Sienna’s POV Pressing the sleek brass doorbell of Candice’s luxury apartment, I stepped back and waited for the door to be answered. As soon as our return flight from Ibiza touched the soil of New York City, I had dropped my things at my place and boarded a taxi here without any delays, anticipating to see Livvy. To hug her, see her warm smile again, and tell her how much I haf missed her.Less than a minute later, the door was pushed open from the inside and Candice’s cheerful face greeted me.“Omg! It’s you, Sienna!” She squealed in delight before throwing her arms around my neck in an embrace. I chuckled softly at her contagious happiness. “Mommy! You’re back!” A small voice came from behind Candice and she stepped aside, giving way for me to see Livvy running towards me, a plush teddy bear in her hand.“Sweetie!” My heart warmed instantly and I crouched to the ground, spreading out my arms to catch her in a hug just on time. Even though it had only been three days, it felt as
Sienna’s POV“Kiss me. Kiss me, please.”The ghost of my plea from the campaign’s after-party fell on my ears as I stared at Roman’s tall, black-clad figure waiting for me by my doorsteps.“Fuck.” I cursed in my head. Why was he here? Did it have something to do with the after party?Embarrassed by my drunken plea of the night before, I had spent all morning before our return trying my best to have as minimal contact with Roman as possible.My heart beat raced and I dug my fingers subconsciously into my now palms. Did I maybe blurt out something else last night? About him being my ex husband or perhaps about Livvy being his daughter?God, please! Let it not be either of the options. The thought alone was horrifying. I tensed as he walked up to Livvy and I with a small smile gracing his face, meant to ease my mind. But it didn’t. Instead, it worsened my state of unrest. My grip on Livvy’s hand tightened and I pulled her closer to me protectively.“Mommy. Who is that man?” She asked m
Sienna’s POVAs I half-walked, half-skipped into the company building, a smile played on my lips and my heart felt warm against my chest.Catching a glimpse of Ms. Helen cleaning the corridor, I waved gingerly at her, my teeth flashing in a big smile.“Morning, Ms. Helen!”“Good day to you too, Miss. Blake.” Ms. Helen returned my wave with a smile, which carried a subtle hint of confusion. “You look and sound really cheerful today. What’s the good news?”“Oh.” I laughed again, waving her off. “It’s just that the weather feels like today. I have a feeling we’re going to have a wonderful day today. Anyway, have a great day, Ms. Helen.”I waved at her again as I walked away and Ms. Helen chuckled good-naturedly, waving me back.As I strode down the hallway, my thoughts drifted back to Roman and the spicy event of last night. It felt like one of the dreams I had always had during these past years. Those dreams of when he would slip under the covers beside me and make sweet love to me.And
Roman’s POV“Roman!” Sabrina’s furious, voice rang out behind me as I sipped from my glass of sparkling water while skimming through the Vogue copy in my hand.“Care to explain this?!” She slapped the same Vogue copy on the table before me, literally fuming with rage. As much as her outburst irritated me, I tried my best to remain calm and composed.Setting my glass down, I lifted my gaze to her reddened face and raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry. “What do you mean?”“This!” She pointed at Sienna’s image on the cover page. “How can you let this happen?!”My frown deepened. I couldn’t understand how someone could hate their own sister’s success so much. Even if Sienna was so evil, getting so angry over her doing well didn’t make any sense.It was thoughts like this that made me doubt Sabrina’s truth sometimes.“You’re not making any sense, Sabrina.” I said to her, doing my best to still keep my tone calm. “All I see is a young woman who is succeeding in her field….”“Succeeding, my
Sienna’s POVONE WEEK LATER“You can open your eyes now,” Candice whispered, stepping back as she finished my makeup. I opened my eyes slowly and looked at my reflection in the mirror. A smile crept my face as I admired the look. Soft and glowing with warm tones that enhanced my features without looking overdone. My hair was styled into loose waves, cascading over my shoulders effortlessly. It wasn’t bold or dramatic. Just simple and elegant. Candice had insisted I dress the part. As the creative director behind the recent successful campaign for a multi billion dollar company, now being courted by top brands, I had to exude confidence and style. And I shared her vision. “Too stunned to speak?” Candice teased, grinning as she watched me through the mirror.I let out a soft laugh. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”“Alright then.” Candice said, tidying up her vanity table which was cluttered with makeup and brushes. “Ethan’s waiting outside. He can get really cranky when we’re late.”I stoo
Sienna’s POVCandice stormed across the room, and before I could blink, her hand lashed out, delivering a stinging slap across Sabrina’s face. The impact sent Sabrina staggering backward, forcing her to grab the edge of the sink to steady herself.I froze, watching the scene unfold in disbelief. Ever since Candice had mistaken me for Sabrina and attacked me that day, I had known there was some bad blood between them. But this? This was on another level. For the first time, I might finally understand what had fueled their hatred.“For three years, I’ve been waiting for this moment.” Candice hissed with blazing eyes as Sabrina slowly straightened herself, her hand pressing against her reddened cheek. Her perfectly styled hair was now slightly disheveled, and a small cut on her lip trickled crimson. But if she felt any pain, she didn’t show it. Instead, she smirked. “Long time, no see, Candice.” She said coolly. “I thought you had left the city for good.”“I thought so too.” Candice
Roman’s POV“Roman, please! Listen to me!" Sabrina cried, chasing after me as I stormed into the house. All thanks to her, I couldn’t even focus, let alone enjoy my own company’s campaign launch event. And so, as soon as it was over, I had driven straight home. But she still wouldn’t get off my back. “Listen to me already, please!” She begged, grabbing my arm to stop me from walking further.Unable to hold back my anger anymore. I spun around immediately, glaring at her with my nose flaring with rage. The fury in my eyes must have been enough because she took a step back.Good for her.“What could you possibly have to say to me now?” I hissed, my voice low but dripping with so much rage. “What more lies are you going to tell me?”I took a step closer and she backed away, her eyes wide with tears. Fake tears.“You told me and everyone else, that Sienna was the villain. That she hated you, that she tried to take everything from you!” My fists clenched tightly in an effort to control my
Candice’s POVTWO DAYS LATERI rang the doorbell and waited, clutching my purse and shifting nervously on my feet. I wasn’t sure how to face Sienna after everything that had happened. She hadn’t answered any of my calls or replied to my messages. Guilt had been eating me alive, and it took everything I had to summon the courage to come here.When the door finally opened, my heart skipped a beat as Sienna’s frame greeted me. She stood in the doorway, a mixture of slight surprise and exhaustion on her face. She looked somehow frail. Her shoulders were slumped and her eyes were puffy and red as if she had been crying. Seeing her like this made the guilt in me even worse, and for the millionth time, I hated myself for ever being involved with Sabrina.“Candice?” She said, a faint frown creasing her forehead. “What are you doing here?”I tried to smile, even though my throat tightened with the threat of tears. “You weren’t answering your calls or messages, and you’ve been out on sick l
SIENNATHE NEXT DAYI rang the doorbell to Candice’s apartment and stepped back, waiting. She hadn’t shown up at work today, and I wasn’t surprised. Not after what happened yesterday with Julian and Sabrina.That was why I came straight here after work, to check on her. I knew she wouldn’t be doing okay after all the messy events of yesterday.Honestly, who would be?I waited a bit, then rang the bell again. And again. I was about to press it a fourth time when the door finally opened slowly from the inside.Candice’s blank face came up in front of me. She wasn’t crying, but the dark circles under her eyes said enough. Her hair was messy, like she hadn’t moved from bed all day. Like she had been crying on and off, sleeping in between.Seeing her like this made my chest tighten with anger. How could Julian and Sabrina hurt her like this? Especially Julian. I hoped to confront him when I got back to the mansion from here.“Hey.” She said softly. Her voice was low and dry, as if she hadn
ROMAN“Thank you so much for coming, Mr. Montgomery. It was a pleasure having you here.” One of the summit organizers said, shaking my hand. Another followed, doing the same.After a long and exhausting day, the business summit had finally ended, and I couldn’t wait to leave the building and head home to rest.Soon, we were finally left alone and it was just me and Harper. We walked side by side toward the elevator.“I really hope my mom made one of her usual home cooked dinners,” Harper said with a sigh as we entered the elevator and waited. He rubbed his stomach. “I’m starving.”I glanced at him and shook my head. “You really have no shame. Still a mama’s boy at your big age.”“Proudly,” he replied with a grin, then asked, “Have you heard from Miss Blake? I’ve been trying to reach her, but she’s been busy.”The mention of Sienna made my chest tighten. My heart started to race like it always did when I thought about her. She had been too busy with Ethan Crawford lately to even noti
CANDICEI stood frozen, my heart pounding so fast I could hear it in my ears. It felt like my whole world had just flipped upside down. I couldn’t take my eyes off what I was seeing. Sabrina on top of Julian, both of them lost in their moment, completely unaware that Sienna and I had walked in.I blinked slowly, trying to make sense of it. A part of me had always felt something was off with Julian. I even thought he might be seeing someone else. But never in a million years did I imagine it would be Sabrina.Julian was the first to notice us. His eyes widened in shock when he saw me standing there with Sienna behind me. In an instant, he pushed Sabrina off him, and she fell to the side of the bed. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she finally noticed us too and she quickly grabbed the blanket and pulled it over herself.“Candice… shit,” Julian muttered, breathing hard as he scrambled to put on his pants under the blanket. Behind me, Sienna gently reached for my hand.“Let’s go, Candi
SIENNA“What the hell…” Candice whispered behind me.I quickly stepped away from her, my eyes wide with tears and my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my ears. I tried to hide the contents of the package behind my back, even though it was pointless. She had already seen everything.Gone was the happy, smiling Candice from earlier. Now, her face was frozen in shock and confusion.Without saying a word, she stepped closer and took the photos right from my hand before I could stop her.I stood there helpless, frozen, as her eyes scanned through each picture with growing panic. My legs gave way, and I slid down to the floor, crouching against the wall as my whole body started to shake.“What is this, Sienna?” Candice asked in a soft, shaky voice. “What are you hiding from me? What are these pictures?”I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Just sobs. My chest tightened, and I broke down, crying.I shut my eyes, begging in my heart that this was just a nightmare. That
SIENNA"Miss Blake? Are you with us?"Ethan’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I blinked quickly, suddenly aware of where I was. My face flushed with embarrassment as I sat up straighter.We were in the middle of a meeting and once again, my mind had drifted to Emilia and Sabrina. It had been happening since yesterday, like I couldn’t stop replaying everything in my head.“Y-Yeah… I’m here.” I replied quietly.Ethan looked at me for a moment, his eyes filled with concern. He didn’t say anything at first, just let out a soft sigh.“Well then, that’s all for today,” he finally said. “You may all return to your work.”I let out a silent breath of relief, quickly gathering my notebook and pen. I stood up and headed out of the room in a rush before Ethan could pull me aside. I could already feel him thinking about it.Just as I was about to relax, I heard Candice’s voice behind me, followed by the clicking of her heels.“Sienna! Wait up!”I stopped, forcing a smile onto my face before
SIENNAEarly the next morning, Ethan dropped Livvy and me off at Roman’s mansion. I had to get Livvy ready for school and send her off before getting myself ready for work too.But after everything that happened last night, I hadn’t slept at all. My mind wouldn’t let me rest. Every time I closed my eyes, flashes of Emilia’s lifeless body came rushing back. Then I saw Sabrina’s tear-streaked face and her blood-covered hands. Then it was both of us, standing at the edge of the bridge, throwing Emilia’s body into the river. The last nightmare that jerked me fully awake was the image of both Sabrina and Emilia, drenched in blood, chasing after me until I fell off the bridge. I woke up before I hit the water.So when I got up this morning, my eyes were puffy and my face looked tired. Luckily, Ethan didn’t seem to notice much as he drove us back. He stopped the car in front of the mansion, and I got out with Livvy.“Goodbye, Mr. Ethan! We had such a lovely time with you!” Livvy waved brigh
SIENNASabrina had two jackets in the backseat of her car, which we threw on, to cover the bloodstains on our clothes. Once we looked a little less suspicious, we drove to a nearby bar. Sabrina had picked it on purpose because it was busy and loud, the kind of place where no one would notice two women acting a little off. More importantly, they had restrooms we could use to clean ourselves up before heading to our separate destinations— Sabrina to her mansion, and me back to Ethan’s place.Luckily, the plan worked. We walked in without anyone giving us a second glance. No stares, no questions.We made our way straight to the bathroom and began scrubbing the blood off our skin and clothes. We didn’t get everything off, but at least the worst of it was gone. Still, we couldn’t risk going back like this. Someone was bound to notice the mess we still carried on our clothes, on our faces, and in our eyes.We thought about stopping at a boutique to buy new outfits. But just as we were abou
Sienna’s POVDriving around with a dead body in the trunk of your car isn’t exactly what two well-dressed women are expected to be doing on a night when they were supposed to be on separate dinner dates. But somehow, that’s where Sabrina and I found ourselves tonight.And to make things worse, the body belonged to none other than our own mother.Sabrina was still in shock, too numb to even move properly, so I ended up behind the wheel of her car. I prayed the entire time that we wouldn’t run into any cops. Thankfully, the roads were quiet, and we drove smoothly. My hands were shaking on the steering wheel, but I tried hard to stay calm and look like I had it together.Thanks to the countless crime shows I’ve watched and mystery novels I’ve read, I had a rough idea of how people got rid of bodies. Even though I never imagined I would be doing something like this in real life. But I couldn’t leave Sabrina to deal with this on her own. No matter how messed up she was, she was still my s
Sienna’s POVAfter leaving Ethan’s place, I had booked a cab to the restaurant where Julian had asked me to meet him. When I arrived and stepped out of the cab, I was just about to head inside when I caught sight of two figures in a nearby dark alley. They looked familiar, and they seemed to be arguing.I slowed down, my eyes fixed on them, trying to figure out why they looked so familiar. But the alley was dimly lit, and I couldn’t see their faces clearly.Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Julian calling.“Where are you?” he asked as soon as I answered. He sounded impatient and his tone carried that sense of urgency that his text message had carried. “I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I just got here. I’m heading in now.”I slipped my phone back into my pocket and took a step toward the restaurant, but I couldn’t help glancing back at the alley. The argument between the two figures had gotten more heated. It almost looked like a physical fight now.That was when I noticed s