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
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
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
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
Sienna’s POVFor a moment, I was lost in the glamor of the event I was covering with my team. It was a business gala where high profile business people and media elites were in attendance. And that was until the head of my team, Fiona, snapped, pulling me back into the moment."Sienna, could you try not to space out?" “Sorry.” Without looking up at her, I muttered more to myself than to her. I returned my focus to the notepad in front of me and scanned the room, ignoring the whispers of my teammates behind me. I didn’t have to hear what they were saying to know it was about me.Apparently, my new colleague had also learned of the scandal that prompted me to be transferred from my former branch to the New York Branch, and they all believed the story, viewing me as the woman who had slept my way up. A scandal that was perfectly orchestrated by own my best friend.No one cared to hear my own side of the story. And I didn’t care to explain myself to anyone.Feeling my throat perching dr
Sienna’s POVThe next morning, I stood in front of my boss, Ms. Leen, smoothing out my skirt for the third time in as many minutes. My palms were sweaty and my heart hammered in my chest. “Do you have any idea the kind of chaos you’ve caused?” She began, her nails drumming against the surface and her cold eyes locked on me. “My phone hasn’t stopped ringing since last night. Sponsors, attendees, the media, everyone’s talking about the little scene you decided to put on. Your embarrassing videos are everywhere, Miss. Blake!”“Ms. Leen, I…”“Save it.” She shot me another glare. “I don’t want excuses. What I want is for you to explain why you thought it was a good idea to slap a man like Roman Montgomery on the night of his business gala, cause a commotion, and drag this network’s name through the mud!”I swallowed hard, feeling my palms turn clammy and my heart beating so loudly that I feared she might hear it. “It wasn’t intentional, ma’am. I let my emotions get the best of me. I’m so
Sienna’s POVI arrived at the bar half an hour early and as I sat down at the bar, focusing on the tart and fruity mocktail in front of me, I felt my stomach growl in anxiety.I glanced at my wristwatch a couple of times, flicking my gaze tothe entryway every now and then, half expecting the anonymous texted to walk in. But it was too early and he or she had specifically said eight pm. I checked my phone again and reread the cryptic message that had led me here. As I read through it for the hundredth time, my fingers hovered over the screen more than once, tempted to respond with questions. But something told me this wasn’t the kind of person who liked to repeat themselves. Dropping my phone back into my purse, I indulged myself in my drink, hoping that time would go by faster.A while later, I felt a presence sit down on the stool next to mine and I glanced at his direction. It was a masculine man dressed in a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and his black trousers tai
Roman’s POVAs I stood in front of the full length mirror in my bedroom, I found myself unwillingly indulged in the thought of her again. Sienna. The hurt in her eyes. The emotions in her voice. It just wouldn’t leave my mind and it made absolutely no sense. She looked exactly like Sabrina, down to the shape of her eyes and the curve of her lips, except that she had chestnut brown hair and sapphire colored eyes while Sabrina had charcoal black hair and blue eyes. But then again, there was something about Sienna that felt different no matter how I tried not to think about it. Familiar, even. I ran a hand through my hair, irritated at myself.“Why the hell is she so convinced I’m her husband?” I muttered to myself. It didn’t add up. I had never seen her before in my life. Maybe Sienna was right and she was unstable.But then, why couldn’t I stop thinking about her? Was it the feeling of guilt I felt towards her in her miserable state? Was that the reason I had this nagging pull i
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