about to stop her, but I needed proof. I checked the security cameras. There’s footage.”

A fresh wave of rage surged through me. “That—that witch!” I seethed.

Harry’s gaze was steady. “We can fix this.”

“How?” I whispered.

He crossed his arms. “We get revenge.”

***

That afternoon, I stormed straight to Max’s office, shoving the door open so hard that it slammed against the wall.

He was sitting behind his desk, looking completely unbothered as he scrolled through his phone.

He didn’t even look up. “Didn’t anyone teach you how to knock?”

I slammed my phone onto his desk. “Look at this!”

He finally glanced at the screen, eyes scanning the photos and headlines. Then, to my utter shock, he smirked.

I gaped at him. “Are you—are you smiling right now?!”

He leaned back in his chair, looking up at me with maddening amusement. “Relax, Sienna.”

“RELAX?!” I nearly screamed. “Max, my reputation is ruined! Do you not understand what this means?!”

He shrugged. “The media will forget about it in a week. Scandals fade.”

“That’s not the point!” I fumed. “Someone hacked my account and posted fake nude pictures of me. Fake! And you’re just sitting there like it’s a minor inconvenience?”

He stood up, walking around the desk until he was inches from me. “You’re upset,” he murmured, his voice dropping into something dark and smooth. “That’s understandable.”

I stepped back, glaring at him. “Of course I’m upset! And you should be too!”

He tilted his head, studying me like I was an amusing puzzle. Then, slowly, he reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

I shivered. Not from attraction—from rage.

“Max,” I warned.

“You’re cute when you’re angry,” he murmured, his lips curving into that infuriating smirk.

I yanked away from his touch. “This is not funny!”

He exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. “Sienna, why are you wasting your energy on this?”

“Because it’s my life!” I shot back. “Because my entire existence is being ripped apart online, and you’re acting like it’s nothing!”

He sighed, stepping even closer. I backed up until my spine hit the wall.

“I’m not acting like it’s nothing,” he murmured, his eyes darkening as he leaned in. “I’m just saying... you should be focusing on what actually matters.”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding for all the wrong reasons.

“You should be focusing on staying healthy,” he continued, his voice like silk. “Making sure nothing happens to that baby.”

The way he said it made me want to slap him. Instead, I pushed him away and stormed out.

That night, I sat in the security room with Harry, watching the footage of Hester sneaking into my room.

“She’s not getting away with this,” I muttered.

Harry smirked. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

We put our plan into motion at exactly 3 AM. Hester was fast asleep when Harry hacked into her phone, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

“What are you writing?” I whispered.

He grinned. “An apology.”

I watched as he typed a post from her account:

"I want to sincerely apologize for the false pictures of Sienna Brooks. I acted out of jealousy and malice, and I deeply regret it. Sienna is a wonderful woman who deserves respect, and I hope people can forgive me for what I did."

I snorted. “Too nice.”

Harry chuckled. “Alright, how about this?” He tweaked it slightly before hitting Post. Once it was done, I moved out Harry, taking one final glance at Hester with contentment flowing through me and then I and Harry ran out, chuckling in childhood mischief resurfacing in me.

I couldn’t wait for her to wake.